I am proud and honored to say that I come from a long line of Soldiers that have served our country from the American Revolution to the present. My ancestors fought with Washington at Braddock's defeat, and also for the Blue and the Gray, for each thought that they were right for there cause. I am so humbled and grateful for the price that each of them paid for us to have our freedom. I also look forward to that wonderful day when I can be with them all in the Kingdom of Heaven.

I am married to the lovely Priscilla Patrick. I have one daughter, Brittany Patrick and two step children, Krissy & Justin McKenzie. We live in Morehead. Ky.

I am employed with Link-Belt Construction Equipment in Lexington Ky. I have worked there for 17 years. Before I started at Link-Belt, I was a welder for General Dynamics in Lima Ohio, where my brother and I built the M1A1 Battle Tanker for the U.S. Government. Most of my free time is spent reading about the Civil War, researching my family tree, and target shooting.

My Southern Pride goes back to Samuel Duvall, born in 1770 in Ashe county North Carolina, and married Polly?. They had six children. My ancestry follows James Monroe Duvall who was born in 1802 in Ashe county North Carolina. He married Elizabeth Plummer. They had 8 known children. The oldest was Ambrose, born between 1827 and 1828. The youngest was James Duvall, born in 1840. Elizabeth passed away, and James M. Duvall remarried and had 9 more children. My bloodline follows James Duvall, the youngest of James M. Duvall. James married Lucinda Ashley, and they had 9 children. The 7th child born was Florence Duvall, who was born August 23, 1876. She married my GGrandfather Milford Patrick. This would make her my GGrandmother, and James Duvall my GGGrandfather. Milford and Florence had 7 children. The youngest son was Charlie Cecil Patrick, my Grandfather. He married Bessie Lewis. They had 3 children; only one son, my Dad, Billy LeRoy Patrick.

My GGGrandfather James Duvall enlisted on March 27, 1862 with the 26th N.C. Inf. Co. A. He served through March 26, 1865. He was detailed as a wagoneer for most of the war. After the war, he moved to Ky. He is buried at Leon(Carter Co.) Ky. I have not yet located his final resting place. My GG Uncle, Ambrose B. Duvall, oldest brother to James Duvall is whom I am representing in the SCV, Col. Ben Caudill Camp # 1629.

Ambrose Duvall enlisted in the Confederate Army in 1860. When the Civil War started he enlisted with the 26th N.C. Inf. Co. A on May 17, 1861. He was promoted to Sgt. on July 26, 1861, then to 1st Lt. on April 21, 1862. He was then promoted to Captain on July 3, 1863. He was wounded in action at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, hospitalized again at Richmond in December of 1863, was wounded in action again and returned to duty in August of 1864. On April 1,1865 he was taken prisoner at Petersburg, where he was sent to the Old Capital Prison, then sent to Johnson's Island Ohio. He was held there until June 18, 1865 when he was released on oath. He returned to Ashe county North Carolina, and then moved to Kentucky with my GGGrandfather James. He is buried in Hitchins (Carter Co.) Ky. I have located his resting place.

I also have ancestors who fought for the Union Army, so I need to mention them also. They are the Patricks from Magoffin county Ky. First is Thomas Calvin Patrick. He is my GGGGrandfather. He was born February 25,1824 and married Rebecca Patrick on April 18, 1844 and they had 5 children together. Rebecca passed away in 1857. Thomas then married Elizabeth Flint and had 4 more children. Thomas' first son was Reuben C. Patrick, born in 1845. Both Thomas and Reuben served in the Union Army.

Thomas was a private in the 14th KY Vol. Inf. Co. I. He was a musician. On June 22, 1864, Thomas was killed at the Battle of Kolb's Farm near Kennesaw Mountian, Georgia. He is buried in the Marietta National Cemetery in Marietta, Georgia.

Reuben fought with the 39th KY Inf. Co. D. He is buried in the Patrick Cemetery in Salyersville, KY behind McDonald's up on the side of the hill. I have located his resting place. The stone is not in good shape at all, but it is still legible.

I am very proud of my heritage,and my Ancestors. The best part of it all, is that their blood runs thru me.

Mark asked that this be added to his profile July 06:

The Life of Howard Lewis by Cherry Lynn Lewis Andersen

Howard Lewis, a life long resident of Kentucky, was born 31 July 1839 to Solomon Lewis and Sarah (Sallie) Adkins in Morgan County (now Elliott County). He died 18 July 1915 in Elliott County. He was well educated for the time. He served for many years as the clerk for the Old Regular Baptist Church. While working as a salesman, he sold the first wringer washing machine in the area.

Howard served in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. His pension record states that he was a private, 1st Company K, 5th Kentucky Infantry (latterly mounted), between 29 December 1861 and 20 October 1862. He re-enlisted October 22, 1862 and was transferred to Company A, 2nd Battalion Kentucky Mounted Rifles, Confederate States Army. He was captured by the Union Army while on furlough and forced to sign the oath of Allegiance to the Union. A sworn statement given by Howard Lewis and filed with his pension papers gives the following account: "I was a corporal in Company A, Second Battalion, of Kentucky Mounted Rifleman, C.S.A. Captain John T. Williams was Company Commander. We were in Virginia, and I was granted a furlough for 60 days, in January 1865; and was captured while visiting an uncle in Magoffin County, Kentucky, before my furlough had expired; and was carried a prisoner of war from there to Louisa, Kentucky and later on from there to Lexington, Kentucky. The rations furnished to us prisoners were very short and I otherwise thought my life was in danger: It was currently reported that a man afflicted with smallpox had just been removed from the prison; and I was afraid of contracting that disease..." Howard married first, Zerilda (Serilda) Hulda Smith on 20 April 1865 in Morgan County. She was the daughter of William B. and Sabra Smith and was born 1841-1842 in Kentucky. Some records indicate that she went by her middle name of Hulda. According to census records Howard and Hulda had four children:

Solomon Buckner, b. 21 Apr 1866, md. Mary Frances Phillips.
John Henderson, b. March 1870 md. Lucy Belle Thornberry.
Sarah, b. 1876, md. Haskew Brickey.
unnamed son, b. 14 Sep 1876.

In the Morgan County Court Clerks record of births there was an unnamed son born to them in 1876 but he must have died soon after birth because he does not appear in any census or other records.

Howard married second, Mary or Polly Branham. She was born 26 April 1862 probably in Carter County Kentucky. Family tradition says she was one fourth Cherokee but I have not found documents to prove this. According to her death certificate, she was the daughter of Richard Branham and Cynthia Ison but according to both my father, and my aunt, Mary's mother was a Robbins. This is where the Cherokee comes in. My Dad remembers Mary telling him personally that her mother was a Robbins and that she was raised in the cliffs on Caney Creek in Carter County, Kentucky. Sworn statements in Mary's Widow's Pension record state that her and Howard were married by Joshua Oliver, a minister of The United Baptist Church abt. 1884 in her parents' home in Elliott County. The 1910 census states they were the parents of 8 children 5 living and 3 deceased. The following were living when the census was taken:

Daniel B., b. 28 February 1891, md. Mytrle Adkins, 19 Apr 1919. d. 20 August 1954.
Melvina, b. October 1893 md. Alonzo Ison.
Doctor or Dock, b. 16 July 1895, md. Sarah Adkins; d. 6 December 1954.
Richard F., b. 16 November 1897, md. Della Adkins, 20 Mar 1923; d. 26 December 1980.
Isom b. 1900, d. young.
Nora Bertha, b. 1905.

Their son Isom must have died quiet young because he appears on the 1900 census as a five month old baby but is not listed in any census thereafter. There were two more children, a set of twins, born to Howard and Mary. Gladys Lewis Wheeler, daughter of Richard F., remembers visiting the cemetery where the twins are buried with Mary Branham Lewis. Mary spoke about the fact that her twins were buried there. Mary outlived Howard by almost 40 years. She died 12 June 1952 at Isonville, Elliott County Kentucky. At the time of her death, she was living with her son Richard F. and daughter-in-law, Della Adkins Lewis. Both Howard and Mary are buried in the family cemetery in Isonville, Kentucky.