Lee , James
- Battle Unit Name:
- 4th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry
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| Nancy Lee Banister, born abt 1825 James Lee Banister, born abt 1824 was Nancy Lee Banister's brother and the son of James Banister and Rose Lee (Carter). He, sister Nancy, niece Kansas and mother Rose apparently left the Chesterfield County (Richmond-Petersburg) area of Virginia years before Nancy was indentured as a servant to the family of Robert E. Lee around 1846. His father James Banister died in Botetourt County during 1857; and the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 changed his opportunities. And he enlisted in the great emancipation war during 1963, and was a veteran of the Union Army's U.S. Colored Troops. Upon issue of the Emancipation Proclamation encouraging African American enlistments in the Union Forces, Jefferson Davis as President of the rebel states had warned that men like James, born in Virginia, if captured by the confederacy would be treated as traitors to their native states and subsequently executed for treason. James did as thousands of other African-Americans with relatives still living in the slave states, he enlisted in surname (Lee) rather than that of Banister to prevent likelihood of retaliation against his relatives in Boutetort County. During his absence and that of his sister Nancy from the Washington D.C. metro area that included Alexandria and Arlington, their mother Rose died in 1864 and was buried by her Carter relatives in the Freedmen's Cemetery.
United States Census, 1870
He had enlisted in the 4th Regiment organized in Baltimore during 1863 and served in battles leading to the defeat and surrender of Robert E. Lee and his army in April 1965; and apparently stationed in the Richmond-Petersburg vicinity until discharged in May 1866. Lee , James
UNITED STATES COLORED TROOPS4th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry
Above data supports our understanding as to how and why he is listed in the 1870 census as head of household that included Nancy Lee Banister and his and her children living in Midlothian, Chesterfield County, Virginia. The census is relatively accurate as to ages that include my grandfather Thomas Lee, but census taker estimated and recorded Nancy being nine years younger than James. Most significant in our research is apparent ability and willingness of James Lee to use his mustering out pay from the Union Army to help Nancy keep their families intact in a household located in Midlothian where they were able to grow food and feed themselves. James and Nancy avoided the disastrous hunger conditions that affected many African-American free men, women and children in Richmond during year 1866. Research and visits to the Hallsboro Road area of Midlothian offers compelling evidence that James and Nancy organized initiatives to acquire several acres of land that had to be cleared of trees and brush, ploughed and planted to grow string beans, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, collard and kale greens for purposes of feeding the assembled Lee family and farm animals that included chickens, hogs and at least one mule used for labor. This understanding helped us to better understand the presence in household of Henry Lee, who like James, likely had labor abilities and agricultural skills needed. James Lee United States Census, 1870
Household ID: 412 , Line Number: 9 , Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) , Affiliate Publication Number: M593 , GS Film number: 000553139 , Digital Folder Number: 004268493 , Image Number: 00541 Below data from the 1880 census reflects that he has moved from Midlothian to Augusta, Virginia and is married to Lucinda Lee and has fathered a son that he named William Lee.
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