BOURN WHITESIDE, MARY VERGINIA - Benton County, Arkansas | MARY VERGINIA BOURN WHITESIDE - Arkansas Gravestone Photos

Mary Verginia BOURN WHITESIDE

Flint Creek (Gentry) Cemetery
Benton County,
Arkansas

James
Company G 29 Texas Cavalry
Civil War Confederate
March 16, 1830 - June 30, 1922

*Obituary (as written)
Gentry Journal-Advance
Friday, July 7, 1922

WHITESIDE, James B. - James B. Whiteside was born in McMinn county, Tenn. March 16, 1830. He moved with his parents to Lamar county, Texas when he was 18 years old. He was married to Virginia Bourn on the 20th day of July 1861. To this union 7 children were born. On the 12th day of May 1877 his wife died, leaving him with 7 children, 5 of which are still alive. He professed Christianity at an early age and was united with the Baptist church of New Hope in Lamar county, Texas. He served throughout the civil war on the southern side with a Texas regiment. He moved to Benton county, Arkansas immediately following the civil war and has lived in this vicinity ever since. He departed this life on June 30, 1922 at the home of his son, S.J. Whiteside, where he resided for the past 25 years. The five children that mourn his death are: Sam, Will and John Whiteside, Mrs. Eli Gaines and Mrs. John Harrison, all of Gentry. It was his request that his grandsons act as pallbearers at his funeral.

*Obituary (Article)
Teresa Allcorn (TL&M Vol. XIX No.2)
Date Unknown

WHITESIDE, James Beaty - (PHOTO) The Old Confederate - James Beaty Whiteside was 21 when the Civil War begun. He was living in Lamar County, Texas and had just married Mary Virginia Bourn. Not long after their marriage, a newspaper man named Charles DeMorse received permission from the Confederate government to raise a new Cavalry regiment. The men he assembled were from several counties in north Texas and they became the 29thTexas Cavalry. J.B. Whiteside enlisted in July 1862 in Paris, Lamar County, Texas and was in Company G.

At first the main goal of the 29th was to protect the settlers from Indian raids and be prepared to defend North Texas if Federal troops attacked. In the spring of 1863 they received orders to move into Indian Territory and fight along side General Stand Watie and other Confederate Indian troops. The Battle of Honey Springs was the 29th Cavalry's first fight. They were defeated soundly, but showed their bravery by being the last to leave the battlefield in order to protect the Confederate's supply line. After Honey Springs, they fought in more battles in Indian Territory, Arkansas and Louisiana. One of the 29th's most impressive victories was when they were fighting with Gano's brigade in the second battle of Cabin Creek in Indian Territory. They either captured or destroyed 1.5 million dollars of Federal supplies.

The 29th Texas Cavalry was disbanded in the summer of 1865. The war, as it did with most men, gave J.B. Whiteside memories that would last forever and stories that would be passed down generation after generation. It also gave him a longing to move to the beautiful country he had fought in through most of the war. It wasn't possible for him to live in Indian Territory, so in 1866 he chose to move his family just across the border from the Cherokee Nation to Benton County, Arkansas. The place the Whiteside's settled would eventually become the small town of Gentry, Arkansas.

When the Whiteside's moved to Benton County, they had two little girls, Mildred Jane and Mary Eliza. They would have five more children: Sarah, William Jacob, Samuel Jeremiah, John Henry and Martha Elizabeth. J.B.'s parents, Jacob and Jane Smart Whiteside, and some of their children moved to Arkansas also. Jacob, a Baptist minister for many years, passed away in 1868.

In 1877, Mary, J.B.'s wife passed away leaving him with several children to raise. He never married again, but his mother did live with them and must have been a great help with the family.

J.B. began to farm and raise fruit. He had a large apple orchard. He also became the Justice of the Peace for the town, a job he took pride in and kept for most of his life.

The Gentry Journal Advance is filled with news about Esquire Whiteside. He was always stopping by the newspaper office to share a story or talk about the weather. He never tired of telling stories of the war or going to Confederate reunions. The newspaper tells of him traveling all over the South to attend these events, from Dallas, Texas to Chattanooga, Tennessee. One of the most memorable was the reunion in Dallas in 1901. The account from the newspaper says:

"Squire J.B. Whiteside tells us that he enjoyed himself very much at the reunion at Dallas and met a number of relatives, old friends and comrades. In order to find their friends and comrades, the old confederates had to get up on a stump prepared for that purpose and call out their names. The Squire did this several times, and each time, before calling out names, he got off a few introductory remarks about like this: "I served in the 29th Texas Cavalry; am now living in Benton County, Arkansas, the land of big red apples and happy contented people, an I'm proud of it!" - Gentry Journal Advance May 2, 1901 In another issue of the newspaper when J.B. was running for Justice of the Peace the editor, Arthur Tallman says, "It looks good to see so many G.A.R. -Grand Army of the Republic -men supporting Whiteside, an old Confederate soldier, for Justice of the Peace. We are glad to see that kind of feeling exists in this country at this time."

Many of J.B. Whiteside's descenants have written their memories of him. One of the best was great-granddaughter Dorothy Atkins Sliger who wrote the following for the 100th Year History Book of Gentry, Arkansas.

"He (J.B.) farmed, raised fruit and hauled loads of fruit to neighboring towns and into Oklahoma Territory. He had to use trickery, a lot of bluff and nerve on those trips to protect himself and his property. Once he rode brazenly after horse thieves, shooting and yelling, causing them to abandon the horse. Another trick was to cover his sideboards with a wagon sheet and place shotguns under the sheet with lots of barrels sticking out all around. As he drove along, he'd often turn around and talk, pretending gunmen were under the sheet. He also told hair-raising tales about his fine white horse, wild eyed, nostrils flaring, froth flying back from his mouth, angry and loving every minute of it, carrying him into cavalry charges. He admitted the horse could be counted on to save him in retreats. He had to partially paint him with mud or some other material at night or have him lie down because he was so easy to see.

Another story on J.B. was about him getting 78 of the 79 votes cast when he ran for judge, then he seemed to worry about losing that other vote. 'I just can't think of why that man didn't vote for me,' he'd say, and nobody knew whether he was joking or not."

My grandmother Lena Whiteside Howerton was just seven when he died, but she remembered him being a gentle old man. She would crawl up in his lap and comb his long gray beard.

James Beaty Whiteside died June 30, 1922 at his son's home. He was buried in the Flint Cemetery at Gentry, Arkansas. He was well-loved by all his children and grandchildren. He's one of those hero's with such a big personality that his memories and stories will be passed on forever.

Mary
July 21, 1841 - May 12, 1877

Married July 20, 1861

Contributed on 8/30/10 by nailgal123
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Record #: 368581

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Additional BOURN WHITESIDE Surnames in FLINT CREEK (GENTRY) Cemetery

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Submitted: 8/30/10 • Approved: 5/24/20 • Last Updated: 5/27/20 • R368581-G368464-S3

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