The Sibert Family of South Carolina and Alabama

Send comments and corrections to anneb0704@yahoo.co.uk

return to Sibert family page

I-B. HENRY SIBERT (1823 – 1892), son of David Sibert² (John David¹)

Henry Sibert was born on 4 April 1823, probably in St. Clair County, Alabama. [1] He died on 27 November 1892. [1][2][3, September 1895] He is buried in the Plunkett Cemetery in Collinsville in DeKalb County. [2] He married Dorcas Edwards. [1] She was born on 17 February 1821 and died on 1 March 1901 in Collinsville. [1][2] She is buried in the Old Albertville Cemetery in Albertville, Marshall County, Alabama. [2] Dorcas was the daughter of Jesse and Elizabeth (Carleton) Edwards. [2][4][5] She was the granddaughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Edins) Carlton of Etowah County and the great-granddaughter of William and Esther (Brown) Carlton. [5]

Henry bought 40 acres in section 21 of Huntsville township, Etowah County on 1 September 1849. He purchased 80 acres in section 27 on 1 December 1852. [6]

According to the census, in 1850 Henry and Dorcas lived in DeKalb County with Fadeva I., aged three, and new-born Nell[!]. Henry was a farmer with real estate worth 400 dollars. [7] In 1860 Henry, aged 39, lived in Lebanon, DeKalb County with Dorcas, aged 40; Fadeva Italy, aged 13; Robert, aged 12; Dolphus, aged ten; David, aged six; and Julia, aged two. Fadeva, Dolphus, and David attended school. Henry had real estate worth 2,000 dollars and a personal estate of 1,000 dollars. [7] His farm included 200 acres of land and had a value of 200 dollars. He owned two horses, one mule, two cows, two oxen, eight other cattle, five sheep, and 25 pigs. He grew wheat, corn, oats, and tobacco. [8]

Henry enlisted as a private in Company G of the 31st Alabama Infantry Regiment. This regiment was organized on 16 March 1862, and on 6 to 7 April 1862 it was part of Brigadier General J. C. Breckinridge's First Brigade (under Colonel R. P. Trabue) at Shiloh. Henry was captured on 7 April and was held as a prisoner of war at Camp Douglas, Illinois. He was sent to the prison hospital. He suffered from erysipelas from 14 June to 20 July and from debilitas from 20 to 27 July. Camp Douglas was noted for its terrible conditions and high death rate. Almost all of the prisoners were gone by September; most because they had taken an oath of allegiance to the United States, had been exchanged or died. Henry later enlisted as a private from DeKalb in Company K of the Third Confederate Cavalry. It appears that Henry was part of the group of Confederates who raided a Union wagon train on 28 December 1863 in Charlestown, Tennessee, as Henry was captured there on that date. He was sent to Louisville, Kentucky on 14 January 1864, and to Rock Island, Illinois three days later. He was released on 19 June 1865, and his name appears on a list of those who signed an oath of allegiance. He was described as 45 years old, six feet tall, having a "fresh" complexion, dark brown hair and gray eyes. [9][10][11]

According to the census, in 1870 Henry was a 48-year-old farmer with real estate worth 2,000 dollars and a personal estate of 1,000. He lived with Dorcas, aged 48; Robert W., aged 20; Rodolphus J., aged 18; David E., aged 16; Julia A., aged 14; Jeff D., aged eight; and an 80-year-old black housekeeper. Henry and Dorcas are described as illiterate and Robert is described as "insane" and "at home." [7]

In 1880 Henry was a retired merchant in Beat 6 in DeKalb County. He is described as "maimed, crippled, bedridden or otherwise disabled." He was living with his son Robert, a 28-year-old farm laborer. [7] He had 160 acres worth 800 dollars. He had two horses, three cows, three other cattle, 36 pigs, and 24 poultry. His livestock was worth 800 dollars. He made butter and grew corn, oats, wheat and sorghum. He had an apple and peach orchard. [8] Dorcas was living with her daughter Julia and Julia's James N. Chaney. She was described as 60 years old and divorced. This may be an error and she was visiting her daughter. [7]

On 13 April 1897 the heirs of the estate of Henry Sibert were F.I. Beavers; J.A. Chaney, wife of J.M. Chaney of Collinsville; D.J. Sibert of Thirty Nine in DeKalb County; J.D. "Jeff" Sibert of Tuckerman, Arkansas; James and Cassie, the children of Robert E. Sibert; Dave and Burmah, the children of David Sibert; and Dorcas, his widow. [12]

Dorcas applied for a widow's pension under an Alabama act of 10 February 1899. She said that she lived in Collinsville and had not remarried. She was destitute, having no real estate and a net worth of zero. She could not appear in court in person because of age and infirmity. [3]

Children of Henry Sibert and Dorcas Edwards:

I-B-1. Fadeva Italy Sibert was born on 23 March 1847 in Alabama. She died on 27 May 1918. She married Asbury Woodville Beaver.

I-B-2. Robert E. Sibert was probably born about 1848 in Alabama. He died before 23 November 1896. He married Rebecca Oliver.

I-B-3. Adolphus Jessie Sibert was born on 22 or 23 February 1852 in Collinsville. He died on 24 April 1929 in Fyffe in DeKalb County. He married Martha Elizabeth Simpson.

I-B-4. Reverend David Erastus Sibert was born on 1 October 1853. He died on 2 December 1890. He married Josephine Elrod.

I-B-5. Julia A. Sibert was born on 9 July 1858 in Alabama.  She died on 14 September 1900. She married James Maburn Chaney.

I-B-6. Reverend Jefferson Davis Sibert was born in April 1862 or 1864 in Collinsville. He died on 27 July 1931 in Dade County, Florida. He married Victoria Crowley.

Endnotes

1. J. Luther Beeson, The Sibert Family of South Carolina and Alabama (n.p.: the author, 1928). Henry was probably born in Alabama, although the 1850, 1860 and 1870 censuses say he was born in South Carolina.

2. "Find a Grave," database and images, FindaGrave (accessed March 9, 2024), memorial pages for

3. "Alabama, Texas and Virginia, U.S., Confederate Pensions, 1884–1958," database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1677) > Alabama > S > Shoebert, William - Simmons, Louis, image 818–27.

4. Goodspeed's History of Greene County, Arkansas, (Van Buren, AK: facsimile reprint, 1963), 169, digitized book, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7256).

5. Jerry B. Jones, "Etowah County, Alabama, First Land Owners: Joseph Carlton, 1768–1828, Revolutionary War Soldier," Northeast Alabama Genealogical Society, Northeast Alabama Settlers 46(4) (2008): 9–10.

6. "General Land Records," database with images, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior (https://glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx), Acc. Nos. AL3170__.088, AL3240__.101, AL3240__.115.

7. "U.S. Federal Census Collection," database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/categories/usfedcen) >

8. "U.S., Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850–1860," database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1276) >

9. "U.S., Civil War Prisoner of War Records, 1861–1865," database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1124).

10. "Civil War Service Records (CMSR) - Confederate - Alabama," database with images, Fold3 (https://www.fold3.com/image/13538695/simes-w-l-page-1-us-civil-war-service-records-cmsr-confederate-alabama-1861-1865) > 31st Regiment > S > Sibert, Henry.

11. "U.S., Confederate Service Records, 1861–1865," database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1106) > Third Confederate Cavalry > O–S, images 1561–72."

12. "Alabama, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1753–1999," database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8799) > DeKalb Probate Court Records, Box 10, Folders 12-66, Sears, J M - Swader, Francis, 1836-1916, entry for Henry Sibert.

---

© A. Buiter 2014

27-Apr-2024 5:48 PM