Z 0725.000
CLINGAN (JOHN W.) PAPERS


Biography/History:

John Wesley Clingan was born in Canton, Mississippi, in 1841. He was the son of Hugh F. and Nancy W. Clingan, of Maryland and Kentucky, respectively. The Clingan family later moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where Hugh Clingan worked in various occupations, including hotel clerk and tailor.

On February 1, 1861, John Wesley Clingan enlisted in the Confederate States Army as a private in Company A (later Company D), Tenth Regiment, Mississippi Infantry. Clingan was promoted to first lieutenant on February 26, 1864. Shortly before the end of the Civil War, he was wounded and sent to a military hospital in Meridian, Mississippi. Clingan was paroled in Jackson on May 14, 1865.

After the war, Clingan worked as a railroad conductor, eventually becoming a local railroad agent. Clingan married Maria Walmsley on February 11, 1875. They had one son, John T. Clingan, and two daughters, Ella and Courtenay Clingan. He was also appointed captain of Company A, First Regiment, Infantry, State Militia, Hinds County, in 1875. Clingans orders included establishing an armory in Jackson. He was elected to a two-year term as a Jackson alderman in 1880. Clingan later served as a Hinds County deputy sheriff, a position he held for many years. He died in July of 1931, and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Jackson.

Scope and Content:

This collection contains four items, all related to John Wesley Clingans state militia service. The first item is a commission of Governor Adelbert Ames appointing Clingan as captain, Company A, First Regiment, Infantry, State Militia, Hinds County. The second item is a copy of special orders directing Clingan to establish an armory at Jackson for his state militia company. The third item is a roster of Company A, with only last names for most of the men. The fourth item is a letter describing Clingans state militia service.

Series Identification:

  1. Military Records. 1875-1923. 0.10 c.f.