My great grandfather's name in the family Bible is simply W. J. Birchum. Some family members think this is incorrect, or that he went only by his middle name Joseph. Also, he may have been illiterate and various spellings of his last name may exist (Birchum, Bircham or Burcham). The date 1864 is based on his having had a child born in late 1863 and it is presumed he would not have left home with his wife in the later months of her pregnancy. When he "went to war", his starting out place would have been Johnson County, Arkansas. Since no records exist of property owned, he may have been poor to the point he had to walk to the induction center. If this is true, he would probably not have traveled very far to his destination.