Individual Details

Elijah and his two wives Mary and Martha were first cousins - the wives being sisters.

Civil War Muster Rolls. Elijah Easterling, age 25, (b. say 1837) enlisted 24 Mar 1862 at Montevallo, AL, (Shelby County) as a private in Co E, 44th AL Infantry Regiment. The Muster was dated 2 Apr 1862.
There is a compiled service record for an E. Easterling who served in Co. D of the 17th AL Infantry and was taken prisoner - He enlisted 20 Aug 1862 in Autauga Co. A note says he was never paid.
3 Aug 1864, he was in the Floyd House & Ocmulgee Hospitals in Macon, GA - the ring finger on his right hand had been amputated. His P.O. was Walthalls Ranch, AL. He is on a list of Soldiers paroled at Headquarters, 16th Army Corps, Montgomery, AL May 24, 1865. On May 26, 1865, E. Easterling signed the oath that he would not again bear arms against the United States. He was described as 5'7", dark hair, blue eyes. When his widow applied for a pension on his service, she knew little about his unit but did say that he had a finger shot off and had been paroled so apparently this is Elijah's record. Ancestry Trees refer to this man as "James Elijah" - I know of no record that uses anything other than Elijah and Mahala stated his full name as Elijah Easterling. The name of James apparently comes from Heritage of Chilton County; there are numerous errors in the bio in that book, including the father listed for Elijah and name of his first wife.

1855 AL State Census, Autauga Co.
Elijah Easterling. 1m under 21. 1f under 21. Two total inhabitants.


Elijah married Mary Moats in 1854 and I've been unable to find them in the 1860 census. I found this family which has the right children, but how did they get the wrong head of household? Elijah's mother (who was also Mary) had married James Moats as her second husband but the children are not theirs - the children belong to Elijah Easterling and his wife Mary. Did the enumerator start one household, then skip to another?
1860 Census. Chestnut Creek, Autauga, AL, Hh 343
James Moats, age 46, b. GA
Mary, 30, b. SC
Bennet, 5. William, 3. Mary, age 1
Some of the researchers of this family claim that Mary Mims died when the child Mary was born in 1859 and the three children were living with James & Mary Moats - so perhaps the problem here is that Mary, age 30, is Elijah's mother, and grandmother to the children, and her age was recorded in error.

1 Sep 1860. Land Patent
39.885 acres. SE 1/4 of the SE 1/4, Section 6, Twp 21 N, Range 51 E

1 May 1861 Land Patent
240 acres. (1) S 1/2 SW 1/4, Section 27, Twp 22N, Range 15E. (2) NE 1/4 NE 1/4, Section 33, Twp 22N, Range 15E. (3) N 1/2 NW 1/4, Section 33, Twp 22N, Range 15E. (4) SE 1/4 NW 1/4, Section 34, Twp 22N, Range 15E.

1866 AL State Census, Autauga Co.
Elijah Easterling: 3m under 10, 1m 10-20, 1m over 20. 1f under 10, 1f over 20, total of 7 in the household

1870 Census. Prec 4, Baker, AL, Chestnut Creek P.O., Hh 184
This was a yours, mine, and ours household.
Elijah "Eastlin" age 33. Mahala, 32.
Bennett, 15. William 13. Elizabeth, 12 (children of Mary)
Elizabeth Taylor, 11. Thomas 10. (Mahala's children by Aaron Taylor)
Newton Eastlin, 5. John, age 1. (children together)

1880 Census. Coppers, Chilton, AL
Elijah Easterling, age 43. Mahala, 43.
Newton E., 16. John H. 11. George S. 8. James L. 6. Eliza, 4. Andrew J., 2
Rebecca Moats, 25 (no relationship stated) Single. Evaline Moats, age 2
Note: Elijah had a half-sister, Rebecca Moats, born in 1855, and that was her maiden name.

Elijah and Mahala are buried Walnut Creek Cemetery, Clanton, Chilton, AL. FindAGrave lists his name as "James" Elijah - but I've never found a record of that second name.

Birth	4 Jul 1837	Autauga County, Alabama
Marriage	21 Sep 1854	Autauga County, Alabama - Mary Mims
Marriage	29 Dec 1867	Autauga County, Alabama - Mahala Mims
Death	13 Dec 1890	Chilton County, Alabama

Spouse	Mary Mims (1835 - 1859)
Child	Bennett Easterling (1855 - 1924)
Child	William M. Easterling (1857 - 1941)
Child	Mary Elizabeth Easterling (1858 - 1894)

Spouse	Mahala Mims (1837 - 1926)
Child	Newton Easterling (1868 - )
Child	John H. Easterling (1869 - 1914)
Child	George Samuel Easterling (1871 - 1903)
Child	James Louis Easterling (1874 - 1960)
Child	Eliza Mahala Mae Easterling (1872 - 1934)
Child	Andrew Jackson Easterling (1878 - 1948)
Child	David Daniel Easterling (1883 - 1943)

Father	Newett Easterling (1805 - 1844)
Mother	Mary Ann Mims (1815 - 1870)
Sibling	Miranda Easterling (1838 - )
Sibling	Nancy Easterling (1841 - 1929)
Sibling	Mary Elizabeth Easterling (1844 - 1923)