Another Wife Across the River

Rosanna Jane⁶ Brewer (Joseph⁵, Isaac⁴, Howell Jr³, Howell Sr², George¹) married Pinckney Lowe 15 Nov 1863 in St. Clair County, Alabama. Pinckney's stepfather, Aziel Norris, is the subject of this article. 

Pinckney's birth father, John Obediah Lowe, was murdered in 1839 in South Carolina during a land dispute at the age of 26, when Pinckney was but a toddler of 3 years. I sure would love to hear the particulars of this conflict. His mother, Mahala Jane Flowers Lowe remarried in about 1843, to Aziel Norris, and the family moved from Laurens County, South Carolina to Talladega County, Alabama and, later, to St. Clair County of the same state.  

Mahala and Aziel were married quite a while and had several children together before she learned that he had been keeping another wife, just across the river from where they lived! I don't know if she discovered his trespass first hand, or if a neighbor put the pieces together and then reported the situation to her, but Mahala was obviously not one to put up with such foolishness. She turned him in to the authorities. Interestingly, as his punishment, they forced him to fight for the Confederacy. This was in 1863, when the War Between the States (aka Civil War) was still raging. He was, at this time, about 43 years old.
Source - Family Tree showing Mahala Jane Flower ➚

Aziel Norris enlisted 21 Dec 1863 in Talladega County, Alabama with the 1st Confederate Engineer Troops.   However, a few months later Aziel got a hernia and ended up in a couple of Confederate hospitals in Richmond, Virginia for an extended period of time. Sadly, in the latter hospital he died 29 Nov 1864.
Source - Fold3 ➚

For those who are interested, here is a quick summary of his Confederate service records:

21 Dec 1863 - Enlisted Company C of 1st Confederate Engineer Troops, Talladega County, Virginia
29 Feb 1864 - Present
30 Apr 1864 - Present
  1 Jul   1864 - Admitted, Receiving & Wayside Hospital (General Hospital No. 9) in Richmond, Virginia
  2 Jul   1864 - Admitted, Stuart's Hospital for a Hernia
18 Jul   1864 - Appears on Receipt Roll at Stuart's Hospital for clothing
21 Jul   1864 - Appears on Receipt Roll at Stuart's Hospital for clothing
31 Aug 1864 - Absent from company, sick since Jul 23 (should be Jul 2?)
20 Sep 1864 - Appears on Receipt Roll at Stuart's Hospital for clothing
21 Sep 1864 - Admitted, Howard's Grove General Hospital in Richmond, Virginia
27 Sep 1864 - Furloughed
31 Oct  1864 - Present
  7 Nov 1864 - Admitted to Receiving & Wayside Hospital (General Hospital No. 9) in Richmond, Virginia
  8 Nov 1864 - Received at Howard's Grove General Hospital in Richmond, Virginia
29 Nov 1864 - Died at Howard's Grove General Hospital
                      - Inventory of his personal affects valued at $25 included 1 blanket $8, 1 jacket $5, and 1 pair of pants $12