BOOTH, WILLIAM PORTER (1843~1924) William Booth was born in Limestone County, Alabama he was the third of eight children and the second son of George Winston Booth and Martha Caroline Gaston.
At some point Booth's older sister, Sarah Elizabeth moved to Giles County, Tennessee and married Richard T. Haney. Booth either went with her or followed her there. The three of them began a journey to Arkansas sometime in late may or early June of 1862. On June 26, in Springfield, Arkansas William Porter Booth and Richard Thomas Haney joined the 36th Arkansas Infantry Company E, which had been the 28th, under Colonel Dandridge McRae.
"In the fight at Helena this unit reported 21 killed, 70 wounded, and 68 missing. It then participated in the engagement at Jenkins' Ferry and later saw light action in Arkansas and Louisiana. The regiment was included in the surrender on June 2, 1865 (National Park Service Soldiers and Sailors System)."
After the war the trio moved to Cherokee County, Texas where William met his future bride Sarah Elzibeth Moody. After they were married in 1865 he found work in Valley Mills, Bosque and McLennan Counties on the wheat farm of Charles Welch. There Sarah and William had five children, and on February 17, 1882 a tornado destroyed the town of Valley Mills and Booth was badly injured. He continued working in Valley Mills but never quite recovered from his injuries.
In 1904 Booth applied for and received a Confederate Pension. Sometime during this process William and Sarah moved to Floydada, Tarrant County with his son Felix Clinton, and on May 1, 1910 William was admitted to the Men's Confederate home where he would remain until his death on December 13, 1924.
Sources: National Park Service Soldiers and Sailors System, Wikipedia, Confederate musters, Confederate Pension Application and Records, Rootsweb, Valley Mills Website. |
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