Mami T-- Part 6

The day I received the copy of her application in the mail I was so excited I was beside myself! As I was reading her sworn affidavit I saw her mark, an X on all of the pages, and I realized that she could not read or write; this was something that I had never even thought about before.

The papers were so clear they looked like originals, but I knew they were copies, I reached out and touched her mark with one finger, and it became a spiritual experience for me, suddenly in that moment it seemed as if all the years just slipped away, and I was actually touching the hand of my gg grandmother; I began to weep.

I saw it so clearly in my mind’s eye. And in that moment I had such an ache in my heart, and I mourned the loss of her for the first time in my life.

It was so real to me, I had loved and admired her all of my life, and I had at just this moment come to realize the fact that I had never known her personally at all, but she had lived in my memories and in my heart since I was old enough to hear and remember daddy’s stories about her.

I felt such a peace wash through me; it seemed to me as if I had actually touched her hand. And I believe that I did in the spiritual realm.

Afterwards I read her application and all of the information she had at the time she filed. She stated that William was in 1st Alabama Company A, and that he was killed in Port Hudson, La. December 08, of 1861, and that his Captain had been William Truett.

Not having much information about my gg grandfather I began to search and dig. In the beginning I only had the 1860 Holmes County census record. His name on the census was spelled William McDuffee born September 1827, Georgia. There was no other information.

I then realized this was why my dad had never talked about him; he had never known him, and you never think or talk about people that you have never known.

William left for the War and he was never heard from again by any family members. This was long before my granddaddy Boss or my dad was even born.

On the very last page of the paperwork I had received from Tallahassee there was a small form from the War Department. It confused me because it sounded as though there had been two William McDuffie’s in 1st Alabama. I contacted ADAH (Alabama Department of Archives and History) I spoke with two of their researchers via email.

And there had been two, one was William A. McDuffie and he had been in 1st Alabama Old Company B. and he was from Eufaula, Alabama and their Unit was called ‘Eufaula Rifles’, he was an officer, and he was black.

The other was my gg grandfather William and his last name had been spelled McDuffey. He was in 1st Alabama Company I his Unit was called ‘Dale Avengers’ his Captain had been William Pruitt, and he was a private.