Thurman family
Biographical Note
Meredith Branch "Merit" Thurman, the son of Hezekiah and Nancy Ann McGruder Thurman, was born in Chesterfield County, Virginia on April 26, 1825. He worked as a coal miner before becoming a boatman on the James River and Kanawha Canal. On May 10, 1861, Thurman enlisted in the Fluvanna Rifle Guard, which was mustered into Confederate service as Company C, 14th Virginia Infantry. With the exception of a brief hospital stay, Thurman remained with his regiment until November 1862, when he took a one-month unauthorized leave to marry Jane Rosser Humphrey of Fluvanna County. Thurman went AWOL again for a month in February-March 1863, then returned to his regiment, only to desert in late July 1863, apparentely remaining at home until January 1864. After attempting to join a cavalry unit in Bath County, Thurman returned to the 14th Virginia in March. He was killed at the Battle of Chester Station, during the larger Bermuda Hundred Campaign, on May 10, 1864. On June 19, Jane Thurman had Merit Thurman's daughter; Jane married James H. Beach in 1874.
Robert Hezekiah Sublett Thurman, brother of Merit Thurman, was born September 1, 1832. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he joined Company D of the 41st Virginia Infantry and eventually rose to the rank of first sergeant. Thurman was killed in the Battle of the Crater, July 30, 1864.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Thurman Family Letters
The collection includes American Civil War-era letters (all photocopies, with one exception) of the Thurman family of Chesterfield and Fluvanna counties, Virginia, including letters from Meredith Branch Thurman (14th Virginia Infantry) and Robert H. Thurman (41st Virginia Infantry) to Jane Rosser Humphrey Thurman, their wife and sister-in-law respectively.