The pistol

is one of two identical pieces Wheat's great-great-grandfather, Alson

Grey Thompson, carried as a Confederate soldier during the Civil War.

Alson lived in North Carolina, and although the family cannot find it

documented anywhere, Wheat said his grandfather told him that Alson was

in the cavalry. His brother, Sidney Thompson, was killed during the Civil

War.

Alson and his

wife, Nancy Ellen, had eight children. The oldest, Robert Sydney, was

born in 1862 and named after Alson's brother. He later married and settled

in Indiana, where Wheat's grandfather was born.

Wheat hopes

that this small Colt, and the story behind it, will encourage other Fayette

Countians to become more interested in the museum and loan some of their

treasured items to it as well.