He hoped to
live to be 100 years old, but he missed the milestone by slightly more than a
month. Frank S. Loyd, born in 1839, passed away at the age of 99 years, 10
months and 20 days on 30 November 1938 in Fredonia, Caldwell County, Kentucky.[1]
Loyd was born
to Isaac and Polly Loyd in the part of
Livingston County that later became Crittenden County.
He later moved just over the county line to Fredonia. Loyd outlived
three wives, sisters Sarah Bell and Cornelia Ann Hillyard, and Kittie Mayes.
Kittie Mayes is buried with Loyd at
Fredonia Cemetery. The other two wives are buried at Livingston Cemetery in
Fredonia.
In an
interview with an Evansville newspaper,[2]
Loyd told of enlisting in the army during the Civil War and being told he was
physically unfit to withstand the rigors of the war. His pleas for
reconsideration were accepted and he began his career in Co. K, 20th KY
Infantry (USA). He seemed pleased that he had proved the physician wrong. In the article, Loyd says he helped build the
fort at Smithland. He also tells of organizing and training a company of men by
teaching tactics learned from a military book. He only suffered one wound and that was when a shell
exploded and nicked him in the head.
Loyd was
sent from Smithland to Louisville and then to Shiloh and Lookout Mountain and
was with Sherman on his march to the sea.
He experienced several major Civil War engagements and says the fighting
wasn't over when he got out of the military. "There were bands of
guerrillas coming through Fredonia all the time," he said. "A man had
to turn out with a rifle to protect his own home and family."[3]
At the time
this article was written, Loyd was looking forward to a reunion of Civil War
soldiers in Pennsylvania in 1938.
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