De Yambert
Dr. Thomas Jefferson Lafayette De Yambert was born on Nov. 2, 1833, in Alabama, USA. He was the son of Dr. Thomas Jefferson Lafayette Be Yambert Sr. His grandparents were French Huguenots from the southern part of France.
On 08 Jan 1861 in Marengo County, Alabama, he married Elizabeth "Eliza" Rosalie Poelnitz, the daughter of General Charles Augustus Poelnitz and Mary Lucilla Peay. The Poelnitz family were of Swiss extraction having immigrated to South Carolina.
Thomas Jefferson Lafayette deYampert (2 Nov 1833 - 25 Dec 1867) was the son of Thomas Jefferson deYampert and Aurelia Hale.
Thomas married Eliza R Poellnitz of the French Colony at Demopolis, Alabama. Thomas was the brother-in-law of William A Gunter, who also married a Poellnitz [3].
Dr. TJ deYampert graduated from Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia on 9 Mar 1858 [2].
"DE YAMPERT, THOS. JEFFERSON LAFAYETTE, Surgeon, appointed by Secretary War, June 12, '63, to rank from Dec. 30, '62. Passed Board at Charleston, Dec. 30, '62, Dec. 31, '62, on duty at Ringgold, Ga., Jan. 15, '63, Rome, Ga., Jan. 31, '63, on leave 'til May 20, '63. Sept. 21, '63, reported to Medical-Director on battle-field. Placed on duty with Field Hospitals at Snodgrass Headquarters A. T., Dalton, Ga., March 21, '64, ordered to report to General Hood for duty with 25th Alabama Regiment" [1].
Dr Thomas deYampert was one of the CSA Civil War veterans that migrated to Brazil after the defeat of the Confederacy. He came from Marengo County, Alabama. It's estimated that as many as 20,000 migrated to Brazil at this time. Most were from South Carolina, and many others from Texas, but all the other Southern States were represented.
It's believed that Thomas deYampert may have perished at sea while returning from Brazil to Alabama, on 25 Dec 1867. The ancestry.com records from some members list him as "lost at sea, Sulawesi Tengah, Indonesia. This is just a glitch in the Ancestry.com software though, which erroneously adds this location for many when "lost at sea" is imputed. In fact, Jennie R Keyes, one of the many Confederate women who went down to Brazil noted in her diary that on 3 Oct 1867, Dr. deYampert, Tom Gunter, and Maj. Stores dropped by for a visit at her home at Lake Juparana, in Espirito Santo Province, Brazil, after traveling from nearby Linhares, Brazil. She further notes on an entry dated 6 Dec 1868 that "Dr. deYampert went back [sometime earlier to Alabama] and died" [3].
I have been unable to conclusively learn whether T.J.L. deYampert actually made it back alive to Alabama or died in transit at sea. His grave marker at the Montpelier Presbyterian Cemetery in Rembert, Marengo County, Alabama states he was born on 2 Nov 1833 and died on 25 Dec 1867. His wife is also buried there [4].
Compiled by David Metts and last updated on 8 Jan 2017.
Sources:
1. Unknown County GaArchives History .....Roster Of Medical Officers - Army Of Tennessee 1861-65. File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Harris Hill http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00011.html#0002514 July 9, 2005, 5:39 pm. Book Title: Medical Officers of Army of Tennessee. ROSTER OF THE MEDICAL OFFICERS OF THE ARMY OF TENNESSEE. During the Civil War Between the Northern and Southern States, 1861-1865. Consolidated from the Original Medical-Director's Records. By JOSEPH JONES, M. D., LL. D. Surgeon-General of the United Confederate Veterans. This represents a portion of the comprehensive "Roster of the Medical Officers of the Provisional Army and Regular Forces of the Confederate
States of America, 1861-65, prepared from authentic and official sources," by Dr. Jones, and which he has generously lodged in the archives of the Southern Historical Society.
2. The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, Vol 35, 1858
3. Southern Immigration to Brazil, Embodying the Diary of Jennie R Keyes, [previously of] Montgomery, Alabama; by Peter A Brannon. The Alabama Historical Quarterly Vol. 1, No. 3, Fall Issue 1930, p. 280 - 305.
From:
A Confluence of Transatlantic Networks, Pages 39-40
"Dr. T. J. DeYampert traveled to Brazil, lived there briefly, then reportedly died at sea in 1867, apparently on a return voyage to the United States. The De Yamberts were Braod River family of French-cum Dutch origins and therefore, in all likelihood, would have been descendants of Huguenots as were many of the Broad River families. By the 1800s the De Yamberts of Georgia and later Alabama variously intermarried with the River Meriwether's and Taliaferro's, who in turn were interrelated with the Gilmers, one of whose offspring, Peach R. Gilmer, was Charles Gunter's neighbor in Montgomery in 1860. Among these interrelated families, the attractiveness of Brazil varied considerably. Writing to his son, Will, Charles Gunter remarked that Dr. De Yampert... may try to discourage you and others who may wish to emigrate but get ready and come along."
Military:
Name: T J. L. DeYampert
Enlistment Rank: Private
Muster Place: Alabama
Muster Company:D
Muster Regiment:11th Infantry
Muster Regiment Type: Infantry
Muster Information: Enlisted
Side of War: Confederacy