Eugene Aylward, my Great-Great-Grandfather was the father of 'Etta' Aylward -aka Heath, who married Charles Corbin in Illinois.

Eugene's father William Aylward was taken from his bed and hung by rebels under the command of a Col. Porter. William was considered to be an outspoken (by rebels) supporter of the Union. During this raid, they also captured a Union officer, who was also murdered.

Eugne initially joined Quantrill's Company of the Missouri confederate rebesl. However, it seems that after he was unconditionally released from Ft. Gratiot prison that he finished the war in a Union regiment - having mostly lilkely not taken kindly to having his father hung by the people he had initially supported.

He died shortly before his daugher by Margaret Grubaugh was born, as her family moved to IL from MS - it seems that they had never married.

I spoke with a descendent of Eugene's brother's family a few years ago, and they did not know of any children of Eugene, as the story was that he was not that healthy after the war, and ran a saloon/boarding house in Memphis MS.

ellen1130 - Ancestry