NOTE: There are at least, two other Thomas Jefferson McMullan's in our family's history. This Thomas Jefferson McMullan did not serve in the War for Southern Independence.

Thomas Jefferson McMullan moved to Mississippi about 1835 and settled on about 3500 acres of land on what is now the Oakland community of Newton County. He owned lots of slaves and was a large cotton planter.

Thomas Jefferson McMullan's grave in the Decatur Cemetery, Decatur, MS N32 26.608 W89 06.448

Thomas Jefferson McMullan was a large blonde man. He was always prosperous and left plenty to his children. About 1863 during the Civil War, highwaymen were bad in this part of the country. The Confederates had opened a woolen cloth factory at Lake Oneida near Enterprise. They used water for power and slaves for labor. Most likely, this mill was located at Dunn's Falls on the Chunky River southwest of Meridian, Mississippi.

The South was struggling financially so Thomas Jefferson McMullan put ten thousand dollars of gold in a leather pouch and set off walking down Chunky Creek to Lake Onieda to escape the would be robbers and bought stock in the woolen mill with the gold. According the the chart on this web site, gold $18.93 per ounce. That was 528 ounces of gold or 35.2 pounds of gold! Gold prices fluctuate daily in this day and age but on January 5, 2021, gold peaked at $1950.40 U.S. per ounce. That means, Thomas' investment was worth a little over $1,030,322!

Gen. William T. Sherman marched east through Decatur in February 1864 after the Union Army's siege on Vicksburg, Mississippi, on his way to Meridian, Mississippi. In a four mile wide swath, Sherman's troops burned homes along the way and took all the people's livestock and winter stores of food leaving the people of Newton County in bad shape. Whatever livestock the Union could not take, they slaughtered and they poisoned people's water wells. Sherman's troops burned Thomas Jefferson's home, barns, all out buildings and slaves quarters to the ground. The wool mill was destroyed about the same time by the Union army and Thomas lost his investment. Click Here to learn more about Sherman's Meridian Expedition.

After General Sherman went through Decatur, Mississippi, he commandeered the home of Thomas' wife's parents, Thomas Jefferson and Nancy Reynolds, and used it as his headquarters before his troops destroyed Meridian. More on that story, below.

Map of the battle zone when General Sherman and the Union Army marched into and destroyed Meridian, Mississippi.

To see maps of land that Thomas Jefferson McMullan owned in 1846 and a map of Sherman's Meridian Campaign Click Here.

Historical Marker in Decatur, Mississippi

Rachel Reynolds McMullan's grave beside her husband in the Decatur Cemetery

Just before the Civil War, Thomas bought extra slaves at a bargain price hoping to make a profit at the end of the war. He lost all of his investment when the slaves were freed at the end of the war.

Excerpts from History of Newton County, Mississippi from 1834 to 1894.

He is buried beside his wife Rachel, in the old part of the Decatur cemetery in Decatur, Mississippi along with his son Henry Clay McMullan and his wife Francis Davis McMullan.

Newton County Courthouse Fires

"The Newton County Courthouse is located at Decatur and was first constructed in 1840 – it burned and was reconstructed in 1845. It was destroyed again during The Civil War, February 1864, when General Sherman marched through the town.  Finally a brick courthouse was built at the cost of $7000.00 in 1877.  Today the Newton County Courthouse continues to serve the people. (Source).

"In the month of September, probably the second day of the term of circuit court in 1876, this court house was burned. It was at first supposed to be the work of an incendiary, and a man by the name of Spencer, a lawyer attending the court, was suspected. So strong was the suspicion in the minds of the grand jury that a true bill was found against Mr. Spencer. He, feeling that this was all wrong, demanded a speedy trial, which was given him, and he was honorably acquitted. It is now supposed that the fire was accidental, occurring from the leaving of some candles that burned down and ignited the wood on which they were placed, and that fired the building.

This entailed a great loss to our county, as the court-house had to be rebuilt, and a greater loss in the records of the county, which for forty years were gone. A minute book and docket and a few papers were all that were saved. The records of the county, including all important matters that had been there from the commencement of the county, with the record of all the land deeds, and all other important transactions, were gone, and without power to reclaim many of them. Judge Mayers was holding the court, and the day after the burning the court repaired to the Baptist church, where the term was finished, and probably one or two subsequent courts were held there." From History of Newton County, Mississippi, from 1834 to 1894 page 60.

There was also a fire that burned the Newton County courthouse in 1911. Read about it here. Because of these fires and especially the fire in 1876, many of the tax and land records were destroyed. Because of that it is impossible to find all of the land that Thomas Jefferson McMullan owned and farmed. We do have the following records though, shown on the map below. These plots of land are just a small part of the land which he farmed.

This map shows the land that was owned by Thomas J. McMullan in 1846. This information comes from Mr. Melvin Tingle of Decatur, Ms. Included on the same page is a topographical map of the same area and a map showing Sherman's march through Newton County, MS.

Thomas Jefferson McMullan married Rachel Reynolds on June 19, 1845. In February 1864 General William T. Sherman launched his Meridian Campaign. His troops marched east from Vicksburg, MS all the way to Meridian, MS. A four mile wide swath was burned and pillaged by his soldiers. The troops went right through Decatur and down the road that Thomas McMullan and his family lived on. Also, his in-laws lived in the same area. I found a photo from a newspaper from that era that shows that Sherman stayed in the Reynolds' home. All of Thomas Jefferson McMullan's property was destroyed and burned, including barns, home, slaves quarters, etc.

This is a photo of Rachel Reynolds' mother, father and family. Are Thomas Jefferson McMullan and his wife, Rachel in this photo? We may never know.

The photo above says that General William T. Sherman stayed in Reynolds' home on his Meridian Campaign which was a precursor to his March to the Sea. For a long time, I was unable to come up with any proof that this actually happened until today (10/21/2019). Melvin Tingle (who passed away the day before I wrote this) was a great help to me in 2003 looking up information on my 2x Great Grandfather Thomas Jefferson McMullan. Mr. Tingle had a book reprinted, History of Newton County, Mississippi from 1834 to 1894. On page 117, second paragraph, the following is quoted,

"From Decatur he went directly east on the Meridian road and made his headquarters at Mr. Reynolds, and remained in that portion of the county two days;"

Click this link to read History of Newton County, Mississippi from 1834 to 1894.

Tracking Sherman Through Newton County from the Newton County Historical Society.

Sherman's March through the South by Capt. David P. Conyngham

Thomas Jefferson Reynolds - Father of Rachel Reynolds McMullan

The following is from General Sherman's records:

"Toward evening of the 12th, Hurlbut's column passed through Decatur, with orders to go into camp four miles beyond at a creek. McPherson's head of column was some four miles behind, and I personally detached one of Hurlbut's regiments to guard the cross-roads at Decatur till the head of McPherson's column should come in sight. Intending to spend the night in Decatur, I went to a double log-house, and arranged with the lady for some supper. We unsaddled our horses, tied them to the fence inside the yard, and, being tired, I lay down on a bed and fell asleep. Presently I heard shouts and hallooing, and then heard pistol-shots close to the house. My aide, Major Audenried, called me and said we were attacked by rebel cavalry, who were all around us. I jumped up and inquired where was the regiment of infantry I had myself posted at the cross-roads. He said a few moments before it had marched past the house, following the road by which General Hurlbut had gone, and I told him to run, overtake it, and bring it back. Meantime, I went out into the back-yard, saw wagons passing at a run down the road, and horsemen dashing about in a cloud of dust, firing their pistols, their shots reaching the house in which we were. Gathering the few orderlies and clerks that were about, I was preparing to get into a corn-crib at the back side of the lot, wherein to defend ourselves, when I saw Audenried coming back with the regiment, on a run, deploying forward as they came. This regiment soon cleared the place and drove the rebel cavalry back toward the south, whence they had come.

It transpired that the colonel of this infantry regiment, whose name I do not recall, had seen some officers of McPherson's staff (among them Inspector-General Strong) coming up the road at a gallop, raising a cloud of duet; supposing them to be the head of McPherson's column, and being anxious to get into camp before dark, he had called in his pickets and started down the road, leaving me perfectly exposed. Some straggling wagons, escorted by a New Jersey regiment, were passing at the time, and composed the rear of Hurlbut's train. The rebel cavalry, seeing the road clear of troops, and these wagons passing, struck them in flank, shot down the mules of three or four wagons, broke the column, and began a general skirmish. The escort defended their wagons as well as they could, and thus diverted their attention; otherwise I would surely have been captured. In a short time the head of McPherson's column came up, went into camp, and we spent the night in Decatur."

From SonoftheSouth.net

Sources:
Type: Census
Title: 1860: US census, Newton Co, MS
Location: page 144; Decatur
Text: Farmer; real estate $12500 ($373,600.00)*; personal estate $20000 ($597,760.00)*
Type: Census
Title: 1870: US census Newton Co, MS
Location: page 187
Text: Farmer; real estate $1500 ($30,116.10)*, personal property $1470 ($29,513.78)*
Type: Web Site
URL: www.rootsweb.com/~msnewton/mcmullan.html
Date: 25 May 2001

Thomas and his family's and real estate possessions were only worth 12% of what they were before the War for Southern Independence. His personal property and estate were only worth 7.35% of what it was before the War. Overall, he lost 81% of his wealth because of the War.

*According to this web site, one dollar U.S. in 1861 was worth $29.88 in 2021. The amounts in red are how much TJMc's wealth would have been worth in 2021.

** According to the same web site above, one dollar U.S. in 1870 was worth $20.07 in 2021. The amounts in red are how much TJMc's wealth after the War would have been in 2021.

1860 Slave records show that Thomas J. McMullan owned the following slaves (probably before he purchased many more slaves before the War):
Black Male 47
Black Male 35
Black Male 32
Black Female 28
Black Female 28
Black Male 20
Black Male 14
Black Male 16
Black Male 14
Black Female 10
Black Female 9
Black Male 11
Black Female 7
Black Female 6
Black Female 2