Regarding the Deatherage - Pickle connection -

The family's genealogy during and prior to the Civil War, from family and official record sources :

William (no middle name*) Deatherage - son of Matthew and Sarah Susannah (Taylor) Deatherage, was born about 1806 in North Carolina. (*William had a cousin, also named William, in Stokes Co., NC who always went by "William A.")

William married Elizabeth Pickell (Pickle) on 10 Jul 1832 in Smyth Co., Virginia. Elizabeth was born about 1806 in Wythe Co., Virginia.

William and Elizabeth had the following children :

Susanah F. - born 1833, Smyth Co., Va.
H. Catherine 'Kate' - born 1834, Smyth Co., Va.
Ruth J. - born 1836, Virginia
Mathew Henry - born 1838, Blount Co., TN
Sampson H. - born 1839, Tennessee
Mary Victoria - born 1842, Tennessee
John G. - born 1844, Georgia
Amna Avoy - born 1853, Stokes Co., NC

My great grandfather is Mathew Henry; during the War the family was living near Laurel Hill, south of Ararat, Patrick Co., Va. Both of his brothers died during the War; Sampson (pvt., 50th Va. Inf) was KIA at the Elk River, Charleston (WV), 09/13/1862. John (pvt., 8th Va. Cav) was captured at 3rd Winchester, and was imprisoned at Camp Chase, Columbus, OH; he died there 01/23/1865.

It's now apparent to me that there were just a lot of people named Pickle/Pickel in SW Virginia during that era. It would be hard to say whether there was any relationship between Ens. Joseph Pickle and Mathew's mother, Elizabteh. I'll keep digging though.

Thank you all for all your help.

Dave Deatherage
Great Grandson of Mathew Henry Deatherage