What I have on Archer Avery was that he was a private in company A of Cobb's Cav. The picture I have of him was made in the 1920's and he is holding an old pistol with his cav. uniform and there is writing on the back that my grandmother wrote. Maybe he made good after the war, but he would be the exception in his family group. My great grandmother lived with the Avery family as Phoebe Flanigan age 10 years in the 1880 census. Because her father Henry H. Flanigan of 63rd GA. Regiment was possibly unable to care for his kids due to injury or illness. It gets very confusing because fathers and mothers died and in those years before SSA, welfare or anything else people became indigent in a hurry. My G, G, Grandfather and his two brothers all became indigent in their older age. Most of my direct ancestors were boarders at one time or another due to poverty and loss of farm land for one reason or another. It is a black hole when I start looking because my only link to that past was my grandmother who lived to be 99. Her mother became Phoebe Stanford around 1890. She married Leon Joseph King who served in the infantry from 1908-1911 and became naturalized citizen being from Russia. He was from Pinsk in Belarus and came here in 1890 I think.

There is another individual Peter H. Collins who is somehow related who got "bounty land" in 1850 for having served in the Seminole War of 1837-38. I have these documents and some pictures (tin types) of people I know nothing about, but who had some relation to me and who served in wars in Georgia history.

It is interesting to read what you wrote about Archer Avery having a replica uniform for reunions and such. He is wearing a complete uniform and it does seem strange that he would have been able to keep his Cav. Pistol but no sword, but he was only a private. I am sure he was not a doctor at the time of the war being only about 18 years old. What I have is that he was born in 1846. All the relatives had huge families with brothers, sisters, step sisters, half sisters and brothers.

When confederate enlisted were paroled what were they allowed to keep. I thought if they had a horse or mule they were allowed to keep it since most were farmers and that was like a car for them and also a means to plow and make a living on their plots of land in GA? I find Ancestry.com a pain in the ass to use. I found the most information looking at Confederate Soldiers of GA. Pensions. Much info because they could apply if they were disabled by the war or if they were indigent. I don't know exactly when the pensions began but James and William applied in 1900 for the first time when they were about 60 and both were ill and debilitated. They got 60 dollars a month. I appreciate your insights

John