Ancestor help once again?

Question:I really hate having to ask about my family background, but its really the only that I'm going to get information to help me further. Since a lot of people have helped me get as far as I have I'm stuck on John Sanford I've done some research but I don't know if he was born in 1834 in telfair county ga or 1844 in dodge county ga. Once again I would appreciate the help a lot I really want to discover my family background and history. I was also wonder since John Sanford was born in the 1830's-1840's would he have been in the civil war?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I really hate having to ask about my family background, but its really the only that I'm going to get information to help me further. Since a lot of people have helped me get as far as I have I'm stuck on John Sanford I've done some research but I don't know if he was born in 1834 in telfair county ga or 1844 in dodge county ga. Once again I would appreciate the help a lot I really want to discover my family background and history. I was also wonder since John Sanford was born in the 1830's-1840's would he have been in the civil war?

This might be a place to start from:

On November 3, 1862, Martha Jump married John Thomas Sanford in Pulaski Co, GA.

Her parents were Thomas Murphy Jump and Sarah Coleman.

I'll snoop around and see if there's any info on his parents.

ETA: I think this is probably them. Martha and her family lived in the same place in 1860 where we found Wm and his parents living in 1870:
Name: Martha Jump
Age in 1860: 17
Birth Year: abt 1843
Birthplace: Georgia
Home in 1860: Pulaski, Georgia
Gender: Female
Post Office: Hawkinsville
Value of real estate: View Image
Household Members: Name Age
Murphy Jump 47
Orena Jump 50
Jesse Jump 18
Martha Jump 17
Elizabeth Jump 16
Thomas Jump 14
Susan Jump 12
Murphy Jump 10
John L Jump 8
George M Jump 4

The closest I can come to a John Sanford, in the right age group, anywhere near Hawkinsville in a John who was the 6 y/o son of BW and Sarah Sanford of Putnam Co in the 1850 census. MapQuest puts them within 60 miles of Hawkinsville. All of the others are at least 150 miles away. But there's nothing definitive in that. I'd suggest pulling the marriage license from 1862 (I just got it from an index, so not many details) and see if there's more in it for you to work from in your search.

BTW, I don't find him in the Civil War, either. Maybe he got lucky and no one made him go. Or, just as likely, he bought his way out. If he was the son of BW Sanford, the family had a lot of money before the war. His holdings were reported as $12,000 in 1850. That makes him a veritable millionaire by today's standards.

Is this John Sanford,
U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865
about John Sanford
Name: John Sanford
Side: Confederate
Regiment State/Origin: Georgia
Regiment Name: 20 Battalion Georgia Cavalry
Regiment Name Expanded: 20th Battalion, Georgia Cavalry
COMPANY: C
Rank In: Private
Rank In Expanded: Private
Rank Out: Private
Rank Out Expanded: Private
Film Number: M226 roll 53

1880 United States Federal Census
Name: John Sanford
Home in 1880: District 339, Telfair, Georgia
Age: 46
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1834
Birthplace: Georgia
Relation to Head of Household: Self (Head)
Spouse's Name: Martha
Father's birthplace: Georgia
Mother's birthplace: Georgia
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Gender: Male
Household Members: Name-- Age
John Sanford --46
Martha Sanford --46
Josephine Sanford --16
William Sanford --13
Mary Sanford --11
Callie Sanford --9
Susie Sanford --7
Henry Sanford --4
Georgia Sanford --1

1860 census:
Name: John Sanford
Birth: abt 1844 - Georgia
Residence: 1860 - Rome, Floyd, Georgia
Age in 1860: 16

1900 Fed. Census:
Name: John Sanford
Spouse: Mary
Birth: abt 1839 - North Carolina
Residence: 1900 - Towns, Telfair, Georgia

www.rootsweb.com lists 4 John Sanfords who fought in the Civil War, but all were from Kentucky, and all fought on the Union (North) side.

The John Sanford born in 1844 would have been only 16 at the start of the Civil War. He could have been a "drummer boy" if he served in the war at all. During the Civil War, boys as young as 7 or 8 were recruited into the army to serve as Drummer Boys. These young men traveled with the army, and even marched into battle with them.
One website--www.civilwardata.com--said this:" During the Civil War, you had to be at least 18 years old to join the military. Men 18-20 years old needed parental permission while those over 45 were considered too old to serve." This was for the Union Army, but I suspect it was the same for the Confederate side. If so, the John Sanford born in 1834 would be the more likely candidate (at age 26).