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This was sent to me by Patrick Visser.
MEREDITH RISNER (James, Michael Sr., Michael Jr., Hans Michael)
Was born November, 1831 in Magoffin Co., KY. Meredith was a blacksmith
He married ELIZABETH 'BETTY' WHITAKER, who 'kept house', born in 1848, Magoffin Co, KY. Meredith is Buried in Merdia Fork,
Magoffin Co., KY. Meredith applied in August 1907 for status as 1/16 Cherokee Indian through an application to the Guion Miller Roll
#42252. He was rejected on
the Miller Roll due to various stringent conditions to be accepted. Meredith died between 1907 and 1910.
Served as UNION SOLDIER -14th KY Infantry, Company F. His brothers Wilson, George, Francis "Frank" and Michael also served in the
same company. And, cousins Dial, Marshall and Kels Risner. And, uncle Elias "Eli" Risner .
...There was quite a crowd of men waiting to be sworn into the army that day and they gathered on a log yard to sit around and pass off time.
As young men will do, they began to demonstrate their strength by lifting the ends of various sized logs. As the logs were lifted they would try
to lift even larger ones. Only Merdia [Meredith Risner, Co. F] could lift the largest logs on the lot.
After Merdia lifted the largest log on the lot, all the men wondered how much Merdia could lift so one by one they began to climb on the log
and stand. Merdia lifted this largestlog with eight men standing on it as close to the end as they could stand after this demonstration of
strength there was little doubt in anyone's mind that Merdia was the strongest man in the two counties.
[This incident was said to have taken place in Prestonsburg but it is my guess that it was at LoUisa when Meredith was sworn in with Co. F .

Source:
Legends in Blue and Gray, pp. 1534/1535, as told by Afton Marshall, Salyersville, KY

Military information found for this sholdier is as follows:
Volunteer Service Record-not dated: Meredith Risner, Co. F, 14th Regt. Ky Inf.,
age 33, 5 feet 10 inches, dark complexion, dark eyes, dark hair, born Floyd Co.
Ky, farmer, enrolled 3 Aug 1863, deserted 12 May 1864. Application for the
removal of the charge of desertion and for an honorable discharge from service
stands denied. On 31 Dec. 1863 was at home sick in Magoffin Co Ky.

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