General Notes

John was murdered by Confederate soldiers near his home in 1864. The Confedera tes thought that John was a Union Spy. It is thought that John's brother David or some of the members of his company were responsible for John's murder. At the time of his death, John was on the way to meet his brother David who belong ed to CSA "I" Co. 11th Calvary.
Leah had just found out days earlier that she was pregnant. She gave birth to a baby boy in March of 1865.John was a wheelwright and wagonmaker by trade.
When the Cvil War started John was primarily a follower of the Union during the onset of the Civil War, but most of his family who had enlisted were in the Confederate Army & when Tennessee seceded he went along with her and pledge allegiance to the Confederacy, joining the CSA in a Local Home Guard regiment. Bradley County TN was an area torn by differences between families, with many having brothers & cousins represented in both the northern & southern armies, however, as the war progressed John's business was enhanced by the opportunity of outfitting the Union Army with wheels and wagons, and his sympathy for the southern cause regressed despite his loyalty to his family. He was seen by many of his neighbors as a traitor and made many enemies. It was even reported that John was a spy for both sides, a situation which, in most probability, caused his death.
On June 20, 1864, John was sent a message, supposedly sent by his brother David, himself a CSA soldier in Co "I" 11th TN Cavalry, to meet him on a country road. This was not an unusual request under the circumstances, but according to David & family the request was not made by his brother at all and he was "set up" by Confederate soldiers who were suspicious that he had been spying for the Union Army, and he was shot to death before he reached the rendevouz destination. His body was found by David Boyd, when he tracked John's horse down the road from his home. According to family no official document was ever recorded accounting for his murderer(s) and for a long while it was highly speculated by government authorities that it was his own brother who caused the confrontation that led to his death, or who actually assassinated him.
His death left a widow with six children under the age of ten. His wife, who had just found out she was pregnant a few days before that time, gave birth to a son eight months after John was killed. The baby died within a few days of his birth. According to family lore, the baby was to be named John K Jr (a story handed down from Bascom Boyd)
**Sugar Creek Cemetery is located near Union TN on Red Clay Road.