William Franklin “Frank” Oldham by Toby Echelberry on February 18

William Franklin “Frank” Oldham By Toby Echelberry On February 18, 1868 history was being made where the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors met to discuss the Incorporation of a new town in the southernmost part of the County to be called Gilroy. Among those signing the petition submitted on February 6th of the same year was a man named William Franklin “Frank” Oldham who would eventually become the one of first Town Trustees to establish the legislative framework of Gilroy. Frank was born on December 16, 1826 in the Greenville District of South Carolina to Garland Oldham and Nancy Stone as the second born of four siblings. The other siblings were Thomas (born 1825), Mary “Polly” Ann (born 1831) and Melissa (born 1883). Frank’s paternal grandfather was Major George Oldham, a Patriot Leader from North Carolina. George Oldham was only a private in the Northern Orange County Regiment of Militia in 1776. George not only had the passion to fight for the freedom of a new nation, but demonstrated himself as being one who had great military prose. George quickly was promoted to Ensign later that year and by 1779 was appointed the rank of Lieutenant in the Caswell County Regiment of Militia and eventually by 1783 to the rank of Colonel. On September 9, 1776, the Provincial Congress had authorized thirty-five County Militia forces to be organized. One of which was the Orange County Regiment of Militia with the original officers in command being Colonel John Hogan, Lieutenant Colonel John Butler, 1st Major William Moore and 2nd Major Nathaniel Rochester. On April 22, 1776 the unit was split into two units; Northern and Southern units with the majority of the unit’s forces being in the Northern command. George started out under the command of Captain Matthew Jouett/Dewitt and Colonel John Hogan. The Northern Orange County Regiment were to be the reinforcement forces to help push the fight to rid the British Army from North Carolina at the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge on February 27, 1776. Upon arrival the battle was already over and the British had been defeated and George’s unit didn’t need to see a single skirmish. This victory was one needed for the American Revolution Army and provided the much needed boost of Patriot morale. Two months after this battle, North Carolina became the first colony to vote for independence from Britain. On May 9, 1777, The Northern Orange County Regiment of Militia was reorganized as the Caswell County Regiment with a few members being reorganized with the Southern Regiment to become again the Orange County Regiment of Militia again. George would stay on with the Caswell Regiment. In 1778 the British had been able to mount significant forces and tried to take control of the northern most American Colonies. This resulted in mixed results across all the colonies. The arrival of the French to stand beside the Americans led to a great push back on the British starting at Saratoga. As a result the British looked at taking a new strategy in the war and decided to push strategy of tackling the southern colonies instead as there was less resistance and the French Navy was more occupied in New York. On December 29, 1778 the British took control of Savannah, Georgia and started their march inland toward Augusta. In February of 1779 Augusta fell under British control. Cries for help were made to strengthen the lines until more British forces could arrive and a call for all Loyalists were made to bring a sustaining support to hold Augusta and the territory seized between Savannah and Augusta. The Patriots intercepted the message and rallied troops to repel the British invasion and stop the Loyalists. On February 14, 1779 The Patriots engaged the Loyalists at the Battle of Kettle Creek and started the march on Augusta. The British forces under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell was in fear of being cut off from supporting forces, abandoned the city shortly before the Patriot forces under the command of General John Ashe swept into Augusta to reclaim the city once more. George’s promotion in 1779 came shortly after the battle of Briar Creek in Georgia on March 3, which was the second major battle this unit would finally face. The reorganization of the British units had them falling back and catching the American regiment off guard. The British forces destroyed the bridge over Briar Creek as they fled, forcing the American forces with a force of nearly 1,100 solders to halt and determine a new way across the chilly waters. The British forces, nearly 900 strong, in an effective flanking maneuver swung around the stalled American forces and caught them off guard. At the end of the day 150 American soldiers were killed, another 227 were either captured or went missing. The British on the other hand only lost 5 soldiers and 11 were wounded, a huge victory for Britain. This British victory resulted in their ability to stop General Ashe and create not only a stronghold on Georgia but allowed them to regroup and start an offensive march toward South Carolina. With this battle being George’s first taste of the war on a battlefield, it taught him what he needed to be as not only a leader for the soldiers in his command but what he stood for personally as an American Patriot and why he was fighting for the cause. In March of 1780, George was promoted to Captain under Colonel Moore and spent the next couple months fighting at the Siege of Charleston. George led his men for the next year fighting at Little Lynches Creek, Camden, Fishing Creek, Kings Mountain, Shallow Ford, Rugeley’s Mills, Cowpens, Cowan’s Ford, Tarrant’s Tavern, Haw River, Clapp’s Mill, Whitesell’s Mill, Reedy Fork and Guilford Court House. In 1781, George was promoted to Major while still serving under Colonel Moore. There the now Major George Oldham led his men through battles at Hobkirk’s Hill, Siege of Ninety-Six, Eutaw Springs, Lindley’s Mill, Livingston’s Creek, Brown Marsh, Brush Creek, Cox’s Mill, and finally at Randolph County Court House on March 14, 1782 where the Caswell County Regiment lost their leader Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Murphy. The Preliminary Peace was signed later in November of 1782 which eventually led to the Treaty of Paris being signed on September 3, 1783. On May 1st of 1783, George received the commission of Second Colonel in the Caswell County Regiment. After the war Colonel George Caswell returned home to his wife in Orange County, North Carolina and eventually moved to the Anderson District in South Carolina to begin their family. Frank grew up hearing of his grandfather’s heroic stories and how he was one of the saviors of the Carolinas. In 1832, Frank’s parents made a decision to move away from the family in South Carolina to settle in Selma, Alabama where Frank spent his early years growing up and received an education. Frank’s father, Garland was a Cumberland Presbyterian Minister. Frank spent many of his adolescence years working as a store clerk in order to assist in supporting the family. 1836, brought the sad news of Nancy Stone, Frank’s mother, passing away at the age of 40. In 1840, his grandfather passed away and within a short four years later he would lose both of his parents while he was only seventeen years old as his father, Garland passed away at the age of 45. After Nancy had passed, Garland had his nephew Robert Oldham to care for Melissa and John Bayless Oldham took care of Mary “Polly” Ann while he took charge of his two sons. Garland would remarry Mary Catheron. In 1841 when Thomas was only 16, he took his two sisters into his charge and moved the three of them back to care of his mother’s family. Melissa was taken care of by her uncle, Major John M. Stone, receiving an education in the Marion Female Seminary. At the age of 17, she would marry George Robert Boyd on August 13, 1850 and they would have 5 children together. Melissa would pass on in 1902 having led a full a rich life as a devoted member of the Christian Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mary “Polly” Ann would eventually marry a Leach for a few years. In 1850 she would marry Jasper J. Norris of Selma. Mr. Norris was a well-known land owner with one of his properties being the Alabama’s famous Shelby Springs. Around 1856, Mr. Norris leased 2,700 acres of the property to the Confederate Army to create Camp Winn, a training center and hospital. On the ridge above this land, resides the cemetery where several of the soldiers once trained are now laid to rest. After the Civil War, both Jasper and Mary Ann were key principles in the development of Gadsden and Etowah Counties. Mary “Polly” Ann would pass on April 15, 1911 after several long months of battling an illness. She was survived by 4 sons; Charles Norris, E. F. Norris, Robert E. Norris, J.J. Norris and Charles F. Leach. On May 1, 1852 Frank decided to head west to California. Frank boarded a ship and sailed to Nicaragua where he stayed and worked for 3 months earning his passage to get him to his final destination of San Francisco. Frank worked for the next eight years for the Jonas G. Clark & Co. which was an import and manufacturer of furniture.

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