B. Tom Person Photograph

undated
The Country Doctor Museum Manuscript Collection, CD 01.49
Creator(s)
Person, B. Tom
Physical description
0.06 Cubic Feet
Preferred Citation
B. Tom Person Photograph (CD 01.49),The Country Doctor Museum, at The William E. Laupus Health Sciences Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
Repository
Laupus Library History Collections
Access
No restrictions

Photograph of B. Tom Person.


Biographical/historical information

Benjamin Thomas Person was born 1833 September 16 to Thomas and Sally (Tarver) Person. He served with Company H, Ninth North Carolina (First Cavalry) Regiment for the Confederate States of America and was promoted First Lieutenant. He lived and practiced medicine for many years in the Stantonsburg area, and was in Wilson by 1896 where he served as postmaster from 1903 to 1914. He married Elizabeth Lee Kennedy in 1871, and they had three children: Thomas Lee, Sarah Elizabeth, and William Kennedy. Person died 1916 January 2 in Wayne County, North Carolina.

"Dr. Tom," as he was known, became something of a legend in Wilson and adjacent counties, particularly after leading several ex-Confederates into Goldsboro. The events were: about daylight, Andrew Wilson ambushed and almost killed a young hired hand at the Coley farm, having mistaken him for ex-calvaryman Frank Coley, who had been active in protecting his friends and neighbors from the foraging Yankees. Within an hour, three or four ex-Confederates were in pursuit, led by Dr. Tom. They found Wilson in Goldsboro at the crossing of two railroads. In a rapid exchange of fire, Person left Wilson dying on the steps of a store as the group rapidly galloped out of town with a band of Federal cavalry in hot pursuit. For the next two or three years, Person was forced to keep on the move among friends and relatives to avoid capture from military patrol searches. The Federal finally abandoned their efforts around 1871.

Source: http://ncpedia.org/biography/person-benjamin-thomas


Scope and arrangement

Photograph of B. Tom Person.


Administrative information
Custodial History

Donor information unknown

Source of acquisition

Donor information unknown

Processing information

Processing revised by Ashley Williams, 2015

Copyright notice

Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.


Language of material

English

Related material

Person Family Papers (CD 01.95),The Country Doctor Museum, at The William E. Laupus Health Sciences Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.


Container list
Box 1 Folder 1 B. Tom Person Photograph, undated