The Runaway

Neighbors:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Hamp Auldredz	57
Elisabeth Auldredz	59
Nannie Auldredz	28
Alpha Auldredz	18
Saly E Auldredz	12
Lenorio Auldredz	8
Lena Auldredz	3
Inese Auldredz	26

Hamp "Auldredz" is Caleb Hampton Aldridge, followed by Elizabeth, his wife. Nannie was actually "Fannie", who never married and passed away in 1915. "Alpha" is actually Algie Foy, "Saly E" is younger sister Sarah Elizabeth. "Inese" is Inez "Nezzie" McSwain, Hamp's daughter with his step-daughter Ella, and "Lenoiro" and "Lena" were her daughters Lenora and Lina.

Algie did not remain in his father's home long, however. He removed to Cabarrus County, and probably began his lifelong career in the textile industry working in the Cannon mills or similar ones located throughout Concord and nearby Kannapolis. There he met his wife and future victim, Cora Murphy.

Cora Murphy

North Carolina, Marriages, 1759-1979

marriage:

25 November 1903

Cabarrus County, North Carolina

father:	James Murphey
mother:	Maggie Murphey
spouse:	A. F. Aldridge
other:	C. H. Aldridge, Bettie Aldridge

And I did not mean "victim" in any sense but literally.

Algie and Cora, his Irish bride, show up in the City Directory of Columbia, South Carolina in 1909. He is a Mill Operator.

Algie Foy's Draft Papers describe him as being of Medium height and build with blue eyes and gray hair.

Algie's wife Cora was the daughter of James A. and Margaret A. Porter Murphy. Her father was born in Ireland and her mother in North Carolina. Her father, James Alexander Murphy was one of those grand old patriarchs of the 19th century who outlived several wives and was fathering children well into his sunset years. Born in 1816, he died in 1906 in Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina. In the 1910 census, Algie and Cora are shown living in the household of her widowed mother and a number of her siblings, including youngest brother, Emmett.

Name:

Cora Aldrich

Age in 1910:

Birth Year:

abt 1882

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1910:

Columbia Ward 5, Richland, South Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Female

Relation to Head of House:

Daughter

Marital Status:

Married

Spouse's Name:

Algie Aldrich

Father's Birthplace:

Ireland

Mother's name:

Margaret Murphy

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Neighbors:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Margaret Murphy	58
Mary Murphy	23
Maggie Murphy	21
Algie Aldrich	28
Cora Aldrich	28
Emil Murphy	14

The Columbia City Directory traces their movements and Algie's career changes through the next decade. Algie's name is seen variously as "Alpha", "Alva", "Alfie", "Ollie", and "Algie". It may have been a derivative of the proper name "Alva", which was used randomly in and around Stanly County where he was born.

In 1909, they had been living at 901 9th Street, which was her parents address.
By 1911, the couple had moved to 209 Assembly Street and Algie was a Motorman for the Railway.
1912 - "Alger F." and Cora Aldridge had moved to 890 Lower Street and he was still employed at the same occupation.
1913 - They had moved to 222 Sumter Street and Algie was back to being a Mill Operator.

Old Columbia Library at the corner of Washington and Sumter Streets.

1915 - Another move to 638 6th Street and Algie still a Mill Operator.
1916 - This time they were living at 1313 Berkeley Avenue, Mill Operator
1918 - Back to Lower Street, but this time at 819 Lower Street and Algie was now an employee of "Swift and Co."
1920 - They were still at 819 Lower Street, after at least 6 moves in a decade, but Algie had changed jobs again and this time was working for the Union News Company.

A street scene in old Columbia

The 1920 census enumerates the couples two children: Leo and Vermelle. Leo Anthony Aldridge should have been in the 1910 census, being born on Feb. 6, 1908. He was either missed, or living in another household.

Name:

Cara E Aldridge

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1883

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1920:

School District 4, Richland, South Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Female

Relation to Head of House:

Wife

Marital Status:

Married

Spouse's Name:

Algie F Aldridge

Father's Birthplace:

Ireland

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Able to Read:

Yes

Able to Write:

Yes

Neighbors:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Algie F Aldridge	37
Cara E Aldridge	37
Leo A Aldridge	11
Vermell Aldridge	7

The next decade would also show the train of instability.

By 1922, the family had moved to 308 Bull Street and Algie was a News Agent.
On 1923, Algie had again became Mill fodder and moved his family to 709 Green Street, which is now only an Oak tree guarding the end of a dead end road.
709 Greene Street.

Five years later, Algie was now employed as a Jitney Driver and had moved to an apartment building on Park Street, a few blocks over and one block off of the former home on Assembly Street.
Park Street Apartments

By 1930, son Leo has moved out and a teenaged Vermelle is only at home.

Name:

Algie F Aldridge

Gender:

Male

Birth Year:

abt 1882

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Race:

White

Home in 1930:

Columbia, Richland, South Carolina

Map of Home:

View Map

Marital Status:

Married

Relation to Head of House:

Head

Spouse's Name:

Cara Aldridge

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Occupation:

Education:

Military service:

Rent/home value:

Age at first marriage:

Parents' birthplace:

Neighbors:

Thriller Thursday: The Murder of John Murray

Household Members:

Name	Age
Algie F Aldridge	48
Cara Aldridge	48
Vernelle Aldridge	17

In 1934, Algie and Cora are still at the same location on Park Avenue and Algie is still a driver.

Name:	Algie F Aldridge
Gender:	Male
Residence Year:	1934
Street address:	424 Park
Residence Place:	Columbia, South Carolina
Occupation:	Driver
Spouse:	Cora E Aldridge
Publication Title:	Columbia, South Carolina, City Directory, 1934

The above article is from the May 19, 1938 edition of The Greensboro Record. The story was reprinted in newspapers far and wide, giving pretty much the same information. North Carolina, South Carolina and even New York newspapers reported the story of the textile worker who openly admitted the murder of his wife after finding a photo of another man in her possession. The readers were shocked. He didn't deny it. He even blamed it on this unnamed other man whom he assumed his wife was interested in. He had been thinking about the murder for three weeks. It was premeditated. The bad Murray blood was running hot in Algie Foy Aldridge.

Thursday, May 19 1938 edition of the State Times Advocate of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

So what happened next?

Cora did not die immediately, but passed soon after arriving to the hospital.

Her death certificate explains her horrific cause of death with the words "Hacked", "Axe" and "Homocide". In the end she bled to death?

But what of Algie? Did he get his day in court? Did the papers print anything of that?

The amazing answer is "No".

On December 6, 1939, a year and a half after he murdered his wife Cora on May 18, 1938, Algie Foy Aldridge died of a cerebral hemorrhage. He was treated at the South Carolina State Hospital and the doctor notated that he had been under his care since June 8, 1938. Algie had spent about 2 weeks in jail before being declared insane and mentally incapable of standing trial. He spent the remaining year and a half of his life in psychiatric care. Was the cerebral hemorrhage a sign of a brain disorder that may have attributed to his lack of judgement and irrational behavior in the murder of his wife? Possibly. This cause of death shows up in many of the descendants of the Aldridge and Murray families. Is it hereditary? Probably.

There were many stories that began and/or ended in the rolling hills of the Tyson community of Stanly County. Algie Foy Aldridge's story was just one of them.

↧

Monday Mystery: Will Ed and the Well

March 28, 2014, 8:17 pm

≫ Next: The Long Arm of The Civil War.

≪ Previous: The Runaway

The Enterprise
24 March 1904 • Page 3

Caleb Aldridge had two sons, Henry Garner Aldridge and Josiah Aldridge. I am descended from both, so it does not matter which line of the Aldridges you trace up or down in Stanly County, they both end at Caleb and I am related to all of them. Henry Garner Aldridge was the father of Julina Aldridge Davis whose son William Hampton Davis was my great-grandfather on my maternal line. Josiah Aldridge was the father of James Pinkney "Pink" Aldridge, who was the father of Judith "Judy" Aldridge who married James Robert Hudson and they were the parents of my grandmother, Hattie Helen Hudson Thompson on my Dad's side.

The above story, from the Albemarle newspaper "The Enterprise", was concerning William Edward Aldridge, better known as "Will Ed".

Will Ed was the son of Josiah Aldridge and a full brother to my great-great grandfather Pink Aldridge.

Josiah Aldridge would marry twice. His first wife was Elizabeth Ledbetter. She was the mother of Will Ed and Pink. It is recorded that she had a brother named Alan Ledbetter buried just across the Rocky River in Anson County near the old homeplace of a man named Benton Turner, who I am also related to through my great-grandmother, Pennie Wayne Turner Davis. It is almost nearly certain that she was the sister of Catherine "Katie" Ledbetter who married Edmund Murray/Coley, who I've mentioned in past posts, most recently in this one:

Josiah's second wife and mother of most of his children, was Martha Elizabeth McIntyre, whom he would marry in 1857, about two years after the death of his first wife Elizabeth.

Now, to make things even more complicated, Martha Elizabeth McIntyre was the daughter of Malachi Stokes McIntyre and Elizabeth Murray McIntyre. Elizabeth Murray was the aunt of Edmund Murray Coley, the sister of his father.

Malachi Stokes McIntyre and wife Elizabeth Murray McIntyre

Will Ed Aldridge was the oldest son of Josiah "Sy" Aldridge and first wife Elizabeth Ledbetter. He took for a wife Francis "Fanny" Murray/Coley, the daughter of Edmund Murray and Catherine "Katie" Ledbetter Murray. This family was sometimes seen or called by the surname of Coley as Edmund parents were never married and his mother was a Coley. If you recall, Catherine Ledbetter Murray was the sister of Elizabeth Ledbetter Aldridge, making Will Ed and Fanny first cousins. Are you still with me?

This was the course of things in the 19th century rolling green hills of the Tyson Community in southern Stanly County, where roads were few and folk were fewer and the Rocky River was the life's blood of the community.

Will Ed and Fanny Murray/Coley Aldridge would become the parents of 5 children:

William Millard "Bud" Aldridge was born May 10, 1870

James Aldridge was born August 15, 1871

Isaac Adam Addison "Add" Aldridge was born December 16, 1878 (would marry Sarah Corrina "Sallie" Sinclair)

Cornelia Frances "Nealie" Aldridge (Mrs. John O. Sinclair) was born September 14, 1879

Lula "Lou" Aldridge was born February 15, 1882 (Mrs. Arthur Ray Dry)

Name:

Wm. Aldrage

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1842

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1880:

Tysons, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Male

Relation to Head of House:

Self (Head)

Marital Status:

Married

Spouse's Name:

Frances Aldrage

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Neighbors:

Occupation:

Farmer

Cannot read/write:

Blind:

Deaf and Dumb:

Otherwise disabled:

Idiotic or insane:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Wm. Aldrage	38
Frances Aldrage	30
Millard Aldrage	8
James Aldrage	6
Neley Aldrage	1

The 1880 census, showing 3 children listed.

Fannie died about 1885, leaving Will Ed a single father.

Name:

Will E Alderage
[Wille E Aldredge]

Age:

Birth Date:

May 1844

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1900:

Ansonville, Anson, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Male

Relation to Head of House:

Head

Marital Status:

Widowed

Marriage Year:

1874

Years Married:

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Occupation:

Neighbors:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Will E Alderage	56
Millard Alderage	25
James Alderage	23
Nelie Alderage	20
Addison Alderage	18

In 1900, Will Ed and his older children had all moved to the town of Ansonville in Anson County to work as farm labor on the big plantations that reigned in that area, just a few miles from the Stanly County border.

The Joel Tyson house, Ansonville, NC

William Smith house, Ansonville, NC

Lula Aldridge, the youngest daughter, may have fallen through the cracks of research, having been born after the 1880 census, and there being no 1890 available. She had gone to live with her grandparents after the death of her mother when she was still just a toddler. Her father had not remarried. After the death of her step-grandmother, Martha Elizabeth McIntyre Aldridge, Lula remained in the home of her young uncle, Jesse Brady Aldridge. As she joined in the lawsuit involving her siblings and her mother's siblings in the Murray/Carpenter case, her identity as a child of Will Ed and Fanny's was revealed.

Name:

Louisa Alridge

Age:

Birth Date:

Feb 1884

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1900:

Burnsville, Anson, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Female

Relation to Head of House:

Granddaughter

Marital Status:

Single

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Occupation:

Neighbors:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Martha Alridge	63
Eliza A Alridge	32
Richmand Alridge	28
Jesse Alridge	25
Louisa Alridge	16

Name:

Lou Aldridge
[Lan Aldridge]

Age in 1910:

Birth Year:

abt 1883

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1910:

Burnsville, Anson, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Female

Relation to Head of House:

Niece

Marital Status:

Single

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Neighbors:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Jesse B Aldridge	30
Corranna Aldridge	29
Gennett Aldridge	4
Lena Aldridge	2
Lou Aldridge	27

Shortly after the 1900 census, having raised his children, Will Ed Aldridge continued to work upon the farm and old plantations of Anson County. It was reported that he had went into the village of Ansonville to buy rope with which to clean out a well. He then traveled down the Grassy Island road.

-Wadesboro Messenger and Intelligencer - Last Thursday afternoon Mr. W. E. ALDRIDGE , who lived on the plantation of Mr. J. I. DUNLAP in Ansonvilletownship , left his home without telling his family where he was going. Friday morning he had not returned and his people and the neighbors becoming alarmed for his safety, search was instituted for him, which resulted in the finding of his dead body Friday afternoon in an old open well on the place on which Clerk of Court T. C.ROBINSON lived until a few years ago. The well was about two miles from Mr. ALDRIDGE’ S late home and had about twelve feet of water in it…..

Rear view, Joel Tyson House, Ansonville, Anson County, North Carolina

Back view of the Tyson House

What happened on that fateful March day 110 years ago? Was Will Ed after some thing in that abandoned well? Had he secreted a treasure in its depths and then designed to retrieve it? Or had his demise arisen from foul play? Was he robbed and tossed in the well to perish?

This mystery of Will Ed and the Well has never been solved. There have been many theories pondered over it and in the Aldridge history, a mention is made of possible racially motivated vengeance. However no one has ever been arrested and the results of the inquest were not reported.

↧

The Long Arm of The Civil War.

April 6, 2014, 1:42 pm

≫ Next: The Simpsons

≪ Previous: Monday Mystery: Will Ed and the Well

In his book "Confederates In the Attic:Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War", Tony Horwitz recaps his meeting with a few of the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Salisbury, North Carolina, members of The Rowan Rifles. He quotes one of the members, First Lt. Commander Ed Lewis as saying, "You know what they call North Carolina?....A vale of humility between two mountains of conceit.", referring to South Carolina's claim of first succession and Virginia's heady claims of Civil War nobility. It is an undisputed fact that North Carolina gave up more of her sons than any other state, resulting in more widows and orphans. One in four men in the Confederate army died during the course of the war, most of them leaving wives and children, or widowed mothers, aunts, unmarried sisters, who depended upon them for support, aid, gentrification and survival.

All during my research, I am never failed to be saddened, disturbed and amazed at the long-lasting effects of the War Between the States on my ancestors and their neighbors. My due is not to argue the cause, the course, the details or the necessity of the war, but the balance of the lives of those who went on to become our ancestors afterwards. In effect, the war was like the falling of an asteroid upon the South that would waylay the course of life for any and all for decades to come.

Stanly County, North Carolina, sent six companies to war, during this era, with many more of its sons and fathers joining companies in neighboring towns and counties. Joseph Melton, son of John Melton of Stanly County, who would settle mainly across the river in Montgomery County, but still just a ferry across from what is now considered Norwood, NC, was released due to his age, (52), after first enlisting in Stanly County, just to travel to Wake County, to re-enlist, where he was readily welcomed.

Unlike Mother Anson to the South, most of Stanly County's fighting farmers were yeomen farmers. They neither used forced labor to tend their crops before the war and saw no difference in the way they farmed and fed their families after the war. There were a few plantations along the rivers, and these men were particularly vocal and sided with their Anson neighbors to the South, but they were but a small minority.

In contrast, her sister to the east, Montgomery, most rural and hilly, Stanly's conjoined twin, separated so recently in 1841, just two decades prior to the war, was consider part of the Central North Carolina Quaker belt, who had active Unionist dissenters among their population.

In her story about the Hulin family and their neighbors, who lived near the Lovejoy community in Montgomery County, author and blogger of "The Renegade South", Victoria Bynum, quoted a descendant of the Unionist Hulin's, Thoburn Freeman.

"During the war, most social activities, even hunting, were interrupted and came to a halt, except for some of the older men and young boys. All were afraid of the bands of Rebels that roamed the countryside. The church at Lovejoy was Wesleyan at the time, and their ministers preached against slavery. One preacher, Adam Crooks, was arrested in the pulpit. . . . Since most of the people in the area were opposed to slavery and not in sympathy with the Southern Cause, many men chose to hide out and were called “Outlyers” by the Rebels."

Later, the Hulin brothers, the main subject of Ms. Bynam's essay, were imprisoned in a barn in Uwharrie, and later executed on Buck Mountain in 1865, months before the end of the war. The community of Uwharrie is precariously close to Stanly County and many Stanly citizens had family, or origins across the river and made their way or resided back and forth there freely, over the course of their lifespans.

The Aldridge family of the Tyson community in 19th century Stanly County, North Carolina, is one from whom I have two lines of descent. Caleb Aldridge was the father of two known sons, Henry Garner, the elder, and Josiah "Sy" Aldridge, the younger. I descend from both sons and both sons set off to battle in the Civil War. Josiah, the younger brother returned. Henry Garner (sometimes seen as Garner Henry) did not.

The fate of the families of both brothers after the war and during reconstruction is a typical study of the difference between families whom had a father and those who did not.

The ability to 'latch onto' a man for a widow, orphan or otherwise after the war, when the male population was deft of viable, healthy, marriageable male candidates, could spell survival or not for a women. That is why it was not unusual to see young teenaged girls 14 to 17, marrying old widowers or bachelors as old as their grandfathers.

The Aldridges were yeomen farmers both before and after the war. They owned land, but not slaves. Garner had enlisted as a substitute, and died along with massive others, of one of the many communicable diseases that plowed over the troupes, like a cyclone, as fatally as any wale of gunfire.

Whiles Josiah's descendants led visually normal lives, quietly marrying, working and bearing children. Garner's children, however, fared a bit differently.

Caleb Hampton, the oldest son, had been a soldier himself, and survived. He was married and the father of one son, George Gilliam, by his first wife Sophia Floyd Aldridge. When his wife died, he soon found another in the form of his wifes widowed sister Bettie. Bettie Floyd had married John Calloway McSwain, another Civil War casualty, and was the mother of a young daughter, Martha Ella McSwain. Together, Hamp and Bettie would raise a large family.

His elder sister, Martha, became the third wife of Miller Woodson Easley, 32 years her senior. His brother, Josiah Walker Aldridge, had died in 1855, prior to the outbreak of war. Two sisters, Emaline and Margaret Jane, also married into the Floyd family. His two surviving brothers, William Henry and John Adam, married first cousins, from the Murray side of the family. W. H. married Rebecca Murray Hudson, daughter of his uncle, Ben Murray, and a Civil War widow, herself. John Adam married Glennie Wilmartha Whitaker, daughter of his mother's sister, Sophia Murray Whitaker.

As the older children quickly married before, during or soon after the war, the younger children of Garner Aldridge were siphoned out to relatives around the community. Elizabeth Rosetta would go to live with her Aunt and Uncle, Sophia Murray Whitaker and husband Nelson. John Adam would go to live with Garner's brother, Josiah. The twins, Julia and Julina, went to live with the family of Benjamin Lindsey Whitley and Julia would die as a child.

Julina would have a daughter Mollie Eliza, by Ephraim Whitley, son of B.L. Whitley, and also a married man by the time of Mollie's birth. Her second child, Jesse Filmore Aldridge, was also the son of a Whitley, although it's not certain which one. It could have been Ephraim, too. On the Permanent Voter records, he only names his qualifying ancestor as B. L Whitley. On other documents, like his marriage licenses and death certificate, his stepfather, H. H. Davis is listed as his father, or either no father at all. On one of them, Hawk Davis's name is changed to "Hawk Aldridge". I've been finding on some documents of children born out of the bounds of marriage, the first names of the fathers given are accurate, but the surname is changed to match their own.

These children, and their parents, the Confederate orphans themselves, remained victims of the war. Young girls had to connect themselves to a male to survive, whether it was marrying a crippled old man, like Julina finally did when she married my great-great grandfather, H. H. Davis, or becoming the mistress of a married man like she did when she was younger.

Even her mother Priscilla, or "Prussia" must have been shocked to discover that she was with child, five years after her husbands death and into her mid- to-late 40's.

Women, left alone during the early 1860's, had a lot on their plate. Daily survival was made ever more difficult by loss of manpower, as well as the fear of invading marauders. Not only did they have to contend with the possibilities of Northern invaders, but there seemed to be no difference between the force of the Yankees and the southern marauders who looted and pillaged and "subscribed" food and supplies from local farms for the benefit of the troupes. Add to that, the scattered bands of deserters, stealing for survival, or the danger of the Home Guard, who were known on occasion to aggravate and even resort to torture, any female relatives of men suspected of deserting, or evading conscription.

In fact, survival at all seemed at times to be a miracle. Who could deny the desperation of the women who took to raiding county caches of grain and food stuffs intended for the armies? Or the recalcitrance and delinquency of fatherless and sometimes, also motherless, children left to their own wiles for survival and existence?

In James Marten's book, "The Children's Civil War", he reports "In some parts of the South, teenaged bandits terrorized county roads. Richmond authorities contended with gangs of 'incipient blackguards, " who vandalized house and public buildings, as well as bands of "very mischievous urchins,' who made a practice of robbing younger children. A number of preadolescents in Mobile were thrown in jail for gambling, which small 'motherless boys, of both colors' had been caught carrying matches, kindling and combustibles around town."

Later in the book, he quoted a war era expert on juvenile delinquency as blaming "the absence of fathers and brothers" on "unleashing a tide of disobedience and incipient crime" among the younger sons and brothers of soldiers on both sides.

The following expert comes from:

Shortages, Substitutes, and Salt:
Food during the Civil War in North Carolina

By Thomas Vincent

ncpedia.org

In the town of Salisbury in March 1863, a group of fifty to seventy-five women armed with axes and hatchets descended on the railroad depot and several stores looking for flour. The women thought that the railroad agent and the storekeepers were hoarding flour, hiding it to sell later at a higher price. When faced with the angry mob, the storekeepers gave “presents” of flour, molasses, and salt to the women. According to the newspaper Carolina Watchman, the agent at the railroad depot insisted he had no flour. The women broke into the depot, took ten barrels of flour, and left the agent “sitting on a log blowing like a March wind.”

Scenes like the above played out all over the state, increasing in the second and third years of the war as the the desperation grew, including in Albemarle, NC, when a group of wives and widows of Confederate soldiers from the southern and western parts of the county, marched into Albemarle demanding food and relief.

While researching the Aldridges and the long-lasting effects of the war that shaped the circumstances and behavior of the family for generations to come, I also came across information on related families, like the Floyds, McSwains and Simpsons, who were very connected to and intermarried with the Aldridges, whose experiences mirrored those of the children and widow of Garner.

In "Confederates in the Attic", Tony Horwitz interviewed a lady from Salisbury, North Carolina, who was a member of The Daughters of the Confederacy. "I told her about the journey I had just begun, and asked why she thought Southerners still cared about the Civil War. 'War Between the States', she gently corrected me. 'The answer is family. We grow up knowing whose once removed and six times down. Northerners say "Forget the War. It's Over". But they don't have the family Bibles we do, filled with all these kinfolk who went off to war and died. We've lost so much.""

North Carolina supposedly sent 127,000 men into battle and of those 40,000 died. That's nearly one third. If that meant one third of the wives, children, widowed mothers, spinster aunts and unmarried sisters were left without rights of ownership or means of support, what measure of urgency and terror they must have felt.

Do not condemn them or be embarrassed by their actions. They survived, these great, great grandmothers of ours, so that we may exist. They worked the land, no longer acted like ladies or Southern Belles, because their worlds had been turned upside down. They did what they had to do, to survive.

↧

The Simpsons

April 7, 2014, 6:12 pm

≫ Next: People Are People

≪ Previous: The Long Arm of The Civil War.

No, not those Simpsons.

The Simpson family of Stanly County was one of the dominate and contributory families of the Tyson community during the 1800's. I first encountered this line in the marriage of Francis "Frankie" Simpson to David Melton. She was his second wife and bore him two children: Lilly and Eugene. Lilly was the child who married into my Mauldin line, the family of my maternal grandmother and great-grandparents.

Her sister Dockey Jane Simpson married the enigmatic James Franklin Melton. They are buried at Randall's Church Cemetery, right alongside David Melton and many of his family members. James Franklin Melton was a Civil War vet who possibly appears in the 1870 census, and then again later, after 1900, and his marriage to Miss Simpson. All signs point to him being a member of the David Melton family, but exactly where he fits in has been a mystery to me. His son Oliver Douglas Melton was the informant on Frank's death certificate, and named his birthplace as Albemarle on October 29, 1845 and his parents as Oliver and Fanny Melton. Unfortunately, there was no such couple in the 1850 or 1860 censuses, when he would have been a child, in Stanly County, named Olvier and Fanny Melton. In fact, there was no such couple in the entire state at the time, and on every census he does appear in, and on his marriage license to Dockey Jane Simpson, he unfailingly names his birthplace as North Carolina. I meted on this in my post: James Frank Melton story
J. Frank Melton

When studying the Aldridges and Murrays, I first encountered Green Wesley Simpson through his being named administrator of the estate of Mariah Murray. Then I later discovered that he had married the adopted sister of my second and third Great Grandfathers, Josiah and Garner Aldridge, respectively, Mary Jane Ross Aldridge Simpson. Wesley Simpson left a bible and journal of several happenings in his Tyson neighborhood that gives descendants treasured information about their ancestors that we would otherwise not have.

Recently, I decided to give a closer look to the siblings of my Great Grandfather, Will Davis. When I got to his oldest brother, a half-brother actually, Jesse Filmore Aldridge, I encounter another member of the Simpson family, his wife Daisy. On her marriage license, only her mother is listed. While deciding to look into Daisy's family more than just recording the name of her mother, I really was not prepared for what I would find. It certainly helped explain a few of the rumors and fog that surrounded "Uncle Filmore", as my mother would refer to him, however and gives a clearer picture of that branch of the family tree and their reality.

The 1800 census of Montgomery County, North Carolina, of which Stanly County was a part in 1800-1840, lists a Thomas and a Nathan Simpson. Nathan's household appears to be a young family, with a male and female aged 16 to 26 and a male and a female under age 10. The Thomas Simpson household holds an older couple, one male and one female, both over age 45. Ten years later, only "N. Simpson" remains and his household has grown to 10 people. His neighbors are Rummages and Rice's, Shankles, Thompsons and Mabrey's. The same people that would neighbor and intermarry with younger Simpsons in generations to come.

1810 1830 1840

N. Simpson Nathan Simpson Nat. Simpson Sr.
Males Males Males
1 26 to 45 1 50 to 60 1 70 to 80
2 under 10 2 20 to 30 2 15 to 20
1 15 to 20
1 10 to 15
2 5 to 10

Females Females Females
1 over 45 1 30 to 40 1 40 to 50
1 26 to 45 1 10 to 15 1 10 to 15
1 10 to 16 2 under 5 2 5 to 10
2 under 10 3 under 5
John Simpson John Simpson
(right next to Nathan) (2 spaces from Nathan)
Males Males
1 20 to 30 1 30 to 40
Females 1 under 10
1 20 to 30 Females
1 30 to 40

Isaac Simpson
Males
2 20 to 30
Females
1 20 to 30

The above appears to be the normal progression of a family. The Thomas Simpson and his wife of the 1800 census may have been an older couple and passed away before 1810, or they may have relocated. I would tend to think Thomas passed away, simply by looking at the next census.

Nathan Simpson, by judging his neighbors and their known locations (section of the county, known plots, or family cemeteries), stayed steadfastly in one spot from 1800 until 1840. The 1810 census would appear to show a couple between 26 and 45, with an older woman in the home and children. Perhaps Nathan's mother or mother-in-law. As Thomas does not show up in 1810, perhaps Thomas was the father of Nathan and he has taken in his mother. There are 5 children in the household as well, 3 boys and 2 girls.

Montgomery County does not have an available 1820 census. It was lost or destroyed. The 20 year jump shows an expected 20 year jump in the age of Nathan, however, there is no matching 'jump' with his wife. Instead there is a younger woman of 30 to 40 in the household. The older lady is no longer there either. There are two young men in the household along with 7 children. John, enumerated right next door, seems to be a 'spin-off', a son, with a new bride.

By 1840, Nathan has aged and the adult woman in the household has made the proper jump in age along with him. The two male teens match up with the two 5 to 10 year olds from the prior census. Several more daughters have been born. The others may have married, or passed away. The household of John now includes a son and he and his wife are 10 years older, as expected. Isaac is a new spin-off, with a new bride. He may have been one of the teens from the 1830 census and the other young male in his household might possibly be the other. A brother perhaps, or a hired hand,as it lists two in agriculture.

From the looks of it, Nathan Simpson was a man with a large family, perhaps 11 to 18 children. It appears as if he took in his mother in 1810, and then between 1810 and 1830, both his mother and his wife passed away, and he married a younger woman. Ever curious, I wanted to look into this family a little closer.

I found a good deal of information on the Simpsons. At our local libray in the Margaret Johnston Heritage Room, there are several files on the Simpsons, one is an unattributed collection, another the research of Mrs. Eloise Ausband. My distant cousin from a dozen different directions, published a history of the Simpson family in 1990. The prior research offered a great deal of information, amazingly so as they lacked the technology available to us today. There was more to be discovered, however, and more to find still.

Montgomery County - West Pee Dee became Stanly County in 1841. Some of the early land records regarding Simpsons in Stanly County were:

-Nov. 13, 1841 William Simpson to Alsey Smith (to settle a debt), one red & white speckled cow and a similar colored bull and 2 rifles.

-1844 John Simpson to Mathias Smith, Isaiah Underwood, & John F Stone..."Jerre Sr." guardian of the heirs of Thomas Simpson.

-May 10, 1845 Nelson Simpson buys 50 acres on David's Creek from Robert Blalock.

-July 1, 1848 Nathan Simpson to Green W. Simpson, on SW side of Pee Dee River at headwaters of David's Creek.

-Dec. 28, 1849 John B Simpson and others to Benjamin Ivy ...John B Simpson, Delilah Simpson, Harris Rummage, Ruthie Rummage and Judith Cagle being heirs at law of Thomas Simpson, deceased.

The above proceedings and others like them from the decade between 1840 and 1850, bring the additional names of William Simpson, Nelson Simpson, Green W. Simpson, and Thomas Simpson and his heirs, to the table.

In the early Court Minutes of Stanly County we find some additional information to the above heirs of Thomas. May Session, 1844 Jesse Hathcock, Sr. appointed guardian for Delilah, John and Ruth Simpson, orphans of Thomas Simpson, decsd. Gave bond with Jesse Hathcock (Jr.?) as security.

Repeated in May of 1847 with Jesse Hathcock Jr. as security.

Feb. 1850 John B. Simpson, Delilah Simpson, Harris Rummage, Ruthy Rummage and Judith Cagle to Benjamine Ivy. Proved by John F. Stone.

This would lead to a better understanding of the family as we find it in 1850, when all members of a household are named.

↧

People Are People

April 8, 2014, 11:08 am

≫ Next: The Simpsons Part II: The Second Half of the 19th Century

≪ Previous: The Simpsons

There is a HUGE difference between fact and theory. This is one truth I've faced when tackling a case in genealogy. Some details we might suspect, but may never be able to prove. This happens quite often when records are scarce, especially when it involves persons who passed away prior to death certificates being issued.

Census records are a great tool when it comes to genealogical research, however, no one but heads of household were listed by name until the 1850 census, ages were nonspecific, and relationships were not given until the 1880 census.

Children listed in a home were not necessarily those of the head of household. Sometimes they were grandchildren, or nieces and nephews, or neighbors taken in, or orphans who had been bound to the family. In those instances, occasionally the child is listed under their own surname, or the surname not listed and the child wrongly identified as having the same surname as the head of household. At times, they were even hired help. Children were labor in the early years. There was no choice. By past standards, today's children are very spoiled. Not to say child labor was a good thing, but it seems a balance was a beneficial element in creating a productive and altruistic society.

That in mind, sometimes the analysis of a neighborhood over a scan of years could possibly enlighten a course of what might have happened.

Take for instance the following design of a neighborhood through the course of a decade.

House 42: House 43 House 44 House 45
Jessee Heathcock 42 L. Green 24 Wlm Streeter 51 Angeline Brum 28
Mary 36 Amy 18 Martha 30 James 7
Catherine 17 Mary A 2 Henry 21 Joseph 5
George 15 Lawson 0 Amos 19 Abigail 3
Lunda 13 Rutha 17 Cordelia 1
Jonathan 12 Eliza 15
Maggie 11 Sophia 13
Henry 10 Hosea 10
Mattie 9 Polly 9
Benj. 7 Evans 8
Jesse 6 James 6
Ziphia 5 Thomas 4
Kizzy 4 Beadie 3
Jincy 3 Leticia 2
Ephraim 2 Narcissy 1
Barbary 3/12 Arthur 9/12

From appearances, the above 4 families show an intact, large farm family in the Heathcock household, a young family in the Green household, a large family in the Streeter household, with a mother who could not have been the mother of all the children, and a young widow in the female headed Brum household.

Ten years later, in the 1860 census, the households have became very different.

House 145 House 146 House 147 House 148 House 149 House 150
Heathcock's Heathcock's Cullen Green Streeter Collins
Jesse 51 George 26 Robt 33 John L. 34 William A 65 Martha 40
Polly 48 Sophia 22 Sallie 25 Lina 37 Amos 28 Obedience 13
Lunda 23 William 3 Allen 8 Jim 17 Hosea 20 Tishie 12
Jonathan 22 Lucy 8/12 Rhody 6 Abbie 12 Mary 18 Narcissa 11
Henry 20 Willie 5 Mary Ann 11 Even 17 Arthur 10
Jesse 16 Hiram 3 Delia 10 Thomas 15
Zilphia 14 Joshua 1 Lawson 10
Kesiah 13 Lucretia 7
Jane 12 Magdaline 6
Barbara 10 Johnny 3
Lydia 8 Fred 2
Theo 7 Faitha 1
Edmund 5
Wilson 3
Arenna 2

Then in House 151, in relation to this grouping we find Henry Streeater 30, with Katie 27, Sarah 5, Jesse 4, Adam 3, Mary 2, and William 1.

You have to be somewhat familiar with "nicknames" or alternatives to the standard, of the 19th century, to know that Jesse and Polly in 1860 are probably the same Jessee and Mary in 1850. Ages were not always exact and could sway back and forth horribly. Catherine is missing from the household, but George has stayed close by, perhaps building a home on the same property, or on an adjoining lot. He has a wife, Sophia, and two young children. Could Sophia be the same Sophia who is now missing from the household of William Streeter? They've named their firstborn son William. This is a lead, but not proof of anything. The name is the same. The families lived in close proximity, and Sophia is 9 years older than the Sophia of 10 years prior. Censuses were not taken using the one day method that is used now, so depending on what month a child's birthday came in and what month the census was taken in, it could vary. It fact, it was more common for an age to vary than for it not to, or rather, to see someones age as 10, 21, 33, 42, through the censuses than 10, 20, 30, 40.

Montgomery County Farmhouse discovered by loggers. Photograph by Cindi Mullis Poole.

Also missing from the Heathcock household are Maggie, who should be about 21, Mattie who would be about 19 and Benjamin, who would be about 17. Jesse is there. Ziphia has become Zilphia, Kizzy and Kesiah are likely the same, Jincy and Jane are likely the same and Barbary and Barbara are likely the same, but there no longer is an Ephraim, who would have been around 12. In addition, 5 more children have joined the household, Lydia, Theo, Edmund, Wilson and Arenna. It is quite possible that the older girls, Maggie and Mattie, have married. But what about Benjamin and Ephraim? In fact, a search of the entire area would later reveal a Benjamin Heathcock listed as "farm labor" in the household of a Latham Smith in a neighboring township. Other researchers have noted that in the 1864 will of Latham Smith, he mentions a daughter, Mary Hathcock. Therefore, it appears that Benjamin had went to work helping his grandfather. The name of Ephraim, however, is never seen again, so it can only be assumed he died as a child. There were many illnesses and dangers that could have been encountered by a young boy. In this case, a later interview with Wilson B Heathcock by his grandson Earnest Taylor, he declared that he was born on the day that one of his older brothers drowned in the creek. As the other older brothers are all accounted for in the 1860 census, this brother would have had to have been Ephraim.

A new family, the Cullen's, have joined the neighborhood. They appear to have had no connections to the existing neighbors. John L. Green is most likely the same L. Green in 1850. His wife is no longer "Amy", who was several years his junior, but "Lina", who is a few years older. His household is now full of children, several who would have existed 10 years prior. Ten year old Lawson is apparently the newborn Lawson of 1850, and 11 year old Mary Ann, the toddler, Mary A. All of the children younger than Lawson were obviously born during the decade, but Jim, 17, Abbie, 12, and Delia 10, seem in excess. Lina is obviously a different wife than Amy. Could Jim, Abbie and Delia be her children?

The household of William Streeter has gotten noticeably smaller. Gone is Martha, Henry, Rutha, Eliza, Sophia, Beady, Latisha, Narcissy and Arthur. Looking next door, at house 150, we see a 40 year old Martha Owens, with children Obedience, Tishie, Narcissa and Arthur with ages appropriate to a ten year differential. So, apparently Martha was an Owens, not a Streeter, and not the wife of William Streeter, and the 4 children were hers, and not Streeters as well. She could have been his daughter, or younger sister, or no relation at all. The son Henry appears nearby with a family of his own. Sophia, we have assumed, could possibly have married neighbor George Heathcock. Rutha and Eliza have either passed away, or married off as well.

Also noticeably missing in the neighborhood is the family of Angelina Brum. The extra children in the household of John L. Green, with the exception of Joseph, age 5 in 1860, have similar names to 3 of Angelina Brum's children. Could Lina be Angelina, and Jim, James and Abigail, Abbie and Cordelia, Delia?

A search of marriage records could possibly prove or disprove some of these assumptions, but looking at the whole picture, instead of just one particular household, can open up the door to a bevy of leads in research. I've discovered that genealogy takes a great deal of detective work. Be open to all possibilities and following any and all possible leads, and the brickwalls that we all encounter might just come down. While for organizations that show descendancy, and for any professional work, there must be "proof". Some things will never be proven, but will remain forever possibilities and assumptions. But with a handful of clues and a knack for the hunt, you might be able to discover enough to feel comfortable that you are on the right path. Especially if gifted with an inane sense of intuition.

The main thing to remember, that I find a large percentage of people forgetting, is that our ancestors were infallible human beings as we are. They were curious. They had dreams. They fell in love. They had talents. They had weaknesses. Some were rowdy while young and saintly when old. Some were both or either for a lifetime. We want to put them all on pedestals as if they were somehow far superior to we humans today. But they were not any different at the core. They went about the daily business of surviving, just as we do, but with possibly more difficult situations and at a slower pace. They did not have technology, but the did have ingenuity and all they've done has led to where we are now.

↧

The Simpsons Part II: The Second Half of the 19th Century

April 9, 2014, 9:13 am

≫ Next: The Simpsons Part III: Mid-Century and Beyond

≪ Previous: People Are People

My last post had brought the mention of several Stanly County families with the surname Simpson. From the earlier census records, it appears they all could have originated with the patriarch Nathan, who may have been the son of an earlier Thomas. The first younger Simpson to show up was a John, and then an Isaac. In land records, several younger Simpsons arrive at adulthood prior to 1850, William, Nelson, Green, and another Thomas, who passes away before being enumerated in his first census, leaving a widow, Judith and 3 children: John B, Delilah and Ruthie.

This younger generation starts showing up in the court records of the new county of Stanly from its inception in 1841 until the 1850 census.

-1841 Nathan Simpson relinquished guardianship of Thomas Simpson's heirs and Jesse Haithcock appointed guardian.
-1841 Joshua Hearne and John F Stone appointed to settle with Nathan Simpson, guardian of minor heirs of Thomas Simspson, deceased.
-1842 A bill of sale between William Simpson and Alsey Smith approved. (Probably the Cow).
-1842 Frederick Hinson admin. of Wm. Poplin vs. Nathan Simpson.
-1845 Robt. Blalock to Nelson Simpson proved by Mathias Smith
-1846 John Simpson on a jury for the November session of court
-1846 State vs. David Rummage with William Simpson as security.
-1847 William Simpson on jury of State vs George Shankle
-1848 Nathan Simpson to G. W. Simpson proved by AJ Shankle.
-1848 August- John Simpson on a committee to inquire into the state of Elizabeth Lowder's state of mind.
-1848 John Simpson selected for jury service.
-1849 John Simpson selected for jury service.
-1849 Green W Simpson on a jury State vs Martin Kirk
-1849 G.W Simpson on a jury in the case of State vs. John J Harris
-1849 Wesley and Isaac on a jury in the case of State vs. Lee Burleyson and Delilah Cassells.
-1849 State vs John Rummage, the deft., Isaac Simpson, Wesley Simpson, confess judgement for $40.
-1849 State vs Richard Poplin, deft with Goodwin Hinson, Isaac Simpson, Neelin Hathcock, John Rummage as securities.
-1849 John B. Simpson on a jury for State vs Thomas Burton.
-1849 John W. Simpson stands bond in case of State vs. John H Ledbetter.

From this point on it becomes necessary to differentiate between the two John Simpsons. John B. Simpson is identified in the court records prior to reaching the age of majority as being a son of Thomas Simpson, deceased. John W. Simpson was the first Simpson to show up in a census as head of his own household after Nathan.

In the 1850 census we find the following Simpsons, listed along with a few neighbors, who will and have played a part in their association:

Center Township- this was then and is still the area in and around Norwood, North Carolina.

Sarah Simpson 52 farmer Hse 52
Green W 26 Laborer
Margaret 22
Judith 18
Delilah 16
Sarah 14
Winny 12

Nelson Simpson 29 farmer Hse 53
Anna 25
Sarah Ann 2
Abram S. 6 months.

Neighbors include Seth Mabry, Eli Shankle, William Upchurch, Mary Upchurch, John Shankle, Woodson Ross, Mathias Smith, David Smith, John N. Smith. Riley Upchurch, Rebecca Upchurch.

Albemarle District No 9

John Simpson 42
Sarah 42
Thomas A. 17
(living next to or near Lindsey Hathcock and Nathan Rummage).

Not too many pages away, in the same district:
John B Simpson 24 farmer Hse 894
Husley 24
Elizabeth 1
Sarah 6 months
Ezekial Morton 18 laborer

William Simpson 38 farmer Hse 895
Anna 30
George W. 1
Thomas L 7 months.

Isaac Simpson 35 farmer Hse 896
Lucy 35
Thomas 9
Catherine 7
Margaret A. 5
Nathan 3

The 3 Simpsons are sandwiched between Solomon Haithcock and Thomas A. Haithcock. On the other side of Thomas Haithccck is Judith Cagle (the widow of Thomas Simpson), age 47 with Martha 12 and David 10.

The other members of the family, judging from the information available, were:

Still in Albemarle District #9

Harris Rummage 22, Jarutha Rummage 21, Sarah J Rummage 4 months old.
From the estate papers and court proceedings of Thomas Simpson, Deceased, it names daughter Ruthie and her husband Harris Rummage.

William Upchurch 43
Eliza 46
Sarah 21
Nathan 19
Allen 16
Eliza 14
William 11
Benjamin 8
George 6

Eliza, or Elizabeth Simpson, was one of the older daughters of Nathaniel Simpson and his first wife, according to research available, and married William Allen Upchurch. This explains the close relationships between the Upchurch and Simpson families. They were related.

Daniel Poplin 24, Delilah P. 21 (this was the daughter of Thomas and Judith Simpson, and sister of John B Simpson and Jarutha "Ruthy" Simpson Rummage mentioned in the estate records of Thomas.

Delilah was a very popular name among the Simpson family. Delilah who married Daniel Poplin was a granddaughter of Nathan Simpson, but he also had a daughter named Delilah, and several descendants named Delilah or "Lilly" after that. Delilah may have been the name of an earlier ancestress in the family tree. Possibly Nathaniel's first wife.

The concensus among the Simpson research is that the Stanly County Simspsons descend from one John Simpson who migrated from Ireland to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with his family, including parents. Several of the group continued on to Georgia, while John settled in the area of Lawyers Spring, near Mountain Creek, which is located in present Stanly County, prior to 1769. At the time, the county was part of Anson, and then later would become Montgomery. John Simpson prior to 1775. His estate records, dated January 14, 1775 are located in Anson County, with Thomas Harris of Anson as his administrator.

The Stanly County branch of the Simpson stayed close to this same area of the county. The old Simpson cemetery is located near the community of Porter, which is north of Norwood and south of Albemarle along the Highway 52 route. Highway 52 roughly follows the path of the old Salisbury to Cheraw market road.

Acknowledged children of John Simpson were Thomas, father of Nathaniel, Gilbert, who shows up in early tax and census records in Anson and Montgomery Counties; James who migrated to another state; Samuel, who removed from this area to Mecklenburg County and John.

There was a William Simpson, who was said to have came from Ireland and settled in Union County and became the progenitor of the Simpson family in that area. The two lines may or may not have been related.
Descendants of William Simpson, Sr.

Laying out the above family on a timeline from the later 1700's:

January 14, 1775 John Simpson's estate was settled in Anson County.
Sons: Thomas, Samuel, Gilbert, John

Anson County list of taxables: 1763, Thomas, Gilbert and Samuel

1787 List of taxables, Montgomery County: Thomas Simpson
1779 List of taxables, Montgomery County: Gilbert Simpson

October 12, 1771 Gilbert and Thomas Simpson listed in a team of men nominated to layoff a road from the Salisbury Road (think Hwy 52) near Lawyers's Spring (John Sr.'s property)
Link to Clark's Creek area

1773 Thomas and John Simpson were part of the team of men nominated to layoff a road called
"The Kings Highway", from Lawyer's Springs, where their father John had settled, to cross the Pee Dee River at Swift Island to continue on to Clark's Creek (on the current Montgomery County side of the river).

- John Simpson signed a petition for Anson County to be annexed into the Fayetteville District.
-Thomas Simpson signed a petition for the formation of Montgomery County from Anson County, 1779.

Land recorded at conception of Montgomery County:
Gilbert Simpson 48 acres
Thomas Simpson 196 acres (listed as an invalid)

1779 Voter List from Montgomery County

-Gilbert Simspon
-Thomas Simpson

1780's censusing of Montgomery County area:
John Simpson 1 Adult male 2 Males under 16 2 females
Thomas Simpson 1 Adult male, 2 Males under 16, 3 females 6 slaves

1790 census Salisbury District, Montgomery County area.
Thomas Simpson 2 males over 16, 1 male under 16, 2 females.

Thomas Simspons I descendants are the Stanly County Simpsons.

Thomas Simpson born around 1742
Land Grant in Anson on May 4, 1769
Taxable in Anson 1763
Married around 1767 to Margaret (born around 1750 and died after 1810)
4 known children:
Nathan (the focus of this lineage)
John born about 1775 in what is now Stanly County. Died after May 9, 1836 in Mecklenburg County.
John had 2 known sons, Thomas and Benjamin who settled in Anson County.
Margaret "Peggy" who married George Rummage II, son of George Rummage I and Mary Nobles
Mary who married Henry Nobles.

Land Records:
Anson County Deeds: Book K page 238 October 16, 1773- Thomas Simpson of Anson County, to Henry Rose of Anson County, lying on the southwest side of the PeeDee River on the main fork of Mountain Creek, beginning west side of Mountain Creek, 100 acres being a portion of the land granted by the King to Thomas Simpson on May 4, 1769. Witnesses James Ivey, Joseph McLester Signed: Thomas Simpsons and Margaret Simpson (wife).

Mecklenburg County Deeds: Book 10 page 321 John Simpson of Mecklenburg County to Thomas Simpson of Anson County, love and affection for my son, 110 acres on the south side of Richardson Creek.

Mecklenburg County Deeds: Book 10 page 322 - John Simpsons of Mecklenburg County to Benjamin Simpson of Anson County with Love and affection for my son - 100 acres on the West side of Richardson Creek, May 9, 1836 Witnesses: Thomas Simpson, B. A. Austin signed John Simpson.

Known lineage of Nathaniel Simpson:

-Hannah,abt 1799, never married, mentioned in 1841 document.
-Thomas 1801 married Judith ?
-Elizabeth, 1803, married William A. Upchurch
-John W. , 1808 married Sarah ?
-William 1812 married Anna ?
-Isaac 1814 married Lucy ?
-Milly 1815 married David Poplin *

The break in the ages of the children indicate that Nathan's marriage to second wife Sarah, occured between the birth of Isaac in 1814 and Nelson in 1821

- Nelson b 1820 married Sarah Ann Mabry
- Green Wesley b 1 Jan 1822 married Margaret Jane Ross (Aldridge)
- Margaret b June 8, 1828 married Davidson Poplin
- Nancy Ann b 1832 never married
-Delilah "Lilly" b 1834 never married
- Judith "Judy" b 1835 never married
-Winny b 1838 married Enoch M. Poplin
- Sarah b 1839 married Thomas Poplin

* I discovered in many online Family trees that some descendants have Millie listed as "Millie Coley", daughter of Jesse Coley. However, I tend to believe that the Simpson research I have found is correct from the following documents:

-Death certificate of Margaret Louise Poplin d 2 Sept 1927 Father David Poplin, Mother Millie Simpson
-Death certificate of Betsy E. Poplin Holt d 17 Jan 1918 Father David Poplin, Mother Millie Simpson
-Death certificate of David C Poplin d 27 Sept 1934 Father David Poplin, Mother Millie Simpson
Marriage licenses of Nathan Poplin, David C Poplin, Judith Poplin, William R Poplin, only list her name as "Milly" or Milly Poplin.

Nathaniel Simpson died in 1848. He is buried in the old Simpson cemetery between Albemarle and Norwood, near the Porter community, not very far from Lawyer's Springs, where his grandfather purchased the land grant from the King of England.

↧

The Simpsons Part III: Mid-Century and Beyond

April 13, 2014, 5:06 am

≫ Next: The Intriguing John Brantley Simpson

≪ Previous: The Simpsons Part II: The Second Half of the 19th Century

My last post included the Simpson family in the 1850 census, after the 1848 death of patriarch, Nathaniel, or Nathan Simpson.

To recap: in Center Township we find Sarah Simpson living with her younger children and son Nelson next door. The older sons of Nathan Simpson and his unknown (perhaps named Delilah) first wife, living with particular distance from each other, John and wife Sarah, William and wife Anna, Isaac and wife Lucy. Judith, the widow of their brother Thomas, had married Benjamin Cagle and her three children with Thomas Simpson had married, John B Simpson, Jarutha Simpson Rummage and husband Harris, Delilah Poplin and husband Daniel Poplin. Oldest daughter Elizabeth Simpson, who had married William A. Upchurch was also living nearby, and so was Milly Simspson Poplin, who had married David.

The progression from 1850 to 1880 for Sarah Simpson, widow of Nathan was:

1850 1860 1870 1880
Sarah 52 Sarah 65 Sarah 68 Sarah 75
Green W 26 Nancy 28 Lilly 35 William 17
Margaret 22 Judy 25 George 10
Judith 18 Delilah 23 William 3 Nancy 45
Delilah 16 Laura J 8 Judith 40 Laura 20
Sarah 14 Nathan A 6 Terry 11 (Turzy) Thomas 10
Winny 12 Susan 2 Mamie 2
James 3 mo. Nancy 30
Laura J 18 Judy 45
Nathan 14 Turzy 18
Sarah A 10 (Susan?)
Thomas J 9 months

Several of the Simpson daughters married during the 1850's. It was not alway good luck for them. Nancy was missing off of the 1850 count for reasons unknown, but in 1850, the list of Nathan Simpsons unmarried daughters were Nancy, Margaret, Judy, Delilah or "Lily" as she was called, Sarah and Winny.

Margaret was the first of these to marry on April 22, 1851 to Davidson Poplin by Martin Shoffner, JP.

Sarah was next, marrying Thomas, Davidson's brother, on March 12, 1854 by A. J. Shankle, JP.

Wincy, or Winnie Simpson, the youngest daughter, was last, marrying Enoch M. Poplin, son of Richard and Ann Poplin on December 13, 1855 by Martin Shoffner, JP.

Enoch and Winnie had 2 sons: Eprhaim M. Poplin b 1856 and Isaac born 1858. Enoch must have passed away prior to the 1860 census, or at least by 1870, as the family does not show up anywhere in 1860.

Ephraim married Sarah Coley, daughter of Samuel Coley and Martha Eudy Coley on November 9, 1876.

Winnie is shown living with a young girl, Susan Hill in 1870, near William Simpson, her brother and again in 1880, living alone, but still near William Simpson, a miller.

Sarah Simpson Poplin and her husband Thomas, had one son, John W. Poplin, born September 18, 1955. Thomas was killed early during the Civil War, in 1862.

The Poplins that 4 of the Simpsons married were the sons of Jesse Poplin and Catherine Lowder Poplin. It is even likely that one or more of the wives, whose maiden names are unknown, of some of the older Simpson sons, could have been Poplins, or Mabrys.

August session of Stanly County court 1845 had the following entry:

"Admin Debonis non of Jesse Poplin vs. Heirs at law of Jesse Poplin-petition to subject lands of Jesse Poplin decd to payment of Admin.'s debt. Service acknowledged August Term 1845.
Davidson Hearne, Clerk of Court, appointed guardian ad litum of Margaret Poplin, Nancy Poplin, Thomas Poplin and John Poplin who are infants. Case refered to Clerk, he to take account and report amount due Petitioner from his intestates estate and report to next term.

The 1860 brought an explosion in the family, with double the entries.
William 50 Mechanic
Anna 40
Thomas 11
Priscy 9
Adam J 5
Evangeline 2
Rufus W. 1 month

John B Simpson, son of Thomas, had a wife and 5 children.
Green Wesley Simpson, son of Nathaniel and Sarah, had a wife and 6 children
Nelson had a wife and 5 children.

John Simpson aged 51 was living alone with his wife Sarah, age 50.
Next to him is listed their only son:
Thomas A. Simpson (Thomas Alexander) aged 29 a deputy sheriff
Mary 21 and Ida 2.

There was never any indication that John and Sarah ever had any other children besides the one son, Thomas Alexander. Even the 1840 census shows them with one male child under 5.

Isaac Simpson 47
Lucy 47
Thomas 19
Catherine 17
Margaret 15
Nathan 13
John W. 9
Mary J 1

The Civil War changed everything....

The sons and grandsons of Nathaniel Simpson enlisted. Some returned. Others did not.

John was too old to enlist. He passed away sometime unknown between 1860 and 1870 at any rate, as his widow, Sarah, is seen living with only son Thomas A. Simpson and family in1870. Thomas did enlist, however.

Oldest son, Thomas, was already deceased, but his only son, John Brantley Simpson, served and survived.

Name:	John B Simpson
Residence:	North Carolina
Age at enlistment:	38
Rank at enlistment:	Private
State Served:	North Carolina
Survived the War?:	Yes
Service Record:	Promoted to Full 3rd Lieutenant on 13 May 1861.Enlisted in Company H, North Carolina 14th Infantry Regiment on 05 May 1861.Mustered out on 23 Apr 1862.
Sources:	North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster

Third eldest son, William Simpson enlisted, and was mustered out due to his age.

Name:	William Simpson
Residence:	Rowan County, North Carolina, North Carolina
Occupation:	Farmer
Age at enlistment:	51
Enlistment Date:	24 Mar 1862
Rank at enlistment:	Private
Enlistment Place:	Rowan County, North Carolina
State Served:	North Carolina
Survived the War?:	Yes
Service Record:	Enlisted in Company C, North Carolina 42nd Infantry Regiment on 01 Feb 1862.Mustered out on 30 Oct 1863.
Birth Date:	abt 1811
Sources:	North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster

Fourth son Isaac was not as lucky as his brother and nephews, he enlisted but died in Virginia.

Name:	Isaac Simpson
Residence:	Stanly County, North Carolina, North Carolina
Age at enlistment:	47
Enlistment Date:	7 Sep 1861
Rank at enlistment:	Private
Enlistment Place:	Stanly County, North Carolina
State Served:	North Carolina
Survived the War?:	No
Service Record:	Enlisted in Company K, North Carolina 28th Infantry Regiment on 07 Sep 1861.Mustered out on 07 Jan 1863 at Richmond, VA.
Birth Date:	abt 1814
Sources:	North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster

This list has him as mustering out on Jan. 7, 1863, which is also the date of death on his tombstone.

Younger brother Nelson Simpson also did not survive.

Name:	Nelson Simpson
Residence:	Stanly County, North Carolina
Enlistment Date:	27 Mar 1862
Enlistment Place:	Rowan County, North Carolina
Side Served:	Confederacy
State Served:	North Carolina
Service Record:	Enlisted in Company C, 42nd Infantry Regiment North Carolina on 1 Feb 1862. Enlisted as a Private on 27 March 1862 at the age of 42. Died of disease Company C, 42nd Infantry Regiment North Carolina on 29 Sep 1864 at Stanly County, NC.

Youngest brother, Green Wesley Simpson, got the luck of the draw, however, and made it back home to care for and extend his large family.

Name:	Green Simpson
Side:	Confederate
Regiment State/Origin:	North Carolina
Regiment Name:	5 North Carolina Infantry
Regiment Name Expanded:	5th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
Company:	G
Rank In:	Private
Rank In Expanded:	Private
Rank Out:	Private
Rank Out Expanded:	Private
Alternate Name:	G. M./Simpson
Film Number:	M230 roll 36

Son-in-laws also served. Husband of older daughter, Elizabeth, William A. Upchurch, served but relocated his family to Arkansas afterwards.

Name:	William A Upchurch
Enlistment Date:	1863
Military Unit:	Thirty-sixth Infantry, S-Y

ame:	William A. Upchurch
Side:	Confederate
Regiment State/Origin:	Arkansas
Regiment Name:	36 Arkansas Infantry
Regiment Name Expanded:	36th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry
Company:	F
Rank In:	Private
Rank In Expanded:	Private
Rank Out:	Private
Rank Out Expanded:	Private

David (Millie) and Davidson (Margaret) also made it back home while Thomas (Sarah) did not. There is no record of Enoch serving in the war, so he seems to have passed away beforehand.

The progression of the families of William and John, older brothers after the war was:

1850 1860 1870 1880
William 38 William 50 William 58 William 70
Anna 25 Anna 40 Anna 46 Anna 49 (Anna aged well hmm?)
Geo. W. 1 Thomas 11 Louisa 18 Whitson 20
Thomas L. 0 Priscy 9 Whitson 10
Adam J 5
Evangeline 2
Rufus W 0

William and Susan Ann (or Susanna) Simpson lost several children early, it appears as only Thomas L. and Rufus Whitson grew up to leave records. George W., Adam J. and Evangeline all appear to have lived less than 10 years. Priscy and Louisa are assumed to be the same girl, due to the year of birth. She may have married, but no record in Stanly County exists and no one has yet to connect her with this family. Mrs. Simpson is always shown as "Anna" in the census records, but youngest son Rufus Whitson lists her name as Susan A. in his second marriage license, and he should know. He was, by then, also listed as "Esquire".

John always appears with his wife Sarah, until 1870. In 1880, Sarah is living in the house of their only son, Thomas, who moved his family to Salisbury.

The widowed daughter-in-laws, Sarah Ann Mabry Simpson, wife of Nelson, and Lucy Dee Simpson, wife of Isaac, keep close to their mother-in-law, Sarah "Sallie" Simpson. Also always near by is Seth Mabry, in Center township. It appears they all remained near the Lawyer's spring area of the original settlement of the Simpson clan.

1850 1860 1870 1880
Nelson 29 Nelson 39 Anna 40 Anna 50 (in the 1870 census, Anna
Anna 25 Anna 30 Sarah 20 Mary 22 (appears as 'Alex', but it is
Sarah Ann 2 Sarah A 12 Dock 19 Elizabeth 19 (easy to tell it is Anna due
Mary 7 Mary 16 John 16 (to the age, names of the
Paul F. 4 Eliza 17 Nathan 14 (children and their close
Israel 1 mo. John E. 12 (proximity to matriarch Sarah)
Nathan 8

1850 1860 1870 1880
Isaac 35 Isaac 47 Lucy 40 Lucy 40 (Lucy and her daugheters
Lucy 35 Lucy 47 Catherine 23 Margaret 25 (like Susanna, also aged
Thomas 9 Thomas 19 Margaret 21 Gennett 11 (well.)
Catherine 7 Catherine 17 Nathaniel 20
Margaret A. 5 Margaret 15 John 18
Nathan 3 Nathan 13 Mary J 12
John W 9
Mary J 1

In the 1880 census, in Center township, you find William C. Thompson listed next to Seth Mabry. Both of them serve as "Landmarks" as to where the Simpsons lived, as they were steadfastly on their property and left family cemeteries to mark the general area.

Next to Seth Mabry is Anna Simpson, widow of Nelson, with her 4 youngest children, then Nathaniel's widow, matriarch Sarah with her grandson, William, and then Lucy, widow of Isaac, with her youngest son Whitson, then John, son of Isaac, with his wife Eliza (R. Solomon Simpson) and their 4 children, Thomas 7, Emma 3, Lucy T 2, and William S. 1. Also near by is Sarah's daughter and sister to Isaac and Nelson, Judy, with her daughter Turzy.

Green Wesley Simpson, the youngest son, was living with his mother in 1850 and married in 1851.

1860 1870 1880
G. W 38 G W 50 G W 58
Margaret 28 Jane 35 Margaret Jane 46
Caleb J M 9 Caleb 17 Caleb J 27
Abner 3 7 Jackson 15 John W 24
Benj. J W 6 John 14 Elizabeth 22 Abner E 25 was on his own as a
Rebecca 4 Rebecca 12 Malinda J 20 Mechanic in 1880.
Malinda 3 Mary 11 Wlm H 18
W H D 8 mo. William 9 Henry 16
Harry 8 Edward 13
Edward 6 Jesse J 14
Thomas 5 Puett 12
Mary C 9
Whitson N 7

Green W. Simpson recorded his children and his siblings in his family bible. He mentioned the birth of 14 children, with only 2 dying as infants, and the other 12 all grew up. Quite an accomplishment in those days.

From G.W.'s Bible:

"Nathan Simpson died the 10th day of July 1848. It is supposed that he was in his 78th year of age. "

Nelson J Simpson was borned May 21, 1820
Green W Simpson was borned January 1st day 1822
Margaret T. Simpson was borned June 8 1828
Nancy A. Simpson was borned June 8, 1828
Judith Simpson was borned February 5, 1832
Delilah Simpson was borned April 11, 1834
Sarah Ann Simpson was borned June 13, 1836
Wincey Fields Simpson was borned May 1, 1839

As he did not list the older siblings, and because of the break in ages, it appears that he only listed his whole siblings, the children of Sarah. It is guessed that Sarah's name may have been Green. There are early records in adjacent and near counties of a Nathaniel Simpson who married a Sarah Knight and another of a marriage to a Sarah White. The one to Sarah White would have timed correctly for the birth of the Simpson second round. However, he probably was married in Montgomery county, where records were destroyed.

This covers the older children of Nathaniel Simpson. Their saga did not end there, however.

↧

The Intriguing John Brantley Simpson

April 17, 2014, 9:43 am

≫ Next: Nine Times a Night

≪ Previous: The Simpsons Part III: Mid-Century and Beyond

John B. Simpson, to me, is one of the more interesting members of the family. Perhaps because he lived a long life and also because a bit of information can be had on him.
js simpson

John B was born around September 10, 1827 and died on January 2, 1907. His tombstone had to be incorrect for date of death, as his obituary appeared in the Carolina Watchman in January of 1907 and his widow remarried in March of 1907.

He first appears in the records of Stanly County in the Mary 1847 session of The Court of Pleas and Quarters, "Jesse Hathcock appointed Guardian of Delila, John B. and Ruthy Simpson, gave bond of $300 with Green Palmer and Newton Howell as securities."

Related to the above were these entries from the February Session of 1841, Nathan Simpson relinquished guardianship of Thomas Simpson's heirs and Jesse Hathcock was appointed Guardian, gave bond of $400, James Hathcock as security.

May 1841,
Joshua Hearne and John F Stone appointed to settle with Nathan Simpson, guardian of minor heirs of Thomas Simpson, decsd.

May, 1844
Jesse Hathcock, Sr. appointed guardian for Delia, John and Ruth Simpson, orphans of Thomas Simpson, dec., gave bond for $500 with Jesse Hathcock as security.

February Session, 1850, John B Simpson, Delila Simpson, Harris Rummage, Ruthy Rummage and Judith Cagle to Benjamin Ivy, proved by John F. Stone.

By August Session 1849, John B had aged enough to serve on a jury, as he was listed among the jurors for The State vs. Thomas Burton.

John Brantley was the only son of Thomas Simpson II, son of Nathaniel Simpson and grandson of Thomas I. Thomas I inspired a lot of grandsons and great-grandsons named for him, and keeping them separate is a little tricky.

His mother's name was Judith and after the death of Thomas Simpson, she married Benjamin Franklin Cagle. Their marriage was not a long one, either, as he passed away in 1843.

It is thought that perhaps Judith was a Hathcock prior to her marriages, daughter of Jesse Sr. It is known that he had a daughter of the right age range to have been Judith Simpson Cagle, named Judith or Judy. No marriage license exists, however, as Montgomery was a burned county and Stanly was part of Montgomery until 1841.

John B. Simpson married Ursula Lowder, daughter of George Lowder and Elizabeth Adderton Lowder around 1848. They became the parents of 6 children:

Elizabeth 1849
Sarah F 1850
Mary 1858
Francis Louise "Franky" 1863
Dockie Jane 1860
George Thomas 1862
Francis Louise "Franky" 1863

1850 1860 1870 1880 1900
John B 24 John B 32 John B 42 J B 54 John 73
"Hurley" 21 Ursuly 31 Ursula 42 Ursula 54 Ursula 72
Elizabeth 1 Betsy 11 Elizabeth 21 Sarah 29
Sarah 0 Sarah 10 Sarah 18 Francis 20
Franky 4 Francis 15 Jane 20
Dr. Jayne 2 mo. Doctor 10 Thomas 17
Mary 2 years George 7

It is unusual that they named a daughter "Doctor" or "Dockey", but I'm sure there was a story behind it. Docky married Frank Melton and Frankie married David Melton, when he was late in life. Both were 'second wives'. Sarah F. also became a 'later in life' wife, of Oliver Harrison Whitley. Only son, George Thomas Simpson married Henrietta Thompson, daughter of Thomas Thompson and Mary Ann Smith.

This peculiar marriage record was found on family search.

Name:John B. Simpson Birth Date:1863 Birthplace: Age:25 Spouse's Name:Henrietta Thompson Spouse's Birth Date: 1870 Spouse's Birthplace Spouse's Age:18 Event Date:26 Dec 1888 Event Place: Montgomery, North Carolina Father's Name: G.T. Simpson Mother's Name: Neley Jane Simpson Spouse's Father's Name:Thomas Thompson Spouse's Mother's Name: Mary Thompson Race: White
This one I have to order to see in person. It looks like several names were mixed up. I hope. As Henrietta's death certificate lists the same parents, it must be correct.

Name:	Henrette Thompson Simpson
Gender:	Female
Burial Date:	20 Feb 1955
Burial Place:	Stanly County, N.C.
Death Date:	18 Feb 1955
Death Place:	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina
Age:	89
Birth Date:	26 May 1865
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	Household
Race:	White
Marital Status:	Widowed
Spouse's Name:
Father's Name:	Thomas Thompson
Father's Birthplace:
Mother's Name:	Mary Ann Smith

John B. Simpson served in the Civil War along with his uncles.

Name:	John B Simpson
Residence:	North Carolina
Age at enlistment:	38
Rank at enlistment:	Private
State Served:	North Carolina
Survived the War?:	Yes
Service Record:	Promoted to Full 3rd Lieutenant on 13 May 1861.Enlisted in Company H, North Carolina 14th Infantry Regiment on 05 May 1861.Mustered out on 23 Apr 1862.
Sources:	North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster

Newspaper reports would later refer to him as Colonel.

A boy, John Farmer , was bound to John B in the November, 1855 Session of Stanly County Court. By 1860, the boy, John, had been reunited with his siblings, but was living in the homestead of James F Kendall, instead, along with Lydia Adeline Murray, daughter of Mariah Murray, whose estate had been administered by John B Simpsons contemporary uncle, Green W. Simpson, being only 4 years his elder.

Name:

John Farmer

Age in 1860:

Birth Year:

abt 1841

Home in 1860:

Stanly, North Carolina

Gender:

Male

Post Office:

Albemarle

Value of real estate:

Household Members:

Name	Age
James F Kendall	39
Ann Kendall	36
George Kendall	12
Mary F Kendall	11
Sarah A Kendall	9
Judy Kendall	7
Lydia A Murry	17
George Farmer	21
John Farmer	19
Margaret Farmer	17
Leon Farmer	15
Wesley Farmer	13

In the Bastardy bonds for Stanly County appears this document:

In 1881, nearly 20 years after his last child with Ursula was born, John B. Simpson had an affair with Martha J Rummage, that resulted in his becoming a father at 54 years of age. That child was Lee Allen Rummage and Martha Jane Rummage was the second cousin of J. B. Simpson, being the daughter of David Rummage, whose mother Margaret "Peggy" Simpson was the sister of John B.'s father Thomas. Martha Jane Rummage was about 30 and not a stranger to out-of-wedlock children. Lee Allen was her fourth child.

ame:

Martha Rumage

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1851

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1880:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Female

Relation to Head of House:

Self (Head)

Marital Status:

Single

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Neighbors:

Occupation:

Keeping House

Cannot read/write:

Blind:

Deaf and Dumb:

Otherwise disabled:

Idiotic or insane:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Martha Rumage	29
Mary Rumage	10
Richard D. Rumage	4
Wm. R. Rumage	9m

John B. Simpson now had at least 2 sons.

He was to make the newspapers in 1884, when his home was destroyed by a storm, either a hurricane or tornado.

The Storm in Stanly County, John B Simpson

The Storm in Stanly County, John B Simpson

Daily Charlotte Observer
(Charlotte, North Carolina)24 February 1884 • Page 3

Despite John B. Simpson having had an affair with his distant cousin in 1881, his wife Ursula did not leave him, as was most often the case in the days when divorce was difficult and women had few options with which to support themselves with and older women, none. They were living together in the 1900 census, their own children already grown, or passed away. And then another tragedy hit the family, and made the papers.

Ursula Lowder Simpson

The Enterprise
(Albemarle, North Carolina)21 March 1901 • Page 3

Ursula burned to death, and was characterized as a sweet lady.

John B Simpson, despite being on in age, wasted no time after the death of Ursula and found a new wife.

On January 27, 1902, he married Martha F. "Patty" Randle, the daughter of Isham Randle and Carolina Carpenter Randle. John B was 53 years older than Patty, and married the 23 year old when he was 76. Amazingly, they had one child, his third and last son, Robert Lee Simpson.

Patty would waste no time in marrying George Hinson, as well, just 2 months after John B. Simpson's death in 1907.

He began getting ill in 1898, however, and actually moved in with his daughter Dockie Jane Simpson Melton, and her husband, Frank Melton, also a confederate veteran.

The Enterprise
(Albemarle, North Carolina)15 December 1898 • Page 3

The Enterprise
(Albemarle, North Carolina)21 November 1901 • Page 3

Perhaps his son-in-law and daughter helped to take care of the old vet.

obit of John B Simpson

Carolina Watchman
(Salisbury, North Carolina)30 January 1907 • Page 1

The Salisbury paper would post a notice of his death in 1907.

1907 Death Roll for Confederate Vets

John B. Simpson's death was noted in the list of Vets, along with Job's grandson and my ancestor, H. H. Davis.

The old rebel and grandson of Nathan Simpson left a few traces of his path in life. He stayed near his homeland and fought for it. He will always be remembered.

↧

Nine Times a Night

April 24, 2014, 9:34 am

≫ Next: The Bird in the Branches

≪ Previous: The Intriguing John Brantley Simpson

Ancient Journalists were much more freer to opine than the modern media allows today. For fear of lawsuits, even the descriptions of fugitives have to be watered down, without mention of looks and ethnicity. Old newpaper stories, adverts and editorials are very entertaining sometimes, due to that difference because they did not have to be politically correct.

One of the horrific stories involving local persons was the murder of James Russell by Mark Kiser in 1842.

James Semianes Russell was born on January 14, 1788 along the Rocky River in Cabarrus County, North Carolina to David and Elizabeth Morrison Russell. On February 8, 1809, he married Margaret "Peggy" Gingles in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. She was the daughter of John Gingles and Rachel Morrison Gingle. Due to the Morrison connection, they may or may not have been related.

Name:	James S. Russel
Spouse:	Peggy Gingles
Marriage Date:	8 Feb 1809
Marriage County:	Mecklenburg
Marriage State:	North Carolina
Source:	Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT

According to records, James and Peggy had a large family:
-Rachel Lucinda
-Elizabeth Matilda
-Jane Malinda
-David Green (2)
-John Gingles
-Mary
-James Allison (2)
-Robert Lee
-Margaret M.
-Nancy
-Catherine Rossanna
-Harriett
and a son who lived long enough to marry in 1836 known only as "C" Russell.
The 'two's above signify that they had two sons with each of those names. The Russells had the curious of habit found in that era of naming a child for a dead sibling. The first David Green Russell died at age 3 in 1817. His sibling David Green Russell II was born in 1819 and died in 1895. The first James Allison Russell died at the age of 2 in 1826. His same-named sibling was born in 1828 and died in 1890.

Margaret Russell is shown with the younger children in the 1850 census living with the McEachern family.

Name:

Margaret S Russel

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1815

Birthplace:

Cabarrus Co

Home in 1850:

Cabarrus, North Carolina

Gender:

Female

Family Number:

1051

Household Members:

Name	Age
Jone C McEachran	65
Jane D McEachran	37
Robert G McEachran	25
Carson C McEachran	22
Margaret S Russel	35
Jane E Russel	9
James S Russel	7
Harriet R Russel	5

And the act that made her a widow:

The Greensboro Patriot
(Greensboro, North Carolina)20 August 1842 • Page 2

The description of Mark Kiser is very detailed and gives an opinion that would never flush today, "his very looks indicate a rascal." How judgemental (smirk). Scald head is a term we don't hear today for an ailment that is no longer common, if it still exists at all. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines "scald-head" as thus:
archaic

: any of several diseases of the scalp characterized by falling out of the hair and by pustules the dried discharge of which forms scales.

Mark Kiser went immediately into the the life of a fugitive and a reward was offered for his whereabouts.

News of the manhunt for Mark Kisor and the atrocious murder of James Russell spread far and wide, the following was printed in The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore, Maryland and The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Mark Kisor article

From The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:
A Shocking Murder

In the Book "Families of Cabarrus County, 1792-1815"by Kathleen Marler, it has the following listing:

Kiser, George Alexander and Debbie Weatherford
Children: Sussanah (Parrot Evans), Sarah (Joseph Heinseman), Archibald (Lucinda Daniels), George Mark (Mary Crayton), Deborah (John Mark Kiser), Phoebe (Green Collins).
George was the son of George Alexander Kiser (Sr.) and Mary Dove.

1790 George and Mary owned land in the branch of Meadow Creek and Canada Branch on the north side of the Rocky River in 1799. Conveyed land to David Kiser in Oct 1805 on Rocky River.

George Marcus Kiser or Kisor or Kizer, aka "Mark" was born about 1814 in Cabarrus County to George Alexander Kiser, Jr. and wife Deborah Weatherford Kiser. George A. Sr. and wife Mary Dove Kiser were his grandparents. He married Mary Ann "Polly" Crayton and had two children, Martha and James E Kiser. Mary must have been pregnant with James E when the horrible event occured, as he was born in 1843.

Name:

James E Kizer

Age in 1860:

Birth Year:

abt 1843

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1860:

Subdivision East of NC RR, Cabarrus, North Carolina

Gender:

Male

Post Office:

Mount Pleasant

Value of real estate:

Household Members:

Name	Age
John S Turner	52
Lovenia Turner	47
Mary E Turner	24
James B Turner	17
Susan S Turner	12
Josephine Turner	9
Daniel W Turner	7
James E Kizer	17

The sad young man became a Civil War casualy, just one of many from Cabarrus County.

Name:	James E Kizer
Residence:	Cabarrus County, North Carolina, North Carolina
Occupation:	Farmer
Age at enlistment:	18
Enlistment Date:	8 Jul 1861
Rank at enlistment:	Private
Enlistment Place:	Cabarrus County, North Carolina
State Served:	North Carolina
Survived the War?:	No
Service Record:	Enlisted in Company B, North Carolina 7th Infantry Regiment on 08 Jul 1861.Mustered out on 03 Jan 1863 at Hospl, Richmond, VA.
Birth Date:	abt 1843
Sources:	North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster

According to research of descendants located on ancestry.com, Mary Ann "Polly" Crayton Kiser wasted no time after the disappearance of Mark Kiser and remarried a gentleman from Stanly County, North Carolina, by the name of Andrew Jackson Huneycutt. I don't wish to counter anyone else's research, however, but on a timeline, I don't believe this connection works out to be the same Mary Ann "Polly" Craytons. I would think more likely that they were two different Polly Craytons.

The sons of James S. Russell either publicized the award offered by the Governor, or submitted one of their own, and advertised far and wide for the apprehension of the murderer of their father. This ad was place by David Green Russell and Robert Lee Russell.

$250 Reward
Stop The Murderer
The above reward will be given for the apprenhension and delivery to the
sheriff of Cabarrus County, North Carolina for a man by the name of Mark
Kisor who committed and atrocious murder upon the body of James S. Russell
of this county on the 5th instant at the home of Allen Bost in Cabarrus
County. Said Kisor is about 30 years of age, 5 ft. 10 in. high, dark hair,
square shouldered, dark skin, large mouth and has some appearance of scald
head and large whiskers, speaks quick, is a blacksmith by trade and has the
very looks to indicate the rascal. He was badly dressed in homespun, but it
is presumed he will change his clothes. He wore a new pair of broguce with
stays around the heels. He is so much in the habit of carrying his rifle
that it is supposed that he will take it with him, it has a plain stock and
double trigger - he has a common case knife around in the shape of a butcher
knife attached to his pouch by his leather string through the handle. He has
a brother living in Georgia and two sisters in Mississippi one of them
married to Parrot Evans and the other to a Collins formerly of Anson County
where he will no doubt attempt to go. Kisor is fond of drinking and when the
least tight he is in the habit of singing dirty blackguard songs such as
nine times in the night, etc. Anyone apprehending said Kisor and delivering
him as above shall receive the reward.
David G. Russell
Robert L. Russell
Mecklenburg County. August 9, 1842

Having sister Phoebe in Itawamba County, Missisippi and sister Susan in Alabama and sister Sarah in Georgia and brother Archie in Georgia, Mark Kiser had multiple possibilities of places to run, wherein no one would no of his evil deed. No newspaper accounts or records indicate that he was ever caught or found. As it was easy in those days, especially for a man with a skill, to reinvent themselves, he may have made his way south or west, changed his name and started over with a new life and perhaps even a new family. One day a DNA test may connect western descendants with a Kiser family from North Carolina and the contributors will have no idea why or how.

In the meantime, I found it rather morbidly humorous that the sons of James S. Russell would add to the description of Kiser as being "fond of drinking and when the least tight he is in the habit of singing dirty blackguard songs such as 'Nine Times In the Night'." Below are the lyrics to that obvious ancient tune. I can imagine some man being arrested in 19th century Carolina for singing that bawdy lyric and charged with murder. And somewhere, a stocky, bearded blacksmith, who called himself Joseph Foy or possibly Bynum Reed, mysterious neighbors of Mark Kiser's siblings, may have continued singing that song.

Another interesting aside, on the subject of the Kiser siblings neighbors was a ninety-year old farmer from North Carolina named Valentine Vanhoose. Anyone who has dug through land records or other documents of revolutionary era Anson/Montgomery counties that predated Stanly, has encountered the name of Valentine Vanhoose. I can't imagine a man of that advanced age in that day and time traveling to a far state prior to the era of train travel to start up a new farm, yet this nonagenarian is listed alone in his household as a farmer. Could it be the same Valentine? Hmmm. He's living next to people from this area originally. I'll have to look into that.

Phebe <i>Kiser</i> Collins

liFind a Grave link to Memorial of Phoebe Kiser Colns

I

Susannah Susan <i>Kiser</i> Evans

Find a Grave link to Memorial of Sussanah Kiser Evans

Find a Grave Link to Memorial of Archibald Kiser

U
Ha

Lyrics

A.L. Lloyd sings Nine Times a Night

A rambling young sailor to London came down,
He'd been paid off his ship in old Liverpool town.
When they asked who he was, well, he answered them, “Right,
I do belong to a family called nine times a night.”

A buxom young widow who still wore her weeds,
Well, her husband had left her his money and deeds,
And resolved she was on her conjugal rights
To soften her sorrow with nine times a night

So she sent for her serving girls Ann and Amelia
To keep a look out for this wonderful sailor.
And if ever by chance he appeared in their sight
They should bring her the glad tidings of nine times a night.

She was favoured by fortune the very next day,
These giggling girls saw him coming their way.
And upstairs they rushed full of amorous delight,
“ Oh, here comes that bold sailor with his nine times a night.”

Well, she danced out of bed and she pulled on her clothes
And down to the hall door like lightening she goes.
And she viewed him all over and gave him a smack
And the bargain was struck: no more sailing for Jack

Well, the wedding was over, the bride tolled the bell,
Jack trimmed her sails five times and that pleased her well.
She vowed in her heart she was satisfied quite
Yet she still gives sly hints about nine times a night

Says Jack, “My dear bride, you mistook me quite wrong,
I said to that family I did belong:
Nine times a night's a bit hard for a man;
I couldn't do it myself, but my sister she can.”

Frankie Armstrong sings Nine Times a Night

A handsome young sailor to London came down,
He'd been paid off his ship in old Liverpool town.
They asked him his name and he answered them, “Quite,
I belong to a family called nine times a night.”

Well a handsome young widow who still wore her weeds,
Her husband had left her his money and deeds,
Resolved she was on her conjugal rights
And to soften her sorrows with nine times a night.

So she's called to her serving maids Ann and Amelia
To keep a watch out for this wonderful sailor,
And if ever he happened to chance in their sight
To bring her fond tidings of nine times a night.

She was favoured by fortune the very next day
These two giggling saw him coming their way.
They've rushed up the stairs full of amorous delight,
Crying, “There comes that sailor with his nine times a night.”

She's jumped out of bed and she's pulled on her clothes
And straight to the hall door like lightening she goes.
She's looked him once over and gave him a smack
And the bargain was struck: no more sailing for Jack.

The wedding was over, the bride tolled the bell,
Jack trimmed her sails five times and that pleased her well.
She vowed to herself she was satisfied quite
But she still gives sly hints about nine times a night.

Says Jack, “My dear bride, you mistook me quite wrong,
I said to that family I did belong:
Nine times a night's a bit hard for a man;
I couldn't do it myself, but my sister she can

Lyrics

A.L. Lloyd si

↧

The Bird in the Branches

April 26, 2014, 7:48 pm

≫ Next: Marcus P. Carter and the Estate of Joshua Carter

≪ Previous: Nine Times a Night

By Stefan Duncan, our Modern Van Gogh

Martha Jane Rummage was born about 1845 in Stanly County, North Carolina, probably close to the Porter community. She died July 3, 1936, and was the daughter of David Rummage and Beadie Frances "Fanny" Cranford Rummage. She was the granddaughter of George Rummage II and wife Margaret "Peggy" Simpson, a sister of Nathaniel Simpson. Several of my more recent posts have focused on this family. She was also the granddaugther of Nathan Christopher "Kid" Cranford and Sarah Elizabeth "Sacky" Coggins Cranford.

Name:

Martha Rumage

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1849

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1850:

Centre, Stanly, North Carolina

Gender:

Female

Family Number:

115

Household Members:

Name	Age
David Rumage	48
Beda Rumage	36
Henry Rumage	18
Adaline Rumage	16
Lyudsay Rumage	14
William Rumage	9
Elizabeth Rumage	5
Irvin Rumage	4
Martha Rumage	1

The first census she shows up in is the 1850 one with her siblings Henry, Adaline, Lindsey, William, Elizabeth and Irvin.

Her mother, Beda (possibly short for Obedience) passed away April 25, 1858, when her youngest daughter was only 13 years old. This must have had an indelible effect on Martha Jane.

Name:

Martha Rumage

Age in 1860:

Birth Year:

abt 1849

Home in 1860:

Stanly, North Carolina

Gender:

Female

Post Office:

Albemarle

Value of real estate:

Household Members:

Name	Age
David Rumage	56
Adaline Rumage	24
Rily Rumage	18
Bettie Rumage	16
Irvin Rumage	14
Martha Rumage	11

Older sister Adaline, stayed with the family well into her twenties. She must have been helping her father take care of her younger siblings and the housework. Adelina married that same year to Z. D. Blalock and by 1870, for Martha, the tides had turned.

Name:

Martha Rummage

Age in 1870:

Birth Year:

abt 1851

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1870:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Female

Post Office:

Albemarle

Value of real estate:

Household Members:

Name	Age
David Rummage	70
Elizabeth Rummage	22
Martha Rummage	19
Louisa Rummage	4
Joseph Rummage	1

This family grouping is not exactly as it appears. Looking at the original document, "Louisa" is more like "Lonna" and the child was a male. David Rummage is still alive and living with his two daughters, Elizabeth, who was known as Bettie, and Martha Jane. "Lonna" Rummage is actully Bettie's son, Lonnie Oscar Rummage. In 1879, Bettie married Balaam A. Carter. In the 1880 census, Lonnie is incorrectly shown as Lonna O. Carter. The transcriptionist also incorrectly labeled "B. A." as "S. A." and "Bettie" as "Tellie". Looking at the original document, with the family being in the same location between neighbors as Balaam Carter was 10 years prior, you can see the B A and the Bettie. Polly was Balaam's mother.

Name:

Lonna O. Carter

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1866

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1880:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Male

Relation to Head of House:

Son

Marital Status:

Single

Father's Name:

S. A. Carter

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's name:

Tellie Carter

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Neighbors:

Occupation:

At Home

Cannot read/write:

Blind:

Deaf and Dumb:

Otherwise disabled:

Idiotic or insane:

Household Members:

Name	Age
S. A. Carter	51
Tellie Carter	30
Lonna O. Carter	14
Polly Carter	60

Lonnie Oscar Rummage was married twice and on both marriage certificates, only his mother, Bettie Rummage is listed. It is unknown who his father was. Joseph Rummage never shows back up, so most likely passed away as a child, and was probably also the son of Bettie.

Following the path of her older sister Bettie, it was not long before Martha Jane also became "a bird in the branches". David Rummage died October 26, 1876, leaving his unmarried daughter alone. The 1880 census painted a much different picture.

Name:

Martha Rumage

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1851

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1880:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Female

Relation to Head of House:

Self (Head)

Marital Status:

Single

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Neighbors:

Occupation:

Keeping House

Cannot read/write:

Blind:

Deaf and Dumb:

Otherwise disabled:

Idiotic or insane:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Martha Rumage	29
Mary Rumage	10
Richard D. Rumage	4
Wm. R. Rumage	9m

In 1880, Martha is now the mother of 3 children. She was most likely expecting Mary already in the 1870 census, and took care of her father until the birth of son Richard.

While researching the Simpsons, I discovered this document:

The child would be Lee Allen Rummage, Martha's fourth child and J. B. Simpson was John Brantley Simpson, son of Thomas and Judith (maiden name unknown) Simpson Cagle.

On October 10, 1889, Martha Jane Rummage gave birth to her fifth child and fourth son, Millard Talbert, at the age of about 42 or 43. Two years later, she would marry his father, widower William H. H. Talbert (or Tolbert). I will use Talbert, as this is how the living descendants spell their name locally.

William H. H. Talbert was the son of Isham Talbert and Edith Crowell Talbert. His first wife was Nancy Emmaline Rummage, the daughter of George Rummage III and Lydia Martin Rummage. George III was the brother of David Rummage, Martha Jane's father, making Nancy and Martha first cousins.

Nancy and William had raised a large family of children and Nancy had passed away sometime between 1880 and 1889, when Millard was born.

Therein lies another mystery. Nancy Emaline Rummage married Isham Coley in Stanly County on May 29, 1859. They had one daughter, Ida May Coley, born November 3, 1861. Ida is living with Nancy and William H. H. Talbert in the 1880 census, along with her half-siblings. However, it did not appear that Isham Coley was yet deceased. It was probably a case of multiple Isham Coleys, cousins maybe, born relatively close in age.

Name:

Ida Coley

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1862

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1880:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Female

Relation to Head of House:

Stepdaughter

Marital Status:

Single

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's name:

N. E. Tolbert

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Neighbors:

Occupation:

At Home

Cannot read/write:

Blind:

Deaf and Dumb:

Otherwise disabled:

Idiotic or insane:

Household Members:

Name	Age
W. H. Tolbert	38
N. E. Tolbert	38
John H. Tolbert	14
G. H. P. Tolbert	12
Wm. B Tolbert	10
H. J. Tolbert	7
C. G. Tolbert	5
R. M. Tolbert	2
Ida Coley	18

And that it was. There was Isham A. Coley, son of William and Ann, born in 1838.

Name:

Isham A Coley

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1838

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1850:

Ross, Stanly, North Carolina

Gender:

Male

Family Number:

766

Household Members:

Name	Age
William Coley	48
Anne Coley	50
Lucy Coley	17
Milly Coley	15
William W Coley	14
Isham A Coley	12

And Isham Coley, son of Sussanah, born in 1838.

Name:

Isham Coley

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1836

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1850:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Gender:

Male

Family Number:

919

Household Members:

Name	Age
Susanna Coley	47
Nancy Coley	21
Wincy Coley	18
Wm Coley	17
Susanna Coley	16
Isham Coley	14
Elizabeth Coley	12
Lucy C Coley	12
James W Coley	11
Martha Coley	50

Both Isham Coley's also served in the Civil War. One Isham Coley, the son of Susannah, died in 1862 and is buried in Virginia.

Name:	Isham Coley
Birth Date:	1834
Age at Death:	28
Death Date:	28 Jun 1862
Burial Place:	Richmond, Richmond City, Virginia, USA

The other lived a long life and died in Stanly County in 1916. His father is listed as "Billie" on his death certificate, making this the Isham who was the son of William and Ann.

Name:	Ishiam Coley
Race:	White
Age:	77
Date of Birth:	1839
Date of Death:	7 Jun 1916
Death County:	Stanly
Death State:	North Carolina
Source Vendor:	NC State Archives. North Carolina Deaths, 1908-67

Nancy Emmaline Rummage, widow of Isham Coley, must have married William H. H. Talbert sometime soon after the death of her spouse in June of 1862.

The tombstone of the oldest son of William H. H. Talbert, John Harrison Talbert, shows his birthdate as April 6, 1861. The only way this would be possible is if Nancy Emmaline Rummage was not the first wife of William Talbert and John H. had a different mother.

His marriage license to Isabella Swearingen on February 11, 1897 in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, however lists his mother as Emmaline. The 1880 census show Ida Coley being 18 years of age and John H. Tolbert as being 14 years of age, so I have a tendancy to believe this spacing was more accurate and a birth year of 1861 is incorrect for him.

The youngest son of William H. H. and Nancy Emmaline Rummage Talbert was Richard M. Talbert, born in 1877. He never married and he and younger brother Millard, son on Martha Jane Rummage Talbert seemed to have hung pretty close at the seams as brothers.

Rich and Millard Talbert, sons of Martha Jane Rummage

The Monroe Journal
(Monroe, North Carolina)30 May 1911 • Page 8

We last saw Martha Jane in 1880 with her 3 oldest children. The 1900 census tied them all together.

ame:

William H Tolbert
[Wm H Tolbert]

Age:

Birth Date:

Apr 1843

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1900:

Albermarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Male

Relation to Head of House:

Head

Marital Status:

Married

Spouse's Name:

Martha J Tolbert

Marriage Year:

1890

Years Married:

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Occupation:

Neighbors:

Household Members:

Name	Age
William H Tolbert	51
Martha J Tolbert	45
Richard Tolbert	20
Lee Tolbert	17
Millard Tolbert	12

Richard 'Tolbert' was the youngest son of William H. and Nancy Emmaline Rummage Talbert.

Lee was not actually a Talbert, but a Rummage, and the son of John Brantley Simpson and Martha Jane Rummage. Then 12 year old Millard was the son of William H. and Martha Jane together.

Name:

William H Talbert

Age in 1910:

Birth Year:

abt 1843

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1910:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Male

Relation to Head of House:

Head

Marital Status:

Married

Spouse's Name:

Martha J Talbert

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Neighbors:

Household Members:

Name	Age
William H Talbert	67
Martha J Talbert	57
Richard M Talbert	34
Millard L Talbert	23

1910 show only Richard and Millard still living at home.

William H. H. Talbert died on June 26, 1917 at about 75 years of age, and is buried at Anderson Grove Baptist Church right outside of Albemarle, North Carolina.

Martha Jane lived for a few more decades. The 1910 census finds her living with her daughter, Mary Rummage Coley and family. Her relationship to head of household is shown as "Grandmother", however, she was actually his mother-in-law and grandmother of the children, which is what they probably meant when answering that question.

Name:

Martha J Talbert

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1853

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1920:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Female

Relation to Head of House:

Grandmother
[Grandmother, Grandma(Grandmother)]

Marital Status:

Widowed
[Widow]

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Neighbors:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Geo C Caley	47
Mary Caley	46
Lether Caley	14
Freland Caley	12
Glendon Caley	10
Gye Caley	7
Martha J Talbert	67
Ida Russell	27

The 1930 census has her relationship correct.

Name:

Martha Talbert

Gender:

Female

Birth Year:

abt 1850

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Race:

White

Home in 1930:

South Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Map of Home:

View Map

Marital Status:

Widowed

Relation to Head of House:

Mother-in-law

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Occupation:

Education:

Military service:

Rent/home value:

Age at first marriage:

Parents' birthplace:

Neighbors:

Household Members:

Name	Age
George C Cole	58
May Cole	58
Letha Cole	24
Guy Cole	10
Martha Talbert	80
Gladys Crowell	21

Martha Jane Rummage died on July 3, 1936. The informant was her son Lee Rummage, and her age given as "about 91". Cause of death says "No diagnosis". Martha was laid beside her dear husband, William H. H. Talbert at Anderson Grove Church.

The Children of Martha Jane Rummage Talbert:

1) Mary Elizabeth Rummage born September 20, 1871.
She married George C. Coley in Albemarle on April 30, 1900. He was 28 and she was 24. He listed his parent, J. A. and Eva Coley. She listed no parents at all. Mary died December 23, 1932 in Albemarle, Stanly County, North Carolina of Uterine Cancer. Her informant was her husband, George C. Coley. He gave her parents as John Rummage and her mother as Mrs. Martha Rummage, who was still living at the time of her death. He obviously knew Martha, and may have heard Mary give her father's name as "John", but it's doubtful he was a Rummage. The circumstances of Mary's birth was commonly swept under the carpet. Perhaps she was a child of John B. Simpson, as was her brother.

George and Mary had 7 children:

--George Washington Coley, born January 31, 1893. He served in WWI, married Iva Shehan and raised his family in Gastonia, North Carolina. He died on April 15, 1965 and is buried at Hollywood Cemetery in Gaston County.

--Clarence Calvin Coley, born September 5, 1896. He served in WWII and settled first in Norfolk, Virginia after leaving Stanly County. He married Beulah P. Carrico of West Virginia, and they settled after Norfolk, in South Charleston, West Virginia, where he died and was buried on February 16, 1949.

--Burl William Coley, born May 15, 1903. He served in WWII and married Molly Parker of Stanly County. They raised their family in New London, Stanly County, North Carolina. He died July 12, 1970.

-- Letha May Coley was the only daughter. She had 3 older brothers and 3 younger brothers.
She was born May 28, 1905. Letha May never married and spent her life in Stanly County. She died May 26, 1975.

--Frellan Alexander Coley, born July 21, 1907. He served in WWII and married Gladys Moline Dale.
They raised their family in Gastonia, North Carolina. He died on February 3, 1968.

--Glendon Lee Coley, born September 18, 1909. He served in WWII and married Rachel Beatrice Burleson of Stanly County. They lived for a while in Gaston County, but returned later to Stanly. He died February 5, 1978.

--Richard Guy Coley, born February 2, 1912. He served in WWII and married in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Rita Marie Detrano and settled in Virginia for the most part. He died May 20, 1954 and was buried in Alexandria, Virginia.

2) Richard Anderson Rummage was born January 5, 1874. The Rummage family had a neighbor named Richard Anderson with whom Martha's father David had business and land transactions with. Perhaps Richard A. Rummage was named for him. He married Rosa E. Leonard on October 13, 1901 in Albemarle. She was the daughter of J. W. and Laura Leonard. Richard gave for his parents only the name of his mother, Martha Rummage. Richard served in WWI and WWII. Richard died March 3, 1945 of a farm accident. The informant was "J. A. Rummage", and his mother was given as Martha Rummage and father unknown.

Richard and Rosa had 12 children:

1902 - 1979 Henry Clyde Rummage, married Myrtle Mae Morton
1905 - 1962 Lillie Mae Rummage, married James C Russell.
1906 - 1988 Eula Estelle Rummage, married Thomas Franklin Scott (1st), married Lonnie H. Blake (2nd)
1907 - 2002 Elcie Lee Rummage, married Ellan Gardner
1909 - 1968 John Earl Rummage, married Lucille Shaver
1913 - 2004 Nora Bell Rummage, married Woodrum Shaver
1915 - 2008 James Franklin Rummage, married Vivian Morton
1917 - 2006 Jay Dee Rummage, married Dorothy Poplin
1919 - 2004 Harold Richard Rummage, married Hazel Shaver
1921 - **** Winnie Louvenia Rummage, never married
1923 - 1983 Floyd Ray Rummage, married Isabella Norville Needham
1925 - 2007 Lettie Lucille Rummage, married Oliver Kipling Story

3) William Riley Rummage was born October 3, 1879, in Albemarle, NC. He died on October 5, 1982 in Gold Hill, Rowan County, NC. He was married to Margaret "Maggie" Hampton on November 1, 1906, in Albemarle, NC. She was the daughter of Levi Jackson Hampton and Lydia Beaver Hampton. They started their family in Albemarle, but later moved to Gold Hill, where they remained.

On Riley's marriage certificate he only gives his mother's name as "Rummage". No father listed.
On his death certificate, his wife was the informant. She gave his mother's name as Martha Rummage and his father as "Henry Rummage." Again, in cases like these, it is commonly not talked about to spouses or children in later years, except perhaps a brief mention, if any at all. This may have been a reference to William H. H. Talbert, his stepfather. Martha was never married to a Henry Rummage. Or, his father may have been a man named Henry, who gained Martha's surname on the death certificate, as in the case with John B Simpson becoming "John Rummage".

Oddly enough, there was another William Riley Rummage in the area. He was born in 1859 in Mecklenburg County, twenty years older than Martha Jane's William Riley. Ironically, he was the son of Henry A. Rummage and Jemima Rhodes Rummage and married Flora "Florence" Hopkins and died in Albemarle in 1939.

William Riley Rummage and Maggie Hampton Rummage had 5 children:

1907 - 1994 Mytle Irene Rummage, married EdgarMonroe Ketchie (1st), married Roy Thomas Morgan
1909 - 1965 Wade Allen Rummage, married Ethel Mae Shipton
1916 - 2008 Roy Jackson Rummage, married Ada Louise Buckley
1918 - 1968 George Henry Rummage, married Sadie Wagoner
1921 - 1981 Jesse Lee Rummage, married Dorothy B Shoe

4) Lee Allen Rummage was born March 23, 1882 in Albemarle, Stanly County, North Carolina and died on November 11, 1947 in Albemarle, North Carolina. He was married twice. First to Lou Tom Caudle, the mother of his three children, and daughter of Tom Caudle and Annie Ross Caudle. When she passed away on February 1, 1925, Lee married Lina Neal Lowder Mauldin, the daughter of Moses A. Lowder and Polly Ann Surratt Lowder and the widow of Jacob J (J. J) Mauldin.

Lee Allen, according to a Bond located in the court records of Stanly County, was the son of John Brantley Simpson, a married man, neighbor, and friend of Martha's father David Rummage. He had signed as witness to several land transactions involving the Rummage family and David specifically. Lee Allen did not acknowledge his biological father. On his marriage licenses, he only named his mother as Martha Talbert on one and Martha Rummage on the other, as she was married to William H. H. Talbert by that time.

He married first on November 22, 1905 and second on March 27, 1926.

When Lee Allen Rummage died of Cancer in 1947, the informant on his death certificate was his wife Livaneal or Lina Neal. She named his mother by her maiden name and in place of father was "Don't Know'. He was buried at Silver Springs Church south of Albemarle.

Lee and his first wife Lou Tom had three children:

1907 - 1957 Cletus Rummage, married Ruby Hinson
1913 - 1982 Marvin Reed Rummage, married Roxie Lowder
1917 - 1990 Winford Allen Rummage, married Evie Clegg Pickler

5) Millard Talbert

Millard Talbert was born Oct 10, 1889. He passed away March 4, 1943 at the age of 54. He was the only son Martha Jane Rummage had by husband William H. H. Talbert, as she was in her 40's when they wed.

There are no records that Millard ever married or had children. He stuck very close to his brother Richard Talbert. He had two half-brother named Richard, Richard Rummage and Richard Talbert.

Millard was a soldier, serving in WWI and sustaining an injury. His obituary in the Greensboro Daily News stated that he had served in many battles. His registration describes him as Medium build with blue eyes and brown hair.

Name:

Millard Talbert

Age:

Estimated birth year:

abt 1889

Gender:

Male

Race:

White

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Marital Status:

Single

Relation to Head of House:

Head

Home in 1940:

West and North Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Map of Home in 1940:

View Map

Street:

Mountain View

Farm:

Inferred Residence in 1935:

West and North Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Residence in 1935:

Same Place

Sheet Number:

27A

Number of Household in Order of Visitation:

505

House Owned or Rented:

Owned

Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented:

200

Attended School or College:

Highest Grade Completed:

None

Weeks Worked in 1939:

Income:

Income Other Sources:

Yes

Neighbors:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Millard Talbert	51
Richard Talbert	63

Like many soldiers, Millard became a victim of war and never recovered. He returned a troubled soul.

Rich and Millard Talbert, sons of Martha Jane Rummage

His death certificate stated that he passed away of Chronic Alchoholism.

Martha Jane Rummage was a woman of more than a little mystery. She must have been a beauty as she seemed to have beguiled a number of men in the community around her. She had at least one child with John Brantley Simpson. Her last son was by William H. H. Talbert, who married her when their son, Millard, was 3. Was son Richard Anderson Rummage named after neighbor Richard Anderson? Was it because Mr. Anderson was a dear friend of the family, helped her out in an era where women had a difficult time supporting themselves? Or was there another reason? Who was John listed on daughter Mary's death certificate? And who was Henry listed on son William Riley Rummages? But of all the mystery surrounding Martha Jane, the biggest mystery was the following document:

Name:	William C. Foard
Birth Date:
Birthplace:
Age:
Spouse's Name:	Martha J. Rumage
Spouse's Birth Date:
Spouse's Birthplace:
Spouse's Age:
Event Date:	02 Mar 1871
Event Place:	Cabarrus, North Carolina
Father's Name:	John C. Foard
Mother's Name:	Mary Ann Osborne
Spouse's Father's Name:	David Rumage
Spouse's Mother's Name:	Beady Rumage
Race:
Marital Status:
Previous Wife's Name:
Spouse's Race:
Spouse's Marital Status:
Spouse's Previous Husband's Name:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number:	M73743-9
System Origin:	North Carolina-EASy
GS Film number:	540343
Reference ID:

From familysearch.org, the marriage license of Martha J Rummage, daughter of David and Beady, and William C. Foard, son of John C Foard and Mary Ann Osborne.

Who was William C. Foard? If they were married, why does Martha appear in the 1880 census as a Rummage? Why do her older children all bear the name Rummage throughout their lives and not the name of Foard? They married on March 2, 1871. Oldest daughter Mary was born September 20, 1871, just 6 months later? Why was she not a Foard?

This might take some looking into. Perhaps the land records will help tell a tale. Several passed in connection with her father and sister Bettie and Bettie's husband Balaam A. Carter, who was no less mysterious. But those are other posts....

↧

Marcus P. Carter and the Estate of Joshua Carter

April 27, 2014, 5:00 am

≫ Next: Balaam and Bettie

≪ Previous: The Bird in the Branches

I love it that while looking into one mystery, I find info on another.
One of the most frustrating mysteries that has been vexing me of late is the origins of Marcus Princeton Carter.

I covered Marcus in my post: Marcus Princeton Carter.

I just know he is connected to other Stanly County Carters, but how?

While looking for info on another 'parentless' Stanly County Carter, I came across the name of Marcus in an unexpected but reasonable place, in the estate records of Joshua Carter.

Now, I know estate records normally lend no proof of relationship or suggest any. However, after perusing dozens of estate records of families I was very familiar with, I've discovered that a large numbers of persons mentioned in estate records are usually family members, and if not, usually neighbors. But especially those persons of the same surname. While it does not 'name that relationship', it hints that you might be looking in the correct pumpkin patch.

An example of this would be in the estate record of Job Davis, for whom this blog is named. I've so researched this family that I knew who each person mentioned in the papers was. Every Davis mentioned was the son or grandson of Job. And persons like Jeremiah Broadaway, who no one would devise as a relative, I knew was his hmmm,'step-grandson-in-law'. Two of Job's wife Sarah's sons by her first marriage, John W. and Jordan Howell, had migrated to Fayetteville, NC and settled there. After the death of Jordan, his daughters returned to Stanly County to live with their grandmother and step-grandfather, and met husbands who lived in this part of the state. Jeremiah Broadaway was one of those husbands and married Clarissa Ann Howell.

So, while I have discovered the name of Marcus Carter in the estate records of Joshua Carter, this by no means proves, mentions or suggests any relationship between Joshua Carter and Marcus P. Carter, but it could mean I need to search this pumpkin patch for more hints. I do believe that in the case of Marcus P. Carter, we have a case of what I call an "UnIdentified Dash".

Many times, descendants will start a family with only the children who show up in the 1850 census, while the 1840 and 1830 census show other, older "dashes" who could be children, possibly those who are grown up and on their own by 1850. If the parents die intestate and no land records indicate descendants, then there is nothing to tie these older, independent children to their parents.

I do believe this is what happened with our Marcus. I've poured over family trees and information on other Carters, and feel Marcus is just an unidentified dash in the 1840 and 1830 census of an established Carter family of early Stanly County. He did not fall from the sky.

And now for the estate record of Joshua Carter:

An Inventory of the personal property of Joshua Carter, deceased, which came into my hands as his Administrator-

-Account on David Crowell .50
" on Peter Crowell .50
" on Francis Locke .52 total 1.52
all desperate---

2 Head Cattle, 16 Head Hogs, 1 Rifle gun, 1 bed and furniture, 1 Wheel and Cards, 1 Loom, 2 Barrels, 1 bush. Salt, 1 Clock Reel, 1 paddock, 1 lot sundries, two mattocks, 5 axes, 1 shovel, 1 tub, 1 cutting knife, 1 lot ploughs, 1 single tee, 2 pots, 1 skillet, 1 oven, 1 cupboard, 1 lot Ware, 1 lot knives and forks, 1 pail, 1 piggin, 1 toilet, 1 chest, 1 weeding hoe, 1 pr. Hames and Traces, 1 pr Steelyards, 1 drawing knife, 1 adze, 2 planes, 1 croze cutter, 1 hand saw, 1 lot books, 5 chairs, 1 hammer and chizel, 1 lot Oats, 1 potatoe patch.
Note on MARCUS CARTER and James Parker 17.43
" Nathan Carter and Samuel Morton 3.85
" John Morris and William Morris 1.65
" Calvin Carter & James Parker 1.28
" Alex. Kirk & Samuel P. Morton 1.30
" Josiah L. Carter and Nathan Carter 11.53
" Nancy Carter and Nathan Carter 7.66
" Benjamin New and Edmd. W. Lilly 1.27
" James Parker, Sr. 1.87
" Francis Locke .55
" Samuel S. Stone .81
" Daniel Biles 1.00
" Samuel P. Morton .60
" George C. Morton .20
" John A. Craven 23.62
Travis Carter, Administrator
Returned to August Sessions 1842 & ordered to be recorded.

Marcus Carter would have been a young man, just coming into himself and of age in 1842.

His note, in conjunction with James Parker, is the largest, with the exception of that of John A. Craven. Perhaps if I look into the relationships between Joshua Carter and the other Carter's mentioned in this document, I will discover a possible connection to Marcus.

James Parker is also mentioned on a note in conjunction with Calvin Carter. Then later, a James Parker Sr., to himself. I also want to know the connection to James Parker.

I have the advantage of knowing what individuals were businessmen in the community who had a financial interest in many local farmers and individuals. For instance, Samuel S. Stone, Daniel Biles, Edmund Lilly and Francis Locke. No relationship there, or not likely to be.

I also know my ancestor, Samuel P. Morton, was a minister.

So, finding Marcus Carter's name in a document involving other Carters is a big find. Proof of nothing, but hopefully a lead to something.

↧

Balaam and Bettie

May 1, 2014, 7:07 am

≫ Next: The Beginnings: Balaam Absalom Carter.

≪ Previous: Marcus P. Carter and the Estate of Joshua Carter

Balaam A. Carter was the 'other Carter' I was looking into in my previous post Marcus P Carter and the Estate of Joshua Carter.

While he mentions the names of his parents in his marriage certificate and appears in a number of consecutive census records, B. A. Carter was still a bit of a mystery.

He does not show up in the 1850 census of Stanly County. Actually, I've not been able to find him anywhere, yet. It may be that his household was simply missed. That was not uncommon.

He first shows up in the 1860 census. He was living within the area of "Albemarle Post Office" and was listed as a Shoemaker and 28 years old. Neighbors included Miller Easley and Henry Easley, Betsy Hill and Harriett Hill and Henry Marshall. Living with him were Alley Carter, 29, a young boy Benjamin Holt, 49 year old Polly Carter and 20 year old Susan Carter.

This census appears like Alley Carter may have been his wife. I would find out later through land records that she was. I would also find out from the 1880 census and other land records, that Polly Carter was his mother. I have no proof, but am pretty confident from the placing of the person in the household that Susan Carter was most likely his sister. I did, however, discover from research that Benjamin Holt was the son of Allen and Phoebe Holt. His father had died shortly after the 1850 census. At this juncture, I don't know if there was a relationship between the Holts and the Carters. There were several Holt/Carter intermarriages. As I don't know Alley's maiden name yet, or Phoebe's maiden name, it's possible that there was an unknown kinship.

ame:

Balem Carter

Age in 1860:

Birth Year:

abt 1832

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1860:

Stanly, North Carolina

Gender:

Male

Post Office:

Albemarle

Value of real estate:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Balem Carter	28
Alley Carter	29
Benjanan Holt	10
Polly Carter	49
Susan Carter	20

From the ages of Balaam and Alley in 1860, it's likely they were married after the 1850 census, so I might be able to find Alley's identity by finding her in that year. Research is always ongoing.

ame:

B A Carter

Age in 1870:

Birth Year:

abt 1832

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1870:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Male

Post Office:

Albemarle

Value of real estate:

Household Members:

Name	Age
B A Carter	38
Almena Carter	50

Ten years later, Balaam and Almena are on their own. At first glance, this would appear to be an entirely different woman than Alley, due to the age difference. However, land records float easily back and forth between Alley and Almira and Almena as being the wife of B. A. Carter. Same woman. The transcription of this age is incorrect. The '5' looks like it could be a '3' and the '0' could as easily be an 8, so I believe the actual age recorded here would be 38.

B. A. Carter, like most men of his generation, served in the Civil War, and luckily for him, he survived.

Name:	B A Carter
Residence:	North Carolina
Rank at enlistment:	Private
State Served:	North Carolina
Service Record:	Enlisted in Company K, North Carolina 42nd Infantry Regiment on 26 May 1862.
Sources:	North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster

The late 'Seventies' was a busy time for Balaam Carter. The last year his wife Alley (or Alvina, Alvira, Elvira, Almena as she is variously noted) appears in a deed with him is in January 1876.

In June of 1877 B. A. Simpson was brought to court on the the word of Catherine Simpson Mabry on charges of bastardy.

In the document after Catherine's first name, you can see the "Simpson" marked over and Mabry written in it's place. This page was witnessed by T. A. , or Thomas Alexander Simpson. Catherine was the daughter of Isaac and Lucy Simpson. I've never discovered Lucy Simpson's maiden name, however, another researchers notes, her maiden name was given as "Dee" and it was noted that she was Native American. I've not seen proof or disproof of this claim either way.

T. A. Simpson was a cousin of Catherine Simpson, who must have been married to a Mabry at some point. There is no marriage record for her in Stanly County. The child born was Ann Eliza Carter, whom B. A. Carter fully embraced, as she was his only child. On her marriage license, she lists her father as B. A. Carter and her mother as Kate Simpson.

The second page of this document involves another Simpson, J. B., or John Brantley Simpson, of whom I featured in :The Intriguing John Brantley Simpson.

John Brantley Simpson had an out-of-wedlock child himself, with Martha Jane Rummage, whose sister, Bettie, Balaam Absalom Carter would marry two years after the birth of his daughter Ann Eliza with Catherine Simpson Mabry.

This second page reads "Know all men by these presents that we B A Carter + J. B. Simpson are held and firmly bound unto the said State in the sum of $200 to the payment of which we bind ourselves, our heirs + assigns jointly and severally firmly by these presents sealed this 7th day of June 1877, .......charging him with the the maintenances of a certain bastard child begotten on the body of Catharine Mabry and shall indemnity the said county from any + all charges for the maintenance of said child. "

It is signed by B. A. Carter and J. B. Simpson, who were obviously close friends. J. B. Simpson would also be a first cousin of Catherine Simpson as his father Thomas, and her father Isaac were brothers.

On November 23, 1879, B. A. Carter, son of James (d) and Mary Carter, age 50, married Bettie Rummage, 35, daughter of David Rummage. No mother's name was given for Bettie, but it was noted that she was deceased. The official was Joseph S. Dunn and the event took place in Stanly County.

Name:	B A Carter
Birth Date:
Birthplace:
Age:
Spouse's Name:	Bettie Rumage
Spouse's Birth Date:
Spouse's Birthplace:
Spouse's Age:
Event Date:	23 Nov 1879
Event Place:	Stanly, North Carolina
Father's Name:	James Carter
Mother's Name:	Mary
Spouse's Father's Name:	David Rumage

In 1880, we have a bit of transcription error problems, but in looking at the actual handwritten census, we have the right family.

Name:

S. A. Carter

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1829

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1880:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Male

Relation to Head of House:

Self (Head)

Marital Status:

Married

Spouse's Name:

Tellie Carter

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's name:

Polly Carter

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Neighbors:

Occupation:

Farmer

Cannot read/write:

Blind:

Deaf and Dumb:

Otherwise disabled:

Idiotic or insane:

Household Members:

Name	Age
S. A. Carter	51
Tellie Carter	30
Lonna O. Carter	14
Polly Carter	60

S. A. was actually B. A. , of course and "Tellie" was actually written "Bettie". 14 year old male, Lonna O. Carter was not a Carter. His correct surname was omitted, so he comes up as a Carter, when he was actually Bettie's son Lonnie or Lonna Oscar Rummage. Polly Carter is confirmed as Balaam's mother "Mary" and also appeared within his household in 1860.

A series of land records involving the Rummage family tells a tale that involves Balaam Carter.

Book 10 Page 79 - Sept. 25, 1875 Eli Rummage to Richard Anderson 'for which he holds my note to be due.'

Book 10 Page 531 - Sept. 15, 1876 David Rummage to Richard Anderson, trustee, adjoining Thomas Rummage, Balaam Carter and John Cox. Note: Balaam Carter was a neighbor already of David Rummage. Davids' daughter Martha Jane Rummage had a son named Richard Anderson Rummage, father unknown, possibly named for neighbor Richard Anderson, whom I believe was a physician and had several boys named "Richard Anderson" insert surname, in honor of him.

Book 11 Page 56 David Rummage to Bettie S Rummage and Martha J Rummage June 25th, 1875.
...as follows "On the north side of Jacobs Creek where the said David Rummage now lives 170 acres part of a large survey granted to Thomas Capson (?) and William Mabges (sp?, maybe Mabry?), by the State of North Carolina adjoining Thomas Rummage, Balaam Carter, John Cox, R. Anderson + others.
signed
Bettie A. Rummage
Martha J. Rummage
In the presence of J. B. Simpson

Book 14 page 255 Martha J Rummage et al to Benjamin Gurley Nov. 12, 1880
Martha J. Rummage, B. A. Carter and wife Bettie A. Carter to Benjamin Gurley of Mecklenburg County for $250.00 on the waters of the North Branch of Jacobs Creek adjoining B. A. Carter, Sarah Mauldin, and John Cox. Registered 22 Sept. 1885.

Book 17 Page 436 B. A. Carter and wife to Martha J Rummage Feb. 18, 1888
B. A and Bettie Carter to M. J Rummage for $50, land on Jacob's Creek adjoining R. Anderson, B. A. Carter, B. F. Gurley and others.

And then in the course of 4 years, a major rift and change occured

Book 24 Page 600 23 May 1892
Between Bettie S. Rummage, Mattie J Rummage and B. A. Carter for $150 to L. O. Rummage (son of Bettie Rummage Carter). 'North fork of Jacob's Creek, beginning at Martha Rummage's corner east with Ben Gurley's line, John Cox's corner, R. Anderson's line, 45 acres more or less, known as part of David Rummage's line.'

Bettie has dropped the Carter from the end of her name and returned to being a Rummage, and apparently, or possibly, moved back in with her sister Martha Jane or "Mattie". L. O. Rummage was Bettie's son.

Name:

Balaam A Carter
[Balaam Carter]

Age:

Birth Date:

May 1832

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1900:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Male

Relation to Head of House:

Head

Marital Status:

Widowed

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Occupation:

Neighbors:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Balaam A Carter	68
John F Russell	22
Anna L Russell	22
Geo C Russell	4/12
Nancy Crawford	65

In 1900, Balaam's daughter Anna and her husband John F. Russell are living with her father along with George C. Russell, their infant son. The person of Nancy Cranford is another mystery as is her relationship to the Carter family.

Book 30 Page 262 B. A. Carter to L. O. Rummage Nov. 19, 1903
W. E. Whitleys line, Jacob's Creek 35 4/10 acres, adjoinin Tom Cole's line.

Book 31 Page 480 B A Carter to W. B. Talbert April 18, 1905
...from a stake in Jacob's creek, W. E. Whitley's line, Justice Efirds corner, 82 1/2 acres.
(William Brantley Talbert was the son of William H. H. Talbert who married Martha J. Rummage. He and B. A. Carter would have been brother-in-laws at one point).

Book 37 Page 63, Dec 3 1906 B. A. Carter to William Parker, Albemarle Township.

Book 37 Page 280 Indenture 7 Dec 1909 Will and Lucy Ann Parker + Hampton Talbert
located in South Albemarle known as part of the B. A. Carter home tract place, formerly W. H. Talberts adjoining lands of W. H. Talbert, B. A. Carter and others. See deed B. A. Carter to Will Parker dated 6 Dec. 1906 signed by B. A. Carter.

Neither B. A. Carter, Ann Eliza or John F. Russell appear in the 1910 census.

And another mystery involving B. A. Carter involves his stepson. Lonnie Oscar Rummage.

Lonnie Oscar Rummage was married twice, first to Mary Ann "Molly" Talbert on September 13, 1885. She was the daughter of Josiah Pinkney Talbert and Sarah C. Melchor Talbert. Secondly to Talitha Cumi Whitley, daugther of Lloyd Hathcock Whitley and Sarah Susanna Hinson Whitley, on January 7, 1906.
She would also marry Hosea Alexander Simpson prior to the death of Lonnie O. Rummage and have another son, in addition to the four she had with Lonnie, including one who died as an infant.

Another researcher logged a marriage between Mary Ann "Molly" Talbert and a "Balium Carter". Who could "Balium" be, but Balaam A. Carter. No other local Carter came close to sharing his name. The closest being the well-documented Rev. Baldwin Henderson "Baldy" Carter who married Minty Holt.

The case of Balaam Absalom Carter is far from solved. His marriage to Elizabeth "Bettie" A. Rummage was intact from 1879 to at least 1888. By 1892, she had returned to using the name "Rummage". Bettie was buried under the name "Bettie Ann Carter", however. She died on December 2, 1899 and is buried at Anderson Grove Church right outside of Albemarle, North Carolina, her final resting place marked with a slab rock. Balaam Carter's obituary also noted that he was buried at Anderson Grove, but his marker is not to be found.
Anderson Grove Baptist Church Cemetery

Balaam Carter died in 1910, but did not appear in the census for that year. His obituary is below.

Baalam Carter

The Enterprise
(Albemarle, North Carolina)17 February 1910 • Page 3

↧

The Beginnings: Balaam Absalom Carter.

May 8, 2014, 3:03 am

≫ Next: Love Cranford

≪ Previous: Balaam and Bettie

Balaam A. Carter was not included in usual list of the descendants of the Revolutionary patriot, Samuel Carter, but I've discovered that he was in fact the Great Grandson of Samuel. Balaam's parents are listed on the license of his second marriage in 1879 to Bettie Rummage as James and Mary Carter.

There is a James Carter who shows up in the 1830 and 1840 census of Montgomery County, West Side, which became Stanly in 1841. Neither James nor Balaam show up in the 1850 census, but I believe they were probably just missed. James was at least alive in 1842, when on Tuesday, May 10, in the Pleas and Quarters a deed from James Carter to Mathias Moose was proved.

He was dead at least by May of 1857, when Balaam A. Carter and his mother, Mary Carter became indebited to Julius A. Kendall, 'for one dollar in hand, one bay mare, one cow, 3 head of hogs and all our growing crop of wheat, after the rent is paid, all our crop of corn and fodder, payment of one note made payable to Peter E. Fouts for $55.'

There are a few mentions of James in the early land records of Montgomery County, which included present day Stanly County, in conjunction with activities of other Carters. The landmarks are on the Stanly County side of the river, in the exact area the Carter's were known to habitate. He also appears to have perhaps been a friend of Isaac Burleson.

"Isaac Cooper, 100 acres, West side of Yadkin River, both sides of Little 'Bar' Creek. James Carter and Isaac Burleson, chain carriers."

"Isaac Burleson 10 acres, west side of Yadkin River, joins Isaac Burelson, James Carter and Isaac Burleson, chain carriers".

By the 1860 census, Balaam has married wife, Alvina Holt, daughter of Allen and Phoebe Holt. Allen passed away in 1850 and Phoebe in 1858. Also living with them is her little brother, Benjamin Holt, his motber, Mary, 'Polly', and 20 year old Susan Carter, whom I believe to be his sister, but her realtionship is never given anywhere, so it is indefinate.

I found in the Holt research of other persons, a Joe Holt in particular, that Balaam and Almira married in 1854, but I have not found a marriage document for them. That may be forth coming. I have the estate records of her parents on order from the Archives. Perhaps they will reveal a little more information.
What I do know is that several land records identify Alley as his wife.

9 Jan. 1875 Balaam Carter to John A. Lilly
Balaam Carter and wife Alvina Carter.....adjoining lands of George Rummage.

26 Jan. 1876 Mortgage to Mauney and Co.
B.A. Carter and wife Alley Carter.

5 April 1873 Balaam Carter to Daniel Freeman
Balaam Carter and wife Elvina, 50 acres adjoining John Kelly. Satisfied in 1875, B.A. Carter and wife Alvina.

Alley's name is seen interchangibly as Alvina, Almena, Elvina or Alley. Her tombstone apparently reads 'Alley Carter.' In the book, 'These Hallowed Ground's', published by The Stanly County Genealogical Society 2012, a survey of the Isaac Marbry Cemetery, located south of Albemarle, notes that "Richard Ingold remembered a stone for Alley Carter" being there. The cemetery is very old.

Alley died between the 1876 deed in which she was named and Balaam's 1879 marriage to Elizabeth "Bettie" Ann Rummage.

A much earlier deed reveals how Balaam fits into the Carter puzzle, however.

On the 12th of September, 1844, the year that Labon Carter passed away, B.A. Carter sold 'a certain interest or parcel of land known as the land of Labon Carter, deceased....viz, one third of one tenth parts of the said land being the full share of said Balaam Carter.

What this implies is that Labon Carter had at least 10 heirs that were either alive in 1844, or had living heirs themselves. Balaam's one third of one tenth means that child predeceased the father, Labon, and left 3 heirs his or herself. Knowing that James Carter was the father of Balaam and that his mother was living until at least 1880, we can now surmise that James Carter was the son of Labon Carter and the missing tenth heir of Labon Carter.

Balaam cements the fact in a 1860 indenture between himself and his uncle, Green Carter, by 'bargain grant and sell the said Green Carter all my right interest & claims in and to all of the claims lands owned by my grandfather Laban Carter. This was witnessed by Tillman Carter, another Uncle, and July A. Howell., who was an unusual choice.

This last one was not registered until 1906.

Since James Carter was alive in May of 1842, and dead before his father in 1844, I can narrow his date of death to that 2 year span.
Assuming 20 year old Susan Carter in the 1860 census was his sister, that leaves one unidentified heir of James Carter.

There are also two interesting relationships in the life of Balaam Carter, besides the ladies in his life, and that is the triangle of himself, Richard Carter and Nancy Cranford.

A case between Richard Carter and Balaam Carter bounced through the courts, first showing up in the Spring of 1864. In 1867, it was referred to Supreme Court and in 1869, it was eventually dismissed and never came to fruition.
This is it's 3 mentions:

Spring Term 1864: Richard Carter vs. Balaam Carter Time until next term to answer

September 1867: Richard Carter vs. Balaam Carter Transfered to Supreme Court

No. 25 Richard Carter vs. Balaam Carter Dismissed (see papers).

That is another document I would love to order from the Archives.

I wonder what that was about. Knowing who Balaam is now, I wondered who Richard was, in relation to him, exactly. It was not difficult to find, although there were several Richards, and several Doctor Richard A. Carter's as well. The first one, at least, must have been named for Dr. Richard Anderson, as it seems he was a popular and well-like physcian. He was known to have made the speech in Albemarle that enticed many a Stanly County boy to join up for the Conferate Army, and several of those to loose their lives. The following is a link to the memoirs of Mrs. Carter-Hoffman, submitted by Jodie Gee, which tells the tale of this event:

Dr. Richard Anderson's Speech

The following is the link to the story of the Freeman-Marks house and how is served as an office to Dr. Anderson and also to a Dr. William Lilly.

Freeman-Marks House office of Dr. Richard Anderson

Dr. Anderson was first mentioned in my post on Martha Jane Rummage, sister-in-law of Balaam Carter. Dr. Anderson owned property adjoining the Rummages, and Martha Jane named one of her sons in honor of him, as did a couple of Carters.

Richard Carter, who was the most likely one involved in the lawsuit, was the one born in 1803, and the son of Henry Carter and Mary Frances Stoker Carter. He also had a son, Richard Jr., who, being born in 1847, would have still been in his teens when the lawsuit ensued, so I feel that it was more apt to have been Richard, the father, than Richard the son.

Henry Carter and Balaam's grandfather, Labon Carter, were brothers, according to the research I've found. I've not looked into this link in depth on my own, but judging from online information and other family trees.
If so, that would have made Richard and James, Balaam's father, first cousins and Balaam and Richard first cousins once removed. Not an extremely close relation in those days, as most neighbors were relatives in some manner.

Nancy Cranford first shows up in an indenture dated March 10, 1866 between herself and Richard Carter and 'the heirs of her body' for 11 1/4 acres adjoining E.B. Nash. This is during the time of the lawsuit between Richard and Balaam. It is also in the years just after the Civil War.

The Cranfords were a Montgomery County, east side of the river family. There were few in Stanly County at that time and none at an earlier date.
Later, an agreement is made between Nancy Cranford and Balaam Carter.
Then in the 1900 census, Nancy Cranford is shown as a boarder in the home of Balaam Simpson, along with his daughter, her husband and baby.

So who was Nancy Cranford? Her presence just seems to add more questions to the equation.

Next I will explore identity of Nancy Cranford, along with that of the other women in Balaam's life.

↧

Love Cranford

May 25, 2014, 8:28 am

≫ Next: The Women in Balaams Life

≪ Previous: The Beginnings: Balaam Absalom Carter.

Name:

Elzora Cranford

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1846

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1850:

Montgomery, North Carolina

Gender:

Female

Family Number:

850

Household Members:

Name	Age
Marvel Cranford	63
Sarah Cranford	50
Mary Cranford	25
Susan Cranford	23
Wilson Cranford	19
Beersheba Cranford	18
Elizabeth Cranford	15
Loveliss Cranford	31
Elzora Cranford	4
William J Cranford	3

↧

The Women in Balaams Life

May 27, 2014, 8:56 am

≫ Next: The Colorful Cranford Ladies

≪ Previous: Love Cranford

There were several women involved in the life of Balaam A. Carter, and I believe I've touched on most of them, however, I wanted to document them and investigate them a little more, somewhat for my own benefit. Sometimes, to lay things down and take a closer look, helps to clear a foggy situation.

The first woman in Balaam's life, was of course, his mother Mary, otherwise seen as Polly, which was a common nickname for Mary, as Mary's abound in 19th century Stanly County.

Balaam and Polly escaped the census taker in 1850, however, they show up in the 1860 census, in the Harris Community. Balaam has married Alley, his first wife and her younger brother is staying with them as well, as their parents died in 1850 and 1858.

ame:

Balem Carter

Age in 1860:

Birth Year:

abt 1832

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1860:

Stanly, North Carolina

Gender:

Male

Post Office:

Albemarle

Value of real estate:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Balem Carter	28
Alley Carter	29
Benjanan Holt	10
Polly Carter	49
Susan Carter	20

Polly is 49, giving her an estimated birth year of 1811. Polly is not listed with Balaam in 1870, although I feel like she was probably still in residence, or either staying with his yet unidentified sibling.

She returns to the household of her son Balaam in the 1880 census, this time being identified as his mother.

Name:

Polly Carter

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1820

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1880:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Female

Relation to Head of House:

Mother

Marital Status:

Widowed

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Neighbors:

Occupation:

At Home

Cannot read/write:

Blind:

Deaf and Dumb:

Otherwise disabled:

Idiotic or insane:

Household Members:

Name	Age
S. A. Carter	51
Tellie Carter	30
Lonna O. Carter	14
Polly Carter	60

By this time, Balaam has remarried to his second wife, Bettie Rummage. The transcriber made several errors on this one, but looking at the original document, "S. A." is clearly "B. A." and "Tellie" is "Bettie". Stepson "Lonna O.", was not given a surname in the census, leading the transcribers to assume his surname was Carter, when in actuality, his surname was Rummage.

There is a mention in the early court records of a Polly Carter being the mother of two young boys who were orphans and bound out, Jackson and Lawson Carter. This Polly is given as being deceased in the 1840's, which our Polly Carter was not, so Jackson and Lawson were not Balaam's brothers.

Mary "Polly" also appears in a land record with her son Balaam:

Balam A Cater to Julius A. Kendall

"This Indenture made this 12th May 1857 between Balaam A. Carter & Mary Carter of the first part and Julius A. Kendall of the second part all of the County of Stanly and State of North Carolina......Balaam A. Carter and Mary Carter hath bargained and sold........unto Julius A Kendall.....for one dollar paid in hand one bay mare one cow three head of hogs and all our growing crop of wheat after the rent is first paid all of our growing crop of corn after the rent is first paid.....to be held in a special trust made payable to Peter E. Foutz for 55 dollars principal....date not recollected...whereon there is a note wherein J. A. Kendall is security and B. A. Cater is principal....also a note date May 12 1857 payable to Julius A Kendall for $18.87 cents....B. A Carter and M. Carter...

And that is all we know about Mary. Her maiden name and parentage is unknown. It can only be assumed that she passed away between the 1880 census and the 1900 census, as she does not show up in that one. Her burial location is also unknown.

The second woman in Balaam's life was his sister Susan.

As seen above, Susan, born about 1840, was living with Balaam in 1860. Unmarried, she passed away the same year, as seen in the mortality schedules, of thyphoid fever.

Surname:	Susan Carter
Year:	1860
County:	Stanly CO.
State:	NC
Age:	20
Gender:	F (Female)
Month of Death:	Jul
State of Birth:	NC
ID#:	293_1019
Occupation:	NONE LISTED
Cause of Death:	TYPHOID FEV

The third woman in Balaam's life was his first wife, Alvina "Allie" Holt Carter. Allie's name is seen alternately as Alvina, Almena, Elvina or Alley, in census and land records. In the 1850 census, at the correct age, she is even seen as "Emmaline", but Emmaline, born in 1837, would have to be Alvina, in the realm of the daughters of Allen Holt.

Name:

Emaline Holt

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1833

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1850:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Gender:

Female

Family Number:

828

Household Members:

Name	Age
Allen Holt	38
Phebe Holt	35
Emaline Holt	17
Robert Holt	15
James Holt	10
Nancy Holt	8
Eliza Holt	6
Sarah Holt	4
Benjamin Holt	0

By 1860, Balaam and Alley were married and her parents had passed away. Her younger brother Benjamin was living with them. Holt researchers give the date of Balaam and Alley's marriage as 1854. Allen's estate was settled in 1850 and Phoebes in 1858.

Alley shows up in a variety of land records with her husband Balaam.

An interesting land record involving Balaam is one dated March 10, 1875 involving a mortgage between Jerry Snuggs and Balaam A Carter, wherein "Jerry Snuggs, colored am justly indebited to Balaam A Carter". Mr. Snuggs mortgaged his crops of corn and cotton to Balaam for a loan and T. A. Simpson, who seems to have been a good friend of Balaam, witnesses transactions with him, etc. So was John B. Simpson, who did the same.

Looking at the 1870 Stanly County census, to see who Jerry Snuggs was, and if he lived near B. A. Carter,
I found this record:

Name:

Jerre Snuggs

Age in 1870:

Birth Year:

abt 1834

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1870:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

Black

Gender:

Male

Post Office:

Albemarle

Value of real estate:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Jerre Snuggs	36
Jemima Snuggs	30
Charles Snuggs	15

And while the Snuggs family were not counted that near B. A. Carter, it was interesting to see who their neighbors actually were. They lived near Nancy Cranford, her daughter Elizabeth and Mary Rummage, who come into play later on. And also the older Margarite Rummage, living with her sister Elizabeth Rummage and neice Elizabeth Rummage. All characters whom I will touch on later in this post or in this series of posts.

In 1880, Mr. Snuggs and wife Jemima are living with a grandson and near Martha Rummage, of whom the post: The Bird in the Branches was concerning.

Name:

Jerre Snuggs

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1828

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1880:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

Black

Gender:

Male

Relation to Head of House:

Self (Head)

Marital Status:

Married

Spouse's Name:

Mima Snuggs

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Neighbors:

Occupation:

Farming

Cannot read/write:

Blind:

Deaf and Dumb:

Otherwise disabled:

Idiotic or insane:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Jerre Snuggs	52
Mima Snuggs	44
W. H. Kendow	10

On April 5, 1870 Balaam Carter and wife 'Elvina' mortgaged property on Jacob's Creek adjoining John Kelley and others, to Daniel Freeman, a storekeeper and businessman. The second time Alley's name is shown in the document, it is as "Balaam Carter and wife Alvina" and it the postscript of the document, wherein she is interviewed separately from her husband to assure she has not been coerced into selling property that she is not willing to, her name is shown as "Alvainia". This mortgage was satisfied in full on January 15, 1885.

In 1875, she is shown as "Alvina" in a mortgage from Balaam to James M. Redwine for $10, 'these articles of personal property," including a 2-horse wagon, a 10 year old mare, and a blind. (Or it could have read that the mare was blind).

On January 9, 1875 another record of a transaction between Balaam Carter and wife Alvina Carter and John A. Lilly, on the waters of Jacobs Creek, adjoining the lands of George Rummage, deceased, Carolina Frye and others.

Looking at the 1870 Stanly County census, I did see the family of a household led by a female, Sarah Rummage, living nearby, and also the following Fry family:

Name:

J C Fry

Age in 1870:

Birth Year:

abt 1823

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1870:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Male

Post Office:

Albemarle

Value of real estate:

Household Members:

Name	Age
J C Fry	47
Angeline Fry	30
Postell Fry	9
Julia Fry	6
Evan Fry	4
Martha Fry	2

Also in 1875 was a transaction between B. A. Carter to "Mauney & Company" on January 26th. In it "B. A. Carter and wife 'Aviry' Carter" are indebited to E. A. Forrest, Ephraim Mauney and son, and Mauney Trading Company for $30.00. Later in the document is named "B. A. Carter and wife Alley" and later when Alley is examined separatley, she is again referred to as Alley Carter."

Alley died sometime before the November, 1879 marriage of B. A. Carter to Bettie Rummage.

In the book "These Hallowed Grounds"published by the Stanly County Genealogical Society in 2012, under the heading of The Isaac Mabry Cemetery, it is mentioned that Richard Ingold, owner of the property the cemetery is on, remembers a stone for Alley Carter being there. It makes sense as the cemetery is in an accurate location and there was involvent between B. A. Carter and the Mabry family.

Alley showed up in 2 censuses with Balaam. They were married roughly 20 years, with no children.

Name:

Balem Carter

Age in 1860:

Birth Year:

abt 1832

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1860:

Stanly, North Carolina

Gender:

Male

Post Office:

Albemarle

Value of real estate:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Balem Carter	28
Alley Carter	29
Benjanan Holt	10
Polly Carter	49
Susan Carter	20

1860, with her younger brother, Ben Holt, mother-in-law Polly and sister-in-law Susan. And then, alone with Balaam in 1870.

Name:

B A Carter

Age in 1870:

Birth Year:

abt 1832

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1870:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Male

Post Office:

Albemarle

Value of real estate:

Household Members:

Name	Age
B A Carter	38
Almena Carter	50

The "50" is a typo. It looks more like 30 or even, 38.

The next woman in Balaam's life was Catherine Simpson Mabry. "Kate", as she was known, was the daughter of Isaac and Lucy Simpson.

Name:

Catherine Simpson

Age in 1860:

Birth Year:

abt 1843

Home in 1860:

Stanly, North Carolina

Gender:

Female

Post Office:

Albemarle

Value of real estate:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Isaac Simpson	47
Lucy Simpson	47
Thomas Simpson	19
Catherine Simpson	17
Margaret Simpson	15
Nathan Simpson	13
John W Simpson	9
Mary J Simpson	1

Name:

Catharine Simpson

Age in 1870:

Birth Year:

abt 1847

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1870:

Center, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Female

Post Office:

Albemarle

Value of real estate:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Lucy Simpson	40
Catharine Simpson	23
Margaret Simpson	21
Nathaniel Simpson	20
John Simpson	18
Mary J Simpson	12

On November 15, 1878, she became the mother of Balaam A. Carter's only child, Ann Eliza Carter.

Catherine and Balaam were not married. Apparently, at some point, Catherine married a Mabry. It may have been to Frank Mabry. There were at least 3 Frank Mabry's in the area at the time. Perhaps Mr. Mabry thought the child was his. At any rate, the following bastardy bond was filed with Catherine naming Balaam as the father. T. A. Simpson, again signed in for his friend and another document this same year ordering Balaam to court to answer for this was signed and co-bonded with John B. Simpson. Notice that Catherine's name was written as Simpson, then a line was made through it and Mabry written above it. She may have been a recent bride.

I have not been able to locate Cartherine Simpson Mabery or her daughter in the 1880 census. On Ann Eliza's marriage license to John F. Russell, however, she lists her father as B. A. Carter and her mother as Kate Simpson.

Name:	John F. Russell
Birth Date:	1875
Birthplace:
Age:	22
Spouse's Name:	Ann Eliza Carter
Spouse's Birth Date:	1877
Spouse's Birthplace:
Spouse's Age:	20
Event Date:	08 Nov 1897
Event Place:	Center, Stanly, North Carolina
Father's Name:	William I. Russell
Mother's Name:	Mary J. Russell
Spouse's Father's Name:	B.A. Carter
Spouse's Mother's Name:	Kate Simpson

The fifth woman in Balaam Carter's life was his second wife, Elizabeth "Bettie" Rummage.

They were married on November 3, 1879, just a year or so after his daughter with Kate Simpson was born.
They show up together in the 1880 census, along with Bettie's son Lonnie O. Rummage, shown incorrectly as a Carter. It is unknown where Balaam' s daughter was living at the time or Kate Simpson Mabry.

Elizabeth, also known as Bettie, is shown with Balaam in the 1880 census, along with his mother, Polly and Bettie's son Lonnie.
Either Polly was living with him in the 1870 census, and they missed counting her, or she was living with another of
her children.

Name:

S. A. Carter

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1829

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1880:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Male

Relation to Head of House:

Self (Head)

Marital Status:

Married

Spouse's Name:

Tellie Carter

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's name:

Polly Carter

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Neighbors:

Occupation:

Farmer

Cannot read/write:

Blind:

Deaf and Dumb:

Otherwise disabled:

Idiotic or insane:

Household Members:

Name	Age
S. A. Carter	51
Tellie Carter	30
Lonna O. Carter	14
Polly Carter	60

There were several land transactions involving Balaam and Bettie, although the last of them seem to indicate that
they were separated and Bettie went back to using her maiden name, Rummage. She is buried at Anderson Grove Baptist Church
in Albemare, North Carolina, however, under the name Bettie Carter. This was covered in my post:
Balaam and Bettie

Name:

Balaam A Carter
[Balaam Carter]

Age:

Birth Date:

May 1832

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1900:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Male

Relation to Head of House:

Head

Marital Status:

Widowed

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Occupation:

Neighbors:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Balaam A Carter	68
John F Russell	22
Anna L Russell	22
Geo C Russell	4/12
Nancy Crawford	65

This would be the last census record that Balaam appears in, although he lived until 1910.
In it, he is shown as the head of household, with his son-in-law, John F Russell, daughter Anna and 4 month old
grandson George C. Russell living with him.

The sixth woman in Balaam's life was his daughter Anna Eliza and I've already touched on the documents in which she appears.
First, there is the bastardy bond between Catherine Simpson Mabry and Balaam in the year she is born, her marriage license
to John F. Russell, and the 1900 census.
John Frank Russell and two of his young sons, John Frank Russell, Jr. and William Allen Russell are buried in the old Laton Cemetery.

Tombstone of John Frank Russell.

The cemetery is located off of Stony Gap Road south of Albemarle. It's not too far from the area where Marcus P. Carter lived.

The last two women in Balaam Carter's life of note are both a bit of a mystery. One is his 'step' daughter-in-law, Mary Ann Talbert (Tolbert) Rummage.
She was the first wife of Lonnie O. Rummage, son of his second wife , Bettie. According to
several Family Trees on Ancestry.com, Molly or Mary was married to Balaam A. Carter prior to marrying Lonnie O Rummage. I have not
found any information to substantiate or to disprove this information. Molly deserves a post of her own.

And with that, so does the last lady in Balaam's life, Nancy Cranford. Miss Cranford is seen living with the family in Balaam's last census, the one of 1900. She is involved in
two land records involving Carters, buying land from Richard Carter in March of 1866 given to her and "the heirs of her body".
And then again in 1898, when she sells her property to Balaam Carter for "$25 and support for the remainder of my life."

Nancy Cranford and her family definately deserved a closer look. The mother of Bettie Rummage, Balaam's second wife, was a Cranford,
Bedie Fanny Cranford Rummage. Could there have been a connection or relation? And what about the lawsuit previously mentioned between Balaam and Richard?
What was that all about? Waiting on information from the state archives to arrive. I hope it answers more questions than it creates.

↧

The Colorful Cranford Ladies

June 7, 2014, 5:53 am

≫ Next: Milestones

≪ Previous: The Women in Balaams Life

I wondered about the relationship between Balaam A Carter and Nancy Cranford from the time I saw her residing as a boarder in his home in 1900. The boarder arrangement wasn't an unusual one, but after seeking to find out who Nancy Cranford was, she became a lady cloaked in mystery. Not only Nancy, but also her mother Millie and her daughter Elizabeth.

Nancy Cranford may have been born in Montgomery County, North Carolina. It was a center for local Cranfords and more of the family resided there than in Stanly, although I've been able to determine that several of them seemed to move around quite freely and frequently between Randolph, Davidson, Montgomery and Stanly Counties. She first show up in Stanly County in the above deed. On March 10, 1866, Nancy Cranford for twenty-two dollars and 50 cents, purchases 11 1/4 acres of land neighboring that of E. B. Nash from Richard Carter.

The strange part of this deed is the way it is worded "Between Richard Carter of the County of Stanly and State of North Carolina of the one part and Nancy Cranford and the heirs of her body of the County of Stanly and State of North Carolina of the second part." The wording "and the heirs of her body", is used twice in this document. Nothing is worded in that way concerning Richard Carter. It seems to imply that he is selling the land to settle a debt to Nancy and her children. And as I can tell, she only had one child, Elizabeth.

This is the second census that Nancy shows up in, in Stanly County:

Name:

Nancy Cranford

Age in 1870:

Birth Year:

abt 1820

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1870:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Female

Post Office:

Albemarle

Value of real estate:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Nancy Cranford	50
Elizabeth Cranford	27
Jefferson Cranford	8
Mary Rummage	25
Cornelius Rummage	8/12

From later census records, I know that 27 year old Elizabeth Cranford is her daughter. Mary Rummage, a boarder deserves a post of her own and the infant Cornelius can only be assumed to be the child of Mary Rummage. As seen in earlier posts, the Rummage family had some involvement with the Carters.

The key in this record is the presence of 8 year old Jefferson Cranford. Now, this could have been a different Jefferson Cranford who never grew up. However, an identical Jefferson Cranford is enumerated in Stanly County in 1870.

Name:

Jefferson Cranford

Age in 1870:

Birth Year:

abt 1861

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1870:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Male

Post Office:

Albemarle

Value of real estate:

Household Members:

Name	Age
W G Cranford	50
David Cranford	16
Elizabeth Cranford	14
Adolphus Cranford	11
Jefferson Cranford	9
Lee Cranford	5
James Cranford	40

This Jefferson was Jefferson Beauregard Cranford, son of Willis G. Cranford. I have seen during research in other lines, on many different occasions, that people were sometimes enumerated several times, and often in a different location. Unlike modern censuses, wherein the enumerators are to determined who lived in a particular house on a particular day, in censuses past, they counted the persons who were there on that day. I have seen young men counted at home with their parents, and then two months or two weeks later, be counted as a laborer in the home of a farmer whom they were working for at the time. I've seen a young woman counted in her parents home, while obviously visiting, under her maiden name and then also be counted on a different with her husband, whom she had married a year or so prior, and had already bore a child.

I believe this was the case of Jefferson B. Cranford, that there was only one. He was first counted while visiting relatives while still 8 years old, then sometime later in the year, after he had turned 9, the census takers showed up at the home of his parents. This link between Jefferson and the Cranford ladies leads me to suspect a close relation between Willis G. Cranford and Milly and Nancy Cranford.

No proof, but a possibility.

The third census Nancy shows up in is still in Stanly County:

Name:

Nancy Cranford

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1824

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1880:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Female

Relation to Head of House:

Self (Head)

Marital Status:

Widowed

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's name:

Milley Cranford

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Neighbors:

Occupation:

Keeping House

Cannot read/write:

Blind:

Deaf and Dumb:

Otherwise disabled:

Idiotic or insane:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Nancy Cranford	56
Lizzie Cranford	35
Milley Cranford	90

This is the one that names Lizzie as her daughter and Milly as her mother. Neighbors in this census are John Russell, shoemaker, his wife Sallie (who was Sarah "Sallie" Carter, daughter of Marcus Princeton Carter) and John's mother, Tempie Russell, all of whom I've covered in previous posts. John was the son of James R. Melton, Albemarle businessman, whom I will cover more when I delve back into my research of the Meltons, who were a very complicated family.

After the Russells' was Winny Poplin, who was Winny Simpson Poplin, who I covered in my posts on the Simpson's to which I will soon be returning. She was a widow at this point.

Then there are the Cranford ladies, after that a farmer, Joseph Wall's family, then Susan Hill, then A. D. Potts, a miner from Mississippi, and after that, the family of F. J Kron, a physcian from France, of whom I've made mention in several past posts. There are no living descendants of Dr. Kron, however, he left indelible marks on the community and his written insights give a great deal of cherished information on early Stanly County.

This also gives us an idea of where the Cranford ladies resided. It was most likely along the market road to Lowder's Ferry and the old town of Tindallsville, that by that time had already been abandoned for the most part.

Notice that Milly was missing in the 1870 census from Nancy and her household. Instead, she was to be found in this household:

ame:

Milly Crawford

Age in 1870:

Birth Year:

abt 1790

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1870:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Female

Post Office:

Albemarle

Value of real estate:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Ben Maulden	35
Ann Maulden	33
Frances Maulden	3
Hettie Maulden	2
Milly Crawford	80

Ben Mauldin was the son of James O Mauldin and Mary Ann Smith Mauldin. I see no possible relationship there. His wife Ann was the former Margaret Ann Rummage, daughter of Nelson Rummage and Christine Cranford Rummage. There is the Rummage connection again, along with another Cranford.

Millie also appears in the 1830 census of Montgomery County.

Name:	Milly Cranford [Milly Crawford]
Home in 1830 (City, County, State):	East of Pee Dee and Yadkin River, Montgomery, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - Under 5:	1
Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9:	1
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5:	1
Free White Persons - Females - 40 thru 49:	1
Free White Persons - Under 20:	3
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:	1
Total Free White Persons:	4

She is head of a household with 3 children, a girl born between 1825 and 1830, a boy born between 1825 and 1830, and a boy born between 1820 and 1824.

Nancy Cranford, her known daughter, was born between 1820 and 1835, depending on which census you are looking at. Women often lied about their ages, especially when in Nancy's situation.

So, who were her sons?

There appears in Montgomery County, this gentleman:

Name:

Leonard Cranford

Age:

Birth Year:

abt 1826

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1850:

Montgomery, North Carolina

Gender:

Male

Family Number:

375

Household Members:

Name	Age
A H Sanders	47
Rebecca Sanders	36
Jessee A Sanders	18
Martha Jane Sanders	16
R F Sanders	5
Aaron T Sanders	3
Cerona D Sanders	1
Leonard Cranford	24
Tillman Whillington	12
Wiley Hudson	21

Leonard Cranford, living with a Sanders family. Also of interest is Wiley Hudson.

He ends up marrying a Mary J Russell and in 1910 is living in this family setting:

Name:

Leonard Cranford

Age in 1910:

Birth Year:

abt 1827

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1910:

El Dorado, Montgomery, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Male

Relation to Head of House:

Hired Man

Marital Status:

Single

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Neighbors:

Household Members:

Name	Age
Nelson Russell	70
Della Russell	59
James Kelly	23
Leonard Cranford	83
Nancy Woodell	64
Amy Saunders	60

Name:	Leanord Cranford
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Birth Date:	14 Feb 1918
Birth Place:	Montgomery
Death Date:	9 Feb 1915
Death Location:	Eldorado, Montgomery
Father's Name:	Leanord Chanfordy
Mother's name:	Millie Saunders

Leonard Cranford, son of Leonard Cranford and Millie Saunders. Could this be the same Millie and would he be Nancy Cranford's brother?

And then this deed from 1898, wherein Nancy sells her property to Balaam Carter for $25 and support for the rest of her life. What is her connection to the Carters? And was her acquaintance with Balaam more than just one of knowing him or neighbors? Was there a family connection? Could Balaam's mother Mary have been a Cranford or a Saunders?

Or was the relationship due to his marriage to Elizabeth "Bettie" Rummage? Bettie's mother was Beadie Fanny Cranford who married David Rummage. She was the daughter of Nathan Christopher "Kid" Cranford and Sarah Elizabeth "Sacky" Coggins Cranford. Kid Cranford's parents are recorded as being a Leonard Cranford and wife Mary Hopkins Cranford. There has to be a connection, but what?

And then Nancy's last census is the one in which she appears in the household with Balaam, his daughter, son-in-law and grandson.

Name:

Nancy Crawford
[Nancy Cranford]

Age:

Birth Date:

Feb 1835

Birthplace:

North Carolina

Home in 1900:

Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina

Race:

White

Gender:

Female

Relation to Head of House:

Boarder

Marital Status:

Single

Father's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Mother's Birthplace:

North Carolina

Occupation:

Neighbors: