52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks
Week 8 - February 24, 2025
Prompt: Secret
TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY – IT’S ALL IN THE FAMILY
The name of my family history blog reflects the roles my ancestors played throughout history. Some were tinkers, some were soldiers, and at least one was accused of being a spy.
Townsend Foley, my maternal 3rd great-grandfather, was that spy. Or was he simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? That remains a secret he took to his grave.
Discovering Townsend Foley
Before I discovered Townsend Foley, I first had to uncover the truth about his daughter, Louisa Jane Foley, my maternal 2nd great-grandmother.
Discovering Louisa Jane Foley
Initially, I thought she was Louisa Jane Wright—the name listed on the marriage index of my 2nd great-grandparents.
On December 13, 1854, Parmenas James Nolen married Louisa Jane Wright in Jackson County, Arkansas. The record listed:
• Parmenas – age 24, from St. Francis, Arkansas.
• Louisa Jane – age 22, from Jackson County, Arkansas.
The index did not include witnesses, nor did it indicate a prior marriage for either party.
When I searched the 1850 census, I found Louisa J Wright in Richland, St. Francis County, Arkansas, age 18, living with George W. Wright, age 36, a merchant. Given the age difference, I assumed he was her father and built my family tree accordingly.
Then DNA testing changed everything.
A DNA Discovery That Changed Everything
When DNA testing became available on Ancestry, I had my mother, Margaret, take a test. I manage her results.
One day, I received a message from Karen, who manages her Aunt Alene Foley’s DNA. Alene shares 218 cM with Margaret, and after weeks (maybe months) of collaboration, we determined the only logical explanation—
Louisa Jane was not a Wright. She was a Foley.
George Wright was not her father. He was her first husband.
Based on the DNA matches, Louisa Jane and Alene’s grandfather, John T. Foley, had to be siblings. That would make Alene and Margaret 2C1R, which matched their DNA results.
Since Louisa Jane married George Wright before 1850 and then married Parmenas Nolen in 1854, she never appeared on a census with her parents. But her younger brother, John T. Foley, did—on the 1860 census with their parents, Townsend Foley and Christina Bradley Foley.That was how I discovered Townsend Foley.
I then realized that I had letters from Louisa’s son PJ to his son, Leonard—my grandfather—where he often remarked, “The Foley boys are all alright.” Although he never specified whether they were uncles, nephews, or cousins, this was enough to confirm that there was indeed a familial connection to the Foleys.
Piecing Together Townsend’s Life
With this revelation, I deleted George Wright’s line from my tree and started researching Townsend Foley.
• 1809: Born in Kentucky.
• 1826: First child born in Tennessee.
• 1830: Townsend and Christina live with his father, John, and two young sons in Weakley County, Tennessee.
• 1837: Pays taxes in Weakley County, Tennessee.
• 1838: Pays taxes in Shelby County, Tennessee.
• 1840: Resides in Shelby County, Tennessee.
• 1847: Receives a land patent from the Batesville, Arkansas, land office.
• 1850: Household of 11 people, including a granddaughter, in Bayou Township, Jackson County, Arkansas.
• 1851: Receives a land patent in McCrory, Woodruff County, Arkansas.
• 1860: Household of 7 people in Barren Township, Independence County, Arkansas.
Townsend seemed to be a typical pioneer settler—until the Civil War changed everything.
Batesville, Independence County, Arkansas During the Civil War
Batesville, the county seat of Independence County, Arkansas, was occupied twice during the Civil War.
Union Occupation of Batesville in 1864
The Union Army first occupied Batesville in May 1862 while threatening Little Rock. After they withdrew, the Confederates reclaimed the area and used the same encampments.
The second occupation came in late 1863 when Col. Robert Livingston was ordered to report to Batesville. He arrived on Christmas Day, 1863, and his records indicate he had his hands full from the start.
With Confederate armies moving toward Helena, the area was left to lawless guerrilla bands. On January 11, 1864, Col. Livingston issued a 19-paragraph general order declaring:
• Martial law was in effect.
• Spies, either civilian or military, would suffer death.
• Any civilian communication with the Confederates would be considered treason.
• Residents must obey the Union Army, or they would forfeit their lives and property.
It was during this time that Townsend Foley’s fate was sealed.
Spy or Innocent Victim?
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April 22, 1864: Transferred to Rebel's Hell Prison, Little Rock, Arkansas
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| May 26, 1864: Died of Rubella at the prison and was buried 150 feet outside the prison walls. |
A Final Secret Beneath the State Capitol?
In February 2022, while preparing for a research trip to Little Rock, I planned to find Townsend’s grave.
The Little Rock National Cemetery was for Union soldiers only. The adjacent Confederate Cemetery was for Confederate veterans. Neither mentioned “Political Citizens.”
That led me to research the Union Prison in Little Rock—known as “Rebels’ Hell.”
The state’s first penitentiary, built in 1840, became a military jail during the war. When Little Rock fell to Union forces, it held Confederate prisoners, Union deserters, and suspected spies.
The death toll was high, and a makeshift cemetery was established on the prison grounds.
Then, in 1899, the Arkansas State Capitol was built on that site—using prison labor.
During excavation, workers unearthed hundreds of forgotten wooden coffins, breaking them open with digging equipment. The skeletal remains were scattered across the construction site.
Some bodies were reburied outside the city limits. Others may still be beneath the Capitol today.
Was Townsend Foley’s coffin among them?
That remains a secret.
Sources & Further Reading:
• Sakaris, Kay Waters. Rebels’ Hell: Little Rock’s “Yankee” Prison 1863-1865.
• Anderson, Layne Livingston. Haunted Legends of Arkansas.
