Friday, July 5, 2002,  we tried to go to the Weakley Co. courthouse to look up some marriages....but they were closed, so we tried to go to Gov Ned's library and it was closed, so we left Dresden, heading down Highway 22 and I said to Fred, "Let's go on to McKenzie and see cousin Jere Cox at the the Gordon Browning Library"....and so we did. 

I was looking at some microfilm when an old gentleman came in on his walker with two ladies helping him. They sat him down at the table and said that they were going shopping, would be back in a little while.  He talked to Jere Cox, said he was a real son of a Confederate Soldier and had some papers for Jere to copy and a medal he was showing him.  So being curious, I went over to talk to him.....looked at his papers....noticed his name was Samuel Buford CAMPBELL (called Buford).....his Daddy was William CAMPBELL, from Henderson County, lived in Greenfield area when enlisted in Civil War....I asked if he was related to the George Washington CAMPBELL family of Greenfield area.....he did not know. Most of their family papers were burned in a house fire.

Buford CAMPBELL was the 9th child of William CAMPBELL, born August 3, 1907 by William's 2nd wife, Sarah Eudora WARBRITTON ROGERS, widow of  A. C. ROGERS (she was born in 1869) and lived in Carroll County. He had some of his Civil War papers from the State and copies of her pension application and marriage license. Then he had a paper that listed some dates of birth, etc along with a list of some of William CAMPBELL'S brothers - Mark, Green, Marion, and Pony. That is was when it registered!! Buford's daddy was George Washington CAMPBELL'S son, William CAMPBELL, born in 1842 in Henderson Co., TN before the family moved to Weakley by 1847.

We have information on his first marriage in 1870 to Fannie P. COOPER of Weakley County and their 4 children listed on 1880 census. And now we know he moved over to Carroll county when he married the 2nd wife in 1893....and had 10 children with her before passing away in 1912.  Buford said they were buried in Hebron Cemetery in Carroll County.

Fred had the digital camera with him so took a couple of shots of Buford and the medal he got for being a son of Confederate Soldier.......guess there aren't too many sons and daughters left. His Daddy had joined in 1861 for one year and gotten out....then joined again on Dec 24, 1862 with his  brother Thomas CAMPBELL [I have his papers] They were recruited by Forrest as he made a swing through Weakley  but actually enlisted in Middleburg, TN. William was at Shiloh, and his son, Buford, was sworn in to a Sons of Confederate group at Shiloh and received a fancy medal.

The Genealogy angels were surely at work that day.....what are the odds of us both showing up at that library at the same time!! His 2 nieces had driven him from Murfreesboro, TN where lived with his daughter. He was 94 when we met. We had him in our lives until he passed away on Oct 29, 2004 at the age of 97. What a happy treasure he was!

"Samuel Buford Campbell is the son of William Carroll Campbell, who served the Confederate States Army as a Pvt. in Company A, 15th Tennessee Infantry.  He was from Henderson County but joined a Weakley County unit in June, 1861.

William Campbell fought in the Battle of Shiloh, but returned home after one year enlistment expired.  He and a friend made their way to Weakley County by taking turns riding a mule.

When General Nathan Bedford Forrest passed through Northwest Tennessee in his winter campaign of 1862-63, William Campbell enlisted on 24 December, 1862, at Middleburg, [Hardeman County] Tennessee, as a Pvt., Company 3, 3rd Tennessee Cavalry.  He remained with this unit, known at different times as Balch's Battalion, McDonald's Battalion, and the 18th Battalion, until the end of the war.

Records at the Tennessee State Archives and Pension Application show William C. Campbell was promoted to corporal during the war, and surrendered with General Forrest at Gainesville, Alabama, on 17 May 1865. "

Notes:
* I think someone got confused with the way Carroll Co is written on the pension application...Sarah lists his full name as William Campbell, not William Carroll Campbell.

* William Campbell Enlisted June 6, 1861 in Jackson, Tennessee by W. L. Carroll for one year. He went in a Private, came out a Private in June of 1862.  Assigned to Company A, 15th Tennessee Infantry.

* William Campbell enlisted second time December 24, 1862 in Middleburg, TN by Capt. Forrest for 3 years. Assigned to Company C, McDonald's Battalion, Forrest's 3rd Cavalry

* William Campbell made 3rd Corporal on May 12, 1864 (pay chits)

* Buford did not know about William's brother, Thomas Campbell,  who enlisted at the same time and place 24 December 1862 and was released in Alabama after the war. So if William joined with his brother Thomas in 1862, maybe he also joined with brother, George Washington, in 1861??  Cousin Loretta says that her Mark Campbell joined near the end of the war.