PIECES OF OUR PAST - ZENUS FORDHAM - THE CELEBRATED CENTENARIAN

ZENUS FORDHAM

The Celebrated Centenarian

If Zenus Fordham were still a live today, he would be 200 years old.  Fordham never thought that he would live forever, but while he was at it, he figured he might as enjoy every succeeding birthday surrounded by hundreds of friends a family.  It all started out in the winter of 1819, when Zenus was born to his parents Benjamin Fordham, III, and Elsie Miller Fordham. .  His long and wonderful life ended just more than a century later on June 14, 1920. 

In 1842, just weeks before his 23rd birthday, he married Lucinda Rigby of Wilkinson County.  His whole life was in front of them, seventy seven more years in front of him. For Lucinda, she would live only 30 more years.  Following Lucinda’s death, married Nancy Jane Dominy, who was only 36 years old.  She too met an untimely death six years after William and Nancy married.  His last wife, Mary Ann Hogan Fordham, who was survived by Zenus by some seventeen years.

On October 12, 1861, Zenus Fordham, a nearly 42-year-old, non-slave owner, farmer, m left his home in the Griffin’s District of Wilkinson County and enlisted in Georgia State Troops, Co. C. along with many of his friends and relatives. The State Troops and Reserves were usually compiled of older men.  By time the war opened full force in April 1862, Fordham along with other remnants of Co. C, joined Company I of the 57th Georgia Infantry, composed of mainly men from Wilkinson a northern Laurens County.

The 57th regiment was sent to Savannah for coastal defense duty.  The soldiers got board and homesick as the anticipated attacks on Savannah and the outward islands never materialized on a massive scale.  Many of the members would take a horse and take an authorized leave back to their families some 125 miles away.

The Confederate Army commanders ordered the 57th to the far end of the western theater in Vicksburg.  In May of 1863, the large number of the regiment moved out the east and was slaughtered at the Battle of Baker’s Creek or Champion’s Hill.   Almost the entire regiment was captured when Vicksburg fell on July 4, 1863.  After spending a few months in Union prisons, the men were paroled. 

To get the regiment a break, they were transferred to South Georgia.  So much for a break.  The 57th was assigned as guards at the hell known as Andersonville.  They witness men dying every day because lack of disease and nutrition.  The guards had little food themselves, only what they could forage in the sandy, pine tree laden community.  Then in April of 1864, orders came to move to join Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia as Bloody Summer of “64.  Those orders were quickly changed when General William Sherman was about to begin his march to capture Atlanta and Savannah,    

The 57th was assigned to the Army of the Tennessee stationed around Rome and Chattanooga.  The Union Army twice outnumbered the Confederates and every few days, the two armies would skirmish with each with the Confederates continuously falling back.    General Joseph Johnston thwarted Sherman’s plan to outmaneuver by taking some 1600 casualties, four times as many as Johnson’s Confederates at the Battle of New Hope Churh on May 25, 26, 1864. . 

Sadly one of the Confederate casualties was Pvt. Zenus Fordham who was wounded in right arm two inches above the elbow breaking the bone and rendering his arm total useless. Although the wound was extremely painful, Fordham was sent home, missing the rest of the war.

Longevity was common in the Fordham family, eight of the fifteen siblings lived to more than 80 years of age. Martha Rawls (82,) Mary Ann Dominey (80,) Benjamin Fordham (82,) Wiley Fordham, (84,) Olive Dupree (86,) Salathiel Fordham (85,) Zenus Fordham (100,) and Betsy Billue, (102.)

      

At the age of 69, Fordham who had been disabled for 24 years, finally received his Conderate pension.

His first publicly announced birthday party came in 1904 at the age of 85.  Zenus, described as well-preserved, hale, and hardy to walk without any aid.  Showing up at the party were an estimated 115 descendants and siblings. In 1906, the total included 71 grand children, NS 32 great grandchildren.

Almost every one of Fordham’s birthday gathering was held at the home of his sister, Mr. T.J. Perry were he had lived for a many years in the Marie Community.

By 1914, the number of descendants had risen to 125.  

The big day came on December 12, 1919.  Nearly 200 descendants were coming to see Uncle Zenus on this 100th birthday.  Perhaps it was going be his last birthday.  You never know when some one attains that ulimate age.  Zenu’s health was report good, but his eyesight was failing more.  All the guest left that day after saying goodbye to Uncle Zenus.

Zenus Fordham never had another birthday. On a Monday morning, Zenus Fordham died after a short illness.  At the time of his death, he left 9 children, 62 grandchildren, 87 great-grandchildren,  and 28 - great-great children.   A legacy that few people can ever leave.   He was buried the next day in Fordham family cemetery up in the lower edge of Wilkinson County.