Reuben Thomas Searcy was born on September 6, 1839, in Tennessee to Reuben and Mary Searcy. His father was a farmer who owned $5,200 of real estate and $2,190 of personal property by 1860. The family lived in Sumner County, Tennessee, until the 1850s, when they moved to Wilson County, Tennessee. The 1860 census listed Searcy as a “Literary Student.”

 

He enlisted in the Confederate army on May 15, 1861, and he mustered in as a corporal in Company C of the 7^th Tennessee Infantry later that day. According to his military records, he was 5 feet, 9 inches tall, with dark hair and blue eyes. The regiment took part in the Battle of Seven Pines, the Second Battle of Manassas, the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Battle of Chancellorsville, the Battle of Gettysburg, the Overland Campaign, and the Siege of Petersburg. He was reduced to the ranks on April 26, 1862, for an unknown offense. He reportedly deserted on January 7, 1865, and fled to Union lines. He swore and oath of allegiance to the United States the following day, and Union forces released him.

 

He returned to Tennessee after the war, and he married Bettie Ponds on October 1, 1868. They had at least five children: Thomas, born around 1880; Richard, born around 1881; Eugenie, born around 1884; Allison, born around 1887; and Ethel, born around 1889. They lived in Sumner County, and Searcy worked as a farmer. His wife died on October 6, 1906, and he passed away in Sumner County on September 28, 1918.

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