~David Ledford, Jr. (Dave)
David Ledford, Jr. (Dave) was born ca. 1833, in Macon Co, North Carolina (See 1860 Cherokee County, NC census)
He married on March 28, 1851 in Cherokee County, North Carolina at the home of Stephen Hicks, to Nancy Dulcina Hix, born ca. 1835, in Haywood County, North Carolina.
Dulcina was the daughter of Stephenson Hicks and Mary "Maria" Ledford (purported daughter of Eli Ledford, son of Peter G. Ledford, Sr., Revolutioner)
Their children were: Eliza E. or T.C. Ledford b. Jan. 29, 1852 Cherokee Co, NC William Thomas C. Ledford b. May 30, 1853 Cherokee Co, NC David J. or S. Loranza (Ranz) Ledford b. Dec. 25, 1855 Cherokee Co, NC Mary L.J. Ledford b. May 3, 1857 Cherokee Co, NC
Harriett A. Ledford b. Jan. 18, 1859 Cherokee Co, NC Julian/Julia L.A. Ledford b. Feb. 19, 1861 Robert S. Ledford b. Nov. 19, 1862 Lulvina/Luola/Lula J.S.U. (Sweet Union) Ledford b. May 23, 1864
In (year?) Dave enlisted in the Army of the Confederacy (need to find the records), along with his brother, Center, and (possible brother) Big Jason Ledford. ***(Find records)(?July 5, 1862. They transferred from Company B, 7th Battalion, NC Calvary
to Company F, 65th Regt. NC Troops (6th Regt. NC Calvary) August, 1863.
The 65th was a part of the troops used by Thomas' Legion which helped
to protect the mountain passes on the NC and TN line from Federal
troops.?)***
For reasons unknown, Dave and Big Jason apparently had a change of heart/mind and "deserted" the Confederate Army, and joined the Union Army in approx. 1863.
In her Widow's Pension Application, Dulcina states Dave was killed while "engaged in piloting Capt. Welch and Lieut. Brady Escaped prisoners from Columbia South Carolina".
There are several family stories re: events during the time of the War:
One version is that Dave deserted the Confederate Army, and Rebels came to the house looking for him, in which they strung Dave's son, Ranz, up by his thumbs or toes, trying to get him to tell where his father was.
An old version of a tale said that Dulcina was a Union sympathizer after Rebels killed her husband, but in light of the info that her husband changed sides, we can guess she was a Union sympathizer before that.
She was said to have said something to the effect of...not all the Rebels were the same. Some were good people, others weren't.
She is said to have carried messages sewed into the lining of her dresses to the Union camps. If she was stopped and questioned by the Confederates she was say she was looking for a stray cow.
She was suspected anyway and every so often Confederate soldiers would come around and try to get a confession out of her that she was spying for the Union army. They would pour out all her family's food on the floor or ground and mix it with dirt to ruin it.
It was said the youngest daughter was born after Dave was killed (apparently not true) and that they called her ?Luola? "Sweet Union Forever". (According to Dulcena's Widow's pension, the "Sweet Union" part might be true.)
~ * ~
Everyone seems to agree on the fact that Dulcena and her son, Ranz, took a wagon to Tennessee to retrieve Dave's body and bring him home.
No one seemed to be sure if Dave was hung or shot, but according to his granddaughters, he was shot.
They say Dulcina died after 1880, or at age 44, but other than Dave and Dulcina are buried at the Old Ledford's Chapel cemetery, I don't know anything further about her right now.
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