Fred Jones holds pictures of two of his ancestors who served in the Civil War, including (left) Martin Luther Bennett and his wife Mary Francis Fullilove and (right) Lewis Jefferson Jones who died in the Battle of Peach Orchard.
Memorial for Civil War veterans July 2
Fred Jones, a descendent of two local Civil War veterans, will host a presentation on two of his great-great grandfathers, Pvt. Lewis Jefferson Jones and Pvt. Martin Luther Bennett, both of whom fought for the Confederate States of America. The memorial service will be held Tuesday, July 2, at 6:30 p.m. at Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Molena with a supper starting there at 5:45 p.m.
“The primary reason I’m having the service on July 2 is because it will be the 150th anniversary of L.J. Jones’ death at the battle of the Peach Orchard,” said Jones. “He was only 27. He was my great-great-grandfather. He only had one son and he never saw him because he was born after he went to war.”
Pvt. Jones served in Company H, 53rd Regiment, CSA and was married to Mary Frances Whaley. The couple only had one child, their son William Jefferson Jones, who was born only a few months after his father went to war. W.J. Jones grew up and married Sallie Davis Bennett, a daughter of M.L. Bennett.
Pvt. Bennett served in Company A, 22nd Battalion, Georgia Heavy Artillery and was married to Mary Francis Fullilove. The couple had nine children, the last of which was a son, John Clinton Bennett, who was once Pike County’s sheriff.
Both these soldiers lived in the Thundering Springs area and attended church at Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Molena.
“Both of the wives of these men are buried at Mount Olive Baptist and Martin Luther Bennett is buried there as well,” said Jones. “Most likely, L.J. Jones is buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Va.”
Bennett survived the war and lived until 1916. During the early 1900s, Pvt. Bennett received the Southern Cross of Honor from the United Daughters of the Confederacy, as did most surviving veterans did during that time.
The memorial service will focus on both men’s service during the war, their ancestry and some of their descendants. There will be many photographs on display along with other artifacts.
Pvt. Jones served in Company H, 53rd Regiment, CSA and was married to Mary Frances Whaley. The couple only had one child, their son William Jefferson Jones, who was born only a few months after his father went to war. W.J. Jones grew up and married Sallie Davis Bennett, a daughter of M.L. Bennett.
Pvt. Bennett served in Company A, 22nd Battalion, Georgia Heavy Artillery and was married to Mary Francis Fullilove. The couple had nine children, the last of which was a son, John Clinton Bennett, who was once Pike County’s sheriff.
Both these soldiers lived in the Thundering Springs area and attended church at Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Molena.
“Both of the wives of these men are buried at Mount Olive Baptist and Martin Luther Bennett is buried there as well,” said Jones. “Most likely, L.J. Jones is buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Va.”
Bennett survived the war and lived until 1916. During the early 1900s, Pvt. Bennett received the Southern Cross of Honor from the United Daughters of the Confederacy, as did most surviving veterans did during that time.
The memorial service will focus on both men’s service during the war, their ancestry and some of their descendants. There will be many photographs on display along with other artifacts.
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