Kentucky Eversole Men in the Civil War

All but one of the men with the last name Eversole who fought in Kentucky units during the Civil War can be traced back to Jacob Eversole, whose last documentation is found in the 1810 Census of Clay County, Kentucky. Jacob had 5 sons, and those 5 sons led to his having 17 grandsons and 7 great-grandsons who served in the Civil War. Two them were Confederate soldiers, while the rest were Union. Two of them were killed while serving, while another and his brother were killed on furlough by guerrillas. This is a summary of the Eversole men who fought in the Civil War, which will show what unit(s) they served for and establish their biological relationships with one another. I spent the last several hours going through various service records, pension abstracts, and interviews to make this as complete and accurate a list as possible.

John Eversole, son of Jacob, had 1 son and 3 grandsons who served.
1. Hiram Eversole - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)
2. John C. Eversole (s/o Hiram) - 53rd Kentucky Infantry (UN)
3. John Eversole (s/o Rolin) - 6th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)
4. Irvin Eversole (s/o Absalum) - 13th Kentucky Cavalry (CON)

Peter Eversole, son of Jacob, had 3 sons who served.
1. Theophilus Eversole - 7th Kentucky Infantry (UN)
2. Woolery Eversole - 8th Kentucky Infantry (UN) - Died sick in Nashville on 9 Oct 1862
3. John Eversole - 49th Kentucky Infantry (UN)

Abraham Eversole, son of Jacob, had 6 sons who served.
1. Joseph W. Eversole - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)
2. Abraham Eversole - 8th Kentucky Infantry (UN)
3. James Eversole - 8th Kentucky Infantry (UN) & 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)
4. John Eversole - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN) - Enlisted but never mustered in
5. Elijah Eversole - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)
6. Lewis Eversole - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)

Woolery Eversole, son of Jacob, had 3 sons and 4 grandsons who served.
1. William Eversole - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)
2. Joseph Eversole - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN) - Killed by guerrillas at home on furlough in 1864
3. John C. Eversole - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN) - Killed by guerrillas at home on furlough in 1864
4. William B. Eversole (s/o Joseph) - 6th Kentucky (UN) & 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)
5. Abner Eversole (s/o Joseph) - 6th Kentucky Cavalry (UN) & 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)
6. Anderson Eversole (s/o Joseph) - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)
7. George Eversole (s/o William) - 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN)

PLEASE NOTE: Though it is commonly accepted that Joseph Eversole, son of Woolery Eversole and brother of Major John C. Eversole, was killed in the 1864 ambush of his brother's home, it has been incorrectly reported that he is the "Joseph W. Eversole" who was a member of the 14th Kentucky Cavalry, the same unit his brother is in. This is not correct. That Joseph Eversole was the son of Abraham Eversole; he survived the war and later drew a pension from his service with the 14th. He appears in the 1890 Veterans' Schedule as a member of the 14th. This Joseph Eversole, son of Woolery, registered for the U.S. Draft in 1863 while the rest of the 14th was serving and did not report any prior U.S. Military Service. Therefore, I have concluded that the Joseph W. Eversole of the 14th Kentucky Cavalry, Company L, with the 1st cousin of Major John C. Eversole, and not the Joseph Eversole who was Major John's brother.

Joseph Eversole, son of Jacob, had 4 sons who served.
1. Elihu Eversole - 8th Kentucky Infantry (UN)
2. Henderson Eversole - 7th Kentucky Infantry (UN)
3. William B. Eversole - 6th Kentucky Cavalry (UN) - Died of typhoid on 30 Apr 1862
4. Wilson Eversole - 5th Kentucky Mounted Infantry (CON)

The only other Eversole who served in Kentucky during the Civil War was not a descendant of Jacob. A Walter Eversole served in the 1st Kentucky Infantry, but he was a native of Ohio.

There is one other Eversole, Thomas Eversole, son of a Woolery G. Eversole, who also served in the 14th Kentucky Cavalry. It is unknown who the father of this Woolery is, though it is clearly one of the 5 sons of Jacob. It is most likely John Eversole, as John has 2 sons in the age range of this Woolery who are unaccounted for. In the1830 Census, he has 1 son 10-14 (Rolin), 2 sons 5-9 (neither have been identified), and one son under 5 (Hiram). In the 1840 Census, he has 2 sons 15-19 (neither identified), 1 son 10-14 (Hiram), and 1 boy 5-9 (this might be a son, but is more likely his grandson, Irvin son of Absalum, who was deceased at this time). The unidentified boys in both of these censuses are in just the right age range to be this Woolery G. Eversole (born about 1825). He is living next to Joseph Eversole, son of Jacob and brother of John, in the 1850 Census, but all of Joseph's sons are accounted for in each census.

On a somewhat-related note, I found a picture of my 4th great uncle, the aforementioned Henderson Eversole, online yesterday. A great-granddaughter of his posted it.

Sorting out the 3 William Eversole's in the Civil War

I originally wrote this on May 18th, 2012.


There were 3 "William Eversole"'s in Kentucky units in the Civil War, though it appears as if there were 4, since there were 2 in the 14th Cavalry, and 2 in the 6th Cavalry. The 4 of them are regularly mixed up and switched around, so this is an attempt to straighten the mess for other researchers who can now apply the proper service records to the appropriate individuals. This problem is furthered by the fact that even Fold3.com has mixed up and switched around the service records of the 2 William Eversole's in the 6th Cavalry, even though it's clear they are 2 different men. The following is my explanation of sorting out the service records for the “four” William Eversole’s, and applying them to the three appropriate persons.

  First: There are 6 William Eversole's in the 1860 Census in Perry County and its surrounding counties. Of those 6, only 4 of them are of age to have fought in the war. One of those 4, William son of Rowlin Eversole and Lucinda Campbell, was disabled according to the 1860 Census. So that made this a little easier; match the 3 William Eversole's in the 1860 Census with the 4 William Eversole's in the 14th Cavalry and 6th Infantry.

  1. The first William is the easiest to sort. Private William Eversole of the 14th Kentucky Cavalry is listed as 45 years old. The 1860 Census has only one William even close to that age, and it's a pretty spot on match: There's William Eversole in Owsley County, Kentucky, born about 1814, which is a perfect match. This assertion is further verified by the 1890 Veterans’ Census where in Owsley County you can find “William Eversole” where he lists himself as a member of the 14th KY Cavalry.  So the Private William Eversole in the 14th Cavalry is the William Eversole (born 1814) in Owsley County in the 1860 Census. This William Eversole is the son of Woolery Eversole and Lucy Cornett. 

2. The second William in the 14th Cavalry is listed as 25 years old. He is the "W B Eversole" born about 1837 who is found in Owsley County, Kentucky in the 1860 Census. He distinguishes himself from his first cousin, William, who was killed as a member of the 6th KY Infantry, in his interview with John Dickey. In Dickey's diary it reads, "William Eversole, son of [Joseph], died in the army, on Clear Creek in Bell County in 1862. He belonged to the 6th Kentucky Cavalry." The entry itself actually says son of Jacob, who would be William's great-grandfather, but it's clear he was referring to the son of his great uncle, Joseph, as he is speaking about Joseph in the paragraph, and did not previously mention his grandfather having a son named William when he listed his grandfather's siblings. He is also the William Eversole who is listed as 24 years old and a member of the 6th Kentucky Cavalry; his Civil War Pension lists him as a member of both the 6th KY Cavalry and the 14th KY Cavalry. He was originally charged with desertion from the 6th Cavalry according to his service records, but those charges were dropped as he was discharged for a promotion. This is evident by the fact he was a Private in the 6th and a Captain in the 14th. Unfortunately, he does not appear in the 1890 Veterans’ schedule, but he is in the 1900 Census, so he was not deceased. So the Captain William B. Eversole in the 14th Cavalry and the Private William B. Eversole of the 6th Cavalry are the same person and he is the W B Eversole (born 1837) in Owlsley County in the 1860 Census. This William Eversole is the son of Joseph Eversole and Sallie Bowling. He is William #1's nephew. 

[Also note: Almost every online tree I’ve found has William’s year of death as 1909, but with no proof. As he is alive and well in the 1910 Census, this is not a correct assertion. I have not found a headstone or death record proving when he died, but it was after 1909, so researchers should note that in their information.]

3. The first William Eversole in the 6th Cavalry's service record is listed as age 30. This would be the William Eversole mentioned in Dickey's diary by William #2. This William is the son of Joseph Eversole and Henrietta Oliver. This can be confirmed by the 1850 and 1860 census, which each show him being born in 1829 or 1830. Also, his last child, Amanda, was born in 1862. This William Eversole's census records indicate he died April 30th, 1862 at the Union camp at Cumberland in Bell County, as mentioned in the diary. In the 1870 Census, this William's wife Jane Combs, does not have a husband and appears widowed. So that means this Private William Eversole, who is age 30 in the 6th Cavalry's service records, is the "Wm Eversole" in the 1860 census in District 1, Perry, Kentucky. He is the son of Joseph Eversole and Henriette Oliver. He is the 1st cousin of William #1 and the 1st cousin once removed of William #2. 

Hopefully this will help other Eversole researchers with applying the proper service records to the appropriate individuals.