Grave is unmarked. Ned was a jack-of-all-trades and made his mark in the newspaper business, running the printing press for many years for a local Monroe paper known as "The Monroe Register". This was back in the 1890s when a strong arm and good lungs were necessary for this late night job per an article about Ned from The Monroe Journal, Tues., Mar. 4, 1930, p.1.
This same article revealed that Ned and his young master, King Byrd, struck a deal before heading for the battlefields of the Civil War. Though written in the oft-offensive style of those times towards the black population, the story itself is what is significant. In the story shared by Ned, King Byrd told Ned that if he [Ned] got killed first, he would bring Ned back home to Lancaster but if he [King] got killed first, he asked that Ned bring him home to his mother.
Ned would later draw a pension for his service as a bodyguard in the Confederacy during the Civil War and told about going to war with his master's son, King Byrd. Per the pension, King did not survive and Ned brought the body back home to S. C. (Lancaster area) for burial as promised.
When asked on the 1930 census (Union County, NC, Monroe Twp) if he was a Veteran, he answered "Yes" and indicated the Civil War. He attended several of the national reunions for the confederate veterans and in the 1930 article cited above, he shared how happy those reunions made him. Living a long life, Ned was the last surviving Civil War pensioner of Union County, NC.
His death notice appeared in The Monroe Journal, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1942 on page 5, "Ned Byrd Last of Pensioners, Dead".
The final two paragraphs of this notice: "Ned, always talkative, was a general favorite. He was in his prime a first class worker, and engaged in any kind of manual labor. He died at the home of his son-in-law, Walter Mosely, who lives near the graded school. For years he attended Confederate reunions with Major [W.C.] Heath and was a general favorite with old soldiers. The funeral was held Sunday afternoon at Watt's Grove near Shiloh, by Rev. Gus Horne, assisted by pastors of Monroe colored churches. It was a large funeral, in charge of the colored undertaker, Ace Crowell. Besides the colored people, a number of white persons attended. Among these were Miss Lura Heath, Mrs. E. C. Winchester, Mr. John R. Welsh and Miss Judy Welsh. The U.D.C. also sent flowers. The casket was draped with the Confederate flag and the ivy wreath."
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Census research revealed the following children (no certain order) living with him and his wife, Penny (aka Penie/Pansy).
In the 1880 Lancaster Co., SC census: Effy J., Willie L., Eddie A.
In the 1900 Union County, NC census: Jno (Jonathan? Jonah?), James "Jim", Sam, Henry, Louisa, Manakiah "Mack", Ida, Daisy.
Marriage and Death Certificates reveal that Lula or "Lu" was a d/o of Ned & Penny. She died in 1966 and is buried at Hillcrest City Cemetery (she married Walter Mosely/Mosley). She is probably the "Louisa" in the 1900 census but the family had not heard her called this. Per Lu's daughter, Ned had 22 children.
[revised slightly 10-26-2015-pmp]
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This same article revealed that Ned and his young master, King Byrd, struck a deal before heading for the battlefields of the Civil War. Though written in the oft-offensive style of those times towards the black population, the story itself is what is significant. In the story shared by Ned, King Byrd told Ned that if he [Ned] got killed first, he would bring Ned back home to Lancaster but if he [King] got killed first, he asked that Ned bring him home to his mother.
Ned would later draw a pension for his service as a bodyguard in the Confederacy during the Civil War and told about going to war with his master's son, King Byrd. Per the pension, King did not survive and Ned brought the body back home to S. C. (Lancaster area) for burial as promised.
When asked on the 1930 census (Union County, NC, Monroe Twp) if he was a Veteran, he answered "Yes" and indicated the Civil War. He attended several of the national reunions for the confederate veterans and in the 1930 article cited above, he shared how happy those reunions made him. Living a long life, Ned was the last surviving Civil War pensioner of Union County, NC.
His death notice appeared in The Monroe Journal, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1942 on page 5, "Ned Byrd Last of Pensioners, Dead".
The final two paragraphs of this notice: "Ned, always talkative, was a general favorite. He was in his prime a first class worker, and engaged in any kind of manual labor. He died at the home of his son-in-law, Walter Mosely, who lives near the graded school. For years he attended Confederate reunions with Major [W.C.] Heath and was a general favorite with old soldiers. The funeral was held Sunday afternoon at Watt's Grove near Shiloh, by Rev. Gus Horne, assisted by pastors of Monroe colored churches. It was a large funeral, in charge of the colored undertaker, Ace Crowell. Besides the colored people, a number of white persons attended. Among these were Miss Lura Heath, Mrs. E. C. Winchester, Mr. John R. Welsh and Miss Judy Welsh. The U.D.C. also sent flowers. The casket was draped with the Confederate flag and the ivy wreath."
---------------------------------------------------
Census research revealed the following children (no certain order) living with him and his wife, Penny (aka Penie/Pansy).
In the 1880 Lancaster Co., SC census: Effy J., Willie L., Eddie A.
In the 1900 Union County, NC census: Jno (Jonathan? Jonah?), James "Jim", Sam, Henry, Louisa, Manakiah "Mack", Ida, Daisy.
Marriage and Death Certificates reveal that Lula or "Lu" was a d/o of Ned & Penny. She died in 1966 and is buried at Hillcrest City Cemetery (she married Walter Mosely/Mosley). She is probably the "Louisa" in the 1900 census but the family had not heard her called this. Per Lu's daughter, Ned had 22 children.
[revised slightly 10-26-2015-pmp]
--------------------------------------------------
Grave is unmarked. Ned was a jack-of-all-trades and made his mark in the newspaper business, running the printing press for many years for a local Monroe paper known as "The Monroe Register". This was back in the 1890s when a strong arm and good lungs were necessary for this late night job per an article about Ned from The Monroe Journal, Tues., Mar. 4, 1930, p.1.
This same article revealed that Ned and his young master, King Byrd, struck a deal before heading for the battlefields of the Civil War. Though written in the oft-offensive style of those times towards the black population, the story itself is what is significant. In the story shared by Ned, King Byrd told Ned that if he [Ned] got killed first, he would bring Ned back home to Lancaster but if he [King] got killed first, he asked that Ned bring him home to his mother.
Ned would later draw a pension for his service as a bodyguard in the Confederacy during the Civil War and told about going to war with his master's son, King Byrd. Per the pension, King did not survive and Ned brought the body back home to S. C. (Lancaster area) for burial as promised.
When asked on the 1930 census (Union County, NC, Monroe Twp) if he was a Veteran, he answered "Yes" and indicated the Civil War. He attended several of the national reunions for the confederate veterans and in the 1930 article cited above, he shared how happy those reunions made him. Living a long life, Ned was the last surviving Civil War pensioner of Union County, NC.
His death notice appeared in The Monroe Journal, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1942 on page 5, "Ned Byrd Last of Pensioners, Dead".
The final two paragraphs of this notice: "Ned, always talkative, was a general favorite. He was in his prime a first class worker, and engaged in any kind of manual labor. He died at the home of his son-in-law, Walter Mosely, who lives near the graded school. For years he attended Confederate reunions with Major [W.C.] Heath and was a general favorite with old soldiers. The funeral was held Sunday afternoon at Watt's Grove near Shiloh, by Rev. Gus Horne, assisted by pastors of Monroe colored churches. It was a large funeral, in charge of the colored undertaker, Ace Crowell. Besides the colored people, a number of white persons attended. Among these were Miss Lura Heath, Mrs. E. C. Winchester, Mr. John R. Welsh and Miss Judy Welsh. The U.D.C. also sent flowers. The casket was draped with the Confederate flag and the ivy wreath."
---------------------------------------------------
Census research revealed the following children (no certain order) living with him and his wife, Penny (aka Penie/Pansy).
In the 1880 Lancaster Co., SC census: Effy J., Willie L., Eddie A.
In the 1900 Union County, NC census: Jno (Jonathan? Jonah?), James "Jim", Sam, Henry, Louisa, Manakiah "Mack", Ida, Daisy.
Marriage and Death Certificates reveal that Lula or "Lu" was a d/o of Ned & Penny. She died in 1966 and is buried at Hillcrest City Cemetery (she married Walter Mosely/Mosley). She is probably the "Louisa" in the 1900 census but the family had not heard her called this. Per Lu's daughter, Ned had 22 children.
[revised slightly 10-26-2015-pmp]
--------------------------------------------------
This same article revealed that Ned and his young master, King Byrd, struck a deal before heading for the battlefields of the Civil War. Though written in the oft-offensive style of those times towards the black population, the story itself is what is significant. In the story shared by Ned, King Byrd told Ned that if he [Ned] got killed first, he would bring Ned back home to Lancaster but if he [King] got killed first, he asked that Ned bring him home to his mother.
Ned would later draw a pension for his service as a bodyguard in the Confederacy during the Civil War and told about going to war with his master's son, King Byrd. Per the pension, King did not survive and Ned brought the body back home to S. C. (Lancaster area) for burial as promised.
When asked on the 1930 census (Union County, NC, Monroe Twp) if he was a Veteran, he answered "Yes" and indicated the Civil War. He attended several of the national reunions for the confederate veterans and in the 1930 article cited above, he shared how happy those reunions made him. Living a long life, Ned was the last surviving Civil War pensioner of Union County, NC.
His death notice appeared in The Monroe Journal, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1942 on page 5, "Ned Byrd Last of Pensioners, Dead".
The final two paragraphs of this notice: "Ned, always talkative, was a general favorite. He was in his prime a first class worker, and engaged in any kind of manual labor. He died at the home of his son-in-law, Walter Mosely, who lives near the graded school. For years he attended Confederate reunions with Major [W.C.] Heath and was a general favorite with old soldiers. The funeral was held Sunday afternoon at Watt's Grove near Shiloh, by Rev. Gus Horne, assisted by pastors of Monroe colored churches. It was a large funeral, in charge of the colored undertaker, Ace Crowell. Besides the colored people, a number of white persons attended. Among these were Miss Lura Heath, Mrs. E. C. Winchester, Mr. John R. Welsh and Miss Judy Welsh. The U.D.C. also sent flowers. The casket was draped with the Confederate flag and the ivy wreath."
---------------------------------------------------
Census research revealed the following children (no certain order) living with him and his wife, Penny (aka Penie/Pansy).
In the 1880 Lancaster Co., SC census: Effy J., Willie L., Eddie A.
In the 1900 Union County, NC census: Jno (Jonathan? Jonah?), James "Jim", Sam, Henry, Louisa, Manakiah "Mack", Ida, Daisy.
Marriage and Death Certificates reveal that Lula or "Lu" was a d/o of Ned & Penny. She died in 1966 and is buried at Hillcrest City Cemetery (she married Walter Mosely/Mosley). She is probably the "Louisa" in the 1900 census but the family had not heard her called this. Per Lu's daughter, Ned had 22 children.
[revised slightly 10-26-2015-pmp]
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Gravesite Details
No marker found - older part of cemetery is in the woods.
