The Texas in the Civil War Message Board

TST Capt. J.R. Cummins of 1861 Tarrant Co militia

Please help identify this Capt. J.R. Cummins. Most militia captains are rather easy to find in the records since most were usually leaders of their communities. Below is my transcription of the header of an 1861 Tarrant County militia listing, the West Fork Guards.
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I, J.R. Cummins, Captain in command of the West Fork Guards, a company of mounted volunteers made up in the neighborhood of Bear Creek and Leonard’s Mill. I hereby certify that the resident officers and members as of the above state true. Members to be to in the Tarrant County Regiment of Mounted volunteers.

J.R. Cummins, Capt.

Cummins’ West Fork Guards, Tarrant County
Leonard’s Mill, June 1861.
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I found this J.R. Cummins in several Tarrant County tax and deed records, but did not find evidence that he was a resident. Did J.R. Cummins live in Tarrant County?
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One John Randolph Cummins (1832 TN-1902) m-c1857 Ellis Co TX to Elizabeth Sweatt. He and his siblings later lived in Collin County TX. This J.R. Cummins can be found in
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1850 Jackson Co Tennessee cen, John Cummins b-1783 NC

1870 Collin Co TX cen, John Cummins b-1833 NC.
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This John R. Cummins enlisted in Ellis County in Co C of Burford's 19th Cavalry as a Private.
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I strive to identify several sets of soldiers in my 1,046-page book that is from handwritten records.
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1) TST Captains of the 240 militia listings in my book.
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2) Brush Battalion, all 496 men. (I've spent countless hours finding these men, some of whom were rather elusive.)
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3) Bourland's Regt, about 850 men in the archival records, but a July 1864 GALVESTION NEWS article states that he had 1,000 men. Bourland's Regt had an inordinate number of older men, i.e. over age 45. Don't forget, I study the last 1-1/2 yrs of the War, which is markedly different than the first 1-1/2 yrs. I'm convinced that many older men, and their teenage sons, were in Bourland's Regt. In some cases, a son is listed, and in other cases, the father is listed.
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Lest we forget, history is the study of men, men as individuals. Too much of our history looks ONLY at the colonels and rich men, but in my book, I strive to identify the rank-and-file soldiers. This is tedious but is the only way we will have our textbooks reflect our history.
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Again,
Please help identify the "Capt. J.R. Cummins" of the West Fork Guards of 1861 Tarrant County.
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Patti, prochette@Juno.com

Messages In This Thread

TST Capt. J.R. Cummins of 1861 Tarrant Co militia
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identifying Tarrant County militia men