Samuel Crisman Sutphen and Saphronia Ann Oxsheer
Samuel Crisman Sutphen was born October 25, 1842 in Maury County, Tennessee, son of John S. Sutphen and Matilda W. Crisman. He came to Texas with his family in 1850 at the age of 8.
When his mother died in early 1860, Samuel was only 17. His eldest brother, William, was granted guardianship of him and his younger siblings.
Samuel enlisted in the Confederate army on January 13, 1862 at Camp Hebert, near Hempstead, Texas. He served as a Private in Company H, 4th Texas Cavalry, 4th Regiment Mounted Volunters, 1st Regiment Sibley's Brigade, later tranferred to Company G, 12th Texas Infantry, Young's Regiment (also known as 8th Tx Infantry). He took part in the following engagements:
He survived the war and was discharged in May, 1865.
Samuel married Saphronia Ann "Annie" Oxsheer on January 18, 1871 in Nacogdoches County, TX.
Saphronia was born January 11, 1851 in Nacogdoches County, TX, the daughter of George Oxsheer and Eliza Kirley.
The family moved to Caddo, Stevens County, Texas, sometime after 1880.
See USGS GNIS mapping information for Caddo, ID# 1378081
Samuel and Saphronia probably had twelve children, but many did not survive to adulthood. Two children, Frank Sutphen and Mallie Sutphen, died before the family moved to Caddo; they are both buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Nacogdoches County, Texas.
See the Greenwood Cemetery markers on the Cemeteries page.
Daughter Matilda died in 1887 at the age of only 2 months. Another baby, a son born in 1892, survived only 5 days. Maud died in 1894 at the age of 19, and Ethel died in 1907 at 21. These four children are buried in Caddo Cemetery in Stephens County, Texas.
Mary and Thomas never married. Lochie married Ed Swafford and had a daughter named Martha Anne. Zan married Sula Richardson and had at least one child, Ursula. Mary, Thomas, Lochie, Zan, Sula, and Ursula are all buried in Caddo Cemetery.
Samuel Sutphen died on June 24,1916 in Caddo, Stephens County, TX, and was buried in Caddo Cemetery.
Saphronia applied for a confederate widow's pension on April 29, 1927, but the application was rejected May 1, 1928 due to a homestead value of more than $2000. She applied again on December 6, 1929, and was granted Confederate Widow's Pension # 46208.
See Saphronia's Confederate Widow's Pension Application in the Documents section.
Saphronia died January 3, 1935, in Caddo, Stephens Co. Texas, at the home of her son, Sam. She was buried next to her husband in Caddo Cemetery.
See all the Caddo Cemetery markers on the Cemeteries page.
From "Reminiscences of the Boys In Gray, 1861-1865" by Miss Mamie Yeary of McGregor, Texas, printed in 1912 (via e-mail from Dorman Holub of Young County, Texas):
"SAM C. SUTPHEN, Caddo, Texas - Born Oct. 25, 1842, in Maury County, Tenn. Enlisted in the Confederate Army Jan. 1, 1862, at Nacogdoches, Tex. as private in Company G, Eighth Texas Infantry, Laws' Brigade, Walker's Division, Trans-Mississippi Department. My first Captain was named William Clark, and first Colonel, Overton Young. In November, 1863, was swapped with Joe Rodgers to the Fourth Texas Cavalry, Company H, Green's Brigade.
Was in the battles of Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, Monett Ferry, Yellow Bayou and Marksville Prairie, besides some skirmishes and the capture of two boats, "Emma," captured on Red River, and "City Belle" on Red River at Snaggy Point.
There were six boys in our family, and five were in the Confederate Army, the other one being too young. They were William, George, Dave, Sam and Jack. William died at Little Rock, George was killed at the battle of Mansfield, La., and all the others lived to get home.
My father enlisted Jan. 18, 1862, and served till the close of 1865"