From GRF Newsletter June 1993:
William G. W. Going Served
In the 7th SC Cavalry, CSA
William George Washington Going, son of Isaac Going and
Rebecca Palmer Going, was born July 17, 1824 at Kelton, South
Carolina in Union District, according to his family bible. He
was married September 16, 1847 in Union County to Nancy
Manerva Jane Dupree who was born in South Carolina June 3,
1827, the first of 19 children of William Griffin DuPree and
Julia Ann Fields Shaw DuPree.
Nancy Manerva Jane Dupree joined the Baptist Church at
Pacolet Shoals, South Carolina in 1845 and was baptized in the
Pacolet River, according to the family bible record published in
“Old Southern Bible Records” by Memory Aldridge Lester.
“William Going” was enumerated as the head of a household in
the 1860 census of Union County, page 226. Nearby was a
household which included “Sarah Going,” page 277.
William George Washington Going served in Company C,
Seventh South Carolina Cavalry Regiment in the Civil War. He
wrote his family June 15, 1863:
Camp near Madden Station
in 10 miles of Richmond
Hanover County, Va.
June 15th day 1863, Monday morning
Dear wife and children,
I seat myself to write to you to let you know that I am
still well and hearty as yet–hoping that when you receive
this letter, it may find you all well. We here of course
see a hard time of it, but no more that I expected when I
left home. We are falling back slowly. We come here at
this [place] on the 13th of June. We don’t know how
long we will stay here.
The yankees are advancing from Yorktown and
Williamsburg on the roads and on James River & the
Permunkey River and Chickhommana. We are falling
back off the Bernenlere in order to get a chance at them.
We are getting a re-enforcement here now. We have 9
calvary companies camped near here. We got four more
regiments of infantry yesterday, 3 regiments of North
Carolinians and one from VA.
Col. Dabb’s pickets and yankee pickets had a little fight
day before yesterday. We lost one man killed and two
taken prisoner. The yankees, 3 killed and one taken
prisoner. I can state to you and my friends that on the
6th of June we had a sever crumber[?] at King Williams
Court House, that was our squadron and the 150
infantry–the yankees which we killed were 3 and
wounded 2 and taken 3 prisoners. Our loss was one man
shot through the thigh. I never heard bullets whizz
around me as fast as that did for a few minutes. We all
thought a while back that we would not have much more
fighting to do here, but now it is a daily thing. We have
a heap of picket fighting here now. I take note of all the
movements that is made. It is my opinion that we will
have a fight close by here in a short time. Gen[?] Wise
will fight if they will let him. He got orders from Gen.
Ensley to fall back to this place where we are stationed
now. I think that we can stand our ground now with
them.
This is a fine country for fish, we get as much fish as we
want. This is a great wheat country, the best wheat I
have ever saw, but the yankees down where we left are
destroying everything before them. I am sorry for the
women and children for it was hard before, but now it is
worse. The ladies treat us well in our travels. If they
have anything to eat, they generally give us some. Some
of the men who are out of service here are more like
hogs than men.
We have cavalry fighting here every day. I hope to God
that I may live to go through safe and every man in our
company. We get along like brothers. We had a fine
sermon preached to us last Sunday by a Presbyterian
preacher. I want you to write to me when you get a letter
from your father and when you have heard from any of
your brothers or when you have heard from A. V. Going
or E. P. Going. I have not heard from any of them in
some time, but it may be that some of them may be close
by us.
I got $91.20 the other day. I paid $75 toward my horse.
I hear that cows are selling at home from one hundred to
two hundred dollars. I want you to take care of all your
cows. Butter is selling here at $3 per pound, $2 per
gallon for buttermilk and $4 for a common chicken. I
paid $2 the other morning for my breakfast. We get at
this time coarse corn meal and bacon–that is what we are
drawing. But we get plenty of fish. James Going [James
McKissisk Going, his nephew] is well. He went fishing
yesterday and got a fine mess of fish, and James Going
found a bee tree which we got lots of honey out of it. If
it was not for this war, it would be one of the best
countries to live in I ever saw. The land is just good
anuff and the great fields of clover, this is a low, flat
country, the tide water runs up all these rivers. I was on
picket on the Pormunkey River last week at Treaiters
Ferry. I caught 14 fine fish. I live well up here, certain.
I have to go on picket again in the morning. We have to
picket near the yankees. Crops are very late here and
little wheat is planted. There is not more than one half of
the land planted here and what is stands a chance to be
destroyed.
I want you to write to me as soon as you get this letter
and write to me about your farm. I hope that you will get
all of your wheat safe. Try to make all the corn you can
and write how much molasses cane you planted and if
you have the rice planted or not and plant all the best
corn land peas and I would like to hear from your
garden. I hope that you will make plenty to live on.
My Dear Children, you all must be good to your Mother
and learn your books every Sunday and be good to each
other and be good to all your friends.
Give my best respects to all inquiring friends. Write in
your next letter who is set to go to the war or now is
gone. I heard that was good many more had to go in
service. Now is the time for every man to do his duty if
he ever intends to do it for we need all we can get now. I
had as bad a chance to leave as any man ever did. I am
willing to do my duty as any man and do it. I know it is
hard for every man to leave home, but the people don’t
know anything hard times at home to what the people do
here, and I hope they never will know for I have seen
more fine farms and fine houses burned and destroyed
that is in Union District.
Write how George Washington [his one-year son and
namesake] is and if the boy grows any or not, and if your
fruit hit or not. There is lots of fruit here this year. Be
sure to write when you get this letter, and if you need
anything to live on, you must buy it, and write how your
corn is holding out. I hope that you will have enough to
do you. Put a shoat in the pen and see if you can’t make
a fine hog out of it. I hope the yankees may never get in
Union. Here I send you three postage stamps, ten cent
stamps.
So I must come to a close. Farewell, my Dear Wife and
Children, I hope to see you all again. Tell Alley Howdy
and be a good boy and mind his mistress and make all he
can, and when I come home I will give him a present if
he will be a good boy. God bless you all.
Wm. G. W. Going
To Nancy Going & Children”
William George Washington Going was listed as a farmer at
Kelton, South Carolina in 1866.
William George Washington Going was listed as the head of a
household in the 1880 census of Union County, Enumeration
District 158, page 21, Pinkney Township:
“Goings, William G. 55, born in SC
Nancy 52, born in SC
Evilina 30, born in SC
James D. 18, born in SC
Washington 17, born in SC
Gary 14, born in SC
Rhoda 11, born in SC
Oliver 9, born in SC
Hames, John S. 20, born in SC, nephew”
Nancy Manerva Jane Dupree Going died November 13, 1903
and was buried at Mt. Joy Baptist Church in Union County,
according to “Union County, South Carolina Cemetery
Records.”
The family bible recorded her passing as “Nov 13, Friday night,
1903, ten minutes after 9 o’clock, age 76 years, 6 months and 10
days old when she died. She jine the Baptis Church at Packolet
on Skulls Sholes 1845 and was babtise in Packolet River by J.
G. Kindrick. W.G.W. Going and Nancy Dupree was married on
16th day of September 1847. She had 10 boys and 3 girls.
Nancy Manerva Jane Going was buried at Mt. Joy church
Sonday, November 15, 1903.”
William George Washington Going died October 7, 1915, at age
91, and was buried beside his wife at Mt. Joy Baptist Church,
according to Fredrick M. Tucker, a great-great-grandson of
Duncan, South Carolina. The bible entry showed that his age
was “91 years, 2 months & 20 days.”
Children born to William George Washington Going and Nancy
Manerva Jane Dupree Going include:
Mary Ann Rebecca Going born October 25, 1840
William Mack Isaac Going born February 7, 1850
John Thomas Richard Going born August 16, 1851
Elijah Vernon Going born March 25, 1853
Julia Ann Frances Jane Going born Dec. 26, 1854
Butler Brooks Going born Feb. 25, 1856
David Anderson Going born May 30, 1858
James Daniel Lenard Going born May 5, 1860
George Washington Going born May 16, 1862
Robert Lee Going born Dec. 26, 1864
Joseph Bight Gary Going born April 10, 1866
Rhoda Cornelia Alice Going born Sept. 12, 1868
Oliver Francis Marion Going born June 16, 1870
From GRF Newsletter July 1993:
William G. Going Wrote Family
Of Civil War Conditions In VA
William George Washington Going, son of Isaac Going and
Rebecca Palmer Going, was born July 17, 1824 at Kelton,
South Carolina in Union District, according to his family
bible. He was married September 16, 1847 in Union County
to Nancy Manerva Jane Dupree who was born in South Carolina
June 3, 1827, the first of 19 children of William Griffin
DuPree and Julia Ann Fields Shaw DuPree.
William George Washington Going served in Company C,
Seventh South Carolina Cavalry Regiment in the Civil War.
He wrote his family July 11, 1863:
Henrico County, Virginia
Dear Wife,
I take my pen in hand this morning to let you know and the
childrens that I am well at this time. Hopeing when you get
this it may be fine with you and all the childrens well. I
received your letter the other day which was dated 22nd of
June. I want you to take care of your self and not grieve your
self two much, and try to keep up for you are all of my
dependent in this world to raise my dear little children.
I hope to God that you and all of my dear little children may
have good health, that I may see you and all of my dear little
children once more. Of course, I see a hard time of it, but no
more than any other soldier does. I have had my health as I
ever did in my life, but about two weeks which I had the
dysentery. I have got stout again, and I weigh more than I
ever did in my life. I weigh 178 pounds.
Well, the yankeys are all gone from the white houses near this
place, we have been taking several yankeys as prisoners.
They say we are gaining down to York Town and to
Washington City. I understand that the yankeys are got to
Vicksburg. I am sorry to hear that. I heard last night that the
yankeys had attacked Charleston. I understand that Lee is
falling back from Tennessee. A week ago we all thought we
had the yankeys whipped, but our men are low down now. I
am in hopes that we will hear some good news in a few days
again to help our feelings. Lee has captured a great many
yankeys in Maryland and Penn. He has done a great deal of
good there on our side.
I have been over several battle grounds. The yankeys bones
are laying like old horses bones all over the ground. I have
seen several where they were shot down. All of the bones
were like a horse or any beast. Dead at Gains Mill beats any
place. I saw in some square pits where they threw them in,
arm bones are sticking out of the ground and threw a little dirt
over them. I have seen as many as three in one grave of our
men. It is no more to see a dead man here than to see a dead
dog at home.
Tell all of the boys that it does me good that they are working
so well this summer, and I am glad to hear that you have got
everything growing to live on. I wish I had some of your Irish
potatoes and beans and greens. Nancy, I went out yesterday to
buy some vegetables for our mess. I gave for butter $2 per lb.
I gave $1 per quart for Irish potatoes and $1 for one dozen
cucumbers and $1 per dozen squashes, and 50 cents for a quart
of butter milk, and was glad to get it at that. We get plenty of
bacon. We drawed out rashings yesterday. We got crackers in
place of meal. We got some rice and salt.
We are looking to hear of a march somewhere in a day or two.
I want you to write to me whether you have got any salt or not.
And how your corn are holding out and try to get out your
wheat and have all your straw taken care of. If you haven’t got
no shoat in the pen, put you one in the pen, and it will make
you a good hog.
I don’t want you to be uneasy about me not having something
to eat, for if it is to be had, I intend to have it. I don’t believe
in dieing hungry, for I don’t know how soon it may be. I have
got some cloth[e]s to send home. If I ever get a chance. I
have got a nice cap to send Elijah Vernon [his third son, age
10]. I have got plenty of coats. I need a pair of cotton pants
and a hat. Be sure and send my hat by Doctor Little.
I understand the old regt. South Carolina are going to North
Carolina. E. P. Going promised me that he would write to me
before he went home. I don’t know whether he has gone home
or not. I am looking for a letter from him every day now. I
haven’t heard from any of your brothers in some time, or Mary
Ann Page or Willis Page.
From W. G. W. Going
To Nancy Going and Family”
Goyen Family Tree 