The second soldier Thomas W. Spears is where the trouble began. According to NPS (National Park Service) Thomas W. Spears had an alternative name which was Thomas J. Spears. And Wiley Spears had an alternative name which was Thomas J. Spears. All of these men or man were from the same area of Kentucky around Floyd and Johnson County which border each other in Eastern Kentucky. And all of these men or man served with Company D 10th Kentucky Cavarly (Diamond's) To make matter worst Chaplain Tolford at Camp Chase entered his work in grave 2115 as being a civilian William Spere from Floyd County Kentucky. There was a William Spears living in Floyd County Kentucky in 1860 according to the 1860 census and the Chase Prison had hundreds of civilians especially from Kentucky and Western Virginia. Now we have four people who could be buried in grave 2115. To make matters worst the Adjutant General of Kentucky in 1915 made some changes to the units. He made Diamond's 10 Kentucky Cavarly the 14th Kentucky Cavarly.
The civilian from Floyd County Kentucky William Spears according to family history died in 1861. I would have liked a tombstone or try and confirm his death but no luck. When searching the CMSR's for Thomas W. Spears they seemed all in Thomas J. Spears records but then so was Wiley's.
And then I saw an Oath taken by Thomas J. Spears on April 28, 1865. It listed him as being a farmer from Johnson County Kentucky age 24 which would have put his year of birth about 1841 and he was 5'9" with a dark complexion and hair. He had grey eyes. Another source had him being with the 14th Kentucky Confederate Cavarly in Company D. He enlisted at Piketon, KY., on September 1, 1862. (During the War Pikeville was known as Piketon) Thomas J. Spears marrid Sarah in 1869 and moved to Manchester, IL. According to the 1880 census he was born in Kentucky and was still a farmer and his daughter was named after his mother which was Roseann. In the 1900 census he and his family had moved to Jersey, IL. Now it was down to 2 soldiers.
According to the 1860 census Thomas W. Spears was born in 1830. He was living in the town of Paintsville, Johnson County Kentucky. His wifes name was Rebecca Gains and she was born on May 8, 1827 and died on July 28, 1897 and buried at the Wells Relocation Cemetery. In the 1870 census he and Rebecca have 10 children and are still living in Johnson County Kentucky. Dispite what the CMSR's had said these were two different soldiers and had survived the War.
According to the 1850 census Thomas J. Spears and Wiley Spears were brothers. Wiley Spears was born in 1831 and of course they had the same mother, Roseann, and were living in Johnson County, Kentucky. Wiley Spears was captured in nearby Floyd County on April 15, 1863 with many other Confederates that day. Wiley Spears had married Elizabeth Creater on December 11, 1854 and they had two children prior to the War. Wiley Spears arrived at Camp Chase on April 22, 1863 via Cincinnati, Ohio. He was listed as being 5'7" age 31 with blue eyes and had dark hair and dark complexion. He died at Camp Chase on May 30, 1863 of measles. His body was buried in grave #112 at the Southeast City Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio. Likewise William Keesee was buried in grave #111 at the City Cemetery. In May of 1869 Captain Irving of the US Quatermasters Department reinterred the bodies of Keesee and Spears and double buried them in grave #2115 at the Camp Chase Cemetery.
As it turned out these were three seperate soldiers in Company D 10th Kentucky Cavarly (Diamond's) The reason in part for this post is for no one ever have to go through this mess again.