Claiborne B. Sanders 1813-1892 (101110)

Beautiful Bearcamp Lake in Wilkinson County, Georgia near which Claiborne grew up.

In his military discharge papers, Claiborne B. Sanders is described as being five feet, ten inches tall. He had dark hair, and a dark complexion, with grey eyes. He was born about 1813, according to Census Record ranges. Later Census Records confirm he was born in Georgia. Claiborne's father, Samuel Sanders, was in Wilkinson County by 1812, so Claiborne was probably born in Wilkinson County, Georgia. Claiborne's connection to his father is shown through guardian records in which Samuel Sanders acts as security for Claiborne on several guardianship bonds, as well as acting as his agent after Claiborne moved to Stewart County Georgia.

From Wilkinson County GA:

Wilkinson Co. Minute Book A, -July Term 1835: pg. 13: Martha Sanders, Est. Claborn Sanders has letters of administration, $300 bond. Samuel Sanders, Security. pg. 14: Martha Sanders, Orph. - Claborn Sanders is appointed Gdn. for Elbert A., Cyon (Sion), D.B. and Nancy Sanders, $300 bond. Samuel Sanders, Security.
-November Term 1835, pg. 19: Martha Sanders, Orph. - Sion D. L. Sanders is bound to Joseph M. Lord.
-May Term 1838, pg. 71: Martha Sanders, Orph. - Etheldred Webb, Gdn., makes his return for 1837.
-March Term 1841: pg. 126: Martha Sanders, Est. - Samuel Sanders, agent, makes a return.
-Nov Term 1844, pg. 193: Martha Sanders, Est. - Samuel Sanders as an agent for Claibourn B. Sanders, Admr., makes his return.
-May Term 1845, pg. 205: Martha Sanders, Est. - Samuel Sanders, Agent for Claibourn B. Sanders, Admr., has settled the Estate and has letters of dismissal.

Claiborne is undoubtedly living with his father in Wilkinson County for the 1830 Federal Census, since Samuel has sons listed at home of the correct age.

The marriage record for Claiborne Sanders and Nancy Holder show that they were married on 4 Nov 1832 in Wilkinson County, Georgia.

Name:	Claiborne Sanders
Spouse:	Nancy Holder
Marriage Date:	4 Nov 1832
Marriage County:	Wilkinson
Marriage State:	Georgia

[Dodd, Jordan. Georgia Marriages to 1850 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997.]

Claiborne and Nancy had the following children:

1) Thomas Sanders b. abt 1834 Wilkinson County, GA

2) Rachel Elizabeth Sanders b. abt 1835 Wilkinson County, GA

3) John Sanders b. about 1737 GA

4) Rebecca Sanders b. about 1839 GA

5) R. J. Sanders (female) b. about 1841 Stewart County, GA

6) J. M. Sanders (male) b. about 1843 Stewart County, GA

7) Sarah Sanders b. about 1845 Stewart County, GA

8) M. L. Sanders (female) b. about 1846 Stewart County, GA

9) Benjamin F. Sanders b. about 1848 Stewart County, GA

10) E. Myra Sanders b. Dec 1849 Stewart County, GA

In the 1840 Federal Census C. B. Sanders appears in Stewart County GA, where he had relocated about 1836. Stewart is west of Wilkinson County, and was the beginning of C. B. Sander's western movement.

C. B. Sanders in 1840 Census in Stewart County, Georgia.

Claiborne, age 36, is also in Stewart County GA for the 1850 Federal Census. He is listed as C.B. Sanders with wife Nancy, age 42, sons Thomas Sanders 16, John Sanders 13, J. M. Sanders 7 and Benj. F Sanders, and daughters Rebecca Sanders 1, Sarah Sanders 5, M. L. Sanders 4 and E. M. [Myra] Sanders 9/12. His occupation is listed as Farmer, and he has $300 worth of real estate.

C. B. Sanders in the 1850 Census, with his family, in Stewart County, Georgia.

In a testimony included with his land records, Claiborne claims to have moved his family to Texas before March of 1852. He is listed as an original grantee of land in Montgomery County TX: League 8, Section 480, Abstract 522. This makes him another Texas pioneer.

Claiborne found land in Montgomery County, Texas, that had been vacated by its previous owner. Under the pre-emptive act of 1854, settlers were allowed to reside on vacated land. After three years of farming and paying taxes, they could then purchase the property. Claiborne settled his family onto acreage adjacent to Lake Creek, and began to farm. In 1857, he had the land surveyed, and by 1859 he proceeded to purchase the land legally. In 1860, the title cleared and he became the legal owner of 160 acres of land in Montgomery County, Texas:

Texas Land Title Abstracts

Grantee:	Claiborne B. Sanders
Patentee:	Claiborne B. Sanders
Patent Date:	16 Jul 1860
Acres:	160
District:	Montgomery
County:	Montgomery
File:	317
Patent #:	11
Patent Volume:	31
Class:	Mont. 3rd.

[Ancestry.com. Texas, Land Title Abstracts,1700-2008 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. Original data: Texas General Land Office. Abstracts of all original Texas Land Titles comprising Grants and Locations. Austin, TX, USA.]

Claiborne's survey and all papers dealing with this land purchase are available on-line and the Texas General Land Office site. The images can be seen here:

http://www.glo.texas.gov/ncu/SCANDOCS/archives_webfiles/arcmaps/webfiles/landgrants/PDFs/3/1/0/310688.pdf

or go to the search site and enter Abstract Number 522 in the search form:
http://www.glo.texas.gov/cf/land-grant-search/index.cfm

Claiborne B. Sanders and family in Montgomery County, Texas, for the 1860 Census.

Claiborne is listed as C. B. Sanders, 47 years old, in the 1860 Federal Census in Montgomery County Texas, with N. Sanders 52 [Nancy], J. Sanders 23 M [John], R. Sanders 21 F [Rebecca], J. Sanders 18 F, S. Sanders 16 F [Sarah], B. J. Sanders 12 M [Benjamin J], E.M. Sanders 10 F [E. Myra]. Claiborne's occupation is listed as Farmer, with real estate valued at $800.

During the Civil War, Claiborne served in the 4th Texas Regiment of Infantry as a private in Company H, known as Porter’s Guards. The Texas 4th was organized on 7 May 1861 in Grimes County, Texas. He was living in neighboring Montgomery County Texas at the time that recruiters came through his township. He volunteered to serve, and followed the regiment to Richmond, Virginia, where they were officially enlisted on the 24th day of March, 1862. This regiment saw a lot of service during the war, but Claiborne was only part of it for a short time. 

In May of 1862, he participated in the Battle of Eltham's Landing. Here is a brief explanation of the battle:

“Johnston ordered Maj. Gen. G. W. Smith to protect the road to Barhamsville and Smith assigned the division of Brig. Gen. William H. C. Whiting and Hampton's Legion, under Colonel Wade Hampton, to the task. On May 7, Franklin posted Brig. Gen. John Newton's brigade in the woods on either side of the landing road, supported in the rear by portions of two more brigades (Brig. Gens. Henry W. Slocum and Philip Kearny).[6] Newton's skirmish line was pushed back as Brig. Gen. John Bell Hood's Texas Brigade advanced, with Hampton to his right. Hood was concerned about casualties from friendly fire in the thick woods, so he ordered his men to advance with unloaded rifles. Encountering a Union picket line 15 paces away, Hood wrote, "A corporal of the enemy drew down his musket upon me as I stood in front of my line." Fortunately for Hood, Private John Deal of the 4th Texas Infantry had disobeyed his orders and carried a loaded rifle; he managed to shoot the Union corporal before the latter could fire.[7]

As a second brigade followed Hood on his left, the Union troops retreated from the woods to the plain before the landing, seeking cover from the fire of Federal gunboats. Whiting employed artillery fire against the gunboats, but his guns had insufficient range, so he disengaged around 2 p.m. Union troops moved back into the woods after the Confederates left, but made no further attempt to advance.[2]

[From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]

On the map below, toward the center, you can see where G. W. Smith was advancing on Franklin’s landing point near West Point. The location is marked with “May 7.” This was where Franklin and his Union forces were landing. The Confederates met them on that day, and delayed their advance long enough to allow the Confederate troops to continue toward Richmond unhampered. Claiborne would have advanced with Brig. Gen. Hood’s brigade as they moved against Franklin’s men at Eltham’s Landing.

On the 20th of May 1862, Claiborne was left at a hospital in Richmond, Virginia to recover from illness. Two months later, he was released from service as being too disabled to serve any further. His discharge papers explain that he had been suffering from rheumatism, and could no longer perform the duties of a soldier. Soldiers were required to sleep out of doors in all weather, and march for miles at a time. It was a miserable existence in the best of health, but particularly miserable for a rheumatic man of nearly fifty years of age. He returned home to his family, and spent the rest of the war convalescing. His one taste of war was more of a skirmish than a battle, but it had been a successful one.

Discharge Papers for Claiborne B. Sanders, dated 27th July 1862.

Tax lists show that Claiborne moved from Montgomery County to Grimes County in 1867. In the 1870 Federal Census, C. B. is listed in Grimes County TX as "Claborne Sanders" 56 years old, born in GA. Nancy 61 born in GA and daughters Rebecca 30 and Myra 20. His occupation is listed as "Saddler." His real estate is valued at $1500, and his personal estate at another $500. This is a considerable amount of property for those days.

In the 1880 Federal Census, he is listed again as C. B. Sanders in Grimes County TX. C. B. Sanders 67 born GA as, he claims, were both of his parents, Nancy 71 born in GA as were both of her parents. Claiborne's occupation is again listed as Farmer. There is also a Boarder living with them named Daniel Gill age 22, single, a laborer who came from AL.

Claiborne appears in tax lists in Grimes County TX from 1867 through 1892, by which time he has accumulated 240 acres of land. He disappears after the 1892 tax lists. No death record, cemetery record, or obituary has been found for him. So, we can only register that he died after 1892.