Company "I" 6th W.Va. Cavalry & "D" 1st W.Va. Light Artillery
Researched & Compiled by Linda Fluharty.
COMPLETE SERVICE RECORD, 6th W.Va. Cavalry
COMPLETE SERVICE RECORD, 1st W.Va. Light Artillery
ADAM HELMS, a carpenter, was born in Allegheny County, Maryland, according to his enlistment information and most census records. In Marshall County, (W) Virginia, on April 21, 1836, he married Elizabeth Bonar, the daughter of John Bonar and Rebecca Calhoun.
1850 Federal Census, Marshall County, (W) Va.
HELMES (1198)
Adam...Farmer...$1500...36-M...MD
Elizabeth...36-F...VA
Martin...13-M...VA
George M...10-F...VA
Rebecca...8-F...VA
Dobbs, Nancy...62-F...$500...MDNancy Dobbs was Adam's mother. She was the 3rd wife of (William) Henry Dobbs and she died in 1874 in Marshall County. Her death record states her maiden name was Magers but that has not been verified.
Before the death of Elizabeth Bonar Helms at age 35, in the fall of 1852, she and Adam had three children: Martin B., George M. and Rebecca S. Rebecca married John A. Pierce in 1861 and died in 1865.
Adam Helms married Mary Ann Fish, the widow of Joseph Hollingshead, in 1853. Mary Ann's son, Samuel Hollingshead, born in Marshall County, died at Andersonville Confederate Prison in Georgia while serving in the First West Virginia Infantry.
1860 Federal Census, Marshall County (W) Va.In 1861, Adam Helms enlisted as a private in the Third (W) Virginia Infantry, subsequently designated the 6th West Virginia Cavalry. He served in Company “I” from July 10, 1861 until he received a medical discharge on April 10, 1863. In February 1864, he enlisted in Battery “D” First West Virginia Light Artillery and served until the conclusion of the war. At the time of his enlistment in Carlin’s Battery, his stated age was 44 but he was probably older.
HELMS (358)
Adam...45-wm...carpenter...OH
Mary A...35-wf...VA
Martin R...22-wm...day laborer...VA
George M...20-wm...farm laborer...VA
Rebecca S...16-wf...VA
Samuel Hollingshead...16-wm...day laborer...VA
Emily V. Anderson...10-wf...VA
At the time of the 1870 census of Clay District, Marshall County, a woman named Mary A. was living with Adam, age 56. There were also two young girls in the home, Liza A. Ogle and Margaret A. Fish. In 1880, Mary A. is listed as the wife of Adam and Margaret is listed as his daughter.
Adam Helms worked as a carpenter until his death in February 1881. He is buried at Cameron Cemetery, Marshall County.From my book, In the Service of Their Country - Marshall County, West Virginia," copyright 2019:
SAMUEL HOLLINGSHEAD (D 1 W.Va. Inf.) - Service Record: At age 18/19, joined for duty & enrolled at Cameron; mustered in at Wheeling on Oct. 17, 1861. “Born in Marshall County, W.Va.” “Died at Andersonville, Ga. Mar. 21, 1864.” Cause of death: Phthisis. Buried in Grave No. 84 at Andersonville. - W.Va. Adj. Gen. record: “Farmer, born in Marshall Co., W.Va. Died of typhus fever while a prisoner of war at Richmond, Va., 21 Mar 1864, and buried in Grave No. 84 at Andersonville, Ga. National Cemetery.” Mother, Mary Ann Helms, received a pension in 1884. The soldier’s parents were Joseph Hollingshead and Mary Ann Fish, who married in Marshall County in 1842. Joseph died and Mary Ann married Adam Helms in 1853. Samuel was living with his mother and stepfather at the time of the 1860 census of Marshall County.