William McKesson "Keith" Blalock

1837 - 1913  (75 years)

• Name	William McKesson "Keith" Blalock
  Birth	21 Nov 1837	Caldwell County, , , North Carolina
  Gender	Male
  Death	14 Apr 1913	, Avery County, North Carolina,
  Burial	Montezuma Cemetery, , Avery County, North Carolina
  Notes	On August 11, 1913, Keith Blalock died while operating a hand car on a mountain railroad. He was the husband of Malinda Blalock, who was North Carolina's only known female Civil War soldier. At the beginning of the Civil War, Keith and his wife, Malinda, lived near Grandfather Mountain in Watauga County. Despite being Unionists, the couple both enlisted in the 26th North Carolina Troops in March 1862. Malinda enlisted under the name Sam. Keith's decision to enlist was made primarily to avoid being drafted by the recently passed Confederate Conscription Act, and Malinda simply did not want her husband going to war without her. While their regiment was stationed near Kinston, Keith devised a plan to be medically discharged by rubbing his body with poison oak and causing a rash. Once he obtained his discharge, his wife disclosed her gender, and promptly received a discharge as well. Upon their return to the mountains, the Blalocks joined Unionist guerrillas operating in and around Grandfather Mountain. Keith was wounded several times fighting Confederate home guard units. After the war, Keith ran for political office in Mitchell County, but was defeated. Malinda died from natural causes in 1901. The couple is buried in Avery County.
  Person ID	I61171	DeLoach Ancestry
  Last Modified	11 Aug 2018

  
  

  Father	Unknown Gentleman,   b. Abt 1820, North Carolina, , ,
  Mother	Mary A. Blalock,   b. 25 Mar 1818, , Yancey County, , North Carolina d. 19 Jan 1905, North Carolina, , , (Age 86 years)
  Family ID	F17139	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Sarah Malinda Pritchard,   b. 1 Mar 1839, Caldwell County, , , North Carolina d. 19 Mar 1903, , Watauga County, North Carolina, North Carolina (Age 64 years)
  Marriage	21 Jun 1856	Caldwell County, , , North Carolina
  Children	1. William R. Blalock,   b. Abt 1857, , Watauga County, North Carolina, North Carolina   2. Columbus Filmore "Lum" Blalock,   b. Abt 1863, Mitchell County, , , North Carolina d. Abt 1925 (Age ~ 62 years)   3. John H. "Jack" Blalock,   b. Aug 1869, Mitchell County, , , North Carolina   4. Isaac William Blalock,   b. Nov 1874, Mitchell County, , , North Carolina d. Bef 1907 (Age ~ 32 years)   5. Samuel Washington Blalock,   b. Abt 1877, Mitchell County, , , North Carolina d. Abt 1953 (Age ~ 76 years)
  Family ID	F17376	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Martha J. Hollifield,   b. 15 Dec 1879, North Carolina, , , d. 22 Feb 1964, North Carolina, , , (Age 84 years)
  Marriage	Abt 1904	North Carolina, , ,
  Children	1. Aaron Paul Blalock,   b. 4 Feb 1904, , Watauga County, North Carolina, North Carolina d. 9 Apr 1982, , Avery County, North Carolina, (Age 78 years)
  Family ID	F17345	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart