Theodore John Meredith/

Richard Double.

by Terry Foenander.

Any researcher with just a little common sense knows full well that no one accepts oral history unless there is documentary evidence to back up such information passed down through the generations.   Anyone with a little common sense knows that data passed down, from one family member to another is often tainted or embellished to such an extent that a person who served as a private in the army becomes a general, or that crooks and charlatans are often paint brushed to such an extent that they become heroes in the eyes of their descendants, and that they were considered as ‘holier than thou’ practitioners of justice and all that is decent.

In the vast pantheon of genealogical research it is almost certainly always the case that any oral history passed down from one person to another is almost definitely tainted to such an extent that not very much that is passed down is almost certain to be true.   And, it is almost always the case that when such oral history is investigated further, or research conducted to find out what is true and what is not, it is almost always proven that such oral history is always found to be tainted with much fiction.   Such was the case of Theodore John Meredith, who died in 1928 and is buried in New Zealand.   Unfortunately, his biography was never researched fully, thus ensuring that his supposed service in the English Royal Navy, as well as the Confederate States Navy, during the American Civil War, as shown at the web site of James Mason Gray, of the American Civil War Round Table of Queensland, was taken as gospel fact, and, of course, believed by those perusing the faulty biographies created by Mr. Gray.   Yet, if Gray had even bothered to do just a little bit of searching around, he would have found that Theodore John Meredith’s supposed service in both the Royal Navy, and the Confederate States Navy, is just family history, and nothing more, as shown in a number of documents, which are very easily obtained, if one takes the trouble to indulge in even a minute amount of research.   It is fairly obvious that such actions seem to be far too difficult for Mr. Gray to even bother about, thus ensuring that none of his so called “research” can even remotely be described as research.   Even the Union prisoner of war records from the Civil War, very complete in itself, does not show a Theodore Meredith or any variations of the name, as a captive from the Confederate States Navy, despite claims to the contrary.   Claims that Meredith traveled around to Liverpool, in England, then to Melbourne and Sydney, in Australia, prior to his enlisting in the New Zealand militia, in September, 1863, seem way too far fetched, especially considering the travel period in those days, a trip from the United Kingdom to Australia taking about three months, and a trip from the United States to England being about a month or so.   Obviously none of these factors were taken into consideration, when Mr. Gray accepted the oral claims of Meredith’s service in the Royal Navy and the Confederate States Navy.   If he had even bothered to do the simple calculations he would have realized that the time factor, plus the documentary evidence easily available, online, as well as by post, from several sources in the United States and the United Kingdom, would have been more than enough proof to show that no such person, of the name of Theodore Meredith, ever served in either the Royal Navy, or the Confederate States Navy.   Family tradition may want to accept that such service did occur, but even the most amateur of researchers has long ago learned that to accept such oral data, without any documents to back up such information, is tantamount to genealogical suicide, and Mr. Gray has long ago committed such an action with many other foolish assumptions and beliefs.  

The British Archives has no papers whatsoever, relating to the Royal Navy service of one Theodore Meredith, or even in the name of Richard Double.   As well, the English census records, which also includes the names of those in the Royal Navy, and is available online at the Ancestry.com web site, shows no such person, in either name.   These Royal Navy papers are very, very complete, and there can be no doubt that Theodore Meredith, who is buried in New Zealand, was not in that service, at all.   Next, a thorough search through all the existing records of the Confederate States Navy, though incomplete, shows no one of either surname, Meredith or Double, and, as previously stated, the Union prisoner of war records, which are definitely as complete as they can be, shows that no such person was ever captured during the war.   One can try to search all available records, but there is no doubt in my mind that no such person served in the Confederate States Navy, and was captured by Union forces.   It is a myth, pure and simple, as with many other myths that are often passed down in family history that is not backed up by any documentation.   And, as I indicated before, if one accepts such myths, without the benefit of any documentation, then one is just committing genealogical suicide.   Such myths are commonly found a number of times, in the biographies created by Jim Gray, at his web sites, examples being for those he claims were Civil War veterans, such as John and Netterville Davies, Edward Charles ‘Ned’ Davies, Andrew Creelman Fulton, Edward Mosby, and others.

Searches were conducted, not only through the post, at the British Archives, but also at complete sources available online, in all alternative forms or spellings of surnames, etc.

The searches were as thorough as possible, allowing for all possible alternates, and through other census years.

Searches covered both the surnames Meredith and the assumed name of Double.

It was made very clear, throughout all these searches, that oral history should always be verified through official documentation. Without such a strategy, true researchers know full well that history that comes down through the generations, passed from one family member to another, is always embellished to such an extent that truth and fiction are no longer distinguishable. All possible searches were conducted, through Royal Navy, as well as Confederate States Navy, and Union Prisoner of War records, with negative results.

To continue to perpetuate such arrogant myths, without a show of any documents proving any Civil War service is to continue to make a complete mockery of the intelligence of those searching for ‘Civil War Veterans in Australia and New Zealand.’   Yet one or more members of the American Civil War Round Table of Queensland continue to permit such myths to circulate through the Civil War community, unfortunately.   Examples of such support are indicated in several headstones or plaques, obtained from the Veterans Administration, in Washington, D.C., and containing errors or assumptions, which show that no research whatsoever, was ever conducted on persons claimed to have seen service in the Civil War.   One example was the supposed service data of John McBride, buried in New Zealand, and shown on the VA plaque at his grave (which plaque included the initials of the ACWRTQ, showing their support in obtaining this plaque), as having served in the 38^th New York Infantry, during the Civil War.   Just simple research would have shown that the person of that name, who had served in the 38^th New York Infantry during the Civil War, had been killed in action at the first battle of Bull Run, in July, 1861.   Another example was the acquisition, and placement of the plaque at the grave of Civil War veteran, Frederick Ernest Noble, at the cemetery at Kew, in Victoria.   The plaque, which also includes the initials of the ACWRTQ, indicates that Noble had been a lieutenant in the 7^th Indiana Infantry, which is incorrect in itself, as Noble had not been commissioned, while serving in this particular unit.   On previous occasions this Gray character has boasted, in several messages online and in letters sent, that he and the ACWRTQ have been responsible for obtaining and erecting about a dozen or so grave markers, obtained from the Veterans Administration.   Of these, we have been able to identify more than half as containing errors, or that were obtained for persons who were never in the Civil War in the first place.   We were unable to obtain the names of all those for whom these markers were obtained by the ACWRTQ, due to a lack of cooperation in providing this data, as they were aware that there were numerous errors, and that we were researching these errors.   So the fact remains that obviously a few more of these markers would almost certainly contain errors, or may have been obtained for those who were never in Civil War service, and that many persons, coming upon those markers that have already been installed in cemeteries across Australia or New Zealand, will not be aware that these are incorrect in their inscriptions.  

Thus will many remain ignorant of the true facts of those who did, or did not serve, in the American Civil War, buried in cemeteries throughout Australia and New Zealand, thanks to at least two persons, and perhaps more, associated with the American Civil War Round Table of Queensland.

Page Created October, 2008.