Whitney Meglone Artifacts at the KY Historical Society

I was recently contacted by a researcher with the Kentucky Historical Society about this blog and my research specifically on Whitney Meglone. The researcher was looking for information about Whitney to include with some historical items that are in the collections of the KY Historical Society in Lexington: two rifles and a locket.

Needless to say, I was thrilled to hear from him and to learn that Whitney actually "made" rifles! I had just assumed he worked in a shop that may have mostly done repairs, or that maybe Whitney was still in an apprentice stage. The rifles are part of the Marsh Collection of the KY Historical Society which includes other rifles by gunsmith Benjamin Mills and his apprentices (Whitney was one of his apprentices!). The Marsh collection was covered in the publication KHS Chronicle. Benjamin Mills lived in Harrodsburg, KY, prior to and just after the Harper's Ferry incident, and continued gunsmithing there during the Civil War. Whitney's mother married a man from Harrodsburg about 1859/1860 so Whitney could have begun his apprenticeship at about that time, or earlier since the 1859 City Directory lists Whitney as a gunsmith.

The locket and rifles can be viewed at this link, or by going to http://history.ky.gov/ and clicking on "Search Our Collections," then click on the link to the KHS Objects Catalog and enter the search term "Meglone":

http://kyhistory.pastperfect-online.com/35577cgi/mweb.exe?request=keyword;keyword=meglone;dtype=d

Both rifles are muzzle-loaders and one is dated 1861, so it can be assumed the other is of a similar date or within a few years prior to that date, since it may not be likely that he built any rifles or guns during the Civil War because he spent so much of that time as a prisoner of war.

The locket was only recently posted to the online collection and reveals that Whitney apparently made the locket for his sister Mary while he was imprisoned at Camp Douglas. It is very detailed and looks like a small book, and is made of ivory and gold and silver decorative pieces. A small photo of Mary is still in place on the right side, but the photo of Whitney was stolen out of the locket in 1995, while in the possession of the Historical Society. Why someone would go to those lengths to steal a tiny photograph is beyond me. I can only assume that the photo must have been of Whitney in uniform and that maybe someone thought it had significant monetary value. So somewhere out there may exist this photo of Whitney, so if anyone has any information about the theft of this picture or has seen a photo of this small size that might be the one of Whitney that was stolen, please contact the KY Historical Society to let them know.

The engraving on the locket was done on the center decorative pieces on the front and back of the locket as well as on the latch. It appears that when the person stole the photo of Whitney that they may have also broken the piece of ivory it was set into, because it is now in two pieces but is still held together by the decorative metal pieces.

Did prisoners, especially at Camp Douglas, have access to these kinds of materials (ivory, gold, silver)? Could this locket have been made from items he already had on him at the time of his capture, or maybe that he could have bartered for amongst other prisoners or maybe Union soldiers? I don't know enough about the history of items made by imprisoned soldiers during the Civil War to know how he might have made something as delicate as this. Would he also have been able to have it sent to his sister while he was imprisoned?

Someday I hope that the picture of Whitney is found and that it is returned to it's rightful place back inside this locket. And who knows, maybe there are more rifles out there marked "W W Meglone, Lexington KY."

Fantastic!

Whitney William Meglone 25 Dec 1837-?

Whitney William Meglone, sometimes listed as William Whitney, was the son of Montgomery Meglone and Maria Sharpe.

Whitney was a gunsmith in Lexington just prior to the Civil War, and was a Private in Morgan's Men/Duke's Cavalry (Co. F, 2nd KY Cavalry) during the war. According to Whitney's service records, it appears he spent the majority of the war as a prisoner, spending months in several different prisons in the North. He was assigned 1 horse, and was paid $96 from December 1862-August 1863 (which he may not have received). According to his Confederate service records, he was captured in Harrodsburg, KY, about Nov. 20, 1862, and taken to Vicksburg via Cairo on Dec. 5. He was 24 years of age. Whitney was captured again at Harrodsburg (or nearby at Salvisa) on July 7th of 1863, taken to the military prison at Louisville by way of the Provost Marshall of Lexington, and discharged to Camp Morton, Indianapolis, IN, on July 29, 1863. From there he was sent to Camp Douglas, Chicago, IL on Aug.18, 1863, and arrived on Aug. 22, 1863. He applied for the oath of allegiance in January of 1865, and the comments on his record state:
"Claims to have been loyal. Enlisted through false representations. Was captured & desires to take the oath of allegiance to the US & become a loyal citizen."

He remained at Camp Douglas until he was released Feb. 7, 1865, when he apparently signed his Oath of Allegiance. His record states he had fair complexion, light hair, and blue eyes, and stood at 5 feet 8 inches tall. His place of residence is listed as Mercer County, KY, which could mean that he either lived with or near his mother Mary Meglone Walden and stepfather Atterson Lewis Walden, who lived in or near Harrodsburg. Could he have been at home when he was captured both times? Where were Morgan's Men stationed during the times he was captured? Several other variations of his name are attached to his records, including Whitman Meglone, Whiting Meglone, W.W. Meglone, W.W. Malum, Whitney W. Meglone, and Robert McGlone. Another question is if Morgan's Raid was going on when Whitney was captured in Harrodsburg, why was he not with his unit? His dates of capture are similar to those of the dates of capture of Morgan's Men, but not exact, and not in the same location where the 2nd Cavalry was known to be at the time of their capture. More research needs to be done on Whitney's company from the 2nd Cavalry (Company F).

Just after the Civil War, Whitney may have lived in Nashville, TN, where he filed a patent for a dispensing nozzle for a soda bottle. His patent number for this device is #57, 256, patented August 14, 1866. This patent record is the last known record regarding Whitney William Meglone, though another researcher reports a mention of him in his stepfather Atterson Lewis Walden's will, which is possibly located in or near Harrodsburg (Mercer County) in the 1880s, but has not yet been located.

Whitney appears in the 1859/1860 Lexington City Directory as a gunsmith, living at his mother's home. There is also a listing for a Robert Maglone who was a laborer, living at Main and Water. There is a possibility this Robert is associated with the Irish Meglone family (John and Mary) of Bourbon/Jessamine County, and he may be the reason the name Robert was associated with Whitney Meglone's service records.

It is unknown when and where Whitney William Meglone died, or if he ever married or had children.