The Futch Family
Grade Levels: 6, 7, 8
Subject Areas: Social Studies, Language Arts, Math
View Original Documents for The Futch Family
General Overview
This includes letters from John Futch, Co. K, 3rd North Carolina Troops, to his wife Martha Ramsey Futch and a letter from Catherine Ramsey to Futch, her son-in-law, during the Civil War. John Futch enlisted February 1, 1862 in New Hanover County and was reported absent without leave from August 11-31, 1863. He was shot for desertion on September 5, 1863. John and Martha Futch were married February 11, 1862 in New Hanover County where they lived with their families in the Holly Shelter area.
NOTE: The teacher may want to withhold the information about Futch’s desertion and shooting until late in the lesson.
Addition (8/01/2011): Since the creation of these lesson plans, further items from the Futch Letters have been digitized and are now available through the North Carolina Digital Collections. A blog post about these materials is also available through the North Carolina Civil War 150 blog.
Click here to view the student page for The Futch Family.
activity 1: mini webquest
Time Required |
45 minutes (teacher’s discretion) |
Materials |
Internet access |
Related Documents |
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State Standards |
Grade 6 Language Arts:Goals 1.02, 1.04, 2.01, 6.02 |
Preparation
Students should study the materials provided, including the Futch Family’s short bio and original Civil War letters. Encourage students to search through other documents on the Futch Family within the website.
Instructions
Students should read the questions pertaining to Futch Family and follow the links within the website to find the answers to these questions. They should then record the answers to the questions on the worksheet provided.
read the original letter sent from john to martha futch.
read the original letter sent from catherine ramsey to john.
- What do you learn about Mrs. Ramsey from her letter?
- What do you learn about John Futch from Mrs. Ramsey’s letter?
From his letter? - What do we learn about the home front during the Civil War?
read this article on civil war mail from the national postal museum.
- How did letters get mailed during the Civil War to both free soldiers and prisoners of war?
use google maps to search for holly shelter, nc to describe its location.
- Where is "Holly Shelter"?
The following questions should provoke discussion:
(see above)
activity 2
Time Required |
1 class period (teacher’s discretion) |
Materials |
Original Futch Letters |
Related Documents |
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State Standards |
Grade 6 Language Arts: Goals 1.02, 1.03, 2.01 |
Preparation
Students should visit other websites and bring in newspapers or other periodicals that discuss our nation and state’s involvement in the Middle Eastern region. They might gather in groups to discuss what they’ve read, or do this as individuals and share with the class.
Listen to a modern day story of a husband and wife separated by war. (National Public Radio)
Instructions
Using what is known about Civil War families and American families currently involved in military efforts, discuss similarities and contrasts between how military families are dealing with their problems during the present Iraqi War, and how they dealt with their problems during the Civil War.
The following questions should provoke discussion:
none
activity 3
Time Required |
45 minutes (teacher’s discretion) |
Materials |
Current grocery store circular |
Related Documents |
Transcript of the Wilmington Journal (pdf) |
State Standards |
Grade 6 Language Arts: Goals 2.01 |
Preparation
Search period newspapers (or simply use the list given from The Wilmington Journal) and current grocery store circulars to compare market prices in the mid 1800s to those of today.
Instructions
Use the list of prices from the 1800s to compare market prices to the ones you see in the grocery store circular from present times. Complete the comparing prices worksheet.
The following questions should provoke discussion:
none
extension
- Investigate the movements of John Futch’s regiment (3rd NCT). In what battles did they fight? Are statistics available about desertions?
Last Updated August 01 2011
