Individual Details

Buried Walnut Creek Methodist Church cemetery, Chilton Co.
1850 & 1860 Autauga Co; 1870 Baker; 1880 Chilton

10 Aug 1850. Land Patent for 83.22 acres, Chilton Co. W 1/2 of NW 1/4, Twp 21 N, Range 14 E, Section 12.

1850 Census. Chestnut, Autauga, AL, Hh 810
George W. Mims, 20. Tobitha, 17.
Feriba, 0
Arthur F. Love, 57, b. SC

1850 - Alabama State Census, Autauga Co
George W. Mims. 1 white male under 21; 1 white female under 21, 1 white female over 21. Total inhabitants: 3

1855. Alabama State Census, Autauga Co
George W. Mims. wm over 21 - 1; wf under 21 - 4; wf over 21 - 1. Total whites - 6

1860 Census. Chestnut Creek, Autauga Co, AL, Hh 230
George Mimes, age 29, b. AL as was the whole family - in the column for disabilities is written "continued" - the family is on the next page.
Tabitha, age 25
Jane 10. Savilla 6. Penny 4. Makalf [Mahala] 3. Elija 2. Eliza 1.
Hh 231 - Nathan Mimes age 22, wife and daughter
Hh232, Elijah Mimes, age 21, wife Rebecca

I have unable to determine whether or not Dock served in the Civil War. Certainly there was a young George Washington Mims who served:
On Ancestry.com there is found a roster list for the 4th Regt, Alabama Militia in the Civil War. The Capt was Wm H. Northington and the group was called the Autauga Rangers, in service for the State of Alabama for 90 days. Probably Company C. Dated 24 Mar 1862. Some of rolls of other companies have dates in March and April of 1862. Notes accompanying seem to indicate that the 4th Regt was sent to Mobile primarily as a police force. They were then ordered to Ft. Gaines, AL, on April 5th - they were sent back to Mobile until the expiration of their ninety day term on 12 Jun 1862.
W. G. Mims was age 18, A. Mims was age 23, R. Mims was 30. All joined in Autauga County.
George would have been 18 in 1863. His brother Alexander would have been about 23. Richard Mims, son of Abraham Mims would have been about age 30. It's difficult to say that these were the same men except for the ages - no W. G. Mims of this age is known.
There is also a George W. Mims/Mimms who served in Company E, 44th Regt, Alabama Infantry - see next.


On Fold3 I found a Civil War record for George W. Mimms. The enlistment dates would seem to suggest he cannot be the same as this George, born in 1845. I have not been able to conclusively determine if it is this young George or the older George Washington "Dock"Mims. The Muster cards for George W. Mimms indicates that he enlisted in Autauga County on 25 April 1862, for three years, as a Private in Co E, 44th Regt of Alabama Infantry, which was marched to Richmond VA, almost as soon as the unit was formed. On the card dated April - June, 1862, he is marked as "Sick in Richmond". There is a card listing Geo. Mims on the Register of Chimborazo Hospital, No. 1, in Richmond, VA. Admitted suffering from Debility on 28 Aug 1862. He was furloughed for 40 days from Sept 12, 1862. Subsequent muster cards list him as "absent without leave" and "Deserted at home in Alabama through October of 1863, the last of the Muster cards. However, when the Confederate soldiers were paroled at Headquarters, 16th Army Corps, Montgomery, AL in May of 1865, Geo. Mims of Co E, 44th Regt, AL Infantry is listed. On 26 May 1865, Geo. Mims signed his parole that he would not again take up arms against the United States. He was described as 5'3" tall, dark hair and eyes with dark complexion.

Then there was this:
Ancestry.com, "Alabama Civil War Muster Rolls, 1861-1865"
Roster of the Sallie Ratcliffe Guards - Company E of the 44th AL Infantry:
Elijah Mims, enlisted 29 Mar 1862 in Shelby Co, Born in Alabama, lived in Autauga Co. Age 35 and a married man. Deserted at Selma, AL
Henry Mims, Private, Enlisted in Shelby Co on 5 Apr 1862 for the duration of the War. He was born in Alabama, a Farmer, lived in Autauga County. Age 28, Married. Deserted May 3rd 1863. Has been lying out in the woods ever since.
George W. Mims, is right below, he enlisted 25 Apr 1862, in Shelby Co, and was age 30, also married. (this would be neither Henry's younger brother, nor George W. "Dock" Mims - if this age is correct). Has been lying out in the wood since 1862
William Mims, enlisted on the same day as George W. He was age 26 and married.
James Mims, age 51, enlisted on 20 Apr 1862. All lived in Autauga County. Has been absent without leave since 1862 until recently he was brought back under guard.
What's strange regarding the above record is that I cannot find Mims males of these names and ages except for Henry and his father James P. Mims. Henry had brothers George & William but they were much younger than the George & William on this roster list and probably not yet married. George "Dock" was probably a few years older than 30, but he was not particularly good with his age on census. Autauga Co census records for 1860 did nothing to sort out the above ages.

From Ancestry Tree:
The Alabama Department of Archives and contemporary historians have listed the following subjects as farmers who enlisted as Privates in Company E of the 44th Regiment, Alabama Volunteer Infantry, Confederate States of America (CSA) which was comprised of men primarily from Shelby County, Alabama.
Elijah Mims
George W. Mims
Henry Mims
James Mimes
William Mims
One unsourced internet website showed a list of Company E soldiers and noted as its source for the Mims info a subject by the name of “Boyd” which may be contemporary historian Charles E. Boyd. This was the list that noted that all five men were missing from the unit by May 5, 1862 with no further details listed. One official muster roll revealed that George W. Mims had enlisted on March 24, 1862 while the 44th Regiment was still being formed, (it did not become a formal CSA Regiment until April 1862) and another muster roll noted that he was trained at a “Camp of Instruction” beginning on April 4, 1862. It is likely that all five Mims had enlisted sometime in March and received their initial training in early April before the regiment was formed.

A review of an original Confederate Army “Record of the 44th Regiment Alabama” dated from April 1862 to January 1863 or 1865 (record faded) for Company E included the following details:
George W. Mims, age 30, enlisted on April 25, 1862 but according to earlier muster rolls had probably joined in March 1862 and joined the 44th Regiment when it was officially mustered in as a unit on April 25, 1862. He was a resident of Autauga County, Alabama and enlisted at Montevallo in Shelby County, Alabama. George was listed as absent due to sickness for the first two engagements and absent without leave for all the rest of the battles. It was also noted that he “has been laying out in the woods ever since”.
George W. Mims, age 30, enlisted on April 25, 1862 but according to earlier muster rolls had probably joined in March 1862 and joined the 44th Regiment when it was officially mustered in as a unit on April 25, 1862. He was a resident of Autauga County, Alabama and enlisted at Montevallo in Shelby County, Alabama. George was listed as absent due to sickness for the first two engagements and absent without leave for all the rest of the battles. It was also noted that he “has been laying out in the woods ever since”.
William Mims, age 26, enlisted on April 25, 1862. William was listed as absent due to sickness for the first two engagements and absent without leave for all the rest of the battles. It was also noted that he “has been absent without leave since 1862 until recently, he was brought back under guard”.

Elijah Mims Jr. reappears has having Enlisted in Company K, 15th Regiment, Alabama Infantry on 15 Aug 1862. He mustered out on May 26, 1863 at Raccoon Ford, VA and died in 1866. William Mims is another son of Elijah Mims Sr. and a brother to George Washington Mims.

The 44th Alabama Infantry Regiment was organized at Selma, Alabama on May 16, 1862. It was formally mustered in as a unit on April 25, 1862. Raised and initially trained in drill at Selma, men of the 44th were a fun loving lot. Most enjoyed the saloons and when these were placed off limits, resorted to more cunning means to secure a "nip or two."
The Selma Reporter (May 30, 1862) chronicled the battle of wits between Col. James Kent and his thirsty soldiers. – “A few days since Colonel Kent became painfully conscious that his paper blockade upon plain liquor, mint juleps, brandy, cocktails, etc., was lamentably inefficient, and to stay the tide of evil published a card in the Reporter declaring that a physician's order hereafter would not be valid unless countersigned by himself. .........Colonel Kent is to be praised, however, for his vigilance and evident determination to put a stop to drunkenness among his soldiers, a few of whom have been tight under the license of a physician's order for liquor. Let those who sail under this coast with bottles in their pockets, look out for breakers, since there is many a slip between cup and lip.”
Unfortunately, the fun soon came to a close. The 44th received a rousing send off from their home state, but from that time forth the realities of war began to appear. Folk in the Carolinas were less than friendly; these men from Alabama were just one more strain on the dwindling food supply. Richmond was overcrowded. There were no arms for the new arrivals until after the fighting of late June and early July around Richmond concluded. Men began succumbing to disease. Each day brought a renewal of the ever present drill.
None of this would affect the Mims family enlistees as it appears they had disappeared from the unit in early May before its transfer to Virginia.
The 44th would proceed to fight in such battles as Second Manassas (Bull Run) where it had been previously decimated by disease, Fredericksburg (suffered light loses), Sharpsburg (Antietam) (severely decimated with a 47% casualty rate), Chickamauga (heavy casualties) and Gettysburg (suffered 33% casualty rate on the assault on Devil’s Den but captured the only enemy cannon to be brought off the field by the Confederates). Over the course of the war, 1094 men had been in this regiment at some point, 160 died in battle, but with disease, discharges and desertions only 209 survived to surrender at Appomattox in 1865.

1870 Census. Prec. 4, Baker Co AL Hh 325
Geo W. Mims, age 40
Tobitha, 37
Mahala, 14. Elijah 13. Eliza 11. Wm M. 10. Thomas G. 8, Tobitha 6. Rosa D. age 4

1880 Census. Clanton, Chilton, AL, Hh 325
G. W. Mims, 50. Tobitha, wife, 46
Eliza 21, dau. William, 19, son. George T., son 17. Rosa, dau, 14. Lila, 10, dau. Verginia, 7, cau. Joe, son, 5. Henry, 2, son.
Edward, age 6 months, born Aug (1879), son - marked out - "Dead" writtin in.

30 Mar 1885. US Land Patent for 161.065 acres, Chilton Co, Twp 22 N, Range 15 E, Section 25.

1900 Census. Clanton, Chilton, AL, Hh 318
G. W. Mims, b. Dec 1826, age 73, married 52 years, b. AL, parents b. SC
Tabitha, wife, b. Oct 1829, age 70, 17 children - 13 are living, b. AL, father b. AL, mother b. SC

Ancestry Family Tree:
George W. "Dock" Mims was born on December 26, 1826 or 1827. Census records claim that he was born in 1826, but his tombstone has 1827. His parents are Elijah Mims and Mahala Popwell and stepmother Martha Woodruff. George's paternal grandparents are James G. Mims and Feraba Reynolds. Elijah had 8 brothers and sisters: 1) Jane, 2) Feraba, 3) Rebecca Ann, 4) John J., 5) Henry, 6) Mary, 7) Mahala, 8) Elijah.
Tabitha Miller was born in October of 1829 in Alabama. It is rumored that she was 1/2 or 1/4 Native American. Her parents are unknown to me, but I do know from census records that her father was born in Alabama and her mother was born in South Carolina.
George and Tabitha were married around 1850. They had 15 children: 1) Elijah, 2) Moses, 3) Tom, 4) Jodie, 5) Henry, 6) Eddie, 7) Martha Ann Virginia "Jenny", 8) Savilla, 9) Penelope, 10) Tabitha, 11) Liza Elizabeth "Babe" 12) Mahala, 13) Rosa, 14) Deliah, 15) Ada.
George died on January 27, 1903. Tabitha died on May 20, 1912. Both are buried at Walnut Creek.

Note: FindAGrave has recorded his death as 1908 - the stone is pictured and the date is not clear, but it looks more like 1903 to me.

Uncited newspaper clipping in Ancestry Tree:
Here's a report on the dock (George) Mims family of Walnut Creek community a hundred or more years ago. Dock Mims was married to Tabitha Millar about 1850; tradition has it that Tabitha Millar was a half or quarter Indian. To them were born eight daughters - Savilla (Robinson), Penny or Penelope (Mims), Tabitha (Baker), Liza "Elizabeth" or Babe (Baker), Mahala (Robinson), Rosa (Baker), Delilah (Baker), Jennie or Martha Ann Virginia (Wyatt). There were six sons - Elijah "Bud", Moses, Tom, Jodie, Henry, and Eddie. The latter died when a mere boy. Some grandchildren believe there were three other children who died young - others doubt this. Dock Mims was a son of Elijah Mims, emigrant from South Carolina. this Elijah Mims was buried at Walnut Creek about 1870; Dock was buried there about 1902 or 1903. His home was where Ed Minor now lives. Jennie Wyatt, the youngest and last member of the Dock Mims family, was buried at Walnut Creek, Sunday, January 17th, age 87.

Besides Elijah Mims, coming from South Carolina to this section were his two brothers, Abram Mims and Jimmie Mims. Abram Mims, father of one-time Tax Assessor, Abram C. Mims, lived near where the hospital is now located. Jimmie Mims, grandfather of former county commissioner Jim Mims, settled down on Blue Creek near the river. From These Three original Mims families emanated practically all of the hundreds and hundreds of Memses now in Chilton County and central Alabama.

Birth	26 Dec 1827	Alabama
Marriage	9 Jan 1849	Autauga County, Alabama - Tabitha Miller
Death	27 Jan 1903	Chilton County, Alabama

Spouse	Tabitha Miller (1834 - 1912)
Child	Fereba Jane Mims (1850 - 1862)
Child	Rebecca Ann Savilla Mims (1853 - 1942)
Child	Penny Carolyn Mims (1854 - 1903)
Child	Mahala C. Mims (1857 - 1934)
Child	Elijah James "Bud" Mims (1858 - 1907)
Child	Eliza Mims (1859 - 1948)
Child	William Moses Mims (1861 - 1907)
Child	George Thomas Mims (1862 - 1934)
Child	Tabitha Mims (1864 - 1881)
Child	Rosa Della Mims (1866 - 1945)
Child	Delilah Adline Mims (1869 - 1950)
Child	Martha Ann Virginia Mims (1872 - 1960)
Child	Joseph Andrew Washington Mims (1875 - 1950)
Child	Henry Newton Franklin Mims (1876 - 1946)
Child	Edward Mims (1879 - 1880)

Father	Elijah Mims (1808 - 1887)
Mother	Mahala Popwell (1810 - 1841)
Sibling	Martha Jane Mims (1828 - 1899)
Sibling	John Jackson Mims (1831 - )
Sibling	William E. Mims (1832 - )
Sibling	Elizabeth Mims (1834 - 1900)
Sibling	Mary Mims (1835 - 1859)
Sibling	Mahala Mims (1837 - 1926)
Sibling	Elijah Mims (1839 - 1866)