Providence

March 1, 2017, 8:06 am

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A perplexus is a spherical puzzle. The object is to twist, spin and flip the ball through a labyinth  until the puzzle is solved. There is an ancient Chinese version wherein turning the wooden pieces correctly ,the layers of the ball fall away, like a blooming rose in speeded time lapse motion, as the petals fall they reveal a treasure.




Researching again the Starnes family has been much like trying to solve a Perplexus. I found that many had the oldest generations pretty much identical. The information was there, the travels, trevails and records. At that juncture,  family had yet to explode with numerous generations and those repetitive naming patterns that makes many a family researcher want to bang their head against a wall.

And while the road led clearly from the first arrivals to my Revolutionary ancestor, the information from there to the better recorded era of the 20th century kind of fell apart. No one had really nailed our family line down. Between Captain John Starnes, who died in 1780, and his purported Great-Grandson Frederick Fincher Starnes, who was born in 1828, the waters of research were murky.

His brothers children had been well documented, and although John left 3 children who have hundreds, if not thousands of descendants since then, the other Starnes researchers had kind of left us out in the cold.


While there were multiple Frederick Starnes in the area, there were not so many that could not be untangled.

There was Frederick III, brother of Captain John and son of Frederick Jr.  Junior died in the Shawnee Indian attack known as "Starnes defeat" in Virginia in 1779. So the Frederick who died in 1816 was his son, Third. Captain John's son Frederick was born in 1795 and died in 1855, so he obviously would not be the Frederick in the in the 1790 census of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. So, by using locations: Cane Creek Starnes, Crooked Creek Starnes, the group who moved from Union to Cabarrus, and then using basic logic, that this Frederick wasn't old enough and that Frederick had already passed on, we can pull them apart.

So Captain John had 3 children, Frederick, John and a daughter who married a Wentz. This Frederick appears in the 1850 census with his wife "Motlina" or Magdalena.

Name:	Frederick Starnes
Age:	75
Birth Year:	abt 1775
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1850:	Union, North Carolina, USA
Gender:	Male
Family Number:	1416
Household Members:	Name Age Frederick Starnes 75 Matlina Starnes 74

He would die 5 years later and his wife would file for her dower.

His son Fred, who was born between 1805 - 1810, is shown with a large family. These however, when compared to his appearance in the 1830 and 1840 censuses, as the younger of the two Fredericks living in "Mecklenburg County", the area that would become Union within two years, that these were his younger children. He obviously had a few children who were already adults.

Name:	Frederick Starnes
Age:	40
Birth Year:	abt 1810
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1850:	Union, North Carolina, USA
Gender:	Male
Family Number:	324
Household Members:	Name Age Frederick Starnes 40 Elizabeth Starnes 35 Mary A Starnes 14 Wm Starnes 13 Alexander Starnes 12 Sarah Starnes 10 Rebecca Starnes 8 Margaret Starnes 6 Moses Starnes 5 Elizabeth Starnes 3

Now, going backwards, only the children from possibly Sarah up, could have been included in the 1840 census.

Frederick Stam [Frederick Starnes]  [Frederick Ditto]
Home in 1840 (City, County, State):	Mecklenburg, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - Under 5:	2  William and Alexander
Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9:	1 Frederick Fincher would have been 10 or 11, but could have been mistaken as 9 perhaps.
Free White Persons - Males - 30 thru 39:	1 Frederick the father
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5:	1 Sarah
Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9:	3 Mary A and two unknown girls
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29:	1 Mrs. Starnes (Elizabeth)

7 children under 20 in this census.

1830 confuses things even more.

Name:	Fredrick Starns
Home in 1830 (City, County, State):	Mecklenburg, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - Under 5:	1 This could have been an infant Finch
Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9:	2 Unknown
Free White Persons - Males - 30 thru 39:	1 Frederick the father
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5:	2 Unknown.
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29:	1 Elizabeth would have been 19. This is probably his first wife.
Free White Persons - Under 20:	5
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:	2

It is easy to see which census is the father and which is the son. In 1830, the other Mecklenburg County Frederick Starnes included a male and a female over 50, which would have been Fred and Motlina.

Name:	Fredrick Starns
Home in 1830 (City, County, State):	Mecklenburg, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - Under 5:	1
Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 14:	1
Free White Persons - Males - 15 thru 19:	1
Free White Persons - Males - 50 thru 59:	1
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 14:	1
Free White Persons - Females - 15 thru 19:	1
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29:	1
Free White Persons - Females - 50 thru 59:	1

The same with the 1840 census, it clearly shows being led by an older couple.

Frederick Stam [Frederick Starnes]  [Frederick Ditto]
Home in 1840 (City, County, State):	Mecklenburg, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - Under 5:	3
Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9:	1
Free White Persons - Males - 50 thru 59:	1
Free White Persons - Females - 60 thru 69:	1
Free White Persons - Under 20:	4
Total Free White Persons:	6

I do plan to more closely decipher the children of Fred and Motlina, as well as taking a closer look at all of the children of Captain John Starnes, as our branch has been largely ignored.

But the present surprise, the opening up of the defeatist puzzle came when I made the jump. The jump of asking "What if".

The "What if" I asked was, "Frederick Fincher Starnes clearly named his mother as 'Sally', a derivative of Sarah, on his marriage license to his second wife Abigail Furr Starnes, widow of John C. Starnes. What if Fincher, the surname of a family that lived in Union County at the time, was his mother's maiden name, and her first name, of course, was Sarah"? What if Frederick, son of Frederick, son of Captain John, had married first to a Sarah Fincher, who had died young and then he married Elizabeth Thompson, the mother of his younger children by all of their records?



I plug her in to Ancestry.com, with the most likely estimated dates of her birth and death and Bam!!! here came the leaves. And all from Fincher descendants. They all had a Sarah Fincher, correct age, daughter of Rev. William Fincher, as marrying a Frederick Starnes. The only thing is, they had him pegged as Frederick IV, which is incorrect, as Frederick IV is considered to be the one who married Mary Fisher, as clearly proved in her parents records and father's estate. And he died in 1816.

Of course, I can not naturally assume that Sarah Fincher and her parents, William  and Mary Grace Fincher, are my ancestors. I like to look into these things myself. How exactly did the Fincher descendants determine that Sarah had married a Frederick Starnes? A will? A family bible? A marriage bond? A land division?

But as far as hovering this puzzle piece over the corresponding empty space in the tapestry of the family tree, it really looks like it could fit.

But, I've found that you can't naturally assume other people are right. Respect their research. Look for their sources, then come to your own conclusions.

The Rev. William Fincher, Sr. was widely respected  and fortunately for his descendants, was honored with an informative obituary in " The Southern Christian Advocate", June 13, 1845 issue.




The issue of religion comes into play about now. But that issue is clearly resolved.

Captain. John Starnes, the grandfather of Frederick born about 1810, was clearly Lutheran. But other members of the family did not remain with the Lutheran Church.

In the book, "Of Them That Left A Name Behind". by Herman Starnes, he chronicles the travels and fights of the earliest of our Starnes and then settles primarily into the family of David and Barbara Starnes, his line and one of the brothers of Captain John Starnes. He does add in information concerning the descendants of their brother Frederick, gotten from some of Frederick's descendants who migrated south and west.

Within his book he includes an except from another book, "Rev. Anson West's History of Methodism in Alabama", published in 1893. It chronicles the building of a new church in Alabama in 1826 called Shady Grove.



"About the time the new church was built or a very short while after a numerous family by the name of Stearnes located in the community of Shady Grove, they were all Methodist."

And it goes on to tell the story of Rev. Paul Fisher Starnes, one of Frederick III and Mary Fisher Starnes younger sons, who preached there for awhile. Being said, it shows that by the mid-1820's, this branch of Starnes, and cousins of my own, had converted to Methodism.

When my second great-grandfather, Frederick Fincher Starnes , fought in the Civil War, the documents gave his place of birth as Union County, North Carolina and his residence as Union County, NC and Lancaster District, South Carolina. Previous research on my part found a land record wherein he owned property on Rocky River Road, in Lancaster County, SC, just across the NC/SC border. He does not show up in the 1850 census, but I have yet to take a microscope to the 145 page 1850 census of Lancaster County to see if I can find a corruption of his name.

But he does show up in the 1860 census living right beside his father, Frederick, and they are designated as Sr. and Jr. Then they, within a few years, move to Cabarrus County.

The area F. F. Starnes shows up in first could probably be determined by the grave of his oldest son, John H. Starnes, who died at age 9. He is buried in the Stallings Family Cemetery, most likely neighbors, which is located, actually, in Stanly County, very near the Stanly/Cabarrus line, near Mission Church.





 The above map shows the location of Rocky River Church, which is a Presbyterian Church, and also where F. F. Starnes buried his first wife and two of his daughters, who died as children. By the 1880's, he had joined this church and his mother-in-law, Martha Byrum, was baptized there and joined also. She is noted in the church records as living with F. F. Starnes and family and as being his mother-in-law.

Name:	F.F. Starns [F.F. Starnes]
Age:	51
Birth Year:	abt 1829
Birthplace:	Georgia
Home in 1880:	Rocky River, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Self (Head)
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Mary L. Starns
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Neighbors:	View others on page
Occupation:	Farmer
Cannot read/write: Blind: Deaf and dumb: Otherwise disabled: Idiotic or insane:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age F.F. Starns 51 Mary L. Starns 43 Margaret A. Starns 23 Thomas M. Starns 19 Dalphia A. Starns 10 Georgia A. Starns 7 Fredrick L. Starns 5 Dasie L. Starns 2 Martha Byram 70

Another clue that might tie Rev. William Fincher and this particular set of Starnes together is the discrepancies in the birthplace of Frederick Fincher Starnes.

Confederate Records gives Union County, NC as his birthplace.

1850 census, he is not located. but his father's birthplace is given as North Carolina, as it is in every census until 1880.

But for Finch:

1860 North Carolina
1870 Georgia
1880 Georgia
1900 North Carolina
1910 South Carolina

So you see some ambivalence there. But why?

Also, while his mother's birthplace is steadfastly given as North Carolina in the 3 censuses that give this information 1880-1910, in the last one, his father's is given as South Carolina, while North Carolina in the other two.

Tombstone of John H. Starnes, son of F. F. and M. L. Starnes

This map of Stanly County shows the proximity of Mission Church Road, near Running Creek, where John H. Starnes is buries, to Little Meadow Creek, where F. F. Starnes, his father is buried.


In the obituary of Rev. William Fincher, it states that he was in Monticello, Georgia in 1824. It it possible that Frederick Starnes accompanied his father-in-law to Georgia and that following stories may have caused the confusion in the birthplace of Frederick Fincher Starnes in 1828?

Monticello, Georgia was located in Jaspar County. There were certainly a number of Starnes marriages recorded in the 1820's in Jasper County. There was also a Frederick Starnes in Habersham County, Georgia in 1820, but none in 1830. This was an older Frederick and not the one born in 1805-1810.

44 Jesse Fincher, Barker's, Gwinnett.* 

47 John Starnes, Griffin's, Hall. 

The Georgia land lottery shows a Jesse Fincher who recieved land in Gwinnett, while a John Starnes recieved land in Hall County.

The possible Georgia connection is a very interesting one, for certain.





This early map of Cabarrus county shows Bost Mills, on the Rocky River, that still exists, near Georgeville, where newspaper articles name F. F. Starnes of living near in the 1890's. The road from Mt. Pleasant to an area called "Leading", which no longer exists, goes further into Stanly County and appears to end near the Mission Church are and near where John H. Starnes is buried.


As I can tell, my research into the Starnes, Fincher and even Byram families, has only just begun. I am excited about what I may discover.

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Marriage Near Georgeville

March 2, 2017, 6:16 am

≫ Next: Finding Euxena, I mean Erexena.

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The Concord Times
(Concord, North Carolina)07 Jun 1894, Thu  • Page 3




What a pleasant surprise, while trying to find information on the death of his father, Frederick Starnes 1805- after 1880, I found this article on the marriage of Frederick Fincher Starnes to his second wife Abigail D. Furr Starnes, widow of John C. Starnes, who was a relation of F.F. Starnes, but I've not determined exactly which. At this point, it seems like a first cousin relationship.

It was interesting to see the wedding took place at the home of Abbie Starnes, which was in Stanly County, and was a double-wedding, with their friends, Henry and Mattie.

While searching for a little more information on Henry Crayton, and Mattie Herrin, I found some surprising connections that deserve a closer look.

First, to look where they were in the 1900 census, the closest after the weddings, revealed a few surprises.

Name:	Henry D Crayton
Age:	30
Birth Date:	Aug 1869
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1900:	Smith, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Martha C Crayton
Marriage Year:	1894
Years Married:	6
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	View on Image
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Henry D Crayton 30 Martha C Crayton 21 Giles C Crayton 3 Lula A Crayton 1 John Linker 24 William Slains 22

While looking at the actual document, it appears "William Slains" is actually William Starnes, living in the Crayton household. Who was he? Then, by looking at neighbors, I saw Levi Blackwelder, a name I recalled from the division of Property of  Nathan T. and Margaret Starnes. Then I recalled that one of Nathan T. Starnes daughters, Martha, had married a Crayton. Further research revealed that the young William Starnes, was the youngest son of Nathan T. Starnes. Henry D. Crayton was the son of William's older sister, Martha Jane Starnes Crayton, was Henry D. Crayton's mother, so William, abeit younger, was his Uncle and Abigail, who married F. F. Starnes was the widow of William and Martha Jane's brother John C. Starnes. Is that confusing enough?





If not, there is an added twist. Mattie Herrin, whom Henry David Crayton married, was the daughter of  Eli Ransom Herrin and Jemima Motley Herrin, whose brother Joseph Herrin, would marry Daisy Starnes, daughter of Frederick Fincher Starnes. He would later change his identity, and I have blogged on that. I've also featured a blog post on their mother, Jemima Motley, and her unfortunate incident with William Murray, another relative of mine.

The world of this area and this place was sometimes very small. That is why I feel that mysteries, at times, must be right in front of our eyes, because everyone was so interconnected. The best place to look is at times, right within the family itself.

Speaking of mysteries, I wonder greatly, what very laughable joke the newspaper referred to in the below paragraph. Perhaps we will never know.




Daily Concord Standard
(Concord, North Carolina)06 Jun 1894, Wed  • Page 1




The beautifully imagined image of this country double-wedding of relatives was over-shadowed by the sadness of two events that preceded them.

Both Fred and Abby had been widowed not that long before their marriage to each other. The papers spoke of the illness and death of their spouses.



The Concord Times
(Concord, North Carolina)13 Apr 1893, Thu  • Page 3

The family seemed to dwell very closely to the Cabarrus/Stanly line.

The below obituary is that of my Third Great Grandmother, Mary Louise Byram Starnes, Finche's first wife.



Daily Concord Standard
(Concord, North Carolina)21 Mar 1894, Wed  • Page 1


The look for anything on the death of F. F. Starnes father, Frederick Starnes, who lasts appears in the 1880 census, continues.

Name:	Fred. Starnes [Frederick Starnes]
Age:	75
Birth Year:	abt 1805
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Bethel Church, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Self (Head)
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Neighbors:	View others on page
Cannot read/write: Blind: Deaf and dumb: Otherwise disabled: Idiotic or insane:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Fred. Starnes 75

And a closer look at Nathan T. Starnes, of Stanly County, may reveal more of his exact connection to my line and open a few other doors. One never knows. 

Finding Euxena, I mean Erexena.

March 24, 2017, 2:22 pm

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While researching the families of the siblings of my Fourth Great-Grandmother, Sarah Winfield Howell Davis, I often discovered they led interesting lives and traveled greatly. But sometimes, they seemed to disappear into the wind.



Oddly, at times, I feel a lingering tug, some little voice in my ear that tells me that their story did not end there, at whatever brick wall I may have stumbled upon while trying to find them.

That was the case in the family of Ancena Winfield Morrison Avett, her sister and my Fourth Great-Grand Aunt.

Sometimes you have to step away and revisit things at a later date and with a fresh approach. And that is exactly what I did one day last fall.

I was attempting to discover the final resting place, and perhaps a date, for the demise of Ancena. What I found instead, was her daughter, Euxena, or Erexena, as this lady with the unusual name, is found with multiple spellings and misspellings of her moniker.



First the name. Apparently, it was a rare, but not unheard of, trendy name for girls born in the late 1700's - early 1800's.  Just with one Google, I found:

Exerena Lull 1791-1870

Exerena Brown 1824-1844

Exerena Roberts Baker 1795- 1883

While these Exerena's were from New York, ours was from North Carolina and her mother, Virginia.

In North Carolina, not much was found of her, save her marriage record in 1822 in Anson County to George Singleton of Montgomery County.

George Singleton to Euxene Morrison     1822

Then there is the land division after the death of James Morrison, and the division among his children and widow, all listed in Anson County records, and the deed wherein George Singleton and wife "Euxena" sell their inherited property to Richard Randall


But after that, Euxena had disappeared into thin air. The census records and most land exchanges did not list women, and I could not find George Singleton anywhere.

Then I took a closer look at the children of Ancena who I knew had moved to Tennessee, Thomas Avett Jr. , Alfred Morrison, Margaret Morrison Scarborough, Annabelle Morrsion Beard.

And I found Erexena.



Sometimes, a scan of the actual census record and the adjoining pages, can reveal a great deal.

The family was all in Anson County, NC in 1830, but by 1840, they had migrated to Tennessee. It appears that Ancena went with them, as the oldest female in this census record of Thomas Avett, Jr.

Name	Thomas A Vett
Home in 1840 (City, County, State)	Fayette, Tennessee
Free White Persons - Males - 50 thru 59	1 Thomas
Free White Persons - Females - 40 thru 49	1  Sarah W.
Free White Persons - Females - 80 thru 89	1   Ancena
Slaves - Males - 10 thru 23	3
Slaves - Males - 55 thru 99	1
Slaves - Females - Under 10	2
Slaves - Females - 10 thru 23	2
Slaves - Females - 36 thru 54	1
Persons Employed in Agriculture	6
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49	1
Total Free White Persons	3
Total Slaves	9
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves	12

I have not determined if Thomas Avett, Jr. was her son or stepson, as she did not marry Thomas Sr. until 1819.



It also appears Ancena was living with them in 1830 as all were a decade younger.

Name:	Thomas Arch [Thomas Avett]
Home in 1830 (City, County, State):	Anson, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 15 thru 19:	1 William H.
Free White Persons - Males - 40 thru 49:	1 Thomas
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 14:	1 Elizabeth
Free White Persons - Females - 30 thru 39:	1 Sara
Free White Persons - Females - 70 thru 79:	1 Ancena
Slaves - Males - Under 10:	2
Slaves - Males - 10 thru 23:	1
Slaves - Males - 24 thru 35:	1
Slaves - Females - Under 10:	2
Slaves - Females - 10 thru 23:	1
Slaves - Females - 24 thru 35:	1
Free White Persons - Under 20:	2
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:	2
Total Free White Persons:	5
Total Slaves:	8
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored):	13

And even prior to that.  1810

Name:	Thos Avitt
Home in 1810 (City, County, State):	Anson, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 25:	1 Thomas
Free White Persons - Females - Under 10:	4 Erexena, Margaret, Annabelle, daughters of Ancena and James Morrison, and one other.
Free White Persons - Females - 26 thru 44:	1 Ancena
Numbers of Slaves:	3
Number of Household Members Under 16:	4
Number of Household Members Over 25:	1
Number of Household Members:	9

And 1820

Thomas Aoet [Thomas Avett]
Home in 1820 (City, County, State):	Coppedge, Anson, North Carolina
Enumeration Date:	August 7, 1820
Free White Persons - Males - Under 10:	1 William H.
Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 25:	1 Unknown
Free White Persons - Males - 26 thru 44:	1 Thomas 1st wife deceased?
Free White Persons - Females - Under 10:	1 Unknown
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 15:	2 Nancy and Elizabeth
Free White Persons - Females - 45 and over :	1 Ancena
Slaves - Males - Under 14:	2
Slaves - Males - 14 thru 25:	1
Slaves - Males - 26 thru 44:	2
Slaves - Males - 45 and over:	1
Slaves - Females - Under 14:	1
Slaves - Females - 14 thru 25:	1
Slaves - Females - 26 thru 44:	1
Number of Persons - Engaged in Agriculture:	5
Number of Persons - Engaged in Manufactures:	2
Free White Persons - Under 16:	4
Free White Persons - Over 25:	2
Total Free White Persons:	7
Total Slaves:	9
Total All Persons - White, Slaves, Colored, Other:	16

The 1850 census was the kicker.

Name	Erixena Duke
Age	50
Birth Year	abt 1800
Birthplace	North Carolina
Home in 1850	District 12, Fayette, Tennessee, USA
Gender	Female
Family Number	1383
Household Members	Name Age Robert G Duke 55 Erixena Duke 50 William Duke 22 Cristina Duke 19 Robert Duke 17 Eliza Duke 15 Mary Duke 13 Lucius Duke 10 Jane Singhton 28

In and of itself, it would have probably be missed, this family in House number 1383,

But in House number 1382 was "Ann B. Baird" or Annabelle Morrison Beard/Barid, daughter of Ancena Winfield Morrison Avette and widow of John Beard, with her younger children, Ann E, 19, Edwin L. 15, William H. 16 and Margarite A. 13.

Not only that, but just above this family was the family of Abraham Scarborough, 49, his wife Margaret, 44 and their children, Alfred, William, Jane, John, Lemuel and Thomas. Margaret Morrison Scarborough was also the daughter of Ancena and James Morrison.

The Sisters had stuck together. This was Erexena Morrison Singleton and an additional supporting fact, was the addition in the household of a 28 year old Jane Singleton, who obviously had to be the daughter of Erexena and her first husband, George Singleton.

Erexena obviously was widowed young, with the little daughter Jane, and married Robert G. Duke in North Carolina, where their children were born. They afterwards migrated to Fayette County, Tennessee to be with her family there.

We learn more of Erexena through her children, actually, most notably her son, Robert Spain Duke, the 17 year old in the 1850 census.

He and his family moved to Lonoke, Arkansas, which turned out to be a popular relocation spot for multiple branches of the same family tree that migrated west.

His biography appeared in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Lonoke County, Arkansas published by Goodspeed Publishing in 1889.

It states, "Robert Spain Duke, a leading farmer of Prairie Township, was fourth in a family of 9 children born to Robert G and Erexena (Morrison) Duke, his birth occurring in North Carolina, April 30, 1833. Robert G Duke was born in North Carolina, July 5, 1795, and was a son of Robert Duke, a soldier in the Revolutionary War, of Irish decent, who settled and married in Anson County, North Carolina, and died there in about the 100th year of his age. Robert G. Duke moved from North Carolina to Tennessee in 1845, where he lived until his death. which occured May 3, 1879. His wife (Erexena) was born in North Carolina January 3, 1801 and died in 1856."

The biography goes on to tell how Robert Spain Duke grew up in Tennesee, married twice and had 5 children, three by the first wife, two by the second, served in the Civil War and established himself well in the community.




Further research reveals that this article may have been mistaken in the Grandfather of Robert Spain Duke. The story of the American Revolutionary War veteran, who lived to be nearly 100, sounds like my ancestor, James Duke, who settled in Stanly County, which was part of Montgomery County for most of his life, and lived to be nearly 100. Records of Robert G. Duke, put him in the right area, at the right time, to be the son of James Duke, and brother to my ancestor Elizabeth Duke Lee, not the son of some illusive and undocumented Robert. So, it is my belief that the writer simply got the grandfather's name wrong, it being James, not Robert.

So Erexena shows up in her marriage license to George Singleton, the land division after her father, James Morrison's death, the sale that land to Richard Randle, and the 1850 census.

Most likely, George Singleton died in North Carolina and Erexena and Robert G. Duke married here, as all of her children, including the youngest, Lucian, in 1840, were born here.

Erexena Morrison Singleton Duke's date of death is given as 1856 in Fayette County, Tennesse, by her sons' biography. Her place of burial is unknown.

By dashes on the older census records, it appears there may have been 2 more children, a male and a female, born between Jane Singleton in 1822 and William D. Duke in 1828. It is not known if they were Singletons or Dukes or if they were living in 1850, just as adults and not with the family, or died as children. Another odd clue is Robert Spain Dukes' biography naming him as the 4th in a family of 9 children, implying the two missing children came after his birth, as he is fourth in the known lineage of Jane, William, Christina and Robert Spain.

So as follows are the 7 known children of Mary Erexena Morrison Singleton Duke, daughter of Ancena Winfield Morrison Avett and granddaughter of Peter Winfield and Charlotte Freeman Winfield.

1. Jane Singleton b 1822
       married  J. M. Pickens

Name:	Jane Singleton
Gender:	Female
Marriage Date:	24 Jan 1853
Marriage Place:	Fayette, Tennessee, USA
Spouse:	Jno M Pickins

     

Further research needed.

2. William D. Duke b 1828
     Shown in 1850 and 1860 census with parents and siblings.
        Further research needed.

3. Christina A. Duke b 1831
     Married D. W. Wright
           

Name:	Christina A Duke
Gender:	Female
Marriage Date:	30 May 1853
Marriage Place:	Fayette, Tennessee, USA
Spouse:	D W Wright

4. Robert Spain Duke b 1833 d 1898
    Married Susan Catherine Allison
      Married Rebecca I Mason

      Died in Prairie, Lonoke, Arkansas
      Six children

5. Eliza Duke b 1835

       Shown with family in the 1850, 1860 and 1870 census.
       Futher research needed.

6. Mary Abigail Duke b 1837 d 1878

       Married James Teague. 3 children. Died in Fayette County, TN

7. Lucious Alexander Duke b 1840 d 1912
     
       Married Susie Elizabeth Ormsby 7 children. Died in Lonoke County, Arkansas.

Lucious A. Duke and Susie Ormsby Duke

Addendum:  Shortly after publishing this post, I immediately began researching the daughters of Erexena Morrison Singleton Duke. Eliza came quickly. In the 1870 census, she is shown living with her father at 35, and a farmhand named John Thompson.

ame	Mr John Thompson
Gender	Male
Marriage Date	25 Dec 1870
Marriage Place	Fayette, Tennessee, USA
Spouse	Eliza Duke
Household Members	Name Age Mr John Thompson Eliza Duke

That year, on Christmas Day, Eliza was married to John Thompson by Rev. W. P. Simmons, a family member and son-in-law of her mother's (half or step) brother, Thomas Avett.

John Thompson ended up being Jonathan Wilkerson Thompson, born in 1846, the son of George H. and Sarah T. Davis Thompson. He grew up in Center, or Norwood, the brother of David King Thompson, who was well established in that area.

Jonathan and Eliza also moved to Lonoke County, Arkansas and raised  3 sons, William J. , Vernon Culpepper and John Edgar Thompson.

Name	J. W. Thompson
Birth Date	May 1858
Death Date	31 Jul 1914
Cemetery	Oak Grove Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place	Austin, Lonoke County, Arkansas, USA
Has Bio?	N
Spouse	Eliza S. Thompson
Children	William J. Thompson

They are buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Austin, Lonoke County, Arkansas.

Joycie and Wiley

June 13, 2017, 5:00 am

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Most recently, I've been transcribing records from old CD's of Stanly County, North Carolina Superior Court from the 1870's. It's quite an interesting decade, an entirely different  setting than the ones prior. The world of the citizens of North Carolina had changed drastically, and the County of Stanly was deep in recovery, and a preponderance of certain types of case were a testimony of that.

Thefts, debts, fights among depressed and war-scarred men drowning their sorrows in alcohol, the desperate acts of widows and orphans, all in a day's audience with the circuit judges trying to bring law and order to a scarred and bleeding land.




While all of them bear historical importance, certain of them bear more genealogical significance, especially those concerning women. Those are the ones involving divorces, bastardy and F & A charges, or Fornication and Adultery. Those are case that can break down brick walls, solve mysteries, and open up entirely new avenues, a new branch in the genetic family tree.

Case Number 16, brought before the Honorable W. A. More, Jr. in the Spring Term of 1878, is one of those cases.

It involved one Wiley Barringer, who had been charged with Bastardy. He was fined $15 immediately, signed a $100 bond and agreed to pay $12 a year for six years, as long as the child was alive.

He admitted paternity, of a little girl, born to "Joicy E. Fisher", to whom the $15 was paid.

Bastardy was an archaic term used in the 19th and 20th centuries to nominate the act of creating a child outside of the holy bonds of matrimony. The charge was taken out on the couple to place financial responsibility on the offending parties and off of the county dole. As most women did not have paying professions, the support of the illegitimate child often fell on the county government, so the courts, when officials discovered the existence of the child or the pregnancy, would force the female parent to fess up and name the male parent, so they could hold him responsible. If she refused, the courts would charge the woman and hold her in jail, until a relative pitied her and got her out, most often her own father or brother.

There were even bastardy cases wherein the offending "baby daddy" was a wealthier, married man, who would pay the woman's bond, and even give her hush money not to name him, but would set her up with property, or money. It was rather obvious what the situation was, but it happened.

I've seen Stanly County cases wherein a married man would be having children with his legal wife and intermittently, also fathering children with his mistress, who often lived near by, whom he would have listed as a "tenant" in records. Some more illustrious and lusty Stanly County gents even had a wife and two or more "tenants", with whom they would bear children. Mr. Joshua C. Burris and Mr. Jordan Kennedy are included in this latter group. But we won't go there. Yet.

This was not the case with Wiley Barringer and Joicy Fisher. It involved one child only.

My first step was to find Joicy Fisher. And I did.

The most recent census following this court case was that of the 1880 census.

Name:	Joecey E. Fisher
Age:	25
Birth Year:	abt 1855
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Ridenhours, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Daughter
Marital Status:	Single
Father's name:	D. Fisher
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's name:	Leah Fisher
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Neighbors:	View others on page
Cannot read/write: Blind: Deaf and dumb: Otherwise disabled: Idiotic or insane:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age D. Fisher 66 Leah Fisher 69 Martha C. Fisher 35 Joecey E. Fisher 25 Ada Bell Fisher 2

In this census we find Joicy Fisher living in the Ridenhour Township in Stanly County with her parents and her two year old daughter, Ada Bell Fisher.

The name Joyce or Joicy was not an overly common one like Mary, Elizabeth or Sarah, so therefore, Joicy Fisher was not hard to find. In fact, she left a very clear paper trail for her era. She lived a long life, moved around a little bit, but not too far, never married, and only had the one child.


Ada Bell was listed as the granddaughter of D. Fisher in this census, so no confusion as to who she was.



Joyce, or Joicy as a nickname, derives from the Quaker name "ReJoyce". Joyce Elizabeth Fisher was the daughter of  Daniel Fisher and Leah Dry Fisher and the granddaughter of Jacob Fisher and Barbary Lyerly Fisher and Daniel Monroe Dry and Rachel Lipe Dry.




Her parents are buried at Bear Creek Church and were among the families who lived on and around the Cabarrus/Stanly County line. It is safe to say her ancestry was mostly, if not completely German.

Daniel and Leah had a very large family and Joicy was in the batch of the youngest. She was not an orphan and her father, born in 1813, was not a Civil War veteran. It is uncertain what "led her astray". She was fortunate to be part of an intact family.

Name:	Jocy Fisher
Age:	0
Birth Year:	abt 1850
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1850:	Ridenhours, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Gender:	Female
Family Number:	352
Household Members:	Name Age Daniel Fisher 38 Leah Fisher 38 Julius A Fisher 14 Paul J Fisher 11 Martha C Fisher 8 Charles F Fisher 5 Sarah A Fisher 3 Jocy Fisher 0

She first appears in the 1850 census as an infant with 5 older siblings. Her parents were married about 1835.

Name:	Joicy Fisher
Age:	11
Birth Year:	abt 1849
Gender:	Female
Home in 1860:	Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office:	Albemarle
Family Number:	813
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Daniel Fisher 45 Leah Fisher 48 Martha Fisher 16 Charles Fisher 15 Sarah Fisher 13 Joicy Fisher 11 Daniel Fisher 9 Rachiel Fisher 4

By 1860, two younger siblings had joined the family.

Name:	Joyce Fisher
Age in 1870:	21
Birth Year:	abt 1849
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1870:	Ridenhour, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Post Office:	Albemarle
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age C Missenheimen 50 Mary A Missenheimen 35 Jones Missenheimen 14 Pearson Missenheimen 12 Martha Missenheimen 9 Carry Ann Missenheimen 4 Joyce Fisher 21

By 1870, something very different had happened to Joyce Fisher. She was 21 and living with the Clayborne and Mary Ann Barringer Misenheimer family.  The census does not list a profession for her. She may have been helping out with the children, or helping out on the farm, or she may have been rebelious and kicked out of the house by her parents, and was taken in by friends. A friendship with MaryAnn may have been how she made the acquaintance of Wiley Barringer.


The twenty year gap between the 1880 and 1900 censuses encapsulated a  twenty year span of great changes and growth in the American landscape. Some people lived and died entirely in this space and it is a time of much aggravation to genealogists. The loss of the 1890 census was a great one.

Name:	Joicy Fisher
Age:	50
Birth Date:	abt 1850
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1900:	Johns River, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Ward of City:	#1
Sheet Number:	27A
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation:	441
Family Number:	441
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother: number of living children:	1
Mother: How many children:	1
Can Read:	No
Can Write:	Yes
Can Speak English:	Yes
House Owned or Rented:	R
Farm or House:	H
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Joicy Fisher 50 Ada Fisher 22 Bruner Lyerly 21 Thomas Fisher 27 Martha Fisher 25 Clarence Fisher 2

In 1900, we find Joycie as head of her own household, living in the John's River area of Cabarrus County, with her 22 year old daughter Ada, and taking in boarders, who work in the textile industry.

Bruner Lyerly, I believe, was a cousin, and Thomas Fisher, was her nephew, son of Julius Alexander Fisher, with his young family, wife Martha Parker Fisher and their oldest son, Clarence.




What else can this census record tell us? It tells us that all members, except for the toddler, could read and write. It tells us that Joycie was the mother of one child, with one living, that one being Ada. It tells us that Ada, Thomas, his wife Martha and Bruner Lyerly, were all weavers in the cotton mill industry. It lists no occupation for 50 year old Joicy, so besides being the Head of Household and taking in boarders, she was likely the babysitter as well.

It tells us that ALL of the neighbors, except for carpenter Isaac Freeze, worked in the cotton mill, which tells me she probably lived in or near a town, and definitely near a Cotton Mill, maybe in a traditional "Mill Village".



Ada Bell Fisher would marry on November 4, 1904 to John Mayhew Stillwell (1876-1962) from Lincoln County, son of a John Stillwell and Mary Jackson Stillwell. They were married in Cabarrus County.




1910 would find the family in  Locke Township of Rowan, which was the west part of Salisbury and beyond. James Mayhew Stillwell was a farmer, and he had a hired servant to help him, Frank Strickland.

Household Members:	Name Age John M Stillwell 30 Ada Stillwell 29 Esther Stillwell 4 Jacob Stillwell 1 Joicy Fisher 60 Frank Stricklend 22

The family included two small children, and mother-in-law, Joicy Fisher. She was now 60 years old. She is given no occupation, and listed as a widow, and mother of one child, with one living. She was not widowed, but I am sure the answer was given for her dignity.



By 1920, the family had moved to Mecklenburg County, and was living in the Lemley area, near Lake Norman and the Huntersville area.

Name:	Jayey E Fisher [Jaycy E Fisher]
Age:	70
Birth Year:	abt 1850
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	Lemley, Mecklenburg, North Carolina
Street:	Cornelius and Bethel River Road
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Mother-in-law
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Mayhew Stillwell 40 Ada B Stillwell 41 Ether L Stillwell 14 Jacob H Stillwell 10 Mary A E Stillwell 7 Lillie P Stillwell 4 Jayey E Fisher 70

John Mayhew Stillwell was still a farmer and the family had expanded to 4 children. 70 year old Joicy E. Fisher was living with them. This would be her last census.



Joyce Elizabeth Fisher died on  July 20, 1923 at the age of  73 years, 7 months and 22 days,  Her death certificate gives her place of birth as Stanly County and her place of death as Huntersville, Lemley Township, Mecklenburg County. Her parents are listed as Daniel and Leah Fisher.

It is unknown where Joyce Elizabeth Fisher is buried. Most of her Fisher family are buried at Bethel Bear Creek Church in Stanly County, not far from the Cabarrus County line. Her daughter and son-in-law are buried at Hopewell Baptist Church in Davidson, Mecklenburg County. Most likely she is buried without a stone, or without a legible stone, at one of these two places.

Name:	Ada Stillwell
Birth Year:	abt 1879
Gender:	Female
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Married
Relation to Head of House:	Wife
Homemaker?:	Yes
Home in 1930:	Lemley, Mecklenburg, North Carolina
Map of Home:	View Map
Dwelling Number:	284
Family Number:	285
Age at First Marriage:	26
Attended School:	No
Able to Read and Write:	Yes
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Household Members:	Name Age John M Stillwell 51 Ada Stillwell 51 Annie Stillwell 17 Pauline Stillwell 14

Ada Bell Fisher Stillwell would outlive her mother by 33 years. She and her husband, John Mayhew Stillwell, would raise their family of 4 children, on a farm in Lemley township, rural Mecklenburg County, among a community that included many Stillwell relatives.

Name:	Ada Stillwell
Age:	62
Estimated birth year:	abt 1878
Gender:	Female
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Married
Relation to Head of House:	Mother
Home in 1940:	Deweese, Mecklenburg, North Carolina
Map of Home in 1940:	View Map
Inferred Residence in 1935:	Rural, Mecklenburg, North Carolina
Residence in 1935:	Rural, Mecklenburg, North Carolina
Resident on farm in 1935:	Yes
Sheet Number:	8A
Attended School or College:	No
Highest Grade Completed:	Elementary school, 5th grade
Weeks Worked in 1939:	0
Income:	0
Income Other Sources:	No
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Holland Stillwell 31 Susie Stillwell 30 Ray Stillwell 9 Carl Stillwell 8 Thomas Stillwell 7 Christine Stillwell 5 Frank Stillwell 4 J M Stillwell 61 Ada Stillwell 62

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1940 would find the couple living with their only son, Jacob Holland Stillwell and his family. He must have taken charge of daily operations of the family farm.


So, this court record of Joycie Fisher and Wiley Barringer did lead to one descendant, Ada Bell Fisher Stillwell, and she was the mother of 4 children, who themselves had descendants. Thus, it bears significant genealogical importance.

The four children of Ada and JM Stillwell were:


1) Esther Lee Stillwell  Born January 4, 1906 Iredell County
                                        Died  March 27, 1987 Mecklenburg County

    Married: Frank Alexander Reagan on Jan 10, 1924
       
       Children: 1924  James "Jim" Mayhew Reagan, 1927 Mary Bell "Dot" Reagan, 1932 Eva Mae Reagan, 1938 William "Bill" Clyde Reagan

Eva Mae Reagon Beard and husband William Marion Beard

2) Jacob Hollard Stillwell   Born January 28, 1909 Rowan County, NC
                                               Died May 22, 1961 Burke County, NC
      Married: Susan Lee Barkley 

      Children: 1928 Holland Ray Stillwell, 1932 Carl William Stillwell, 1933 Thomas Lee Stillwell, 1934 Christine Stillwell, 1936 Benjamin Franklin Stillwell.


3) MaryAnn Elizabeth "Annie" Stillwell Born: October 5, 1912  Rowan County
                                                                      Died:  January 20, 2001                       
                                                                      Resided in Exmore, Northampton, Virginia
                                                                      Buried in Charlotte, North Carolina

       Married William Cy Barkley (brother of Susan Lee Barkley, brother's wife). 

       Children: Annie Laura Barkley Watson Peacock, Betty Jo Barkley Garrett Rice, Richard 
       Barkley, Sr.  Grandchildren's surnames include: Boseman, Barkley, Kirby, Watson, Beverly.

       Married Second a Mr. Rector. Tombstone name listed as Annie Stillwell Rector.


4)     Lillie Pauline Stillwell  Born July 15, 1915 Mecklenburg County, NC
                                                Died February 17, 2005 Mecklenburg County, NC

         Married: Francis Worth "Frank" Mundy or Munday (First husband)

         Children: 1933 Shirley Pauline Mundy Shaver,  1934 Mary Frances Mundy Long, 1937 Flake Lee Mundy, 1939 Alma Mae Mundy Hendrick, 1941 Linda Lue Mundy Potts, 1942 Barbara Kay Mundy Potts. 

        Married: Herbert Irvin Christenbury (stepchildren Alvin Lee Christenbury, Francis Christenbury Stamey)



So this court record involving the one child, Ada Bell Fisher Stillwell involves a large number of modern day descendants from her four children. Just her youngest daughter, Lillie Pauline, alone, was credited with 16 grandchildren, 17 Great Grandchildren and 5 Great, Great Grandchildren upon her death in 2005 and the family has grown extensibly sense.



So who was this mystery Barringer branch of their family tree?
       

Research finds two Wiley Barringers living in Stanly County during the middle 19th century.

The first was Wiley John Barringer, son of Mathias B Barringer and Margaret Dry Barringer. He was born in 1834 and married Anna Margaret Barringer, daughter of Nelson Barringer and Crecie Melchor Barringer in 1858. They had 4 children, John, William Brantley, Alice E., Adolphus Leantes,

Wiley J. Barringer fought in the Civil War. His fate is uncertain, but Anna Margaret, his wife, married Joseph Sides in 1869 and had four more children. It is easy to assume she must have been a widow, or believed herself to be a widow and that Wiley J. Barringer was deceased before 1869.

That means he was not the correct Wiley Barringer to have fathered Ada Bell Fisher, which leaves one candidate.


Wiley Monroe Barringer.

Wiley Monroe Barriner was the son of Mathias Barringer and Elizabeth Sides Barringer. He was born on the Cabarrus County side of the county line, but still very close to Joyce Fisher's family, as he dwelt in the Bear Creek area that was plentiful with Barringers and Sides.

He was born March 4, 1856 and died July 13, 1931, making him about 7 years younger than Joyce Fisher, who was born in 1849. In the year of the trial, 1878, he was 22 and she was 29.




He must have broken Joycie's heart, because a little over a year after Ada Bell's birth in January 1878, he married a different, and younger woman, Bellazorra or Isabell Zorra Page, daughter of William M. Page and Mary Ann Newsome Page.

During that era, an unwed birth was very much a shame and left a woman "tainted". Oftentimes, as in Joycie's case, she never married.

Wiley Monroe Barringer lost his father in the Civil War. Mathias died at the prison in Elmire, New York, where many a man lost his life.


His first census was in 1860, as a child, with his brother John Barringer and sister Julia Ann Barringer Honeycutt, in the home as well.

He fathered Ada Bell Fisher with Joyce Elizabeth Fisher in 1877, the child being born in January of 1878 and the relation ended there. Besides the payment of money owed and acknowledgement in court of paternity, it appears that Wiley Barringer had nothing else to do with Ada Bell. She may not have even known he was her father. Joycie appears to have kept that under her hat later in life. Ada Bell listed no father on her marriage license, and none was unknown on her death certificate.

But descendants of Ada Bell Stillwell Fisher might find that they have many Barringer related cousins in their dna chart, if they take the test. So this is why.

Wiley Monroe Barringer did head a large family. At age  23  he married 19 year old Isabell Zorra or "Bellzorra" Page on December 7, 1879.




They had the following children:


1) Cora Lula Barringer  Born: July 5, 1880 Cabarrus County, NC
                                          Died:  Sept 13, 1937 Gold Hill, North Carolina age 57
                                          Married : July 26, 1900 age 20
    
    To: Jonas Peter Isenhour   12 Isenhour children: 

1901-1980  Myrtie May Isenhour Barringer

1902-1912 Minnie Ethel Isenhour

1904-1945 Amanda Marybell "Mandy" Isenhour Cook 

1907-1982 Lewis Albert Isenhour

1909-1991 Hoy Edward Isenhour

 1911-1963 William Howard Isenhour

1912-1981 Luther Elmer Isenhour

1914-1965 Margie Lucille Isenhour Dease

1917-1978 Virginia Kathleen Isenhour Adams

1918-2002 Edna Lonla Isenhour Goodman

1920-1987 Burton Deberry Isenhour

1923-1992 Dona Elizabeth Isenhour Leonard

2) Paul Monroe Barringer Born: August 25, 1884 Cabarrus County, NC
                                              Died: October 20, 1959 Rowan County, NC
                                              Married: August 3, 1904 

                     To: Elizabeth Joanna "Lizzie" Rowland (1885-1942)
                     Married later in life to Annie Mae Hill Morgan as well.

           10 Barringer children: 

1905 - 2005 Hattie Margie Mae Barringer Harwood

1907-1985 James Thomas Barringer

1908-1982 John Wiley Barringer

1911-1972 Love Charles Lee Barringer

1913-1931 Paul Herman Barringer

1915-1988 Napolean Lawson Barringer

1918-1957 Lloyd Edmund Barringer

1921-2004 Vetra Coralee Barringer Klutzz

1924-2013 Madie Magdalene Barringer Hilton Deal

1926-2002 Vernon Lionel Barringer


3) John Alexander Barringer Born: May 3, 1886 Cabarrus County, NC
                                                 Died: January 30, 1944 Winston-Salem, NC 

      Married: May 30, 1909 
      To: Katie Beaver

       Two Barringer Children: 

1910-2001 Ruth G. Barringer Hudson
1911-1991 Dwight Rudolph Barringer


4) George Wesley Homer Barringer  Born: August 15, 1887 Cabarrus County, NC
                                                               Died: November 2, 1957 Hot Springs, Arkansas

           Married 1st: December 25, 1902  to Lucy Roxie Isenhour (1881-1957) North Carolina
          
           Three Barringer children to this marriage:

1903-1981 Elsie Irene Barringer Sides

1905-1980 Roy Glenn Barringer

1909-1986 Howard Franklin Monroe Barringer


           Married or unmarried to Nina Irma Wagner (no license found) (1893-1986) Arkansas

          Three Barringer children to this relationship:

1911-1974 Albert Wesley Barringer 

1921-2006 Perry Ralph Barringer

1925-1944 Eldred Eugene Barringer

  (This son of Wiley Monroe Barringer deserves his own story for his strange tale). 

5) William Adolphus B. Barringer  Born: November 5, 1888 Cabarrus County, NC
                                                             Died: February 18, 1979 Stanly County, NC

     Married: July 17, 1908  to Martha Dinah Troutman (1888-1981)

       Seven  Barringer children to this marriage:

1908-1993 Allen Monroe Barringer

1911-1913 Florence Brown Barringer

1913-1913 Clarence Barringer

1914-1993 Mabel Cleo Barringer Vanhoy

1916-2003 Helen Irene Barringer Hall

1919-1999 Lena Rebecca Barringer Morgan Slough

1923-1923 Infant Barringer


6) Charlie Lee Barringer  Born: November 5, 1890 Cabarrus County, NC
                                             Died:  December 26, 1975 Stanly County, NC

        Married: November 1, 1911 to Pearlie Lillie Helms (1896-1967)
       
         17  Barringer children born to this marriage.

1912-1977  Raymond Monroe Barringer

1913-1914 Nellie Barringer

1914-1915 Bertha Barringer

1916-1997 Mary Letha Barringer Bailey LaForce

1917-1989 Roy Daniel Barringer (Los Angeles, California)

1919-1943 Robert Lee Barringer (Buried in Nettuno, Roma, Lazio, Italy

1920-1921 Alma Daisy Barringer

1921-2008 Pauline L. Barringer Burris

1923-1994 Ralph Junior Barringer (Buried in Chula Vista, San Diego, California

1925-2013 May Bell Barringer Burleson

1927 - ? Margaret Eva Barringer

1928 - 1990) Cora Lou Barringer Almond Swaim

1928 - 1999 Martha Sue Barringer Shaver

1930-1992 Vernie Cleo Barringer Furr

1932- ? Wilma Marie Barringer Allen

1934- ? Louise Barringer

1934-1961 Ruby Carolyn Barringer Eudy

7) Wade R. Barringer Born: May 25, 1892 
                                      Died:  November 14, 1897 Gold Hill, North Carolina. Aged 5





8)  Clarence Richard Barringer  Born: May 26, 1894 Cabarrus County
                                                        Died:  February 27, 1971 Rowan County

                                Married July 26, 1913 to Martha Louise Hatley
                                Later Divorced.

                       Nine Barringer children born to this marriage. Only 4 grew to 
                       adulthood, and only one of those made it past the age of 21.

1914-1933  Annie Lee Barringer - died at age 18
1916-1994  Willie Esper Barringer-died at age 68
1918-1918  James Reece Barringer - died at 10 months old
1919-1940  Boyd Baxter Barringer - died at age 20 - Auto accident
1921-1923  Clarence Richard Barringer, Jr. - died at 18 months old
1924-1945  Clarence Eugene Barringer - died at age 21, WWII,Married - 1 son
1926-1926  Mary Madeline Barringer - died at age 5 weeks old
1928-1928  Twins, son and daughter- died in infancy. 1 day old.

Clarence Eugene "Eugene" Barringer

9) Lawson Riley Barringer  Born:  March 9, 1895 Cabarrus County, NC
                                                Died:  December 3, 1972 Palestine, Anderson, Texas
                                                Married:  May 12, 1917  Van Zandt, Texas 

                                                To: Eva Mae Rackley

                                                One Barringer child

1922-1971 Eva Jo Barringer Craft

10) Walter G. Y. Barringer  Born: October 7, 1896
                                                Died:  May 29, 1897



11)  Lilly Florence Barringer  Born:  August 9, 1902 
                                                   Died:  May 27, 1991 Cabarrus County, NC
                                                   Married: January 19, 1920 Age 17 
                                                   To: Will Franklin Blake, also age 17
                                                   Marriage late annulled.

Name:	Will Blake
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Age:	17
Birth Year:	abt 1903
Marriage Date:	19 Jan 1920
Marriage Place:	Cabarrus, North Carolina, USA
Father:	G B Blake
Mother:	Leddie Blake
Spouse:	Lillie Barringer
Spouse Gender:	Female
Spouse Race:	White
Spouse Age:	17
Spouse Father:	W M Barringer
Spouse Mother:	Belle Barringer
Event Type:	Marriage

                                                   One child: Franklin Aubrey Blake later known as
                        1920-1994   Franklin Aubrey Barringer, also seen as Franklin Aubrey McBride.

Below, first and middle names are transposed and surname is incorrectly transcribed as "Black". Parental names and date of birth is correct.  

                   

Name:	Aubrey Franklin Black
Event Type:	Birth
Birth Date:	2 Sep 1920
Birth County:	Cabarrus
Parent1 Name:	Will Black
Parent2 Name:	Lillie Barringer
Roll number:	NCVR_B_C016_66001
Volume:	6
Page:	670

                                                                     



                                                   Married:  August 27, 1925

                                                   To:  Guy Hampton McBride (1892-1944)


                                                    8 McBride Children:


1923-2001  Ruby Lee McBride Hinson  (Cabarrus County, NC)
1925-1952  Walter Hampton McBride (Cabarrus County, NC)
1928-1998  Mary Bell McBride Measimer (Stanly County, NC)
1929-2008  William Monroe McBride (Massachusetts)
1913-1931   Infant Daugther McBride
1933-1972   Charles Theodore McBride (New Jersey, buried Cabarrus, Navy)
1935-1989   Millie Marie McBride Hill (Cabarrus County, NC)
1936-2008   Albert Archie McBride (Cabarrus County, buried Rowan, NC)

William Monroe McBride and wife Ruby

With this large number of descendants, just up to the level of grandchildren, just imagine how many living descendants of Wiley Monroe Barringer there could be now as Great-Grandchildren, Great-Great-Grandchildren and even two possible generations under those? Many of them probably do not realize the extinct and breadth of their Barringer relations and I am sure few, if any, know of the existence of Ada and Joicy Ann Fisher. Hopefully, one day, one of them will find this blog, and it will explain those odd DNA matches on their family tree, or break down one more brick wall.






                                                

  


  


  








             



























       
                                     

A Trip to Virginia

June 24, 2017, 1:38 pm

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The Early Patents of Brunswick, Mecklenburg and Lunenburg County before her, tell the story of the interelation, entanglement and bonds of  my ancestors as neighbors and relations who intermarried, interacted and emigrated together.

When Henry Davis married Mary Marriott in Surry County, they established another connection to the oldest families then in Virginia.




Both the bride and the groom could trace their ancestory back to the early settlers at Jamestown. Davis' mother, Elizabeth Warren, was a direct descendent of William Spencer, who arrived in 1607.

Josiah Floyd Sr. was given a patent on Avents Creek. The same area the Winfields would live and eventually, several of the children of Henry Davis. The names are reflected in the later, younger arrivals to Anson/Montgomery/Stanly County, because these were their, our, ancestors.

428  Josiah Floyd 15 Dec 1758 VPB 33:526 243a Lunenburg/ on both sides of Avents Cr.

For Example, Edward Winfield, father of Peter Winfield, who migrated to Anson County along the Rocky River about 1785, own two patents, one on Jeneto Creek and another on the Branches of Avents Creek.

766  Edward Winfield    3 Jul 1752     VPB 31:126       466a Brunswick/ S side Jeneto Creek     237  Edward Winfield    5 Sep 1749     VPB 28:678       410a Brunswick/ on the Branches of Avents Creek

Peter would marry Charlotte Freeman, daughter of Arthur Freeman and his brother Joshua would marry her sister Jemima Freeman. The younger of Arthur Freeman and Agnes Stokes Freeman's daughters, Kesiah Freeman, would marry Richard Meanley (would evolve into Manley). The Meanley's along with Freeman and Stokes and Robertson relatives, would be in the party of travelers that Peter and Charlotte Freeman Winfield would emigrate to Anson County, North Carolina. Peter would buy land from Henry Mounger, whose name also shows up in Mecklenburg County, Virginia before showing up in those of Anson and Montgomery counties of North Carolina. Joshua Winfield would remain in Brunswick and after the death of Jemima Freeman Winfield, would marry Rebecca Thrower Carloss, daughter of Hezekiah Thrower and widow of Robertson Carloss. Some of Joshua's children and his stepson would migrate with Peter to Anson. While the older generation would stay there, the younger generation would continue to migrate to Marlboro County, South Carolina. Among these were the Roberston brothers, Drury Jr. and James, who had married Winfield sisters, nieces of Peter, Mary and Martha Winfield, while Peter and Drury Robertson Sr would remain in Anson along with son Booth Robertson. Also among these were nephew Joel Winfield, who would help establish Bennetsville, SC and ran an Ordinary there. Richard Meanly and Kesiah would be in the bunch of Anson residents along with Ropers, Randles, Howells and Logans who would migrate to Tennessee by the 1820's. 

Other families who lived in this same area, on the creeks that crossed the northern eastern border of Mecklenburg and northwestern border of Brunswick were the Penningtons, Laniers, Taylors, Nance, Malone, Duke, Ezell, Fielding and a very good friend of Peter Winfield, Sam Marshall. Many other families some of whose relations would migrate to the Anson/Rowan/Montgomery/Cabarrus/Stanly County area of North Carolina also orignated in Southside Virginia, although from along different sections of this county and with other combinations of families including Chandlers who settled along the Meherrin River.

 712  Samuel Marshall  6 Apr 1769 VPB 38:587  366a Mecklenburg/ N side of Avent's Cr.
511  Drury Malone 12 May 1759 VPB 34:290 390a Lunenburg/ Brs. of Jeneto Cr. and Avents Cr.
509  Drury Malone 12 May 1759 VPB 34:277 300a Lunenburg/ on both sides of Jeneto Creek
724  George Malone jr 15 Jun 1773 VPB 41:378 420a Mecklenburg/ on the brs. of Avents & Jenento Cr.
87   Thomas Malone 12 May 1759 VPB 34:321 705a Lunenburg/ N side of Jeneto Creek
 547  John Taylor Duke 20 Aug 1760 VPB 34:661 245a Lunenburg/ head of Taylor's Cr. & Flatt Cr.
366  John Taylor Duke  14 Aug 1754 VPB 32:387 400a Lunenburg/ on the head brs. of Jeneto Cr.

277  Joseph Chandler 10 Jun 1760 VPB 34:510 1850a Lunenburg/ both Sides of the S Fork of Meherrin Riv.
276  Joseph Chandler of Lunenburg 3 Jul 1750 LUDB 2 p17-18 246a Lunenburg/ both sides S fk of Meherrin R,

 725  Sack Penington   15 Jun 1773    VPB 41:399   405a Mecklenburg/ on the Waters of Jeneto & Avents Cr.
     406  William Penington  16 Aug 1756    VPB 33:66   367a Lunenburg/ both sides of Stiths Cr.
     225  John George Pennington  1 Oct 1727 VPB 28:231  235a Brunswick/ on E side Taylors Creek adj William Pennington
     263  James Pennington   9 Oct 1753 VPB 31:423 400a Lunenburg/ S side Avents Cr. on S side Meherrin River
     727  William Pennington 15 Jun 1773 VPB 41:401 410a Mecklenburg/ waters of Avents & Jenato Cr. and Adjoining
     252  William Pennington  3 Nov 1750 VPB 30:403 630a Lunenburg/ on the head Brs. of Avents Cr.
     689  William Pennington  25 Mar 1762    VPB 34:1002 400a Lunenburg/ on both sides of Miles Creek
     726  James Pennington  15 Jun 1773 VPB 41:400 135a Mecklenburg/ N side of Avents Cr. Adjoining his own line

Both the Davis family and the Winfield family originated in Surry County. Edward Winfield was the son of Jarvis Winfield of Surry and Henry Davis, several of whose children settled in Mecklenburg and Brunswick, was from Surry. There was already a separate and possibly unrelated Davis family who was already there when Henry Davis and Mary Marriott Davis heirs arrived there. Henry Davis was the son of James Davis and Elizabeth Warren. His family roots trace back to the Jamestown Ship Captain James Davis, son of Sir Thomas Davis and wife Rebekah Keyes.  Jarvis Winfield was the son of William Winfield and the grandson of Jarvis Dix and Hannah Wynne, daughter of Sir Thomas Wynne.  The Win(g)field family also has roots in the origins of Jamestown. These are very old Virginia families. 

I recently traveled to this part of Virginia on vacation, trying to find anything I could on the families I descend from and above all, to find definitive proof of the parentage of Job Davis. It became more clear, that my theory of his being a grandson of Henry Davis and Mary Marriott Davis, because of his close association with Josiah and Mary Tillman Floyd, whom he migrated with in 1794, at the age of 21, and according to the 1839 deposition he gave for Mary to receive a widow's pension from Josiah Floyds' Revolutionary War service, lived with them for 18 months and lived within 2 miles from them for almost 40 years. 

Mary Tillman Floyd was a granddaughter of Henry Davis and Mary Marriott Davis. Records clearly trace the marriages of her mother, Rebekah Ann Davis, oldest daughter of the above couple, who first married a Roger Tillman, had 3 children Mary, Nancy and Henry. Henry named his mother and his two sisters in his will. She then married James Taylor and had several more children. James Taylor and his family, in particular, were also very entangled with the Floyd, Davis and Winfield families. 

While I did not find a document that named Job as the son of any particular Davis, I was able to find several documents of close interaction between these families, and through the process of elimination, narrowed down to who were not his parents, and then possibly who may have definately been. 

The biggest treasure was finding the Will of Randolph (sometimes seen as Randle) Davis, who had married his first cousin, Hannah Marriott, daughter of Thomas Marriott and niece of Mary Marriott Davis. The name Thomas Marriott, be it her father or her brother, Thomas Marriott , Jr. is often seen in close association with the Winfields as well. 

What I left with was two assurances and two probabilities. 

- Job Davis and his future wife Sarah Winfield, both born in Mecklenburg County, Virginia in 1773, probably knew each other from childhood.

-They both grew up on Taylor's Creek in St. James Parrish. 

- Per Randolph Davis' will, his brother James was living in 1825 when his will was written. 

- James Davis, whose will I will have to order and wait on, was living in Mecklenburg County at the time of Job's birth. He married first Sarah Holmes and second, in Brunswick, Lucy Walker. Both the wills of James Davis and Lucy Walker Davis are in Brunswick County, 1830.

The Will of Randolph Davis

June 25, 2017, 7:45 am

≫ Next: Maw Maw, where is Paw? "He ran off to Arkansas".

≪ Previous: A Trip to Virginia

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Randolph Davis was one of the sons of Henry Davis and Mary Marriott. I've always thought of him as an ancestral Uncle, and not a direct ancestor, because the name Randolph, or Randall as he is sometimes seen, did not travel down my direct line. But in a time when there were too many James', William's and John's, Randolph was one whom I could readily identify, because at the time, he and his brother Marriott I, were the only ones.

Both of them, I discovered, ended up in Brunswick and Mecklenburg Counties, Virginia. And the Davis I was looking for lived in Mecklenburg County in 1773, when my Sixth Great-Grandfather, who would come to make his home in Stanly County, NC, along the Rocky River, was born there.




Randolph Davis and his siblings were likely all born in Surry County, Virginia. Surry County was formed in 1652 from a portion of James City County, and was located south of the James River. This branch of my family tree, I have discovered, had its start in Jamestown with Captain James Davis and his wife Rebekah Keyes Davis, son of Sir Thomas Davis. Captain Davis did not stay there in the early days, but was back and forth, between the colonies and England. He and his father both, eventually did retire there, after things were healthier and more established. He did survive one really bad winter there, however, and that may have been why it was many years before he brought his family.






Henry Davis was the son of James Davis III, a Great-Grandson of Captain James, who married Elizabeth Warren, daughter of  Thomas John Warren. The Warren's were also a very old Virginia family.

The line is:

Sir Thomas Davis of Devon, wife unknown.

Two son, James and Robert, both Sea Captains and sailed for England helping to establish and supply the new colonies.

"was among the company of men assembled by Sir John Popham, 1607, to settle the region of Virginia which later was designated New England."

From The Adventures of Purse and Person.


He married Rachel Keyes about 1608. They had two sons. Later in his career, Captain James started a plantation South of the James River. There he died in the winter of 1622 or 1623, James City, Henrico, Nansemond County when it was noted by a man named Hotten that "James Davis, dead at his plantation over the water from James City" on February 16, 1623.

His son Thomas was born about 1613. In 1634, he was given a patent for 300 acres on Warwicksquicke Creek.  He was in Norfolk by1637 and Nansemond in 1642. Thomas married Elizabeth Bagwell and died in 1673.

From History of Perquimans County by Ellen Goode Rawlings Winslow. Published 1931.

Thomas Davis of Warricksqueake, planter—son of James, late of Henrico, in 
Vir’ dec’d, was granted 300a of land on Warricksqueake Creek, “100 in 
right of his father, an ancient planter, who came to Va in the “George” 
1617, and 100a in right of his mother Rachel, wife of sd James.” Mar 6, 
1633. Thomas made deposition in Norfolk Co Va 1640. He sold a grant from 
Sir Wm Berkeley June 1, 1649, to Thomas Maros, who sold sd land 400a unto 
Robert Bowers, who in like manner gave the land to his dau Mary, wife of 
Thomas Davis, and was conveyed by them Nov 14, 1708, unto Phillip Reynolds 
Mer’cht, “lying on W. side of Western Branch,” in which deed Thomas Davis 
is styled, “of Nansemond Co. planter.”

Their son Thomas was born in 1658 and died in 1720. He married Elizabeth Plaw, who was born at Smith's Fort and died in 1726 in Surry County.

They were the parents of James Davis, born in 1682 and died on 21 January 1745 who married Elizabeth Warren.

They, in turn were the parents of Henry Davis who married Mary Marriott, daughter of William Marriott and granddaughter of Mathias Marriott. More on them in another post.

Henry and Mary had a large family of 12 childdren:

The Children of Henry Davis and Mary Marriott Davis, He the son of James Davis and Elizabeth Warren, she the daughter of William Marriott and Sarah Collier. 

1) William Davis married Martha Wells Thompson

2) Benjamin Davis married Tabitha Rose

3) Rebecca Ann Davis married 1st) Roger Tillman Married 2nd) James Taylor

4) Hannah Davis

5) Isham Davis married Sarah Long. Migrated to Halifax Co. NC then to Wilson Co. TN.

6) Keziah Davis

7) Elizabeth Davis married John Rose

8) Randolph Davis married Hannah Marriott daughter of his Uncle Thomas Marriott

9) Henry Davis Jr. 

10) Marriott Davis married Mary Nicholson

11) James Davis married 1st) Sarah Holmes married 2nd) Lucy Walker died in 1830 in Brunswick County. 

12) Sylvia Davis married Sterling Wright son of Solomon Wright. Moved to North Carolina. 

At times, there is also a Joshua, Charles and Edward Davis attributed to this marriage. I will have to do more research before coming to that conclusion. There is a Joshua Davis who shows up in the early records of Anson County and Montgomery County, North Carolina.


It must also be noted that the children younger than Randolph were under 21 at the time of Henry's death and were appointed guardians in the court. James and Henry were appointed James Taylor, their brother-in-law, and husband Rebecca Ann Davis Tillman Taylor, mother of Mary Tillman Floyd with whom Job Davis migrated from Virginia to North Carolina with and Silvia Davis, the youngest child, was appointed Joshua Winfield, brother of Peter Winfield who also migrated to North Carolina and whose daughter, Sarah Winfield became the wife of Job Davis after the death of her first husband Richard Howell. After research on Richard Howell, it has become fairly clear that his roots originated with the Jordan and Howell families of this same area of Virginia.


I will cover land records in a later post, but one of the treasures of my trip to Virginia was the discovery of the Will of Randolph Davis in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. I have never seen any records in my research of the Davis family, of any of the descendants of either Marriott or Randolph Davis. Davis descendants often list Randolphs marriage to Hannah Marriott and leave it at that. But according to the records and to his will, he was the Patriarch of a large branch of the Davis Family Tree.

Listed in his will are a living wife and the following children and grandchildren:

Children of Randolph Davis and Hannah Marriott Davis living in 1825:

1) John Davis
2) Robert Davis
3) William Davis
4) Henry Davis
5) Benjamin Davis
6) Betsy Taylor
7) Rebeckah Vaughn
8) Nancy Cheatham
9) Daughter "S....Y" who married a Moon, Her children mention are Sally Moon, Harry Moon and Betsy Moon. The letter that begins the name is definately an "S" and looks the same as the S to start Sally, but the others could be interpreted as "Saucy" or "Savory". It appears most as S... ae or us..gap..sey or ssy. It could be a spelling of Susey, short for Susanna. 

So far in my research of this family, I have discovered that William married Mary Cheatham, daughter of  Daniel Cheatham and his wife Agnes Robertson Cheatham and Nancy Davis married her brother Samuel as his second wife.

Elizabeth "Betsy" Davis married Goodwin Taylor
Rebeckah Davis married Robert Vaughn, son of Ambrose Vaughn.

I can not find any record of a Davis marrying a Moon, in fact the only Moon marriage in Mecklenburg was that of a Joseph Moon to a Joan Johnson, several decades before the Davis children were born. It could be that Randolph's "S" daughter married a son of this couple.

The names of the sons are so common, and with the record number of migrations out of this area to less populated areas south and west during this era, it will take awhile to determine which John, Robert, Henry, William and Benjamin Davis are the sons of Randolph and Hannah. It would have been much nicer if they had named their sons Eupradites, Grief, Mitchum, Buckner or River, which are names I have seen parents give to sons during this era.

And now for the Will:

"In the name of God, I Randolph Davis in the county of Mecklenburg VA do ordain constitute & make this my last will and testament in manner and form following, that is to say,that as soon after my decease as may be committed my Exec. herein after named shall be moved to sell all my estate both real and personal at publick sale the personal estate in a credit of 12 months and all my real estate on a credit of  one & two years selling the real estate in such tract and quantity of acres as shall appear most advantageous for my estate in the opinion of my Exectuto. I then give and bequest the proceeds arising from the sale of my estate in the manner and form following, that is to say in the first place it is my will and desire that all my just and equitable debts be justly and honestly paid as soon as possible after my decease and that the remains of my estate I give as follows viz: To my son John Davis I give and  (illegible) the sum of $500, 2nd for my son Robert I give and bequest the sum of  $300. To my son William I give and bequest the sum of $10. To my son Henry I give and bequest the sum of $5. To my son Benjamin I give and bequest the sum of $10. To my daughter Betsy Taylor I give and bequest the sum of  $100. To my daughter Rebeckah Vaughn I give and bequest the sum of $100.  To each of the children of my daughter Nancy Cheatham I give and bequest the sum of $50. To Sally Moon daughter of  S****Y Moon, I give and bequest $33. To Harry Moon her son I give and bequest $33. To Betsy Moon her daughter I give and bequest $33. And all the rest and residue of my estate it is my will and desire should be equally divided between my sons John, William, Benjamin and Robert. And I hereby constiture and appoint my brother James Davis and my friends Edwin H. Peete & Daniel Middaugh as my Executors to this my last will and testament hereby revoking all wills herebefore subsribed. This 5th day of August, 1823.

                                                                                           Randolph Davis (Seal)

Signed in the Presence of Us

D Middaugh
Lewis G. Crutchfield
Samuel x Crutchfield
      his mark 

The following codicil is upon my request added to this my last will. Item that part of the land that I purchased of William Q Cook, which the said William Cook purchased of Samuel Cheatham containing about 80 or so acres I desire may not be sold by my Executors and my will is that it be laid off by my Executors and I here by give the said tract of land to my son Benjamin in addition to what I have hereforto given him and his heirs forever. 

                                                                                         Randolph Davis

Witness:

Phillip S Land
Ambrose x Vaughn
      his mark

At Court held for the County of Mecklenburg on the 16th day of February 1824 The last will and testament of Randolph Davis within written was proved by the court into court by Daniel Middaugh the executor therein named and proved by the oaths of Lewis G Crutchfield and Samuel Crutchfield  and a codicil therein proved by the oaths of  Phillip S. Sands  &  Ambrose Vaughn subscribing witnesses thereto and ordered to be recorded and on motion of Daniel Middaugh the Executor therein named who made oath according to law aCertified is granted him for obtaining probate through in one form whereupon he together with Jones Gee, Joseph S. Grigory, Benjamin P. Pennington entered into bond for that purpose and qualified according to law. 

                                                                                       Edmond L Tabb C. Comm.



And now I commence to try to find clues among the land records I copied to the fate of these persons named in the will.

            

Maw Maw, where is Paw? "He ran off to Arkansas".

September 1, 2017, 6:31 am

≫ Next: It's 1870. Where is the Family of Henry Davis

≪ Previous: The Will of Randolph Davis

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"Maw, Maw! Where Is Paw?"
"He ran off to Arkansas."

The above rhyme is one I have heard from the old folks of Stanly County, and has survived even to this day.

In my research of the old court record of  the case of Joyce Ann Fisher, and Wiley Monroe Barringer, I found the story of a love story gone wrong. Of the relationship of a young couple who lived on the border of Stanly and Cabarrus Counties in the reconstruction era of the 19th century and who had a daughter, but the relationship did not end in marriage.

Sadly, the young man married another shortly after his daughter was born and started a large family. He met his legal financial obligations, but apparently never looked back and showed no legal recognition, as often, but not always, happened during those years.


The mother of the child, Joyce Ann Fisher, lived with family, and later, her daughter and son-in-law, for the remainder of her days. She kept herself and her daughter up for awhile, apparently, running a boarding house and renting rooms, while her daughter Ada, found work at a young age in the Cotton Mills of the era.

Wiley Monroe Barringer and his wife BellaZorra or Isabell Zorra Page Barringer went on to have a large family of 11 children, which they raised in Cabarrus County, near Gold Hill, around the Cabarrus/Rowan County line, not far from the northern end of Stanly County.




In this story, I want to focus on one son, who seemed to have disappeared, but not so entirely that he was unable to track down.

For whatever reason, Arkansas was a common destination for many area young men and even families, looking for a greener pasture. A well-known and often told story of "the only man to be hanged in Stanly County", was that of Alex Whitley, a local scoundrel and petty criminal, who headed off to Arkansas with his half-sister (and reputed girlfriend) and several associates, to escape from accusations of crimes here, only to commit a proven murder there, of school teacher and Stanly Count resident,  Burt Tucker.

And, for whatever reason, George Wesley Homer Barringer, the fourth child of Wiley and Belle, was another of these Arkansas rangers.

Name:	George W Barringer
Age:	17
Birth Date:	Aug 1882
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1900:	Reed Misenheimers, Cabarrus, North Carolina
House Number:	2
Sheet Number:	17A
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation:	271
Family Number:	274
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Son
Marital Status:	Single
Father's name:	Wiley M Barringer
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's name:	Bell Z Barringer
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	Farm Laborer
Months not employed:	1
Attended School:	1
Can Read:	Yes
Can Write:	Yes
Can Speak English:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Wiley M Barringer 46 Bell Z Barringer 39 Cara L Barringer 19 George W Barringer 17 Paul M Barringer 15 John A Barringer 14 William A Barringer 11 Clarlie L Barringer 9 Clarence R Barringer 7 Lawson R Barringer 0

Born in 1887, Wesley, as we will call him, first shows up as a teenager in his parents home in 1900, in the Misenheimer area, which is on the northernmost edge of Stanly County, but they lived on the Cabarrus side of the line.

Shortly afterward, and oddly, on Christmas Day in 1902 , he married Lucy Roxie Isenhour, daughter of  Daniel M F Isenhour and wife Roseann Powles Isenhour of the same area, "Reed Misenheimer's", Cabarrus County. Lucy was a little older than he was, and nearly exactly to the day, nine months later, their first child, Elsie Irene arrived, on September 24, 1903.

Elsie was quickly followed by two younger brothers, Roy Glenn Barringer on April 20, 1905 and Howard Franklin Monroe Barringer in February of 1909.

Name:	George W Barringer [Geroge W Barringer]
Age in 1910:	27
Birth Year:	abt 1883
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1910:	Township 7, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Lucy R Barringer
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Native Tongue:	English
Occupation:	Farmer
Industry:	General Farm
Employer, Employee or Other:	Employer
Home Owned or Rented:	Rent
Farm or House:	Farm
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Years Married:	7
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age George W Barringer 27 Lucy R Barringer 28 Elsie I Barringer 6 Roy G Barringer 4 Howard F M Barringer 1

The 1910 census shows a typical young farm family of 5, renting a farm in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, having all three of their children survive, and having been married for 7 years.

But something was restless in Wesley's soul. Something was awry, because in the next decade, his world, and that of his family will have changed.



Fold 3 link to George W. Barringer card
There may have been a military explanation, or behind the action. Or perhaps, another explanation may have been something to do with the railroad.

The 1920 census gives this information on Lucy and her children;

Name:	Lucie R Barringer [Lucie R Bannen]
Age:	39
Birth Year:	abt 1881 [abt 1883]
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	Reed Misenheimers, Cabarrus, North Carolina
House Number:	Farm
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Native Tongue:	English
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Owner
Industry:	Farm
Employment Field:	Own Account
Home Free or Mortgaged:	Free
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Lucie R Barringer 39 Elsie I Barringer 16 Roy G Barringer 14 Howard F Barringer 10

She appears to be living in the same house, in the same area. She owns her farm and all three children are listed as farm labour. Many of her neighbors are Isenhours, and possibly, and hopefully, for her benefit, were relatives that could help out. Her marital status is "Married", not widowed, not divorced. Lucy was, obviously, an abandoned woman. Whether she knew the whereabouts of her husband is unknown.

In the Cabarrus land records, a deed exists that can help to explain Lucy's mode of survival.

Book 100 Page 247  March 23, 1923

An Indenture between R. C. Isenhour and Lucy Barringer. For the sum of $1.00, 21.01 acres in Number 7 Township, Cabarrus County. "The conditions of the above declare that at her death the said lands divert to her three children. 

R. C. Isenhour referred to her mother, Roseann Camilla Powles Isenhour.



However, this is the family of George Wesley Homer Barringer in 1920.

Name:	Wesley Barringer
Age:	37
Birth Year:	abt 1883
Birthplace:	Tennessee
Home in 1920:	De Roche, Hot Spring, Arkansas
Street:	Unnamed
House Number:	X
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Ninie Barringer
Father's Birthplace:	Tennessee
Mother's Birthplace:	Tennessee
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Grademan
Industry:	Railroad
Employment Field:	Wage or Salary
Home Owned or Rented:	Rent
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Wesley Barringer 37 Ninie Barringer 27 Albert Barringer 8

Upon first glance, it looks like, "Whoa, this is not the right person." He's a grademan for the railroad, but it has him as "Wesley" and not ""George" and it claims his birth place is Tennessee.

And oddly, on his application for Social Security, he also goes by only his middle two names, and lists his birthplace as "Chattanooga, Tennessee", HOWEVER, his parents are listed as Wiley Barringer and Belle Page.  But the 1900 census claims his birthplace as North Carolina with the rest of his siblings.

Name:	Wesley H Barringer
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Birth Date:	15 Aug 1887
Birth Place:	Chattanoga, Tennessee
Father:	Wiley Barringer
Mother:	Bell Page
Type of Claim:	Original SSN.
Notes:	Feb 1937: Name listed as WESLEY H BARRINGER

The fact is, there was no other combination of a Wiley Barringer and Bell Page living anywhere in America at this time that could have produced this son, only our Wiley and Bell, and certainly none in Tennessee at the time. Wesley H. Barringer HAD to be George Wiley H. Barringer of Gold Hill Township, Cabarrus County, North Carolina.

His Veteran's Administration Pension Payment Card corroborates the fact that his first name WAS, Actually "George".




As does the Headstone Application for US Veterans, Listing Fayetteville, Arkansas as his residence.





While listing the "H" in his name as Homer in some instances,  on his WWI draft registration card, in 1914, his middle name is listed as "Howard" instead. He apparently was ambivalent there for awhile about what his middle, or third name should be.

World War I Draft Card

His WWII Draft Card, part of "The Old Man's Draft" for those aged 45 to 64, gives ambivalence a new oddity, on the same card. Under "name" he is listed as Wesley Homer Barringer, yet he signs it, Wesley Herman Barringer.




Here, he lists his birthplace as Hamilton, Tennessee. But there were no Wesley H. Barringer's born in the 1880's in Hamilton, Tennessee.

So......Where did the Hamilton, Tennessee come from and who was Nina Barringer?

Nina Irma Wagner was born on September 15, 1893 in Danbury, Red Willow County, Nebraska. She was the daughter of George Leroy Wagner and Alverda Emily Wagner. She grew up in Jaspar County, Missouri, and the family is there by the 1900 census. Her father was born in Ohio and her mother in Kentucky, yet the 1920 census also gives her birthplace as Tennesse and the same for both parents. Neither was true.

Name:	Nina I Wagner [Nina I Wayner]
Age in 1910:	17
Birth Year:	abt 1893
Birthplace:	Nebraska
Home in 1910:	Duval, Jasper, Missouri
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Daughter
Marital Status:	Single
Father's name:	Geo L Wagner
Father's Birthplace:	Ohio
Mother's name:	Verda E Wagner
Mother's Birthplace:	Kentucky
Native Tongue:	English
Attended School:	No
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Geo L Wagner 52 Verda E Wagner 54 Nina I Wagner 17 Stanley P Wagner 14

Nina and Wesley claim to have married, yet I've not been able to find a marriage license. It could be that Hamilton County, Tennesse is where they met, and thus became "reborn". Wesley may have figured being guilty of fornication was a lot less trouble than being guilty of bigamy, as the former was not prosecuted in the 1920's as it was in the 1880's, but the latter most certainly was.

There is not a marriage license listed for them in Hamilton County, Tennesse or in Arkansas.


Wesley Barringer and  Nina Wagoner's first census together was the 1920 one. It gives us a few clues as to how their relationship may have came about.

Name: Wesley Barringer Age: 37 Birth Year: abt 1883 Birthplace: Tennessee Home in 1920: De Roche, Hot Spring, Arkansas Street: Unnamed House Number: X Race: White Gender: Male Relation to Head of House: Head Marital Status: Married Spouse's Name: Ninie Barringer Father's Birthplace: Tennessee Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee Able to Speak English: Yes Occupation: Grademan Industry: Railroad Employment Field: Wage or Salary Home Owned or Rented: Rent Able to Read: Yes Able to Write: Yes Neighbors: View others on page Household Members: Name Age Wesley Barringer 37 Ninie Barringer 27 Albert Barringer 8

It tells us that Wesley was working for the Railroad, which gave citizens greater mobility. It claims their place of origin as Tennessee, where no one who could be mistaken for either of them existed.

Their 8 year old son Albert is said to be born in Arkansas, which would place them in Arkansas by 1912. This means that shortly after the 1910 census, George Wesley Barringer obtained a job with the railroad, probably in nearby Salisbury or Spencer, most likely ended up in Tennessee or Missouri, where Nina's family was in 1910. There began their relationship and they somehow chose the popular destination of Arkansas to begin their family.

Name:	Wesley Barringer
Birth Year:	abt 1890
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Birthplace:	Tennessee
Marital Status:	Married
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Home in 1930:	De Roche, Hot Spring, Arkansas
Map of Home:	View Map
Dwelling Number:	87
Family Number:	89
Home Owned or Rented:	Owned
Radio Set:	No
Lives on Farm:	Yes
Age at First Marriage:	20
Attended School:	No
Able to Read and Write:	Yes
Father's Birthplace:	Tennessee
Mother's Birthplace:	Tennessee
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Farmer
Industry:	Own Farm
Class of Worker:	Working on own account
Employment:	Yes
Household Members:	Name Age Wesley Barringer 40 Nina Barringer 36 Ralph Barringer 9 Eughene Barringer 4

Two more sons have joined the family. They claimed to be married and Wesley gave his age for first marriage as 20 while Nina gave hers as 15. Here, Wesley claims to only be 4 years older than Nina, while in 1920, he was 10 years older than her. Oldest son Albert had already married by 1930 and had established his own household by age 18.

Name:	Albert Baringer [Odbert Baringer]
Birth Year:	abt 1912
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Birthplace:	Arkansas
Marital Status:	Married
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Home in 1930:	De Roche, Hot Spring, Arkansas
Map of Home:	View Map
Dwelling Number:	58
Family Number:	60
Home Owned or Rented:	Rented
Radio Set:	No
Lives on Farm:	Yes
Age at First Marriage:	18
Attended School:	No
Able to Read and Write:	Yes
Father's Birthplace:	Tennessee
Mother's Birthplace:	Tennessee
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Farmer
Industry:	Rented Farm
Class of Worker:	Working on own account
Household Members:	Name Age Albert Baringer 18 Edna Baringer 17

Name: Wesly Barringer Age: 52 Estimated birth year: abt 1888 Gender: Male Race: White Birthplace: Tennessee Marital Status: Married Relation to Head of House: Head Home in 1940: De Roche, Hot Spring, Arkansas Map of Home in 1940: View Map Farm: Yes Inferred Residence in 1935: De Roche, Hot Spring, Arkansas Residence in 1935: Same Place Sheet Number: 3B Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 54 Occupation: Farming House Owned or Rented: Owned Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented: 200 Attended School or College: No Highest Grade Completed: Elementary school, 5th grade Class of Worker: Working on own account Weeks Worked in 1939: 52 Income: 0 Income Other Sources: Yes Neighbors: View others on page Household Members: Name Age Wesly Barringer 52 Nina Barringer 47 Ralph Barringer 19 Eugene Barringer 14 The last census we have to observe this family is that of the 1940. Ralph and Eugene are now in their teens and Wesley and Nina are in the same place, farming.  Name: Albert Barringer Age: 28 Estimated birth year: abt 1912 Gender: Male Race: White Birthplace: Arkansas Marital Status: Married Relation to Head of House: Head Home in 1940: De Roche, Hot Spring, Arkansas Map of Home in 1940: View Map Farm: Yes Inferred Residence in 1935: De Roche, Hot Spring, Arkansas Residence in 1935: Same Place Sheet Number: 4A Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 56 Occupation: Farming Industry: Farm House Owned or Rented: Rented Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented: 1 Attended School or College: No Highest Grade Completed: Elementary school, 8th grade Hours Worked Week Prior to Census: 60 Class of Worker: Working on own account Weeks Worked in 1939: 52 Income: 0 Income Other Sources: Yes Neighbors: View others on page Household Members: Name Age Albert Barringer 28 Edna Barringer 27 Louise Barringer 4 Albert was also still living in Hot Springs and farming. Below is the obituary for the middle son of this union, Ralph Barringer.

GENCY FUNERAL HOME MALVERN, ARKANSAS

Ralph "Slim" Barringer

( February 17, 1921 - December 18, 2006 )

Ralph “Slim” Barringer, age 85, of New DeRoche, Arkansas passed away December 18, 2006 at his home. He was born February 17, 1921 at New DeRoche, the son of Wesley and Nina (Wagner) Barringer. He was a WWII Army veteran serving in an Infantry 30th Division “Old Hickory”, and was also in the Airborne and Engineers Division. He served in the invasion at Normandy and received a Purple Heart and 2 Oak Leaf Clusters. He worked for General Motors, and for Reynolds Metals Company in the holding furnace, and was a farmer. He was also affiliated with Bismarck United Methodist Church.

He is preceded in death by his parents, a daughter, Tonya Barringer, and two brothers, Albert and Eugene Barringer.

Survivors are his wife of forty years, Sandra (Hudgens) Barringer; daughter, Rhonda Barringer and granddaughter, Whitney Barringer, all of New DeRoche; niece, Louise Loy of Natches, Mississippi; great-niece and nephew, Debbie Draper, of New DeRoche, and Steve Loy of Dallas, Texas; and a host of friends.

Visitation will be Tuesday, December 19th from 6:00 to8:00 p.m. at Regency Funeral Home in Malvern.

Graveside Services will be at 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, December 20th at Prairie Bayou Cemetery with full military honors by Thaddeus H. Caraway Post 2278. Reverend Gail Baldwin and Brother Bobby Looper will officiate.

Pallbearers are Arvin Booy, Adolph Hughes, Mark Johnson, Jim Harsh, Gary Burroughs, Bill Hudgens, Tommy Barton, and Wesley Anderson. Honorary pallbearers are Waymon Prince and Darrell Clifton.

Arrangements are by Regency Funeral Home, Malvern, Arkansa

Meanwhile, in North Carolina:

Name:	Lucy R Barringer
Birth Year:	abt 1883
Gender:	Female
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Married
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Homemaker?:	Yes
Home in 1930:	Township 7, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Map of Home:	View Map
Street address:	Connon Dist road
Home Owned or Rented:	Owned
Radio Set:	No
Lives on Farm:	Yes
Attended School:	No
Able to Read and Write:	Yes
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Farmer
Industry:	General Farm
Class of Worker:	Working on own account
Employment:	Yes
Household Members:	Name Age Lucy R Barringer 47 Elsie J Barringer 26

Lucy is still living on her property with her daughter Elsie and claiming to be married, still waiting on her missing husband, George Wesley Barringer.

By 1940, she has assumed he is dead, and listed herself as a widow. Her daughter Elsie still with her. Elsie did not marry until later.

Name:	Lucy Barringer
Respondent:	Yes
Age:	58
Estimated birth year:	abt 1882
Gender:	Female
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Widowed
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Home in 1940:	Reed Misenheimers, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Map of Home in 1940:	View Map
Farm:	Yes
Inferred Residence in 1935:	Reed Misenheimers, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Residence in 1935:	Same House
Sheet Number:	8A
Number of Household in Order of Visitation:	128
House Owned or Rented:	Owned
Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented:	225
Attended School or College:	No
Highest Grade Completed:	Elementary school, 6th grade
Weeks Worked in 1939:	0
Income:	0
Income Other Sources:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Lucy Barringer 58 Elsie Barringer 36

But Wesley was not dead, he was very much alive.

George Wesely Homer (or Howard) Barringer passed away on November 2, 1957 in DeRoche, Hot Springs County, Arkansas.




He was buried next to his second wife Nina Wagoner Barringer.

Lucy Isenhour Barringer died on September 26, 1957, just two months before Wesley. She passed away in Cabarrus County, North Carolina and was buried at Lower Stone Church near Gold Hill, Rowan County, North Carolina.



Her death certificate lists her as a widow and her husband as George Wesley Barringer.


The Complete Lineage of George Wesley H. Barringer is as follows:

Married Lucy Roxie Isenhour (1881-1957) on December 25, 1902

1)  Elise Irene Barringer b September 24, 1903 d March 7, 1981
      Married  Arey Franklin Sides. 

2) Roy Glenn Barringer b April 20, 1905 d Jan 9 1980 
     Married Margie Pauline Barringer.

3) Howard Franklin Monroe Barringer b February 17, 1909 d December 22, 1986
     Married  Mary Pauline Hatley


With Nina Irma Wagner (1893 Danbury, Red Willow County, Nebraska, grew up in Jaspar, Missouri, met Barringer, possibly in Tennessee in 1910. Died 1986 in Hot Springs, Arkansas.)

4) Albert Wesley Barringer b November 13, 1911  d June 22, 1974 Buried Hot Springs, Arkansas
      Married Edna Phillips

5) Perry Ralph "Slim" Barringer b February 17, 1921 d December 18, 2006 
      Married Sandra Hudgens

6) Eldrid Eugene Barringer b September 12, 1925 d December 13, 1944 in France. WWII. Buried in  Hot Springs, Arkansas.

It's 1870. Where is the Family of Henry Davis

September 15, 2017, 4:31 am

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This is a subject that has me perplexed. I know Henry Davis passed away sometime between 1862 and 1865. His brother, Edward Winfield Davis had him declared insane and took over his affairs far before the 1860 census, wherein Henry and his wife Martha are shown living with their children in, I believe, Ridenhour Township. Only the younger daughters, Martha, Mary, Laura and Victoria, are living there and none of the sons.

Name:	Henry Davis
Age:	54
Birth Year:	abt 1806
Gender:	Male
Birth Place:	North Carolina
Home in 1860:	Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office:	Albemarle
Family Number:	802
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Henry Davis 54 Martha Davis 44 Mary Davis 18 Martha J Davis 16 Laua Davis 10 Victoria Davis 7

Oldest son, Benjamin Franklin Davis, by his first wife, Sarah Kendall, daughter of Reuben Kendall, has married, to Julia Ann Sibley, daughter of Elijah M. Sibley, and has become the father of two sons. 

Name:	B F Davis
Age:	30
Birth Year:	abt 1830
Gender:	Male
Birth Place:	North Carolina
Home in 1860:	Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office:	Albemarle
Family Number:	332
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age B F Davis 30 Julia Davis 20 Holum Davis 3 Mathew Davis 1

He is seen living in the Tyson area of Stanly County, judging by his neighbors. 

Name:	J E Davis [John Edward Davis]
Age:	39
Birth Year:	abt 1821
Gender:	Male
Birth Place:	North Carolina
Home in 1860:	Burnsville, Anson, North Carolina
Post Office:	Ansonville
Family Number:	80
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age J E Davis 39 Emeline Davis 24 Wm P Davis 7 Alexander Davis 4 Ada Davis 2 Infant Davis 1/12

Second son, John Edward Davis, also the grandson of Reuben Kendall, and also already married, is now living in Anson County, near the family of his wife, and is already the father of 4 children.

Name:	N B Wall
Age:	22
Birth Year:	abt 1838
Gender:	Female
Birth Place:	North Carolina
Home in 1860:	Police District 3, Carroll, Mississippi
Post Office:	Black Hawk
Family Number:	10
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age James Wall 41 N B Wall 22 Mary E Wall 20 A S Wall 14 E J Wall 11 S H Wall 8 Caroline Wall 6 James O Wall 3 C D Wall 8/12

Likewise, oldest daughter, Nancy Baldwin Davis, and first child by second wife, Martha Palmer, has became a new bride and the third wife of James Wall, just a year prior, in 1859. He has carted her off, with crying and protests, away from her family to Blackhawk, Mississippi. 

Name:	Sarah Crump
Age:	23
Birth Year:	abt 1837
Gender:	Female
Birth Place:	North Carolina
Home in 1860:	Cedar Hill, Anson, North Carolina
Post Office:	Ansonville
Family Number:	220
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Woodson Crump 38 Sarah Crump 23 William Crump 13 John Crump 12 Benjamin Crump 12 Joseph Crump 9 Jere Crump 5 Woodson Crump 8/12

Younger sister, Sarah Francis Davis, had also became a wife and stepmother to an already existing family, when in 1858, she married widower Woodson D. A. Crump, and by 1860, had already given birth to her first son, Woody. The Crumps lived just across the river from Norwood, Stanly County, in Cedar Hill, along the Old Market Road to Wadesboro, before you get to Ansonville. 

Name:	Hampton H Davis
Age:	20
Birth Year:	abt 1840
Gender:	Male
Home in 1860:	Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office:	Albemarle
Family Number:	258
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age E W Davis 48 Hampton H Davis 20 Allen Carpenter 18

The oldest son of Henry and Martha Palmer, Hampton H. Davis, is seen living, along with Allen Carpenter, with his uncle, Edward Winfield Davis, in what evidence would seem to indicate, at the old Davis homestead that belonged to his grandparents, Job and Sarah Davis, who had passed in recent years in the 1850's. While Hampton and younger brother, Horton H. Davis, both shared the initials "H. H. Davis", Hampton is shown as 10 in the 1850 census, and Horton H. as "Augton", much younger, born in 1846. So while several have tagged this as Horton H., it's really Hampton H. whose name as it appears in his Civil War records was actually "Henry Hampton Davis", but in those days Christian names appear to have been interchangeable at times.

The younger girls, Martha, Mary, Laura and Margartet Victoria, show up as living with their parents, but where are the two younger sons, Horton H. and Job, in 1860? Could they have been at school? 

A record of Rocky River Baptist Church showed Hampton, the older brother, and his nephew, William Postel Davis, son of John Edward, both attended there. 

And they certainly were not dead. Horton "Haut", is my direct ancestor and lived to marry and have a large family and Job clearly shows up later in Missisippi, living with the Walls, his oldest sister's family. 

So, the search for Haut and Little Job in 1860 is still on.


Henry dies during the next decade, his estate being settled in 1865 with son John E. Davis as Administrator. His estate records give zero clues as to his other children, or his widow, or even his cause of death.

1870 finds Frank Davis in Tyson township, probably on the Boone-Caudle Road property where he remains to this day. He and Julia have 6 children and Frank is 40.

Name:	B F Davis
Age in 1870:	40
Birth Year:	abt 1830
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Dwelling Number:	106
Home in 1870:	Tyson, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Occupation:	Farmer
Male Citizen Over 21:	Y
Personal Estate Value:	450
Real Estate Value:	600
Household Members:	Name Age B F Davis 40 Julia Davis 31 Holm Davis 12 Matthew Davis 11 Lorena Davis 7 Thomas Davis 5 Eliza Davis 3 Hartviill Davis 1

Rev. John E. Davis

John Edward Davis, second born, is in Burnsville. He was a minister.

Name:	John G Davis
Age in 1870:	40
Birth Year:	abt 1830
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Dwelling Number:	63
Home in 1870:	Burnsville, Anson, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Occupation:	Farmer
Male Citizen Over 21:	Y
Personal Estate Value:	1000
Real Estate Value:	1000
Household Members:	Name Age John G Davis 40 Emeline Davis 35 William Davis 17 Alexander Davis 14 Ada Davis 12 Thomas Davis 10 James Davis 6 Harriet Davis 4 Ella Davis 2 Martha Davis 14 George Davis 12

I wonder who the two children, Martha and George, who are described as a housekeeper and a farm hand, are and how they are connected to the family. Martha is white and George is black and there is no guarantee that they share the same surname. I believe the surname was just omitted.

Nancy Baldwin Davis Wall

Oldest daughter, Nancy Baldwin Davis Wall is in BlackHawk, Carroll County, Mississippi, where she will pass away in April of 1880

Name:	Nancy Wall
Age in 1870:	32
Birth Year:	abt 1838
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Dwelling Number:	120
Home in 1870:	Township 18 Range 5, Carroll, Mississippi
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Occupation:	Keeping House
Household Members:	Name Age James Wall 51 Nancy Wall 32 Susan Wall 18 Calie Wall 16 James Wall 14 Cornelia Wall 11 John Wall 8 William Wall 6 Benj Wall 3 Monserrat Parker 14 Wiley Parker 22 Susan Parker 1/12 Charles Wall 18

Third son Henry Hampton Davis, who also served in the Civil War with his older and younger brothers. By 1870, he has married a widow, Ann Eliza Allen High, the widow of a deceased Civil War solider, Anderson. The names of two of the children are incorrect in the census as "James D. Davis is actually James Darling High and the two year old "Emily High" is actually Emma M Davis, Hampton's daughter.

Name:	Hampton Davis
Age in 1870:	30
Birth Year:	abt 1840
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Dwelling Number:	186
Home in 1870:	Burnsville, Anson, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Occupation:	Farmer
Male Citizen Over 21:	Y
Personal Estate Value:	350
Household Members:	Name Age Hampton Davis 30 Ann E Davis 36 James D Davis 16 David High 10 Martha High 18 Emely High 2

Hampton settles in Burnsville, Anson County, just across the river from his family in Stanly, along with his brother John E. Davis.

Lallie Cramp [Sallie (Sarah Davis) Cramp]  [Sallie Crump]
Age in 1870:	32
Birth Year:	abt 1838
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Dwelling Number:	245
Home in 1870:	Ansonville, Anson, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Occupation:	Keeping House
Household Members:	Name Age Woodson Cramp 48 Lallie Cramp 32 Joseph A Cramp 18 Benjamin Cramp 18 Jermiah Cramp 17 Dodson Cramp 10 Theodor Cramp 9 Martha Cramp 6 Francis Cramp 5 Claudy Cramp 2 Lorah Cramp 18

Second daughter, Sarah or "Sallie" Davis has added children to the already large family of husband Woodson Crump. This entry was full of transcription errors due to a difficult to read handwriting by the census taker, "Lallie" is really Sallie and the 18 year old "Lorah" at the bottom of the list actually reads "Laura" and is Laura Davis, Sallie's sister, so that locates two more daughters.

Name:	Martha Ingrahm
Age in 1870:	24
Birth Year:	abt 1846
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Dwelling Number:	1908
Home in 1870:	Beat 5, Panola, Texas
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Occupation:	Keeping House
Household Members:	Name Age J A Ingrahm 25 Martha Ingrahm 24 Nancy Ingrahm 3 William Ingrahm 2

Fourth daughter, Martha J Davis Ingram, has married Joseph Alexander Ingram of Anson County and the 1870 census finds them in  Panola, Texas. Their first two children, Nannie Stephens Ingram and William Henry Ingram, have been born. Like the middle name "Baldwin" from her older sister Nancy, the middle name of "Stephens" seems to be one passed down the Palmer line.

Name:	H H Davis
Age in 1870:	22
Birth Year:	abt 1848
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Dwelling Number:	164
Home in 1870:	Tyson, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Occupation:	At Home
Male Citizen Over 21:	Y
Household Members:	Name Age E W Davis 58 Rebecca Davis 20 Sarah Davis 1 H H Davis 22 Mary Hartrick 30 Priscilla Legrand 45 George Cump 16

Fourth son, Horton H Davis aka "Haut" or "Hawk", has taken up residence with his Uncle, Edward Winfield Davis, as his brother Henry Hampton did in 1860. The difference between these two "H. H." is that Hampton was born in 1840 and Haut in 1846.

From Sarah (Sarah Hortense) Davis on down, it states "at home" for H H Davis and Mary Hartrick. Priscilla Legrand and George Crump as both listed as "Domestic Servants". So H. H and Mary were both family members. H. H. was, of course, the nephew of E. W. But who was Mary?

In the Stanly County Census book for 1870, put out by the Stanly County Genealogical Society, it has her name transcribed as Mary Hathcock.

Rebecca, wife of E. W. Davis was born a Hathcock, daughter of Soloman and Lovina Rummage Hathcock.  Did she have an older  sister named Mary? The answer is "Yes she did". Could this Mary be her sister?

Well, let's look at that.

Mary was definately with the family in 1850 and 1860, when Rebecca was a small child.


                                     1850

Name:	Solomon Harthcock
Age:	44
Birth Year:	abt 1806
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1850:	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Gender:	Male
Family Number:	893
Household Members:	Name Age Solomon Harthcock 44 Vena Harthcock 39 Adaline Harthcock 17 Tillman Harthcock 14 Mary A Harthcock 13 Mady Harthcock 12 Allen Harthcock 8 Rebecca Harthcock 0

                                1860

Name:	Solomon Heathtock
Age:	54
Birth Year:	abt 1806
Gender:	Male
Home in 1860:	Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office:	Albemarle
Family Number:	591
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Solomon Heathtock 54 Viny Heathtock 48 Tilmon Heathtock 24 Mary A Heathtock 22 Allen Heathtock 18 Becky Heathtock 9 Martha Heathtock 6

 Despite no one being able to spell his name, Solomon and Lovina Hathcock had a family of  6 children.
1834 - Adaline
1836 - Thomas Tillman
1837 - Mary Ann
1839- Benetta "Nettie"
1842 - Allen
1850- Rebecca
1855 - Martha

As far as where Mary was in 1870, some Hathcock families have her as marrying William M Hinson in 1859 and starting a family with him.

Name:	Mary Hinson
Age in 1870:	30
Birth Year:	abt 1840
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Dwelling Number:	111
Home in 1870:	Big Lick, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Occupation:	Keeping House
Cannot Write:	Y
Household Members:	Name Age William Hinson 40 Mary Hinson 30 Caroline Hinson 10 Irving Hinson 8 Ellen Hinson 7 Malinda Hinson 6 Rufus Hinson 4 Doctor Hinson 1

William M. Hinson most definately married a Mary Hathcock, as evidenced by his childrens records naming their mother later on, but I am not so certain it was this Mary Hathcock. The age is right, and no marriage license exists, that I can find. He did not marry in Stanly County.

Name:	Mary Hathcock
Gender:	Female
Birth Place:	Stanly Co, NC
Spouse:	Billie Hinson
Child:	Mary Melinda Smith

My doubts derive from the estate records of Solomon Hathcock after his decease in 1885. Solomon lost both sons to the Civil War. His estate was administered b y sons-in-law Edmond Almond and James M. Palmer. They are mentioned, along with widow Vina or Viney, with their wives. Adaline married Ed Almond and Nettie (also seen as Benettie or Neatie, which I belive was derived from Bethany or Bonita) married James Monroe Palmer. Also mentioned is John T. Crump who married Rebecca Hathcock Davis after E. W. Davis died, and R. A. Anderson who married Martha. Mary is not mentioned in the estate records and the Mary Hathcock who married Bill Hinson was very much alive. In Lovina's estate records, Martha is a Hatley, having married Phillip H. Hatley in 1888, presumably after the death of Dr. Richard A. Anderson Jr, her first husband, whom she married in 1877, a nephew of Dr. Richard A. Anderson Sr. Martha had one son, James Solomon Hatley.

Solomon and Lovina Hathcock Estate Ledger

The estate records listing family members and neighbors who owed money to Solomon Hathcock, is digitized at digitalnc.com and has a wealth of infomation concerning the people who lived in that area of the county during reconstruction who owed Solomon rent or other. The link is above.

There is often mention of a "T. A. Hathcock", in the record. That was Solomon's younger brother, Thomas Alexander Hathcock, both were sons of Jesse A Hathcock, Sr.  and Catherine Elizabeth Whitley Hathcock.

Still, no mention of Mary Hathcock Hinson, which leads me to believe she was a niece, not a daughter. So, the Mary Hartwick or Hathcock living with E. W and Rebecca could have been her sister. In a closer look at the actual census takers handwriting, it's clearly an H and ended with a K, with a "T" in the middle, but no apparent "h" following it, which looks more like Hartrick, and there was a family of that name in the area in those years.

Otherwise, it is unknown what happened to Mary Davis, daughter of Henry and Martha. The Palmer histories suggest she may have married a Smith, which is a difficult name to research. As many others of the family migrated west, finding a Mary Smith of the same age is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Both names too populous.

In Henry's estate records, besides his son John E. Davis, there is also mentioned A. J Shankle and John W. Smith. A. J. Shankle was married to a daughter of James M. Davis, so therefore he was the husband of Henry's niece. I can not find a family tie to a John W. Smith. Actually, it's hard to determine who extactly the John W. Smith mentioned in Henry's estate records was at all.

With the exception of Mary, that leaves the youngest son, Job and the youngest daughter, Margaret Victoria Davis, unaccounted for in 1870. Job is not to be found, yet he turns up with the Wall family of his Nancy in Carroll County, Mississippi in 1880. Magaret Victoria is not to be found in 1870, either, yet she marries the stepson of her sister Sallie, William Pines Crump, in 1876 and shows up as a wife and mother in 1880 living in Tyson Township, Stanly County.

Also missing is Henry's widow, Martha Palmer Davis, whose obituary appears, like that of his mothers, in The Southern Christian Advocate, clearing naming her as the widow of Henry Davis of Stanly County and the daughter of James Palmer and giving her date of death as July 16, 1879. So she was somewhere in 1870, just missed.

I have not given up hope of finding these missing leaves off the family tree. They may have been living in another household and mistakingly given the wrong surname. They may have been somewhere we wouldn't think of looking. Something also tells me Mary did not die as a young woman, that she married someone and is waiting to be discovered.

---

The Burris Reunion

November 14, 2017, 4:57 am

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Every October, at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, in Frog Pond, North Carolina,  is held a reunion of the descendants of Solomon Burris, a Revolutionary War soldier. This was my second time to be able to attend. This year, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend with my Dad, who is the Burris descendant, in two separate ways. My Dad's Grandmother was Rowena Burris, who married Elias Marion Lambert.




She was the daughter of David T. and Ellen Honeycutt Burris. David was the son of Gideon Green Burris and  Obedience Hathcock. Gideon Green Burris was the son of Solomon Burris Jr and Sarah Morgan. His wife Obedience Hathcock Burris was the daughter of Benjamin Frankllin Hathcock and Nancy Ann Burris Hathcock. Solomon Burris Jr. and Nancy Ann Burris Hathcock were both children of Solomon Burris Sr. and his wife Judith Taylor Burris. 

The above chart is an actual family tree created by the amazing Pam Holbrook, which broke down the children and grandchildren in a visually beautiful and comprehensive way. 

Solomon The First, and his wife, Judith Taylor Burris are the trunk of the tree. 

It is popularly accepted that Solomon was the son of Joshua Burris (or Burroughs) 1735-1783 and Elizabeth Brookshire 1734-1787 who were from Southhampton County in England. There are records of  a Joshua Burris in Bertie County and in Anson County, prior to 1780, with a wife named Sarah. It is also commonly accepted that Solomon had brothers Joshua Jr. and James. One of them settled finally in Anderson County, South Carolina. 

He married Judith Taylor on December 12, 1783, in Surry County, North Carolina. There seem to be no consensus on her parentage. I've seen her father as John, James or Robert Taylor and her mother as either an Elizabeth or a Nancy and surname Hudson or Herring. I would love to hear anyone make a case toward either one. I, myself, have no clue. 

Most of the information we have on Solomon Burris comes from his 1832 Pension Application based on his service in the Revolutionary War. In this application, he states that he is about 80 years old and was born in Anson County. He said he had lived in Montgomery County "upwards of 45 years." (The part -West PeeDee- that became Stanly, his land grant being on Bear Creek). His proof of age was a family bible that his father had taken with him to Bertie County and his father was by this time deceased. He describes his entry into the war and participation in the Battle of Stono Creek.

Link to Pension Application of Solomon Burris

Copy of Actual Document from Fold3

In the above photo, the third person from the right, sitting, the man with the man with the moustache, is Duncan "Dunk" Burris. He was the brother of Great-Grandmother Rowena Burris Lambert and would become the stepfather of my grandmother, Bertha Lemmons, who would marry Rowena's son Burley. 

The Reunion hosted a guest speaker in period dress who read a list of Burris men who fought in the Civil War. She also spoke of the changing roles of women during, before and after the War. Unfortunately, I can't remember her name. I'm sure someone else who was there will help me out. 

A portrait of Allen Burris, a grandson of Solomon Sr.

Member of the NC Militia in 1779, wounded at this battleBattle of Stono Ferry

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Battle of Stono Ferry
Part of the American Revolutionary War
Detail from a 1780 map, Stono Ferry is to the left of Johns Island.
Date June 20, 1779 Location near present day Rantowles, South Carolina 32°45′25.33″N 80°8′2.16″W / 32.7570361°N 80.1339333°WCoordinates: 32°45′25.33″N 80°8′2.16″W / 32.7570361°N 80.1339333°W Result British victory
Belligerents
United States	Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Benjamin Lincoln	John Maitland
Strength
1,500 militia, 6 artillery pieces	900 infantry
Casualties and losses
34 killed, 113 wounded, 155 missing[1]	26 killed, 93 wounded, 1 missing[2]

[hide]v · d · e Southern theater, 1775–79 Gunpowder Incident – Kemp's Landing – Great Bridge – Norfolk – Moore's Creek Bridge– Rice Boats – Sullivan's Island – Thomas Creek – Frederica – Alligator Bridge – 1st Savannah – Beaufort – Kettle Creek – Brier Creek – Stono Ferry – 2nd Savannah

The Battle of Stono Ferry was an American Revolutionary War battle, fought on June 20, 1779, near Charleston, South Carolina. The rear guard from a British expedition retreating from an aborted attempt on taking Charleston held off an assault by poorly-trained militia forces under American General Benjamin Lincoln.

Background

The opening move in Britain's "southern strategy" to regain control of its rebellious colonies, was the December 1778 capture of Savannah, Georgia. This heightened concerns in Charleston, South Carolina, where General Benjamin Lincoln headed the Continental Army's southern command, and the British garrison at Savannah was about the same size as his own.

By mid-April, Charleston was reinforced by the arrival of South Carolina militia, and Lincoln decided to attempt the capture of Augusta, Georgia, which was defended by a smaller garrison of British troops and Loyalists. He marched from Charleston on April 23. When British General Augustine Prevost learned of this movement, he decided to counterthrust against militia forces at Purrysburg, South Carolina, just upriver from Savannah, marching 2,500 men out on April 29. The militia at Purrysburg, about 1,000 men under the command of General William Moultrie, fell back toward Charleston rather than engaging Prevost, and sent messengers to Lincoln warning him of the British movement. Prevost decided to pursue them almost all the way to Charleston.

On May 10, companies from the two forces skirmished near Ashley Ferry, about seven miles (11.3 km) from Charleston. Two days later Prevost intercepted a message from which he learned that Lincoln was rapidly marching back to Charleston, and decided to retreat. His army was slowed by having taken supplies en route, so he decided to leave a rear guard at Stono Ferry, between Johns Island and the mainland, removing most of his army to Savannah by boat on June 16. Prevost placed Lieutenant Colonel John Maitland in charge of the rear guard, which numbered about 900 men. A bridgehead was established on the north side of an area now known as New Cut Church Flats; this was meant to cover Stono Ferry. Three strong redoubts were built, circled by an abatis and manned by Highlanders and Hessians.

Lincoln, on his arrival in Charleston, decided to mount an attack on this outpost. Even though he commanded five to seven thousand men, he was only able to raise about 1,200 men, primarily from the poorly-trained local militia, for the expedition. General Moultrie led a smaller secondary effort to the east against a small group of British soldiers on Johns Island.

Lincoln deployed his troops after a night march of eight miles (13 km) from the Ashley Ferry, located in the present village of Drayton Hall. Immediately upon their arrival at dawn, they began struggling through thick woods. The Americans advanced in two wings; General Jethro Sumner led his Carolina militia on the right, carrying two guns, while their right flank was covered by a company of light infantry, commanded by the Marquis de Malmady. Continental Army troops, under General Isaac Huger, made up the left wing; they carried four guns into battle. With Huger was a group of light infantry under John Henderson, and it was these troops who, shortly before sunrise, made first contact with the enemy.

[edit] Battle

The battle began well for the Patriots. They engaged the British positions with small arms and cannon fire for an hour, at which point they advanced to the abatis. Of the Highlanders, two companies resisted until only 11 men were left standing; a Hessian battalion finally broke. Here Maitland shifted his forces in an attempt to counter the larger threat posed by Huger's wing. The Hessians rallied and returned to the fight, and reserves were brought across the bridge. Lincoln chose this moment to order a withdrawal.

[edit] Aftermath

The American loss in the battle was 34 killed, 113 wounded and 155 missing.[1] Among the dead was Hugh Jackson, brother of future President Andrew Jackson, who was felled by heat and exhaustion. Huger was severely wounded. The British casualties were 26 killed, 93 wounded and 1 missing.[2]

Maitland had decided almost a week prior to the battle to withdraw from battle; however, his action was delayed by a lack of water transportation. Finally, on June 23 he began moving towards Beaufort, although with little prompting from Lincoln's attack.

The site of the battle is still visible today, at the end of S. C. 318 near Rantowles.

-The above information on the Battle of Stono Gap and Solomon's Revolutionary War service was contributed by an individual identified only as "Prepin 57" who is genetically identified as my 4th cousin. 

Solomon Burris and Judith Taylor Burris were the parents of 9 children.

On December 26, 1857 Joshua Burris, their son, gave the following list from the Family Bible:

December 28, 1784 Taylor Burris

August 23, 17863 William Burris

July 5, 1788 Gracey Burris

June 4, 1790 Joshua Burris

June 2, 1793 Elizabeth

December 16, 1795 Judith Jr.

August 1800 Solomon Jr. 

February 3, 1804 Ann (Nancy)

February 6 1808 Obedience

Joshua Christian Burris, above, was another grandson of Solomon, Sr. He was an active charactor in the anuls of Stanly County and made multiple court appearances for a variety of business, civil and legal reasons. He was the son of Joshua C. Burris, Sr. and Sarah Springer. He married Rachel Catherine Lowder in 1867, but maintained a minimum of 3 families. The following is a list of his known children, some by Susanna Whitley, some by Rachel C. Lowder Burris and some by Frances Mary "Frankie" Huneycutt.

Joshua C Burris Sr. Father of the above Joshua Christian Burris, Jr.

Joshua C Burris, Sr. was a son of the Revolutionary Veteran, Solomon. He also maintained more than one family, one by his legitmate wife, Sarah Springer, and one by his neighbor, Jane Murray.

The young life of Solomon Francis Burris was notably explained on his tombstone as being "taken by a tree". Solomon F. was a Great Grandson of Solomon the First, via Solomon Jr and Sarah Morgan Burris, his grandparents, then to David Green Burris and Sarah Ledbetter Burris, his parents. He married Eliza Mary Coley, daughter of Isaiah A. Coley, leaving her a widow with three young children, Rosa, David and Nancy Alice. His widow would marry "Coon" Crayton and have a very large family with him. The 1880 census Mortality Scheudules would list his cause of death as "Hemorrage". 

The Proof is in the Pudding. Burris's love to eat!

The Whitley Family Tree connecting charactors in the Alec Whitley (Burris) story and their relation. All in all there were many Burris/Whitley family intermarriages. Also Burris/Huneycutt intermarriages. 

The lovely, hard-working Pam Holbrook, without whom these Reunions probably would not happen. Pam is collector of all things Burris and is the artist who created the lovely trees I photographed in this blog and keeps the albums of photos and family interconnections. She has also done a tremendous amount of work along with Priscilla Clarke, John Burleson and others on discovering and documenting old abandoned cemeteries throughout the county. 

This Branch of the Family Tree shows one of our Burris limbs, that of Gideon Green Burris who married Obedience Hathcock.  Gideon Green was a son of Solomon Burris Jr. and Sarah Morgan.

This Branch shows that Obedience L. Hathcock Burris has her own limb on the Burris Family Tree. Her mother was Nancy Ann Burris, who married Benjamin Franklin Hathcock. As Nancy and Solomon Jr. were siblings, Gideon and Obedience were first cousins. This happened alot in small communities in the rural south when people usually didn't wander too far from the farm. 

A wider view of the Nancy Ann Burris Hathcock Branch. Gideon Green Burris was most likely named for Revolutionary War Veteran Gideon Green, who lived along the Rocky River in Anson and Montgomery County in the later 1700's. What was his connection to the Burris family? Was he and Solomon the First just compatriots and friends, or were there genetic connections?

Joshua Christian Burris Familly Tree

Gracey Burris and Henry Hunnecutt (Hunnicutt/Honeycutt) Family Tree

Jane Elizabeth Burris and George Huneycutt Family Tree. Descendants of Solomon Burris and Judith Taylor Burris are spread far and wide across the USA and beyond now. DNA is bringing up hundreds of connections still being discovered. The Burris/Burroughs family is an enduring one.

My Daddy's People - Rowena

November 18, 2017, 8:56 am

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I inherited my love of history and genealogy from both sides of my family, but being raised with my mother's family, and living with my maternal grandparents for awhile during my formative years, I identify the most with my mother's side of the family.



But my Dad is very much interested in family history, too, and has done quite a bit of his own research. He didn't have the convenience of online archives and scanned newspapers to aid him in his search, however. He did the legwork (old cemetaries, pouring through old courthouse records) and the earwork (listening to the recollections of the oldest relatives, which can be a little off-according to whom is talking).  Most of what I found he had for the youngest of generations-his grandparents and great- grandparents, ring true. But I'm finding some of the information for the generations beyond that to be a little off, either easily seen as incorrect, or we have the wrong Mary or John. Not really his fault, too many people named their kids the same old names as everyone else and in the area of the county where his paternal lines originated, there was a great deal of intermarriage between a small number of families.  While his maternal lines were from another county and more unique in the their naming patterns, his paternal lines were straight off of Stony Run Creek in Western Stanly County, North Carolina where multiple Burris and Honeycutt marriages took place, with a few Whitley, Efird, Hatley, Bowers thrown in for good measure.




My Grandfather's mother was Rowena Burris Lambert, and this was the most evident Burris line we knew of.  She was born on April 16, 1873, in Stanly County and died on April 4, 1915 in Cabarrus County. She had a death certificate which clearly named her parents, David Burris and Ellen Honeycutt. It also gave her exact age, 41 years, 11 months and 9 days. My grandfather, her youngest child, was was born March 3, 1915. His mother died one month and one day after his birth. She died from a poisonous infection that occurred late in pregnancy, or just after childbirth and caused her kidneys to shut down: Uremic eclampsia, they called it, causing renal failure, acute nephritis.

Name:	Roena Burris
Age:	6
Birth Date:	Abt 1874
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Big Lick, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number:	47
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Daughter
Marital Status:	Single
Father's name:	David T. Burris
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's name:	Ellan Burris
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age David T. Burris 28 Ellan Burris 24 Roena Burris 6 Leeny Burris 4 Mac Burris 3 Duncon Burris 9/12

Rowena (often misspelled as Roena) only appeared in two censuses, the 1880 as a small child, oldest daughter of David and Ellen, and then again in 1900, as a young mother of 4 children with 4 living, having been married only 5 years.

Name:	Rauanna Lambeth [Ponanna Lambeth]
Age:	25
Birth Date:	Apr 1875
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1900:	Almond, Stanly, North Carolina
Sheet Number:	4B
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation:	64
Family Number:	65
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Wife
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Elias Lambeth
Marriage Year:	1895
Years Married:	5
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother: number of living children:	4
Mother: How many children:	4
Can Read:	No
Can Write:	No
Can Speak English:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Elias Lambeth 24 Rauanna Lambeth 25 William Lambeth 4 Bulah Lambeth 3 Ray L Lambeth 1

Although alive during the 1910 census, somehow the family fell under the wire that year and did not get enumerated. I am not sure why it only shows three children in the 1900 census. That is the year Roby was born, but it clearly states she was the mother of 4 children and that all four were alive. Roby only lived to be 2 years old and his tombstone at Bear Creek Primitive Baptist Church, where a number of the family are buried, clearly states that he was the son of E. M. and R. L. Lambert. I belived little Roby was actually a Robert and his tombstone gives Rowena's middle initial, although I do not know what it stands for.  Perhaps he was living with another relative at the time, since Rowena had several small children already.


Rowena, in her short life, would become the mother of 11 children.

1) William Rufus Lambert born July 7 1895 - Sept 11 1974 Married Nellie McQueen

2) Beulah Ellen Lambert born Feb 3, 1897 - June 7, 1979 Married Jesse Lee (Talbert) Burris (9 Aug 1914) Married Monroe David Sides (Sept 24, 1924), Married Charlie Maxwell Brown (Dec. 24, 1945).

3) Roy Lee Lambert born Oct 18 1898 - June 16, 1974) Married Lila Tucker

4) Roby Lambert born 1900 - 1902 Died as a toddler

5) Cheldy David Lambert March 7 1901 - April 5, 1959 Married Cordia Lee

6) Mathew Maron Lambert Dec 5 1904 - Feb 12 1986 Married Anna Belle Burleson

7) Claude Duncan Lambert April 11 - 1907 - July 4, 1975 Married Annie Mae Burris

Claude Duncan Burris

8) Toffey Lambert  January 1, 1908 - January 17 1912 Died at age 4.

9) Fred Lee Lambert July 27, 1911 - August 28, 1965 Married Carrie Helen Humphries

10) Lucille Lambert April 16 1913 - March 27, 1978 Married Charlie Sides

11) Burley Melvin Lambert March 3, 1915 - July 15 1986 Married Bertha V. Lemmons

Burley, Bertha and my Dad circa 1940

My Grandfather was such a young child when his mother passed away, that he was sent to live with his Aunt Mettie, Rowena's younger sister. Mettie had married a Smith, and when Burley shows up in his first census in 1920 as "Burley Smith, nephew, age 5, living on Depot Street in Albemarle. The family had moved from Cottonville in Southern Stanly County to Albemarle to work in the textile mills. Rowena and Eli had already moved to Cabarrus County to work in the Concord textile mills when Burley was born there in 1915.

Name:	Burlie Smith
Age:	5
Birth Year:	abt 1915
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina
Street:	Depot St
Residence Date:	1920
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Nephew
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Able to Read:	No
Able to Write:	No
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age H H Smith 35 Mallie Smith 35 Albert Smith 14 Delphia Smith 11 Samuel Smith 9 Mallie Smith 3 Burlie Smith 5 Mary Hatley 22 Essie Lambard 19 Ethel Lambard 17

As a teen, they had moved back to Cottonville and Burley was living with his Aunt Mettie, who was now widowed.

Name:	Burley Lambert
Birth Year:	abt 1915
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Single
Relation to Head of House:	Adopted Son
Home in 1930:	Tyson, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Map of Home:	View Map
Street address:	Cottonville Norwood Improved Road
Dwelling Number:	179
Family Number:	179
Attended School:	Yes
Able to Read and Write:	Yes
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Household Members:	Name Age Mattie Smith 42 Albert Smith 23 Rosa Smith 24 Mallie Smith 13 Burley Lambert 15 Estell Lambert 1

They lived along the Cottonville to Norwood Road. My Dad has pointed the house out to me many times. It sits up on a hill and is still standing and occupied. 

Burley as an infant with Mettie Burris Smith

After Rowena died, Eli married a young widow, Emma Fairybell Honeycutt Eury, daughter of Tillman Franklin Honeycutt and Lucy Burris, and of course with names in her family of Honeycutt and Burris, she was a multi-layed relative of Rowena. Emma had married James William Eury who died in 1916 and left her with 3 children: Walter, Rosetta and Eziella.

Eziella died as a toddler in 1917, so when Emma married Eli on October 4, 1918, she brought her little son and daughter with her, who grew up with their stepsiblings. 

Eli and Emma would have 3 children together:

12) Lilly Alma Lambert June 17, 1920 - Dec 26 2002  Married Emmanuel Nesbit Carter, Married Howard Brattain Burleson

13) Robert Earnest Lamber 17 May 1925 - August 9 2000

14) Zora Bell Lambert  May 4, 1927 - Sept 8 2008 Married William Robert Almond 

Aunt Zora Bell Lambert Almond, the baby of the family.

With the two step-children, that raised Eli's brood to a total number of 16 children. They were competeing with the Duggars! Many turn of the century farm families were very large, however, creating an army for the two world wars, and becoming the parents of the future "baby boomers".  

I wish I could have met my Great Grandmother Rowena, as I was fortunate to meet my mother's two grandmothers, but fate would not have it. 

David and Ellen

November 21, 2017, 7:53 pm

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David and Ellen Burris with two of their grandchildren

David T. and Ellen Honeycutt Burris were my paternal Grandfather's maternal Grandparents. David was a very common name among the Burris families and my particular David was born January 13, 1851 to Gideon Green Burris and wife Obedience Hathcock Burris. Gideon and Obedience were first cousins as Gideon's father, Solomon Burris Jr. and "Beadie's" mother, Nancy Ann Burris Hathcock were siblings, children of the Revolutionary War Patriot, Solomon Burris and his wife and Judith Taylor Burris. 






David grew up in the Frog Pond/Big Lick  area of Stanly County, judging from his father's 1868 Homestead Claim on land deeded by his wife Ellen's grandfather, John T. Honeycutt.  It's found on the above map just southwest of the Red Dot of  Albemarle, the county seat.

He seems to have lived a calm, and peaceful life as a farmer, full of the hard work that befell any small farmer of the era. At the age of 22, he married a girl from the same area, Ellen Honeycutt. Ellen was the eldest daughter of Charles McKinley "Ken" Honeycutt and Mary Anna Burris Honeycutt. Both David and Ellen were Great Grandchildren of old Solomon the First. There were several intermarriages  between his many descendants.

Ellen was only 17 that late November day in 1873. They may have gotten married at Liberty Hill, located near to where they lived. Her mother had died the year before and Ellen may have been in a hurry to get out of careing for her younger siblings and strike out on her own.

Name:	Mac Burris
Age:	3
Birth Date:	Abt 1877
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Big Lick, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number:	47
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Son
Marital Status:	Single
Father's name:	David T. Burris
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's name:	Ellan Burris
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age David T. Burris 28 Ellan Burris 24 Roena Burris 6 Leeny Burris 4 Mac Burris 3 Duncon Burris 9/12

The 1880 census was the first one that David and Ellen show up in as a couple. Their 7 years of marriage had produced 4 children.

By 1900, twenty years later, all of David and Ellen's children had been born. Rowena was already married with a family of her own, and Mack married that year to Eve Almond. Tina, or "Teeny", had been married for 4 years to James M. "Merman" Lambert and already had 4 children. All the rest had been enumerated with their parents.

Name:	David Buroce
Age:	50
Birth Date:	Mar 1850
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1900:	Almond, Stanly, North Carolina
House Number:	1
Sheet Number:	7A
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation:	106
Family Number:	110
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Ellen Buroce
Marriage Year:	1875
Years Married:	25
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	Farmer
Months not employed:	0
Can Read:	No
Can Write:	No
Can Speak English:	Yes
House Owned or Rented:	R
Farm or House:	F
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age David Buroce 50 Ellen Buroce 52 Dunkan Buroce 18 Sue Buroce 17 Mettie Buroce 15 Hemley Buroce 14 Ephiram Buroce 12 Vinius Buroce 10 Sue Buroce 9

The names were not transcribed well, as Burris was misspelled Buroce, Duncan was Dunkan, Sue was NOT Sue but Lou, Mettie was short for Elmetta, Hemley was actually Hurley, Vinius was Venus, and the second Sue was Lula.

Name:	Ellen Burris
Age in 1910:	59
Birth Year:	abt 1851
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1910:	Concord Ward 1, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Street:	Powder Street
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Wife
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	David T Burris
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Native Tongue:	English
Able to Read:	No
Able to Write:	No
Years Married:	38
Number of Children Born:	10
Number of Children Living:	10
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age David T Burris 62 Ellen Burris 59 Venis O Burris 15 Loaler Burris 13

Then, sometime between 1900 and 1910, David and Ellen moved their family to Cabarrus County and were found in Concord on Powder Street. David and his two teenaged children were working in the Cotton Mills, while Ellen was a homemaker. Ellen was very fortunate for a woman of her era, having given birth to 10 children, and upon the approach of her 60th birthday, having all 10 of those children to survive.

Powder Street runs parallel to Irish Buffalo Creek, and intersects both Corban Street and Cabarrus Avenue, two main throughfares of turn-of-the-century Concord. It's only 3 blocks from Barber-Scotia College, but was not a collegiate area. Surving houses of that era appear to be Mill Hill style cottages.

Ten years later, David, now 71 years old, was still working in the Cotton Mills. He and Ellen were now living on Railroad Street, with son Venice or Venus Odell Burris, his wife Mandy and their baby son Will. Railroad Street was in the very center of the Concord Textile Mill area and the Gibson Mill village. 

Name:	David Burris
Age:	71
Birth Year:	abt 1849
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	Baptist Church, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Street:	Railroad Ave
House Number:	X
Residence Date:	1920
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Ellen Burris
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Laborer
Industry:	Cotton Mill
Employment Field:	Wage or Salary
Home Owned or Rented:	Rent
Able to Read:	No
Able to Write:	No
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age David Burris 71 Ellen Burris 69 Venice Burris 22 Mandy Burris 21 Willie Burris 1

David T Burris passed away on December 11, 1928 in Big Lick, Stanly County. Sometime after 1920, he had left the Cabarrus County cotton mills and returned home. He died of the flu and pneumonia and was buried at Bear Creek with many of his kin. His death certificate recorded that he was 83 years and 10 months old. 

Name:	Ellen Burris
Birth Year:	abt 1850
Gender:	Female
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Widowed
Relation to Head of House:	Mother-in-law
Home in 1930:	Ridenhour, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Map of Home:	View Map
Dwelling Number:	170
Family Number:	175
Age at First Marriage:	18
Attended School:	No
Able to Read and Write:	No
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Household Members:	Name Age J M Lambert 60 Tinie Lambert 55 Martha Lambert 18 Gurlis Lambert 14 Curtis Lambert 12 Willard Lambert 10 Mae Christenbery 4 Ellen Burris 80

Ellen would move in with her daughter Tiney Burris Lambert in the Ridenhour area of Stanly County, which is the northern end of the county.  She did not live long after her last census was taken and joined David at Bear Creek Cemetery before the end of the year. Her death certificate lists her cause of death as simply "Old Age" with no doctor in attendance and her age given as 84 years, 1 month and 13 days. 

Downtown Concord as it looked when David and Ellen lived there.

The 10 children of David T and Ellen Honeycutt Burris were:

1) Rowena L Burris April 16 1872 - April 4 1915.  Married Elias Marion Lambert

2) Tina O "Tiney" Burris Feb 5 1877 - Jan 30, 1947 Married James Merman Lambert

3) Mack Benson Burris Born About 1878 - June 29, 1961 Married Eve C. Almond

4) Duncan "Dunk" Burris Born about 1879 - August 19, 1950   Married 1st Dollie Burris,  Married 2nd Naomi "Omie" Almond, Married 3rd Lottie Hill

5)  Jane Lutheney Burris Feb 9 1881 - August 27, 1959 Married Davidson D Burris Jr. 

Davidson Burris and wife Jane Lutheny Burris Burris (daughter of David and Ellen Burris) and family

6) Hurley H. Burris Jan 16 1886 - November 22 1968  Married Carrie Lou Burleson

7) Ella Elmetta "Mettie" Burris June 15 1887 - Jan 21 1942 Married 1st Henry Albert Smith  Married 2nd Joseph Alexander Gaddy

8) Ephraim Tillman Burris July 9 1881 - May 17 1965 Married Cora Theodora Mauney

9) Venis Odell Burris Nov 9 1895 - May 12 1967 Married Amanda Hinson

10) Lula Ellen Burris Jan 12, 1897 - Feb 21 1984 Married Robert Harley Staton

All of their children had at least one child, leading to a great number of Grandchildren, Great Grandchildren and onward. 

Black Sheep Sunday : "Making Bricks Without Straw"

December 29, 2017, 8:00 am

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Ephraim Tillman Burris was the younger brother of my Great Grandmother Rowena Burris Lambert. While they seem to have grown up in a peaceful farming community and then later on the Concord Mill Hill in Cabarrus County, within an intact family with long-lived parents and an easy going, loveable father, David T. Burris's boys were anything but peaceful.

Black Sheep Sunday is a Geneabloggers Blogging Prompt about finding someone in your family tree who was not a perfect angel, or who may have been a little rough around the edges.

I've already done a story on their brother Duncan, who was not only Rowena's brother, but ended up becoming my Grandmother's stepfather. I can only imagine that is how she met her future husband, her stepfather's nephew.

Drunken Duncan

I didn't know about Duncan's baby brothers following in his footsteps, until I dug deeper into the family of David T (possibly Tillman) Burris and Ellen Honeycutt Burris.

Oddly, there were a few decades where they just disappeared, but they were not dead, as they lived from the 1960's to the 1980's, so I determined to discover why and what I found explained it all.


Ephraim Tillman Burris was born July 9, 1891 in Stanly County. By 1910, his parents had moved to Concord in Cabarrus County, but Ephraim was living in Albemarle with his sister, E. Elmetta Burris Smith and her husband Henry Albert Smith.

Name:	Ephraim Burris
Age in 1910:	18
Birth Year:	abt 1892
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1910:	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina
Street:	Efird Hill
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Boarder
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Native Tongue:	English
Occupation:	Dolpher
Industry:	Cotton Mill
Employer, Employee or Other:	Wage Earner
Able to Read:	No
Able to Write:	No
Out of Work:	N
Number of weeks out of work:	0
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Henry Smith 21 Eva Smith 22 Travis A Smith 3 Delphia L Smith 2 Ephraim Burris 18

The young couple and their two children were living on the Mill Hill in Albemarle, and Ephraim was living with them working in the Cotton Mill. Henry and Mittie would move to Cottonville later, and Henry would die young, being electrocuted at Norwood Manufacturing while working as an electrician. Mittie would remarry in her later 40's and live the remainder of her life in Burnsville, Anson County.

Ephraim, on the other hand would spend his youth traveling back and forth between Albemarle and Concord, making mischief and trouble in both places.

He did marry, on December 6, 1913, to Cora Mauney, daughter of George and Lillie Stallings Mauney.

A daughter would soon arrive 10 months later, Lena Ellen Burris, on October 13, 1914.

Eprhraim T. Burris's draft card is dated June 5, 1912, over a year before he married and two years before he became a father.

The information given in the draft card states that Ephraim T. Burris of Mt. Pleasant, NC, born June 1, 1894 was 23 years old and employed as a Mill Operator at Kindley Cotton Mill in Mt. Pleasant, which is just across the county line from Stanly County, where he says that he was born. It states that he is of medium height and build with black hair and brown eyes. It also states that he was married, with a wife and one child as dependants. But the wife and child did not come along until later.....

Ephraim served, however, and Lena would be his only child.

A transport list of Company "D" 118th Infantry on the Commercial ship "Canada" leaving from Brooklyn, New York lists Private Ephraim T. Burris, whose family member to contact in case of emergency was father David Burris of Franklin Mills, Cabarrus County. On the same ship was Venis O. Burris, also giving David Burris of Franklin Mills, Cabarrus County as his contact. The date was May of 1918.

On another transport, the USS Pocahontas, arriving from St. Nazaire, France on March 16, 1919, brought both brothers safely home. Most of the company were from North and South Carolina.

A History of Cabarrus County in the Wars (Indexed) gives the following information:

Burris, Ephraim T. Private, Co D 118 Inf. , enlisted 3 July 17 and served 10 months overseas in 6 engagements; Ypres, Villeret, Biancourt, Vancoocourt, Bohain Voux, and Audigny; and was wounded 26 Oct 18. He was discharged 3 April 19.

Burris, Venes O., Private Co D 118 Inf., enlisted 3 July 17 and served 10 months overseas and was awarded the Silver Star. He was discharged 3 April 19.

And they were changed forever, especially Ephraim. He seemed to be fighting a war within himself.




Salisbury Evening Post
(Salisbury, North Carolina)09 Jan 1920, Fri  • Page 3


On November 13, 1920 , "jitney driver" O. C. Seamon was found dead.

O' Connell Castor Seamon was almost 50 years old. He was basically a taxi driver, as a jitney was another name for a nickel and jitney cars were nickel rides tha competed with street cars for transit. Compare him to todays Uber drivers.




O. C. Seamon was born in Cabarrus County on September 22, 1871. He died in the same on November 13, 1919. His death certificate states that he was murdered by 3 pistol balls and that 2 men were held for a Grand Jury. That part is highly unusual to be found in a death certificate.

He left a widow, Sarah Jane Josey Seamon and 8 children: Bessie, Ella, Grover, Clyde, Ethel, Violet, Troy, and Roscoe, ranging in age from 27 to 3.  He was the son of Robert Seamon and Jane Castor Seamon.


In the Cabarrus City Directory, his widow, Sarah Jane Seamon, is shown living at 17 N. Powder Street, the same street Ephraims parents lived on in 1910.

Although O. C. Seamon was killed on November 13, 1919, it was in January of 1920 before a warrant was issued for Great Great Uncle Ephraim. Until that point, he was only wanted as a witness.

The other charactors in this story were:

• George Hunsucker
• Walter "Rat" Gray
• May Bowles
• Lillian Hilton
• Morrison H. Caldwell
• R. Lee Wright
• L T. Hartsell
• J Lee Crowell
• Frank Armfield
• T. D. Maness
• Floyd Cooper
• Will Blackwelder
• Keith Pharr

The Stanly News-Herald
(Albemarle, North Carolina)13 Jan 1920, Tue  • Page 6

There were several George Hunsuckers in the area, including Anson and Stanly counties, and two in Cabarrus County who could have been George "Slick" Hunsucker. Taking from where they lived and how old they were in 1919 and 1920, when this whole case took place, I would bet that it was not the 17 year old George Hunsucker who lived in the Rocky River area, but the 21 year old George Hunsucker who was living with his parents on Poplar Tent Road in 1920 and was a dolpher  in the Cotton Mill. But since I can't determine which exactly, I will leave it at that.

Three things the 3 men who were arrested for the murder had in common were living in the City of Concord, being young veterans of WWI and working in the Cotton Mills, and the latter George Hunsucker fit this bill.

There were 2 witness besides Ephraim Burris, Gray and Hunsucker. Floyd Cooper and Will Blackwelder were also named. These 'boys' were all young men in their 20's who came home from a World War to work in the dehumanizing machine that was a cotton mill. They diverted themselves as may have been expected with sport, drink and women, which at many times concluded in tragedy, as it did in this case.

Floyd Cooper (3rd from left) and his friends, John Raymer, John Corriher, James Raymer, Grover Page, D A Ross

Henry Floyd Cooper was 27 years old in 1920. He lived on Robinson Street in the "Baptist Church" area of Cabarrus County, near Concord and was a warper in the Cotton Mill. Floyd was living with his 4 young children, Jason, James, Trilby and Charlie and his sister Della and her two young daughters. Both were married, but their spouse were not living with them. They had a cook and housekeeper named Hattie Williams who probably helped with the children while Floyd and his sister worked in the Cotton Mills.

Cordia Helms was Floyd's wife and she was not with him and Della's husband Wiley Von Kirkpatrick was also absent from the 1920 census. Floyd would remarry 3 years later and Della's husband Wiley is shown in the 1930 census as divorced with their 2 living daughters (they had 4), while Floyd remarried in 1923 and Della would end up with Martin Lefler and have 4 sons, the first in 1922.

Will Blackwelder was the other witness. He is described in his WWI draft card as "Tall, Stout, with dark hair and brown eyes. He was born in Stanly County and was working as a Mill Hand at Cabarrus Mill. He had served 3 years in the National Guard and had obtained the Rank of Corporal. He claimed a wife, one child, and a Father-in-law to support.

Name:	William Blackwelder
Age:	30
Birth Year:	abt 1890
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	Concord Ward 4, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Street:	Young Street Extd
House Number:	241
Residence Date:	1920
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Mary Blackwelder
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Owner
Industry:	Cotton Mill
Employment Field:	Wage or Salary
Home Owned or Rented:	Rent
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	No
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age William Blackwelder 30 Mary Blackwelder 39 Myrtle Baker 7 George Baker 77

Will was honest. The 1920 census shows him at age 30, living on Young St. in Concord, with his wife Mary, his 7 year old daughter, Myrtle and his 77 year old Father-in-law, George Baker.

William Luther Blackwelder is already present in my family tree, as was Cordia Helms Cooper, wife of Floyd.

William Luther Blackwelder is a member of my Murray family tree. His mother was Henrietta Hendley, daughter of  William  A. "Buck" Hendley and Tabitha Frances Turner. Tabitha Turner was the daughter of John C. Turner and Phoebe Murray Turner. Phoebe was the sister of my 2nd Great Grandmother, Priscilla Murray Aldridge. But it doesn't stop there. Before Henrietta was married to Jacob Blackwelder and became the mother of the afore mentioned Will, she was married to Henry Wilbur Whitaker. Henry Wilbur was the son of Nelson Whitaker and Sophia Murray Whitaker. Sophia was the sister of Phoebe Murray Turner and Priscilla Murray Aldridge. All three were daughters of Jesse Murray, who lived on a hill above Long Creek near its convergence with the Rocky River in southern Stanly County.

This made Henrietta and Wilbur first cousins, and also gave her two spots in the Murray family tree.

Will was married 4 times and outlived three wives. He was an overseer of various divisions in the Cotton Mills and seemed to be a man of good reputation and who was well-respected.


The Concord Times
(Concord, North Carolina)06 Mar 1922, Mon  • Page 5

The above Obituary was for his second wife, Mary Baker Blackwelder. He had lost his first wife, Margie Perry Blackwelder in 1911, again, to a tragic medical emergency, scarcely a year after they were married. He and his second wife, Mary, had one daughter to live to adulthood, Helen, and Myrtle Baker was listed as an adopted child.





The Concord Daily Tribune
(Concord, North Carolina)19 Nov 1919, Wed  • Page 1



 May Bowles

Lillian May Bowles was a young woman identified as being in the car with the murdered man and it was even suggested that she had an altercation with the jitney driver.

In the 1920 census, she is found as divorced and living with her parents, Mack Polyray Bowles and Amanda Elizabeth Hagler Bowles, along with her 2 year old daughter, Margaret Edna.


She had married at the very young age of  14 to Isaac Andrew Mark Pethel on July 25, 1914. Her daughter was born on February 23, 1917. Just the records involved with her daughter may explain a little about the life and lifestyle of May Bowles.

She married at age 14 to Isaac A. M. Pethel.

She gave birth in Cabarrus County on February 23, 1917 to Margaret Edna Bowles, who would marry a Culler. The North Carolina birth indexes give the child's parents as Joe Williams and Mary Bowles, with her name as Margaret Edna Bowles and her birthdate as 2/23/1917.

The US Social Security Applications and Claims index gives her name as Margaret Edna Culler (married name) and her birthdate as the exact same 2/23/1917, but lists her parents as Walter H. Morgan and Mae L. Bowles.

Her 2005 Obituary states that she was born on February 23, 1917 to Isaac Pethel and May Bowles Pethel in Cabarrus County.

Mae might have married Walter H. Morgan at a later date and became her daughter's stepfather. But the birth index gives her father as a Joe Williams.

Mae Lillian Bowles (etc.) passed away on July 26, 1949, details unknown. She is buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Charlotte, North Carolina and her tombstone denotes her as the wife of Ray Saunders.

Her first husband Isaac Pethel was also a rolling stone. The 1920 census found him as a divorced textile worker living in Anderson, South Carolina.

Name:	Isaac Andrew Monks Pethel
Gender:	Male
Marital Status:	Divorced
Race:	White
Age:	26
Birth Date:	1895
Birth Place:	Rowan Co., N.C.
Marriage Date:	24 Dec 1921
Marriage Place:	Danville, VA.
Father:	L. E. Pethel
Mother:	H. N. Pethel
Spouse:	Florence E. Garrett
FHL Film Number:	888942
Reference ID:	p74, cn 701

He married his second wife in 1921 and divorced her in 1935 in Phoenix, Arizona. He married a third wife in Chillicothe, Ohio and left her in California. He married lastly in 1940 in California, but nearly immediately died in Los Angeles in 1940 and was brought back to North Carolina to be buried in China Grove with his family.


Lillian Hilton

Lillian Hilton was a married woman at the time of the murder, unlike the divorced young Mae.

In 1920, she was living in Rowan County, with her husband and father-in-law. After she made headlines being associated with the murder, claiming she and Mae Bowles had attended a "Chicken Stew" in Charlotte, her husband promptly divorced her.



The Charlotte Observer
(Charlotte, North Carolina)30 Mar 1920, Tue  • Page 6


Lillian  Belle Bryan was born on June 3, 1898 in New Bern, NC and was living in Surry County by the age of 11 with a Flowers family and called their "grand-niece". She ended up in Salisbury, Rowan County, where she married at the age of 19 and the papers report, she loved taking the trains to Charlotte, the "Big City" and living it up. After her 1920 divorce, she moved to Greensboro,where she is listed as a widowed Roomer on S. Faskis St. She was not a widow as her husband remarried and lived until the 1960's. City Directories show that Lillian rode that train from Charlotte to Greensboro many times and lived here and there alternately. She died in Greensboro in 1947 and left her husband back in China Grove with two sons. He eventually had another with his second wife and worked as a repairman in the Railroad Industry that gave his wild young wife her wings.

Keith Pharr

Keith Pharr had testified that he had passed the dead man at about 11:15 pm that night, sitting in his car, but did not realized the man was dead. He said he saw two men walking, about 500 feet from the car, on Roberta Mill Road. Keith Pharr was 39 and an Operator at the Cotton Mill. He lived in his own mortgaged home on Pioneer Mill Road in 1920. Afterwards, he kind of disappers.

WALTER SURRATT GRAY (RT) WITH  BROTHER WILLIAM

Walter Surratt "Rat" Gray

Rat Gray was a Cabarrus County native, being born in the "Baptist Church" section. Born August 19, 1894 to Wilkerson Alexander Gray and Mary Melinda Ledbetter Gray, he was the fifth of 12 children. He started working in the Cotton Mills at a very young age, the 1910 census naming him as a "Doffer" at 16.

He would enlist  for military duty on July 25, 1917 and less than a month later, would marry Dossie Emma Kiser Alexander, a young woman with two small children, on August 13, 1917. Their only child together, Emma Louise, would be born a few months later on December 7, 1917.

Gray was released from military service on April 3, 1919. His freedom was short-lived.







Walter Surratt Gray would plead guilty to a crime he said he did not remember. He was sentenced to 8 years for the murder. Alchohol played a large part in the tragedy.

The 1920 census found him living with his wife and her three children awaiting trial.

Name:	Walter Gray
Age:	26
Birth Year:	abt 1894
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	Baptist Church, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Street:	Robinson St
House Number:	X
Residence Date:	1920
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Emma Gray
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Spinner
Industry:	Cotton Mill
Employment Field:	Wage or Salary
Home Owned or Rented:	Rent
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Walter Gray 26 Emma Gray 29 Jessie Gray 14 Mary Bell Gray 6 Louise Gray 2

By April, he was off to Jail.



The Concord Daily Tribune
(Concord, North Carolina)29 Apr 1920, Thu  • Page 3

Rat didn't sit well in a cage. He was not happy, and the next year, made his escape. He went to South Carolina and tried to find a job in a Mill. He did not go far enough away to be recognized, apparently, because someone recognized him and he was eventually captured by the police and returned to prison.




The Concord Daily Tribune
(Concord, North Carolina)04 Mar 1921, Fri  • Page 5




Below are several articles from various newspapers of the time, that gave different versions and information on the Seamon murder.

As far as Walter Gray, he was back home with his family by the 1930 census. He was working in the Cotton Mill and living with his wife, daughter Louise and step-daughter, Mary Belle, and her husband, and little boy.

In 1940, he was still working in the cotton mills as a Dyer, and his daughter had married. His step-daughter had married another and left him as well as the first husband, and she and her son were back to living with Rat and Emma.

Emma died in 1952 and Rat remarried to a Laura Duncan. He led a long life and passed away on January 16, 1975, at the age of 80.


He never had any more children.




The Concord Daily Tribune
(Concord, North Carolina)08 Jan 1920, Thu  • Page 1






The Concord Daily Tribune
(Concord, North Carolina)17 Nov 1919, Mon  • Page 3








The Siler City Grit
(Siler City, North Carolina)27 Nov 1919, Thu  • Page 2




The Concord Times
(Concord, North Carolina)22 Apr 1920, Thu  • Page 8



But What about Great Great Uncle Ephraim Burris?

Could the troubled Ephraim Burris, just months released from Service in WWI where he participated in 6 battles and released from charges of murder in the Jitney driver case, remain on the right side of the law?

The answer did not take long to find out. And that answer was

                 NO!

The papers reported a shootout between Ephraim and police officer Ralph Kennerly. Kennerly was shot 2 times. Ephraim Burris recieved 5 bullets in return from the officer. The doctors said there was a slight chance for the policeman to survive, but they gave Uncle Ephraim little to none. One in a thousand chance to survive.

The Concord and Stanly County papers published different versions. Stanly claimed the officer was looking for Venus Burris, Ephriams' brother. Concord claimed Ephraim had broken out of the Stanly County jail.



The Stanly News-Herald
(Albemarle, North Carolina)22 Oct 1920, Fri  • Page 1


Ralph Kennerly


The 1920 census found Ralph Kennerly, 27, boarding with his young bride Ruth, 18. Ralph C. Kennerly had married Ruth Mae Stirewalt on August 7, 1919. On the day of his death, October 19, 1920, they had only been able to enjoy their marriage for 14 short months.

Name:	Ralph C Kennerly
Age:	27
Birth Year:	abt 1893
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	Concord Ward 1, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Street:	McGill Street
Residence Date:	1920
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Boarder
Marital Status:	Married
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Police
Industry:	City
Employment Field:	Wage or Salary
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Luther E Beaver 38 Ralph N Beaver 12 Ralph C Kennerly 27 Ruth M Kennerly 18

Like the other young men in this story, and indeed, most of the young men of his generation, Ralph was a veteran of  World War I, and had just returned from duty in April of 1919, four months before his marriage to Ruth.

A Roster of  Company L, First North Carolina Infantry, United States National Guard, June 10, 1917, published in The Concord Times, lists Ralph C. Kennerly as a Coporal.

Army transport rosters list him as leaving out from Philadelphia on May 11, 1918 on the ship "Haverford". He lists Mrs. Charles A. Tarleton, his mother, as his next of kin.

Another transport list has him leaving St. Nazaire, France on March 7, 1919 on the ship "Powatan". He is listed as a Private First Class, with the 30th Military Police Division. 30th M. P. Co. Thus had began his police training. Here he listed his next of kin as Mr. Charles A. Tarleton, Stepfather.

A letter from "The Concord Daily Tribune", published on April 17, 1918, from Ralph to his mother, Minnie Tarleton, gives a glimpse into the personality of this promising young man. He mentions his half-sister, Nora and Perry, a local friend.  Having grown up in a rural farming community, his attentions were most on the crops grown in France, and he marveled at the country and the different sites he had seen, probably like most of the young soldiers on this same journey. Some would return home to the states, others would not. Ralph C. Kennerly had.





The Concord Daily Tribune
(Concord, North Carolina)17 Aug 1918, Sat  • Page 4

WW I soldiers in France

Ralph C. Kennerly was born on July 25, 1892 in Rowan County, North Carolina. He was a member of the Kennerly family of the small community of Enochville. Enochville is closest to China Grove and to Kannapolis, which straddles the Rowan/Cabarrus County line.

Ralph was raised by his mother, Minnie Catherine Kennerly and his step-father, Charles "Charlie" Alexander Tarleton. He had a half-sister, Nora and 4 younger half-brothers, Samuel, James, Jay and Kenneth. Minnie married Charlie Tarleton in 1897, when Ralph was 4 years old. Minnie was the daughter of Samuel A. Kennerly and Sarah "Sallie" Rogers Kennerly. Her family had originated in Iredell County and settled around Enochville by 1880.  The Irish name "Kennerly" was misspelled various different ways after they settled in this predominatley German-ancestored area. It can be found as "Kinley", "Kennly", "Kentely", "Canorle", "Kynnersly" and other variations.

Ralph's biological father is unknown. Although he lists an "A. L. Kennerly" as father on his marriage license, that could have been only to save face. Minnie had two sisters and the only Kennerlys in the 1880 census was that of her family. The whole town of Enochville encompassed only a few pages on the census, the closest one to the birth of Ralph. "A. L." could have been "A. S. ", a reference to his grandfather Addison or Samuel Addison, who may have raised him before his mother's marriage. But there was no "A. L. Kennerly". On the documents of other children born outside of marriage in those days, I have seen them use their actual fathers first names, if they knew it, with their mothers surname, which was what they went by, or list their maternal grandfathers, who raised them. Nothing incestuous implied, just that the grandfather was probably the only father they had ever known. Others seem to invent a father out of midair, in order to avoid the embarrasment of telling the registrar they had none.

The Concord Daily Tribune
(Concord, North Carolina)18 Oct 1920, Mon  • Page 1

The Fateful Day

Ralph Kennerly was with a group of other officers, set on the course to arrest two of the Burris brothers, Venus Odell Burris and Ephraim Tillman Burris. Both men were very drunk. Different articles approach the event in different ways, some add a few details, others completely contradict each other.

What appears took place was that Venus, the younger of the Burris brothers, had been found first and was in custody. At a railroad crossing, he escaped and took off. A group of other officers were set out to find his brother Ephraim, and Officer Kennerly joined this group. Kennerly startled Ephriam, by approaching him and touching his shoulder. Ephraim was drunk, armed and on edge and began firing at Officer Kennerly, hitting him twice. Kennerly, in return, began firing on Ephriam, wounding him a number of times. Another officer fired also, as Ephriam attempted to escape, and hit him at least once. It appears he was shot between 4 and 6 times. He was said to have thought to be headed to his fathers house for help, Great Great Grandpa David T. Burris, who lived on Railroad Street, but passed the house in his injured and drunken state, and ended up collapsing in a ditch. Kennerly was expected to make it. Burris was not.









Goldsboro Daily Argus
(Goldsboro, North Carolina)20 Oct 1920, Wed  • Page 1


Ralph Kennerly died while Ephraim Burris languished in the same hospital. Ephriam had kept up his criminal misadventures since the death of the taxi driver, Seamon, of which his participation in seemed to have never been completely settled, but of which he had been cleared.

Alchohol seemed to be the evil that was taking over the area and destroying the lives of many young veterans and their families. God only knows the atrocities they had witnessed, experienced and survived. Ephraim was said to have stolen a car from Albemarle. The course of his his life was not a a good one.








The Concord Times
(Concord, North Carolina)08 Nov 1920, Mon  • Page 5

Ephriams recovery was slow. He had suffered many criticial wounds. But he survived to go to trial. Ralph Kennerly, on the other hand, who seemed to have had a bright future ahead of him, was robbed of that possible future. It was stated he was set for promotion to Deputy Sheriff.




The Concord Daily Tribune
(Concord, North Carolina)21 Oct 1920, Thu  • Page 3


Ralph's life was celebrated and mourned among the citizens of Cabarrus and Rowan Counties. His wife was awarded with a bouquet in honor of his service by Mrs. Joshepine Daniels.




The Concord Daily Tribune
(Concord, North Carolina)20 Oct 1920, Wed  • Page 3

The issued of alchohol and prohibition was addressed by many groups within the town and the death of Ralph Kennerly added fuel to the fire of the Prohibition Movement to stamp out the evil of this epidemic.







The Concord Times
(Concord, North Carolina)21 Oct 1920, Thu  • Page 4



The Obituary

The following is the obituary for Ralph Kennerly. It gives his reason for relocation from Rowan to Cabarrus was to be in the employee of a Mr. George Fisher, of which there were several. One was a dairy farmer, another a bookeeper. He later found work at the Cotton Mills of Concord and his service to his country began when he joined the State Militia during a problem with Mexico and became part of the Border Patrol. He remained in the Militia until transferring to Company L, where he served as an MP in France. His civilian career as a Police Officer was taking off and looking very promising when he was killed in the line of duty by Great Great Uncle Ephraim Burris. The Cheif of Police was taken by his memoriable statement "Did I get my man?"





The Concord Daily Tribune
(Concord, North Carolina)20 Oct 1920, Wed  • Page 1


Ruth Stirewalt Kennerly was still a teenager when she was widowed in 1920. She and Ralph had no children. Two years later she would marry Sherman Julian Sr. in Catawba County before settling in Kannapolis and becoming the mother of 5 children. She would live a long life and died in 1983 at the age of 81.

The story of Ephraim Burris was not yet over. He recovered from his injuries and his trial began in August of 1921. He was sentenced to 20 years for the murder of Officer Kennerly. This sentence seems light by today's standards. Ephraim was not content to be held and serve his time, however. He escaped from prison on multiple occasions.



The Concord Daily Tribune
(Concord, North Carolina)18 Aug 1921, Thu  • Page 3


The Concord 
Daily Tribune
(Concord, North Carolina)11 Jan 1921, Tue  • Page 1










The story of Uncle Ephraims escape is quite an interesting one. He only served 20 days of his 20 year sentence when he made good his escape from a prison brickyard, where he had been sentenced to "make bricks without straw".  He stayed on the loose for nearly a year, possibly with help from his brothers and wife and had even obtained, in some manner or another, a Ford Car. He was believed to have been hiding out in Anson County, but becoming emboldened by his lack of capture, again began showing up at his boyhood haunts in Western Stanly County. Possibly the illegal bootleg joints, or maybe even to the community of Lambert, where a dance hall existed for many decades. He was ratted out and finally captured at the home of one Israel Barbee, who lived on Albemarle Road in the Furr Township of Stanly County, about present day Locust or Red Cross.













The Concord Daily Tribune 

(Concord, North Carolina)27 Jul 1921, Wed  • Page 3






The Stanly News-Herald
(Albemarle, North Carolina)26 Jul 1921, Tue  • Page 1


Ephraims younger brother, Venus Odell Burris, was of a different sort. He surrenndered himself to the police and seemed to have earned himself a different future.


The Concord Daily Tribune
(Concord, North Carolina)22 Oct 1920, Fri  • Page 5


It appears Venus had escaped from active duty by virtue of having a dependant family, yet his obituary lists him as a veteran, with no mention of his wild younger days.


The Concord Times
(Concord, North Carolina)27 Aug 1917, Mon  • Page 5





The Daily Independent
(Kannapolis, North Carolina)12 May 1967, Fri  • Page 5


Perhaps the forgotten victims of Ephraims exploits were his wife and daughter.

Cora Theodora Mauney Burris never remarried. City Directoriea of Concord show her working in the Cotton Mills and in this manner, she raised her daughter Lena alone. Lena, herself, most likely working in the Cotton Mills as well when she became old enough, which was a very young age in those day.

 In 1930, Cora is shown as a boarder and a laborer. Her daughter already remarried. By 1940, she has moved in with daughter Lena.

Name:	Cora Burris
Age:	42
Estimated birth year:	abt 1898
Gender:	Female
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Widowed
Relation to Head of House:	Mother-in-law
Home in 1940:	Hartsell Mill-Franklin Mill-Norcott Mill, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Map of Home in 1940:	View Map
House Number:	22
Inferred Residence in 1935:	Hartsell Mill-Franklin Mill-Norcott Mill, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Residence in 1935:	Same Place
Resident on farm in 1935:	No
Sheet Number:	8B
Institution:	Mill Lines
Occupation:	Spinner
Attended School or College:	No
Highest Grade Completed:	Elementary school, 4th grade
Class of Worker:	Wage or salary worker in private work
Weeks Worked in 1939:	0
Income:	0
Income Other Sources:	No
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Luther Mauney 31 Lena Mauney 26 Sylvester Mauney 10 Leona Mauney 8 Shirley Mauney 5 Cora Burris 42

Cora Mauney Burris lived to be 73 and died while living in Albemarle, Stanly County on April 8, 1972. She is buried at Fairview Memorial Park in Albemarle.

Lena Ellen Burris married on October 13, 1929 in Cabarrus County at the tender age of 14. Her husband was Luther Sylvester Mauney, age 20, a relative. Their family tree is as follows.


                                                          Orville V. Mauney 
                                                                        &
                                                      Elizabeth "Betty" Plyler
                                                           parents of 

Orville A. Mauney                    - brothers -             George Washington Mauney
            &                                                                                         &
Lucy Sophronia Dry                                                  Lillie Florence Stallings

       Parents of                                                                 Parents of 
Luther Sylvestor Mauney         -cousins-                 Cora Theodora Mauney
                                                                                            mother of 
                                                                                      Lena Ellen Burris

Luther and Lena were first cousins once removed.

Luther and Lena raised their children in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. They were the parents of three.

Luther Sylvester Mauney died of a heart attack on January 11, 1973 at the age of 64. Oddly, a little over a year later, on October 11, 1974, his wife Lena, also died a heart attack, related to an infection and diabetes, at the young age of 59.

Ephriam Tillman Burris lived a long life. Although undiscovered in the 1930 census, he is in a Prison Camp near Sanford, Lee County in the 1940 census. He served his time.

Name:	Ephriam Burris
Age:	48
Estimated birth year:	abt 1892
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Married
Home in 1940:	East Sanford, Lee, North Carolina
Map of Home in 1940:	View Map
Sheet Number:	12A
Institution:	Prison Camp
Attended School or College:	No
Highest Grade Completed:	None
Hours Worked Week Prior to Census:	1
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Ephriam Burris 48

Ephraim Burris died on May 17, 1965 at the age of 71 from a blood clot resulting from a case of bronchiopneumonia. He was at the Veteran's Hospital in Fayetteville, NC upon his death. He was listed as a resident of Albemarle, Stanly County, NC and married to Cora. It appears they remained together throughout his incarceration. His usual occupation was listed as "Textile".

He was buried at Fairview Memorial Park.





    The Daily Independent 
(Kannapolis, North Carolina)18 May 1965, Tue  • Page 5   

                                                          

The Tragedy of County Poor Homes & The Tales of Six Residents

January 9, 2018, 4:39 am

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Sarah Freeman, Columbus Whitley, Miranda Starnes, Hannah Bullard, Sarah Chapel, Jane Starnes



What did these Six individuals have in common? They were residents of a County Poor House in the year 1880.

Nearly every County in the Carolinas had them. They were established to care for paupers and the infirm, who had no family to do so. They were often the last stop on a downward spiral. Poor houses were normally attached to a prison farm, where the able-bodied poor were expected to work for their living.

Wikipedia gives the following information:"Poor farms were county- or town-run residences where paupers (mainly elderly and disabled people) were supported at public expense. The farms declined in use after the Social Security Act took effect in 1935, with most disappearing completely by about 1950."

View from the back at the old Cateret County Home NCSU Libraries Rare and Unique Photo Colleciton

Stanly County had one located on the Old Salisbury Road on a rise that had once belonged to my Palmer ancestors. The house has been torn down now, but still stood in the 1970's and 1980's. A cemetery that I was never aware of accompanied it. The circular drive still exists, though overgrown and hard to see in passing. A modern nursing home stands at the foot of the hill from the old County Home today.

The above list of people resided at the Union County, North Carolina home in 1880. They ranged in age from 11 to 83. They were by no means all of the residents at that time, but they piqued my curiosity by something in their description that made me want to know more about them and why or how they had ended up there. For some, there were no hints, for others, there were a few. They were our ancestors, or siblings or cousins of ancestors.

At the time, the Union County Home was ran by Mr. John A. Hargett and his wife Nancy Presley Hargett. John was 60 and his wife was 51 in 1880. His 3 sons  were grown and they hosted 11 people at the time.  His job was listed as "Steward of the Poor House". Before that he had been a farmer.


Hannah Bullard

Hannah and her fellow residents were listed twice in the 1880 census. They were enumerated on June 4, 1880 by enumerator W. J. Scruggs on a Scheudule I form. The next day, June 5, he enumerated them on the regular form.

Hannah was the oldest resident of the Poor House and she was not well. There were actually 3 elderly ladies there, ages given as 86 (Hannah), 80 (Sarah Chapell) and 75 (Sarah Freeman). There was a 65 year old man suffering from Kidney Disease. Hannah was said to have been suffering from Inflammation of the Bowels.

Name:	Hannah Bullard
Age:	86
Birth Date:	Abt 1794
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Monroe, Union, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number:	185
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	Virginia
Sick:	Inflammation Of Fowele
Maimed, Crippled, or Bedridden:	Yes
Cannot Read:	Yes
Cannot Write:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Hannah Bullard 86

But who was this elderly lady? Was she someone's wife, someone's mother, someone's sister? How did she end up here?

My heart really went out to the older residents. In the 1891 Superior Court records of Stanly County, North Carolina, Fall Term, I found this heart breaking plea from the Jury to the Judge, concerning the Stanly County Poor House.

"To Judge Armfiled Presiding, 

We the Grand Jurors beg to report the Conditions of the Poor House as follows:

Need new floor in Cook Room
3 new door shutters
New bed clothing for 10 beds and we recommend that 20 new quilts be furnished
20 new sheets for said beds.
Also new warm woolen socks be furnished for 7 old ladies to keep them warm. 
6 Chamber Mugs
6 Tin dippers
6 Wash pans
6 tin buckets
10 mattresses
7 pairs Woolen Hose (Home Knit)
2 Bolts Chuck (sp?) for Clothing
2 sets of Chairs 
6 Tables
Pillows for each bed

The food is plentiful such as it is, but rough and poorly prepared. 

We remonstrate against the cruel and inhumane treatment of some of the poor by the wardens. We are informed that one poor old lady of 92 years old has been whipped for not working. 

Respectfully Submitted, 

H. C. Perry F. G. J. 

How inexusable and cruel for some woman to have lived that long to have to live her last years under such abuse.

Elderly female Poor House Residents, Google Images

From casual observation, many more women ended up in the Poor House than men did, except for those who lost everything from an acquired illness, like the gentleman with kidney disease.

So how did Hannah Bullard end up there?

Hannah was the daughter of James Bullard and wife Anna "Nancy" Ritter Bullard. Her family came from Chatham County and settled in the Bennett section of Anson County, that became Union County in 1842. She is shown living with her parents, already an old maid, in 1850.

Name:	Hannah Bullard
Age:	31
Birth Year:	abt 1819
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1850:	Union, North Carolina, USA
Gender:	Female
Family Number:	158
Household Members:	Name Age James Bullard 72 Anna Bullard 81 Hannah Bullard 31 Martha Bullard 25 Ann Luton 18

Her mother Nancy died in 1851 and her father in 1854. Both are buried in the Price-Tomberlin Cemetery near Monroe along with her younger sister Margaret, who married a Tomberlin.

Her sister Martha would be fortunate enough to marry a widower with 5 children, Tom Kesiah,  in 1860 after his first wife died and ended up having one child, at the end of her child-bearing years, a daughter, named for his first wife. She died in Union County in 1906. Her oldest brother Ambrose settled in Columbus County and died there in 1886. Her sister also settled with her husband Charles Shepherd in Columbus County, NC and remained childless, but adopted a young girl named Narcissa and is last seen in Georgia, where they removed to by 1870.

Name:	Hannah Bullard
Age:	53
Birth Year:	abt 1807
Gender:	Female
Birth Place:	North Carolina
Home in 1860:	Union, North Carolina
Post Office:	Richardson Creek
Family Number:	249
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Hannah Bullard 53 Amy Bullard 31

But Hannah remained in Union County. In 1860, she is seen living near  Richardson's Creek, supporting herself as a Weaver. Her personal property was worth $40. She shares her home with a younger woman, Amy Bullard. Amy may have been her daughter and living with another family in 1850. That I don't know. But she did live with Hannah for a few decades. Thirty-one year old Amy is listed as a Housekeeper.




In 1870, Hannah and Amy are living in or near Monroe, right next to her sister Martha and her husband, Thomas W. Kesiah. The single women may have been living in a building on the Kesiah property. There were many other Kesiah families in the area, along with Price's.

Name:	Hannah Bullard
Age in 1870:	70
Birth Year:	abt 1800
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Dwelling Number:	179
Home in 1870:	Monroe, Union, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Occupation:	Keeping House
Cannot Read:	Y
Cannot Write:	Y
Household Members:	Name Age Hannah Bullard 70 Amasy Bullard 45

In 1880, Hannah, now sick with Inflammation of the Bowels, has been moved to the Poor House. Amy, a middle-aged woman herself, is living with her Aunt Martha and Uncle Thomas Kesiah. Martha is not much older than Amy and Amy is listed as a niece. Since Amy is not listed with any of Martha's other siblings, I have the feeling that Hannah was her mother.

Name:	Amie Bullard
Age:	50
Birth Date:	Abt 1830
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Monroe, Union, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number:	684
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Niece
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	Housekeeper
Cannot Read:	Yes
Cannot Write:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Thomas Keziah 54 Martha Keziah 56 Amie Bullard 50

Martha died December 9, 1906. She is buried in the Dunalp Cemetery in the Unionville Community of Union County, North Carolina.




After 1880, both Hannah and Amy disappear. Being sick, it is most likely that Hannah did not live long past the 1880 census. She could have died later that year or by 1882 at least. Her exact age is unknown. While her birth year is estimated as 1794 in 1880, I believe that is an exageration. In 1850, it is given as 1819, in 1860 as 1807 and in 1870 as 1800. The same with Amy, who was born between 1825 and 1830. Amy was likely deceased before 1900. Where either is buried is unknown.

Jane Starnes

Unlike Hannah Bullard, who was an elderly lady, Jane Starnes was still in her productive middle years in 1880. Her malady, however, that caused her entry was that she was labeled insane.

Name:	Jane Starnes
Age:	47
Birth Date:	Abt 1833
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Monroe, Union, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number:	185
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Insane:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Jane Starnes 47

Jane Starnes situation varied a bit from that of Hannah. She never married and was not a mother. She was left property in her father's will, but it wasn't lack of assetts that ended her up in the Poor House. In the column that listed any medical conditions a person might have, Jane was noted as being insane, but it was not alway that way. 

Margaret Jane Starnes was the daughter of Valentine A Starnes and Olivia "Leavy" Ritch Starnes. 

Name:	Jane Starnes
Age:	13
Birth Year:	abt 1837
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1850:	Union, North Carolina, USA
Gender:	Female
Family Number:	541
Household Members:	Name Age Valentine Starnes 50 Olney Starnes 48 John Starnes 21 Esther Starnes 16 Daling Starnes 14 Jane Starnes 13 Jacob Starnes 11 Brown Starnes 9

Jane was the youngest daughter of 7 children with one sister and 5 brothers. She grew up in the Sandy Ridge area of Union County, North Carolina. In the 1850 census, oldest brother Adam Starnes was already out on his own.

Name:	Jane Starnes
Age:	22
Birth Year:	abt 1838
Gender:	Female
Birth Place:	North Carolina
Home in 1860:	Union, North Carolina
Post Office:	Fullwoods
Family Number:	720
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Valentine Starnes 59 Olevy Starnes 57 Esther Starnes 26 Jane Starnes 22 Jacob Starnes 21

The 1860 census would be the last for sister Esther. As she didn't make her father's will, it appeard Esther passed away unmarried and young before 1870.Her mother wouldn't make it to 1870 either.

Name:	Jane Starnes
Age:	22
Birth Year:	abt 1838
Gender:	Female
Birth Place:	North Carolina
Home in 1860:	Union, North Carolina
Post Office:	Fullwoods
Family Number:	720
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Valentine Starnes 59 Olevy Starnes 57 Esther Starnes 26 Jane Starnes 22 Jacob Starnes 21

My interest in Jane was piqued by her surname, Starnes, which is one of the names in my family tree. Most, if not all, of the Union, Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, and Stanly County, North Carolina and York and Lancaster County, South Carolina Starnes/Stearnes families harken back to the original Frederick Starnes families and John, Valentine and Adam Starnes, all related. Jane's father Valentine was just one of the grandsons a few generations down from these and a cousin removed a few from my F. F. Starnes.

The tragedy to hit this family was not over, not by far. The Civil War struck, and tragedy hit many families, but it hit the family of Valentine Starnes the hardest. He lost not one, not two, but every son he had, from the oldest to the youngest.

Adam Starnes (or Stearnes) b 1827 Mecklenburg, NC  d April 17, 1864 Point Lookout, St. Mary's County, MD

John Leander Starnes b Aug 8, 1829 Crooked Creek, Mecklenburg, NC d April 18, 1864 Scotland, St. Mary's County, MD Enlisted October 21, 1862 Camp French by L. R. Gibson.
Noted as Missing in Action  on Oct. 14, 1863
Captured at Bristow Station, Virginia  Transfered Oct 27, 1863 to Point Lookout
Admitted to Hospital Feb 11 1864 with Pneumonia
Died April 17, 1864 

Jacob M. Starnes  b 1839 Union County, NC d June 29, 1863
Pvt Co J 37th NC INF born Union County, age 23, Occupation: Farmer Height 5 ft 10"
Enlisted in Charlotte on Oct 22, 1961 by Harrison for a period of One Year
Jan - Feb 1862 Absent, on furlough  from Feby 27 - April 3
Mar - Apr 1862 Present. Enlistment Cont. 2 years $50.00 Bounty
Wounded at Fredericksburg December 13, 1862
Died from Wounds recieved at Chancelorville May 3, 1863 Died June 29, 1863
Settlement recieved January 25, 1864 by Valentine Starnes, father

Brown Starnes b 1841 Union Co. NC d May 31, 1863
Pvt Co I (Mecklenburg Rifles)  37 Regt NC Inf
Born Union Co NC age 21 Height 6 ft 1" Camp Mangum Term of One Year
Enlisted Jany 1 in Charlotte, NC ReEnlisted in Mar/April 1862 for 2 years $50.00 Bounty
Disease: Wounds recieved May 7 1863 Fredericksburg
Died: May 31, 1863 Chancelorville, Va
Settlement recieved by Valentine Starnes, father


The Case of Dulin Starnes

Dulin Starnes - 1835 Union County, Nc  - 15 Aug 1863

The case of Dulin Starnes was a bit more unusual, confusing and tragic than that of his brothers. He actually enlisted 3 times in three different companies at three different places, sometimes accompanied by one or more of his brothers. To understand what he did in better terms, I put it on a timeline.

1835 - Dulin Starnes born in Union County, North Carolina.
1858 - Marries Rusha (Maybe short for Jerusha) Elizabeth King, daughter of Harmon Daniel King Jr and Mary Valentina Starnes, likely a cousin.
 November 27 -1859  Emsley Valentine Starnes born. Oldest son of Dulin and Rusha.

October 4, 1861   Enlisted in Union County, by Thomas W. Redwine Co F (Redwine Beauregards) 35th Regiment, NC Infantry. Born Union County, Age 25, Occupation: Blacksmith
Height 6 foot 1".

October 22, 1861 Enlisted in Charlotte, NC by Captain Harrison for a period of 12 months.
                               Pvt. Co J 37 Regt NC Infantry. Brother Jacob M. Starnes also enlisted this day.
November 6, 1861 Camp of Induction near Raleigh. Remarks: Deserted

Jan. -Feb, 1862  Noted as Absent - On Furlough. (*Conception Period of Dulin Jr.).
Feb 22 1862 - March 29 1862 On Furlough from Co J 37th Regiment
March - April Muster 1862 Present Co J 37th Regiment. Enlistment Cont. for 2 years $50 Bounty.
June 30 - Oct 31 1862 Muster Roll: Co J 37th Regiment. Last paid by R. M. Oates on April 30
July 5, 1862  Remarks from above Muster Roll "Desterted July 5".

Roll of Honor Co J, 37th Regt County Union, Date of Entrance into Service: Oct 22, 1961 Age 25, Conscript, Remarks "Shot to Death by Order of Court Martial for Desertion". 

Oct 22, 1862 Conscript  Co D 52nd Infantry, at Camp French by D. R. Gibson 3 years or duration of War. Brother John Leander Starnes also enlisted this day at the same place.

November 1, 1862 - March 1863 - Absent from Co D 52 Inf. noted Absent, Paroled Prisoner (been exchanged).

December 18, 1862 Date of Parole

Roll of Honor  Co D 52 Inf  County: Union    Rank: Private Remarks: "Shot for Desertion".

August 15, 1863 Dulin Benson Starnes I shot to death, Virginia, USA

October 1, 1863 Dulin Benson Starnes II born second son of Dulin, Sr. and Rusha.



Notes attached to Paperwork of Co F, 37th Regiment.
" The name Dulin Benson Starnes has not been found on the file of any Confederate State. For the Records show that one Dulin Starnes 35 Regt. enlisted  Oct 4, 1861 in Union County by Capt. Thomas W. Redwine on a muster roll of the Co dated Camp of Induction near Raleigh Nov. 6, 1861. He was reported deserted. No later record as a member of this Company has been found. 

The records also show that one Dulin Starnes whose name is also found as Dulin Stearnes Pvt. Co J 37 Regt. enlisted Oct 29, 1861 at Charlotte for 1 year. Age 25 years Occupation Blacksmith Height 6' 1" , born in Union County. Enlistment for Two year. The January -February Muster Roll shows he deserted on July 5, 1862.

Dulin Starnes Pvt. Co D 52 Regt. NC Infantry Enlisted on Oct 21, 1862 at Camp French. Union Records show he was captured between New Bern and Goldsboro, NC and paroled December 17, 1862. 

On a roll covering the Period to March 1863 he was reported "Absent, Paroled Prisoner" Had been Exchanged. Residence shown as Union County, NC. 

State: Virginia   Captain William Long, 1st Liet. Andrew J. Thompson, 2nd Liet. Clinton K King, 2nd Liet. John L. Myers. "

Somehow, Dulin Starnes appeared to not understand that he could not go from one company to another at will. It cost him his life.


As a side note on Adam Starnes. Some state that he was the Adam Starnes who went to Indiana with his wife and raised a large family, not the one who died at Point LookOut. He, nor any children of his was mentioned in his father's will of 1875. Either the Union County, NC to Indiana Adam Starnes was the wrong one, or he lost touch entirely with his family and his father thought him deceased.

So in the decade between 1860 and 1870, Margaret Jane Starnes had lost her mother, her older sister Esther, and all 5 five of her brothers, 4 at least, to the tragedy that was the Civil War.


The Daily Standard
(Raleigh, North Carolina)25 May 1870, Wed  • Page 3


Then on May 22, 1870, her 69 year old father, Valentine A. Starnes married 40 year old Margaret T. Query, a woman only a few years olders than Jane herself.

Name:	Valentine Starnes
Age in 1870:	69
Birth Year:	abt 1801
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Dwelling Number:	237
Home in 1870:	Sandy Ridge, Union, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Occupation:	Farmer
Male Citizen Over 21:	Y
Household Members:	Name Age Valentine Starnes 69 Margaret Starnes 40 Margaret J Starnes 39 James Starnes 19

The 1870 census found Valentine with his new bride, his only child left, Margaret Jane and his 19 year old grandson, James, son of John Leander Starnes, living in Sandy Ridge.

The Will of Valentine Starnes

Valentine Starnes wrote his will as he felt his aging body giving way. He wrote in a clear and reverent script, hinting at a sound and thorough education, a strong faith in God, and a poetic tendancy. It was written on February 18, 1875. Skipping the fluid prose and legalese, the basics of his will were thus:

1) He will his lands and all property to his wife, Margaret T. Starnes "so long as she remains my widow and no longer". And at her death or second marriage to be divided as such.

2) A portion from a Hickory to Stillwell's corner to Robinson's Corner to be will to grandson Emsley V. Starnes (son of Dulin).

3) The property on the southside, along with his house and all household and kitchen furniture to daughter Margaret Jane Starnes "to be hers permanently".

4) One red heifer to daughter Margaret Jane Starnes.

5) Bed and Bedstead to Granddaughter Francis Starnes (daughter of John Leander)

6) All remaining property, along with Gold Mine and "all be sold and its proceeds, along with my notes, and money be equally divided between my 5 grandchildren: Dulin B. Starnes, and Francis, and James L. and Jerusha, and Joanna and Sarah J. Starnes, the children of my two sons, Dulin and John Starnes, deceased.  (*If you noticed, that is more than 5 and Emsley, mentioned before was left out, so there was 6.  (Jerusha and Joanna was one girl, Jerusha Joanna Starnes.)

7) Supplement " I will that my wife Margaret have and hold all the property that she fetched here and all that she may make hers after and dispose of it as she pleases." (Anyone else see a sign of hen-pecking from a young(er) wife in this addendum?)

Signed Valentine Starnes.
Franklin Starnes (A. F. Starnes in probate) assigned as Executor.

Witnesses: S. N. Stillwell and W. H. Phifer

Valentines estate was probated in 1884. His Gold Mine was sold on Feb. 4, 1880 for $250. His estate papers were 35 pages long. A. Franklin Starnes had been replaced by C. W. Simpson as Administrator of the Estate. Heirs mentioned were Dulin B. Starnes, Jerusha J. Dempster, Frances M. Sharpe, Sarah J. Wright. The clerks handwriting looks like waves in the sand, but the following information can be deciphered.

"James L. Starnes, deceased, having died since the death of one said V. Starnes".  

His sisters were pleading with the court to divide James L. Starnes portion of their grandfather's estate among them. Grandson Emsley Valentine Starnes, widow Margaret and daughter Jane were not mentioned in the estate papers.

Name:	Margret Sterns
Age:	54
Birth Date:	Abt 1826
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Sandy Ridge, Union, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number:	229
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Self (Head)
Marital Status:	Widowed
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	Keeps House
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Margret Sterns 54

In the 1880 census, his widow, Margaret T. Query Starnes was living alone in the Sandy Ridge area, where she was in 1870, but right next to a James Harvey Query, who was probably a relative of hers. Another neighbor was James T. Ross, who was mentioned in the estate papers as having bought a portion of the lands in question.


So imagining Jane, her last stronghold, her father, is deceased. Her young stepmother with the right, and probably the will, to sell all the property that would go to Jane, away, leaving her only with that red heifer. Her siblings all gone, her brothers lost in that pernicious war. No husband to provide. No marketable skill. Only a handful of nieces and nephews left and her sweet young John L, who moved in to help her father, gone.

She lost her mind. And by 1884, had also lost her life. I would not rule out suicide in her case. No records, but a high probability. As a side note, there were 4 Jane Starnes in the area within a decade of her 1880 given year of birth, but with the hint that she was a single woman, and born a Starnes, it narrowed down to this Jane being the only possible candidate for the Jane Starnes in the poor house.

Miranda Starnes

Miranda Starnes was of interest because of her name, Starnes and her age, only 24. Why would a young woman, in the prime of life, be contained in a Poor House?

Sadly, the only real information I could find on her was in the two 1880 censuses in which she appeared.

Name:	Ransy Starnes
Age:	22
Birth Date:	Abt 1858
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Monroe, Union, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number:	1
Race:	Black
Gender:	Female
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	Servant
Insane:	Yes
Cannot Read:	Yes
Cannot Write:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Ransy Starnes 22

The one record tells us that she is a black female, 22 years of age. She is single, and insane. She can neither read nor write, and she and both of her parents were born in North Carolina.

Name:	Miranda Starnes
Age:	22
Birth Date:	Abt 1858
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Monroe, Union, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number:	185
Race:	Black
Gender:	Female
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Insane:	Yes
Cannot Read:	Yes
Cannot Write:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Miranda Starnes 22

The second census has basically the same information, but has her name as Miranda, instead of Randy, which I suppose was a nickname. But it also gives one disturbing bit of information not mentioned in the previous one. "Confined in Cell". Miranda was so disturbed, they thought she had to be locked away.

Because of her race, it was likely that Miranda had been born a slave. Still, I had hopes that I might find her in the 1870 census, which was the first in which all African Americans were listed by name, not just the free ones. Looking for Starnes females fitting her description in Union County in 1870, there was one, the daughter of William and Alcy Starnes. Her name was Cornelia, which was a far cry from Miranda, but could have been her.

Wondering if perhaps Miranda died in 1880 as well, I took a chance on the Mortality Schedule for Union County that year. There were a number of Starnes that passed away that year in Union County.

V. M. Starnes, 88, died suddenly.
Charles Starnes, 82, died of Catarrahl Fever, which typically was a livestock disease.
John Starnes, 81, died of dysentery
Elizabeth Starnes,84, died of Old Age
Valentine Starnes, 81, died of a Rupture. This was Jane's father. He had lived 5 years past writing his will.

Name:	John Starnes
Gender:	Male
Race:	Black
Marital Status:	Single
Estimated birth year:	abt 1876
Birth Place:	North Carolina, USA
Age:	4
Death Date:	Mar 1880
Cause of Death:	Burned to Death
Census Year:	1880
Census Place:	Monroe, Union, North Carolina, USA
Enumeration District:	210
LINE:	14

But the entry that tore at my heartstrings the most was that of John Starnes, aged 4 and William Starnes, aged 2, two little boys, both black and from Sandy Ridge. Both with the cause of death as "Burned to Death". Did this have anything to do with Miranda? Would I find anything in the newspapers?  I did.



The Daily Review
(Wilmington, North Carolina)19 Apr 1880, Mon  • Page 4

No mention of Miranda, but were they related? Yet, sometimes, you have to read multiple articles on the same story to get the whole picture.




The Observer
(Raleigh, North Carolina)20 Apr 1880, Tue  • Page 2

"According to Miranda's story, she had built on a large fire in the fire place, which caught the building, when she went out after a bucket of water to extinguish it, closing the door after her, and when she returned, it was too late to rescue the children."

So, this was probably Miranda's family. She wasn't alone in the world.

The first step, or the easiest first step, was to find James G. King, and then find a Starnes family that lived near him.

ousehold Members:	Name Age Violet Starnes 45 Josephine Starnes 22 Pollie Starnes 16

And that I did. Violet Starnes age 45 and her daughters Josephine 22, and Polly 16, living right next door to James G. King with whom a 12 year old boy named James Starnes, lived and worked as a servant. It would not be hard to assume that James was also the son of Violet and that Josephine, was "Josy" in the article, mother of William, the two year old.

Having found Violet in 1880, I could now find her in 1870, as her name was not a common one. And that I did. I found her living in the home of a 70 year old man, John Starnes, who may have been her father. Not a husband, as her name did not come next. The home was full of children, including Josephine and by their ages, Miranda was probably "Jane", making her name Miranda Jane Starnes. Pollie was "Ann" in 1870 as her name was Mary Ann and her nickname Pollie.

This family was surrounded by other Starnes households. One, Emalina, was a 30 year old African American woman with a house full of children, too. The other households were white Starnes and I hoped that could take me one step further in the search for Miranda's past.

Two of the closests homes, that of Jackson Starnes and a widow named Jane Starnes, led to a very long and extensive family tale of land records and court records that I will probably look at later, but had nothing to do with Miranda. Jackson was Andrew Jackson Starnes and Jane was widow of his brothe M. L. Starnes. Both were sons of Moses Starnes, who had died in 1843, leaving a great deal of property, but owning no slaves.

The other nearby Starnes was Thomas, son of a John Starnes and this led to a small bit of information. In the 1850 and 1860 census records, a schedule was attached at the end called the Slave Schedules. It only listed the names of the owners of the slaves, and listed the slaves only by age and gender. In 1850, there were 3 Starnes who owned slaves: Daniel, who only had a man and woman, Charles, one 13 year old boy, and John the most, 8,which appear to be a family, a man, a woman and 6 children. By 1860, Daniel appeared to have the same man and woman in his household, now joined by two young boys. A William P. Starnes had taken in a one year old male infant listed as a slave.
Charles Starnes seems to have had the same young man, now an adult of 22 instead of a 13 year old boy. Thomas Starnes appears with a young woman of 25 and 4 young children. John Starnes now has 9 in his household: 3 adults, 3 teenages and 3 young children.

It is my belief that Violet was the 25 year old in the home of Thomas and the children included her oldest daughters, Miranda and Josephine. Both the estate of John and Thomas were settled far after the end of the Civil War, so their slaves were freed before their deaths, so therefore, not named in any estate records. A closer look at any deeds, conveyances or any other interaction between father and son in the records of Union County might determine if my hunches were true.

Violets daughters, Josephine and Pollie married brothers, Thomas and John Barrett, sons of John Barrett Sr. and wife Harriett. They can be traced, and Josephine died in Guilford County in 1952. Only Violet as her mother, is listed in Josephines's marriage and death records, while Pollie gives her father as Burk Richardson. But there is no more record of Miranda. She must not have made it 1900. She may not have regained her sanity. But I take heart in knowing, at least a bit of her story, and a hint at who she was.

Columbus Whitley

Columbus Whitley was interesting because it was a very Stanly County sounding name and because this Columbus was so very young. Again, the two census records give us a tad bit difference in information.

Name:	Columbus Whitley
Age:	11
Birth Date:	Abt 1869
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Monroe, Union, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number:	1
Race:	Black
Gender:	Male
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	Servant
Cannot Read:	Yes
Cannot Write:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Columbus Whitley 11

The first one gives us the basic information of his age, and what he did at the poor house. He was only 11 years old and working as a servant. The second one gave the exact same information, with one exception, it included the words "bound boy."

Binding was an 19th century institution slightly like todays foster home system. It was intended to provide care for orphaned, abandoned, illegitimate, or neglected and abused children, provide them with workable skills, and the family to which they were bound with the labor of the child. The guardians were required to provide the child with basic nessessities and an education, while teaching them a particular trade, or knowledge of husbandry. It cut across color lines, so had no relation to the fact that Columbus was African-American, except to the fact that destruction of those families had taken place for decades, many marriages disallowed or informal, so at the time of Columbus's birth, just a few years after the end of the Civil War, black women who had children without also having a marriage license, often had those children taken away and bound out, in a fashion, still enslaving those children until they reached the age of majority.
Being 11, Columbus should have been about a year old during the previous census, in 1870, but I could not find him. His parents names, given on his documents, were Henderson Whitley, from Union County, and Sarah Robertson, from Mecklenburg County. I could not find Henderson Whitley, but I did find a Sarah Robertson in Mecklenburg County, with the unusual profession of "Fortune Teller". She was too old to have been Columbus's mother, but perhaps she was his grandmother, or other relative.

But Columbus Whitley's life did not lie behind him, it lie ahead. He was the first of my studied so far to have made the twenty year jump to 1900. During this 20 year period, he had grown up, married Sarah E. Sellers from Cheraw, South Carolina and the two had settled in Chesterfield County, SC to raise a family.

Market Street in Cheraw, SC about 1909

Name:	Columbus Whitley [Columbus ??A]
Age:	35
Birth Date:	Mar 1865
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1900:	Court House, Chesterfield, South Carolina
Sheet Number:	2B
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation:	38
Family Number:	38
Race:	Black
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Sarah Whitley
Marriage Year:	1890
Years Married:	10
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	Farm
Months not employed:	1
Can Read:	No
Can Write:	No
Can Speak English:	Yes
Farm or House:	F
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Columbus Whitley 35 Sarah Whitley 32 Mary Whitley 10 Carry Whitley 6 Green Whitley 4 Sarah Whitley 2 Perl Homer 33

Pearl Homer was a servant. Columbus was farming. They were living amongst several white Sellers families, which may have been where Sarah grew up. She could read and write, and she was noted as the mother of 7 childdren, with only 4 having survived. The child motality rate was incredibly high at that time. Sarah's was nearly 50%.

Name:	Sarah Whitting [Sarah Whitter]
Age in 1910:	46
Birth Year:	abt 1864 [abt 1870]
Birthplace:	South Carolina
Home in 1910:	Cheraw, Chesterfield, South Carolina
Race:	Black
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Wife
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Columlus Whitting
Father's Birthplace:	South Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	South Carolina
Native Tongue:	English
Occupation:	Farm Laborer
Industry:	Day
Employer, Employee or Other:	Wage Earner
Able to Read:	No
Able to Write:	No
Years Married:	25
Number of Children Born:	6
Number of Children Living:	6
Out of Work:	N
Number of weeks out of work:	0
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Columlus Whitting 45 Sarah Whitting 46 Mary Whitting 20 Carrie Whitting 18 Grenn Whitting 16 Leon Whitting 14 Ellen Whitting 12 Sarah Whitting 10 Jack Whitting 1

SAVE  Cancel

1910 The family is still in Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC. Columbus, Sarah, and all of the older children are working as farm labor. The children can read and write. To his credit, Columbus Whitley looked to be steadily improving the lives of his children and descendants. Oddly, Sarah claims to be the mother of 6 children and 7 are listed. Despite the 9 year age gap between Jack and Sarah Jr., he is listed as a son. I wonder, if instead, he was actually a grandson, and the child of one of the older daughters.

Cheraw, SC 1912

He was part of what refer to as the first of the mobile generation. No longer was it a major move to go to another county or state. Jump a train and the world was your oyster.

Cheraw, SC when the Whitley's lived there.

By 1917, Columbus had moved his family to Raleigh, North Carolina, a larger, more progressive and rapidly growing town. Cheraw, South Carolina, sittling just below the North Carolina border along the PeeDee River, was a quintessential Southern town, especially in these early year. Not saying that Raleigh was not. But the Raleigh-Durham area was becoming a center for tobacco factories, and newly expanding technologies. The transportation system was more modern and the opportunity was greater. I can imagine Columbus hearing about the opportunities and thinking it a better place for his family than working as farm labor.

In 1917, Columbus shows up as a Laborer, and living at 1127 S Person St in Raleigh. His daughter Carrie was listed as a domestic.

A Child in 1914 with Pellagra

Sadly, before leaving Cheraw completely, the family suffered a major loss. The Death Certficate of oldest daughter, Mary E. Whitley shows she died at age 24 of Pellegra. Pellagra is a horrific disease caused by Niacin deficiency. It can be charactorized by horrifically inflamed skin, dirahhea, mouth sores, and later, dementia, followed by death. The death of Mary may have been the catalyst for the 3 hour move northeast. Better opportunities, more jobs, better nutrition. It can derive from a number of issues, like a natural lack of the ability to absorb Niacin and Trytophan, but most often from alchoholism or a diet dependent mainly on corn.

But the deadly disease Pellagra was not finished with the Whitley family. On October 4, 1919, Columbus and Sarah lost another daughter. Millie Ellen Whitley listed as living at 1125 South Person Street, Raleigh, is listed as dying of Pellegra on October 4, 1919. She was 18 years, 1 month and 22 days old. Young women, in the prime of their life.

Millie's death certificate suggested another reason for the families move to Raleigh. The Hospital.

Other information on her death certificate: Occupation: Housekeeper  Birthplace: Cheraw S. C.
Father's name: Columbus Whitley Birthplace: Monroe N. C. Mother's maiden name: Sarah E. Sellers Birthplace: Cheraw S. C.   Informant: Sarah E. Whitley.

The doctor's notes were telling. "I hereby certify that I attended the deceased from June 1, 1918 to November 25 1918."  D. E. Caldwell M. D.

Maybe after losing Mary on December 22, 1917, Columbus sought treatment for Millie Ellen in Raleigh.

Little Jack also disappeared. Perhaps he also died of Pellagra before they began to start issuing death certificates around 1913.



While Mary's Death Certificate only states that she was buried in Cheraw, Millie Ellen's state that she was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Raleigh, a cemetery opened in 1872 for the African-American community in Raleigh.


The move did not seem like a blessing to the family in these latter years of the early Nineteen-teens. The birth, then death of a grandchild got Sarah E. Whitley on the wrong side of the law, propably a case of ignorance of that law.




News and Observer
(Raleigh, North Carolina)23 Jul 1919, Wed  • Page 11

An historic Raleigh home on South Person Street

The 1920 census shows the family at 1125 South Person St. Raleigh, still, with 6 surviving children.

Name:	Columbus Whitley [Colunbus Whitley]
Age:	49
Birth Year:	abt 1871
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	Raleigh Ward 3, Wake, North Carolina
Street:	S Person Street
House Number:	1125
Residence Date:	1920
Race:	Black
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Sallie Whitley
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Laborer
Industry:	public wk
Employment Field:	Wage or Salary
Home Owned or Rented:	Rent
Able to Read:	No
Able to Write:	No
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Columbus Whitley 49 Sallie Whitley 37 Carrie Whitley 21 Sarah Whitley 16 Lemuel Whitley 15 Charlie Whitley 11 Marie Whitley 6 Greene Whitley 22

This would be Columbus Whitley's last census. He is shown as a Laborer, Sallie appears to be a Stay-at-Home-Mom. Carrie and Sarah Jr. both are working as Laundresses and oldest son Green is working as labor for the Public Works.

Name:	Columbus W Whitley
Residence Year:	1921
Street address:	217 Lee
Residence Place:	Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Occupation:	Driver
Publication Title:	Raleigh, North Carolina, City Directory,

The next year would be a better one for the Whitley family. According to the City Directory, they had all moved to 217 Lee Street. Columbus had acquire a job as a driver and Green was working as a Packer at the Capudine Chemical Company. Lee Street intersects with South Person, so the move was not a far one. One runs East -West, the other North - South. It's a historically black neighborhood just south of Shaw University. Mt. Hope cemetery towered in the distance on a westward hill.



This is a photo of  214 Lee Street. It is probably typical of the bungalow style home that the Whitley's occupied. Their small burst of good luck would not last long, however.

On May 19, 1922, a third daughter, Sarah Jr., aged 19 died of Pellagra. She was noted as having been born in Cheraw and being a laundry worker. She was buried at Mount Hope.


Columbus W. Whitley died on August 1, 1922. His wife was Sarah Whitley and his place of birth, Monroe, N. C. His father was listed as Henderson Whitley born in Monroe and his mother's maiden name was Sarah Robertson, born in Meckleburg County, NC.  He also died of Pellagra and heart failure, contributing factors, diareaha and mental symptoms. He had been suffering with Pellagra for 4 years. His occupation was given as a farmer and oil mill worker and laborer. He was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery with his daughters,


Sarah E. Sellers Whitley outlived her husband by 15 years. She passed away on March 7, 1937 at the age of 74. She is also buried at Mount Hope.

Columbus W.  Whitley and Sarah E. Sellers Whitley had the following children:

1) Mary Whitley b Oct. 1889 d Dec 22, 1917 Both in Cheraw, SC

2) Carrie Whitley Saunders. B July 23, 1893 Cheraw, SC. D June 24, 1966 Raleigh, Wake, NC
    Married Percy McLean Saunders, Sr.

3) Green Whitley b June 10, 1894 Cheraw, SC D Oct 14, 1970 Wake County, NC
     Married Bertha Turner.

4) Sarah E. Whitley b July 1897 Cheraw, SC D May 19, 1922 Raleigh, NC

5) Millie Ellen Whitley b Aug 12, 1901 Cheraw, SC D Oct 4, 1919 Raleigh, NC

6) Lemuel Whitley b April 6, 1904 Cheraw, SC Ded 2, 1978 Carolina Biblical Garden, Garner, Wake Co. Married Gladys Duncan

7) Charles Columbus "Charlie" Whitley b Aug 31, 1908 Cheraw, NC D Dec 30, 2006 Raleigh, NC
     Married Eunice, Married Daisy Thomas

8) Marie Whitley B 1914 Cheraw, South Carolina.

Below is the obituary for Charles Columbus Whitley, the youngest son of Columbus Sr. He died less than a decade ago. To imagine, his father was born just after the end of slavery in America. That is how close we still are to it. Just a few generations.

A quick study of the known descendants of Columbus W. Whitley show a collection of well-educated and sucessful individuals. His move to make a better life for his descendants worked. They probably have no idea what they owe to Columbus, his hard work, his trials and tribulations, his suffering. I am sure he is proud and happy of the family he has left behind.

Charles C. Whitley

Death notices - 1

News & Observer, The (Raleigh, NC) - Thursday, January 4, 2007

RALEIGH -- Bro. Charles Columbus Whitley, born Aug. 31, 1908, to Mr. Columbus and Mary Whitley, Cheraw, SC, departed this life on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2006.

He was preceded in death by his parents; former wife; sister; and brothers.

The funeral service will be at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 4, at Rush Metropolitan AME Zion Church, preceded by a 10:30 a.m. visitation, with burial to follow at Carolina Biblical Gardens.

At an early age he was affectionately called to and embraced the Christian faith. Later he became a member of Rush Metropolitan AME Zion Church, Raleigh. He was a member of the Steward Board, and a member of the Usher Board for 40 faithful years until his health failed.

He worked for the Railroad Express for many years. After which, he joined the US Navy and received an honorable discharge. He was a member of Widow's Son Lodge @#4, Boyer Consistory @#219.

On Sept. 7, 2002 Charles was united in holy matrimony to Daisy Thomas Whitley.

He leaves to cherish his memories, a loving and devoted wife, Daisy; son, Charlie Roberson; daughters, Cynthia Greene and Daisy Hicks; nieces, Ruth Carter (Howard), Raleigh, Shirley Nelson, Columbia, SC, Mary Evans, Raleigh, June Taylor, Laurel, MD, Delane Pretty (Milton), Capital Heights, MD, Brenda and Collette Judd, both of Raleigh; a nephew, Michael Judd, Rocky Mount; a host of other relatives and friends; and a very special caregiver, Sharlon Crudup.

Arrangements by Haywood Fu-neral Home, 2415 S. Wilmington Street, Raleigh, NC 27603, (919)832-2835, 

Sallie Freeman

Sarah Freeman's story was quick, uncomplicated, simple, but none the less sad. Her maiden name is unknown. In the 1880 census records we learn three simple facts about her alone.

She is a widow. She was born around 1805,  in North Carolina and so were her parents. And she was suffering from a malady called "Old Age". The second 1880 census gave no differing information.

Sarah was the widow of a man named George Freeman. He was born about 1803, probably in the section of Mecklenburg County that became part of Union in 1842. It appears he had a brother named Charles Freeman who died about 1843, other than that, his family is unknown. It is possible that Sarah was a Simpson.

Name:	Geo Freeman
Home in 1830 (City, County, State):	Mecklenburg, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29:	1
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29:	1
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:	2
Total Free White Persons:	2
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored):	2

George and Sarah probably married in the 1820's. He first shows up in the 1830 census. He and Sarah are in their 20's.

Name:	George Freeman
Home in 1840 (City, County, State):	Mecklenburg, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 40 thru 49:	1
Free White Persons - Females - 30 thru 39:	1
Persons Employed in Agriculture:	1
No. White Persons over 20 Who Cannot Read and Write:	1
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:	2
Total Free White Persons:	2
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves:	2

A decade later, no changes, just a decades older. Still just the two of them.

Name:	George Freeman
Age:	47
Birth Year:	abt 1803
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1850:	Union, North Carolina, USA
Gender:	Male
Family Number:	1115
Household Members:	Name Age John C Burnet 25 Mary Burnet 34 Frances C Burnet 0 George Freeman 47 Sarah Freeman 45

1850. Sarah is named in this one. The two are in their forties living with with a young family, John C Burnett and his wife Mary Stancil Freeman. John C. Burnett has a little property and George has found work as a Farm Laborer working for him. In 1856, John C. Burnett dies, leave an estate, a widow and three children. Robert Simpson is the Administrator of the estate, just as Simpsons were involved in George's brother Charles's estate. That is why I think Sarah might have been a Simpson.

So now, George is out of work.

Name:	George Freemen
Age:	60
Birth Year:	abt 1800
Gender:	Male
Home in 1860:	Union, North Carolina
Post Office:	Monroe
Family Number:	817
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age George Freemen 60 Sally Freemen 60

1860 George is 60. His Property is worth $50.00 dollars and his personal estate $5.00. He's working as a Farm Laborer and living next to a Dr. Caldwell, Physician. Sarah is a domestic.

Name:	Sarah Freeman
Age in 1870:	50
Birth Year:	abt 1820
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Dwelling Number:	119
Home in 1870:	Goose Creek, Union, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Occupation:	Keeping House
Household Members:	Name Age Sarah Freeman 50

1870 Sarah is all alone. George has apparently died during the preceeding decade and he and Sarah never had any children. No children, no husband, no apparent relatives, no property and few options.






1880 again. Sarah is now an old lady, alone, no family. George never aquired any property, just ecked along. Probably died of a heart attack in his sixties working like a younger man. Sarah's only option was the poorhouse.

It wasn't just the lifelong poor who ended up in the Poor House. Hence, this story of a man who had been considered a prominent member of his community. He becomes old, weak, unable to work and eventually ends up in the poorhouse, all his wordly possessions sold and gone.






The Raleigh Register
(Raleigh, North Carolina)07 Apr 1852, Wed  • Page 


Sarah Chapel

Sarah Chapel's story was similar to that of Sarah Freeman's. She was an elderly lady. She probably had dementia as she was noted as insane. She was in both 1880 census's and both gave the same information.

Name:	Sarah Chapel
Age:	80
Birth Date:	Abt 1800
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Monroe, Union, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number:	185
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Marital Status:	Widowed
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Sick:	Old Age
Blind:	Yes
Idiotic:	Yes
Insane:	Yes
Cannot Read:	Yes
Cannot Write:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Sarah Chapel 80

Her ailment was old age. She was widowed, blind and insane. But how did she get there?

Name:	Daniel Chappel
Home in 1830 (City, County, State):	Mecklenburg, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29:	1
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:	1
Total Free White Persons:	1
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored):	1

Sarah was the widow of one Daniel Chapell. Just like George Freeman, he shows up first in the 1830 census of Mecklenburg County, as Union was included there until 1842. In this one, he is a single man in his 20's.

Name:	Daniel Chappel
Home in 1840 (City, County, State):	Mecklenburg, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9:	1
Free White Persons - Males - 30 thru 39:	1
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 14:	1
Free White Persons - Females - 30 thru 39:	1
Persons Employed in Agriculture:	1
Free White Persons - Under 20:	2
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:	2
Total Free White Persons:	4
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves:	4

By 1840, he has picked up a wife, Sarah, and two children, a boy and a girl.

Name:	Daniel Chapel
Age:	47
Birth Year:	abt 1803
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1850:	Union, North Carolina, USA
Gender:	Male
Family Number:	491
Household Members:	Name Age Daniel Chapel 47 Sarah Chapel 47 Elizabeth C Chapel 20 Wm Chapel 18

By 1850, we find out the names of the wife, Sarah, and the children, Elizabeth and William. Daniel is a Farm Laborer and the neighbors include a lot of Finchers and Finleys as the previous two did.

And then, their fortunes changed. Between 1850 and 1860, the two men in the family disappeared. They can't be found anywhere. Of course, they may have trekked west to try to find a better life with the intentions of fetching the women later, but they either didn't make it, or just both passed away sometime during the decade.

Name:	Sarah Chappel
Age:	55
Birth Year:	abt 1805
Gender:	Female
Home in 1860:	Union, North Carolina
Post Office:	Stevens Mill
Family Number:	712
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age William Fincher 50 Esther Fincher 30 Sarah Chappel 55

Elizabeth Esther Chapell like many young women in the desparate years of the 1860's, found herself an older man to marry. And boy, did she find herself a sorry one. She may have been better off without one at all. She married one William Fincher, twenty years her senior. He came to live with them at Steven's Mill, and worked as a Day Laborer, with neither any property or personal estate. I bet the court records are full of his debts, but I have no copies of those.

Name:	Wm Fincher
Age:	45
Birth Year:	abt 1805
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1850:	Union, North Carolina, USA
Gender:	Male
Family Number:	1410
Household Members:	Name Age Daniel Snead 47 Martha Snead 44 David Snead 23 Jemima Snead 13 Soloman Snead 11 Elizabeth A Snead 6 Danl J Snead 9 Elder Ocain 78 John Slean 73 John Phillips 74 Wm Fincher 45 Phane Hemby 45

So where was this William Fincher in 1850? Did he have a family? A farm? No! He's listed as a Pauper living in the PoorHouse! And did he improve the situation of his family? Let's jump forward to 1870.

Name:	William Fincher
Age in 1870:	60
Birth Year:	abt 1810
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Dwelling Number:	42
Home in 1870:	Monroe, Union, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Occupation:	Pauper
Cannot Read:	Y
Cannot Write:	Y
Disability Condition:	Y
Male Citizen Over 21:	Y
Household Members:	Name Age John E Jenkins 46 Mary Trull 40 Picty Gibson 74 C Mcquistion 75 Elizabeth Harmon 65 Moses Porter 75 Lewis Griffin 20 Margaret Cuthbertson 19 Melinda Haler 30 Sarah Chapel 60 Esther Fincher 40 William Fincher 60 James Fincher 7

We find William Fincher, with wife Esther, and mother-in-law Sarah Chappell all in the Poor House, and now they have a 7 year old son James. William is noted as being idiotic.

Name:	William Fincher
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Marital Status:	Single
Estimated birth year:	abt 1817
Birth Place:	North Carolina, USA
Age:	63
Death Date:	Jan 1880
Cause of Death:	Dementia
Census Year:	1880
Census Place:	Monroe, Union, North Carolina, USA
Enumeration District:	210
LINE:	20

But William has one more yahoo.

He outlives his younger wife and dies in 1880, making the Mortality Schedules, and dies of dementia. Somehow, I envision him as an alchoholic, or one addicted to some ancient pain killer. I really question why E. E. Chapell would marry him.



And of course, Sarah is alive and living in the  Poor House in 1880. Like Sarah Freeman, she lived most of her life hand to mouth, the wife of a laborer, and then a widow. Unlike Sarah Freeman, Sarah Chapell was a mother. She had two children, which is a normal family this day and time, but a very small family for the day.

The reason for that was the high mortality rate, not only for children, but adults as well. Sarah lost her son as a young man. Her daughter lived long enough to marry and had one child. But did Sarah's line end there? No, it did not. Young James lived on.

Name:	James Fincher
Age:	24
Birth Date:	Abt 1856
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Jackson, Union, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number:	1
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age James Fincher 24

In 1880, while his grandmother was still in the Poorhouse, young James went on to pursue a career as a miner.

Name:	James H Fincher
Gender:	Male
Residence Year:	1897
Street address:	315 E Hill i CD
Residence Place:	Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Occupation:	Miner
Spouse:	Emma Fincher
Publication Title:	Charlotte, North Carolina, City Directory, 1897

About 1890, he married Emma Jane Long, daughter of William Jesse and Adeline Sims Long. For a few years, they lived in Charlotte, NC. In quick sucession, they had 3 sons:

1894 - James Frank Fincher
1895- John Blake Fincher
1896- William Long Fincher

But John H. Fincher was not destined to live a long life. The only grandchild of Sarah Chapell lived long enough to leave a few heirs, and died at the young age of  36.

Died of Consumption
Mr. James Fincher, an employee at the Stratton gold mine near White Bind, died Monday morning after a protracted illness of consumption. He was about 40 years of age, and leaves his wife and three children surviving him. His remains were interred yesterday at Pleasant Plain church. His father-in-law, Mr. W.J. Long of this place, went down to Plain to attend the funeral.
The Lancaster Ledger, March 1, 1899

His widow, Emma, still a young woman, remarried to William Thomas Ligon and had 12 more children. She also died young, at the age of 43.

The sons of John and Emma were part of  War Years Generation.

James Frank Fincher was a veteran, married Nettie Lavendar, and had 3 children, James Jr., Jack and Phyllis. He pursued a career as a Pipefitter and Plumber and lived in Alabama for awhile, returning to South Carolina. He died in Rock Hill on February 21, 1947 at the age of  52.






Middle son John Blake Fincher was the first to go. He married a young lady named Cordelle Creighton and they had one little girl, Emma Marcelle Fincher Atkins (1920-2003).

John Blake Fincher went to serve and returned, but did not return whole. He suffered from his injuries for many years. He was at the Hospital in Johnson City, TN in 1924 and passed away at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington DC in 1924 at the age of  31.

Youngest son William L. Fincher joined the Navy. He was working in the Shipyards in Maryland in 1920. In 1924, he married a widow from Oklahoma, Pearl May Hutchinson Pidcock, who had a daughter. Together, they had 5 more daughters: Madge Marie, Emma Lee, Wilda Jean, Virginia Ruth and Margaret Ann and settled in Contra Costa, California.


William Fincher's Seaman Card and Photo

William Fincher died August 1, 1939 at the age of  43.


So  everyone ended up in the Poorhouse in a different manner. Some older ladies never married. Others married, but had no children. Others had small families and still others had health and mental issues. It seems the Poor Houses were a catch all for multiple needs, acting as part hospital, part orphanage, part senior care home, part mental institutions.

The below clipping is from Anson County concerning a family that had no other options after their father died.



The Messenger and Intelligencer
(Wadesboro, North Carolina)03 Jan 1889, Thu  • Page 1



The county paid for transportation and coffins.




The Messenger and Intelligencer
(Wadesboro, North Carolina)03 Jan 1889, Thu  • Page 1





It was never a good place to end up.

The Foretelling: The Bad Murray Blood.

January 28, 2018, 5:53 pm

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I've mentioned often the Murray bad temperament that seemed to weave in and out among generations. How a kind and Christian father in this family gene pool could have a temperamental, and unscrupulous, even cruel son.




Old Ben Murray of Tyson Community in Southern Stanly County, was recorded as being one of the latter. His son Edmond, known as by both surnames of Murray and Coley, was one of the former. As was, presumably his son Jesse II, named for Ben's father, Jesse I. But in the grandsons the Murray fury raged.

 Alexander, son of Edmond, was known for his anger and hostile temperament, while his brothers John and Ben, not so much. The same could be said for Jesse II's son Benjamin P. Murray, while the youngest son John M. Murray, born during that deathly Murray trip to Arkansas that old Ben took his family on, was without doubt a manifest of the bad blood gene.

He had been born at th onset of the Civil War in Arkansas and had returned to Stanly County,NC with his grandmother by 1867.  Arkansas had taken his Grandfather, Ben Murray Sr., his parents, Jesse Murray II and mother Jenny Poplin Murray, his uncle by marriage, Henry Hudson and cousins, James Washington "Wash" Turner and Wesley Murray. Wash and Wesley actually had remained in Arkansas and passed away after Martha's return. Old Ben's widow, Martha "Patsy" Ross Murray had returned with her widowed daughter Rebecca Murray Hudson and Becky's daughter Mary Elizabeth Hudson, who like John was born in Arkansas. She brought back John and his two siblings, Mary Ann Murray and Benjamin P. Murray, who were born in Stanly County before the trip. They were afterwards raised by their mother's people, the Poplins.

The story of John Monroe Murray is an interesting one to tell, and this post will be followed by more of that.

The following article tells a bit of his caustic and cruel personality, that led to his ultimate fate.


The Farmer and Mechanic
(Raleigh, North Carolina)23 Jan 1884, Wed • Page 3



This article, from 1884, tells the story of John Murray, from whose swagger and attitude wholy tells us that he was most likely a good-lookin and arrogant young man. His behavior from start to finish reminds me of that of a narcissist. He had promised to marry this young lady and all of the arrangements had been made. Then he never showed up. 



Instead, it was learned that he had taken up with a Union county girl and had taken off to South Carolina the night before to be married, "without license" the article noted. The article doesn't name the jilted girl, it only states that she was from White Store, a community near the North Carolina - South Carolina border in the Southwestern most corner of the county. 

Name:	John Murray
Age:	17
Birth Date:	Abt 1863
Birthplace:	Arkansas
Home in 1880:	Wadesboro, Anson, North Carolina, USA
House Number:	145
Dwelling Number:	274
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	Laborer
Cannot Write:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age John Murray 17

In the 1870 census, John and his older sister are living in Stanly County with his maternal grandmother and uncle, while his brother, Ben, is living with another uncle. In 1880, he is in Anson County, age 17 and working for a man named Asbury Bailey. It may have been one of Baily's daughters that was the jilted bride. We don't know. But what we do know is that in 1884, he married Willie Henrietta Horne, daughter of William Bennett Horne, who died a year after her birth in the Civil War, and Mary Adeline Green Horne, who remarried to William James Thomas. And from all indications, she grew up in Anson County. 

J. M. Murray and Henrietta had 4 children between 1885 and 1890 and he remained in Wadesboro and learned the ins and outs of being a businessman from L. J. Huntley. From 1893 to 1900, he made several purchases of property. Some on Carr Mount Road near the silk mill, and the intersection with the Salisbury - Cheraw Road, and others on Rutherford Street. 


Below is another story of how the bad attitude and mean mouth of John Monroe Murray nearly got him killed. 




The Messenger and Intelligencer
(Wadesboro, North Carolina)20 Oct 1898, Thu  • Page 3


That could have been the end of J. M. Murray, but his time was not up...not yet. Murray came away with a broken arm and Robinson came away with jail time, but that bad Murray blood kept J. M. from learning a thing. He would, in time, meet his match in the form of a 14 year old boy. 

The Haunted Post

January 29, 2018, 2:30 am

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This is a post about a post. A disappearing post. A possibly haunted post.



For literally weeks, I had been working on a post about Julius Caesar Murray, the oldest son of John Monroe Murray. It included alot of information on the town of Wadesboro around the turn of the century, and about the gang of ruffians that Julius hung out with during the early part of the 20th Century.

Upon my first attempt, I was very close to the end. So glad to be wrapping it up, as the post seemed more of a book. It had gotten incredibly long.

I attempted to load a photo off of my phone, as I have the blogger app there, too. However, it does not work very well.

The picture loaded, but all that remained of the post was the very first page (phone view page) of the post.




This is the picture I downloaded. It is a photo of the beautiful and historic Star Inn in Star, Montgomery County, NC. And this is my second attempt to post it here.


I became more disappointed with frustrated at this event, and more bewildered than frustrated. At first, I just wanted to let it go, move on. Forget this story. Leave its telling alone.

Then, I decided to pull myselft up by my bootstraps and attempt it again. It was much easier the second time as I kind of knew my way around the post already, had my research materials readily available and all. Recreation is much easier than origination. Of course there were variances. Some details I decided to leave out as they really added nothing to the story. Other things I added in to beef out the tale of the entire family, as they were close and the whole family experience was a big part of the life of Julius Murray at any rate.

Progress was going well. I had been working on it for two days. Hours, and I mean H O U R S. I went to change tabs on the computer and came back...and there was nothing to come back to.

The post was gone. Disappeared. Blank. Not there.......

I searched the web. I searched Blogger. There was no recall button to bring up anything that had been accidentally deleted. That is the only thing that I can figure out that may have happened to the blog is that it was accidentally deleted. I mean, how else do you explain it?

It just disappeared into cyberspace.




This time, I'm just letting it go. If the ghost of Julius don't want his name out there, so be it. Maybe, just maybe, I might attempt it again. But this time in shorter blocks. No more mini-series in one setting. If it disappears a third time...I'm calling Ghost Hunters.

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The Death of Young Love

January 29, 2018, 3:37 am

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June 10, 1910


Mumford Parker Love was the son of John Askew Love and Margaret Tyson Palmer Love. He was born in Stanly County and the family resided in Furr Township in the western part of Stanly County near the present town of Locust.

John Askew Love

Love's Chapel Church was founded by members of the Love family.  


Mump, as he was called, was a well-respected farmer in both Stanly and Cabarrus Counties, where he lived. Mump was born in November of 1848 and in 1868, at the age of 19, he married Martha Jane Garman of Cabarrus County, daughter of Michael Garman III and Jincy Little Garman. 

The couple had a number of children who died as children, which was tragic, but typical of a family in this era. They were fortunate, however to have 6 that lived to adulthood. They were:

1872 Adam Jones Love
1881 Jeanette "Nettie" Love
1883 John B Love
1886 Cornelia Jane  "Nellie" Love
1888 Thomas Cleveland Love
1890 Hugh Love

Second son and third child, John B. Love, was the subject of the lead-in article. Not much is known about John. He lived a quiet life, not making many ripples in the water. 


The Enterprise
(Albemarle, North Carolina)12 Jul 1906, Thu  • Page 3



He went on a picnic as a teen, but that was the only time he made the paper until his death.


The Loves were a very handsome family. They were respected in both counties and were a church-going people. Each generation passed on to sizeable families and few black sheep ever appeared in the bunch. So being a troubled young man in the Love bunch was a rarity, not the norm. 

The below paragraph is from "The History of the Love Family" as recorded by Myrna Love Norwood. This clip describes father, Mumpford P. Love.

 Mumpford Parker Love (Grandsire Mump) was the third child of Jonah Askew and Mar­garet Love. He was born on 24 November 1848 and died 10 April 1939 in Stanly County. He was known as a "Gentleman Farmer, hand­some with black hair and blue eyes. He married Martha Jane Garmon on 13 January 1868 inCabarrus County. She was born on 24 June 1847 in Cabarrus County, the daughter of Michael Garmon III and Gensey Little and died 7 July 1914 inStanly County. Upon her death, Mumpford married Dewbelle Arella Love Furr on29 November 1917 in Stanly County at age 68. Dewbelle was a 51 year old widow when she married Mump.  
Submitted by Myrna Love Norwood, Polkville, NC . -from ancestry.com






The 1900 census shows the Mumpford Love family living in Furr Township. Young John is helping his father as farm labor, as are his siblings. It was the benefit of free labor from a large family in the era that allowed farm families to prosper. 

VIEW

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• 
  

Name:	John Love
Age:	17
Birth Date:	Aug 1882
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1900:	Furr, Stanly, North Carolina
Sheet Number:	16A
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation:	279
Family Number:	282
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Son
Marital Status:	Single
Father's name:	Mum Love
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's name:	Martha Love
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	Farm Laborer
Months not employed:	2
Attended School:	2
Can Read:	Yes
Can Write:	No
Can Speak English:	Yes
House Owned or Rented:	R
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Mum Love 50 Martha Love 58 Netta Love 19 John Love 17 Nellie Love 16 Thos Love 11 Hue Love 10

Ten years later, 

Family of J. Askew Love

Ten years later, not much has changed. A few siblings have married, or struck out on their own. John, youngest brother Hugh, and sister Cornelia "Nellie", are left to help Mump and Martha on the farm. They are living in the same place, with pretty much the same neighbors.

Name:	John B Love
Age in 1910:	23
Birth Year:	abt 1887
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1910:	Furr, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Son
Marital Status:	Single
Father's name:	Muma P Love
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's name:	Martha Love
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Native Tongue:	English
Occupation:	Farm Laborer
Industry:	Home Farm
Employer, Employee or Other:	Wage Earner
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Out of Work:	N
Number of weeks out of work:	0
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Muma P Love 60 Martha Love 63 Nellie Love 24 John B Love 23 Hugh Love 19

John B Love, by all appearances, was a normal young turn- of- the century farm boy. There were no prior indications, in records at least, that anything was wrong with him. He was not listed as insane or as an "idiot", the archaeic term they used in those days for the mentally unwell. There were no reported trips to Broughton for him in the newspapers.

Unexplainably,  one day, at the age of 25, something had come over him. The paper reported he had been ill for he past two months. What kind of illness it did not say. He was very nervous. Was he a victim of unrequited love? Had he come upon some kind of mood-altering chemical? What was happening in the life and body of this young man? We may never know. 

John B Love died on June 17, 1910, one month after the 1910 census was taken. He was buried at Love's Chapel.

The Tale of Thomas Tucker

January 30, 2018, 11:08 am

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Sometimes, while researching one character, I become interested in that of another whose story I cross along the way. Thomas Pinkney Tucker was one of those characters.

The Messenger and Intelligencer
(Wadesboro, North Carolina)22 Apr 1909, Thu  • Page 4



In the article above, in two simple paragraphs, a colorful tale unfolds, of a truant man and his long-suffering wife. Who was this Tom Tucker, this fake evangelist, who stood upon a podium in the town of Wilson, NC bemoaning the death of the wife, who was alive and well, (well, maybe not well) back in Richmond County, taking care of her 8 children as best as she could, wondering of the whereabouts of their errant father?



Richmond County borders Anson County on the west, Montgomery County to the north, Moore County to the northeast, Scotland County to the southeast and South Carolina to the south. In just a brief point in her northwesternmost corner, she appears to be touching the foot of Stanly County with an upreached left hand. She appears to be touching Hoke County, just in between the Moore/Scotland border, with her right hand.





Richmond is one of the counties that many of the children of Stanly County ancestors seemed to drift away to. I've touched on it in many posts. Some stayed, some returned, others drifted on down into South Carolina. The reason for this migration came during the rise of the textile industry.

Richmond County is part of the so called "Sand Hills". It  was first settled by Highland Scots, who came in through the Cape Fear River basin and settled around Cross Creek. Cross Creek would  evolve into the busy market town of Fayetteville. They then moved Westward into Moore, Scotland, Richmond and Montgomery Counties. Richmond boasts the PeeDee River on its west side, which forms its border with Anson. A smaller group of settlers of  English orgin came in through the Pee Dee River border. It was originally part of Anson, like Stanly and Montgomery, and was separated in 1779 due to the difficulty of crossing the Pee Dee River.

Pee Dee River Cotton plantations were the source of  Richmond's wealth before the Civil War. Sherman visited the County, and his infamous march, along with the general devastation of the War, led to a downdraft of prosperity in the county. Prosperity returned  with the onset of the Textile Mill era in the final quarter of that century.  Hamlet grew due to the railroad industry and  became a major  hub, making Hamlet the second largest town in Richmond,  next to Rockingham. The County Seat, Rockingham,  became synonymous with Nascar and Stock Car racing during the mid to late 1900's.

Nafta, Cafta and other trade agreements have devasted the county of Richmond. They did much the same to this part of the state, and the South in general, as the textile, furniture and other trades moved to China, Mexico and other sources of cheap labor. The infamous Rockingham Speedway, known as "The Rock"  closed in 2004.

Both of the towns that qualify as cities in Richmond County - Rockingham and Hamlet -are presently two of the top contenders in a recent "Worst Cities in North Carolina" list due to high unemployment and crime rates, which tend to go hand in hand.



Richmond was the home of Thomas Pinkney Tucker.

The story of  Thomas Pinkney Tucker beginsa in the rolling hills of the Old Uwharrie Mountains, in the Stone Lick community of Southeast Randolph County, North Carolina. I don't know the exact location of Stone Lick, but I did dig up a few sources that give us a hint.


The Greensboro Patriot
(Greensboro, North Carolina)18 Feb 1864, Thu  • Page 5


This Ad by the Wiley M. Smith and Brothers Company, who were buying wool and furs, lists their address as Stone Lick and stated that they were 8 miles south of Asheboro.

In the book "Civil War in the North Carolina Quaker Belt - The Confederate Campaign" by William T. Auman the author references an article called "Capture of a Noted Outlaw" in the April 28, 1864 issue of "The Fayetteville Observer". The article describes the capture of an outlaw, or deserter, named Owens who was hiding out near the residence and business of a merchant named Colonel Jesse D. Cox who lived in Stone Lick, which was described as being near Brower's Mill and being located in the Southwest corner of Randolph.


This 1850 Post Office map of Randolph County shows Browers Mill in the southern most eastern corner of Randolph near the Moore County line. That explains the families easy slipslide back and forth across the border, when the may not have moved at all.

Anderson Deric Tucker was an interesting man. He was born in Randolph County in 1838 and was a Civil War Vet. He married Dorcas Williams of the massive Moore County Williams clan and in 1864 their oldest son was born whom they promptly named Thomas Pinkney Tucker, no doubt named for his two grandfathers, Pinkney Tucker, whose family originated in Virginia and Thomas Williams of Moore County.

A section of the Uwharrie River in Randolph County, NC

On Fold3, I found the following documents: A copy of a worn and weathered certificate of pension from the US Navy for widow case Dorcas Tucker, widow of Anderson D. Tucker, who was a Landsman at Fort Jackson, for the United States Navy, dated September 13, 1892. The front was complete with a little ship icon and covered in barely legible scribbles. One of the scribbles said "Hon Wm B Umstead  Helpless child has no title. Another dated 9/9/32 says 'Anderson Tucker advised no money due'.

A little further on into the documents an explanation of the papers ragged condition and scribbled exterior becomes clear.

A typed letter from E. W. Morgan, Director of Penisons, to Mr. Anderson Tucker, Rt 2 Greensboro, North Carolina, dated July 21, 1932, is included.  The letter was a reply to Mr. Tucker Jr. on his inquiry, asking if he was entitled to the pension of his father, a Sailor during the Civil War.  His answer was, ' No', he was not, as he was over 16 years old.  A penciled scrawl also covered the face of this typed letter. " I am the old Sailor's son Anderson D Tucker  You must give me a pension are a job of work to do."It demands. He continues, in a script that reminds me of the hand writing of my grandmother who was born in 1899. " I am willing to do anything that I can. A pension as good as you did my mother 30 years ago and you know it"  The beginning of the next line is obscured by a stamp but ends with , "In the name of Jesus",  and is signed by Anderson Cooper of Greensboro, NC.

The next page in the packet is obviously the letter that Anderson Cooper wrote that E. W. Morgan had replied to. It is written in the same script and is much more a prayer than a request, with the poor man begging God, Jesus, and the US Navy, for his father's pension. He ends with asking God to grant all the Commissioners of Pension a long life.

The next page is the actual request for pension of Dorcas Williams Tucker, age 80, of which she was entitled. Dorcas Tucker of Carter's Mills, Moore County was granted $8 a month beginning September 22, 1873 and $12 a month commencing March 19, 1886. She was the widow of
                                                 
                                       Sailor: Anderson D. Tucker
                                       Rank: Landsman USS
                                       Regiment: Fort Jackson USA

Four children were listed and their dates of birth given and also the date that they were considered to be sixteen, which appears to be the dates before their sixteenth birthdays.

                           Thomas           Born  June 22, 1867        Sixteen  June 21  1883
                           John W           Born  December 4 1864  Sixteen  December 3  1884
                           Sarah F           Born  December 17  1871  Sixteen December 16 1887
                           Anderson D    Born  February 7, 1874      Sixteen  Februay 6  1890

This first request was stamped rejected, the reasoning being "Death cause (congestive chill) not shown to be due to any disability contracted in service or in line of duty". She eventually did get a claim at some venture that had increased to $20 by her death in 1925.

I found this interesting due to the fact that we get possibly a tiny glimpse into the personality of Thomas from this window into the personality of his brother Anderson.





The family seems to have escaped detection in the 1870 census or are hidden in error, so the first one to pick up on Thomas Pinkney Tucker was the 1880 census which show the family living in Sheffields Township in Moore County right next to his maternal grandparents, 86 year old Thomas Williams and his wife, 83 year old Elizabeth and his maiden Aunt, 60 year old Sarah.

Name:	Darkes Tucker
Age:	45
Birth Date:	Abt 1835
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Shuffield, Moore, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number:	129
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Self (Head)
Marital Status:	Widowed
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	Keeping House
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Darkes Tucker 45 Thomas P. Tucker 12 John W. Tucker 10 Sarah F. Tucker 8 Anderson Tucker 5

At this time, I like to take a peak into the Williams family, of Tom's mother Dorcas, who were no less interesting than the Tuckers, if not more. 




A book, "The Williams Family  Descendants of Noah and Mary "Polly" Williams 1725-2000"  Compiled in 1999-2000 by Maxine William McNeil mentions the line of Dorcas's family.

Details in this book include the origin of the family as Wales. Upon their arrival in America, they spent about a century in the area of NorthWestern Virginia and SouthWestern Pennsylvania.   Their removal was due to the French and Indian War. Mrs. McNeil informs that a group of family names, very familiar to the Randolph and Moore County area traveled together, The Williams, Williamsons, Husseys, Garners, Sheilds and Manesses. They followed the Tuscarora Trail into the area of Grassy Creek in upper Moore County and there they settled after fleeing Indian attacks in Virginia.

Browers Mill area scenery

A family tree lists Elizabeth Williams born 1796, as being the daughter of Jeremiah Williams and Florence Delaney. She married Thomas Green Williams. They are the parents of Dorcas Williams Tucker. Thomas Green Williams was the son of William Williams of "Williams Plantation" in Moore County. It is believe William Williams and Jeremiah Williams were brothers, making Thomas and Elizabeth first cousins.






Sheffield Township is in the Northwestern most part of Moore County. The Brower's Mill area of Randolph County borders it to the north. We aren't talking great distances here. They are separated by the Granville Grant line, which divided old Anson from old Rowan and beyond. But the Tuckers and Williams, despite living in different counties, did not live very far from each other.



Thomas "General Green" Williams is shown as owning a total of 575 acres on Bear Creek in the 1844 tax list of Moore County. Three years later, he had added a tract on Grassy Creek as well, so that gives us a good solid idea of where Dorcas grew up, and where she returned to after she was widowed, with her children, including Thomas Pinkney Tucker, her eldest.

In 1900, Dorcas is still in Sheffield with her two youngest children. It shows she is the mother of 4 children with 3 living.

Name:	Dorcas Tucker [Darcus Tucker]
Age:	62
Birth Date:	Apr 1836
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1900:	Sheffield, Moore, North Carolina
House Number:	9
Sheet Number:	20B
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation:	374
Family Number:	384
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Widowed
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother: number of living children:	3
Mother: How many children:	4
Occupation:	Farmer
Months not employed:	0
Can Read:	Yes
Can Write:	No
Can Speak English:	Yes
House Owned or Rented:	O
Home Free or Mortgaged:	F
Farm or House:	F
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Dorcas Tucker 62 Sarah F Tucker 28 Anderson D Tucker 25

Thomas P and John W Tucker are the two missing. Knowing that Thomas Pinkey Tucker 'made it' to 1900, this must mean John W. had passed away.

In 1888, Thomas P Tucker married Loveday Adeline Garner, daughter of Eli Garner and Sarah E Manness Garner. Loveday was born June 1, 1867 in Richmond County, but if you remember earlier in the Williams family history, the Garner and Manness families were two of the group that had traveled from Virginia with the Williams family, and settled in Moore County, in the Grassy Creek area.



This particular Garner line begins with John Garner (b 1633) and with Susanna Keane Garner of Westmoreland County, Viginia. Their grandson John Garner, who married Susanna Johnston, was the first to arrive with the band of Virginians, who settled in the Grassy Creek area, and became the ancestor of most of the Randolph-Moore County Garners.

Their grandson, John Harrison Garner was born in 1788 and lived in the Brower's Mill area of Randolph County. He married Dolly Whittle first, who died in 1839 and Judith Ritter second. He served in the War of 1812 and is described as 5ft 10", light hair, fair complexion and blue eyes.

His son John F. Garner was born in Sheffield's Township, Moore County and married Molsey Caviness. Molsey's family lines were of the same ilk-Virginians who had came to Moore County by 1820. There location of settlement was given as "Gold Region", which also explains why they may have settled there, but a quick look into Gold Region, shows it was a community, not just a region, with a Post Office. And one  more thing.



Gold Region Post Office in Moore County, with Postmaster Bethuel Coffin, operated from 1844 to 1866. The name was changed to Carter Mill's in 1886. Therefore, the Garner, Tucker, Williams and Caviness (sometimes seen as 'Cabiness') families were all from the same general area.

John F Garner and Molsey Caviness Garner had 8 children of which Eli Garner was the fourth.

Eli Garner was born in 1842 and he served in the Civil War. Like Anderson Tucker, he made it home, and within a few years, married to Sarah E. Maness. Again, the Manness family was part of the family group of Virginians who had settled in this area, of North Moore and South Randolph, some hundred years earlier. Sarah Maness was the daughter of Robartice D "Bart" Maness and Sarah "Sallie" Garner Maness. We're dealing with a very small gene pool here. Although both descend from the same line of Garner's, Eli and Sarah were fairly distant cousins. Together, they would have 7 children, of whom Loveday Adeline Garner was the firstborn.

Like most rural families in those days, Tom Tucker and young wife Lovedy Garner Tucker began having children almost immediatley after getting married.

Solomon Arthur Tucker was born in 1889
Eli Baxter Tucker was born in 1890 and
Wiley H Tucker was born in 1893

It was also in 1893 that Tom Tucker proved to the community that he was a bit of a scoundrel.


The Carthage Blade
(Carthage, North Carolina)23 May 1893, Tue  • Page 3



You thought he was a minister, right? Well, he was both saint and sinner, with a whole lot of conman wrapped in. His career was just beginning. The phrase "break up the rogues" tends to suggest he ran with a pack.

Between 1893 and 1900, three more children arrived, but one of them had passed away, as in the 1900 census, Lovedy informed that she was the mother of 6 children, but only 5 were living. The two that survived were:

Annie Frances Tucker in 1895
Flossie Adeline Tucker in 1898

In the prevailing years between his arrest in Sheffield's and the turn of the century Tom Tucker has had a reformation, enlightenment and career change. He has found Jesus, moved his family to Richmond County and became a minister, not neccessarily in that order.

Name:	Thomas Tucker [Thomas P Tucker]
Age:	31
Birth Date:	Jun 1868
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1900:	Beaver Dam, Richmond, North Carolina
House Number:	1
Sheet Number:	8B
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation:	142
Family Number:	151
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Loredy Tucker
Marriage Year:	1888
Years Married:	12
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	Minister
Months not employed:	0
Can Read:	Yes
Can Write:	Yes
Can Speak English:	Yes
House Owned or Rented:	R
Farm or House:	F
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Thomas Tucker 31 Loredy Tucker 31 Eli B Tucker 14 Salloman G Tucker 10 Wiley H Tucker 7 Annie F Tucker 5 Flosia A Tucker 2

The 1900 census finds the family in Beaver Dam, Richmond County. To his benefit, his older sons show nothing in the employment columns, while neighbors show their children of the same ages with occupations as "Spooling, Spinning, Dolphing and Bobbing", indicating textile mill employment or either as "Farm Labor", including children as young as 8 and 9.



Beaversdam township is northeast of Rockingham and Hamlet and southwest of Aberdeen.
Nearby towns are listed as Bensalem, which is in Moore County, Lilesville, which is in Anson County, Marks Creek, which is in Richmond County, and Biscoe, which is in Montgomery County. So again, a big leap was not made. He just kind of slid over into another county at from the far end of his home county, where he was not well-known.


For the next few years, Thomas Pinkney Tucker was an active evangelist. Below are just a few of his appearances.


The Anglo-Saxon
(Rockingham, North Carolina)10 Oct 1901, Thu  • Page 4

While the community of Silver Run and church no longer exist, their dead remain, in a pretty much abandoned cemetery, to mark the name of the place. It was located within the Beaverdam Township near McKinney Lake. I saved the entire article about the citizens of Silver Run because it mentions two other families, the Marks and the Solomons, from my own family tree, with Stanly and Montgoemry County roots.



The Anglo-Saxon
(Rockingham, North Carolina)28 Nov 1901, Thu  • Page 3




The Carthage Blade
(Carthage, North Carolina)26 Apr 1905, Wed  • Page 1


Rev. T P Tucker had begun expanding his territory. He was preaching back in Moore County now. While the community of Maness no longer exists, at least as shown on a map, the church of Acorn Ridge is still an active church. It's cemetery lies on a rise once known as Maness Hill. This is the epicenter of the Maness family origins in Moore. It's a beautiful area. I was there not long ago. Not far from Bear Creek, and just a few miles north of Robbins, it's an area of curvy country roads and rolling hills. The church and cemetery are on a road of the same name off of Howards Mill road. Just riding through, you feel like you have stepped back in time.

But for Tom Tucker,  was expanding his territory closer and closer to his old stomping grounds, closer and closer to Randolph County, Gold Region, Asheboro, and his old buddies with their sinning ways, a wise thing for him to do? Perhaps he thought he could convert them. Instead, it went the other way.


The Randolph Bulletin
(Asheboro, North Carolina)26 Jul 1906, Thu  • Page 2



Tom was in trouble again.  Just one year after preaching at Acorn Ridge, he was fighting and selling illegal whiskey in Randolph County and was drug up to Asheboro and tossed in the pokey. But he quickly 'repented' and went back to preaching. During this time his family still grew.

Nella Maggie Tucker was born in 1900
Thomas Jefferson Tucker was born in 1902
Loveday Gladys Tucker was born in 1905

But when he returned to his sinning ways in 1906, the children stopped rolling in.

Which brings us to 1909 and the article which caught my eye.


The Messenger and Intelligencer
(Wadesboro, North Carolina)22 Apr 1909, Thu  • Page 4

Lovedy Tucker was a woman of her era. She had to be strong, but she also had to suck up a great deal of pride. She may have loved Tom. I'm not implying that she did not. But the circumstances and opportunities available to women of her time period were very different from what modern day women experience. Basically, she came from a time where women had to be connected to and dependant on a man. If not a husband, a father, brother or son. It was extremely difficult, if not next to impossible, to survive without a man. Some did. Having 8 dependant children made it all the more difficult.




I was intrigued by her beautiful and unusual name, Lovedy or Loveday, but in an attempt to locate her in the 1880 census, from which she is missing, I found that her name was not all that unusual for her era, it was rather trendy. There were a great number of Lovedy's in the counties in which she had lived and for about a 50 mile radius around there. There were variations. It seemed to be a version of the name "Lavada" and could be seen as Lovey, Lovday, Lavadie, Lavida, or any number of spellings. I wondered if there was an original ancestor, a matriarchial Lovada or Lovedy, from whom all these great granddaughters may have sprang. Most of them shared the same small group of surnames that were prominent in the area and tied back to that long ago group of Virginians who had followed the Tuscarora Path to Piedmont, NC.



The 1910 census, one year after this article, Lovedy has been forced to make it on her own. Fortunately, the three of her older children, ages 20, 15 and 14, who were still living at home, supported the family working in the Rockingham textile mills.  Lovedy stayed home and took care of the household and the little ones.

Name:	Lordy A Tusker [Lavdy A Tusker]  [Lovely A Tucker]
Age in 1910:	41
Birth Year:	abt 1869
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1910:	Rockingham, Richmond, North Carolina
House Number:	42
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Native Tongue:	English
Home Owned or Rented:	Rent
Farm or House:	House
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Years Married:	22
Number of Children Born:	10
Number of Children Living:	8
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Lordy A Tusker 41 Eli B Tucker 20 Wiley H Tucker 16 Annie F Tucker 15 Flossie Tucker 12 Lela M Tucker 9 Thomas J Tucker 7 Gladys Tucker 5

Thomas was found where he would likely be found.

Name:	Thomas E Tucker [Thomas Tucker]
Age in 1910:	40
Birth Year:	abt 1870
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1910:	Carthage, Moore, North Carolina
Street:	Martin & Saunders Street
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Prisoner
Marital Status:	Married
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Native Tongue:	English
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Years Married:	Wm
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age George H Muse 49 Glennie Muse 37 Thomas E Tucker 40 Thomas Mccurin 59 John Gilchrist Un Joe Jones Un Rosa White Un

Tom Tucker was languishing in the Moore County jail in Carthage. The place he was caught, Wilson, the county seat of a small county just east of Wake County, was a considerable distance from his regular stomping grounds. He had significantly expanded his territory.




Oldest son Solomon Arthur Tucker, had married Bessie Irene McCrosky in Richmond County in 1908, and became the father of a son, Claud Oswell Tucker, that same year. He and his wife were found in Thomasville, in Davidson County.

:Arthur Tucker
Age in 1910:20
Birth Year:abt 1890
Birthplace:North Carolina
Home in 1910:Thomasville, Davidson, North Carolina
Street:Armfield Roe
Race:White  Gender:Male   Relation to Head of House:Head   Marital Status:Married
Spouse's Name:Bessie Tucker
Father's Birthplace:North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:North Carolina
Native Tongue:English
Occupation:Painter   Industry:House   Employer, Employee or Other:Wage Earner
Home Owned or Rented:Rent
Farm or House:House
Attended School:No     Able to Read:Yes    Able to Write:Yes
Years Married:3

Out of Work:N
Number of weeks out of work:12
Neighbors:View others on page
Household Members:

Name	Age
Arthur Tucker	20
Bessie Tucker	20
Claud O Tucker	1

As they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Arthur and Bessie soon divorced and both went their separate ways. In 1920, Arthur married Arizona "Zona" Lafon Higginbotham, another divorcee', former wife of  a Jefferson Bane Higginbotham and mother of a young son, John Lynn. Zona was from Giles, Virginia, her former husband was from West Virginia. She met Arthur in Halifax County, North Carolina, which is in the northeastern corner of NC, near Virginia. They immediately took off to Portsmouth, Ohio, where Zona's sister lived, and Arthur suddenly became ill and died. Zona would soon after his death, remarry again, to an H. Whitt Williams, and have a second son, Joe. She moved down to Tennessee, and then back to Giles, Viriginia, from whence she came, where she died young, of liver cancer, in 1935.





Arthur's Ex- Bessie, married a Fielder in Gaston County the same summer he remarried. She also moved around a bit, first to Georgia, then back to Richmond County and finally to Iredell County, where she had married a third time.

Name:	Thomas Tucker
Age:	52
Birth Year:	abt 1868 [abt 1878]
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	Mineral Springs, Richmond, North Carolina
Street:	Marie St Buckingham and Elleclic Road
House Number:	X
Residence Date:	1920
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Adaline Tucker
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Meconill
Industry:	Blacksmith
Employment Field:	Wage or Salary
Home Owned or Rented:	Rent
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Thomas Tucker 52 Adaline Tucker 52 Gladis Tucker 14 Maggie Sweat 20

By 1920, Tom and Lovedy were back together and living with their two youngest daughters, one who had already married. Tom had switched careers and was now working as a Mechanic at a blacksmiths shop.

Name:	Thomas Tucker
Age:	52
Birth Year:	abt 1868 [abt 1878]
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	Mineral Springs, Richmond, North Carolina
Street:	Marie St Buckingham and Elleclic Road
House Number:	X
Residence Date:	1920
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Adaline Tucker
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Meconill
Industry:	Blacksmith
Employment Field:	Wage or Salary
Home Owned or Rented:	Rent
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Thomas Tucker 52 Adaline Tucker 52 Gladis Tucker 14 Maggie Sweat 20

It wasn't long, and Tom, true to his ilk as a "showman" had discovered a career much more true to his heart and his talents than being a mechanic. He began traveling around showing moving pictures. It didn't aiways keep him out of trouble.



The Courier
(Asheboro, North Carolina)01 Jun 1922, Thu  • Page 1


He made a bit of an living with his motion pictures. Several ads in papers of the area mention his shows.



The Pilot
(Vass, North Carolina)30 Jun 1922, Fri  • Page 9





The traveling show of Tom Tucker took Lovedy and himself all the way to Virginia. There, Loveday died in 1929 at the age of 62. The cause was given as Hemophilia. Her daughter Annie was the informant.

Name:	Loveday Adeline Tucker [Loveday Adeline Garner]
Gender:	Female
Race:	White
Death Age:	62
Birth Date:	1 Jun 1867
Death Date:	13 Sep 1929
Death Place:	Hopewell, Prince George, Virginia, USA
Registration Date:	14 Sep 1929
Father:	Eli Garner
Mother:	Sara Mason
Spouse:	T P Tucker
Certificate Number:	1929023014

Lovedy's death did nothing to slow the persistant Tom Tucker down. Lovedy died on September 13, 1929. By August 20, 1930, he had met and married Mrs. Annie Lee McIntosh Morgan, daughter of Neil McIntosha and Martha Mashburn in Petersburg, Virginia.

Name:	Thos. Pinkey Tucker
Gender:	Male
Marital Status:	Widowed
Race:	White
Age:	64
Birth Date:	1866
Birth Place:	Moore Co., N. C.
Marriage Date:	20 Aug 1930
Marriage Place:	Petersburg, Virginia
Father:	A. D. Tucker
Mother:	Darkest Williams
Spouse:	Annie Lee Morgan
FHL Film Number:	2048494
Reference ID:	Item 1, Ln.No.173

In the 1930 census, which was taken in April of that year, Tom was shown in Wake County, NC, living with his son, Thomas Jefferson Tucker. By September he was up in Petersburg, Virginia getting married. So it shows a continuing trend of travel, still at age 62.

Name:	Thomas P Tucker
Respondent:	Yes
Age:	74
Estimated birth year:	abt 1866
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Married
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Home in 1940:	Bensalem, Moore, North Carolina
Map of Home in 1940:	View Map
Farm:	No
Inferred Residence in 1935:	Bensalem, Moore, North Carolina
Residence in 1935:	Same House, North Carolina
Resident on farm in 1935:	Yes
Sheet Number:	16A
Number of Household in Order of Visitation:	242
Occupation:	Laborer
Industry:	Farm
House Owned or Rented:	Owned
Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented:	150
Attended School or College:	No
Highest Grade Completed:	Elementary school, 6th grade
Hours Worked Week Prior to Census:	0
Duration of Unemployment:	0
Class of Worker:	Wage or salary worker in private work
Weeks Worked in 1939:	10
Income:	120
Income Other Sources:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Thomas P Tucker 74 Annie Tucker 63

By 1940, Thomas and his second wife Annie, were living in Bensalem in Moore County, where it said he was also living by 1935. He was 74 years old and working for a Benjamin Green, who was originally from Montgomery County, NC.



Thomas Pinkney Tucker died on September 29, 1949 of Hypertension and Heart trouble. The informant was his son Tom. His  address was given as Rockfish, in Cumberland County,NC. Both he and Lovedy were buried at Smyrna United Methodist Church Cemetery, near Robbins, in Moore County His occupation at this time was given as a Carpenter,but he was much more than that.

A quick look at a map for New Smyrna shows it lies just north of Grassy Creek, where the family's ancestors first landed after their migration from Virginia to escape the horrors of the French-Indian War. The couple was home.

The Barber's Sin

February 1, 2018, 4:57 pm

≫ Next: A Searching we will go....

≪ Previous: The Tale of Thomas Tucker

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In the present tumultous politcal and social atmosphere, the treatment of women in the workplace and in general is being held under a microscope and centuries of sexual oppression and pressure are being peeled away like the fragile peels of an onion.

The story of Samuel Tucker, however, shows how far we have come.




The Anglo-Saxon
(Rockingham, North Carolina)23 Jan 1902, Thu  • Page 1


In 2018, this story would have been a sensational story of kidnapping, rape and child abuse. In 1901, they called it "elope", even though he was already married. From what the article tells us, Samuel Tucker was from Forsyth County, the Winston-Salem area. He went and pulled his teen-aged sister-in-law out of school and took off with her. He left behind a wife and child. They stayed undetected for 2 months.

Who was this cad, Samuel Tucker, this kidnapper, this child rapist? The article stated he "ruined" her, which in the polite terminology of the day, meant that he had slept with her. The phrase implies that once a woman had sex, she was damaged goods, ie "ruined". How we have changed.

Sometimes truth can be stranger than fiction. I wondered how it all turned out for the Tucker family. It's more than a little surprising.

Sam Tucker made the Surry County Family History Book, shown above with his son

Samuel Edgar Tucker was born on April 18, 1882 to John Hampton and Mary Ann Blakely Tucker in Surry County, North Carolina. Information on his parents, siblings and his own marriages and children is shown in the above stories in the Surry County Family History Book. Every county in North Carolina has one of these. Some have more than one, as more families wanted their information published after the original books came out.

Of course, these books are completely white-washed. Any inconvenient details, or persons, are completely ommitted. There was a bit more to his story than that.




Siloam is a township that lies along the Yadkin River on the southern border of Surry. Surry County borders Virginia and was a hotbed of activity in both the Revolutionary and Civil War. Siloam is a beautiful area of rolling hills, sparse population and farmland. It was named for a very old Methodist church that sits within its border. A very peaceful place.

Pilot Mountain in Surry County

I've came across many an unusual and humourous name while doing research. Not everyone was a John or Mary.  I'm sure many researchers and family historians have gotten a kick out of the names of the old Anson County families of River Jordan and his son, Over Jordan. No one can say our ancestors didn't have a sense of humor. These Ansonians (nee Virginians) certainly did. But finding the name of Sam's grandmother on his parents marriage license about made me fall out of my chair.

Name:	J W Sucker
Gender:	Male
Marriage Date:	9 Dec 1869
Marriage Place:	Yadkin, North Carolina, USA
Father:	John Sucker
Mother:	Classy Sucker
Spouse:	Mary A Blakley
Spouse Gender:	Female
Spouse Father:	Temple Blakley
Spouse Mother:	Jane Blakley
Event Type:	Marriage

Of course, this does nothing to further the story. I just thought I'd put in out there because it was funny. Yes, part of it has to do with transcription errors, but Classy Sucker beats many of the odd monikers I've came across.


Sam Tucker was the youngest of 5 children. Being born in 1882, he did not show up on a census until 1900, so to make up for lost time, he was counted twice.

On December 17, 1899, at the tender age of 17, Sam had made his way down to Forysth County, North Carolina, where he married Bertha Samanthaline Yates, also 17.

Name:	Samuel Tucker [Sameul Tucker]
Age:	18
Birth Date:	May 1872
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1900:	Vienna, Forsyth, North Carolina
Sheet Number:	2
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation:	70
Family Number:	20
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Son in Law
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Berthy Tucker
Marriage Year:	1899
Years Married:	1
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	Farm Laborer
Months not employed:	0
Can Read:	Yes
Can Write:	Yes
Can Speak English:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Emory C Yates 40 Mary J Yates 40 Gertie C Yates 14 John Yates 12 Samuel Tucker 18 Berthy Tucker 17

In the first census, taken on June 2, 1900, the teenagers are living with her parents, Emory and Mary Jane Yates, and Sam is working as farm labor.

Name:	Samuel E Tucker
Age:	17
Birth Date:	Apr 1883
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1900:	Vienna, Forsyth, North Carolina
House Number:	152
Sheet Number:	8
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation:	132
Family Number:	152
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Bertha Tucker
Marriage Year:	1900
Years Married:	0
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	Farm Laborer
Months not employed:	3
Can Read:	Yes
Can Write:	Yes
Can Speak English:	Yes
Farm or House:	H
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Samuel E Tucker 17 Bertha Tucker 18

Just over two weeks later, on June 17, 1900, the young couple has moved, and Sam is still working as farm labor. Just now, they are on their own and not living with her parents. They are still in Vienna, but the neighbors are different. They are not near her parents. He appears to be working for a Hauser family.



Vienna is a small community to the east of Winston-Salem. The town itself has now been annexed by the town of Lewisville. It is an area of German and Moravian settlement. Vienna township includes Pffaftown and Tobaccoville.

Bertha Samanthaline Yates as a young woman.

Bertha Samanthaline Yates was born April 17, 1882. She was the daughter of Emory Columbus "Lum" Yates and Martha Jane Eddinger Yates. She was the oldest of 3 children.

Columbus and his wife Mary Jane are buried at Shiloh Lutheran Church near Lewisville, which tells a great deal about the family's origins. The Yates had been settled in Vienna for several generations. Lum's grandfather, James Yates, born in 1803, shows up there by the 1830 census. The 1830 census shows Stokes County, but Forsyth was a part of Stokes County until 1849.





The history of the church predates the arrival of Yates family by a half a century. Moravians, who arrived in the area in the 1750's and founded the communities of Salem, Bethania and Bethbara, just a few miles east of Vienna and Lewisville, recorded the existence of a German Community and church in the Lewisville area already established. They referred to it as Muddy Creek.

James and his father John were born in Virginia. They were not part of the original German Settlement, but they married into it and became a part of it. Part of the family also settled in Wake County. An old mill, called Yates Mill, still exists in Wake County. It passed through several hands before it landed in the Yates family.

Yates Mill about the turn of the century

Nineteen months after their wedding, the teenaged couple became parents. Samuel Lester Tucker was born on July 30, 1901. Sam Tucker was seemingly not found in a state of married bliss. His eyes were wandering. And they were wandering in the direction of his wife's baby sister, Gertie. Gertrude Corilla Yates was born October 30, 1886. She turned 16 on October 30, 1901. Shortly after she turned 16, she went to school one day and this happened:



The Union Republican
(Winston-Salem, North Carolina)19 Dec 1901, Thu  • Page 6

Sam Tucker was a bad boy. He was not too tall and stockily built.  He had been abusive toward his wife, but apparently still appealing to her sister. Taking their tender ages into account, he was only 19 when this happened,  and only 17 when he was married, and  Gertie was only 16; paints a picture of lovelorn and tempestuous adolescents for whom the common sense circuit had not yet kicked in. Like adolescents of all times enduring, they were acting on emotion alone. With "No horse or conveyance" they left on foot and nearly flat broke. Probably without a definate plan, no drive but lust and willful youth.





The blissful time together of Sam and Gertie lasted a full two months, and then it came abruptly to and end. Perhaps they ran out money, or perhaps young Gertie was homesick and wanted to be back with her parents, or perhaps they just came to the realization that they needed the older generation to survive.

They arrived back in Vienna to the Yates homestead, a broken-hearted father and a jilted wife. When Sam found out there was a warrant for his arrest, it is said he took off to Surry County, but within a week, came creeping back to Vienna. There the sheriff nabbed him and threw him in the pokey.




The Morning Post
(Raleigh, North Carolina)16 Jan 1902, Thu  • Page 1

The above article, in January 1902, revealed another detail and confession. Not only did Sam 'ruin the girl's character' and her reputation, he admitted he was responsible 'for her prestent delicate condition'. "Gertie was pregnant.

Gertrude Yates

The coverage of the story continues.


Winston-Salem Journal
(Winston-Salem, North Carolina)16 Jan 1902, Thu  • Page 1

"Poor Tucker"! Are you kidding me? This kid deserved no sympathy for what he did. I believe it was titled in sarcasm. The article does reveal a bit of what happened while they were gone. Sam obviously had some help, or at least more money than previously thought, stashed away. He may have been planning the kidnapping for months. They went to Virginia and "other places", traveling around and seeing the world. Sam had that traveling jones in his bones. He stayed in jail until his day in court arrived.




The Dispatch
(Lexington, North Carolina)19 Feb 1902, Wed  • Page 1

This article shows that Sam was not just charged with kidnapping, but with fornication, or sex outside of marriage. It also indicates that not only he, but Gertie, was charged. Sam got 15 months on the road and the charges against Gertie were suspended. As she was referred to as "unfortunate", the judge apparently thought the pregnancy was punishment enough. She recieved a life sentence of motherhood.



The Morning Post
(Raleigh, North Carolina)15 Feb 1902, Sat  • Page 1


'On the roads' referred to hard labor, the chain gang.




Malone Emory Yates, named for his grandfather, was born on July 31, 1902. I'll get more into him along the way, but at this juncture want to insert that Malone grew up, got married, and had children. He has living descendants. The two documents alot of descendants use to go back one more generation, for those ancestors who lived in modern times of marriage licenses and death certificates are those two mentioned documents. According to family trees, Malone is a complete brick wall. His death certificate lists his parents as unknown. The informant was one of his children, which indicates they had no idea who their grandparents were. He was one of those parents that we see people talk about on "Finding Your Roots" or "Who Do You Think You Are?", two television shows that focus  on the current genealogy trend, that never talked about their past. I never suffered that indignity. I was born into two family history carrying families.

Malone's other document lists his mother as Gertie, correct, and his father as Columbus Yates. I can hear the collective gasps of Yates family descendants that have came upon this document for the first time. Having done this type of thing for a long time, I've seen this many times before when it comes to children who were born outside the bounds of matrimony. When they become adults and went to obtain that marriage license, many were too embarrassed to list no father, or even to list a father with a different surname. Malone was not the only person to list their maternal grandfather as their father. This was not an indication of incest. It merely meant that this was the man who acted as a father for this child, a father figure, the man who raised him. Columbus Yates was a good man, from all indications.

Most family trees list no father for Malone at all. Some have his stepfather lisited. Some have the right father, Samuel Edgar Tucker listed, but have the wrong mother. They have Bertha as his mother.  One diligent descendant did their homework and figured it out, with Sam as his father and Gertie as his mother. I think it is really cool that the tools are now available to help us figure out who we really descend from, in some cases, when parents and grandparents carried around these secrets.





After he was arrested, Samuel Tucker was penitent, promising that after he "got out of the scrape", that he was going to be a man, or take care of his family, and move his family out of that place, where his luck was not so good. But did he?

Sometime in jail, or after it. Sam learned a trade. He became a Barber. In 1910, a good 9 years after his arrest and dare say, 7 years after he did his time, he was working as a Barber. And true to his word, he got out of Vienna. He caught that Chattanooga ChooChoo and ended up in Chatanooga, TN. He truly was looking to leave his past behind. City Directories also show that he also worked as a Barber in Knoxville, Tennessee, just not during a census.

Name:	S E Tucker
Age in 1910:	28
Birth Year:	abt 1882
Birthplace:	Alabama
Home in 1910:	Chattanooga Ward 2, Hamilton, Tennessee
Street:	Chestnut Street
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Lodger
Marital Status:	Single
Native Tongue:	English
Occupation:	Barber
Industry:	Shop
Employer, Employee or Other:	Wage Earner
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Out of Work:	N
Number of weeks out of work:	0
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Mina Parker 30 Julia Mcconnell 62 John Mcconnell 27 S E Tucker 28

But he was alone. He did not take his family with him. Sam was staying in a boarding house with a few other boarders, a mother and son. He was divorced, but gave his marital status as single. He was from North Carolina, but chose Alabama as his new birthplace. The only thing he told the truth about was his name and age. But this was our Sam. The lady who ran the boarding house, Mina Parker, is a very important clue. She was a divorcee with two children, now running a boarding house.

But where was Bertha and their little son?

Bertha and Gertie were both still in Vienna. They had just lost their father, Lum, in 1909. The girls lived with their widowed mother. Both of Sam's young sons also lived there.

Name:	Mary J Yates
Age in 1910:	52
Birth Year:	abt 1858
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1910:	Vienna, Forsyth, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Widowed
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Native Tongue:	English
Occupation:	Farmer
Industry:	General Farm
Employer, Employee or Other:	Employer
Home Owned or Rented:	Own
Home Free or Mortgaged:	Free
Farm or House:	Farm
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	No
Number of Children Born:	3
Number of Children Living:	3
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Mary J Yates 52 Bertha Tacker 27 Lester Tucker 9 Gertie Yates 24 Malone Yates 7

Emory Columbus Yates died on September 22, 1909 and was buried at that old Muddy Creek Church renamed Shiloh. He was 54 years old. It is said he died of a broken heart.

The Western Sentinel
(Winston-Salem, North Carolina)
16 Nov 1909, Tue  • Page 5

Emory Columbus Yates For the time being, Samuel Tucker had settled in Chattanooga,Tenneseee. The 1920 census found him and his new bride, Margeurite, livng in a hotel ran by a Mrs. Swaim. Name: Samel E Tucker [Somer E Tucker]  Age: 38 Birth Year: abt 1882 Birthplace: North Carolina Home in 1920: Civil District 4, Scott, Tennessee Residence Date: 1920 Race: White Gender: Male Relation to Head of House: Boarder Marital Status: Married Father's Birthplace: United States Mother's Birthplace: United States Able to Speak English: Yes Occupation: Barber Attended School: No Able to Read: Yes Able to Write: Yes Neighbors: View others on page Household Members: Name Age Martha Swain 57 Ethel Swain 19 Susie Swain 18 Deva Cooper 9 Samel E Tucker 38 Margarett Tucker 26 Margareurite "Dolly" Parker, was the daughter of Jefferson Davis Parker and Inga Hixon. She was a relative of the lady who ran the boarding house that Samuel had previously lived in. She was born and raised in Chattanooge. She and Samuel would have two sons together, but not for awhile. The couple also did not stay in Tennessee. Sam did not like to have inlaws nearby.  Samuel Edgar Tucker, Jr. was born on July 22, 1922 Charles Edward Tucker was born on April 20, 1926 Both boys were born in Cincinnatti, Ohio

Above is a historic view of Cincinatti. While Sam and his new family were now city folks, train-hopping from one urban area to another, what about the fate of Bertha and Gertie, the sister who were mothers of his two oldest sons?

Name:	Bertha S Tucker [Bertha G Fucher]  [Bertha S Yates]
Age:	37
Birth Year:	abt 1883
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	Vienna, Forsyth, North Carolina
Street:	Lewisville Brooxtown Road
Residence Date:	1920
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Daughter
Marital Status:	Married
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's name:	Mary J Yates
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Mary J Yates 61 Bertha S Tucker 37 Lester S Tucker 19 Emory M Yates 14

Bertha is still holding on to the name Tucker and claiming to be married. She is still living with her mother, her teenaged son and nephew. It is this census that probably led many descendants to believe she was Malone Emory Yates' mother. Since I never located a marriage certificate in Tennesee for Sam and Dolly, I wonder if they really got married at all.

And Gertie? Fate held another path for her.

Back in 1909, the year their father died, another important event had happened in the Yates family. If you remember, there were three children, two daughters, Bertha and Gertie, and a son. The son's name was Emory Roland Yates, even though he was listed as "John" in 1900. In 1909, Roland married Carrie Elizabeth Dull.



Back at the old Shiloh Lutheran Church cemetery and the older cemetery near it of Muddy Creek Meeting House, several family names dominate the tombstones. Dull is one of those names. No doubt Roland and Carrie met in church. The Dull family was one of the original German families to first settle in Vienna.

Jacob Elisha Dull was the brother of Carrie Dull Yates. In 1892, Jacob had married Sarah E. "Sallie" Hege, a girl of Moravian heritage. The couple had 8 children together: Henry, Artie, Ida, Flossie, Minnie, Flora, Nina and Emma. In 1909, the year Lum Yates died and Roland Yates married Carrie Dull, Sallie Hege Dull also had passed away.


                       Gertie and Jacob E. Dull


In 1919, Jacob E. Dull married Gerite Yates. He was 48, she was 33.

The below map, of which were made of most of the North Carolina counties in the early years of the 20th century, showed the homeplaces of many of the counties citizens. In the top right corner, within the green block of Vienna township, it is shown exactly where J E Dull lived. At the very top center of the green block, shows the location of the Yates house.



A look at the 1920 census was very interesting and very telling.

Name:	Elisha J Dull
Age:	48
Birth Year:	abt 1872
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	Vienna, Forsyth, North Carolina
Street:	Lewisville Brooxtown Road
House Number:	Farm
Residence Date:	1920
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Gertrude Dull
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Farmer
Industry:	General Farm
Employment Field:	Own Account
Home Owned or Rented:	Own
Home Free or Mortgaged:	Free
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Elisha J Dull 48 Gertrude Dull 35 Henry J Dull 25 Artie E Dull 22 Flossie J Dull 20 Minnie V Dull 18 Flora E Dull 15 Nina E Dull 13

Elisha and Gertie were married and living with them were the youngest 6 of his 8 children. Elisha was a farmer with his son Henry helping. Oldest daugther Artie was a 'table waitress' at the YWCA. They were living on the Lewisville-Brookstown Road. Neighbors, just straight down the line, were;

John Blackburn, Sanford Dull (Jacob Elisha's father), John H. Dull (his brother), James Darse, Mary Moser, (both probably renters on the Dull property, different houses but only two to a house and farm labor, then the home of J. Elisha and Gertrude, followed by Emory R. Yates (Gertrudes brother and his wife, Elisha's sister), followed by Mary J. Yates with Bertha and the two teen-aged boys. Then Albert Wagoner. The Dulls and the Yates not only went to the same church, they were 'next-door-neighbors'. How convenient. Gertie did not just abandon her son, Emory Malone, he was just living the next house over with Grandma. Probably helping Mary Jane and Bertha on their farm, along with his cousin, Raymond Tucker.

Gertrude would give Elisha 3 more children, bringing his total of little Dull's to 11.

1920 - Mary Helen Dull
1921- Dovie Odessa Dull
1924- Mayo Calvin Dull

As a side note, Mary Helen Dull would marry Luther Blaine Dull about 1941. They would have 4 children. Luther Dull's father, Charlie Monroe Dull was a brother to Jacob Elisha Dull and Carrie Dull Yaties, the spouses of Gertie and Roland Yates, respectively. It's a wonder that this family didn't start having some members turn out blue like the Kentucky Fugate family.

Link to article on the Blue Fugate Family of Kentucky




Dovie married a Beroth, while not a Dull, the Beroths date back to Johannes Beroth, one of the 11 original settlers to the Wachovia Tract in 1753, which was the Moravian purchase.

The Dulls date back to Germans Hans Peter Dull (b 1644)  and his wife Gertrude, who had one son Christoffel. All of the Forsyth County, NC Dulls trace their roots back to Christoffel.

Mayo Calvin Dull married a Miss Betty Redding. The Reddings were not not part of this group of settlers.

Name:	Gertie Dull
Birth Year:	abt 1886
Gender:	Female
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Married
Relation to Head of House:	Wife
Homemaker?:	Yes
Home in 1930:	Vienna, Forsyth, North Carolina, USA
Map of Home:	View Map
Street address:	Lewisville Road
Dwelling Number:	308
Family Number:	310
Age at First Marriage:	33
Attended School:	No
Able to Read and Write:	Yes
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Household Members:	Name Age Elisha Dull 58 Gertie Dull 44 Helen Dull 10 Dovie O Dull 8 Calvin M Dull 5 Malon Yates 27

Moving up to 1930, Elisha and Gertie are still living on the Lewisville Road with their 3 children. All of Elisha's older children have flown the nest. Emory Malone Yates is living with them now, and Elisha lists him as a stepson. Neighbors include his brothers John H. Dull and Charles Monroe Dull, but no Yates are in sight. Neither Roland or Bertha appear to be neighbors anymore.

Name:	Bertha Tucker [Bertha Yates]
Birth Year:	abt 1883
Gender:	Female
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Widowed
Relation to Head of House:	Daughter
Home in 1930:	Vienna, Forsyth, North Carolina, USA
Map of Home:	View Map
Street address:	Lewisville Road
Dwelling Number:	268
Family Number:	270
Attended School:	No
Able to Read and Write:	Yes
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Household Members:	Name Age Mary J Yates 71 Bertha Tucker 47

Oddly, Mary Janes Yates and Bertha Tucker are still living together on the Lewisville Road. One house up from them is brother/son Roland Yates and one house below them is Lester Tucker, Sam and Bertha's son. It appears that they probably did not move. More likely, it was just the way the census taker was walking and the order he put the families in. Mary Jane's house was valued at $1500, which was a pretty valuable house in that time and place. Lester's was only valued at $5, which means he likely had built a small, temporary structure on his Grandma's property.

This is the third census since Sam and Bertha had split. In the first one, she was probably still steaming, and listed her marital status as Single. In the second one, perhaps because of the boys in the house, she told the census taker she was married. In this one, she claims to be widowed. Sam might have been dead to her, but he wasn't dead.

Name:	Lester Tucker
Birth Year:	abt 1901
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Married
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Home in 1930:	Vienna, Forsyth, North Carolina, USA
Map of Home:	View Map
Street address:	Lewisville Road
Dwelling Number:	269
Family Number:	271
Home Owned or Rented:	Rented
Home Value:	5
Radio Set:	No
Lives on Farm:	No
Age at First Marriage:	20
Attended School:	No
Able to Read and Write:	Yes
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Laborer
Industry:	Tobacco factory
Class of Worker:	Wage or salary worker
Employment:	Yes
Household Members:	Name Age Lester Tucker 29 Nellie Tucker 32 Avis B Tucker 6 Jacob W Franklin 4

Samuel Lester Tucker married Nellie Hutchens on April 4, 1921.He was 19 and she was 23. Lester married young, like his Dad, but unlike Sam, Lester stayed. He and Nellie had one daughter, Avis. The little 4 year old boy living with them was the son of Nellie's older sister Florence, who died in 1928.

But what was Sam up to 10 years later? Was he still in Ohio. Was he still with Dolly?

Name:	Samuel Tucker
Birth Year:	abt 1884
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Married
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Home in 1930:	Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio, USA
Map of Home:	View Map
Street address:	Cedar Ave
Ward of City:	11
Block:	14
House Number:	2809
Dwelling Number:	37
Family Number:	17
Home Owned or Rented:	Rented
Home Value:	32
Radio Set:	No
Lives on Farm:	No
Age at First Marriage:	26
Attended School:	No
Able to Read and Write:	Yes
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Barber
Industry:	Barber Shop
Class of Worker:	Wage or salary worker
Employment:	Yes
Household Members:	Name Age Samuel Tucker 46 Margurete Tucker 35 Samuel Tucker 6 Charles E Tucker 3

The answers to those questions were, Yes, he was still in Ohio, but he wasn't in Cincinatti. He was now in Cleveland. He was still with Dolly and their two little boys. Oddly, his granddaughter Avis was the same age as her Uncle Sam Jr. and older than her Uncle Charles. I wonder if they knew each other. I believe they did, due to the article in the History book.

And he was still a Barber, in a Barber shop.

Cleveland in the 1930's

Samuel E Tucker would also be found in Cleveland in the 1940, still a Barber, living on East 25th Street. He's still with Dolly and has two teenaged sons. The wild wanderer, Sam Tucker, now in his 50's, has grown up.

Name:	Samuel E Tucker
Respondent:	Yes
Age:	59
Estimated birth year:	abt 1881
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Married
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Home in 1940:	Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio
Map of Home in 1940:	View Map
Street:	East 25th Street
Farm:	No
Inferred Residence in 1935:	Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio
Residence in 1935:	Same Place
Resident on farm in 1935:	No
Sheet Number:	1A
Number of Household in Order of Visitation:	10
Occupation:	Barber
House Owned or Rented:	Rented
Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented:	22
Attended School or College:	No
Highest Grade Completed:	High School, 2nd year
Duration of Unemployment:	221
Weeks Worked in 1939:	0
Income:	0
Income Other Sources:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Samuel E Tucker 59 Dolly Tucker 51 Samuel E Tucker 16 Charles Tucker 13

Samuel Edgar Tucker died  September 30, 1940, shortley after this census was taken. He was 59.

Name:	Bertha Tucker
Age:	57
Estimated birth year:	abt 1883
Gender:	Female
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Widowed
Relation to Head of House:	Mother
Home in 1940:	Vienna, Forsyth, North Carolina
Map of Home in 1940:	View Map
Inferred Residence in 1935:	Vienna, Forsyth, North Carolina
Residence in 1935:	Same House
Sheet Number:	17A
Attended School or College:	No
Highest Grade Completed:	Elementary school, 4th grade
Weeks Worked in 1939:	0
Income:	0
Income Other Sources:	No
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Lester Tucker 38 Nellie Tucker 43 Avis Tucker 16 Bertha Tucker 57

Back in North Carolina, the 1940 census finds Bertha living with her son Lester, and they appear to be in the very same place they have always been, the Yates homeplace. Lester is working as a builder for the WPA. His neighbors are his Uncle Roland Yates and cousin Howard Yates, son of Roland.

Lester's only daughter, Avis, marries a Mcknight in 1946.

Bertha Samanthaline Yates Tucker died March 19, 1955. She was 72. Her Death Certificate states that she was divorced. She never left Vienna.

Samuel Lester Tucker died in 1962. Below is his obituary.




1940 finds Elisha and Gertie still living on the family farm in Vienna with their 3 children.

Name:	Elisha Dull
Respondent:	Yes
Age:	68
Estimated birth year:	abt 1872
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Married
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Home in 1940:	Vienna, Forsyth, North Carolina
Map of Home in 1940:	View Map
Farm:	Yes
Inferred Residence in 1935:	Vienna, Forsyth, North Carolina
Residence in 1935:	Same House
Sheet Number:	17B
Number of Household in Order of Visitation:	308
Occupation:	Farmer
House Owned or Rented:	Owned
Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented:	1000
Attended School or College:	No
Highest Grade Completed:	Elementary school, 2nd grade
Hours Worked Week Prior to Census:	50
Class of Worker:	Working on own account
Weeks Worked in 1939:	50
Income:	0
Income Other Sources:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Elisha Dull 68 Gertie Dull 54 Helen Dull 20 Dovey Dull 18 Mayo Dull 15

Gerties oldest son, Malon Emory Yates has moved on. On June 8, 1935, at the age of  32, he married, but who else? A Dull. Martha E. Dull was the daughter of Charles Monroe Dull and a sister to Luther Dull who married his half-sister, Mary Helen Dull Dull.

Name:	Malon Yates
Age:	38
Estimated birth year:	abt 1902
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Married
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Home in 1940:	Vienna, Forsyth, North Carolina
Map of Home in 1940:	View Map
Farm:	No
Inferred Residence in 1935:	Vienna, Forsyth, North Carolina
Residence in 1935:	Same House
Sheet Number:	16B
Number of Household in Order of Visitation:	286
Occupation:	Poultry Dept
House Owned or Rented:	Rented
Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented:	5
Attended School or College:	No
Highest Grade Completed:	Elementary school, 5th grade
Hours Worked Week Prior to Census:	60
Class of Worker:	Wage or salary worker in private work
Weeks Worked in 1939:	50
Income:	690
Income Other Sources:	No
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Malon Yates 38 Martha Yates 29 Malon Yates 2 Gordon Yates 4/12

In 1940, Malon and his young family were still living in Vienna, and he was working in the Poultry Department on a Private Estate.

Gertrude C. Yates Dull died on October 9, 1964, at the age of 78.

Her husband Jacob Elisha Dull died on June 9, 1945, at the age of 73

Malon Emory Yates, the child whose conception was covered in the papers, died on October 2, 1973, at the age of 71.

All of the Yates-Dull family were buried together at Shiloh Lutheran Church in Lewisville, the family church for generations.

A Searching we will go....

February 3, 2018, 3:46 pm

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Hi!

I've just returned from another trip to Virginia. As always, the libraries and Courthouses close too soon.

This time, I spent most of my time in Brunswick County, in Lawrenceville. Just entering Virginia, is like entering the womb of the Great Mother. It seems to take me back another century in time. To border each other, and to have once been one county, Brunswick is very different from Mecklenburg. First, just the topography. Mecklenburg is much more rolling hills, while Brunswick is flater. I also noticed that Brunswick soil seemed to be very sandy in places, while Mecklenburg looked much more like my home area in North Carolina. Dirt. Not so sandy.



Put together, neither county boasts a metropolis, but Mecklenburg contains the only municipality I would call a city, South Hill, a very small city, but it's much more bustling. They even have a Harbor Freight, y'all. In fact, Mecklenburg has a number of good sized towns, nothing as large as my own little hole-in-the-wall, Albemarle, but a good competition for Oakboro. Areas you can call towns. Clarksville, Boydton, Broadnax (which so reminds me of Star in Montgomery County, NC), Chase City and Bracey. Brunswick has, well, Lawrenceville. To be accurate, both counties can kind of claim Broadnax,it's a straddler. Right there on the line, kinda.






To think about it. Mecklenburg and Brunswick Counties are twins to Stanly and Mecklenburg County in North Carolina. Montgomery is much more rural than Stanly. Some places you can drive right through without ever noticing you're been there. On her western side, she is the mountain momma blessed with a big hunk of the Uwharries, but on her eastern side, her topography has changed and she becomes a part of the Sandhills. In Stanly County, we have dirt. Dirt and rocks. Great streaches of the slate belt pass right through here, along with those veins of quartz that carry gold. In between all that is the fertile green rolling hills with small mountains popping up here and there. Both counties are blessed with a myriad of creeks, lakes and rivers criss-crossing the terrain.




Montgomery has towns, Troy, Mt. Gilead, Biscoe, Star, Candor. It's largest, Troy, does not qualify as a city, just a town and county seat. Other than that it's communities are places, some might have church and a store, others just a spattering of houses, with odd names too numerous to recount.

Stanly has her share of pigpasses, but we do have a city, Albemarle, also the county seat, and Locust is fast becoming a City, if she has not reached that goal already, due to her location on the Charlotte-side of the county and direct road into Concord. A lot of folks around work in Charlotte and Concord, which has caught the Charlotte urbanization virus, because that is where the jobs are, but they don't want to live there. The cost of living is extremely high, and the traffic is just complete insanity. Exciting for the young, but not a good place to raise a family or to relax.

And our small towns are actual towns, with restaurants, stores, multiple churches, schools. and a "town" look to them. Oakboro, Norwood, New London, Stanfield, Richfield, Misenheimer, Badin. You know you are in a town, sidewalks, Dollar Generals and all.



But back to Virginia. Lawrenceville boasts 3 or 4 museums, it's history is so rich and thick. But now, there is no one to run them or open them. The library has a history room, but it is kept locked and there is no one to man it. It's collection is, no other word for it, pitiable. I have more books on the area at home. The library staff complains about their lack of staffing. It's a place deeply steeped in history and one where a huge number of people can trace their ancestry to. But she's bled out and bled out for so many centuries that she has      nearly     bled     to       death.

But some stayed and have stayed a very long time. I went from reading names in ancient record books to going out and driving around, seeing the very same names on businesses. There is a very lengthy lawsuit involving Marriott Davis, a relative of mine, and William Sadler, in 1789. I walked out of the courthouse and started off to Boydton, and there was Sadler Brothers Oil Company. I'm sure that somehow, the blood of William Sadler, or one of his close relatives, flow through their veins.



The Lawrenceville Courthouse is a treasure trove. Their information is still in labeled books, with indexes. Unlike, Mecklenburg, where the same types of records have been scanned and sent to the Capitol archives and what they have left is on microfilm. Good that is there, but if you live far away, and have limited time to scan microfilm, a tape without and index to pages, is akin to looking for a needle in a haystack.



While I didn't find any information on Job Davis, I did pick up more information on other members of the family, and other names in the family tree. I believe I have enough information on the descendants of Henry Davis and Mary Mariott to assemble a root system, from that couple down as that couple back has been done and done well. As far as what my brick wall is, which one of the Davis sons was the father of Job, I'm still working on that one through the process of elimination. But it's looking more and more like Joshua, which puzzles me because Job did not name any one of his 4 sons Joshua.



I also elminated the possibility that he was an orphan when he came to North Carolina as a young man. He is on neither the Ward list or in the Orphan book of the years he would have been living in Mecklenburg County. His youngest aunts and uncles who were under 21 when Grandfather Henry passed away are on those lists, though. Which was an additional bit of information.

While I didn't find the treasure trove I found last time, I did pick up a few more things. I really wish I could scour the Mecklenburg County microfilm, but when they close at 5 and you live 4 hours away, it will be a very slow process, if in process at all.

Every trip to Virginia is productive, but it's time to see what I can access online until my next trip. I wonder if you can order CD's of those Virginia records from the Library of Virginia archives like you can from NC? It would be so much more convenient to be able to scan them at home.

The Lost Melton

February 14, 2018, 2:43 am

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While looking for one thing, sometimes I discover another, or answer to a long-held question I've had. This just happened while I was looking at a member of the Fry family, Elizabeth, that I discovered a pre-hereto unknown fact. And quite by accident.

Widow waiting by Chasing Juniper

Quite shockingly, but not at all uncommon, I've discovered that right after the Civil War, young widows would marry whomever there was to marry, sometimes boys, but very often, much older men. Sometimes the grooms would be as old as the brides grandparents. It was this lack of power, property and legal standing that women did not have, that forced them  to be attached to a man to survive. It was definately not a  lack of skills, knowledge or  the ability to take care of themselves.  These were not helpless, fawning doves. These girls knew how to work. They had to feed themselves and  take care of their children.

Leonard Fry was born in 1796 and had lost his wife Ann sometime shortly after 1860.

On March 21, 1869 Leonard, age 73, son of William and Betsy Fry married Caroline Marbry, daugther of  William Melton and Fanny Melton, age 37. Being toward the end of her child-bearing years, Caroline would have been more desparate than a girl in her 20's to find a husband.

Name:	Leonard Fry
Age in 1870:	20
Birth Year:	abt 1850 [1800]  [Abt. 1800]
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Dwelling Number:	141
Home in 1870:	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Occupation:	Farmer
Cannot Read:	Y
Cannot Write:	Y
Male Citizen Over 21:	Y
Personal Estate Value:	200
Real Estate Value:	350
Inferred Spouse:	Caroline Fry
Inferred Children:	Green Fry
Household Members:	Name Age Leonard Fry 20 Caroline Fry 38 Green Fry 12

I found them in the 1870 census, but a few things were incorrect. First, the transcriber had misread Leonards' age. It was written as 70, not 20, but he was actually 74 by then. And 12 year old Green, was probably Caroline's son, Leonards stepson, and not a Fry.

Name:	Caroline Milton
Age:	16
Birth Year:	abt 1834
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1850:	Freemans, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Gender:	Female
Family Number:	137
Household Members:	Name Age John Milton 46 Nancy Milton 46 Missouria Milton 20 Laura J Milton 17 Eliza Milton 17 Caroline Milton 16 John Solomon 22

I didn't know who this Carolina was. I had a Caroline in the Melton family tree, but had her pegged as a daughter of John Melton, Jr. and his wife Nancy Boysworth Melton. She is living with them in the 1850 census in the young town of Albemarle. As you can see by the order of the ages of the girls, that Caroline was not out of line, like John Solomon, which usually indicates the child or person was out of origin. John Solomon was an employee or boarder of John Milton. Caroline appeared to be a daughter.

But her surname was Marbry when she married Leonard Fry, so now it was time to find that marriage. And I already had.

Name:	Caroline Melton
Gender:	Female
Marriage Date:	7 Sep 1856
Marriage Place:	Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Spouse:	James Mabry
Spouse Gender:	Male
Event Type:	Marriage

Caroline had married a James Mabry on September 7, 1856. The names Mabry and Marbry were interchangeable in old Stanly County records and is even seen as Mayberry most of the time in the old Montgomery ones predating Stanly. Likewise, Melton and Milton were interchangeable, often seen as one then the other in old documents when referring to the same individual. On a permanent level, some became Milton's and some became Melton's just as some became Mabry's and some became Marbry's, but both names lead back to one singular family. Never let anyone tell you any different. No "different sets or different family". Honeycutts and Huneycutts are also just one family.

My next step was to find James Marbry and hopefully Caroline in the 1860 census, the one in between these two I had found her in.

Name:	James Marbry
Age:	25
Birth Year:	abt 1835
Gender:	Male
Birth Place:	North Carolina
Home in 1860:	Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office:	Albemarle
Dwelling Number:	425
Family Number:	428
Occupation:	Farmer
Real Estate Value:	200
Personal Estate Value:	115
Cannot Read, Write:	Y
Household Members:	Name Age James Marbry 25 Mary Marbry 26 Sallie Marbry 6

I found a James, but his wife's name was Mary, and they had a daughter, it appeared, a little girl named Sally.

And I had this record cnnnected to the supposed "daughter" of John Jr. and Nancy Boysworth Melton. So, I went digging back through all the Melton/Milton info and it started to come together.

In the Stanly County Superior Court minutes for 1846 was this entry:

"Mary Caroline Milton bound to Benjamin L. Whitley"

Then, it became clear. Caroline was Mary Carolina and she was not the daughter of John and Nancy, she was their niece She was the daughter of William and Fanny, which I will get to in a minute. But Caroline had one more door to unlock.

Leonard Fry was in his 70's in the 1870 census, so it was really no surprise he did not show up in the 1880 census, but what about Caroline?

Name:	Carlin Fray
Age:	49
Birth Date:	Abt 1831
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Big Lick, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number:	146
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Sister-in-law
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Maimed, Crippled, or Bedridden:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age R. G. H. Hunycutt 40 Margerat Hunycutt 40 John Hunycutt 19 Solomon Hunycutt 17 Carline Hunycutt 15 Bettie Hunycutt 18 Robert Hunycutt 11 Chatharin Hunycutt 9 Millort Hunycutt 7 Marion Hunycutt 5 Fanie Hunycutt 3 P Hunycutt 1 Carlin Fray 49

I found her and where I found her was the key to unlocking another door in the Melton family lineup.

With much respect to the hard work of numerous transcribers, oftentimes they had a great deal of trouble deciphering that ancient 19th century handwriting. So, Caroline Fry became "Carlin Fray".
The 1880 census was the first one that gave us the actual relationship of the persons in a household to the Head Of House. In this case, R. G. H. Huneycutt was the Head of Household. Caroline Melton Fry was the sister-in-law of Reuben George Hiram Huneycutt. R. G. H. Huneycutt was married to Margaret Melton. Caroline Melton, daughter of William and Fanny, was the sister of Margaret Melton.

November 1846 Session Court of Pleas and Quarters:
 "Margeret Melton bound to John Perry until she shall attain the age of  18 years. Bond filed."

November 1847 Session Court of Pleas and Quarters:
"Henry Melton bound to John Perry who entered into bond and obligated himself to give said Henry Melton one suit of clothes and $10 when he shall have attained the age of 21."

Name:	Henry Milton
Age:	6
Birth Year:	abt 1844
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1850:	Smiths, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Gender:	Male
Family Number:	703
Household Members:	Name Age John Perry 43 Margaret Perry 45 Lewis C Perry 22 Silva Perry 19 Caswell Perry 18 Margaret Milton 8 Henry Milton 6 Elizabeth Perry 70 Elizabeth Perry 85

And no surprise, Margaret and her brother Henry were found in the home of John Perry in 1850.

Name:	Margaret Milton
Gender:	Female
Marriage Date:	20 Sep 1860
Marriage Place:	Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Spouse:	R G H Hunneycutt
Spouse Gender:	Male
Event Type:	Marriage

Margaret married R. G. H. Huneycutt in 1860 and had 10 children. She died sometime before November,  1886 when Hiram remarried to Holly Hinson.

Her little brother Henry remained in the home of John Perry in the 1860 census as an apprentice and when the Civil War began, he enlisted. The older Henry H. Melton was the son of John Melton Sr. and Henry Harrison Melton who died in 1855 was the son of Charlotte Melton, who would have been an Aunt of  "Little Henry", as I refer to this youngest one. Their ancestry all leads back to Henry Melton born 1740 in Virginia and died in 1807 in Granville County, North Carolina who married Agnes Sears. That Henry was the son of an elder Henry Melton, born 1719 in Hanover County, Virginia and died in 1784 in Granville County, NC who was married to Kesiah Lynne. Henry Sr. was the son of John Melton of Hanover County, Virginia who was married to Mary Preston White, and backward it goes. But it explains the preponderance of Henry Harrison Melton's.

Name	Henry H Melton
Residence	Stanly County, North Carolina
Age at enlistment	18
Enlistment Date	28 Feb 1863
Rank at enlistment	Private
Enlistment Place	Stanly County, North Carolina
State Served	North Carolina
Survived the War?	No
Service Record	Enlisted in Company H, North Carolina 13th Infantry Regiment on 28 Feb 1863.Mustered out on 16 Apr 1865 at Hosp, Petersburg, VA.
Birth Date	abt 1845
Sources	North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster

Henry died on April 16, 1865 at Gettysburg. He was taken to Fairground Hospital, Petersburg, Va and died of a gunshot wound to the head.

We now have 3 children we can attribute to William B. Melton and Fanny. Could there be more?

During the same session of court that Mary Caroline Melton was bound to Benjamin Lindsey Whitley, an Elisha H Milton was bound to William Boysworth. Something changed between 1846 and 1850, because in 1850, Elisha was living in the household of John Stone.

Name:	Elisha Melton
Age:	10
Birth Year:	abt 1840
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1850:	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Gender:	Male
Family Number:	845
Household Members:	Name Age John F Stone 43 Nancy Stone 48 Mary H Stone 21 Lucy A Stone 17 Adam W Stone 16 Sarah C Stone 14 Damarias Palmer 16 Elisha Melton 10

Elisha H. Melton married Francis Marbry, daughter of Isaiah Marbry on March 13, 1862. Remember that name Marbry? Yes, Mary Caroline married James Marbry. Caroline and Elisha Melton married siblings, Jame and Francis Marbry.

Name:	Francy Morbary
Gender:	Female
Marriage Date:	13 Mar 1862
Marriage Place:	Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Spouse:	Elisha H Milton
Spouse Gender:	Male
Event Type:	Marriage

Elisha Melton also served in the Civil War. E. H. Melton was a Private in Company K 28th Reg. NC Troops. He was captured at Falling Waters, Maryland on August 14, 1863. He was kept a Prisoner of War at Point Lookout, MD. A photograph of Elisha Melton is in a two volumn book on Civil War Soldiers. His youthful gaze showed clear eyes, probably blue or light green, and brown hair, looking out nervously under a Confederate cap.

Name	Elisha H Milton
Residence	Stanly County, North Carolina
Occupation	Wheelwright
Age at enlistment	22
Enlistment Date	7 Sep 1861
Rank at enlistment	Private
Enlistment Place	Stanly County, North Carolina
State Served	North Carolina
Survived the War?	Yes
Service Record	Enlisted in Company K, North Carolina 28th Infantry Regiment on 07 Sep 1861.
Birth Date	abt 1839
Sources	North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster

A notation on his packet says oddly, "Joined U. S. service on January 24, 1864."  The papers also say that he enlisted in Albemarle on September 7, 1861.

Elisha Melton had switched sides. Another packet filed under "US Volunteeres" accounts of him in this way, "Private Elisha Milton  1st Regiment, US Volunteers, Portmouth, Va, May 1, 1864. Where born: Stanly, North Carolina, age 24, Occupation: Wheelwright. When enlisted: January 24, 1864 Point Lookout, MD for a period of 3 years. Eyes: Grey, Hair: Black, Complexion: dark, Height 5" 9 1/2 in, Where mustered in: Portsmouth, Va    When mustered: May 1, 1864.

The company descriptive book continues with his career, which did not last long.

It recapitulates that Elisha Hinson Milton, age 24, Wheelwright from Albemarle, NC, "died of chronic diarrhea at Fort Rice, D T (Dakota Territory), Dec 10, 1864. He was while at Norfolk a good soldier but after leaving that place showed a growing lack of attention to duty. 


                                      From Find-a-Grave

Name:	Corp Elisha H. Melton
Birth Place:	Stanly County, North Carolina, United States of America
Death Date:	11 Dec 1864
Death Place:	Fort Rice, Morton County, North Dakota, United States of America
Cemetery:	Custer National Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place:	Crow Agency, Big Horn County, Montana, United States of America

Melton, Elisha H., b. ca. 1840, Stanly Co., NC. Enlisted 9/7/1861, Albemarle, N.C. in Co. K, 28th North Carolina Infantry, CSA. Captured at Falling Waters, Maryland, 7/14/1863. Sent to Ft. McHenry, Baltimore, Md. and then transferred to Pt. Lookout, Maryland. Took the oath of allegiance and enlisted in Co. D, 1st United States Volunteer Infantry ("Galvanized Yankees"), 1/24/1864. D. 12/11/1864. Remains removed from Ft. Rice Cemetery and reburied in this cemetery, 3/6/1905.


And then, there is another possible child of William B Melton and Fanny. On the same day that Elisha H. Melton enlisted for Company K, along came George Melton,and enlisted in the same company at the same time. 

Name:	George Milton
Age:	7
Birth Year:	abt 1843
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1850:	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Gender:	Male
Family Number:	950
Household Members:	Name Age James Hinson 48 Nancy Hinson 47 Sarah Hinson 21 Adaline Hinson 19 Larry Hinson 16 George Milton 7 Margaret Hinson 5 Rebecca Hinson 3 Robert Blalock 50 Nancy Blalock 30

George Melton is first found as a 7 year old living in the household of James and Nancy Melton Hinson. Nancy, as proven by land divisions, was one of the daughters of John Melton Sr. Also worth noting is that Elisha's middle name was Hinson. Could their mother Fanny also have been a Hinson? Possibly a sister of James?

Name:	George Melton
Gender:	Male
Marriage Date:	9 Mar 1863
Marriage Place:	Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Spouse:	Elizabeth Crauford
Spouse Gender:	Female
Event Type:	Marriage

George Melton married Elizabeth Crawford on March 9, 1863, while on leave.


Unlike Elisha, Henry and James Marbry, George Melton survived the Civil War. It appears his first move was to Alabama, as his oldest daughter, Alice was born there. He then settled in Red River County, Texas near the Oklahoma border. There he met Missouri Bryant, obviously a young widow, as her name was Gilliam on the marriage license. Together they would have 11 children, 7 who lived to adulthood.

Name:	Whitman Milton
Age:	15
Birth Year:	abt 1835
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1850:	Freemans, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Gender:	Male
Family Number:	156
Household Members:	Name Age Thos Biley 32 Caroline Biley 25 Martha Biley 4 Tistia Biley 2 Whitman Milton 15

Another possible child was Whitman Melton, who was age 15 in 1850, living with Thomas Biles, Jr. Nothing else is known of Whitman Melton.

And just when I thought this wonderful door that Caroline had opened up for me could not get any better, I remembered another Melton mystery. That of James Frank Melton.


Falling From the Sky: James Frank Melton



I've posted on the mystery of James Frank Melton more than once. What makes him a mystery is that fact that although he is buried at Randle's Church with many other Melton's, who are David and his descendants, he doesn't clearly show up in Stanly County until the 1900 census and his marriage certificate of  October 12, 1899, when he marries Doctor "Dockie" Jane Simpson, daughter of John B. Simpson and Ursula Lowder Simpson.

On this document, Frank lists both his parents as unknown and deceased and Dockie lists John B Simpson as her father, but lists her mother as unknown. Now, I understand that they were an older couple, as far as marrying went. He was 53, but gave his age as 49 and she was 39, but certainly someone told him who his parents were. Docky has no excuse, her mother lived until at least 1880, because they appear on the census in the same household and Docky was 20!!! Your mother lives until you were 20 + and you can't remember her name? The only explanation I can see for that is someone they knew, who was literate, applied for the license for them, and that individual did not know his parents or her mother, but only knew she was John B's daughter.

I thought about the fact that maybe he was a Melton from another county, or another state, except that he was in the Civil War, and his veteran and Civil War records claim he was from Stanly County. He should have shown up in the 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880 census's. Maybe missed one, but all?

But two clues as to his origin do exist, and this is where he may fit in. First off is his death certificate. Frank and Dockie had one son, Oliver Douglas Melton, born in 1904. That is there just as a note, Oliver was not the informant on the Death Certificate.

The informant was W. B. Kirk, with whom Docky went to live with after Frank's death. He gave Frank's birthplace as Rt 2, Albemarle and his father as Oliver Melton, born in Albemarle and his mother as Fannie Melton, born in North Carolina. There was no combination of Meltons to be found, but Fannie lends herself to being perhaps the wife of William B Melton and maybe Mr. Kirk was assuming that son Oliver was named for his grandfather. Perhaps William B carried 3 Christian names and Oliver being one of them.

What tops it off is in the turn-of-the century permanent voter rolls, wherein a voter had to name a voter from the past that they were descended from in order to vote. This racist rule was intended to keep nonwhites from voting, but do serve the purpose of identifying who a man was descended from. They named either their father or grandfather. In the 1911 roll, Frank Melton gave his ancestor as William. I had pondered over William Jones Melton, who migrated West, but his descendants are well documented and Frank did not fit. William Jones was the son of John Melton Sr.

And now it makes sense. William B Melton and wife Fanny were the parents of James Frank Melton, who was the last child. But what about Fanny? Did the fact that Mr. Kirk knew her name mean that she perhaps lived after William B's death and remarried, only taking the baby with her? Maybe Frank was raised under a different surname, the stepfather's, or at least listed that way in the census records and that is why he could not be found.

Name:	Frank Milton
Age in 1870:	22
Birth Year:	abt 1848
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Dwelling Number:	92
Home in 1870:	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Occupation:	Farmer
Male Citizen Over 21:	Y
Inferred Spouse:	Martha Milton
Inferred Children:	Fannie Milton
Household Members:	Name Age Frank Milton 22 Martha Milton 22 Fannie Milton 2

He may have been found in the 1870 census, as a Frank Melton, 22 and his wife Martha with a two-year old daughter, Fanny are found living near the widow of H. H. Melton and the Boysworths, which puts him in the right area and 2 years within the right age, which was not uncommon to be incorrect in census records. With a daughter named Fanny. Now more than ever, I believe this is Frank. Especially since in the 1910 census, it indicated that he had been married twice.

But who is Martha? And what happened to her and Fannie?  That, I do not have an answer to. I have not found a marriage license between a Franklin Melton or Milton and a Martha. I do not find them in the 1880 census nor a trace of Fanny either.

But back to the possible, probable and definate, children of William B. Melton and Fanny. Do they align in a possible and agreeable manner?

1) 1832  Mary Caroline Melton (definate)

2) 1835 Whitman Melton (possible)

3) 1839 Elisha H. Melton (probable)

4) 1840 Margaret S. Melton (definate)

5) 1841 George J. Melton (probable)

6) 1845 Henry H. Melton II (definate)

7) 1846 James Franklin Melton (probable)


Looks like the lineup of a normal 19th century family to me.

But where was William B and Fanny in 1840 and 1830? Living with his father?

Name:	Joseph Melton
Home in 1840 (City, County, State):	West Pee Dee River, Montgomery, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 14:	1 Unknown
Free White Persons - Males - 15 thru 19:	1 James R. Melton
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29:	1 William B Melton
Free White Persons - Males - 60 thru 69:	1 Joseph Melton Sr.
Free White Persons - Females - 30 thru 39:	1 daughter in law Fanny
Free White Persons - Females - 40 thru 49:	1 daughter Charlotte
Free White Persons - Females - 60 thru 69:	1  Mrs. Joseph (Abigail?)
Persons Employed in Agriculture:	2
No. White Persons over 20 Who Cannot Read and Write:	2
Free White Persons - Under 20:	2
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:	3
Total Free White Persons:	7

And where are the children born before 1840? And how about John Sr's household? Did his children fit in it?

Name:	John Melbon [John Melton]
Home in 1840 (City, County, State):	West Pee Dee River, Montgomery, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9:	1 Mary's son Robert?
Free White Persons - Males - 15 thru 19:	1 William Jones Melton
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29:	1 David
Free White Persons - Males - 60 thru 69:	1 John Sr.
Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9:	1 Sarah
Free White Persons - Females - 15 thru 19:	2 Frances & Unknown daughter
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29:	1 Mary
Free White Persons - Females - 50 thru 59:	1 Peggy
Persons Employed in Agriculture:	2
No. White Persons over 20 Who Cannot Read and Write:	1
Free White Persons - Under 20:	5
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:	2
Total Free White Persons:	9

Henry H. and Joseph were enumerated separately. Nancy was married.

As one can see, there is alot more work to do on the Melton/Milton family of Stanly County, but at least we know who some of these floating children belonged to.