Memorial stone placed in Danville Cemetery
The Irvine family came from Madison Co., KY, arriving in the community of Danville, Montgomery County, TX between 1 Oct 1837 and 31 Dec 1839 as evidenced by Benjamin Fielding Irvine's Conditional Land Grant No. 304, dated 31 Dec 1839, Montgomery Co., TX. At the head of the family was Benjamin Fielding Irvine and his wife, Mary "Polly" Belles (originally Bellesfelt/Bellesfeldt). See The Irvine Family.
Peter Belles Irvine was the oldest of their six children. His siblings were Elizabeth Ann Irvine, b. 16 Oct 1825, Benjamin Franklin Irvine, b. ca. 1827, Sarah Jane Irvine, b. ca. 1835, Mary Lee Irvine, b. 28 Jun 1836 and the sixth and last child who was born after their arrival in Texas, Henry Reid Irvine, b. ca. 1841.
Peter was born about 1823 in Kentucky and would have been about 14 or 15 years old at the time they came to Texas. Both of his parents died in the early 1840's and their burials are not marked. His father's father, Rev. Benjamin Irvine, was a Presbyterian minister from Virginia and the Irvines were most likely of Scotch-Irish heritage. His mother's great-grandfather, Johann Adam Bellesfelt, was born in Germany and settled in New Jersey before the Revolutionary War. However, her grandfather, Peter Bellesfelt (1743-1824), in his Will refers to his "big bible which is in the Dutch language". (Will dated 25 Feb 1818, probated 9 Jan 1824, Mercer Co., KY Will Book No. 7, pg. 323).
Peter married a local Danville girl, Minerva Angelia Tabor , on 23 Nov 1847, as recorded in the Irvine Family Bible (copy in the Early Settler file of Benjamin Fielding Irvine, filed by Karen Lawless, located in the vertical files of the Montgomery County Public Library, Genealogy Department, Conroe, TX). Her father was the Rev. Isaac Tabor, born in Mississippi, who was a Methodist Circuit-Rider Minister. Her mother was Susannah Bullock, born in Georgia. By 1860, Peter and Minerva had several childen and Peter worked as a farmer and a mechanic. All of their six children were born in Danville.
As the War Between the States began, Texas joined the Confederacy in March of 1861 and by May the Danville Riflemen had been formed. Peter enlisted 4 May 1861 at Danville under the command of a neighbor, Capt. Samuel Dunbar Wooldridge. About a month later, the Governor ordered the formation of a state militia and this unit became known as the Danville Mounted Riflemen, Montgomery County, 17th Brigade, Texas State Troops. Later, the Governor directed all organized units of the Texas State Troops to join the Confederate State Army. About 45 members of the Mounted Riflemen were sworn into the CSA on 29 March 1862 at Danville. Peter served as a private in Co. B, 24th Regiment, Texas Cavalry , also under Capt. Wooldridge's command. This company was assigned to Col. Francis Wilkes' Second Texas Lancers. The unit was ordered to proceed to Arkansas and by the time they reached El Dorado, they had been ordered to "Dismount", proceeding on foot to Fort Hindman at Arkansas Post, AR. They arrived around 20 Sep 1862, three months after leaving Texas.
On 11 Jan 1863, Peter was killed during the raging Battle of Arkansas Post. His Commanding Officer, Capt. Wooldridge, buried his body on the battlefield before being taken prisoner along with the other surviving Confederate troops. His death is noted in the family bible, on his muster roll and also in the publication, "Men From Montgomery County Texas Who Served in the Civil War" (located in the Genealogy Dept., Montgomery Co. Public Library, Conroe, TX). When his wife, Minerva, finally received news of her husband's death, she sent a servant with a wagon to retrieve his body, but they were unable to locate his remains. He had been buried either in a mass grave on the battlefield or possibly in the rifle pits. There is a family story that Minerva dreamed of Peter's death and was already in mourning when she got the tragic news. A letter survives that Peter wrote to Minerva from Arkansas Post just seven weeks before he was killed.
In 2003, Peter's great, great, great grand daughter, Karen Lawless, visited the site of Arkansas Post; afterwards applying to the V.A. for a memorial headstone honoring his confederate service. The stone has been placed in the Danville Cemetery next to three of his children and his wife, Minerva (Tabor) Irvine Richards. Minerva remarried Augustus Richards, a local Danville gentleman and friend of the family, ten years after the war. A fieldstone is all that marks the grave of his youngest child, Minerva Susannah Irvine, the baby mentioned in his letter who died a few weeks after her birth.
On 13 May 2006, the Magnolia Rangers Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy hosted a ceremony to dedicate the memorial marker for Peter Belles Irvine. In attendance was President of the chapter, Anna Shepeard, who conducted the dedication, several chapter members and friends of chapter members.
Also attending were about 40 descendants of Peter's daughter, Elizabeth Catherine Irvine and her husband, William Fielding Spiller, who were celebrating a Spiller Family Reunion. Two hymns, "Amazing Grace" and "Dixie" were sung beautifully by June English, of Mississippi. A Color Guard of Sons of Confederate Veterans, led by Lt. Cmd. Jim Mitchell of the Granbury's TX Brigade Camp, presented and retired the colors. A reading called "The Silent Soldier" was read by Taylor Shepeard, Pres. of James W. Durant Chapter of the Children of the Confederacy, a dedication poem was read by gr., gr., gr., grand-daughter, Susan (Mills) Schwartz, a prayer was read by great, grand-daughter, Katsy (Davis) Clark, a family and military history was given by gr., gr., gr., grand-daughter, Karen (Lucas) Lawless and the marker was unveiled by gr., gr., gr., gr., grand-daughters, Emily and Sarah Lawless. Lastly, "Taps" was played by a Bugler who attended with his family in period dress.Peter Belles Irvine was a hero and is remembered with pride by all of his descendants. He will not be forgotten.
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