Dr. Wade Hampton Huntley

Wade Hampton Huntley was born on January 29, 1824 near “Rock Rest” in Anson County, NC. He was a son of Thomas Huntley and Mary Webb “Polly” Cason. Mary was the descendant of one of the original settlers of Jamestown from 1607. Wade Hampton Huntley who was called “Hampton” was reared near Brown Creek and also Lane’s Creek in Union County, NC.

In 1842, Hampton married Martha Faircloth Rushing, (1825-1911). Martha was the daughter of Jesse Rushing and Mary Barrett. Mary’s mother was an Indian, (possibly a Catawba) who took the Christian name of Martha. Her birth name may have been “Fair- Cloth.” Along this line, between Jamestown and American Indian, I feel that I have pretty much of the history of the continent covered in my own little way. Hampton and Martha Huntley had 9 children, and I am descended from the 8th, (Isadora Norwood Huntley 1859-1939), who later married the Reverend Henry Maxwell Brown, (whose biography you will also find on Secession Camp’s ancestor’s list. Hampton and Martha’s 9th child Fannie, may possibly figure prominently later on in this narrative.

Hampton’s service to the Confederacy is interesting and his record is well documented. He enlisted in Union County, NC on March 24, 1863 for a term of 3 years. He was assigned to Company C, 1st Regiment North Carolina Heavy Artillery, (10th North Carolina State Troops) also known as the “Charlotte Artillery”, (Capt. Joseph Graham and later Capt. Arthur B. Williams). His rank was private. Hampton was listed as absent without leave from August to October 1863. Perhaps the birth of his daughter Fannie on September 1st had some bearing. Bear in mind also that Hampton may have already been a medical doctor in private practice by this time, as he was already 39 years old. If he were a doctor at this time though it seems to reason that he would have been assigned as such, and with a rank above that of private. By November of 1863, Hampton, who served with his son Thomas, was reunited with his unit and welcomed back. It is said that upon his return, he brought fresh provisions and even new soldiers. Hampton Huntley remained on the active muster rolls for the remainder of the war though often going unpaid for stretches of many months. Pvt. Huntley was serving as of April 26, 1865, the time of Gen. Johnston’s surrender to the forces of Gen. Sherman at Bennett Place, near Durham, NC. Pvt. Huntley was paroled at Charlotte, NC on May 3, 1865, and returned home to civilian life.

Dr. Wade Hampton Huntley was in private medical practice in North Carolina until his death. He left home late one night of December 23, to deliver a baby. The next morning when his wife Martha realized that he was not in bed, nor in the house, she began a search. Dr. Huntley was found by a farm hand. Evidently, upon returning before dawn from the delivery, he may have decided to place his doctor’s bag in his office and/or do some paperwork there. His doctor’s office was located above the barn. Most likely, Dr. Huntley slipped on the icy steps. He suffered a broken neck. Dr. Wade Hampton Huntley died on the ground sometime in the pre-dawn hours of a snowy Christmas Eve in 1894, about a month short of his 71st birthday.

Dr. Wade Hampton Huntley is the maternal Great Grandfather of Secession Camp 4 Compatriot Ray Swagerty.

Acknowledgements:
Mr. Virgil Huntley of Mystic, CT
Thomas Huntley, Sr. of Anson County North Carolina, His Descendants in the Carolinas and Elsewhere, by Mr. Virgil Huntley
Mr. Garey Gulledge
Ms. Dixie Chandler Ross of Mt. Dora, FL
Confederate muster rolls