John Christian Ott, b. 14 October 1845 in Swoopes, Augusta County, Virginia. He made his way to Lauderdale County, Alabama, and he appears in a Confederate Veterans' Census there in 1907, which is how we know his birth date and birth place. He and my g grandfather Robert Henry Thompson (1859 - 1896) were business partners in "Thompson & Ott Dry Goods," in Hartselle, AL. His sister used to visit him from Cincinnati; they called her "Aunt Vick," and I feel sure this must be your Barbara Victoria Ott. Here is the information I have: John Christian Ott enlisted 15 April 1862, Staunton, VA. Pvt., Co. F, 5th Virginia Infantry, Stonewall Brigade. On 9 July 1864, he lost his left arm in the battle of Monococy, MD. After the war, he may have lived in Cincinnati for a time, and this may be where he met Robert Henry Thompson (who had been born and raised in Lauderdale County, AL; but who spent some time in Cincinnati learning bookkeeping). Before 1879, John Christian Ott was in Lauderdale County AL, where he married Isabella "Belle" Matilda Gresham (b. 6 December 1847, dau. of Philemon and Delilah (Files) Gresham. (Belle was Robert Henry Thompson's aunt.) They had one daughter, Katie Ott, b. 10 June 1879 in Philemon Gresham's home in Mars Hill Alabama. She later - on 10 April 1910 - married W. P. Walker, son of John B. and Lizzie (Holoman) Walker. In Hartselle, Alabama, John Christian Ott was partners with Robert Henry Thompson (and also possibly his father, John Andrew Thomspon) in "Thompson & Ott Dry Goods." The store failed after only a few years, and I am sorry to say that there was lingering resentment in the Thompson family against Mr. Ott, who they felt had not been completely above-board in his financial dealings with Robert. John Christian Ott (who everyone called "Professor Ott") taught at Xaviar College, and also at Mars Hill College (the school founded by the influential evangelist Theophilus Brown Larimore). He served one term in the Alabama State Legislature, 1892 - 1895. He lived in nearby Florence, Alabama and is recorded there in the 1900 census. He died 9 November 1908 and is buried in the Gresham Cemetery at Mars Hill, Alabama, next to his wife Belle, who had died the previous year (6 August 1907). -- Chris Hanlin