ALLEN JETHRO HEWITT by David Travillion Bunton
Allen Jethro Hewitt was born ca 1824 in Spartanburg District, SC and was the son of Rev. James Allen Hewitt and his wife Elizabeth O'Sheal Hewitt, who was also known as Elizabeth O'Shields Hewitt. She was the daughter of Jethro Sumner O'Sheal and his first wife Elizabeth.

The children of Allen Jethro Hewitt and Nancy E. Wofford Hewitt were:
Zachariah B. "Zack" Hewett 1858–1928
Francis Marion Hewitt 1860–1929
Madison D. C. Hewitt 1861– d. OK
In the 1870 Gordon Co, GA census there is a male child listed as Wylie J Hewitt but in the 1880 census, a daughter Mirah age 17 is listed.
Mirah Hewitt 1863–
In the 1870 Gordon Co, GA census for the household of Nancy Hewitt is listed Roseda Hewitt age 2. She is listed as Rose E. Hewitt age 12 in the 1880 census of Nancy E. Hewitt is listed Rose E. Hewitt.
Rose E. Hewitt Cox 1868–1947 (she was not daughter of Allen Hewitt because he died in 1865 and she was born in 1868).

Allen Hewitt married Nancy E. Wofford on 8 September 1857 in Gordon County, GA per her
Georgia Confederate Widows Pension application. Allen Hewitt and his brother Caleb Hewitt joined the Confederate Army from Gordon County, GA, both as privates in Company E, 12th Regiment, Georgia Infantry per the official rosters---HOWEVER, depositions from other soldiers state they served with Hewitt in Company G, of the 21st Reg, Georgia Volunteer Infantry of Gordon County, Ga known as the "Dabney Rifles." It is the opinion of the author, David Travillion Bunton, that it is more likely that Allen Hewitt and Caleb Hewitt did serve in Company G of the 21st instead of Company E of the 12th, since Company G 21st was a company raised in Gordon County, GA while Co E of the 12th was a Muskogee County, GA company; this leads me to believe that somehow the numbers were transposed from 21 to 12 and company G was understood to be company E. Because of this alteration or transposition of regimental numbers and company letters, the more complete record of Allen Hewitt's death obtained from the Jackson Hospital in Richmond, VA was not known until the records at the National Archives were more completely indexed in the 1920s. As it stands, the official record shows that Allen Hewitt and his brother Caleb Hewitt joined company E of the 12th, and it is these records which show Allen Hewitt being captured near Washington, taken to Elmira, NY and THEN paroled back to Virginia where he died in March 1865. These details match the testimony of his comrades, except for the death information from the contemporary hospital record.

The compiled service records for Allen Hewitt of Co E, 12th Reg, GA Inf show that Allen was captured "near Washington" on July 12, 1864 while another note states captured at Petersburg, VA on June 24, 1864. It appears he was probably captured July 12, 1864 since his name appears as a prisoner of war at Old Capitol Prison the next day on July 13, 1864 and sent to Elmira, NY on July 23, 1864. [Old Capital Prison, Washington, DC Register No 304. part 783, page 204]. The Elmira, NY Register No 1 page 61 shows he was transferred for exchange on February 20. 1865. Another page of his service record shows that Allen Hewitt was sent from Elmira, NY on February 20, 1865 specifying "to James River" for exchange. The service records show that his original signature appears as "Allen Hewitt" on February 20, 1865 (thus he did not die in October 1864 per the pension papers of widow Nancy E Hewitt). He next appears on the Register of Jackson Hospital, Richmond, VA where he was admitted March 5, 1865 and he died March 12, 1865. He is buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA.

In April 1891, Nancy E. Hewitt [Nancy E Wofford Hewitt] made application for pension from Gordon County, GA as the widow of Allen Hewitt. She obtained a witness named AF Love [his name was Andrew F Love] who declared on 15 April 1891 that her husband was "captured about eight miles of Washington City in the raid made by Gen'l Earley against that city in July of 1864 and was taken to Elmira Prison in the State of New York..." however, AF Love erroneously went on to state "where he died from chronic diarrhea in October 1864." AF Love went on the say that he was a prisoner with him at the time of his death. Another witness, Cornelius Boman, stated on 28 April 1891 that "during the raid made by General Early against Washington City in July 1864, and after the Confederate forces began to retreat into Virginia, said Hewitt gave out on the march, and was supposed to have been captured and has never been seen or heard of alive since." In addition to Andrew F Love and Cornelius Bowman, another soldier testifying about Hewitt being missing or captured was Napoleon B Hudgins.

The statement of AF Love made in 1891 concerning the date and place of Allen Hewitt's death is in conflict with the records contemporary to the time, which show on multiple registers, when Allen Hewitt was captured, when he was transferred from the Old Capitol Prison at Washington DC to the Elmira NY prison, when he made his oath, signed his name as "Allen Hewitt" and when he was transferred for exchange (ie paroled) to the James River (Virginia), when he was entered into the Jackson Hospital at Richmond, VA and the register of his death recorded as March 12, 1865. Official records show Andrew F Love being released from the Elmira NY prison on June 19, 1865 and Allen Hewitt several months earlier on February 20, 1865 the date Allen Hewitt signed his name to be paroled. It is very probable that Allen was in poor health when he was released on February 20th since he was admitted to hospital on March 5th and died on March 12th, 1865. It is surmised that AF Love stated that he was with Allen Hewitt at his death in October 1864 (per his pension affidavit testimony) in order to provide a better assurance in obtaining a needed pension on behalf of Allen's widow Nancy E Hewitt.

Finally, cemetery records at Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond VA record Allen Hewitt being interred there. His full name was Allen Jethro Hewitt....Allen being the middle name of his father (James Allen Hewitt) and his middle name was namesake of his maternal grandfather Jethro Sumner O'Sheal aka Jethro O'Shields. Allen Jethro Hewitt was 22 years old and had recently moved to Gordon County, Georgia when his grandfather Jethro O'Sheal died in 1846 in Spartanburg County, SC. Both of Allen J. Hewitt's grandfathers served in the Revolutionary War, their names being John Hewitt (or as he spelled it, John Huatt) whose wife was Elender and Jethro Sumner O'Sheal whose first wife Elizabeth was the mother of all of his children. NOTE: Elizabeth, wife of Jethro, was NOT a Wooten.