Gainesville Daily Register
May 4, 2010
History revealed to local Confederate
soldiers family
By PAMELA ROBINSON, Register Staff
Writer
Gainesville Daily Register
Cooke County
Confederate soldier Elsberry Holcombe, who
lived in Cooke County and was buried in Marysville Cemetery, was honored
Sunday with a United Daughters of the Confederacy Iron Cross dedication
ceremony.
Holcombe served with Company D of the 9th Battalion of Georgia Light
Artillery in Gwinnett County, Ga. He served as 4th sergeant and was sent to
Atlanta to guard stores and await the arrival of arms and equipment. Later
he was sent to several battles in Tennessee and Virginia.
Cooke County resident Jean Roberg-Hamer, 72, a great-granddaughter of
Holcombe, participated in the Sunday dedication with many family members.
Hamer said that participating in the Iron Cross dedication was very
meaningful to her.
It gives you a sense of importance because you are a part of our history,
she noted. Its not just family history its American history and Ive
toured all of those places...I have seen some of those battlefields where he
fought in the Civil War.
I cant explain it but when I left the dedication I felt closer to my
family and more a part of American history, she added. When you go to
something like this it catches your attention. Its more important now. To
me, its so much more dear than it was.
Hamer recalled that in one battle (Appomattox) there were 500 in Holcombes
battalion. When the battle was over there were 20 men left, and her
great-grandfather was one of them.
She remembered a story told by her aunt Ethel R. Davidson who lives in
Gainesville and is a granddaughter to Holcombe.
When Elsberry came home, Sarah (his wife) was on the porch sweeping. She
looked up and she saw this man coming down the road walking. As he got
closer she saw it was Elsberry. His beard was so long and his hair was so
matted and dirty and long. His uniform, you couldnt even tell if he had a
uniform on it was so tattered, so torn.
Hamers interest in family history also extends to her father, Earnest
Elsberry Reeves, a grandson to Holcombe, who also served in the military in
World War II.
I was only about five-and-a-half when my dad went to World War II. He was
gone three years and it was very hard for me to understand, Hamer remarked.
We were very close. He would get up on Saturday morning when we lived out
at Marysville, pick up his gun and I knew we were going down on the creek
squirrel hunting and Id pitter patter right after him every Saturday
morning.
He was stationed in the Philippine Islands as a rifleman and was wounded
twice in action. He received the Purple Heart.
Hamers younger brother Danny Reeves, also of Cooke County, has their
fathers military uniform and some of his letters.
Reeves said it has been enlightening to learn more about the family history.
You are part of history. You are who your ancestors were, where they came
from, everything, he said. We studied the Civil War in school of course
but there wasnt a direct connection there at that time. But, it helps you
find your place, where youre at in life and where you came from and the
connection you have with history. Thats important because you dont really
know who you are unless you know where you come from. It gives you a sense
of placement in history. Family stories are lost, and this is a way to
regain knowledge.
Reeves said he has visited a lot of family cemeteries because there is a lot
to learn there about ancestry.
You see the names and you know youre connected, that youre part of the
past. Then you can start putting the pieces together, he added.
Hamer said the Sunday Iron Cross dedication brought a lot of family
together.
It brought all the cousins together, she said. It was exciting to see all
of them again. There are 12 great-grandchildren to Holcombe and all of them
were there except two. His two granddaughters were also there. We dont get
together as much as we would like to, so it was great to see everyone.
Hamer said she has her cousins to thank for the family history of her
great-grandfather and the Iron Cross dedication because of their research.
She said they took the time and made the effort to organize the ceremony and
bring everything and everyone together.
They belong to the United Daughters of the Confederacy and they also
brought their mother Olive Pearson, Holcombes other granddaughter, to the
dedication, she added. Hamers aunt Ethel who lives here in Gainesville
also participated in the ceremony.
Hamer said this family history experience has really stoked her interest and
she is going to do a lot of family history now. She said to start with, her
cousins are going to send her more information and get her more involved.
They plan to trace their ancestors back to England.
It just renews an interest for me, Hamer noted. Its like a second wind
in your life when you go to something like this (dedication). Its like
taking a breath and saying, look, you know, I didnt realize this was
there, the significance of it. |