Great Grandfather Samuel Adam Burney Rose (hereafter referred to as SAB) was born to Bennet and Nancy Burney Rose the fifth day of February, 1838. He grew up in the western part of Limestone County, which is in North Alabama, at a community called Lentzville. His father died when he was not quite fourteen years old. His brother-in-law, the husband of Rhoda (Rose) Smith, was granted guardianship to him. He had several older brothers and sisters but an 1860 census listed the household as only him at age 21 and his 62 year old mother.

The Civil War began in 1861 but SAB did not enlist at first. According to his Granddaughter Mildred Parham, who had heard old timers talk when she was a child, SAB was involved in a struggle with a man one night when he was on his way home from a hunting trip. The man was drinking and mistook SAB for someone else and was trying to take his gun. It discharged and killed the man. SAB was apprehensive about how the authorities would take the killing. It seems that this happening had a big impact on him and at this point, around 13 of December, 1862, SAB decided to leave his aging Mother and find the 16 Alabama Infantry, Co. C. headquarters in Triune, Tennessee. He was 23 years old.

SAB was given 17 days of training and sent off to see his first battle at Stone River near Murfreesboro. He was wounded when a cannon ball landed in some limestone rocks, sending fragments which struck him in the head. He was thought dead by his fellow solders but recovered to be involved in many battles, including Chickamauga and Lookout Mountain. It is said that his Mother kept the picture shown on this page of him as a young man with the hat on, in her apron the whole time he was gone. Toward the end of the war SAB's regiment fought in Georgia and moved on to North Carolina, surrendering at Durham Station, NC. He was with a detached service near Washington, Georgia, helping to repair railroad tracks the Yankees had torn up. That detachment surrendered sometime before 9 May 1865 and S. A. B. Rose got home 17 May 1865.

S. A. B. Rose married Elmira Almeda Hargrove at Lentzville on 12 September 1867. He was almost 29. She was almost 17. They had a total of 17 children between 1869 and 1891. Rhoda Emiline(Aunt Emmy)1869; Benjamin Franklin(Ben)1870; John Simpson(Simp)1871; Unk Infant 1872; William Samuel(Will)1873; Sally Ann 1874; Marques Delafayette(Dee)1875; Alsadora Jane(Dora)1876; Nicholas Rees(Nick)1878; Alfred Alexander 1880; Matthew Bennett(Mack)1881; Martha Rebecca(Mattie)1883; Truda Belle 1884; Thomas Weatherford(Uncle Tom, quite a character)1885; James Bascom(Jim, my Grandfather)1887; Elmira(Ella)1889; Unk Infant 1891. Great Grandmother Elmira died in 1893 at age 43 and Great Grandfather Samuel Adam Burney Rose never remarried, living on into the 20th Century.

This documentation of S. A. B. Rose's life is taken directly from a book on the genealogy of the Rose family researched and written by my first cousin Lynn Parham, son of Mildred (Rose) Parham, entitled "An Alabama Rose Garden". For more Rose family pictures click here to visit Lynn's website.


Many thinks to Peggy Bostick, Great Great Granddaughter of Rhoda Ann Rose Smith - an older sister of Samuel Rose (my Great Grandfather), for originating this page.