Finding Joshua Lambard, Confederate Soldier

Barbara Ware, DGS IT Administrator

A tombstone in the Cleburne Memorial Cemetery, Cleburne, Texas, records that Joshua K. Lambard, who was born in 1849 and died in 1906, was a Confederate soldier in Co B 2 Texas Cavalry. Is J. K. Lambard buried there?  Was he a Confederate soldier?

Joshua Lambard, Cleburne, Texas

The Lambard family plot contains eight markers. One is engraved “Father”. A small stone, engraved “Tony”, is next to it.

At the foot of the grave is the Confederate tombstone. The other stones in the plot are engraved “Mother,” “Edgar,” “Gilma,” “Gladys,” “Joe,” “Telulah,” and “Thomas.” Next to the stone engraved “Mother” is a small stone marked “Foia [sic].”

There has not been a death certificate found for a Joshua K. Lambard in Texas in 1906. However, The Dallas Morning News and the Cleburne Morning Review reported the death of a J. W. Lambard. The Dillon Funeral Home in Cleburne recorded his death on November 26, 1906, age 58, of natural causes at his residence, 309 Granbury, Cleburne. His occupation was noted as real estate and insurance.

Lambard – Cleburne, Texas. Nov. 26 – J. W. Lambard, who had been in business here for twenty years and who was a prominent Mason, died at his home last night.  He was 56 years of age.

Death of Mr. J. W. Lambard Occurs. Well Known Citizen Dies at Home Here at 11:45 Sunday Night. Funeral Today. Mr. J. W. Lambard, a prominent business man, Presbyterian and Mason of this city, died at his home in this city at 11:45 on Sunday night after a lingering illness with what was supposed to be Bright’s disease… He was fifty-six years old and a native of Alabama, but had been a resident of this city for twenty-four years, having moved here in 1882.  He was engaged in the the [sic] real estate, and loan business and had a wide acquaintance.  He was a member of the First Presbyterian church and of Cleburne Lodge Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.  He leaves to mourn him a wife and three daughters.

While he had no death certificate, Joshua W. Lambard’s will was probated in Johnson County in 1906.  He designated his estate to his wife, Flora Lambard.

Between 1850 and 1910, Joshua W. Lambard appears on census records in Clarke County, Alabama; Grimes County, Texas, and Johnson County, Texas (see Table 1).  J. W. Lambard appears on the tax records for Grimes County in 1880 and 1881 and for Johnson county beginning in 1884.  He was married to Flora Philo Hand, daughter of John T. Hand and Harriet Jane Spurlin on 5 Sep 1879, Brazos County, Texas, by Rev. J. H Stribbing [Stribling].  He appears in the extant city directories of Cleburne, Texas, in 1899—1900 and 1900—01.   His wife, Flora Lambard, appears in the Cleburne city directory as “wid Joshua W.” or “wid J. Wilson” from 1907 through 1916 at 309 Granbury. He and his family members appear in “society” reports in Dallas, Cleburne, and Fort Worth papers from 1886 and continuing after his death.

There was no mention of Confederate service in his death notices or other articles. Joshua W. Lambard would have been twelve years old at the outbreak of the Civil War.  And, although there is a Confederate marker at the Cleburne Memorial Cemetery with his birth and death dates, it is doubtful that the man buried there served in a Texas Confederate unit.  It is probable that he was still in Alabama during the war. In 1869, he was a passenger on the steamer Virginia that sank near Mobile, Alabama. He is one of the signees on a letter of support to the crew of the sinking of the steamer.   His brother, Jesse Sanford Lambard, did serve in “Monroe Guards,” Co C, 5^th Alabama Regiment from 1861 through 1864 and remained in Alabama.  Perhaps J. W. Lambard came to Texas as a single man with his sister and her family around 1877.

Joshua Lambard, Meridian, Texas

So who is the Confederate soldier?  Military service records for Joshua K. Lambard show that he enlisted as a private in Capt. Charles L. Pyron’s Company, 2^nd Regt. Texas Mounted Rifles on 14 Apr 1861 in San Antonio at age 18 [1843]. He was mustered in at San Antonio on 23 May 1861 for 12 months.  In July of that year he was on detached service at Fort Stockton.

According to the transcribed military record, a J. R. Lambard enlisted as a private in Co. C, Baird’s Regiment, Texas Cavalry (4 Regt Arizona Brig, Showalter’s Regt). He appears on the Regimental return of August 1864 reported on 15 Aug 1864 as deserted Brownsville. This is the only card in this file.

Table 1: Census Records

Joshua K. Lambert enlisted as a private in Co B 2nd Regt Texas Cavalry, Union regiment, at Brazos Santiago, Texas, on 1 Mar 1865 and mustered in on 29 May 1865 at the same location. He was described as a farmer, age 22 [1843], 5 ft. 7 ½ inches tall, with blue eyes, light hair, and fair complexion. He was born in Gardiner, Kennebec, Maine. He was present on 30 Jun 1865. In August 1865 he was reported on detached service in “Com Dept” since 12 June 1865. On 31 August 1865 he was reported as on extra duty service in Q.M.D since 1 August 1865. In September 1865, he was listed as absent since 5 September 1865 as an interpreter for Col. Whittesey. He mustered out at Brownsville, Texas, on 10 Nov 1865.

No other Civil War era military records for Joshua K. or J. K. Lambard (Lambert) in Texas were located.

J.K. Lambard appears on the tax records for Brown County, Texas in 1878, 1884, 1885, and 1890.

On 24 May 1882, J. K. Lambard married Nancy Ann Sullivan, daughter of Daniel Sullivan and Mary Rackley, in Brown County, Texas.^, He appears on census records between 1850 and 1910 in Gardiner, Kennebec County, Maine; Brown County, Texas; Hamilton County, Texas; and Bosque County, Texas  (see Table 1). Mrs. N. A. Lambert appears on the tax records   for Hamilton County, Texas in 1901, 1903, and 1905. In 1899, Joshua K. Lambard applied for and received a Confederate pension from the state of Texas while living in Clifton, Bosque County, Texas. He stated that he had served with Co B, 2^nd Texas Cavalry under Capt. Pyron.

Nancy A. Lambard lived in Bosque County when she applied for a Texas Confederate Widow’s pension in 1912. She moved to Johnson County in 1913 and applied again. She reported that they married in Brown County on 24 May 1880 and that he died 13 August 1912 in Bosque County, Texas. She resided in the Confederate Widow’s Home in Austin from around 1930 until her death in 1942 and was buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, Texas.

No will or probate was found in Bosque or Johnson County for Joshua K. Lambard. He is not listed in available cemetery transcriptions for either county.  On August 16, 1912, The Meridian Tribune reported:

J.K. Lambard, an old Confederate, died at this place Tuesday afternoon after an illness of several weeks duration. The remains were buried in the Meridian Cemetery Wednesday afternoon.

Confederate Tombstone

A military tombstone application was submitted to the Department of Veterans Affairs in 1997 for a CSA tombstone for J. K. Lambard buried in Cleburne Memorial Cemetery.  It is understandable that an error could be made in the military tombstone application given the similarity of the men’s names, the availability of records in 1997, the fact that the J. K.’s widow filed  one of her pension requests from Johnson County, and the lack of a cemetery record in Bosque County.  Joshua Knight Lambard, the Confederate veteran, was buried in Meridian Cemetery, but his exact plot is still unknown.  The Confederate tombstone with his name and service, but with J. W. Lambard’s dates, remains in the Cleburne Cemetery at the gravesite of J. W. Lambard.

Dallas County Connections

Both men named Joshua Lambard have connections to Dallas. Joshua Wilson Lambard was the son-in-law of John T. Hand, who was Dallas superintendent of schools from 1888 to 1891.  He and his wife are listed in various articles in The Dallas Morning News. The daughter of Joshua Knight Lambard, Mary Lambard Beaty, is buried with her husband Rev. W. G. Beaty at Oakland Cemetery in Dallas, Texas.

~ Family Summaries ~

Joshua Wilson Lambard, son of Jesse A. Lambard and Sarah Elizabeth Amelia White, was born in June 1849 in Clarke County, Alabama.  His father was born in Maine; his mother in Georgia. His parents died young and he and his two siblings, Jesse Sanford Lambard and Barbara Dorliska Lambard were placed in the care of their mother’s uncle, Joshua Sanford Wilson. There is no record of his serving in the Civil War, although his brother, Jesse S. Lambard, did serve in an Alabama unit. Perhaps he came to Texas with his sister and her husband who moved to Texas before 1877.  He married Flora Philo Hand on 25 Sep 1879 in Brazos County.  Her father, John T. Hand, served as Dallas superintendent of schools between 1888 and 1891. Joshua, his wife, and children lived briefly in Plantersville, Grimes County, and settled in Cleburne, Johnson County, by 1884.  In 1900, the census documents state that they had seven children and three were living. Their children were:  Telulah (1880-1900); Joseph (1882—1883); Thomas (1884—1885); Flora May (1888—1960) wife of John W. Floore, Jr.; Glima Elizabeth (1892—1967) who was briefly married to Frank Lodle; Gladys (1896—1958); and Edgar (1897—1899). He was engaged in real estate and insurance, at times with his brother-in-law, Bartow B. Hand. Joshua W. Lambard died on 25 Nov 1906 in Cleburne, Texas. His wife died in 1951 in Fort Worth, Texas, and is buried beside him at the Cleburne Memorial Cemetery. [N.B. according to a descendant of his brother, J. W. Lambard was called “Uncle Tony” by the family]

Joshua Knight Lambard was born on 22 Dec 1843 in Gardiner, Kennebec, Maine, to Jesse Lambard and his second wife, Elsie Cleaves.  At age 18, he traveled from West Gardiner, Maine, to San Antonio, Texas, where he joined a Confederate Army unit as a private for the duration of one year.  In 1864 he enlisted in another unit, but was reported as deserting.  In 1865 he joined a Union army unit for one year.  His military service might be construed to be a way to earn a living rather than take up a cause. He married Nancy Ann Sullivan, daughter of Daniel Sullivan and Mary Rackley, on 24 May 1882 in Brown County, Texas. They had four children.  Three are: Mary Iberte Earl “Ellie” (1887—1956), wife of Rev. W. G. Beaty; Hattie Amanda (1888—1983), wife of Durward Thomas Dunn; and Thomas William Lambard.  They lived in Brown, Bosque, and Hamilton Counties, but do not appear to have owned a farm.  His census record says that he did odd jobs and rented their home. In 1899, his Confederate pension application states that he suffers with rheumatism and chronic diarrhea contracted in service. In 1897, he injured his foot so severely that he was not able to work.  He died on 13 August 1912 in Meridian, Texas, and is buried in Meridian Cemetery.  His wife died in 1942, after living for more than 12 years at the Confederate Widow’s Home. She was buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.