Samuel Moore McCaleb

Born: 22 Jan 1813 in Orange County, North Carolina

Died: 1893 in Putnam County, Tennessee

Company K, 1st Tennessee Mounted Infantry, USA

5 Dec 1865-22 Jul 1865

Mine Lick Creek runs generally north to south from Baxter, Tennessee to the Caney Fork River/Center Hill Lake. The next significant creek east of Mine Lick is Cane Creek. Much intermarriage happened between the families of Mine Lick and Cane Creek. The McCaleb family of Cane Creek was a strong Union supporting family. Samuel Moore McCaleb along with all four of his sons served in the Union Army. Samuel's full name is Samuel Van Ransalear Asiel Silo Moore McCaleb.

Samuel is the son of John McCaleb and Catherine Allison. John and Catherine moved their family from North Carolina to Tennessee in Dec 1826 and settled on Cane Creek in what was then White County but is now Putnam County.

Samuel married Elenor "Nellie" Ray on 12 Aug 1830 in White County, Tennessee. Nellie is the daughter of Joseph Ray and Kessiah Henslee, another Cane Creek family. Samuel and Nellie had eight children between 1831-1845.

Samuel was commissioned as a Captain assigned to Company K of the 1st Tennessee Mounted Infantry on 5 Dec 1864 in Carthage, Smith County, Tennessee. This was to fill an "original vacancy" meaning Company K was just being formed and Samuel was its first Captain. He served honorably until he was mustered out at Nashville on 22 Jul 1865.

Samuel received an invalid pension as indicated below. His wife preceded him in death and therefore did not receive a widow's pension.

According to Joyce Parker on Samuel's Find-A-Grave page, Samuel and his wife Elenor were "buried on their farm which later became the Gentry farm. Some of his grandchildren agreed to move their remains to the Gentry Cemetery, their stones were moved but their remains stayed where originally buried".