Whether connected to your line or not, I did some research on a Jones R. Temples of Marion County. He can be found on the 1860 census in that county as a 27 year-old married man with several children. He apparently volunteered for the Confederate 7th MS Infantry in the spring of 1861 but his records end in December of that year. On June 25, 1864 a James/Jones R. Temple of Marion County (apparently the same individual) enlisted in the 2nd New Orleans and was transferred to the 1st New Orleans. Within 2 months, however, he was sentenced to confinement for the duration of the war at Fort Jefferson, in the Dry Tortugas off the coast of Florida. Contrary to most court martial proceedings in the New Orleans regiments, no reason for his imprisonment was cited in his military papers.

After the war Jones R. Temples moved his family to Bowie, Texas.

My great uncle was a gentlemen named Buck Temple, of Laurel, Mississippi. My grandfather was Austin Temple, married to Ruby White, both of Laurel. At the turn of the last century, I know that my great grandfather owned several hundred acres of Laurel land, having many businesses, saw mill, general goods, maybe sugar? At Sharon Community Church, there are many Temple or Temples grave sites that preceded the Civil War and continue to this day. My Mother was the only child (of 8 born to Austin) to move from Laurel to Chicago IL, where I presently live. Mother would tell us stories that her ancestors were part of a renegade band of men who were neither pro Union or pro Confederate. At the time of the Civil War, the name may have been spelled TEMPLES, later dropping the “S”. Also, the WHITE family may have participated as they are another long-standing family from Laurel. Was hoping that you may be able to confirm the story. Also, approximately 90% of this large family remain in Laurel, Austin and Ruby have 24 grandchildren. Amazing. I love to visit Laurel MS when I can. Love the history and proud of my Mississippi roots.

Thank you for your work as an historian.

What interests me specifically, as well as others who have contributed to or commented on Renegade South, is why large numbers of families in the Jones County region either opposed or turned against the Confederacy. They were not alone in that opposition; such pockets of resistance existed throughout the South. Certainly, most deserters were not initially “Unionists” per se. They were struggling farmers who concluded that the Confederacy did not serve their interests. As a historian, I believe they were correct in that conclusion.

The purpose of Renegade South is to understand the Civil War home front from the perspective of its dissenters. As the creator and moderator of this site, I welcome respectful comments and queries. Those who wish to denigrate the motives and actions of people who no longer can defend their actions, however, may do so on sites set up for that purpose.

Vikki

Others appear in Co. “C”, 7th Mississippi Battalion, the “Jones County Rebels”; Co. “B”, 27th Mississippi Regt., the “Rosin Heels”; Co. “K”, 37th Mississippi Regt., the “Jasper Guards”; Co. “H”, 5th Mississippi State Troops, and other commands.

Vikki

In 1867 his widow filed for a Union pension. These records establish that her maiden name was Delphine Landrum and they married in 1856. Among their children were a son named William T. Lee born in 1859 and one named Abraham Lincoln Lee born in March of 1863. Delphine and her 5 children by James can be found on the 1870 Jones County census.

Some genealogies list James W. Lee as a son of Nathaniel Lee and wife Sarah. If so, he would most likely be the child recorded as “William T. Lee” age 15 on the 1850 census of Covington County. Note this would match the name James gave his first son. Indeed, some genealogies list James’s full name as James William T. Lee, but I not found any documents to support this. Whether Nathaniel was James’s father or not, “Nathaniel Lee” was enumerated in neighboring Perry County on the 1860 census.

Hope this helps.