His father, W.P. Timberlake, was born in 1838 in Henderson County Tennessee. He was a capitalist cotton buyer. During the Civil War he served under Col. Kit Williams and was a Captain in Company D of the 27th Tennessee Infantry Regiment. In 1922 W.P. Timberlake completed a Civil War Veteran's Questionnaire which provides us with a rare look at life during that turbulent time and also includes some genealogical information for the Timberlake family. I have included the questions and answers at the end of this blog entry.
William G. Timberlake was an educated man who became an attorney and an accomplished writer. He married Ida "Teatot" Timberlake November 26, 1902. He and Ida had one daughter, Dorothy Louise, who died at the age of 4 in 1910. The couple had no other children. William was a deeply religious man and often gave the blessing before meals when visiting the Moran home in Dresden. Because of his deeply religious convictions he could also be somewhat long winded when saying grace. :)
In 1947 his book "Rumination, A Book of Verse" was published. In 1948 a short supplement to that book was released. He sent a signed copy of the Supplement to his brother-in-law, Charles Harrell Moran.
Supplement to
RUMINATION
A Book of Verse
By
William Gilmer Timberlake
The subjoined stanzas are presented with the compliments of the author.
W.G. Timberlake (autographed by the author)
McCowat-Mercer Press, Inc.
Publishers of Rumination
Jackson, Tenn.
1948
Proem
To those of us, whose souls are kin,
The tie that binds exists within;
And, holding fast in love's embrace,
Gives mute evidence of God's Grace.
The Means I
'Tis not the danger, which besets the way,
That robs the yoke, which must be worn each day,
That makes life's struggle so discomforting;
For danger, when sensed, may add zest to strife;
And, wearing the yoke, need not grievous be;
Since, childlike Faith, in the 'Giver-of-Life',
Will pulse from the heart of Divinity.
Childlike Faith! God-given means to obtain
Spiritual guidance and help divine;
Which the worldly-wise shall seek for in vain,
Until they truly say: "Thy Will" not mine.
God's loving heart yearn'd for the truant man,--
Helpless wanderer--Victim of despair--;
So, childlike Faith became part of God's plan,
For the salvation of a wayward heir.
The Means III
So, when lowering doubts, and discontent,
Threaten to engulf my soul in despair;
Let me remember, --I am mission sent--,
And hasten to seek the aid of prayer;
Let childlike Faith my ebbing strength renew,--
With never a doubt concerning the how--;
For God will sustain, and carry me through
The perilous gloom that surrounds me now.
That God is a Spirit;
Doth from man elicit
A passing consideration:
Yet, such thought is prfound,
And with truth doth abound,
In its essential distinction.
II
The flesh is as nothing;--
'Tis merely the housing
For the Spirit that dwells within;
But fleshly appetites,
Like other parasites,
Can invest man's Spirit with sin.
The Key III
Enoch walked with God,
and he talked with God:
and so can you, and so can I;
If God's way we shall seek,
And God's language we'll speak
And to service our hearts apply.
IV
Now, God's way we'll not find
In the ways of mankind:
Hence, in vain shall we seek God's way;
If God's language,--unknown--,
Be mistook for our own,
And we continue in our way.
The Key V
I am a jealous God,
And my way must be trod;
Sayeth the Lord God--'King-of-All':
They, who walk in my way,
Must my commands obey,
And promptly respond to my call.
VI
My Ray
If I may walk with God;
I may, then, talk with God;
As did wise Enoch,--long ago--;
For God's language, when known,
Will have become my own;
And the joy of service I'll know.
Civil War Veteran's Questionnaire of William Poindexter Timberlake
source: Workman Family Rootsweb Page
State your full name and present post office address:
William Poindexter Timberlake, 601 E. Main St., Jackson Tn
State your age now.
Eighty four years old, January 6 1922
In what State and county were you living when you enlisted in the service of the Confederacy, or of the Federal Government?
Tennessee, Henderson County
What was your occupation before the war?
Farmer
If you owned land or other property at the opening of the war, state what kind of property you owed, and state the value of your property as near as you can.
My father gave me two hundred acres of valuable land worth about $5000. About six thousand dollars in personal property including Negros and money.
Did you or your parents own slaves? If so, how many?
My father owned thirty slaves.
If your parents owned land, state about how many acres.
About twenty two hundred acres of land.
State as near as you can the value of all the property owned by your parents, including land, when the war opened.
Land worth $22,000. In cash and note $29,000 and other personality including stock and grain $3000
What kind of house did your parents occupy? State whether it was a log house or frame house or built of other materials, and state the number of rooms.
Seven room house, two rooms built of logs, ceiled and weatherboarded. Three frame rooms first floor, two rooms, second floor.
As a boy and young man state what kind of work you did. If you worked on a farm, state to what extent you plowed, worked with a hoe, and did other kinds of similar work.
When not in school, my father required me to work with his negro laborers, such as hoeing and planting and assisted in gathering the crops in fall - cotton picking, etc. When 16 years old, I taught six months in a county school instead of farming.
Did your parents keep any servants? If so, how many?
yes, four.
How was honest toil -- as plowing, hauling and other sorts of honest work of this class, regarded in your community? Was such work considered respectable and honorable?
It was.
Did the white men in your community generally engage in such work?
They did.
To what extend were there white men in your community leading lives of idleness and having others do their work for them?
No idleness, everybody worked who was able.
Did the men who owned slaves mingle freely with those who did not own slaves, or did slaveholders in any way show by their actions that they felt themselves better than respectable, honorable men who did not own slaves?
Yes. Everything depended upon the moral character of the man.
At the churches, at the schools, at public gatherings in general, did slaveholders and non-slaveholders mingle on a footing of equality?
They did.
Was there a friendly feeling between slaveholders and non-slaveholders in your community, or were they antagonistic to each other?
They were friendly.
In a political contest in which one candidate owned slaves and the other did not, did the fact that one candidate owned slaves help him in winning the contest?
It did not.
Were the opportunities good in y our community for a poor young man, honest and industrious, to save up enough to buy a small farm or go in business for himself?
Yes.
Were poor, honest, industrious young men, who were ambitious to make something of themselves, encouraged or discouraged by slaveholders?
They were encouraged.
What kind of school or schools did you attend?
First a country pay school. Attended advance school in Lexington, TN where Latin and Greek were taught and advanced mathematics. Attended Union University at Murfreesboro, TN and graduated at Chapel HIll, North Carolina.
About how long did you go to school altogether?
About 8 years.
How far was it to the nearest school?
About half a mile.
What school or schools were in operation in your neighborhood?
Private pay school. My first teacher, Mr. Sam Howard, who was afterwards my brother-in-law.
Was the school in your community private or public?
Private.
About how many months in the year did it run?
Nine Months.
Did the boys and girls in your community attend school pretty regularly?
The children of property owners did.
Was the teacher of the school you attended a man or a woman?
Man
In what year and month and at what place did you enlist in the Confederate or of the Federal Government?
Joined the Army at Lexington, Henderson Co., Tenn. July 1861. Reorganized at Trenton, Gibson Co., Tenn. in August 1861.
State the name of your regiment, and state the names of as many members of your company as you remember:
27th Tenn. Col. Christopher Williams. John Sharp Williams' father was my first Captain while I served as First Lieutenant. I was later made Captain when Christopher Williams was made Colonel. John Barham was made First Lt., Joe Ringgold, Second Lt., Felix W. Henry, Third Lt.
After enlistment, where was your company sent first?
Went to Columbus, KY afterwards to Cynthiana, Ky and to Bowling Green Ky. Thence to Murfreesboro, Tenn thence to Corinth, MS
How long after your enlistment before your company engaged in battle?
No important battle until Battle of Shiloh. In which I was engaged.
What was the first battle you engaged in?
Battle of Shiloh
State in your own way your experience in the war from this time on until the close. State where you went after the first battle, what you did, what other battles you engaged in, how long they lasted, what the results were, state how you lived in camp, how you were clothed, how you slept, what you had to eat, how you were exposed to cold, hunger and disease. If you were in the hospital or in prison, state your experience.
After the battle of Shiloh our command was sent to Tupelo, Miss. and was there reorganized. I ran for Lt. Col of the Regiment, was defeated, remained sometime with the Regiment acting as Commissary. Returned to Henderson County, Tenn. and organized a company. Joined Col. Wilson's Regiment of Cavalry serving under Gen. N.B. Forrest. Never wounded or taken prisoner during the war.
When and where were you discharged?
Was with Forrest of Gainesville, Ala. when notice was given to go to Grenada Miss for parole about May 1865.
Tell something of your trip home.
Came home to Henderson Co., Tenn riding my fine horse Dallas.
What kind of work did you take up when you came back home?
Speculating in farms, mules and cotton. While living in Lowndes Co., Miss I married 1867 to Miss Susan Josephine Gilmer, Daugher of N.J. Gilmer and wife Collen Barnett. Was in Commission, business with james Allen in Mobile, Ala, and in 1869 located in madison Co. Tennessee.
Give a sketch of your life since the close of the civil War, stating what kind of business you have engaged in, where you have lived your church relations, etc. If you have held an office or offices, state what it was. You may state here any other facts connected with your life and experience which has not been brought out by the questions.
Then went to Lowndes Co., Miss where I invested in land, cotton and grain and merchandised in Crawford, Miss. before my marriage in 1867.
Give the full name of your father, born at, in the county of, state of. Give also any particulars concerning him, as official position, war services, etc, books written by, etc.
Richard Timberlake, Franklin Co, NC Lived near Louisburg, NC and in 1828 moved to Henderson Co, TN, served in Franklin Co., NC as a Captain of the Militia.
Maiden name in full of your mother. She was the daughter of___ and his wife____ who lived at,
Tabitha Trice, daughter of Harrison Trice and Gillie Barbee, in Orange Co. NC near Chapel Hill and moved to Henderson Co. Tenn.
Remarks on ancestry. Give here any and all facts possible in reference to your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. not included in the foregoing, as where they lived, office held, Revolutionary or other war services, what county the family come to America, where first settled, county and state always giving full napes if possible and never referring to an ancestor as such without giving the name. It is desirable to include every fact possible and to that end the full and exact record from old Bibles should be appended on separate sheets of this size, thus preserving the facts from loss.
My father, Richard Timberlake, was born in 1788. His father Francis Timberlake married Nancy Poindexter from Petersburg, VA, and emigrated from Va to NC before the Revolution, where he taught in school. His children were James, Eppison, Fran, Julius and Richard, my father. His daughters were two in number, Mrs. Murphy and Mrs. Fayton.
