Simon Douglas (c. 1843 – 8 March 1950) was a former slave who lived to become the last American Civil War soldier in the state of New Jersey.[1][2]
Simon Douglas | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1843 |
| Died | 8 March 1950 (aged c. 107) |
| Burial place | Hackensack, New Jersey, United States |
| Children | 1 son and daughter |
Douglas was born around 1843, as a slave on a plantation in Fairfield County, South Carolina. In 1862, during the American Civil War, he went to the front lines as a body servant for his masters' son in the Confederate Army. Douglas became free by 1864 and moved north as a blacksmith and bummer (a nickname for foragers) of Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army.[3]
In 1866, Douglas settled in what was to become Fairview, Bergen County, New Jersey. He married a local resident, with whom he had a son and daughter. He ran his own blacksmithing business into his 90s. He lived there until he died on March 8, 1950.[4]
He is interred in Hackensack Cemetery (#4738, Sec 16, Row 12).
References
edit- ^ "NJ Black History Month: Remembering state's last Civil War soldier". 11 February 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ "This Black History Month, Fairview remembers its last Civil War veteran". Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ J.H, Segars (23 September 2010). Black Confederates. Pelican Publishing. ISBN 9781455601233. Retrieved 12 February 2018 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Simon Douglass (1843-1950) - Find A Grave..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
External links
edit- "Letter: Some clarity needed on Simon Douglas story". North Jersey.com. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
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