We know that Jennie Wade was the second daughter of Mary Ann Filby Wade and Captain James Wade, Sr. However, do you know what happened prior to the birth of Ms. Jennie Wade? In the midst of their family memories, the children had no clue about the history of their father and the hardships of the “devil” inside him.
James Wade, Sr. was born in August 1814 in Virginia City, Virginia, close to the Appalachian mountains. He would be the second son born to his mother Lucy Johnson Wade and his father Thomas Francis Wade. Their marriage was on May 20, 1805. It is unclear if Thomas was part of the War of 1812.
Thomas and Lucy Wade would have three daughters and four sons. All of them would survive childhood and grow into adults and have families of their own. Both parents are buried in Yorktown, York, Virginia. Lucy would pass away in 1825 and Thomas in 1838.
Meanwhile, James Wade Sr. learned through his own family history that it hailed from a fine line of veterans that served in the military. His grandfather, Colonel Chidley Wade, was killed on September 11, 1777 at the Battle of Brandywine. His father, Thomas, was aide to camp to Marquise de Lafayette and was wounded at the Battle of Brandywine as well. As he grew up and moved to Pennsylvania, he would fall into the family’s footsteps: he joined the 80th Pennsylvania militia in the 1840s. However, by the time he joined the militia, his mentality was already troubled.