Sands of Time--The Phelps Family and their Kin in Orange, Caswell, Person, Alamance Co NC

The Family of Reuben Phelps d. 1837

2011-06-18T09:15:00.000-04:00

The Family of Reuben Phelps, Son of James Phelps of Caswell County N.C.

By: Latham Mark Phelps 2006

Based on documents acquired at Halifax, Virginia Courthouse 12-29-2005, and years of prior research on the Phelps family. I would like to thank my father, Wilford Latham Phelps, who accompanied me on this research trip and has been a tenacious and tireless partner when it comes to family history. My thanks to my 4th cousin, Doug Phelps of New Bern, N.C., for providing the first clue as to Records identifying Reuben and his son Isham Phelps in Halifax County, Va. We had tried for years to place Isham Phelps in our Phelps family, as had other researchers and thanks to Doug's clue we now have many of the answers.

Reuben Phelps was a named Son in the Will of James Phelps in 1785. James Phelps was the progenitor of the Phelps family in Caswell and Person Counties, N.C. James and his wife Mary (last name unknown, Bateman has been used by many researchers but we have no documentation for this) had the following children:

William - m.- Jane Warrin (Warren) --Jan. 6th, 1786 Bondsman: Shadrack Hudson

Reuben - m.- unknown

Thomas - m.- Mary Pass --- Dec. 17th, 1791, Bondsman:-Jessie Moore

Larkin - m.- Anna Dye --- Aug. 19th, 1796 Bondsman: Willis Buckingham Smith

Obediah -m - Peggy Dye -- Dec. 28th, 1796 Bondsman: James Randal

Ambrose -m.- Sally Dye --- Aug. 19th, 1796 Bondsman: Larking Phelps

Lucy - m.- Willis Buckingham Smith --Nov. 11th, 1794

Betty - m. – unknown

Patty - m. – unknown

All the above marriages occurred in Caswell County, North Carolina.

Before we begin the story of Reuben Phelps, I feel it necessary to provide some history of the Phelps Family and their neighbors in late 1700's Caswell County.

James Phelps' first recorded appearance in NC was his land entry in 1778: " Land entry #781. James Phelps enters 320 acres of land joining the line of Ann Smith of the Virginia line of the north side of Mill Creek including his improvement. 20th Nov 1778" It was entered by James and Nathaniel Pass (NC Archive Land Entry Book CR020.404.1) --- James Phelps received a Land Grant from the State of North Carolina in 1779 ( the survey was conducted in 1778) for 292 acres, signed by Governor Richard Caswell, for whom Caswell County is named. This property was located on the "waters of Country Line Creek" and adjacent the "Provence Line of Virginia" and Nathaniel Pass' line and Anne Smith's line”. Nathaniel Pass was the father of Mary Pass, who married James Phelps son Thomas (my direct ancestor). Anne Smith was either the mother or grandmother of Willis Buckingham Smith, who married James Phelps daughter Lucy. James Phelps formed a rectangle that was 45 Chains wide and 65 chains long or 2970 feet wide by 4290 feet long. One chain equals 66 feet and each chain contains 100 links. A measurement of 80 chains would equal one mile.

James Phelps Caswell County 1779
Page 404
State of North Carolina No. 277
Know ye that for and in consideration of the sum of fifty shillings for every hundred acres hereby granted paid into our Treasury by James Phelps have given and granted & by these presents do give and grant unto the said James Phelps his heirs and assigns forever a tract of land containing two hundred and ninety two acres lying and being in the County of Caswell. On the waters of Country Line Creek beginning at a white oak on the Provence Line of Virginia, thence south sixty five chains to a red oak on Nathaniel Pass's line, thence his line west forty five chains to a red oak on Ann Smith's line, thence her line north sixty five chains to a pine on the Provence line, thence the Provence line east forty five chains to the first station. As by the plat here unto annsaid doth appear with all the Woods, Waters, Mines, Minerals, hereditaments and appurtenances to the said land belonging or ascertaining. To hold by the said James Phelps, his heirs and assigns forever. Yielding and Paying to us such sum of money yearly To all that these presents shall come greeting:
or otherwise as our General Assembly from time to time may direct. Provised always that the Said James Felps shall cause this Grant to be registered in the Register's Office of our said County of Caswell within twelve months from the said date hereof, otherwise the same shall be void and of no affect. In Testimony hereof we have caused our Grant Seal to be hereby affixed. Witnesses, Richard Caswell Esquire and Governor, Captain General & Commander in Chief at Kingston the Twentyeth day of December in the fourth year of Our Independence & in the year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy Nine.

By His Excellency's Com. R.C. Caswell
J.R. Franck Sec.

Transcribed by: Latham Mark Phelps 2003

James Phelps Land was on the East side of the Country Line Creek in Caswell County just across the Creek from the future Town of Milton, N.C. His property was bordered on the West by the lands of Anne Smith, on the East, by Shadrack Hudson, on the South by Nathaniel Pass Sr. and on the North by the Virginia Line. To the East of Shadrack Hudson were the lands of John Warren, whose daughter Jane married James Phelps' son William. James's son Thomas, married Nathaniel Pass Sr.'s daughter Mary and James Phelps' daughter Lucy married Willis Buckingham Smith, the son or grandson of Anne Smith. Anne Smith acquired her property in the year 1760 from "the Right Honourable John, Earl of Granville by deed bearing date the second day of August in the year of our Lord, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty & registered in the Registers Office in Caswell County aforesaid in Book E Page( blank)”. This passage is from a Deed from James and Anne Reiley (Anne Smith's daughter and son-in-law) of Caswell County, N.C. to William Thomas Sr. of Pittsylvania County, Va., in 1779 (Caswell Co. Deed Book A--Page 115). Ironically, This Deed was witnessed by my 6th Great-Grandfather Andrew Haddock, as well as by Charles and John Boulton. This property consisted of 50 acres "Beginning at Benjamin Merritt's corner White Oak on the Virginia Line, and on the West side Country Line Creek".

William Thomas Sr. of Pittsylvania County, Va. had a son, Asa Thomas who is widely credited as being the Father of Milton, N.C. Quoted from The Caswell County Historical Association's (CCHA) website. " The town of Milton in northeast Caswell County was incorporated in 1796 as a center for warehousing and inspecting tobacco and flour. It was a natural site with a fine location on the Dan River. The property of Asa Thomas was selected. Because the new town was to have been located near the mill owned by Asa Thomas, it naturally was named Milltown or Milton." This mill was originally built by Benjamin Merrit and later sold to Anne Smith. If Asa Thomas was the Father of Milton, N.C., Then Anne Smith was the Grandmother of the town of Milton as it is situated on the land previously owned by her.

CCHA"S Newsletter VOL.XXVI, Number 2 Pg. 2 April 2003 states: " Mrs. Anne Smith, had written her will Sept. 17, 1783 and grandson AMASA SMITH who had been named an executor failed to bring it into Court until January Court 1792. The CCHA was not aware in 1985 when we published the first HERITAGE that Mrs. Smith was also the grandmother of the town of Milton., founded in 1796, oldest in the County. While investigating the 200th anniversary, we discovered that Milton began with the sale of a mill on Country-Line Creek where the Dan River flows by and separates Caswell from Pittsylvania and Halifax Counties over the line in Virginia. Benjamin Merritt, whose descendants in Person County (cut off from Caswell in 1792) reported in the HERITAGE OF PERSON COUNTY I. "He came down from New York" and secured a Granville Grant of many acres on both sides of the Dan River in two colonies. Benjamin built a mill, which he sold to Mrs. Anne Smith ca.1757 with acreage over 50 in the tract, more than enough to start a flourishing frontier town. From Mrs. Smith's will we gather that in addition to the wheat and corn-grinding and rough-sawn lumber production, she also had a grog-shop. This hostess with the mostest had several daughters whom she remembered fondly and a son Willis Buckingham. We do not know if she remembered that her daughter Anne and husband James Reiley had sold her mill to William Thomas, Sr. in 1779. It was listed by one of the Thomas sons in the 1784 Census. She mentioned that she had two mills and two plantations, so we find grandson MACE STOKES, alias Mason Smith, alias Mase/Massie and several other variations, presiding over a cluster of interesting pioneers about whom we have had too little information. Due to the fact that family members were separated into Person County, their records must be searched in both Caswell, Person and Orange in North Carolina and maybe their descendants can report with the Merritts that they have at last found his home tract (in Halifax County, Va., not too far from Milton). A few stray facts about the cluster could. begin with the PASS family who lived near Milton. Over in Person County, a Merritt descendant owns an old Pass house with a Thomas Day mantelpiece. Milton is famed for its antique commercial row today and for the fact that it was the location of Thomas Day of the famed free-black family of cabinet-makers who came to Milton from Warrenton ca.1824 and started a business, which remains unique in our state's history. Fortunately, the Day residence and shop are being restored by donations and grants."

In 1791 William Thomas Sr. of Pittsylvania County, Va., (Caswell Co.-- Deed Book G--Page 17) sold to his Sons, Phillip Thomas of the County of Caswell and State of N.C. and Asa Thomas of the County of Pittsylvania and State of Virginia, "in consideration of the natural love and affection, which he hath and beareth unto the said Phillip and Asa Thomas, his Sons." The Deed further states "unto the said Phillip and Asa Thomas, one Mill and Millseat on Country Line Creek in Caswell County---which are to be equal Shares of and Partakers in the said Mill---Peaceably and Quietly have, hold and enjoy the said Mill and tenements except the Grinding of my Grain for my own Family use. Toll free during my life and the life of Joyce Thomas, my wife." This Mill was of historical significance to this area of Caswell County and the Town of Milton as it provided a necessary service to the early settlers of Caswell County. Settlers needed Grist Mills to turn their crops into food to feed their families and slaves. It became the nucleous and hub of activity that led to the founding of Milton in 1796. I'm sure the Phelps family and their neighbors brought numerous loads of grain, wheat and corn, to be turned into meal and flour to sustain their families and the survival of future generations of these families to carry their legacies into the future.

Three of James Phelps sons, Larking, Obediah and Ambrose, went to Pulaski County, Kentucky ca.1806. We know much about these three as; they have been researched by their Kentucky descendants. There were many families from Caswell and other counties in N.C. that migrated to the "frontier" lands of Kentucky and Tennessee during this time. Along with the three Phelps brothers there were members of the Dye, Earp, Wesley, and Randolph families that made the arduous trip to Kentucky together. In 1800 there were only two states west of the Appalachians — Kentucky and Tennessee. After several treaties with the Indian tribes, the Federal Government were ready to welcome mass settlement in these Western States. In 1786 My 6th Great-Grandfather, Andrew Haddock of Caswell Co. was given a Land Grant from the State of N.C. in "our County of Davidson" for his service in the Revolutionary War. The County of Davidson at this time stretched from the Piedmont of N.C. to the Mississippi River as Tennessee was not a State until 1796. Kentucky was a Territory of Virginia until becoming a State in 1792.

James' eldest son William, who was named Executor of James' Will, remained in N.C. and died in 1824.William Phelps obituary appeared in the 1824 Raleigh Register and stated that he was a Veteran of the Revolutionary War. James' son Thomas (my 3rd Great-grandfather) remained in Caswell County until moving to neighboring Person County around 1826, where he died in 1849. I will write the story of Thomas Phelps at a later date.

Last Will and Testament of James Phelps
March 5th 1785- Will Book B Page 155
Caswell County, North Carolina

In the Name of God Amen I James Phelps of Caswell County Province of North Carolina being Weak of body but of Perfect Sense and Memory do make and Declare this my last will and Testament in Manner and form following

First I Recommend my Soul to Almighty God Who gave it me, hoping to receive it again at the Last day in a Joyfull Resurrection. My body to be Buried in a Christian like Manner as for What Worldly Estate it has Pleased God to Bless me with after my Funeral Expenses & Just debts are paid I order and dispose of the following manner,

1st-- I Give and bequeath to my Son William Fifty Pounds Currant money to be paid out of my Estate.

2nd-- I lend the Remainder Part of my Estate With my land to my Beloved wife Mary During her natural Life or Widowhood She raising my children out of it as I have heretofore done.

3rd-- I Give and Bequeath after my Wifes decease to my Youngest Son Ambrose that part of my Land Lying on the North side of the Branch being the part whereon I now live.

4th-- I Give and bequeath to my Next youngest son Obadiah the other part of my land to him and his heirs only my mother to have her Lifetime thereon if She Chooses.

5thly-- The Remainder Part of my Estate after my Wifes decease I Give to be Equally divided Among the Rest of my children to wit Reubin, Thomas, Larkin, Lucy, Betty, and Patty. If my Wife should marry then to be Equally divided among my Six Children Reubin, Thomas, Larkin, Lucy, Betty and Patty and my Wife.

6thly-- My Will and desire is that if Either of my Eight youngest children should die Without Lawfull Issue that their part be Equally divided amongst the Survivors
of them.

7thly-- And lastly I appoint my beloved Wife Mary my Executrix and my Son William my Executor to this my last Will and Testament. In witness Whereof I have hereunto Set my hand and Seal this fifth of March 1785

{ Seal}

Signed Sealed & Delivered in the presence of }
Shadrack Hudson, Wm Cromwell, James Williamson

Caswell County October Court 1788
This Will is was duly proved in open Court by the Oaths of Shadrack Hudson, John Phelps, William Cromwell and in the manner as entered of Record upon the
Minutes of this Term and Ordered that the said Will be admitted to Record.
Test AE Murphy Clk.
Executors gratified

WILL TRANSCRIBED BY: Latham Mark Phelps -- March 2004

Rueben Phelps, Son of, James Phelps and Mary (Unknown), resided in Caswell County, N.C. in the late 1700's. He is listed in the 1st Federal Census in 1790 along with his mother Mary and his brother Thomas. They are listed in the Richmond District of Caswell County, which is located at the northeast corner of Caswell. The Richmond District is bordered by Virginia to the North and the future Person County line to the East. This District also includes the future Town of Milton. His father James had died about five years earlier, so Mary his mother was now head of household. Reuben and his brother Thomas were old enough to be listed in the Census, but perhaps not the younger children. His Brother William was Listed in The St. Lawrence District which was just across the soon to be Person County line. William had already been deeded property by his father-in-law John Warren in 1787. His brother Thomas would marry the very next year to Mary Pass, a daughter of Nathaniel Pass, whose property adjoined the James Phelps tract.

On September 23rd, 1797, his brother Thomas Phelps of Caswell County, N.C., purchased 100 acres of land in Halifax County, Va. from John Connally of Halifax County, Va. (Deed Book 17--Pages--524, 525). This property adjoined the properties of George Connally, William Wesley, William Taylor Sr. and Septimus Taylor and the said Thomas Phelps. This Deed was witnessed by, Benjamin Snead, Nathaniel Pass (Thomas Phelps Father-in-Law) and Septimus Taylor. Many of these family names also appear in Caswell County Records in the Milton area, Richmond District of Caswell County.

On January 22nd, 1803, Thomas Phelps of Caswell County, N.C. sold to Reuben Phelps of Halifax County, Va., 100 acres of land in Halifax County, Va. (Deed Book 19--Page 435). This property adjoined the properties of Robert Lewis, Sarah Wesley, William Taylor Jr. and Elizabeth Taylor. There were no signed witnesses on this deed except for John Wimbish-Clerk of Halifax Co. Although the Deed states that Reuben Phelps is "of Halifax County Va.", this is the first land purchase recorded for Reuben in Halifax County Records. My assumption is that Reuben was probably living with his wife's family or relatives in Halifax until he made this purchase. His wife remains unknown at this time, she had died at the time of his Will in 1837 as he did not mention his wife in said Will. He clearly had children at this point as his son Isham, who we know from Census Records--Caswell County 1850--Isham is shown as 60 years old which would put his birth around 1790. A wife whose family was in Halifax County, Va. would make clear sense as anyone who has researched the area knows that the only thing separating Milton, N.C. and the Halifax County, Va. Line is the Dan River. Our families sometime held properties that were in Caswell Co. and Halifax Co. if the property encompassed both sides of the border. The property line was a little hazy in those days and people paid taxes in N.C. and Va. during these time periods.

On October 20th, 1813, Sarah Wesley, Shadrach Dye and Alinor his wife, William Williams and Elizabeth his wife, Sarah Wesley Jun. and Kitturah Wesley, sold 42 acres of land to Reuben Phelps of Halifax Co., Va. (Deed Book 25--Pages 227,228). This property adjoined the properties of Robert Lewis, Rueben Phelps, Shadrach Taylor, Richals Line formerly Lewis's Line. This Deed is witnessed by:Shadrach Taylor, William Taylor, Alexander Kent and Isham Phelps (Son of Rueben Phelps) The Deed is signed by Sarah Wesley, Shadrach Dye, William Williamson, (spelled Williams in Body of Deed), Elizabeth Williamson, Sarah Wesley Jr. and Kitturah Wesley. All the signers made their marks on the deed, which may explain the misspellings as Wesley is spelled Westley in some places and Williams as Williamson etc. The Wesley's and Dye's families were part of a migration to Pulaski County, Ky. which included three brothers of Rueben Phelps, namely Obediah, Larkin, and Ambrose Phelps who all married Dye sisters in Caswell Co, N.C. in the late 1700's. Again more families associated with both Caswell and Halifax..

On March 30th, 1821 in Person County, N.C., (adjacent to Halifax County Va.) Reuben Phelps is listed as a buyer at at the Estate Sale of James Hamblett. Just above Rueben Phelps' name you will see Martin Phelps. They are listed under the section of "Sums under $5.00" This Martin Phelps has always been a mystery to me which has now been cleared up. In fact he was a Son of Reuben Phelps, which I will cover in greater detail later. Note the other family names that appear at this sale. Again appear Caswell and Halifax families--Hamblett, Stanfield, Oliver, Connally, Williams and Phelps.

To view the Post of this Estate, Copy & Paste the below URL into your browser to go to the list of the sale
http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/nc/person/wills/hamlet03.txt

Reuben Phelps named five children in his Will, Isham, Delpha, Sarah, Martha and Rachel. He in fact had at least six children. Another Son, Martin Phelps died in 1825, twelve years before Reuben made his Will in 1837. Martin Phelps brother Isham Phelps was the executor of the Estate of Martin Phelps as their was no Will to be found in Halifax County Records, yet luckily there was a record of the Estate sale (Halifax Co. Va. Will Book 14 Pages 41-45) which supplies us with information about him. Purchasers at his Estate sale held on October 25th, 1825 were, Reuben Phelps, William Brandon Sr., Daniel McDowell,Thomas Preston, Charles D. Taylor, Spencer Ball, Thomas Phelps, Isham Phelps, Salley Phelps, Thomas L. Brandon, Benjamin Hale, John P. Phelps, Nathaniel G. Kent, Hazdill Butt and Welcome Leonard? His personal property was valued at $115.45 prior to the sale. I could not find or failed to copy the totals from the proceeds of the sale.

Halifax County, Va., Will Book 14-pg.41-43
Martin Phelps Inventory--October 25th, 1825. Acct. of personal property of Martin Phelps deceased, appraised.

1 Black Heifer 6.50 Cotton, Wheat 21.50
five hogs 9.50 Two Plate Irons .75
One Rifle 15.00 five gimletts .25
One Syth and cradle 2.00 five Sitting Chairs 2.50
One Whip Saw 6.00 three guges and bottel .50
One Cross Cut Saw to half of the same 4.50 One Dining Table 1.25
One passell of files .50 Set of nives and forks 1.00
Passell of Chisels and Old Irons 1.00 bread Tray and Sifter .75
Frow .50 Coffey pot and mill .75
ginter and Smuthen plain and bet 1.00 two Decanters 1.00
three seren augers .50 tin weighters, pepper box, and tumbler .37 1/2
ginter and two augers 1.00 Set of Cups and Saucers and Tee Spunes .75
Chop Axe and Drawing nife 1.00 Two Bouls .25
Drawing nife and round shape and chisel .50 One Dish and set of plates .25
passell of plains 1.25 Pair of Cotton Cards .75
futt adds hamer,drawing nife,two chisel 1.25 Set of puter Spoons .25
small tub .50 Bible and three Other Books 1.00
passell of water vessels 1.00 Shaving Glass and Razor .51
Two scillet and lead .87 ½ One Pine Chest 2.00
One pot .75 Rockin Craidel and blanket 1.25
Broad Ax 2.50 One feather Bed and furniture 15.00
Two Pole Ax 1.50 Dressin Table 1.00
han saw and Tennant Saw 2.00 three tre Stands 4.50
Musket Gun 2.00 passell of hoghead stave 1.50
Iron Square 2.00
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total Personal Property $115.45

At a Court held for Halifax County the 28th day of March 1826, The Within Written Inventory and appraisement of
the Estate of Martin Phelps, Decd. was returned to Court and ordered to be recorded.
Test: Samuel Williams C.H.C.

TRANSCRIBED BY: Latham Mark Phelps 2006

The following people purchased items at Martin Phelps estate sale:

Halifax County, Va., Will Book 14-Page 43-45
A copy of Sales of the property of Martin Phelps estate, deceased October 25th 1825

Reuben Phelps – To one Scythe and Cradle - $1.25, To one lot of Tools - $2.00, To half of one Cross Cut Saw - $5.00.

William Brandon, Sr. – To one Frow - $0.35, To one lot of Augers and D-knife - $0.65

Thomas Preston – To one hand saw - $0.62 ½ , To one lot of Tools - $0.65, To one lot of Tools - $0.40, To one lot of Chisels - $0.30, To one flour Barrel $0.12 ½, To one musket gun - $0.95, To one riffle gun - $15.00.

Daniel McDowell – To one tennant saw - $0.80, To one Small Axe - $0.65m To one lot of Tools - $0.70, To one Jointer - $0.50, To one Jointer - $0.65, To one Bed plane - $1.25, To one Small plane - $1.40, To one pole axe - $1.55, To one Whip saw - $1.50.

Charles D. Taylor – To one lot of Tools - $1.12 ½, To a Parcel of Shaves - $0.20

Spencer Ball – To one lot of Tools - $0.12 ½, To one Hog - $2.10, To one Hog - $2.60, To one Bee Gum - $0.85, To one Sow Hog – $2.50

Thomas Phelps – To one lot of Tools - $0.12 ½, To one broad Axe, To one Iron Square - $0.55, To one lot of Chain at 53 cts each - $2.12

Isham Phelps – To one lot of Tools - &0.60, To two Jugs - $0.25

Welcome Leonard – To one Pole Axe - $.036

Hazdill Butt – To one lot of gimlets - $.025, To one bottle and Jug - $.012 ½

Salley Phelps – To one Small Skillet - $0.10, To one Skillet - $0.50, To one Pot - $0.50, To one lot of Water Vessels - $0.25, To one Water Pail - $0.30, To one Table - $1.00, To one set of knives and forks - $0.80, To one Tray and Sifter - $.060, To one pair of Cotton Cards - $0.60, To two bowls - $0.20, To one set of Cups and Saucers - $0.30, To one set of tea Spoons - $0.20, To one set of Table Spoons - $0.25, To one Water and Pepper box - $0.40, To one Set of Plates and Dishes - $0.25, To one Coffee Mill - $0.50, To one Coffee Pot - $0.25, To one quart Decanter - $.055, To one small Decanter - $0.21, To one set of flat Irons - $0.30, To one Cotton Wheel - $2.30, to one small Table - $0.80, To one Rocking Cradle - $0.25, To one Chest - $2.00, To one Bed and furniture and Stead and Cord - $12.25, To one Bed and furniture and Stead and Cord - $6.00, To one Bee Gum - $1.60. To one Bee Gum - $0.50

Thomas L. Brandon – To one Shaving Glass - $0.50

Benjamin Hale – To one lot of Books - $0.45

John P. Phelps – To one Bible Book - $0.45, To Heifer Cow - $6.97

Nathaniel G. Kent – To one Small Sow Hog - $0.50, To one barrow Hog - $2.00

At a Court held for Halifax County the 29th day of March 1826, The Within Written account of Sales of the Estate of Martin Phelps Decd, was returned to Court and ordered to be recorded.
Test: Samuel Williams—C.H.C.

Key people involved in the Estate sale, His Father Reuben, His Uncle Thomas Phelps, William Brandon Sr--a security with Isham Phelps to Excecute the Estate, His Brother Isham, Thomas Preston--signed Rueben's Will in 1837 and perhaps his Brother-in-Law, Salley Phelps--could be his Sister or Wife as both were named Sarah for which "Sally" was a commonly used nickname during this period. I think probably the Wife.As for John P. Phelps who purchased at the Estate Sale I haven't placed him yet

As to my assumption that Salley Phelps was the Wife and not the Sister, Salley purchased most othe the kitchen items and household goods she might need to maintain the home. I fell that Salley Phelps was in fact Salley Preston Phelps, Sister of Thomas Preston--who signed Rueben's Will in 1837 and was a purchaser at the sale. I believe Salley Preston Phelps was the Daughter of David Preston and Rebeccah Brandon who married in Caswell County, N.C. on August 20th, 1787 (Caswell County Marraige Bonds). Rebeccah Preston in her Will (Will Book 21--Page 614 Halifax Co., Va.) of September 3rd, 1844, named a Daughter--Sally Phelps and a Son--Thomas Preston and her will was signed by Reuben M. Phelps, a named Grandson of Rueben Phelps Will. David Preston was involved in other land transactions with members of our Phelps family in Caswell Co., N.C. as well. The Brandon-Preston-Phelps family connection solves a mystery I have pursued for some time as to early deeds in Caswell County, N.C. between David Preston, Shadrach Hudson (who signed James Phelps Will), and members of Phelps family in Caswell. Brandon marraiges in Caswell show up further connections with this saga in Halifax Co., Va.

Mary Brandon Shadrach Hudson 25 Sep 1784 ----Signed James Phelps Will, among other things.
Elizabeth Brandon Septimus Taylor 1786 --Signed Deed for Thomas Phelps 1797 Halifax

Isham Phelps, Son of Reuben Phelps Sr., served in the War of 1812. In the Book, “When the Past Refused to Die” by William S. Powell, comes the following the following reference about the War of 1812. “Federal pension rolls of 1883 reveal that one Caswell County Veteran of this war and nine widows each received $8.00 a month. The veteran was Jas. P. Foster of Milton, while the widows were Bethsheba Ferguson, Arabella Gee, and Elizabeth Phelps”. The only Elizabeth Phelps living in the Milton area during this time would be Elizabeth “Betsy” Moore Phelps, second wife of Isham Phelps.

From the War of 1812 Service Records is a listing as follows:
Name:                     Isham Phelps
Company                3 Reg't (Dickinson's) Virginia Militia
Rank - Induction      Private
Rank - Discharge    Private
Roll Box:                 164
Roll Exct:                 602

In 1837 Rueben Phelps made his Last Will & Testament. The following is a Transcript of the Will which was not probated until 1841.

Last Will of Reuben Phelps
January 24th 1837
Halifax County, Virginia
Will Book 18 Pages 197,198,199.

In the name of God, Amen, I Reuben Phelps of the County of Halifax State of Virginia being weak in body but of perfect mind and knowing that it is allotted for all men to die & feeling desirous that all my worldly affairs may be secure in peace and tranquility do hereby make this my last will and testament in manner and form following Viz.,

In the first place I will and bequeath my Soul to God who gave it to me, and my body to the grave in decent burial and as concerning my worldly affairs I will and bequeath as follows,

First-- I give to my loving Son, Isham Phelps a certain parcel of land to be taken off my tract of land lying on the North side my Spring branch, beginning at the corner poplar Stump between me and William Ervin and to run up the Spring branch to a large red Oak near my spring, then a straight line to a large Mulberry on the line near Rebecca Preston's. to have and to hold during his natural life, but if he should die without a lawful heir, my will is that said land shall belong to my grand Son, Levi Phelps.

Secondly-- My will is that the balance of my land shall belong to my four daughters Viz., Delpha Phelps, Sarah Phelps, Martha Phelps and Rachel Phelps, to live upon & have during their natural life and if either of them should die without a lawful heir, the rest to have the said land and if they all should die without a lawful heir my will is that said land shall belong to my my grand Son, Reuben M. Phelps.

Thirdly-- My will is that my five children a bed & furniture apiece and that they shall have all the provisions such as Corn Meal & Wheat to live upon and all my stock of Cattle, Hogs and Sheep and two Mares.

Fourthly-- My will is that Delpha Phelps shall have a Negroe boy Hiland, during her natural life and if she should die without a lawful heir said Negroe to belong to the balance of my surviving children.

Fifthly-- My will is that my daughter Sarah Phelps shall have a Negroe girl Fanny to have during her natural life, but if she should die without a lawful heir, said Negroe to go to my surviving children.

Sixthly-- My will is that my daughter Martha Phelps shall have a Negroe boy Dennis, to have during her natural life, but if she should die without a lawful heir, said Negroe to go to my surviving children.

Seventhly-- My will is that my daughter Rachel Phelps shall have a Negroe boy Elijah, to have during her natural life, but if she should die without a lawful heir, said Negroe to go to my surviving children.

Eighthly-- My will is that my other three Negroes Viz., Lucy and her child Henry and Fanny's child Caroline, shall stay with my children on the Plantation during their natural lives.

Ninthly-- My will is that all my Working Tools shall remain on the Plantation for the benefit of my daughters during their natural lives jointly.

Tenthly-- My will is that my grand Son, Levi Phelps shall have a bay Colt that was two years old last Spring.

Eleventhly and Lastly-- my will is that after the death of all my children, that the whole of my Property that I have named in the above Will shall be equally divided between my three grand Children Viz., Nicey M. Oliver, Reuben M. Phelps and Levi Phelps.

I hereby make and appoint my loving and trusty Son, Isham Phelps, my lawful Executor to transact & settle up my estate. In witness of which I have hereunto set my hand & Seal this the 24th day of January, A.D. 1837.
his
Rueben x Phelps {Seal}
mark
Signed Sealed & Delivered In Presence of :

Leighton Tarpley
Thomas Preston
Josiah Oliver

At a Court held for Halifax County the 22nd day of May 1837, the within written last will and testament of Reuben Phelps dec'd., was exhibited in Court & proved by the Oaths of two witnesses and ordered to be recorded.

Test: Wm. Holt CHC

At a Court held for Halifax County the 24th day of July 1841, On the Motion of Isham Phelps the Executor therein named who made Oath there to according to Law and together with John Adams & Lewis Smith, his Securities, entered into and acknowleged a bond in the penalty of $4000, conditioned according to Law certificate is granted him for obtaining Probate of the said Will in due form Examined.

Test: Wm. Holt CHC

TRANSCRIBED BY: Latham Mark Phelps
December 31st, 2005

Reuben Phelps named five children, Isham, Delpha, Sarah, Martha, Rachel and three grandchildren, Nicey M. Oliver, Rueben M. Phelps and Levi Phelps in his Will. Two of his children, Isham and Martha are of particular interest as they played significant roles in the aftermath of Rueben's death. Isham Phelps who was appointed the Executor of Reuben's will became embroiled in a lawsuit or Chancery case as estate disputes were called in Virginia, with the grandson of Rueben, Levi Phelps who was the son of Martin Phelps.

Mr. Martin at the Halifax Co., Va. Courthouse discovered a Chancery case while I was gathering documents there, which held numerous "original" documents. I reviewed these documents with great excitement, which contained statements from the parties involved, tax receipts, court opinions and even an old newspaper clipping about the Case. I am having Mr. Martin copy the entire file and will include it at a later date, however I did copy the document where Levi Phelps appealed to the Court and stated his case in 1849.

Halifax County Virginia Chancery Court
Case # 1849-001
Levi Phelps Vs. Isham Phelps etc.

To the honourable William Leigh, Judge of the Circuit Superior Court of Law & Chancery for the County of Halifax. Humbly complaining, showeth to your honor. your Orator Levi Phelps that his father Martin Phelps departed this life some time in the year 1825 Intestate, leaving a widow Sarah Phelps and your Orator his only child surviving him. That at the August term at the County Court of Halifax in the year aforesaid, Isham Phelps obtained letter of administration on the estate of the said decedent and in that character executed his bond with William Brandon Sen., his security to Isaac Medley, Granville Craddock, Chas. T. Harris & John K. Linn, Justices of the said County Court of Halifax, conditioned according to law for the due and faithful administration of the estate. A copy of said bond certified by the Clerk of the said County Court of Halifax is herewith exhibited as part of this bill. Your Orator charges that the said Isham Phelps has returned no Inventory of the said Estate and has rendered no account thereof ; and when applied to by your Orator (who has recently arrived at the age of twenty one years) refused to make any settlement with him and to pay over his portion of the Estate. To the end therefore that the said Isham Phelps, Adm. of Martin Phelps decd. and William Brandon Sen., his security and the said Sarah Phelps, the widow of Martin Phelps decd., may be made defendants to this bill and required to answer the several allegations thereof, that the said Isham Phelps may be required to render before the Commissioner of this Court, an account of his administration of the Estate of Martin Phelps decd. and that he the said William Brandon Sen., his security may be decreed to pay to your Orator his due proportion of the said Estate ; and that your Orator may have such other & further relief as the case may require and to Equity may seem meet : May it please your Honour to grant the Commonwealth's writ of Subpoena.

Transcribed By: Latham Mark Phelps 2005

It is curious indeed that Levi Phelps claims that Isham has provided no Inventory or Account of Martin Phelps estate, as there was an estate sale held and an inventory of his personal property, both occuring on October 25th, 1825 (Halifax Co. Va. Will Book 14 Pages 41-45). They were recorded, five months later, in Court on March 28th and March 29th of 1826. Levi even names his mother, Sarah, as a defendant in the lawsuit. Levi states that he is the only child surviving Martin Phelps in 1849. Rueben Phelps, Martin's father, named two other grandchildren in his will, Nicey M. Oliver and Reuben M. Phelps. Nicey was recorded in the 1860 Census along with her husband Josiah Oliver. Reuben M. Phelps made a Deed to Martha Phelps, daughter of Rueben Phelps Sr., on May 15th, 1850. ( Halifax Co. Va. Deed Book 53 Pages 518-519). On August 29th, 1857, Martha Phelps names Nicey M.Oliver and Reuben M. Phelps in her Will (Halifax Co.Va. Will Book 30 Pages 353,354). Clearly Nicey and Reuben M. were living in 1849, so if Levi's claim of being the "only child surviving him" is correct then Nicey and Reuben M. were children of another son or sons of the elder Reuben Phelps. Levi Phelps states that he has "recently arrived at the age of twenty one years" which would put his birthdate around 1827-1828, yet the is no date shown or mentioned as to when the deposition was written as clearly he would have to have been born prior to his father Martin Phelps death in 1825. Nicey M. Phelps married Josiah Oliver in Caswell Co. N.C. in 1834 and assuming she was approximately 20 years old at the time of her marraige, this puts her birth date around 1814. She is shown as 42 yrs. old in the 1860 Halifax Va. Census and as 50 yrs. old in the 1870 Halifax Census which gives us a range of birth from 1818-1820. Reuben M. Phelps is shown in the 1860 Census of Halifax as 38 yrs.old, which would give him a birthdate around 1822.

There is one member of the Phelps family in Caswell County, N.C. that remains unidentified. Robert Phelps left records in Caswell County in the late 1700's and then seemed to disappear from Caswell records.

In a Deed on August 15th.,1849 (Halifax Co. Va. Deed Book 53 Pages 248-249) Josiah Oliver (husband of Nicey M. Phelps) deeds to Martha Phelps (daughter of Reuben Phelps Sr.) " all of my right title claim interest and demand in and to the whole of Robert Phelps deceased, which said Robert Phelps willed to my wife Nicey M. Oliver after the death of his children". Martha Phelps (daughter of Reuben Phelps Sr.) made a concentrated effort to consolidate the Estate property from many of the devisees of Reuben Phelps Sr. in the years after his death which I will cover in greater detail later. The name in the deed from Josiah Oliver to Martha Phelps is clearly spelled "Robert" Phelps with a crossed T in both instances. Although it would logically appear that this would be the Estate of "Rueben" Phelps Sr., as in his Will he stated :" Eleventhly and Lastly-- my will is that after the death of all my children, that the whole of my Property that I have named in the above Will shall be equally divided between my three grand Children Viz., Nicey M. Oliver, Reuben M. Phelps and Levi Phelps." Was this a misspelling by the Court Clerk or was it a clue to the father of Nicey M. Phelps ? We have established that Nicey and Reuben M. were certainly living in 1849 when Levi Phelps (son of Martin Phelps) claimed to be the "only child surviving him". This leaves us with the question of who were the parents of Nicey and Reuben M. ? To be named grandchildren of Reuben Phelps Sr. they had to come from a male child of Reuben as they both had Phelps as a surname. The only known male children of Reuben Sr. at this time are Martin Phelps (father of Levi Phelps) and Isham Phelps. Could they have been older children of Isham's that stayed in Halifax Co Va. and weren't mentioned in later census records of Caswell Co, N.C.

Martha Phelps, daughter of Reuben Phelps Sr., must have been a shrewd, business minded woman as she purchased her deceased father's assets from several of the Devisees of her father's Will. As you will see she seems to do this to preserve her father's assets until her death, and then to return these assets to the same people in her Will. Martha and her sister Rachel appear to have never married and are listed in later Census records living together at advanced ages with their surnames still being listed as Phelps. Martha Phelps made purchases of Property and of right, title and interest in her father Reuben Phelps Sr.'s Estate.

August 15th 1849-(Halifax Co., Va. Deed Book 53--Page 248), $1000.00 dollars from Josiah Oliver and Nicey M. Oliver. "right title and interest in Estate of (Deed says Robert Phelps, discussed above)

February 15th 1850-(Halifax Co., Va. Deed Book 53--Page 518) $1000.00 dollars from Reuben M. Phelps "right title and interest in Estate of my grandfather Reuben Phelps"

September 28th 1850-(Halifax Co., Va. Deed Book 54--Page 10) $200.00 dollars from Thomas Preston (brother in law of Martin Phelps) 50 acres of land.

Whatever her motives for preserving these segments of her father, Reuben Phelps Sr.'s estate remain to be seen, however in her Will written August 29th 1857 (Halifax Co., Va. Will Book-30-Page 353), and Probated on January 22nd 1872, She willed these properties back to the original parties except for Thomas Preston. To Josiah Oliver and Nicey M. Oliver she lends "his interest in his brothers Robert and John Oliver's and my father Reuben Phelps estate" and "two tracts of land, one bought of Alexander Kent of 48 acres and one of Thomas Preston of 50 acres". To Reuben M. Phelps she lends " his interest in my father Reuben Phelps estate". She gives to Isham Phelps and Levi Phelps "one dollar each”. To Robert P. Oliver she gives " one feather bed and furniture extra". To Fielding K. Phelps she gives "one feather bed and furniture". Finally she states "the balance of my and effects to remain with my surviving Sisters during their natural lives, and after their deaths, I acquit Josiah Oliver's heirs and Reuben M. Phelps heirs to equally divide among them all". Her will was witnessed by: Bevin M. Oliver and Calvin C. Oliver. I think she was angry with Isham and Levi Phelps over the Court Case between them. Perhaps she thought they were making a public spectacle of her Phelps' family name and is why she only left them "one dollar each"

Thomas Preston, brother in law of Martin Phelps, brother of Salley Preston Phelps, left a will on January 1st, 1866.(Halifax Co., Va.-Will Book-29-Page-234). In his Will he left to his nephew Levi Phelps “ I will and bequeath to Levi Phelps, five dollars to be paid him in Money”. To his sister Seama Hall he leaves “I will and bequeath to Sister, Seama Hall, one half of my Estate afyer my death, during her life time and after her death, my wish and will is that all of the Property willed to her shall be divided equally between Jas. Henderson Hall and his sister Mary T. Hall”.He further leaves “I will and bequeath the other half of my Estate to Thomas Tarpley’s first wife’s children, Betsy Preston, that was and my will and if none of the children should be living at my death, then my wish and will is that their Portion of Property willed to them, Shall go to my Sister, Seama Hall, if she shall be living and if she should not be living at the time, my will is that Jas. Henderson and his Sister, Mary T.Hall to have that Portion of Property”. He named Executors. Thomas L. Brandon and John Foster and the Will was witnessed by John B. Powell and Bevin M. Oliver. James D. Clay, Halifax Co. Clerk probated the Will on June 25th, 1866.

Below are some Census Listings from Halifax Co., Va. with the Phelps and related families shown

Halifax, VA. 1850 Southern District Census Listings

Dwelling #

1125 Levi Phelps 23 carpenter
Sarah 52

1132 Thomas P. Brandon 47 planter 1090
Elizabeth 37
Catharine 16
Parthenia 15
Eliza 10
Sarah 8
Tabitha 5
Mary 2
Samuel 2
Alexander 11

1135 Martha Phelps 40 840
Sarah 42
Rachel 38
Reuben 27
Mary 21

1203 Josiah Oliver 49 planter
Nicey 31
Robert P. 14
Reuben M. 12
Josiah H. 10
Richard W. 8
John M.

1232 Thomas Preston 38 planter
Susan 36
James 10
Elijah 8
Lewis V. 6
John 4
Peter 2
Charles 1

Halifax Co. Va. 1860 Halifax C.H. P.O. District Census Listings

Dwelling#
811 Martha Phelps 61 F Spinner Real Estate $1000.00, Personal Estate $8900.00
Rachel Phelps 59 F Weaver

Halifax Co. Va. 1870 Mt. Carmel Township Census Listings

Dwelling#
248 Martha Phelps 70 F Keeping House Personal Estate $560.00
Rachel Phelps. 68 F At Home Personal Estate $560.00

249 Nicey Oliver 50 F Keeping House
Jennie 17 F At Home
Julia 15
William 21 M Farmer

The value of Martha Phelps holdings had increased significantly after she had consolidated parts of her father’s estate. With her Real and Personal Property combined she was worth nearly $10.000 dollars, which made her the wealthiest Phelps in Halifax Co., Va. in 1860. In 1850 it was $840.00 and after the Civil War she and her sister Rachel showed a combined value of $1120.00.

Now we continue on to Isham Phelps, after his move to Caswell County, N.C.

Below is 1850 record for Isham in Caswell.

Isham Phelps 60 Farmer 2000.00 married that year
Elizabeth 20 (No read or write) married that year
Sallie 13
Robert 15
Martha A. 10
James 8
Mary 7
Elizabeth 5
Thomas 4
John 6

The wife of Isham in this census record clearly could not have the mother of all of Isham's children as she is only 5 years older than the oldest child listed and with a 40 year age difference between Isham and his wife Elizabeth G. Moore, Isham certainly had a previous marraige from which these older children came from. Isham Phelps and Elizabeth G. Moore were married in Person County, N.C. on December 12th, 1849, witnessed by Ambrose and Elizabeth Jones (Person County N.C. Marraige Records). The old Phelps homeplace in Person Co., the home of Thomas H. Phelps, 1st cousin to Isham, was just across the road from the Jones family during this time. The old Phelps homeplace is at the intersection of Jones Road and Ragland Road in present day,although nothing remains of the old house, the Cemetery is cared for, some old barns still stand and the log cabin where my father was born in 1928 stubbornly remains standing.

Isham's second wife Elizabeth G. Moore was a descendant of the Pass Family. She was the daughter of Edward H. Moore and Cessily Pass, grandaughter of Nathaniel Pass Jr. and Milley Tapley, and great-granddaughter of Nathaniel Pass Sr. and Alsey McGinniss. Mary Pass who married Thomas Phelps Sr., was a daughter of Nathaniel Pass Sr. and the Great-Aunt of Elizabeth G. Moore. Because of this my 2nd Great-Grandfather, Thomas H. Phelps, was 1st cousin to both Isham Phelps and his wife Elizabeth G. Moore. In addition to this Elizabeth G. Moore's husband Edward H. Moore's Parents were Jessie Moore and Sallie Pass. Sallie Pass was the sister of Mary Pass, who married Thomas Phelps Sr. Nothing like keeping it in the family !!

In 1831 Isham Phelps of Halifax Co. Va., purchased land from Thomas Phelps Sr. of Person Co. N.C. The land was in Caswell Co. N.C. and was the former home place of Thomas Phelps Sr. as he had moved to Person Co. sometime between 1826 and 1831.

Thomas Phelps to Isham Phelps
Caswell County, North Carolina
Land Deed November 22nd 1831
Page 143

This Indenture made this 22nd day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty one between Thomas Phelps of the County of Person and State of North Carolina of the one part and Isham Phelps of the County of Halifax and State of Virginia of the other part. Witnesseth that the said Thomas Phelps for and in consideration of two hundred and four dollars to him in hand paid by the said Isham Phelps the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, hath give granted bargained and sold and by these presents doth give grant bargain sell and convey to the said Isham Phelps a certain tract or parcel of Land lying and being in the County of Caswell and State aforesaid.

Beginning at a small Black Gum on Brandon’s Road and running thence West twenty three chains and 50 links to pointers near a _____ Red Oak, thence North with an old line thirty four chains and 50 links to a ______ Sour Wood Stump, thence East with William B. Pulliam’s line thirty two chains and 50 links to said Road, thence with the Road as it meanders thirty seven chains and 25 links to the beginning including the said Thomas Phelps old Mansion House and containing one hundred and two acres.

And the said Thomas doth hereby covenant with the said Isham that he will warrant and forever defend the above bargained Land and premises from and against all claims of any nature whatsoever to the proper use and benefit of him the said Isham Phelps his heirs and assigns forever.

In Witness whereof this Thomas Phelps hath hereunto set his hand and seal the day and year above written.

His

Thomas x Phelps

Mark

Sealed & Delivered in the Presence of:

James Rainey

Jos. Pulliam

Transcribed By: Latham Mark Phelps 2004

In 1832 Thomas Phelps Sr. sold another tract of land in Caswell Co. N.C. To his nephew Isham Phelps, perhaps his last remaining land in Caswell County as he is now living in and acquiring land in Person Co.

Thomas Phelps to Isham Phelps
Caswell County, North Carolina
Land Deed December 20th 1832
Page 367

This Indenture made this 20th day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty two, Between Thomas Phelps of the County of Person and State of North Carolina of the one part, and Isham Phelps of the County of Halifax and State of Virginia of the other part. Witnesseth that the said Thomas Phelps for and in consideration of the sum of Two hundred and sixty four dollars to him in hand paid by the said Isham Phelps, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, hath given granted bargained and sold, and by these presents doth give grant bargain sell and convey to the said Isham Phelps, A certain tract or parcel of Land situate lying and being in the County of Caswell on the waters of Mill Creek.

Beginning at a Spanish Oak and running thence North 87 chains and 80 links to branch which separates it from Barthus J. Crawley’s land, thence up the said branch about fifty chains to a corner of the said Isham Phelps land, thence with his line south 84 chains and 80 links to pointers by a leaning Oak, thence West 46 chains and 30 links to the beginning, Containing One hundred and thirty two acres more or less.

And the said Thomas Phelps doth hereby covenant with the said Isham Phelps that he will warrant and forever defend the above bargained land and premises from and against all claims whatsoever to the only proper use and of him the said Isham Phelps his heirs and assigns forever.

In Witness whereof the said Thomas Phelps hereunto Set his hand and seal the day and year above written.

His

Thomas x Phelps {Seal}

Mark
Sealed and Delivered In the presence of:

James Rainey

Jno. P. Rainey

Transcribed By: Latham Mark Phelps 2004

With these two land purchases Isham Phelps had established his homestead on the former homeplace of his uncle, Thomas Phelps Sr. This was 10 years before his father, Reuben Phelps, Will was probated in 1841 and 6 years after the death of his brother Martin Phelps in 1825. Isham Phelps was approx. 41 years old at the time of the 1831 Deed. Based on the 1850 Census, none of the children listed in the household had been born at the time of this Deed as the oldest child in the Census was Robert ( Robert Calvin Phelps). With Isham being 41 years old he certainly could have had older children who could have left home, married etc. before the 1850 Census. The name of his first wife remains unknown at this time and perhaps came from Halifax Co. Va. as Isham was living there when he "came of age". Regardless, Isham was now about to or preparing to, make his home in Caswell Co. N.C. and leave Halifax Co. Va. where the rest of his immediate family lived.

Thirty years later, in 1861, Isham Phelps and his wife Elizabeth, sold the remaining property in Halifax Co. Va. to George H. Connally

January Court-1861 Halifax Co, Va.

Isham Phelps and Elizabeth Phelps to George H. Connally
Halifax Co., Va.- Deed Book 59- Page 255
December 27th, 1860

This Deed made the the twenty seventh day of December, one thousand eight hundren and sixty, between Isham Phelps and Elizabeth Phelps his wife of the County of Caswell and State of North Carolina of the one part and George H. Connally of the County of Halifax and the State of Virginia of the other part. Witnesseth for and in consideration of the Sum of Three Hundred & Fifty Dollars to them in hand paid by the said George H. Connally, doth grant bargain and sell unto the said George H. Connally, all his right title and interest to a certain Tract of Land which accrues to him by the Will of his Father, Reuben Phelps and supposed to contain One Hundred and Twenty Five Acres more or less lying in the County of Halifax and State of Virginia. The said Isham Phelps and Elizabeth Phelps his wife doth covenant and agree with the said George H. Connally to warrant a peaceful posession to the said tract of land free from the claim of all persons whatever. In witness thereof the said Isham Phelps and Elizabeth Phelps his wife hath hereunto set there hands and affix there seals the day and year above written.

Isham Phelps--{Seal}
her
Elizabeth x Phelps
mark

Halifax County to Wit ;
I, Jno. G. Brandon, a Justice of the Peace for the County aforesaid do certify that Isham Phelps whose name is signed to the writing within bearing date on the 27th day December 1860 has acknowledged the same before me in my County aforesaid. Given under my hand this 27th December 1860. Jno. G. Brandon--J.P.

State of Virginia Halifax County to Wit ;
We, John G. Brandon and Mark M. Stanfield, Justices of the Peace for the County aforesaid do certify that Elizabeth Phelps the wife of Isham Phelps, whose names are signed to the writing within bearing date on the 27th day of December 1860 personally appeared before us in the County aforesaid and being examined by us privily and apart from her husband and having the writing aforesaid fully explained to her, She the said Elizabeth Phelps acknowledged the said writing to be her Act & Deed and declared that she had willingly Executed the Same and does not wish to retract it. Given under our hands this 27th day of December 1860.

Jno. G. Brandon--J.P.
Mark M. Stanfield--J.P.

Halifax Clerks Office--January 28th 1861
The within written deed was presented in the Clerks Office and upon certificates thereon endorsed admitted to record According to Law

Teste: Wm. S. Holt--C.H.C.

TRANSCRIBED BY: Latham Mark Phelps—2006

I will continue this saga at a later date with more on the trail of Isham Phelps and his descendants In Caswell County, N.C.

QUESTIONS THAT STILL REMAIN:

1) Who was the wife of Reuben Phelps Sr.?
2) Who was the 1st wife of Isham Phelps?
3) Who was the John P. Phelps who purchased at the Estate Sale of Martin Phelps?
4) Who was Robert Phelps with deed records in Caswell County and Mentioned in Deed From Josiah Oliver to Martha Phelps in Halifax co., Va.?
5) Who were the Parents of Nicey M. Phelps Oliver?
6) Who were the Parents of Reuben M. Phelps?

SOURCES: Caswell County, N.C.—Will Books, Deed Books, Marriage Bonds, Census Records

Halifax County, Va.----- Will Books, Deed Books, Marriage Bonds, Census Records

Personal interviews with my Grandmother, Catherine Walker Phelps and two Great Aunts, Ruth Phelps
Monk and Kathleen Phelps Parker. Interviews with other relatives too numerous to mention

Decades of prior research, on the Phelps and their related families, beginning in the 1970’s.

Caswell County Historical Association Website and selected Newsletters

William S. Powell’s Book “When the Past Refused to Die—A History of Caswell County 1777-1977”

Rediscovering Lucy Phelps of Caswell County, N.C.

2011-06-18T08:55:00.004-04:00

Rediscovering Lucy Phelps, daughter of James Phelps d 1786 Caswell CO, NC

by Mark Phelps 2/2008

Lucy Phelps, daughter of James Phelps d.1786, Caswell County, North
Carolina, married Willis Buckingham Smith in Caswell County on
November 11th, 1794. The Phelps and Smith families were adjoining
neighbors in the Richmond District of Caswell County, where the Town
of Milton lies today. Sometime after their marriage Willis Buckingham
Smith became Willis Buckingham having dropped the Smith from his name,
therefore later records of his family would be under the surname
Buckingham and not Smith. I suppose Willis inherited this trait as his
family had used different names before him. For more on this see the"
Last Will of Anne Smith, Grandmother of Milton, N.C." article link
below .

http://www.rootsweb.com/~nccaswel/families/smith-anne.htm

So now Lucy Phelps, through no fault of her own, became Lucy
Buckingham instead of Lucy Smith in Caswell County records. Likewise
all Willis and Lucy's children took on the name Buckingham as well.
This Smith family offers a real challenge to historians who are
researching the descendants, because of their propensity to change
their last name, seemingly at will, with no explanation that I have
discovered as yet. The Smith family began in Caswell County with the
matriarch of the family, Anne Smith, a widow who received a land grant
from Lord Granville on August 2nd, 1760, seventeen years before
Caswell County was formed and was then Orange County. Although I have
not obtained a copy of the deed referred to below it shows an even
earlier presence of Anne Smith in present day Caswell County.

Quoted from Caswell County Historical Association Newsletter VOL.XXVI,
Number 2 Pg. 2 April 2003

Benjamin Merritt, whose descendants in Person County (cut off from
Caswell in 1792) reported in the HERITAGE OF PERSON COUNTY I. "He came
down from New York" and secured a Granville Grant of many acres on
both sides of the Dan River in two colonies. Benjamin built a mill
which he sold to Mrs. Anne Smith ca.1757 with acreage over 50 in the
tract, more than enough to start a flourishing frontier town.

Anne Smith's Grandson, Mason Smith, named in her Will, was later seen
as Amasa Stokes, Mace Stokes, Amasa Smith, Mace Smith. There are two
marriages listed for "Mace Smith" in Caswell County and they are the
second oldest Smith marriages in the County.
Mace Smith Constant Brown 12 Aug 1782
Mace Smith Margaret Coleston 18 Nov 1780

In 1793 James McGinnis deeded 100 acres of land to Amasa Stokes, on
both sides of Merritt's Mill Creek adjacent George Connally, Widow
Phelps(wife of James Phelps d.1786, the Virginia Line. Janes McGinnis
was a brother of Alsey McGinnis Pass, wife of Nathaniel Pass Sr.
Nathaniel and Alsey Pass's daughter Mary, married Lucy Phelps
"Buckingham"'s brother Thomas Phelps. James and Alsey McGinnis were
children of William McGinnis of Halifax County, Virginia. James
McGinnis married Elizabeth Williams, 15 Jan 1790 in Caswell County,

probably the granddaughter "Elizabeth Williams" named in Anne Smith's
Will.

In 1795 Willis Buckingham Smith deeded 50 acres to Amasa Stokes, on
the East side of Merritt's Mill Creek adjacent Charles Connally,
Widow Phelps
Amasa/Mason Smith/Stokes was the Executor of Anne Smith's will along
with Archibald Murphey. Mason Smith alias "Amasa Stokes" was charge
with the care and well being of Willis Buckingham Smith per Anne
Smith's Will, "Also I desire that Willis Buckingham Smith may be put
with Mason Smith with all that he has till he comes of age and the
said Mason Smith to keep him and all I have left to the said Willis
Buckingham Smith till then"

Lucy Phelps Buckingham/Smith, wife of Wills Buckingham Smith, left a
Will In Caswell County in 1843.

Caswell County, North Carolina
October Court 1843
Will Book P-page 21

Lucy Buckingham's Will

In the name of God amen I, Lucy Buckingham of the County of Caswell,
State of North Carolina, being weak in body but of perfect mind, do
hereby this day make ordain and constitute this my last Will and
Testament in manner and form as follows (Viz)

First-I give to my son, Byrd W. Buckingham, a gray Horse Colt.

Secondly-I give to my son, George B. Buckingham, one Feather bed and
Furniture and one Sow and Pigs.

Thirdly-I give to my daughter, Lidia M. Bennett, one Feather bed and
Furniture.

Fourthly-I give to my daughter, Martha B. Buckingham, one Cow and
Calf, one Sow and Pigs and all the balance of my household and kitchen
furniture.

Fifthly-I appoint and wish my son, George B. Buckingham, to act as
Executor to this my last Will and Testament

In Testimony of which I have this day made this, my last Will and
Testament and signed my name, this the 2nd day of August in the year
of our Lord, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Forty Three.

Lucy Buckingham--{Seal}

Signed Sealed and Delivered in the presence of :
Josiah Blair
Barzillai Graves
Edward H. Moore

TRANSCRIBED BY: Latham Mark Phelps 2008

There were at least four other children of Willis Buckingham Smith and
Lucy Phelps not mentioned in the Will:

John Thomas Buckingham:
married Susan Merritt (according to Buckingham Family website excerpt
below, probably a descendant of Benjamin Merritt mentioned earlier)

Caswell County Deed Book FF page 532, July 5th 1842. John Buckingham
to Byrd Buckingham and George Buckingham
" all interest in my Father, Willis Buckingham's estate, deceased"

Patsy Buckingham:
married Unknown:

Caswell County Deed Book FF page 625, October 1842. Patsy Buckingham
to Byrd Buckingham and George Buckingham
"tract of land formerly the property of my Father, Willis Buckingham,
dead.

Keziah Buckingham:
married John Nichols:

Caswell County Deed Book GG page 687. George Buckingham to Byrd
Buckingham
"land on which Jon Nichols now lives and resides"--"to the support,
benefit and maintenance of our loving Sister and mutual friend, Keziah
Nichols, wife of John Nichols and the lawful heirs and children of her
body"

James Buckingham married Mary Basdell, 16 Nov 1819 in Caswell Co.

As to the named children in Lucy Buckingham's Will, There marriages in
Caswell County were:

Bird Buckingham Frances Elam 24 Mar 1834
George Buckingham Joicy Tallaw 26 Nov 1833
Elizabeth Buckingham Richard Bennatt 15 Jan 1830
Martha Buckingham James A Taylor 11 Dec 1845

The James Buckingham who married Mary Basdell was probably the "male
child born around 1880(should be 1800) noted on a website that I have
listed an excerpt from on the Buckingham Family below:

http://www.angelfire.com/co3/jillymac/buckingham.html

This is the line of Buckingham's I am from. If you have and additions
or corrections, please let me know.

Willis Buckingham was born around 1775 in Caswell County, North
Carolina and died in 1842 in Caswell County, North Carolina. He
married Lucy?. They had the following children, all born in Caswell
County, North Carolina:

John Thomas, born around 1802. He married Susan MERRITT.
Patsy, born around 1804,
Elizabeth (Lydia), born around 1806. She married Richard BENNETT on
January 15, 1830.
Byrd W. and George B. (twins) born around 1813. Byrd married first
Francis ELAM on March 24, 1834 and second Mary ALLEN on August 10,
1866. George married Joicy TALLOW on November 26, 1833.
Martha, born around 1815. She married James TAYLOR on December 11,
1845.

John Thomas Buckingham married Susan Mary MARRETT. Susan was born
around 1802 in North Carolina and died after 1870. They had the
following children:

Francis Thompson, born around 1826 in Milton, Caswell County, North
Carolina. She married Thomas James MCGEE on December 14, 1843.
Eliza Ann, born on March 6, 1827 in Milton, Caswell County, NC and
died on April 16, 1906. She married James Madison MCGEE on January 2,
1845.
Franklin, born around 1830,
John Thomas, born around 1832. He married Louisa Clark COLLIER.
Mary Jane, born on May 19, 1834 in Caswell County, NC and died on
January 4, 1894. She married George Henry MCGEE on September 30, 1853.
Sidney, born around 1836 in Caswell County, NC. He married Mary E.
RAZZELL around 1860 in Kentucky. They had at least 10 children.
Curry, born around 1838 in Caswell County, NC.
Marmaduke, born aroudn 1840 in Caswell County, NC. He married Emily
around 1860.
Lilly Mary, born around 1842 in William County, TN. She married first
John COLLINS on November 25, 1857 and second, Robert E. BOYD.
Sarah Holland, born on November 9, 1844 in Lafayette, Christian
County, KY and died on July 14, 1928. She died in Provo, Utah and is
buried in the Provo City Cemetery. She married Francis Ashbury
MORTON.

Thus I have now "Rediscovered" Lucy Phelps, daughter of James Phelps d.
1786, wife of Willis Buckingham Smith, living as Lucy Buckingham in
the records of Caswell County till her death in 1843 and so have
uncovered the names of her children as well. I hope this will help any
Phelps,Smith or Buckingham family researchers to untangle these
families in the future.

Latham Mark Phelps---February 2008

Livingston Lafayette Blackwell 1848-1920

2011-06-18T08:37:00.001-04:00

                                  Livingston Lafayette Blackwell (1848-1920)

Livingston Lafayette Blackwell was my maternal 2nd Great-Grandfather, Born in Rockingham County, N.C. July 25th, 1848 and died in Alamance County, N.C. June 19th 1920. I recently discovered his grave site in Pine Hill Cemetery in Burlington, N.C. Livingston Lafayette Blackwell was the oldest son of Nathaniel Lafayette Blackwell and Ann E. Cobb, daughter of Henry Cobb and Martha Nunnally. He was the grandson of Thomas Blackwell and Rebecca Watt. He was the great-grandson of Capt. Robert Blackwell and Zillah Rice, daughter of Thomas Rice d.1800 Caswell County, N.C.

Livingston Lafayette Blackwell appeared to have been called "William" by family members and in some records. I suppose this nickname was to avoid confusion with his father Lafayette "Fate" Blackwell and perhaps "Livingston Lafayette" was quite a mouthful to use on an everyday basis. In the Will of Henry Cobb, father of Livingston Lafayette Blackwell's mother, Ann E. Cobb, the following passage appears referring to him as "William L.":

Caswell County. N.C.
October Court, 1861
Will Book S-- Page 441
Will of Henry Cobb, written July 10th, 1861

Item 5th: I bequeath to my grandchildren William L. Blackwell, Joseph H. Blackwell and Martha A. Blackwell, one negro woman named Patience and the two children she now has and all that she may hereafter have together with the property heretofore given, when the oldest of the aforesaid grandchildren shall have arrived to the age of twenty one years. I will that all other property heretofore given and all that may accrue to them hereafter in anyway from my estate by that time, both real and personal, be equally divided between them so as to make them all equal one with the other, and I further will that the grandchildren as aforesaid in the final division of my estate, share equal in proportion with one of my children.

   Livingston "William" Lafayette Blackwell, Joseph H. Blackwell and Martha A. Blackwell were the the 3 children of Nathaniel Lafayette Blackwell and his 1st wife Ann E. Cobb, who were married in Caswell County, N.C. October 16th, 1847 with J. B. Siddle as Bondsman/Witness. Ann E. Cobb Blackwell died "before" June 18th 1859 when Nathaniel Lafayette Blackwell Married 2nd in Caswell County, N.C., Martha E. Siddle, with Thomas J. Mills as Bondsman/Witness.

As the 2nd marriage took place before the writing of Henry Cobb's 1861 Will, this confirms that Ann E. Cobb was deceased prior to the writing of the Will, as Henry Cobb left property to his named grandchildren and made them equal to all his living children in place of their deceased mother. Sadly Henry Cobb does not name his deceased daughter but does name his grandchildren.

Livingston Lafayette Blackwell first appears in the 1850 Rockingham County, N.C. Census, in the Eastern District as follows:

1850 Rockingham Co. N.C. Census
Household #94
N. L. Blackwell Age 26 Male
A. E. Blackwell Age 27 Female
L. L. Blackwell Age 2 (could be age 1 difficult to read)

This is the only Census record that shows his mother Ann E. Cobb Blackwell as she was deceased by   the 1860 Census. In most future official records Livingston Lafayette Blackwell appears simply as L. L. Blackwell.

1860 Rockingham Co. N.C. Census
Raulensburg & Stacyville area
Household #42
N. L. Blackwell              Age 37 Male Occupation-Officer Real Estate-$700.00 Personal Estate-$3500.00
Martha E. Blackwell       Age 23 Female
Livingston L. Blackwell Age 11 Male
Joseph H. Blackwell       Age 7 Male

1860 Caswell Co. N.C. Census

Nathaniel Lafayette Blackwell is now living with his 2nd wife. Martha E. Siddle and two children of Nathaniel Lafayette Blackwell's 1st wife Ann E. Cobb. Martha A. Blackwell, sister of Livingston L. and Joseph H. does not appear here as I feel she was living with her grandparents Henry and Martha Nunnally Cobb. Both Martha and Joseph show up in the 1870 Caswell Census living with their grandmother Martha Cobb.

1870 Caswell Co. N.C. Census
Locust Hill Township
Household #234
Martha Cobb                  Age 77 Female Keeping house Real Estate-$1000.00 Personal Estate-$200.00
Martha Daley                 Age 38 Female House Keepng
George Daley                Age 28 Male      Farmer
Joseph Blackwell            Age 17 Male      Farm Laborer
Martha Blackwell   Age 15   Female At Home

Joseph and Martha's brother, Livingston Lafayette Blackwell appears in the 1870 Rockingham Co. N.C. Census:

1870 Rockingham Co. N.C. Census:
Oregonsville Township
Household #367
Household of Y. M. Johnston Dry Goods Merchant
L. L. Blackwell         Age 21 Male   Clerk in Store

Livingston, Joseph and Martha's father, Nathaniel Lafayette Blackwell Is living in the Oregonsville Township in 1870 as well.

1870 Rockingham Co. N.C. Census:
Oregonsville Township
Household #369
N. L. Blackwell          Age 46 Male   Deputy Sheriff Real Estate-$1000.00   Personal Estate-$200.00
Martha Blackwell      Age 36 Female   Keeping House
Mary Blackwell         Age 9   Female
John P. Blackwell     Age 7   Male
Rufus H. Blackwell    Age 4   Male
Bernard Blackwell    Age 2   Male

On November 18th, 1877 in Caswell Co. N.C., Livingston L. Blackwell,27 years old resident of Rockingham Co. N.C. married Bettie Ann Willis, 20 years old resident of Caswell Co. N.C., daughter of Benjamin A. and Lucinda Campbell Willis. They were married by F. L. Oakley, Baptist Minister of Primitive Order at the home of Benjamin A. Willis In Anderson Township

In 1880 we find Livingston Blackwell living with his father-in-law Benjamin A. Willis and Mother-in Law Lucinda Campbell Willis, his wife Elizabeth "Bettie" Ann Willis and their 1 year old son, Benjamin Lafayette Blackwell.

1880 Caswell Co. N.C. Census
Anderson Township June 14th, 1880
Household #237
Benjamin Willis                         Age 56 Male   Farmer
Lucinda Willis          Wife          Age 53 Female Keeping house
               Willis         Son           Age 13 Male   Farm hand
Livingston Blackwell Son-in-law Age 32 Male Farm Hand
Annie Blackwell        Wife           Age 22 Female At Home
Benjamin Blackwell   Son           Age   1 Male

In 1885 Livingston L. Blackwell is listed as Postmaster at Fitch's Store in Caswell County according to the N.C. Postal Museum

Fitch's Store Postmaster--Livingston L. Blackwell 31 Dec 1885

In the 1900 Caswell Co. N.C. Census on June 7th, 1900, we find Livingston L. Blackwell In Caswell Co. N.C. as a boarder in the home of Laura Siddle, sister-in-law of his stepmother Martha E. Siddle, In Locust Hill Township.

Also in 1900 we find Livingston L. Blackwell's daughter,Cannie Elizabeth Blackwell, living as a boarder in the household of Nat and Hat Willis

1900 Caswell Co. N.C. Census
Yanceyville Township June 7th, 1900
Household #82
Nat H. Willis           Head       Age 45 Male Farmer
Hattie L. Willis        Wife        Age 42 Female
Cannie Blackwell    Boarder Age 12 Female   Born February 1888

Cannie Elizabeth Blackwell is the fourth child of Livingston L. Blackwell and Elizabeth "Bettie" Ann Willis. She married James Monroe Morton May 18th, 1905 in Caswell County.

Livingston L. Blackwell's wife, Elizabeth "Bettie" Ann Willis must have died between 1880 and 1900 as their daughter Cannie is now living with her mother's Willis relatives, Nathaniel H. Willis, son of Thomas H. Willis and Harriet Mitchell and his wife, Hattie L. Willis, daughter of Thomas J. Willis and Sophia Lea. Nathaniel H. Willis is the 1st cousin of Cannie Blackwell's mother, Elizabeth "Bettie" Ann Willis. Thomas H. Willis, father of Nathaniel H. Willis and Thomas J. Willis, father of Hattie L. Willis, were first cousins making Nathaniel H. Willis and his wife Hattie L. Willis cousins as well as husband and wife.

It is apparent that my Grandmother Hattie Belle Morton Lunsford, daughter of Cannie Blackwell and James Monroe Morton, received the name "Hattie" from Hattie L. Willis, who raised her mother Cannie after Cannie's mother died as my Grandmother had told myself and other family members that her mother Cannie was "raised by Nat and Hat Willis".

Cannie Elizabeth Blackwell, daughter of Livingston L. Blackwell and Elizabeth "Bettie" Ann Willis, married James Monroe Morton, oldest son of Vincent Lea Morton and Isabella F. Oliver, daughter of Reuben Oliver and Nancy Lea and was a grandson of Elijah Morton and Mary Lea, daughter of Gabriel Lea and Elizabeth Ashburn. Cannie Elizabeth Blackwell and James Monroe Morton had two daughters, Hattie Belle Morton who married William Perry Lunsford and Gladys Elizabeth Morton who married Owen "Dody" Faucette.

James Monroe “Pug” Morton was born September 2nd , 1850 in Caswell County, NC. The firstborn child of Vincent Lea Morton and Isabella Frances Oliver. James married Cannie Elizabeth Blackwell May 18th, 1905 in Caswell County. At the time of the marriage James was 54 years old and Cannie was only 17 years old as stated on their marriage certificate. James and Cannie had two children , Hattie Belle and Gladys Elizabeth.

Cannie was afflicted with what they called in the old days “spells”, which was most probably epilepsy. This was not a very socially acceptable condition to have in those days as it was thought of as being “touched” , “demented” or “possessed” in some way. I have heard family members relate stories of how when Cannie would feel a “spell” coming on she would run into the woods so her children or others wouldn’t see her when she was having a seizure. It was obviously a great source of embarrassment to her and she went to great lengths at these times to conceal her affliction. In those days the medicine of choice for this malady was Laudanum, which was a powerful narcotic and could be very addictive. On one fateful day perhaps after having a “spell” when my grandmother Hattie Belle was perhaps 3 years old and her sister Gladys still a baby, family members found Cannie lying unconscious on the floor with her little girls at her side rubbing her face trying their best to wake her. Sadly she never awoke having taken too much Laudanum, which overpowered her vital functions and caused her death. More than one family member passed down this story to me and I feel it to be an accurate portrayal of the death of my great-grandmother.

This left my great-grandfather James Monroe Morton, now approaching 60 years old with two small children and no mother to raise them. My great-great-grandmother Isabella took in the little girls and after her death their Aunt “ Nannie” Morton Stephens , sister of James Monroe Morton, raised the girls. Tragically their father James Monroe Morton, fifteen years after their mother’s death, was kicked in the head by a horse and lay upon his bed for a couple of months and finally died from the injury. Now the girls were true orphans, having lost both parents. He was apparently was able to make a will before he died t

Ada Elizabeth Blackwell is the second child of Livingston L. Blackwell and Elizabeth "Bettie" Ann Willis. Ada Elizabeth Blackwell never married.

I have acquired Ada Elizabeth Blackwell's Death Certificate from Caswell County. Born June 30th 1882 d. Oct 21st 1965.
Never married. Father's name: William "Billy" L. Blackwell.
Mother's name :unknown. Informant: Mrs. Sam Bason, Yanceyville, NC.

Her father's name, William L. Blackwell, could only be Livingston Lafayette Blackwell, referred to as "William L. Blackwell" in the 1861 Will of Henry Cobb, father of Anne E. Cobb, Livingston's mother.

Benjamin, Ada, and Cannie Blackwell are all Boarders in 1900, Willie Media is living with James M. Ward and Talitha Ward in the 1910 Census, after there mother Elizabeth Willis had died.

Caswell County Census Records

1900
Household of Mary Martin
Bennie L. Blackwell 21 Boarder
Ada E. Blackwell 18 Boarder

Ada's Sister, Cannie Blackwell is living in the 1900 Caswell County Census as a Boarder 12 yrs old with Nat and Hat Willis.

1910
House hold of Henry J. Dailey
Ada Blackwell 28
Martha E. Dailey 80 Mother
Russell Hatchett 7 Nephew

1920
House hold of Henry Hatchett
Ada Blackwell 37 Cousin

Ada Elizabeth Blackwell is the elusive daughter of Livingston Lafayette Blackwell and Elizabeth Willis.

She is living with her brother Bennie L. Blackwell (Benjamin Lafayette Blackwell) in the 1900 record

She is living with her Great-Aunt Martha E. Blackwell Dailey, sister of of Anne E. Cobb, both daughters of Henry Cobb and Martha Nunnally. Martha married George Dailey.

Willie Media Blackwell was the third child of Livingston Lafayette Blackwell and Elizabeth Willis.

She married Charles Henry Philip Isley, 25 December 1912 in Caswell County, son of Edwin Alexander Isley and Julia Anne Clayton. She was born 30 April 1861 in Person County, North Carolina, and died 15 July 1940 in Burlington, Alamance County, North Carolina. daughter of Martin Van Clayton and Elizabeth Long

Caswell County 1910 Census

James M. Ward    M    56y
Talitha E. Ward    F    56y
Willie M. Ward    F    26y

Willie Media Blackwell was adopted by James M. & Talitha Elizabeth Ward when she was 12 or 13 years old. She took on the Ward surname and married Charles Henry Philip Isley, 25 December 1912 in Caswell County, North Carolina. She was born 10 July 1884 in Caswell County, North Carolina, and died 10 January 1950 in Burlington, Alamance County, North Carolina.

They had children:

1. MAURINE WILSON ISLEY, b. 15 February 1914, Caswell County, North Carolina; d. 25 August 2005, Alamance County, North Carolina.

2. HELEN ELIZABETH ISLEY, b. 21 June 1916, North Carolina; d. 14 October 1996, Alamance County, North Carolina

3. MILDRED CHARLINE ISLEY, b. October 6th, 1919, Caswell County, North Carolina. She married WILLIAM BENNETT ATWATER 10 June 1945 in Fort Bragg, Cumberland County, North Carolina. He was born 29 July 1907, and died 1 March 1984 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia

4. CHARLES HENRY PHILLIP ISLEY, JR., b. 22 December 1921, Anderson, Caswell County, North Carolina; d. 24 December 1921, Anderson, Caswell County, North Carolina.

5. MEDIA "POLLY" COBB ISLEY, b. 15 May 1923, Caswell County, North Carolina.

6. RUSSELL EDWIN ISLEY, b. 15 July 1925, Burlington, Alamance County, North Carolina; d. 15 December 1994, Alamance County, North Carolina.

7. MAX ISLEY, b. 8 June 1929, Anderson, Caswell County, North Carolina.

I spoke personally today with Mildred Isley Atwater of Yanceyville, N.C., 91 years old, the daughter of Willie Media Blackwell Ward Isley and she confirmed that she was adopted by the Wards and was in fact a daughter of Livingston Lafayette Blackwell and Elizabeth Anne Willis and a sister of Ada Elizabeth Blackwell, Benjamin Lafayette Blackwell, and Cannie Elizabeth Blackwell.

Charles and Willie Media Isley are buried in Pine Hill Cemetery in Burlington, N.C. Their son Charles Henry Philip Isley Jr. is buried at Bethel United Church of Christ in Caswell Co, along with her adopted parents James M. and Talitha Ward.

Benjamin Lafayette Blackwell is the 1st child of Livingston L. Blackwell and Elizabeth "Bettie" Ann Willis. He married Ella Willis Robertson,daughter of Marcellus Robertson and Rebecca Poteat.

In the 1920 Caswell County Census we find Benjamin Lafayette Blackwell, son of Livingston L. Blackwell and his 1st wife, Elizabeth "Bettie" Ann Willis. Benjamin Lafayette Blackwell married Ella Willis Robertson.

             Bennie Blackwell    M    41y
   Ella W Blackwell    F    34y
   Onzo C Blackwell    M    17y
    Annie Blackwell    F    15y
   Harry Blackwell     M    12y
   Howard Blackwell    M    10y
   Carrie Blackwell    F    7y
    Ben L Blackwell    M    4y2m
   Ada R Blackwell    F    1y8m

There were three other children born to Benjamin Lafayette Blackwell and Ella Willis Robertson.
Robert Irving Blackwell, Bessie Malloy Blackwell and Geneva Blackwell.

The 10 children of Benjamin Lafayette Blackwell and Ella Willis Robertson were:

Robert Irving Blackwell. He was born on 04 Jan 1923 in Caswell County, N.C.. He died on 02 Apr 2006 in Wilmington, N C. He married 10 Sept 1949 Barbara Righter Terrell
Alamance Co NC Marriages Book 13 Page 55

Claude Onza Blackwell b.1903, married 11-11-1922, in Danville Va., Nettie Elna Poteat b. 1902, daughter of Edward Preston Poteat and Nettie Bracken Foster.
Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940 Reference Number 650, p122

Benjamin Lafayette Blackwell, Jr. b1915/16. married Minnie Doss

Harry Adron Blackwell He was born on 20 Apr 1907 [1]. He married Tinnie Walker. They were married on 01 Nov 1930 in Unknown [1]. He died on 18 Jan 1990

Howard Blackwell b.1910

Annie Blackwell b. 1905. married 07-10-1920, in Danville Va., George F. Poteat b. 1894, son of James A. Poteat and Laura Foster
Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940 Reference Number 440, p14

Bessie Malloy Blackwell. married 08-18-1940 William Henry Thompson.
Alamance Co NC Marriages Book 10 Page 333

Carrie T. Blackwell b.1913, married Ernest Lea Jeffreys, Son of Eli Cleveland Jeffreys and Emma Camelia Lea.

Geneva Blackwell. married a Haigler

Ada Rebecca Blackwell b.1918 married 04-06-1946 William L. Riggsbee.
Alamance Co NC Marriages Book 11 Page 1805

So the family of Livingston Lafayette Blackwell and Elizabeth "Bettie" Anne Willis is now complete.

In 1910 Livingston L. Blackwell married his second wife, Sarah Angaline Hunley in Alamance Co. N.C.

Alamance County, N.C.
December 27th, 1910
Marriage License

Livingston L. Blackwell Age 62, son of N. L. Blackwell and Ann Blackwell
Mrs. Sarah Ann Hundley Age 42 daughter of Henry Hundley and Jane Hundley

In the 1880 Caswell Co. N.C. Census, Livingston L. Blackwell's 2nd wife, Sarah Angaline Hunley is found in the Caswell County Poorhouse with her Mother, Jane Hundley and her brother, William Yancey Hundley.

1880 Caswell Co. N.C. Census
Yanceyville Township June 2nd, 1880
Household #38
Jane Hundley           Age 47 Female
Angeline Hundley     Age 15 Female Daughter
Wm. Y. Hundley        Age 13 Male      Son

In 1920 we find Livingston L. Blackwell listed as "William Blackwell" living in Alamance Co. N.C. in the Household of Nathan "Natt" Hunley, his 2nd wife Sarah Angaline Hunley's son.

1920 Alamance Co. N.C. Census
Burlington Township, January 21st, 1920
Household #106
Nathan Hunley            Head             Age 29         Male             Finisher-Finishing Plant
Alma Hunley                Wife              Age 18         Female         Operator-Hosiery Mill
Maxine Hunley             Daughter      Age 1-3/12 Female
Buddy Hunley              Son               Age 2/12     Male
Sarah Blackwell           Mother          Age   51       Female
William Blackwell          Step-Father Age   71       Male             Painter-House
Ode Roberson             Boarder        Age   24       Male             Finisher-Finishing Plant
Bessie Roberson         Boarder         Age 25       female          Operator-Hosiery Mill

Sarah Angaline Hunley had three children prior to marrying Livingston L. Blackwell, Nathan Lee "Natt" Hunley who married Alma Woods, Clem Hunley who married Clara May Robertson, and Ida Hunley who married Wesley Carden. Livingston L. Blackwell and Sarah Angaline Hunley had a daughter Willa Blanche Blackwell who married a Westermeyer. Based on her tombstone Willa Blanche Blackwell Westermeyer was born November 19th, 1902 and died January 31st, 1978. Blanche Blackwell was born 8 years before Livingston L. Blackwell and Sarah Angaline Hunley were married. Blanche Blackwell married Charlie Westermeyer from New York but Blanche lived and died in Burlington, Alamance Co. N.C. Blanche had two children, Reva May Blackwell Dryden and Coy Amber Blackwell.

Through this research I have a newfound Great-Grand Aunt in Willa Blanche Blackwell Westermeyer and two new 1st cousins 2 times removed in Reva and Coy Blackwell.

Livingston Lafayette Blackwell went to meet his maker on June 19th, 1920 in Burlington, Alamance Co. N.C. after a long and interesting life.

Burlington, Alamance County, N.C.
November 20th, 1920
Death Certificate #47

L. L. Blackwell 71 yrs. 10 mos. 26 ds.
Date of Birth: July 25th,1848
Death: June 19th, 1920
Time of Death: 8:00 AM
Cause of Death: No Diagnosis
Contributory to Death: Eating Green Apple
Occupation: Farmer
White Male
Married
Father: Fayette Blackwell
Mother: Annie Cobb
Informant: Natt Hundley
Burial: Pine Hill Cemetery, Burlington, N.C.
Undertaker: W. Levi Burke

Livingston Lafayette Blackwell's great-grandfather Capt. Robert Blackwell was involved in the action against the insurgents . Capt. Robert Blackwell in 1771 served 77 days in Captain Nathaniel Hart’s Company of Orange County Militia during an expedition against the Insurgents of North Carolina(against The Regulators and The Battle of Alamance) Robert Blackwell served in Capt. Nathaniel West's Company, Orange Co, NC militia in 1771, 1st Lt. Capt Ramsey's Company in 1777. He was a member of the NC House of Commons 1796-1797 owned 1394 acres "Stony Fork", on Moon's Creek Caswell Co, NC.

Capt. Robert Blackwell was promoted to Captain in 1777 during the Revolutionary War

    The Colonial Records of North Carolina Volume     Page 597

    Col. John Williams to Gov. Caswell

    (From Executive Letter Book)

                                                            Camp at Quankey, 28th Aug’t , 1777

      Sir:---

   Your Excellency will herewith receive a list of officers, ordered on the recruiting service. I have directed them to apply to you for instructions. Capt. Joel Brevard and five Lieut’s. of my Reg’t have resigned their Com’s. Mr Robert Blackwell, First Lieut. in Capt. Ramsey’s Company, a very obliging officer, ( & a man of property ) I beg leave to recommend to your Excellency, to fill the vacancy of Capt. Brevard: also Mr. James Tatum, and William Washington, two Cadets, in my Regiment, to fill the vacancies of Ensigns; if you think proper to do it, please to enclose the Com’s directed to me on our march; which we will begin on Monday next, it being the first day of Sept’r. I am Your Excellency’s most ob’t H’ble Serv’t,

John Williams

Capt. Robert Blackwell’s brother in law Dr. Lancelot Johnston was a noted Surgeon during the Revolutionary War as well.

Here endeth the life and times of Livingston Lafayette Blackwell. May he rest in peace.

Written By: Latham Mark Phelps
Snow Camp, N.C.
October 2010
2nd Great-Grandson of Livingston Lafayette Blackwell (1848-1920)

Vincent Lea Morton

2007-12-25T09:02:00.001-05:00

Vincent Lea Morton--(son of Elijah Morton and Mary "Polly" Lea) was born April 30th, 1823 in Leasburg, Caswell County, N.C., and died there August 26th, 1902. He married Isabelle Frances Oliver (daughter of Rueben Oliver and Nancy Lea) December 4th , 1848 when Isabelle was only 14 years old and remarkably would not only become a child bride of 14 but would go on to have 14 children as well. Isabelle was born October 20th, 1834 in Caswell County and died in Leasburg Sept. 18th, 1915.

Vincent and Isabelle lived in the Gabriel Lea house in Leasburg, the home of his maternal grandfather. Vincent Lea Morton and his wife Isabelle Frances Oliver are both buried in the Leasburg Community Cemetery in Leasburg, N.C.

Vincent Lea Morton had one brother and three sisters, all children of Elijah Morton and Mary "Polly" Lea.

1) James M. Morton--Born October 12th, 1831--Died April 10th, 1849--17 years old

2) Phoebe L. Morton--Born September 2nd, 1812--Died December 10th, 1896. Phoebe married Benjamin F. Stanfield, another prominent citizen in Leasburg.

3) Barbara H. Morton--Born October 23rd, 1821--Died July 31st, 1896. Barbara married Archibald Baynes of the Baynes Community, Son of Thornton Yancey Baynes. Archibald Baynes was involved in a murder and trial during the Union Army occupation of Caswell County:

Civil War History, March, 2003 by Thomas P. Lowry

Line upon line; line upon line; Here a little, and there a little. ---Isaiah 28:13

For ten years Manuel had been a slave of Archibald Baynes, a planter of Caswell County, North Carolina. With emancipation, Manuel became a contract laborer.After several months of work he went to Baynes and asked for his wages, which were refused. After some words Manuel walked away and his employer shot him in the back, killing him almost instantly.

Baynes was tried by a court of the occupying Union army and sentenced to hang. A large number of local politicians and neighbors petitioned President Andrew Johnson, describing Baynes as a pillar of community and citing the state law whereby the "insolence by a colored person" should be regarded as a battery. The president referred the case to Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt, whose blistering opinion branded the crime as cold-blooded murder, the defense testimony as perjured nonsense, and the state law on "insolence" as not only wrong but also unsupported by testimony.
The death sentence was approved.

This case provides only one example of the rich details contained within one of the most underused resources for Civil War scholarship, the records of courts-martial for the Union and Confederate armies
and the Union navy.

After her husband's death Barbara Morton Baynes purchased a house and 40 acres of Land in Leasburg from her 1st cousin, Solomon Lea, adjoining the Lands of V. L. Morton. In her will she left this property to "Henry Baynes (colored) and Eliza Ann Richmond (colored)" "to revert to Benjamin E. Stanfield (son of Benjamin F. Stanfield) if they do not live on the premises". Benjamin E. Stanfield was the son of Phoebe Morton Stanfield (Vincent's sister) and Benjamin F. Stanfield.

4) Maranda Morton--married John C. Love

Vincent Lea Morton's maternal grandparents were Gabriel Lea and Elizabeth Ashburn. Gabriel Lea was the son of James "Kilgore's Branch" Lea. Gabriel Lea was one of the most prominent citizens of Caswell County, at one time owning over 5000 acres of land. He had served as a Captain in the Revolutionary War and later as Sheriff in 1801 and Representative to the North Carolina House of Commons 1793-94 from Caswell County.

Vincent Lea Morton's paternal grandfather was Meshack Morton who came to Caswell County from Prince Edward County, Va. around 1780 or before

Isabella's father Rueben Oliver (son of Stephen Oliver) was killed by lightning while fishing on the banks of Country Line Creek in Caswell County in the summer of 1837. Rueben's wife Nancy Lea Oliver after the estate was settled and her children provided for, re-married James Eli Murray of the Crossroads Church community in neighboring Orange County, present day Alamance County. The Oliver's had come to Caswell County from Caroline County, Va. in the late 1700's.

Vincent Lea Morton was 1st Cousin to Solomon Lea, renowned educator. Vincent's Mother Mary "Polly" Lea and Solomon's father William Lea were brother and sister, both children of Gabriel Lea.

Vincent Lea Morton's father Elijah Morton was a prominent farmer and citizen of Leasburg as well. In 1825 when the Racetrack opened north of Leasburg, Elijah Morton enjoyed regional fame for his five Arabian stallions known as "Morton's Bays."According to William S. Powell, who wrote a book on the history of Caswell County, Elijah Morton also owned this Racetrack. He was also a Caswell District Patroler, meaning he chased down runaway slaves. In a December 1856 Court record he paid the Clerk 15.00 for old timbers from Love's Ford on Hyco. In October 1857 Elijah was a bondsman (witness) for William Lea as administrator for the estate of William Lea Jr. Along With Elijah was Solomon Lea also as bondsman. In October Court 1825 he was Administrator in account current with the estate of Martin Morton, deceased. (his brother) Caswell Co. Wills Book K Page 289.

There is reference made to Elijah Morton in the List of Taxables in the Richmond District of Caswell County of 1838,the listing reads as follows:Elijah Morton 723 acres valued $2.75 per acre, total land value $1988.00. He also had 5 slaves and his tax that year was $5.49.

In the List of Taxables for the year 1863, his property was less in acreage, but substantially more valuable. However this being 25 years later and in the midst of the Civil War we see this listing:

Elijah Morton

530 acres--@9.00 per acre---$4770.00
63 acres--@15.00 per acre--$945.00
104 acres--@6.00 per acre---$624.00
25 Slaves valued at -----------$15,702.00

His tax that year of 1863 was: $88.26 State Tax
$66.20 County Tax
$154.46 Total

In William S. Powell's "When the Past Refused to Die--A History of Caswell County" Page 266, Branson's North
Carolina Business Directory for 1872, listed among the most outstanding farmers in Caswell County in Leasburg is:
V. L. Morton---630 Acres--Value 3.50 per acre

Children of Vincent Lea Morton and Isabella Frances Oliver are:

1) James Monroe Morton, b. 02 Sep 1850, d. 19 Jul 1924 married. Cannie Elizabeth Blackwell b. 1888, Caswell County NC d. 1909 Married 18 May 1905, Caswell County NC James Monroe and Cannie were my Great-Grandparents

2) Quinn Eli Morton, b. 16 Apr 1852, Caswell County NC; d. 27 Mar 1920

Quinn Eli Morton was a Commissioner of Person County, N.C.

3) Mary Ann "Nannie" Morton, b. 21 Feb 1854, Caswell County N.C. d. 28 Oct 1938, Caswell County NC; m. Thomas Josiah Stephens, 19 Dec 1878, Caswell county NC; b. 22 Jun 1846; d. 07 Feb 1893.

Nannie Morton and Thomas Stephens had a daughter named Annie who married George W. Trollinger. She was called by my mother's family "Cousin Annie Trollinger" and dearly beloved by the family. My mother and aunt have told me stories about how "Cousin Annie" used to take them with her to the mountains of North Carolina to visit her daughter-in-law who had remarried a gentleman that owned some diamond mines and was apparently wealthy.

They would be furnished with a car and driver the whole time and had some wonderful adventures during their stays there. "Cousin Annie" was adamant that the young girls were properly attired and on their best behavior whenever they traveled with her. I was told that if the proper shoes, dresses, hats, etc. were not available that she would provide them. Even when not traveling she would admonish my grandmother if their dresses weren't properly pressed or their hair not properly kempt. Fittingly my mother is buried between "Cousin Annie" and her parents Perry and Hattie Belle at Union United Methodist Church in Leasburg, N.C.

4) Eugenia "Jenny" Demarius Morton, b. 28 Jul 1856, Caswell County NC; m. (1) David Wells; m. (2) -------- Smith.

5) David Lea "Cap" Morton, b. 27 Sep 1858, Caswell County NC; m. Ida Scott.

6) William Elijah "Uncle Will" Morton, b. 11 Oct 1860, Caswell County NC; d. 10 Aug 1912; m. FannieWagstaff.

William and Fannie had a daughter named Mae who married Thee Hester Sr. "Cousin" Mae had beautiful flowers and a large Japanese pool with large golden Japanese Carp fish. She also had a house out back where she raised Guinea Pigs. I don't know why but I loved to go out there as a child and play with them. Margie Monk Thomas, a granddaughter of Glendora Belle Morton, relayed this story to me. My mother and my aunts also told me of going with their mother Hattie Belle Morton Lunsford to visit their Hester cousins when they were children. There is a road in present day Person County, NC just over the Caswell County line called "Thee Hester Road"

7) Lizzie Polly Morton, b. 03 Dec 1862, Caswell County NC; m. ------- Paylor.

8) Lula Phebe Morton, b. 01 Feb 1865, Caswell County NC; m. Oscar Vanhook

9) John Alvis Morton, b. 16 Apr 1867, Caswell County NC; d. 04 Sep 1932.

10) Emma Caroline "Kattie" Morton, b. 26 Jun 1869, Caswell County NC; m. John Murray.

11) Edward Vincent Morton, b. 06 Oct 1871, Caswell County NC; d. 28 Aug 1937; m. Sally Winstead.

12) Charles Wheeler Morton, b. 20 Oct 1873, Caswell County NC; d. 23 Dec 1912.

Wheeler Morton died from a wound received while cutting mutton, he bled to death later after falling down some steps and re-opening the wound.

13) Glendora Belle "Glennie" Morton, b. 29 Mar 1878, Caswell County NC; d. 1943; m. Nathaniel Harris.

14) Rosa Matilda Morton, b. 30 Jun 1881, Caswell County NC; d. 06 Feb 1887.

Rosa Matilda Morton, on her first day at school fell into a large open fireplace at the schoolhouse and burned to death. She was brought home wrapped in a sheet. This story was told to me by my grandmother Hattie Belle Morton and confirmed by Margie Monk Thomas, a granddaughter of Glendora Belle Morton. This must have been a tragic occurrence for the whole family to lose their baby daughter in such a way.

In 1869 Vincent was deeded by his father Elijah 500 acres of land with the consideration to support and Maintain Elijah. As Vincent was the only living son this was a common practice to deed over the family lands before one's death and to be cared for by the family after that. At the time of this deed Vincent and Isabella were expecting the 10th of their 14 children

Elijah Morton to Vincent L. Morton
January 21st, 1869
Caswell County, North Carolina

State of North Carolina Caswell County
This Indenture made and _______this the 21st day of January 1869. Witnesseth that for and in consideration the natural love and affection which Elijah Morton bears his Son Vincent L. Morton and for and in consideration of a bond executed and delivered by said Vincent L. Morton to support and maintain the said Elijah Morton and for other good causes and considerations the said Elijah Morton hath given granted bargained Sold & delivered to the said Vincent L. Morton his heirs and assigns the tract of land whereon he the said Elijah Morton now lives containing five hundred 500 acres more or less adjoining the lands of John S., Wm. Peterson, William______and others to have and to hold the Said tract of land to the only proper use & behoof of the said Vincent L. Morton his heirs and assigns forever.
Elijah Morton *Seal*

Witnesses
Wm. Paylor Jr.
A.W. Garner

In 1875 Vincent Lea Morton was named Executor in his father Elijah Morton's will.

Last Will of Elijah Morton
Caswell County Court 1875

I, Elijah Morton, being of sound mind and memory and calling to mind the uncertainty of Life do make publish and declare my last Will and Testament as follows:
My desire is that all just debts and funeral expenses be paid and all my other property, Money and estate be divided between my four children, Vincent L. Morton, Phoebe L. Stanfield, Maranda R. Love and Barbara Baynes I hereby appoint my son Vincent L. Morton my executor to this my Last Will and Testament.
Signed and acknowledged in the presence of this 21st day of January 1869.

William Paylor Jr. Elijah Morton (Signed)
A. W. Graves

Record of Wills Caswell County Page 173
Vincent L. Morton being sworn, doth say that Elijah Morton late of said county, is dead, Having first made and published his last Will and Testament and Vincent L. Morton is The executor named therein. Further that the property of the said Elijah Morton Consisting of Lands, Goods, Chattels, Bonds, and Monies, is worth $4000.00 so far As can be ascertained at the date of this application and this V. L. Morton, Phoebe L.Stanfield, Maranda R. Love and Barbara H. Baynes are the parties entitled under said Will to the said property.
V. L. Morton (Signed)
May 1875
G. H. Kerr
Probate Judge

Vincent's wife Isabella Frances Oliver's family were heavily involved in the clandestine resistance to the Union Army's being there along with their northern sympathizers. Two of Isabella's cousins John G. Lea and James T.(Tom) Oliver were intimately involved in the now infamous murder of Senator John "Chicken" Stephens in the Caswell County Courthouse in 1870. John G. Lea and Tom Oliver were both Confederate veterans and had no love for the Union.

John G. Lea organized and became the head of the Ku Klux Klan in Caswell County and
Tom Oliver actually delivered the Killing blows to John "Chicken" Stephens. This was an unsolved murder for65 years until the sealed confession as well as account of the murder, written by John G. Lea and opened after his death when he was in his 90's.

The Confession of John G. Lea as to his involvement in the murder of John "Chicken" Stephens at the Caswell Court House just after the Civil War. John G. Lea was the son of Thomas L. Lea(former Sheriff of Caswell County), the grandson of John "Canebrake" Lea, The great grandson of John "Country Line" Lea, the great-great grandson of James "Country Line" Lea, and my 2nd Cousin 4 times removed.

Alas, another 2nd cousin of mine was the one who actually delivered the killing blows-James Thomas Oliver, son of Lindsay Oliver, grandson of Durette Oliver (brother of Reuben Oliver-my 3rd great-grandfather),with Durette and Rueben being great-grandsons of Stephen Oliver.

James Thomas Oliver and John G. Lea both served in the Civil War from Caswell County. Tom Oliver was in the same unit, the 6th Regiment Company H "The Caswell Boys" as was Payton L. Lunsford and Joseph R. Lunsford my 2nd great-grandfather and 2nd great granduncle respectively.

Vincent Lea Morton died in 1902 having made his will in 1898

Last Will of Vincent Lea Morton

State of North Carolina
Leasburg, Caswell County
March 10th 1898

I Vincent Morton being of sound mind and recognizing the uncertainty of human life, do make and declare this to be my last will and testament namely: My wish is first that all my just debts and burial expenses be paid, after which I bequeath to my wife, Isabella F. Morton, my entire estate, to have and to use during her life.

Vincent L. Morton
George Connally
J. A. Wade

For more on the Morton family see "The Morton Family in Caswell County" at the Caswell County, N.C. GenWeb site

Composed by: Latham Mark Phelps--Gr-Gr-Grandson of Vincent Lea Morton

Peyton L. Lunsford and Margaret Fuqua family pictures

2007-11-11T07:32:00.001-05:00

Peyton L. Lunsford and Margaret Fuqua Lunsford

(L) John William Lunsford (R) Walter Thomas Lunsford

(L) Robert L. Lunsford (R) James Monroe Lunsford

George Washington Lunsford

George Washington Lunsford and wife Annie Belle Edwards Lunsford

Annie Belle Edwards Lunsford--Wife of George Washington Lunsford

Lunsford Pictures from Harold Lunsford photo album

2007-11-10T10:14:00.001-05:00

CLICK ON EACH PAGE OF THE ALBUM TO ENLARGE THE PICTURES

James Monroe Morton & Cannie Elizabeth Blackwell

2007-03-16T05:06:00.000-04:00

James Monroe Morton—My Great-Grandfather

James Monroe “Pug” Morton was born September 2nd , 1850 in Caswell County, NC. The firstborn child of Vincent Lea Morton and Isabella Frances Oliver. James married Cannie Elizabeth Blackwell May 18th , 1905 in Caswell County. At the time of the marriage James was 54 years old and Cannie was only 17 years old as stated on their marriage certificate. James and Cannie had two children , Hattie Belle and Gladys Elizabeth.

Cannie was afflicted with what they called in the old days “spells”, which was most probably epilepsy. This was not a very socially acceptable condition to have in those days as it was thought of as being “touched” , “demented” or “possessed” in some way. I have heard family members relate stories of how when Cannie would feel a “spell” coming on she would run into the woods so her children or others wouldn’t see her when she was having a seizure. It was obviously a great source of embarrassment to her and she went to great lengths at these times to conceal her affliction. In those days the medicine of choice for this malady was Laudanum, which was a powerful narcotic and could be very addictive. On one fateful day perhaps after having a “spell” when my grandmother Hattie Belle was perhaps 3 years old and her sister Gladys still a baby, family members found Cannie lying unconscious on the floor with her little girls at her side rubbing her face trying their best to wake her. Sadly she never awoke having taken too much Laudanum, which overpowered her vital functions and caused her death. More than one family member passed down this story to me and I feel it to be an accurate portrayal of the death of my great-grandmother.

This left my great-grandfather James Monroe Morton, now approaching 60 years old with two small children and no mother to raise them. My great-great-grandmother Isabella took in the little girls and after her death their Aunt “ Nannie” Morton Stephens , sister of James Monroe Morton, raised the girls. Tragically their father James Monroe Morton, fifteen years after their mother’s death, was kicked in the head by a horse and lay upon his bed for a couple of months and finally died from the injury. Now the girls were true orphans, having lost both parents. He was apparently was able to make a will before he died to provide for his girls after his death.

Last Will and Testament of James Monroe Morton—April 1924

North Carolina
Caswell County

I , J.M. Morton of the aforesaid County and State, being of sound mind but considering the uncertainty of my earthly existence, do make and declare this to be my last will and testament.

First: My executor herein after named shall give my body a decent burial suitable to the wishes of my children, and pay all funeral expenses, together will all my just debts, out of the first moneys which comes into his hands belonging to my estate.

Second: Whereas my two daughters Hattie Belle and Gladys E. Morton are both minors of the ages of about eighteen and sixteen years respectfully, neither being old enough to handle my estate legally, and Whereas, I have encumbered my lands with a deed of trust in the sum of Eight Hundred & Fifty Dollars and am desirous of paying off the debt as early as possible so that my daughters may not be paying interest on the aforesaid note, I do hereby authorize my executor hereinafter named to sell privately or at public auction that portion of land lying on the east side of my land and containing about forty or fifty acres, and if he can not sell the land for enough to satisfy the claims, then in lieu thereof I do authorize and empower him to sell all that portion of my lands lying on the south side of a plantation road leading from the public road known as the Semora and Hightowers road, said plantation road running between the feed barn and another barn nearby, and running in an easterly direction and out of the proceeds of the sale of either of the described lands he will pay the note that is secured by the deed of trust on the place.

Third: After all my just debts are paid, I give devise and bequeath the residues of my estate shall be equally divided between my two daughters, Hattie B. Morton and Gladys E. Morton share and share alike, said decisions to be made when Gladys E. Morton shall arrive at the age of twenty-one years of age, until this division can be made it is my will and desire that R. L. Mitchell be and he is hereby appointed and constituted trustee of my estate which I will to my two daughters to have and to hold the custody of the estate until the said Gladys E. Morton shall arrive at the full age of twenty-one years.

Fourth: I herby constitute and appoint my trusty friend R. L. Mitchell, my lawful executor and trustee to all intents and purpose to execute this my last will and testament according to the true intent of meaning of the same, and every part and clause thereof, hereby revoking and declaring utterly void all other wills and testaments heretofore made by me.

In Witness whereof, I the said J. M. Morton do here unto set my hand and seal the____ day of April, 1924

Signed: J. M. Morton

Signed, sealed, published and declared by the said J. M. Morton to be his last will and testament in the presence of us, who act at his request and in his presence do subscribe our names as witnesses thereto.

Signed: G. R. Lunsford
A.H. Wilkins

Record of Executors and Guardians, Caswell County, in the Superior Court before B. L. Graves, Clerk of Superior Court, August, 1924

In the Matter of the Will of J. M. Morton
R.L. Mitchell being duly sworn, doth say that that J. M. Morton, late of said county is dead, having first made and published his last will and testament, and that R. L. Mitchell is the executor named herein. Further that the property of the said J. M. Morton, consisting of Real and Personal property, is worth about $3000.00 , so far as can be ascertained at the date of this application, and that Hattie Morton and Gladys Morton are the parties under said will entitled to said property.

Signed: R. L. Mitchell

Sworn to and subscribed before me, this 1st day of August, 1924
Signed: B. L. Graves
Clerk of Superior Court

Transcribed by: Latham Mark Phelps 12-14-2002

William Cook

2006-08-05T14:04:00.000-04:00

William Cook, my maternal 2nd Great-Grandfather--Husband of Lue Dunevant--Father of Mattie Cook, wife of Walter Thomas Lunsford.

Gabriel Lea's Bond for Tax Collection as Sheriff -1801

2005-10-09T10:23:00.000-04:00

A Bond in October 1801 to allow Gabriel Lea to collect taxes and enforce the tax laws of Caswell County, N.C. during his term as Sheriff.

Gabriel Lea Appointed Sheriff 1801

2005-10-09T10:15:00.000-04:00

Gabriel Lea-My 4th Great-Grandfather-Appointed Sheriff of Caswell County, N.C. in July 1801.

Rueben Oliver's Estate Survey 1838

2005-09-30T07:25:00.000-04:00

Rueben Oliver’s Property Plat 1838 The Above Plat represents a tract of land belonging to the Estate of Ruebin Oliver Dec’d. situated on South Country Line Creek containing 683 3/10 acres. Lot’s No. 1 and No. 2 are laid off and assigned to Nancy Oliver widow of the late Rueben Oliver Dec’d. as her dower in said tract of land. Surveyed and laid off November 22nd 1838 By: Henry Bushnell C.C.S. State of North Carolina} Caswell County} We whose names are hereunto annexed having been summoned by the Sheriff of said County to lay off and assign to Nancy Oliver widow of the late Rueben Oliver Dec’d. dower on the lands of her late husband aforesaid submit the following report (To Wit) That on the 22nd day of November 1838 we met at the late residence of the deceased accompanied by Henry Bushnell the County Surveyor and after having been duly sworn according to Law proceeded to the Performance of duty aforesaid and having viewed the lands, late the property othe the deceased aforesaid, and examined a plat of the same furnished us by the said Surveyor we considered it impracticable to do equal Justice to the Parties Concerned and lay off said dower including the mansion House in one connected tract. We therefore adopted what we believed the most equitable plan and have laid off and assigned to the widow in two Separate Lots Yet sufficiently connected by the road to_____ tolerable convenience which lots are described on the plat hereunto annexed and are bounded as follows. Viz: Lot No. 1 including the mansion House beginning at a Spanish Oak corner with Durette Oliver, running thence West thirty two chains and twenty links to Pointers, thence South twenty six chains fifty links to a Red Oak, thence East thirty three chains sixteen links to a Pine Stump and Pointers, Corner with Kimbro, thence North twenty six chains and fifty links to the first station containing Eighty Seven and 9/10 acres. Lot No. 2 Beginning at a Gum, Corner with William Kimbro, running thence N. 85o E. 13.64 to a Hickory, thence S. 45o E. 3 chs. 10 links to a stake, thence N. 88 3/4o East fifteen chains twenty four links to a Walnut Sprout, thence S. 65o East eight chains sixty five links to a Sycamore Stump, thence S. 10o East one chain seventy five chains crossing the south fork of the Creek to a Stake, thence N. 50o East 2 chains sixty three links to a Sugar tree, thence N. 28o East six chains thirty links, thence N. 43o East five chains seventy three links to a Walnut Stump in the road, thence with road crossing the Creek Northwesterly fourteen nineteen links to a Stake in the road, thence N. 64o West 6 chains to a Stake near a rock, thence South 51o West two chains eighty links to a Gum Stump, thence North forty five degrees West thirty sevev chains to a Stake by the side of the road, thence South seventy three and a half degrees West ten chains twenty links to the first Station, Containing One Hundred and Thirty Nine and 8/10 acres. All of which is respectfully submitted. Given under our hands and seals this 22nd day of November 1838. William Kimbro (Seal) Goodwin Evans (Seal) Thos. Burton (Seal) Berry Evans (Seal) Joseph Aldridge (Seal) William Fullington (Seal) John Corbett (Seal) Philip Hodnett (Seal) Henry Hooper (Seal) Elijah Graves (Seal) Josiah Page (Seal) Henry Willis (Seal) State of North Carolina} Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions Caswell County} January Court 1839 The within report of Jury who were summoned to lay off to Nancy Oliver, Dower in the lands of her deceased husband, was duly returned to Court. Considered of and Confirmed by the Court and on motion ordered to be registered. Test. Paul A. Haralson Clk. North Carolina} Caswell County} May 8th 1840 The foregoing report was this day duly registered. Alex McCain RR

2005-06-25T10:21:00.000-04:00

Confederate Tombstone of Joseph R. Lunsford --My 2nd Great-Granduncle
Posted by Hello

2005-06-25T10:14:00.000-04:00

Confederate Tombstone of Peyton L. Lunsford --My 2nd Great-Grandfather
Posted by Hello

2005-06-25T10:08:00.000-04:00

Tombstone of Elizabeth Ashburn Lea--Wife of Gabriel Lea
Posted by Hello

2005-06-25T10:05:00.000-04:00

Tombstone of Willis N. Harder Sr.-- 1st Husband of Margaret Trollinger. He died in camp during the Civil War.
Posted by Hello

2005-06-25T09:57:00.000-04:00

Tombstone of Joseph Rippy
Posted by Hello

2005-06-25T09:54:00.000-04:00

Tombstone of Joseph Harder Jr.
Posted by Hello

2005-06-25T09:52:00.000-04:00

Tombstone of Annis Rippy Harder
Posted by Hello

Tombstone of Gabriel Lea 1758-1834

2005-06-19T08:29:00.000-04:00

Tombstone of Gabriel Lea Posted by Hello

2005-06-19T08:22:00.000-04:00

Tombstone of Isabella Frances Morton-Daughter of Rueben and Nancy Lea Oliver
Posted by Hello

2005-06-19T08:16:00.000-04:00

Tombstone of Vincent Lea Morton
Posted by Hello

2005-06-17T08:41:00.000-04:00

Tombstones of Elijah and Mary Lea Morton
Posted by Hello

The Sellars Family in Alamance County, N.C.

2005-06-15T06:57:00.008-04:00

The following article about the Sellars Family was written by Dorothy Sellars Young Brawley. One of my best friends for over twenty years has been Claiborne Sellars Young, a celebrated travel writer who writes “Cruising Guides” for boaters on most of the southern waters of the U.S.A. Claiborne is the only son of Claiborne Clark Young and Dorothy Sellars Young (now Brawley).The only correction I have made is concerning the husband of Eliza Sellars daughter of Thomas Sellars Sr., who was mistakenly listed as John Harden in the article (probably a typo by the publisher). In actuality Elizabeth Sellars married Joseph Harder November 18^th1796 in Orange County, North Carolina which is substantiated by the record of the marriage bond and by a family chart done by a Sellars relative many years ago. Joseph Harder and Elizabeth Sellars were my 5^th Great-Grandparents and Thomas Sellars Sr. was my 6^th Great-Grandfather. I am currently in collaboration with two of my newly discovered 4^th cousins, Claiborne Sellars Young and Elizabeth (Betsy) Bailey Farmer on a project to write a complete history of the Sellars Family which should be most interesting as they have left quite a legacy from Colonial times to present day. Any text that appears in "green" hereafter are notes from my own research.

Latham Mark Phelps- May 1^st 2004

Alamance County Heritage Book

Page 386—Story Number 244

THOMAS, SR. AND NELLIE (HOLT) SELLARS, FAMILY

Little is known where or when Thomas Sellars, Sr. was born. It is thought he was born in England between 1740 and 1745. The first information available is that he came to Philadelphia, Pa. and later moved to North Carolina. He was residing in Orange County in that part which is now Alamance County on the Haw River. In 1765‑68 he signed two petitions to Governor Tryon, one against taxes, and one against discharging of magistrates.

He married sometime previous to 1782, but it is uncertain whom he married as he referred to her as "my wife" in a deed dated April 5, 1816. It is possible he married a Nellie Holt as there is an entry in the old Sellars Bible with her name and birth date February 18, 1756. That is the only explanation why the name would be in the Sellars Bible.

I have since discovered who the wife of Thomas Sellars Sr. actually was. She was Bathsheba Brinkley, daughter of Peter Brinkley Sr.

See the below document:

North Carolina, Orange County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions November Court 1817 We the Undersigned Commissioners being appointed by the County Court of Orange County, to make partition of the lands which Peter Brinkley dec'd., died seized, and it being necessary that the said lands should be marked out by a dividing line, to designate what part each of the heirs at law, (Wit) Peter Brinkley and Thomas Sellars with Barsheba his wife, Should have and in Obedience to said order, We have this day proceeded to divide said lands as equally in quantity and quality as within our power lies and we find: Beginning on the middle of the Eastern boundary line at a Red Oak, running West Sixteen Chains & Seventy Five Links to a Post Oak, thence West to John Isley's corner on Broad Cap Branch, near where the Jacob Holt road crosses said branch. Thence up said branch to the Western boundary line. And we have concluded and agreed that the land lying South of Dividing Line, We allot to Thomas Sellars and Barsheba his wife, and that on the North of said Dividing line, We allot to Peter Brinkley, and as Thomas Sellars gets the most of the Improvements, We allot that he pay to Peter Brinkley, Twenty Dollars. Which report being made out by us, we have hereunto Set our Hands & Seals this 15th day of November, 1817 . William Holt James Gant John Brown Mason Tarpley John Holt

Thomas Sellars, Sr. had two sons, Thomas Sellars, Jr. (1782‑1865) and Willis Sellars (1788‑1843). It is thought there were two daughters, one named Eliza who married Joseph Harder and the other Polly who married Martin Loy. These daughters probably moved to Sumner County, Tennessee as records appear of Sellars in Tennessee and no records of them in Alamance County.

Thomas Sellars, Jr. (1782 ‑ October 23, 1865) married Nancy Rainey (June 6, 1795 ‑ July 22, 1881). Nancy Rainey was the daughter of Nancy Sullinger Rainey and Benjamin Rainey (October 8, 1758 ‑ May 5, 1811). Benjamin Rainey was a large landowner and also a minister at Providence Church, Graham, North Carolina. Ile and his wife are buried in the family cemetery, which is near Burlington Mills plant off of Anthony Street. Tombstones still stand. In his will Benjamin Rainey leaves to his beloved wife, Nancy, certain cows, horses, furniture, farm equipment and slaves. One of the slaves was named Kizzie. This unusual name appears in the book "Roots" written by Alex Haley. It is indefinite what relationship this might be, if any. Nancy Sullinger and Benjamin Rainey had eleven children.

1. Rachel Rainey (March 6, 1778 October 30, 1839) married Michael Holt (July 11, 1778 ‑ April 21, 1842).

2. Rebecca Rainey (April 10, 1780 March 1876) married first Richard Mabin (1762‑1804) ‑ Second marriage John King (1780‑1834)

3. William Rainey (February 25, 1782‑1838) married Sarah "Sally" (last name unknown) 1834 ‑ Buried in Rutherford County, Tennessee.

4. Mary "Polly" Rainey (1784 May 10, 1829) married Neal Buchanan Rose (died February 28, 1835).

5. Isaac Rainey ‑ No information probably died as an infant.

6. Benjamin Abel Rainey (June 13, 1788‑1862) married Nancy Cannon (died about 1852 in Savannah, Mo.).

7. Elizabeth "Betsy" Rainey (May 10, 1791 ‑ November 6, 1821) married William Holt (August 7, 1785 August 5, 1866).

8. Nancy Rainey (June 16, 1795 August 22, 1881) married Thomas Sellars, Jr. (1782 ‑ October 23, 1865).

9. John Sullinger Rainey (June 20, 1797 ‑ June 10, 1883) married Helen Warren (died January 2, 1825) ‑ Second marriage Elizabeth Swinney (April 7, 1815 ‑May 1, 1903).

10. Sarah "Sally" Rainey (February 8, 1799 ‑ July 6, 1884) married Nashville Malone (January 2, 1800 July 1, 1875).

11. Emily Mildred "Milly" Rainey (February 4, 1800 ‑ September 11, 1829) married George Jordan (July 26, 1796 ‑ August 21, 1855).

Thomas Sellars, Jr. was a wealthy landowner who raised cotton in Orange, later Alamance County, and owned 100 slaves. He gave land to help get the railroad through here and his slaves helped to grade the roadbed from Company Shops to what is now Glen Raven. Many slaves took the Sellars name and there are still descendants in this country.

Thomas Sellars, Jr. and Nancy (Rainey) Sellars had eleven children listed as follows:

1. William Sellars (1813‑1857) married Nancy Swift.

2. Willis Rainey Sellars (1815‑1887) married Mary Ellen Ray (1833‑1888).

3. Benjamin Abel Sellars (1816-1896) married Frusannah Elizabeth Kime (1833‑1922).

4. Thomas Sellars (1818‑ ) married first Adeline Cummins ‑ Second marriage Margaret Ann Faucette.

5. Mary "Polly" Sellars married Rev. George Garrison Walker (1816‑1865)

6. Lemuel Sellars (1821‑1885) married Sarah D. Huffman (1824‑1897).

7. Griffin R. Sellars (1823‑1888) married Phebe Stanford (1830‑1906).

8. Rebecca Jane Sellars (1827‑1905) married James V. Moore (1828

9. Elizabeth Sellars (1825‑1826) died as an infant.

10. Logan Sellars, Dr. G.L. (1830-1892) Though he had a fine education at the University of Philadelphia School of Medicine, he never practiced and never amounted to too much.

11. Nancy Elizabeth "Bettie" Sellars (1832‑1917) married John A. Moore, M.D. (1833‑1882).

One of their sons, Benjamin Abel (November 16, 1816 ‑ 1896), who was born at the Sellars homeplace between Burlington and Hopedale, wanted to be a physician, so Thomas Sellars, Jr. sent him to medical school at Pennsylvania University in Philadelphia. He received his diploma on the fourth day of March 1844. He went to Randolph County to practice and at the age of 34, he met and married Frusannah Elizabeth Kime (August 3, 1833 ‑ October 29, 1922) who was not quite seventeen at the time of her marriage. Dr. Sellars practiced medicine in Randolph and Guilford counties where he was often paid with a chicken, eggs, vegetables and, with luck, a ham.

Benjamin Abel and Elizabeth (Kime) Sellars also had eleven children. All were born in Randolph County except Walter, the youngest son, who was born in Company Shops.

1. Mary Augusta (May 18, 1853- April 1, 1945) married Isaac Newton Walker (April 23, 1852 ‑ November 24, 1909).

2. Benjamin Rainey (March 28, 1855 ‑ June 20, 1916) married Fannie Oldham Cheek (September 18, 1874 February 4, 1956).

3. Thomas Leonides (January 25, 1857 ‑ April 5, 1940) married Lila Graves (June 20, 1871 ‑ September 29, 1955).

4. Liza Ann (July 2, 1859 ‑ 1937) married William W. White; died 1887 ‑ Second marriage James R. White; died 1926.

5. Anne Elizabeth (June 6, 1861- 1937) married Dr. Henry Harrison Jordan (1862‑1931).

6. David Ernest (June 20, 1863- September 2, 1944) married Juanita "Nita" Hall (October 2, 1874 ‑ June 21,1963).

7. Charles Victor (July 21, 1865- September 20, 1941) married Annie Morrow (February 13, 1870 ‑ October 27, 1943).

8. Flora Lucina (April 25, 1867- 1935) married Dr. John H. Brooks (1865‑1932).

9. Frederick William (April 13, 1870 ‑ August 25, 1954) married Lula Planz (November 1, 1872 ‑ May 31, , 1960).

10. John Earl (March 14, 1872 August 25, 1940) never married.

11. Walter Raleigh (November 29, 1873 ‑September 11, 1954) married Lila Harden Bailey (October 6, 1879- December 26, 1968)/

Between 1872 and 1873 Dr. and Mrs. Sellars moved to Burlington and built a home on the corner of Church and Front Streets. The children attended school at what was later called Union Church on Union Avenue. Most of the boys went to Rutherforton College, except Walter who went to Poughkeepsie, New York, and the girls went to Greensboro Normal School for Girls, which is now Greensboro College.

Dr. Sellars built a large wooden store on Front Street in 1871. It was approximately where Pollard Insurance Company is today. It later burned and was rebuilt. From this store Dr. Sellars dispensed mostly drugs, but later expanded into piece goods, groceries, seeds, nails and other hardware. He was one of the men who helped to choose the name Burlington to replace the name Company Shops.

His eldest son, Benjamin Rainey, was the first to return home from school and took over management of the store. He bought the property on Main Street and moved the store to that location. Groceries and hardware were dropped and it became a department store, as it still is today. After 113 years of business, it is carried on by the fourth generation of Sellars.

Willis Sellars, was the son of Thomas Sellars, Sr. and a brother of Thomas Sellars, Jr. Willis Sellars lived in the Crossroads neighborhood of Alamance County on the homeplace called "Quaker Ridge Farm." He is buried in the yard of the homestead. His widow remarried a Faucette.

Willis Sellars (1788‑1843) married Virginia Crawford (died 1877).

His children:

1. Eliza Ann Sellars married Dr. John Walker.

a. Katherine Walker married George Long of Graham.

b. Frank Walker

2. Samuel Sellars (moved to Mineral Wells, Texas after war).

a. Arthur

b. Lucian

c. Anna married Mr. England

d. Lula married Mr. England (they were brothers).

e. Laura married Mr. Russell

3. Mary C. Sellars (1823‑1891) married Dr. Bedford B. Walker (brother of John).

a. Laura Walker married Mr. Long.

b. Willis Walker married.

c. Jim Walker never married.

d. Lenora Walker never married.

e. Robert Lee Walker

f. Child unnamed

4. Constantine Sellars (1824‑1906) married Maria Bason (1823‑1907).

a. William Baxter Sellars married 1 ‑ Emma Virginia Murray. 2 - Emma Elizabeth Crisp.

b. Barbara Rose Sellars married Rudolph G. Lea.

c. Mary Etta Sellars married Joseph A. Tate.

d. Charles Perry Sellars married Vivian Shaber.

e. Joseph Bason Sellars married Adeline Berlin (or Burling).

Written by: Dorothy (Sellars) Brawley Sources: Personal knowledge & family Bible.

The following articles covers two other families from Alamance County, N.C. These articles also appeared in the Heritage Book of Alamance County. The families of, William Baxter Sellars, and William Ernest Sellars. Ironically although the Sellars line is on my father’s side of the family, William Baxter Sellars’ wife Emma Virginia Murray’s mother, Nancy Lea Oliver Murray is my 3^rd great-grandmother on my mother’s side of the family. After her husband was killed by lightning in Caswell County she remarried Eli Murray and lived in Alamance County. Nancy was born a member of the prominent Lea family from Caswell County who settled there in the mid-1700’s and for who the town of Leasburg, N.C. was named.

Latham Mark Phelps

Alamance County Heritage Book

Page 388 Story Number 245A

WILLIAM BAXTER AND E. VIRGINIA (MURRAY) SELLARS FAMILIES

First Four Generations

Being the oldest living member of the Sellars‑Murray family who was born and reared through college in the still standing home, I have been asked to write a brief history of our family. I shall divide the history into three parts ‑ history via my parents, grandparents plus research of the first four generations, the fifth and sixth generations, and my own memories and impressions of growing up in Alamance County.

My paternal grandfather, William Baxter Sellars (born 11‑5‑1850 ‑ died 11‑7‑1925), was perhaps the greatest influence in my early youth. We lived with him and his second wife Emma Elizabeth Crisp (born 1855 ‑ died 1939) whom he married 4‑11‑1900. She was a teacher who graduated from what is now Elon College. She was a great help with my schoolwork until I entered Duke University in 1929.

My grandfather's first wife was E. Virginia Murray (born 10‑3‑1846 who was the mother of his eight children They were married 2‑2~4872 and lived with her father, James Eli(ah) Murray (born 4‑17‑1794 ‑ died 6‑13‑1870), and mother, Nancy Shutal (Lea) Oliver (born 4‑23‑1804 ‑ died 10‑11‑1874), until their deaths when they inherited the farm of 335 acres which had originally been much larger before being divided among the seven children of his father, William Lawrence Murray (born 1750 ‑ died 1‑6‑1805), who had inherited it from his father, William Murray (born 1690 ‑ died 7‑27‑1773), who came to America in 1721 with about 25 families from Scotland via Ireland and settled on Quaker Creek north of Cross Roads Presbyterian Church in 1740.

My paternal grandmother, Virginia Murray, was the only child of her father's second marriage to Mrs. Oliver whose first husband (Reuben Oliver) was killed by lightning, leaving her with seven children.

Eli Murray's first wife was Elizabeth Hutchinson (born 1803 ‑ died 10‑271845). They had seven children. Their first child, William James (born 10‑221822 died 2‑1‑1895), was sheriff of Alamance County. Their second child was Aveline (born 1‑17‑1825 ‑ died 23‑1895), who married John C. Vincent. She was the grandmother of Maude Long Few, Bertha Long, Claude Long and Blanche Long Vincent, who all live at Friends Home in Greensboro.

Their sixth child, Margaret "Maggie" Jane (born 1835 ‑ died ?), was living with her father and step‑mother when my grandmother, Virginia, was born. Maggie was only eleven years older than Virginia. They kept in close contact after Maggie married Samuel Wellwood Hughes and lived in Cedar Grove, N.C. She was the grandmother of Governor Kerr Scott, Henry and Ralph Scott of Hawfields, N.C.

I never knew my grandmother Virginia, but from what I learned from family, as well as people in the community, her 52 years were given unstintingly in service to her family, church and community. She was so interested in medicine that she often accompanied Dr. McCauley, who practiced in the northern part of Alamance County, on his rounds. She died of pneumonia after having been out in winter weather caring for the sick black tenants on their farm.

My paternal great‑grandparents, Constantine Sellars (born 7‑28‑1824 died 8‑27‑1906) and Maria (Bason) Sellars (born 3‑22‑1823 ‑ died 3‑7‑1907), had three sons and two daughters my grandfather, Baxter, being the oldest. They were very active in church and community life. Constantine served on the Board of Education of Alamance County. He and his wife Maria, donated the chandelier for the new building of Cross Roads Presbyterian Church. On of my father's fondest memories was going to Mebane with his father in a two‑horse wagon to bring the crated oil‑lighted chandelier over muddy roads to the church. We grew up hearing him relate this story many times.

This red and pipe clay mud that made travel so difficult was so good for brick making that grandfather Baxter ran a brick making project on the southeast corner of his farm, All through my youth whatever crop grew on the field near a boggy, wooded area diagonally across the road from the parsonage was known as the "brickyard" field. Not until recent years did my Uncle Henry Roney tell me that the brick for the present Cross Roads Presbyterian Church was made there.

Constantine was a farmer like his father, Willis Sellars (born 1788 ‑ died 1843), and was interested in business as well. He was one of the original stockholders in the Fidelity Bank of Durham, N.C. (now a part of Wachovia Bank and Trust Co) He and Maria (she, of Quaker background) saw that all their children were educated in spite of the hardships following the Civil War. The three sons, Baxter, Charles and Joseph, attended Bingham Academy east of Mebane. Charles was a jeweler in Henderson, Henderson' N.C. Joseph, a hardware merchant in White Plains, N.Y,, loved his old home so much that he built a summer home that he named "Quaker Ridge Farm." The original home was burned after the death of Constantine and Maria while a caretaker lived there. The farm was located on Quaker Creek only a few miles northeast before it joins Haw River.

My grandfather, Baxter, studied law at Bingham Academy and moved to the Cross Roads Community when he married Virginia Murray February 22, 1872. He did not have a law degree, but was known as "Squire" Sellars. He was a Justice of the Peace, wrote wills, performed marriages (had me play the piano for those who wanted a "fancy" ceremony), and gave free advice to many who asked. His obituary said "He was a life‑long member of Cross Roads Presbyterian Church and a leader in all things for the uplift of his community." He served on the Board of Commissioners of Alamance County, gave the land for the Community School (Sidney) when it was moved from near the church. He also gave the land for the first Cross Roads parsonage and for the Negro church (Snow Hill) on the northeast corner of his farm. He operated a grist mill and a molasses mill.

He, like his father, was interested in education. Teachers from Sidney School lived in his home and the Mason Roney, and S. E. Tate homes. His eldest son, Carl DeWitt Sellars (born 4‑4‑1873 ‑ died 4‑6‑1919), was a member of the first graduating class of N.C. State College. His son, Lacy Hughes Sellars (born 1‑31‑1875 ‑ died 10‑29‑1943), graduated from Business School at Poughkeepsie; N.Y. and became Secretary and a Director of Cone Mills Corp. In 1941 he was elected Vice President of the company. William Phillip Sellars (born 9‑21‑1881 ‑ died 10‑20‑1949) followed his Uncle Joseph to New York and worked in his hardware store. Elmo Murray Sellars (born 1‑21‑1877 ‑ died 10‑23‑1943) attended Guilford College and later worked for Cone Mills. Oscar Samuel Sellars (born 11‑9‑1883 ‑ died 5‑161961) graduated with the class of 1905 of Guilford College and worked for Southern Bell in Charlotte. Baxter Scales Sellars (born 4‑21‑1888 ‑ died 12‑12‑1959) graduated from Guilford College in 1912. He was on the varsity baseball team and went directly into the U.S. Navy in World War 1, and then worked for Cone Mills. My father, Julian Eugene Sellars, started at Guilford College but became ill and they all decided granddaddy needed him to help run the farm.

Written By: Louise (Sellars) Gillespie

‑Sources: Family Bible, tombstones, census records, Alamance County School Minutes, personal knowledge and oral tradition.

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Alamance County Heritage Book

Page 389 Story Number 245B

WILLIAM BAXTER AND E. VIRGINIA (MURRAY) SELLARS FAMILIES

Fifth and Sixth Generations

I was born September 15, 1912 in the ancestral home of my grandmother, Virginia (Murray) Sellars. Until 1978, it had been occupied continuously by direct Murray descendants, at which time my mother, at the age of 94, came to live with us. We aren't certain when the original six rooms (two upstairs, two ground level and two basement level) were built. My grandfather Sellars, who died in 1925, said many times, "This place is over 150 years old," which indicates that it must have been built around 1775. Originally, it had a free‑standing log kitchen.

Additions were made to the home several times. While my father Julian Eugene Sellars (born 12‑15‑1885 died 8‑30‑1964) was growing up, a wing containing a dining room (which had previously been in the basement) was added to the north side. A kitchen, pantry and two open porches were added on either side with a hallway connecting the porches. Later, two bedrooms were added above, reached by a separate stairway off the hall. This was done to take care of grandpa's growing family of seven sons and one daughter.

During my youth a large front porch and "sleeping porch" were added to give room for the expanded family of grandparents, parents and seven children, including a foster son, William Edward Compton (born 5‑4‑1914), whose mother, Ada (born 5‑7‑1879 ‑died 10‑6‑1914), was the only sister of Daddy and his six brothers.

Our neighborhood was a very close knit one, most of whom were related. The social life revolved around the church and school. My mother, Minnie (Roney) Sellars (born 3‑2‑1885 ‑ died 11‑9‑1981), related the good times in her youth of square dances held in the Sellars tobacco pack‑barn, basket suppers at school (sold to the highest bidder who had often been tipped off as to which belonged to the girl he wanted to date for the evening). Another source of entertainment was the arrival of my Uncle Carl Sellars, who lived in Greensboro, with a group of friends to "put‑on" a minstrel show.

Other examples of neighborliness were wheat threshings in the summer and corn shuckings in the fall. I remember helping cook for 30 or more workers at a time. The next day they would all gather to help the next neighbor.

In the late summer and fall during tobacco curing time, there were always watermelon feasts and brunswick stews. And no one could ever forget the "Fourth Sunday" in May, which was homecoming for our church, Cross Roads Presbyterian. Friends, relatives, former members and some who just wanted some of the good Cross Roads cooking came from far and wide. We renewed old friendships.

The family events we looked forward to were Thanksgiving and Christmas, when Dad's five brothers always came with their families to visit. The men would hunt for quail, turkeys, and rabbits, while the women and children visited and helped Mama with the last minute preparations to feed 35 to 40 family members. Of course, Mama had spent days ahead cooking hams, turkeys, pies and cakes. This tradition was continued long after my brothers and sisters were married.

My father, Julian, followed his father and grandfather in his interest in better schools. He served on the Alamance County Board of Education for many years before he became Chairman of the Board. One of the goals of my mother and father was to see that all of their children went to college. The older of us children attended Sidney Elementary School located at the entrance to the road of our home, then attended the consolidated Pleasant Grove through high school. I graduated from Duke University in 1933 with a major in accounting (one of only two girls in that field at the time).

William Roney Sellars (born 7‑11‑1915 ‑ died 3‑29‑1974) attended N.C. State College and served in the Pacific Theatre in World War 11. Edward Compton also attended N.C. State College and became purchasing agent for Newman Machine Company in Greensboro. My sister, Virginia (Sellars) Bowland (born 4‑25‑1917), attended Flora McDonald College. My next sister, Doris (Sellars) Sorrell (born 2‑6‑1921) studied music three years at Greensboro College and then received a degree from New York School of Interior Design. She is now the Interior Designer for UNC at Chapel Hill. My youngest sister, Catherine Sellars Green (born 3‑31‑1927) attended Queens College, Charlotte, N.C. and Greensboro College. She then went to New York Fashion Academy. My youngest brother, Dr. Carl Murray Sellars (born 7‑28‑1923), attended Louisburg College, then graduated from Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama in Veterinary Medicine. He practices in Burlington, N.C., was elected to the Board of Education of Alamance County from 1960‑1975, the last six years serving as Chairman.

Written By: Louise Sellars Gillespie

‑ Sources: Family Bible, tombstones, Alamance County School Minutes.

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Alamance County Heritage Book

Page 389 Story Number 245C

WILLIAM BAXTER AND E. VIRGINIA (MURRAY) SELLARS FAMILIES

Family Memories

(Including 7th & 8th Generations)

Some of the values, which I learned from my family were the importance of religion, education and civic participation in one's life. The work ethic was taken for granted. One of my mother's frequent admonitions was "anything worth doing is worth doing well."

To many readers, memories of growing up in the Cross Roads section of Alamance County will be nostalgic, to others they will seem like ancient history. Even to me it seems unbelievable that so much change has occurred during my 71 years.

Emancipation from the Saturday morning chore of washing and shining oil lamp chimneys came the day dad brought home the first Coleman lantern. It lighted an entire room. No longer did we have to vie with each other to get the best place to study. Then came the miracle of miracles: we were the proud owners of a carbide system for the entire house. The danger of this system was brought forcefully to our attention on Christmas morning in 1929. Bill, my brother who was always the family clown, decided to be the first to view the Christmas tree (really, the presents). Not quite tall enough to reach the light, he pulled one arm off the chandelier. Fortunately he had a lighted match, which ignited the gas into a flame rather than asphyxiating us. Cool‑headed mama raced to the kitchen, came back with an iron skillet and held it over the pipe until dad rushed outside in his "longies" and closed the valve in the buried tank leading to the house.

That was one Christmas no one suggested lighting the candles on the tree. Fortunately, in the excitement no one had opened the French doors between the den and "the parlor." Our gifts were unharmed but the wrappings were covered with greasy black smoke. Christmas dinner was not as bountiful as usual. We spent the entire day washing walls and furniture so we'd have a clean place to sit. That year I remember so vividly, because I was home from college for my first Christmas, had a new green dress and a date with a sophomore from N.C. State College that night. and wouldn't you know that dress had to find a spot of soot we'd missed!

As I reflect, it was amazing how few fires occurred since everyone cooked with wood stoves and had open fireplaces for heating. The only fire loss in the neighborhood was that of the S. E. Tate home in 1914. Occasionally, someone would lose a tobacco barn from overheating. Imagine having real lighted candles on our Christmas tree! Of course the trees had been freshly cut and decorated on Christmas Eve. Though this may sound as if we lived in the "boon docks," we had a telephone (when it worked) as far back as I can remember. I grew up reading the Greensboro Daily News, The Progressive Farmer, The Alamance Gleaner and The Christian Observer. But what really changed our lives was electricity, hard surfaced roads and indoor plumbing.

One of the greatest compensations for the lack of amenities of life was the love and encouragement of growing up in a three‑generation family. I feel certain that my choice of accounting in college came from the faith my grandfather had in me. It now seems incredible that he took me with him to list taxes in our township (Pleasant Grove). My job was to obtain the information for the farm survey. I wonder how those farmers felt about being questioned by a twelve‑year‑old. Then when we had finished listing at the various neighborhood stores, etc., the tax returns had to be alphabetized and computed. Granddaddy may have doublechecked my figures, but he never let me know it.

Upon graduation from Duke in 1933, 1 went to Greensboro to live with my Uncle Lacy Sellars and was lucky enough to get a job with the Federal Joint Stock Land Bank until they were all liquidated. I then worked for the Security National Bank (later to become NCNB) until I married Lt. John McIver Gillespie (born 1‑5‑1910) July 29, 1943 after his tour of duty in England and Iceland with the Navy.

We had several months together in San Francisco before he was ordered to duty in the Pacific until the end of World War II. We now live in Greensboro, N.C. where he is retired Vice President of Newman Machine Co. and retired Naval Reserve Lt. Commander. We have one son, John McIver Gillespie, Jr. (born 8‑25‑1944) who works for Shell Oil Co. in Atlanta, Ga. He and Ann (Hopping) Gillespie (born 11‑31945) have given us three grandchildren: John McIver III (born 1‑17‑1967), Martha BL11‑11S (born 5‑16‑1968) and Charles Daniel (born 1‑28‑1970).

We regret that families now so seldom have the opportunity to grow up in three- generation families as I did, or even live in the same cities. This thought was recently reinforced when a niece, Jane (Sorrell) Walden (a 7th generation member) said that she wished all grandchildren could have memories that were as vivid as hers of smelling her grandmother Sellar's freshly churned butter as it was molded into pretty shapes for the table. Hopefully some of the memories, values and traditions carried down through generations, will help bring to fruition the dreams our ancestors had of a more meaningful life when they came to America.

Written By: Louise (Sellars) Gillespie

‑ Sources: Personal knowledge and family tradition

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Alamance County Heritage Book

Page 390 Story Number 246

ERNEST AND ELEANOR JUANITA (HALL) SELLERS FAMILY

David Ernest Sellers, sixth child of Benjamin Abel and Elizabeth (Kime) Sellers, was born in Randolph County in 1863. He moved to Company Shops at an early age and attended the county schools, and later, Rutherford College. He once told his granddaughter, June (Sellers) Strader, that the winters at Rutherford College were so cold the flames froze on the candles.

When he completed his schooling, Ernest Sellers became a railroad telegraph operator at Company Shops and was soon promoted to the position of Freight Agent for the Southern Railway. After four years of service in this position, he was transferred to Oxford and thereafter served successive periods as Freight Agent in Goldsboro, Chapel Hill and Raleigh, and as telegraph operator in a number of different locations.

On October 2, 1897, Ernest Sellers married Eleanor Juanita Hall, daughter of a former mayor of Company Shops. In 1906, Mr. Sellers left the railroad to become associated with the old Burlington Hosiery Mill operated by G.W. Fogleman. In 1907 he established with his brother, Charles V. Sellers, the firm of Sellers Hosiery Mill.

During his lifetime, Ernest Sellers aided in the organization of many other corporations, among which were he Sellers Manufacturing Company, he National Dye Works, which later became May‑McEwen‑Kaiser, later to become a part of Burlington Industries, Full Knit Hosiery, Long Finishing Mills, Rufus D. Wilson, Inc. and the Morris Plan Bank. He was serving as President of the Board of Directors of the bank at the time of his death. He vas also active in many civic organizations, and was a deacon and loyal member of the First Congregational Christian Church.

Mr. and Mrs. Sellers had three children two of whom, Clifford and Mary Elizabeth, died in childhood of complications resulting from the measles. A son, William Watson Sellers, survived. He was born in Goldsboro but moved with his parents to Burlington n 1906.

He was educated in the Burlington schools, attended Elon College, the University of North Carolina and the 4,'astman School of Business in Poughkeepsie, New York.

In 1924, he married Hazel Elizabeth Crowson from Winnsboro, South Carolina. They had two children, June Elizabeth and William Ernest.

William Sellers was President of Sellers Hosiery Mill, Inc., President of Foremost Yarn Mill, President of Sanders Hosiery Mill, and treasurer of Long's Finishing Mill and was chairman of The Burlington Board of Wachovia Bank and Trust Company.

He was also Vice‑President of Sellers Department Store and was a director of Seven Point Hosiery Mill, Copland Fabrics and Chadbourne, Inc.

He was very interested in Elon College and served on its board of trustees for many years. Mr. Sellers served as an active member of the Board of Directors of the Community YMCA and was moved to an honorary board status before his death from cancer on February 4, 1970. He and Mrs. Sellers were active members of the First Congregational Christian Church.

His wife, Hazel (Crowson) Sellers, and his children are living in Burlington at this time. His daughter, June, widow of Jerry Dalton Strader, Jr. and three daughters, Elizabeth (Strader) McAllister of Washington, D.C., Carol (Strader) Cochran of Statesville, N.C. and Laura (Strader) Riley of Mount Pleasant, S.C. Carol Cochran has two children, Marcellus Frances Cochran IV and Brinkley Sellers Cochran.

Mrs. Sellers is presently a popular artist of the area and has published two books which, are found in libraries in North and South Carolina. They are "Faith of Our Fathers" and "Old South Carolina Churches". Both books contain histories and pen and ink drawings of churches, which are over one hundred years old in the two states. Mrs. Sellers is listed in Who's Who in American Women and remains active and involved in charitable concerns, her special interest being the American Cancer Society.

Her daughter, June (Sellers) Strader, is author of several published short stories and a novel, "Tide's Rise."

William Ernest Sellers is married to the former Mary Leighton Nisbet of Jacksonville, Alabama. They have three children, William David Sellers, married to Colleen Fleitz, and an architect, presently living in Richmond, Virginia, Kendall Ernest Sellers of Burlington, and Elizabeth Mills Sellers.

William E. Sellers is president of Sellers Hosiery Mills, Inc., Vice President of Seven Point Hosiery, Inc., Vice President of Full Knit Hosiery Mills, Inc. and Vice President of The Treasure House, Inc. He received a BS in business administration at the University of N.C.

He is presently a director of Burlington‑Wachovia Bank, Copland Fabrics, Inc., Copland, Inc., Tower Mills, Inc., and a former Director of the YWCA and former member of the Burlington Kiwanis Club.

Written By: William E. Sellers

‑ Sources: Family Bible, newspaper obituaries, and personal knowledge

The Family Historian--a few words on Genealogy

2005-06-14T07:11:00.000-04:00

The Family Historian

The phone rings right after dinner and we cringe thinking it’s another telemarketer calling but it’s that worrywart Mark Phelps wanting to know when did Aunt Bessie die, and who did she marry and not only that but when did it happen. Then he wants to know about all her children and even her grandchildren. We never cared for Aunt Bessie that much to begin with so why should we care about these silly little details of her life. We just want to be left alone and not have to get involved in this family business!

How many people at your workplace or the neighbors you bump into can tell you who their 4^th Great-Grandfather was or much less what his life was like. Many people never knew their Grandparents much less anybody past that. Ask the average person what their Great-Grandmother’s maiden name was and you probably get a blank stare. I myself have Presidents in my ancestry and much is known about these people because they were important and someone bothered to write down their history so that generations later their story could be told. It’s just as important to the Family Historian how the modest farmer in Caswell County, North Carolina in the 1700’s made his way through this mortal life.

The first time you gaze upon a document that was written over 200 years ago about someone that had the same blood coursing through his or her veins as you do today, it’s an absolutely mesmerizing experience. Just try it some time and you’ll see. Go to a county courthouse and read an old will, land deed or marriage certificate about someone that lived during the time of the Civil War or even better yet during the Revolutionary War. See their signatures there on the 200 year old paper, see how simple their possessions were, see where they lived, and the legacy they left to their family however humble it may be. Some were better off than others and could leave large tracts of land or dozens of slaves to their descendants but most left a small piece of what it had taken them a lifetime to achieve and just wanted to share it with his family in the hopes that it would always remain a secure place for generations to come.

How many people could even fathom a time when young girls married at 14, had 14 children and faced death at every birth or feared the child most likely wouldn’t make it to it’s first birthday. When a simple cold that we treat as a mere inconvenience today could send you to an early grave, unless you were just tough enough to survive. Many didn’t! You exist today because someone made it through the diseases, the wars, the trials that man has faced throughout the annals of recorded history. They survived so you could have a chance to face the brave new world of tomorrow.

Being a Family Historian is most of the time a thankless job. Countless hours researching old documents that you need a degree sometimes just to translate it. Running down leads only to crash headlong into a brick wall because a careless census taker didn’t do his job, or the British Army burned the courthouse and all the ancestral records that it held. Traipsing through snake and tick infested cemeteries that are sometimes scary even in broad daylight and after having risked your personal well being to find you have just completed another wild goose chase. Your spouse is angry because you’re chasing the dead when you’re among the living. Other’s think you’ve flipped your wig because all you want to talk about is someone who turned to dust 100 years ago. So why do they do it? Because they think it’s important to know where you came from, that some day when they’re too old and feeble to continue, that someone in the family will pick up the family flag and march proudly forward into the future, while preserving the past, so 200 years from now when someone asks “What was you Great-Grandmothers maiden name?” They can say “Sit down and I’ll tell you all about it”

Latham Mark Phelps

August 15^th 2003

Welcome to the Phelps Family of Caswell and Person Counties, North Carolina. After 25 years of family research I hope to assist other researchers and perhaps gain new insights into my own family history. This site also contains lots of info from Orange and Alamance Counties as Caswell, Person, and Alamance were once all part of Orange County. Most of my lines were in the Orange County area since before the Revolutionary War. I have been helped along the way by many people too numerous to name. Beginning with my two Grandmothers Hattie Belle Morton Lunsford and Catherine James Walker Phelps, both now deceased. I would like to sincerely like to thank my Father--Wilford Latham Phelps who joined me in this project in March 2001 and has been a tireless workhorse in compiling these records. I would also like to thank my wife--Betty Roberts Phelps who many years ago before we were married followed me through graveyards in 4 Counties, Courthouses etc. before the age of the Internet-and who still allows me the time to pursue my lifelong hobby. Also included at this site are the other families in my ancestry Walker-Murray-Harder-Cole-Trollinger-Dortch-Woods-Latta-Lunsford-Morton-Blackwell-Oliver-Lea-Rucker-Rice-Cobb-Fitzgerald-Albarty-Blanchard-Outlaw-Madison-Taylor-Rippy-Sellars--plus others. I will Update this page as necessary and welcome any new info or corrections you could share. This page is still (and probably always will be) under construction. Latham Mark Phelps

Last Will of Frederick Blanchard

2005-06-13T16:55:00.000-04:00

Frederick Blanchard-- Last Will and Testament Alamance County, North Carolina Will Book 1-Page 79, 80, 81 In the name of God Amen, I Frederick Blanchard of the County of Alamance and State of North Carolina, being of sound mind and memory, but considering the uncertainty of life do make and declare this my last will and testament in manner and form as following that is to say: First, my will and desire is that my executors pay my funeral expenses together with all my just debts. 2nd 1 bequeath to my beloved wife Nelly, who is my third wife all that tract of land whereon I now live together with the Perkins tract containing three hundred & fourty acres, for her to have and to hold to her use during her natural life, one bed and furniture, her choice, one horse, one saddle, one bridle, and ten dollars in hard money if there is that much about the house at my death, and one Negro girl by the name of Tempy, my desire is my wife Nelly have the Negro girl Tempy during her natural life, or if my wife marry again the Negro girl Tempy shall be disposed of as hereinafter named, my will is my beloved wife Nelly have two hundred and sixty two dollars in cash, to be paid to her two years after my death, which money is to be raised out of my estate 3rd 1 will and bequeath to my oldest daughter Peggy Eason, who was the wife of Jacob Trolinger, five dollars in cash, together with two hundred and fifty seven dollars, which I had given her at sundry times. 4th I will and bequeath to my second daughter Rachel Fonville, who is now the widow of William Fonville, one hundred & twenty seven dollars in cash, to be paid to her two years after my death, together with one hundred and thirty seven dollars I let her have at sundry times, which her equal, with my daughter Peggy 5th 1 will and bequeath to my third daughter Polly Trolinger, who is the wife of Henry Trolinger, one hundred and fifty seven dollars, to be paid to her as above stated, together with one hundred and five dollars I paid to her at sundry times, which amount makes her equal with her other two sisters 6th I will and bequeath to fourth daughter Patsey Gant, who married one William Gant, ninety seven dollars in cash to be paid to herself if she is not living at my death, my will is the money be paid to her children two years after my death together with one hundred and sixty five dollars I let her have at sundry times, which amount makes her equal her other three sisters above named 7th 1 will and bequeath to my fifth daughter Julia Benson, who is the wife of Beafort Benson, one hundred & sixty two dollars in cash, to be paid to her two years after my death together with one hundred dollars I let her have at sundry times, which amount makes her equal with her other four sisters. The negro woman & child she have which belong to me I shall otherwise dispose of 8th 1 will and bequeath to my sixth daughter Meticia Hurdle the wife of Obediah Hurdle one hundred & sixty two dollars in cash to be paid to her two years after my death together with one hundred dollars I let her have at sundry times, which amt will make her equal with her other five sisters, the negro woman has or had belong to me I shall otherwise dispose of 9th 1 will & bequeath to the children of my Son James Blanchard, who is now deceased & who left three children ten dollars in cash each to be paid them two years after my death 10th 1 will & bequeath to my Son [sic] William & Frederick, who is children of my third wife the land I own on Deep Creek adjoining the land of Jesse Gant & others to be divided between them equally both in no of acres as well as in value which land shall be divided & valued by three good men chosen by my executors as soon as practicable after my death and said lands rented out for the benefit of my two Sons William & Fredrick until they become twenty one years of age. And it is my will that my son William have two hundred & sixty two dollars in cash and it is my will that my Son Fredrick have the like amount of two hundred & sixty two dollars in cash to be paid to them two years after my death 11th I will & bequeath to my daughter Betsy Jane who is the second child by my third wife two hundred & sixty two dollars to be paid to her two years after my death 12th 1 will & bequeath to my daughter Nancy Ellen the fourth child of my third wife two hundred & sixty two dollars in cash to be paid over as above stated 13th 1 will & bequeath to my daughter Phebe Catherine the fifth child by my third wife two hundred & sixty two dollars in cash to be paid over two years after my death 14th I will & bequeath to my daughter Martitia who is the sixth child by my third wife two hundred & sixty two dollars in cash to be paid over two years after my death 15th I will & bequeath to my daughter Sarah Susan who is the seventh child by my third wife two hundred & sixty two dollars in cash to be over two years after my death 16th My will & desire is my Executors whoever they may be for I will not appoint none shall sell after giving due notice all my negros that I own at the time of my death together with all my Stock of Horses, Sheep, Cattle, with all my crops of Corn & Wheat & all my household property with every species of property that I may own at the time of my death that I have not willed, one negro girl Tempy & the tract of land I have left my wife during her natural life at the death of my wife be sold and be divided between all my daughters I had by my first & third wife My will and desire is after exposing all my property to sale and pay each child with my wife the several sums as above named And if there be any left after paying my just debts that it be equally divided between my wife & children all to share & share alike, 17th I will & bequeath to Elizabeth Jane who is now the wife of Mr. Rippy, and is supposed to be one of the Blanchard family ten dollars in cash to be paid over to her as I have stated two years after my death - Lastly, I shall not appoint my Executor to this my last will & Testament but leave it with the wisdom of the Court whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal this 26th day of Nov 1851 Fredrick Blanchard Signed in the presence of us John Scott Calvin Scott In the name of God amen I Fredrick Blanchard being of sound & perfect mind & memory blessed be God, I do this 29th day of August one thousand eight hundred & fifty three make & publish this a codicil to my last will & Testament. First I given & bequeath unto beloved wife my new buggy & Harness to her & her heirs for ever In witness whereof the said Fredrick Blanchard have to this codicil to my last will & testament set my hand and seal the day & year above written. Signed sealed published & delivered by the said Fredrick Blanchard as a codicil to his last will & Testament in the presence of us who were present at the time of signing & sealing thereof. Frederick Blanchard G Hurdle Thos E Griffis Transcribed by Dr William Mark Faucette (2nd Cousin of Latham Mark Phelps)

Last Will of John Latta Sr.

2005-06-13T16:46:00.000-04:00

Last Will and Testament of John Latta Sr. - June 5^th 1823

Orange County, N.C. Will Book E- Page 67

In the name of God Amen! I John Latta Senior of the County of Orange and the State of North Carolina being at present weak in body through age but of perfect mind & memory, thanks be given unto God therefore. Calling to mind the mortality of my body, do make & Ordain this my last will and testament, that is to say;

First of all I give and recommend my soul to God that gave it me, beseeching his most gracious exceptance of it and through the all sufficient merits & meditations of Jesus Christ my Saviour & redeemer & when death shall come I give my body to the Earth to be buried in a decent Christian manner at the discretion of my Executors and as to my wordly estate:

I give & bequeath to my Son Thomas Latta his note of three hundred dollars, at my death. I give and bequeath to my John Latta’s two children John & Maria three hundred dollars, at my death to each one hundred & fifty dollars, which money is in the hands of Jos. H.L.T. Latta, the interest of Said Money to go to my Estate.

I give & bequeath to my Son James Latta his note of three hundred dollars & I give to my son Jos. Latta, his note of three hundred dollars. I give & bequeath to my three son’s-in law Robert Walker & Robert Davis & William Faucett, their notes of three hundred dollars. I give & bequeath to my son-in-law Thomas Hollaway Junr. two hundred dollars which he borrowed of me, March the Eighth, Eighteen Hundred & Sixteen together with the In. due thereon.

It is also my will that my two grandsons William & John Hollaway shall have the Colt that now sucks the Mare, also that my Goods be divided into seven lots as equal as can be done & drawn for by James Latta, Joseph Latta, Robert Walker, Robert Davis, & William Faucett & John Latta’s two children.

It is my will that all my just debts be paid. It is my further will that what property I possess at my death shall share equally alike, namely, Thomas Latta, James Latta, Joseph Latta & Robert Davis, Robert Walker, William Faucett & John & Maria Latta & Thomas Hollaway Junr. And I appoint my sons Thomas & James Latta the Executors of this my last will and testament, ratifying this & no other to be my last will & testament. In witness thereunto I have set my hand & fixed my seal this Fifth of June, Eighteen Hundred and Twenty Three.

John Latta Senr. (Seal)

Published & declared in presence of these Witnesses present:

James Allison

Robert Davis

Orange County November Term 1824

The Execution of the foregoing last will & testament of John Latta Senr. Was duly proved in open Court by the oath James Allison a subscribing witness thereto & ordered to be recorded. At the same time the Excecutors therein named duly qualified.

Test.

TRANSCRIBED BY: LATHAM MARK PHELPS

October 12, 2003

2005-06-12T09:08:00.000-04:00

Latham Mark Phelps
Posted by Hello

Vincent Lea Morton--- Picture

2005-06-11T08:22:00.000-04:00

Vincent Lea Morton and his daughter Nannie Morton Stephens Posted by Hello

The Murder of John "Chicken" Stephens and the Confession of John G. Lea

2005-06-10T08:25:00.000-04:00

The Confession of John G. Lea as to his involvement in the murder of John “Chicken” Stephens at the Caswell Court House just after the Civil War. John G. Lea was the son of Thomas L. Lea(former Sheriff of Caswell County), the grandson of John “Canebrake” Lea, The great grandson of John “Country Line” Lea, the great-great grandson of James “Country Line” Lea, and my 2nd Cousin 4 times removed. Alas, another 2nd cousin of mine was the one who actually delivered the killing blows—James Thomas Oliver, son of Lindsay Oliver, grandson of Durette Oliver (brother of Reuben Oliver-my 3rd great-grandfather),with Durette and Rueben being great-grandsons of Stephen Oliver. James Thomas Oliver and John G. Lea both served in the Civil War from Caswell County. Tom Oliver was in the same unit, the 6thRegiment Company H “The Caswell Boys” as was Payton L. Lunsford and Joseph R. Lunsford my 2nd great-grandfather and 2nd great granduncle respectively Latham Mark Phelps--2005 The North Carolina Historical Commission OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY RALEIGH J. BRYAN GRIMES, RALEIGH J. BRYAN GRIMES, CHAIRMAN T. M. PITTMAN, HENDERSON R. D. W. CONNOR, SECRETARY W. J. PEELE, RALEIGH M. C. S. NOBLE, CHAPEL HILL D. H. HILL, RALEIGH July 2, 1919. At the request of the North Carolina Historical Commission, I have written the true story of the events of the Reconstruction Period in this State, which centered mainly at Yanceyville in Caswell County, where the killing of the notorious, John W. Stevens,* took place in the courthouse. I have given all the facts of which I have full knowledge as a participant in the stirring events of that time. (Signed) John G. Lea Witness to the reading of the story and to this signature (Signed) Fred. A. Olds *(Note: Last name usually spelled S‑t‑e‑p‑h‑e‑n‑s. JDW) JOHN G. LEA'S CONFESSION To THE KU KLUX KLAN MURDER OF JOHN W. STEPHENS Immediately after the surrender of General Lee, in April, 1865, a bummer named Albion W. Tourgee, of New York, from Sherman's army came to Caswell County and organized a Union League, and they were drilling every night and beating the drums, and he made many speeches telling the negroes that he was sent by the government and that he would see that they got forty acres of land. He succeeded in getting J. W. *Stevens and Jim Jones appointed justices of the peace of Caswell County and they annoyed the farmers very much by holding court every day, persuading the darkies to warrant the farmer, &c Stevens was run out of Rockingham County for stealing a chicken. *(Other records show his name, spelled Stephens. JDW) The first trial that Jim Jones had, a negro stole Captain Mitchell's hog. He was caught cleaning the hog by Mitchell's son and by a darky whose name was Paul McGee. He was carried before Jones and Jones turned him loose and said he had been appointed by Governor Holden to protect the negro and he intended to do it. Soon thereafter I formed the Ku Klux Klan and was elected county organizer. I organized a den in every township in the county and the Ku Klux whipped Jones and drove him out of the county. J. W. Stevens burned the hotel in Yanceyville and a row of brick stores. He also burned Gen. William Lee's entire crop of tobacco, and Mr. Sam Hinton's crop. Ed. Slade, a darky, told that he burned the barn of tobacco by an order of Stevens and another darky told about his burning the hotel, also by an order. Stevens was tried by the Ku Klux Klanand sentenced to death. He had a fair trial before a jury of twelve men. At a democratic convention he approached ex‑sheriff Wiley and tried to get him to run on the republican ticket for sheriff. Wiley said he would let him know that day. He came to me and informed me of that fact and suggested that he would fool him into that room in which he was killed He did so and ten or twelve men went into the room and he was found dead next morning. A democratic convention was in session in the court room on the second floor of the courthouse in Yanceyville, to nominate county officers and members of the Legislature. Mr. Wiley, who was in the convention, brought Stevens down to a rear room on the ground floor, then used for the storage of wood for the courthouse. I had ordered all the Ku Klux Klan in the county to meet at Yanceyville that day, with their uniforms under their saddles, and they were present. Mr. Wiley came to me and suggested that it would be a better plan, as Stevens had approached him to run on the republican ticket for sheriff and he had told him that he would let him know that day, to fool him down stairs, and so just before the convention closed, Wiley beckoned to Stevens and carried him down stairs, and Captain Mitchell, James Denny and Joe Fowler went into the room and Wiley came out. Mitchell proceeded to disarm him (he had three pistols on his body). He soon came out and left Jim Denny with a pistol at his head and went to Wiley and told him that he couldn't kill him himself. Wiley came to me and said, "You must do something; I am exposed unless you do." Immediately I rushed into the room with eight or ten men, found him sitting flat on the floor. He arose and approached me and we went and sat down where the wood had been taken away, in an opening in the wood on the wood‑pile, and he asked me not to let them kill him. Captain Mitchell rushed at him with a rope, drew it around his neck, put his feet against his chest and by that time about a half dozen men rushed up: Tom Oliver, Pink Morgan, Dr. Richmond and Joe Fowler. Stevens was then stabbed in the breast and also in the neck by Tom Oliver, and the knife was thrown at his feet and the rope left around his neck. We all came out, closed the door and locked it on the outside and took the key and threw it into County Line Creek. I may add that it was currently believed that Stevens murdered his mother while living with him. Stevens kept his house, within sight of the courthouse and now standing, in a state of war all the time with doors and windows barred with iron bars and a regular armory with a large supply of ammunition. Col. A. K. McClure of Philadelphia, Pa., came to Yanceyville. He was for Horace Greeley against Grant. Wilson Cary, a colored man, better known as the "Archives of Gravity," replied to Col. McClure and said that Senator Stevens, who had been elected to the State Senate by the negroes, stole a chicken and was sent to the State Senate and if he would steal a gobbler he would be sent to Congress, and you could have heard the negroes yell for miles around and there were at least 2000 negroes present. The first state election we had in North Carolina, when Gov. Holden was elected, we had a 2800 negro majority. The Freedmen's Bureau Agent from Michigan, Captain Dawes, came down to take charge of the election. I carried him down home with me. He and I fought each other in the Civil war. I carried him out fox hunting and had a beautiful chase, and on the day of the election he came to me and said that he was sent to carry the election by the government and if it was found out on him he would be courtmartialed and possibly shot. He told me where he put the ballot box, so I worked on the ballot box until twelve o'clock at night and then rode to Locust Hill, nine miles distant, and counted until day, and we elected a ticket by twenty‑seven votes. Caswell's bonds stood at par, while Person and Rockingham, adjoining counties, went down to five and six dollars. They went Republican. To show the feeling, I may say, at the first State election after the War, in 1866, Tom Lea, colored, voted the democratic ticket. A great mob of negroes gathered in Yanceyville and we learned that they had seized him. There were hundreds in the mob, and when we came up we found that they had Tom on a rail and were carrying him around, singing and shouting as they went. With me were Sheriff Griffith, Thos. L. Lea and Weldon Price. We rushed upon the crowd and the sheriff struck several of the mob and knocked them down and we took Tom from them, unhurt. Governor Holden was born in Caswell County and knew the situation. That was why he was so prejudiced against the county. He declared martial law and had every prominent citizen arrested by a regiment of cutthroats, who could neither read nor write, from western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, commanded by Col. Geor. W. Kirk. Col George Williamson got a writ of habeas corpus from Judge Mitchell of Salisbury but Col. Kirk and Governor Holden did not obey it. He then went to Chief Justice Pearson, with the same result. I then came to Raleigh with Col. Williamson and saw General Matt. W. Ransom and told him of our troubles and he said that he would go that night to Elizabeth City and see Judge Brooks, U.S. District Judge. He issued the writ, and we went back to Danville. Captain Graves and Col. Williamson served the writ. Lt. Colonel Burgin of Kirk's regiment told Col. Williamson that if he ever put his foot in Yanceyville again he would shoot his head off. They failed to arrest me on the day of the general arrest, so I went home and the next day they came and arrested me and brought me to Raleigh. Major Yates came to my house with ten or twelve men and when he came to the house I was lying down, asleep. It was raining and my sisters came running into the house and told me there was a crowd of Kirk's men out in the yard. I rushed to a drawer and got my pistols, but my sister grabbed me and told me not to go out in the yard, nor to try to use my pistols. The major came to the door and said: "I came to arrest you and take you to Raleigh as a witness." I said, "By what authority do you make this arrest?" and he said, "by authority of the Governor of the State." I told him that I could not walk to Yanceyville, seven miles distant. He told me to have my horse sent up to the church that he had more prisoners up there. When I arrived at the church Lil Graves, a colored man, said: "Mars' John, I didn't bring them. "They made me come. They have sent Mars' Nat on." They sent me with one man, a youth of 24, with a rifle slung at his back, on an old horse twenty‑four years old belonging to Dr. Garner, while I was on my speedy fox hunting mare, I could have made my escape easily but on account of my younger brother I thought it best for me to go. When I got to Yanceyville, to my surprise I found my brother in great glee, laughing. I asked him what was the matter. He said that a threshing machine had just come into town and Kirk's men thought it was a cannon and they rushed into the courthouse and grabbed their guns. The soldier that carried me begged me all the way to Yanceyville not to let anybody shoot him. He also asked me to let him get behind me. He then unslung his gun and we went into the town. This guard begged me to let him come to my house and work for me, saying he did not expect to find so many kind people and that he would be glad to live in the neighborhood; that he had been brought down from the mountains, not knowing where he was going nor what he was to do, or what sort of people he would be among. When Kirk's men arrived in Yanceyville, Old Aunt Millie Lee was selling ice cream at the courthouse. It was the first they had ever seen and several of them said, "Ain't this the best frozen victuals you ever tasted?" A man by the name of John Spellman, editor of a Raleigh paper, went to Governor Holden and had me released on my own recognizance. I then went over to the hotel at Raleigh and found Judge Kerr, Col. Williamson, Sam Hill and others. Judge Kerr advised me to take the first train out and go to Arkansas, saying if I stayed here they would hang me. I told him that I had two uncles living near Little Rock, Ark., who came to my father's every summer and they looked so much like a corpse that I was like General Grant, "I believe I had rather be hung here than die of slow fever in Arkansas." So the next day they arrested Capt. Mitchell, Sheriff Wiley, Felix Roan and myself and tried us before the Supreme judges, Dick, Settle and Pearson. The trial lasted for a week. Ex‑Governor Bragg and Judge Battle defended us. Bailey and Badger prosecuted and they never did prove that there was a Ku Klux Klan in Caswell County. The day that Kirk arrived in Yanceyville I went to Judge Bowe and said to him that there were enough ex‑Confederate soldiers there to whip Kirk's regiment and Judge Bowe said that that would never do, that we had better go into the court room, where the candidates were speaking. We went and he took his seat inside the bar. I sat down behind him. Col Kirk marched his men, four abreast, up the steps. He walked in front of Bowe and asked if this was Bowe. Bowe told him it was. He said "I arrest you." Judge Bowe asked him by what authority. With an oath he shook his pistol at him and said, "By this," whereupon Judge Bowe shoved him back and told him that was no order. I had a large hickory stick in my hand. I raised the stick to hit him, when Tobe Williamson caught it and kept me from striking him, and you had better believe I was glad he did. I left Yanceyville that evening and went over to Danville and got the writ of habeas corpus as above stated. The day I was arrested I was carried to Yanceyville and all the prisoners had been sent over to Graham except a few from Alamance who had confessed being Ku Klux. I was carried over to Graham the next day and all the other Caswell boys started to Raleigh next morning. Late that afternoon Judge James Boyd, United States Judge, came and asked me how I would like to take a walk; that he had permission to take me out provided I would agree to come back. I agreed, so we walked awhile, finally coming to his house. He asked me to have a seat on the porch. In a few minutes the bell rang for supper. I told him I had plenty to eat at the courthouse, that my friends had sent it to me, Mr. Banks Holt and others, but he insisted on my taking a warm supper and as soon as we finished eating he said to me, "Lea, I was a Ku Klux. I have disgraced myself and my little wife." I asked him how. "I turned State's evidence." Why did you do it? He replied "Moral cowardice. When Kirk's men hung Murray up by the neck and they let him down he was apparently dead (he lived 20 year after this, but really died from the effects of this injury), they then came to me and put the rope around my neck and I wilted." He and his young wife both cried like a baby and Boyd said, "Lea, I will never expose you. I know you are the county commander in Caswell." I said, "Oh no, there are a great many Leas in Caswell; I am not the one." The day the arrest was made in Yanceyville, late that afternoon, Lt. Col. Burgin with eight men went down after ex‑sheriff Wiley, nine miles from Yanceyville; went in his tobacco field where he was standing and told him they had come to arrest him. He asked them by what authority. Burgin shook his pistol at him and said, with an oath, "This is my authority. His men rushed on Wiley, who knocked down seven of the, but one slipped up behind him with a fence rail and knocked him down; they then put Wiley on a horse, bare back, tied his feet to the horse and whipped him nearly all the way to Yanceyville. The blood flowed freely, he being in his shirt sleeves. Burgin told me that Wiley was the bravest man he ever saw. When they arrived in Yanceyville, that afternoon, Burgin took him into a room in the courthouse, ordered his men to draw their guns on him, and told him that if he did not tell who killed Stevens they would kill him. With his head straight as could be, he opened his coat, slapped his chest and dared them to shoot. The night I reached Graham they put Sheriff Wiley and Josiah Turner in jail with a crazy negro who hollered all night long. They didn't sleep a wink. Next morning they were taken out to go to Raleigh and Mr. Turner kept repeating that the powers of the judiciary were exhausted and Col. Kirk told him to shut his mouth. He then flapped his arms and crowed like a rooster and said, ""Well, I reckon I can crow." Kirk then said, "Hush up that, fool" The militia detachment were terribly frightened, thinking that they would be attacked in Durham. They closed all the windows and barred all the doors. The night after Jones was whipped the Ku Klux went up to see if he had moved, having been ordered to do so. There were three very worthy darkies living in the neighborhood, named Stephen Taylor, William Garland and Frank Chandler. They were carried up to the graveyard by the Ku Klux, where we had left our horses. I walked through the graveyard, placed my hands on Will's naked shoulder and it nearly scared him to death. He shook all over. The next day Will came by my house and Capt. Graves, my brother‑in‑law, asked him where he was going. Will said, "Lordy, Mars' Billy, I'm going across the creek." "What's the matter, Billy?" asked Capt. Graves. "Dem things got me last night. They were as tall as the eaves of this house. I knows they came out of the graves, for I saw them with my own eyes and one came up and put his hand on my shoulder and his hands chilled me clean through. " While I and the three others referred to were being tried before the Supreme Court, on the lower floor of the Capitol, on the bench warrant issued for us, the trial of the prisoners from Caswell County taken by the writ of Judge Brooks, which was the third writ, was being held in the Senate Chamber, directly over us. Our case was dismissed and we left at once for home. They had a great demonstration in Raleigh. There was a street Parade, cannon were fired, tar barrels burned and speeches by a great many prominent men were made. Judge Kerr's speech created great excitement and enthusiasm. Only Wiley and Josiah Turner went to jail. When I reached home, Sheriff Griffith, who had been a prisoner, came and summonsed me to go with him and we ordered the heads of the Union League of America to leave the county within twenty‑four hours and they did so without exception, going to Danville.

The Cobb Family

2005-06-10T08:04:00.001-04:00

This Information was taken from a posting on a Roots Web Page concerning the Cobb family that migrated from Connecticut to Caswell County. There has been a great deal of misinformation that the Cobb Family of Caswell descended from the the Kopp Family of German Origin in Guilford County NC. I feel this prove otherwise as Henry Cobb and his sons were on the first Tax List in 1755 for Orange County and remained in various records during Colonial times in Orange and then Caswell County. One can even see the departure of some of his sons as they migrate to South Carolina.
My ancestor however Noah Cobb remained in Caswell County his whole life, his Will being Probated in Caswell County in 1808. Latham Mark Phelps------2004

The following post offers proof that the Henry Cobb family were not the Kopp family from Germany. GENETICS AND GENEALOGY Cobb Family Genetics: A Case Study Using DNAby Hubert F. CobbMany New England men named Cobb descend from Elder Henry1 Cobb, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts before 1632, and moved to Scituate in 1634 and Barnstable in 1639.[1] The question has been raised as to whether he was the progenitor of some southern Cobbs as well as the New England Cobbs.

A few years ago I saw a query on a website from Neal Cobb of Georgia, who is one of a group working on this very problem.[2] The query requested information on an eighteenth century Henry Cobb and his ancestors. The published books had not followed this family.[3] The group of researchers, after doing extensive research, had concluded that this family had originally moved to North Carolina, where they were found in Orange and Caswell counties from 1755, when Henry paid the poll tax for himself “and three sons,” until the time of the Revolutionary War.[4] Henry and his son Samuel are listed in court cases and in Granville Grants in Orange County, North Carolina, in 1761.

From North Carolina, later generations moved to other states in the south. The group determined that the children of Henry and his wife Jemima (Morse) were, in approximated birth order: Samuel, Henry, Noah, John, and Asa. I found a family in Pomfret, Connecticut, that fit much of this description.[5]Children of Henry and Jemima Cobb:Elizabeth, b. August 5, 1732Samuel, b. April 5, 1735Henry, b. April 14, 1737Noah, b. April 14, 1739Mary, b. March 13, 1741.I was able to trace the Pomfret family back to Elder Henry Cobb.

The family was not found in Connecticut records after 1742/3 when Henry, of “Brookfield [in Cortlandt], Westchester County, New York,” sold his Connecticut land.[6] By September 1745, Henry Cobb, “late of Brookfield, now of Beetesmens province [Beekmans Patent] in Duckes [Dutchess] County in the province of New York” gave the final quit claim to his Mortlake/Pomfret land.[7] In Dutchess County, we lost the paper trail. For over a year we made little progress. Were we on the right track?

At this point Neal Cobb contacted me and asked what I thought about having a DNA analysis to see if we were related. I have a documented line back to Elder Henry Cobb, and Neal is a descendant of Henry and Jemima (Morse) Cobb. I had been studying DNA and its uses in genealogy to see if it could be used to find where in England Elder Henry came from or who his parents were. Most information says he came from County Kent, England, but no one knows for sure. As I thought about Neal’s question it occurred to me that DNA analysis was a great idea. The test would show how DNA could be used to solve genealogical problems. Neal and I discussed this matter before deciding to proceed.

We looked at three laboratories for the DNA analysis and chose Relative Genetics.[8] They screen for twenty-six Y-chromosome markers. We felt this detailed analysis would give us the most useful results.We were separated by nine generations on each side and expected there might be a single mutation in one or two of the markers. The lab sent us each a kit to scrape cells from the insides of our cheeks (a buccal swab), which we returned quickly. Then the waiting began. In about five weeks we had the results: A perfect match at all twenty-five markers. Neal Cobb and I were indeed cousins. Our assumptions had been right. The North Carolina line did descend from Elder Henry Cobb.

I was told recently that a descendant of Humphrey Cobb, grandson of Henry and Jemima, knew about Pomfret, Connecticut, being the place of origin for Henry Cobb. How they knew this fact I do not know, but the information may have been passed down through this line. The DNA analysis confirms they were right. (See chart 1.) It is important to note that we have DNA from lines with descent from both wives of Elder Henry with a match in these lines and the Henry and Jemima (Morse) Cobb line.

A few months after the DNA analysis Robert Stricklin agreed to coordinate a Cobb Family Project with Relative Genetics and it has been underway for several months now.[9] At this time there have been over seventy Cobbs tested. Some of the other results are not at all what we expected.It has long been assumed that most of the Cobb immigrants were somehow related, especially Elder Henry Cobb of Barnstable and Ambrose Cobb of Virginia, as they both were said to come from County Kent, England.

As the results of the Cobb DNA project became available we soon discovered that Henry and Ambrose were not related. (See chart 2). There appear to be seven distinct Cobb lines in the United States. Although more DNA analysis is needed, especially in New England, the immigrants other than Elder Henry Cobb of Barnstable, include:• Thomas and his son Richard Cobb, emigrated from Banbury, Oxfordshire to Boston, Massachusetts in 1685[10] (no connection yet)• Augustine, John and Edward Cobb of Taunton, Massachusetts (no solid connection yet)• Ambrose Cobb, born 1613, emigrated from Petham, England, to Virginia in 1635[11]• Joseph Cobb, born 1588, to Virginia 1613[12]• Thomas Cobb of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and Robert Cobb of Saint Pancras, England — this line migrated down through Maine and on south.More DNA analysis is needed in England to sort out the Cobb families there. The English tests so far tie the Cobbs of Reculver, County Kent, to Ambrose quite well. There is a lot of misinformation tying Elder Henry Cobb to this line, but the DNA results show there is no connection. Thomas Cobb, born ca. 1731, of Strood, County Kent, has been proven to be a cousin to Elder Henry Cobb, born ca. 1596. (See chart 1.)

We hope that many men named Cobb (the Y-chromosome is present only in the male line) in the United States and the United Kingdom will join us in this project.
Notes1 Robert C. Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620–1633, v. 1 (Boston: NEHGS, 1995), pp. 592–5.2 Other group members are Michael Anne Guido of New York, L.C. Cobb of Oklahoma, and Dorothy Potter of Tennessee. Dorothy Potter provided the New York research for this article.3 Philip L. Cobb, A History of the Cobb Family, 4v. (Cleveland, 1923)4 W.P. Johnson in The North Carolinian (December 1955), p. 108. According to the poll tax laws of that era, the three sons would have been between sixteen/seventeen and twenty-one years of age.5 Pomfret, Windham County, Connecticut Town Records: Births Marriages and Deaths, 1695–1840, 1:62. FHL microfilm #1376250.6 Pomfret, Connecticut, Deeds 3:90.7 Pomfret, Connecticut, Deeds 3:137.8 www.RelativeGenetics.com9 For more information on the Cobb family DNA project, contact Robert C. Stricklin at rstrickl@oregonvos.net. Robert is the liaison between participants and the laboratory.10 Philip L Cobb, A History of The Cobb Family, part IV: Boston Family (Cleveland: PL Cobb, 1923), p. 5.11 John E Cobb, Jr., Cobb and Cobbs[:] Early Virginians (Alexandria, VA: Durant, 1976), p. 29.12 Bruce M Edwards, The Cobbs of the Tidewater (Knoxville: Montgomery, 1976); John E. Cobb, Jr., Cobb and Cobbs: Early Virginians (Alexandria: Durant, 1976), p. 23.Hubert F. Cobb (hfcobb@securespeed.us) welcomes contact from Cobb researchers.

Henry Cobb and Jemima Morse Cobb along with the COBB BROTHERS FIVE appeared on the TAX rolls in 1755, (Samuel, Henry, Noah, John and Asa). I assume that possibly Samuel Cobb, oldest son brought with him a wife however he could have married there in Orange County, now Caswell County, NC. Her name was probably RANSOM. Does anyone have any information on the name of his first wife, he later married a Judah Peake in Laurens County, SC about 1780. The first wife was killed by Indians in 1769.
See below. Descendants of Samuel Cobb, (1) Generation No. 1 1. SAMUEL1 COBB, (1) was born April 30, 1735 in the New England area, (Barnstable, MA - Pomfret, CT ??) and died 1805 in Owen County, Kentucky. He married JUDATH PEAK or PEAKE Abt 1780 in Donalds, South Carolina - Turkey Creek Baptist Church (Second oldest church in South Carolina – Founded 1775 ). NOTES: Samuel is the son of Henry Cobb and Jemima Morse. Daughter of Noah Morse and Abigail Gleason, an only child, Jemima was born in Sherborn, MA in 1715. Married Henry on July 30, 1731 in Pomfret, CT. She is a grand daughter of Daniel Morse, great grand daughter of Daniel Morse and great great grand daughter of Samuel Morse, b. 1587 in England. Children of Henry Cobb and Jemima Morse: i. Elizabeth Cobb, b. August 15, 1732 in Pomfret, CT ii. Samuel Cobb, b. April 30, 1935 in Pomfret, CT; d. 1805 in Owen County, KY iii. Henry Cobb, b. April 27, 1737 in Pomfret, CT iv. Noah Cobb, b. April 14, 1739 in Pomfret, CT v. Mary Cobb. b. March 13, 1741/42 in Pomfret, CT vi. John Cobb, b. 1743 (birth place unknown) vii. Asa Cobb, b. 1746 (birth place unknown) Probably Orange County, NC:; d. Fentress Co., TN in 1828 NOTES: Marriage dates and birth dates for Henry & Jemima taken from transcript from the Connecticut State Library for the period of 1705 – 1850 from the BARBOUR COLLECTION dated 1921. (I have a copy of the transcript in hand.) NOTES: The information here below has not been proven but appears to be possible. The Connecticut State Library has done a research project on Henry Cobb and has provided the following information. It is known that an Uncle of Henry (named Henry¹ born Sept 3, 1665 in Barnstable, MA and died on Sept 4, 1725 in Stonington, CT) moved his Church membership from Barnstable, MA to Stonington, CT on November 11, 1705. Henry¹ had a brother named Samuel Cobb, b. October 12, 1654 in Barnstable, MA who had a son named Henry² b. Feb 17, 1686/87 in Barnstable, MA. I have been unable to locate any information on this Henry Cobb², nephew to Henry Cobb¹ who moved to Stonington, CT and just possibly was accompanied by his Nephew (Henry Cobb²). Assuming the link to Henry Cobb², b. Feb 17, 1886/87: (POSSIBLE LINK TO HENRY COBB&JEMIMA MORSE) Elder Henry Cobb married 1634 (1) Patience Hurst, daughter of James Hurst and Catherine Hurst(?). Of Plymouth. She was buried 4 May 1648. Henry married (2) 12 Dec 1649, Sarah Hinckley daughter of Samuel Hinckley and Sarah Soole. Henry died in 1679 and his wife Sarah survived him. NOTES for ELDER HENRY COBB: Henry was born in 1596 in the southeast part of the County of Kent, England. He was brought up in the Church of England, but in his young manhood, because of the wrongs tolerated in that Church, he broke away from the Establishment and joined the Pilgrims. He is said to have united with a Congregational Church of London, of which the Rev. Mr. Lothrop was then pastor. He probably came to America on “THE ANNE” in 1629. He moved to Scituate, MA in 1633, and from there to Barnstable, MA in 1639. He was Deacon or Ruling Elder in Scituate and Barnstable for 34 years. He also held various civil offices, among them that of Deputy to the General Court of the Colony for several years. He died in Barnstable at the age of 83 in 1679. Children of ELDER HENRY COBB and PATIENCE HURST are: (a) John Cobb, b. 7 June 1632, Plymouth, MA; d. February 22, 1713/14. (b) James Cobb, b. 14 Jan 1634, Plymouth, MA; d. February 01, 1695, Barnstable, MA (c) Mary Cobb, b. 24 March 1637, Scituate, MA, m. JONATHAN DUNHAM, October 15, 1657 (d) Hannah Cobb, b. 5 Oct 1639, Scituate, MA; d. January 17, 1729/30 (e) Patience Cobb, b. 13 March 1641/42, Barnstable, MA; m. (1) ROBERT PARKER, August 1667; m. (2) WILLIAM CROCKER, DEACON, 1686 (f) Gershom Cobb, b. 10 Jan 1644/45, Barnstable, MA; d. June 04, 1675; m. HANNAH DAVIS. (g) Eleazer Cobb, b. 30 March 1648, Barnstable, MA; NOTES for Sarah Hinckley: Came to America from England in 1634 settling in Scituate, afterwards removing to Barnstable. Her brother, Thomas Hinckley, became governor of Plymouth County and was a prominent man… Phillip Cobb – History of the Cobb Family. Children of ELDER HENRY COBB and SARAH HINCKLEY are: (h) Mehitabel Cobb, b. 1 Sept 1651; d. 8 March 1652, Barnstable, MA; d. March 08, 1651/52. (i) SAMUEL COBB, b. 12 Oct 1654, Barnstable, MA; d. September 27, 1727 (j) Sarah Cobb, b. 15 Jan 1657/58; d. 25 Jan 1658, Barnstable, MA; d. January 25, 1657/58 (k) Jonathan Cobb, b. 10 April 1660, Barnstable, MA; d. August 05, 1728; m. HOPE CHIPMAN (l) Sarah Cobb, b. 10 March 1662/63, Barnstable, MA; d. January 08, 1742/43 (m) Henry Cobb, b. 3 Sept 1665, Barnstable, MA; d. September 04, 1725, Stonington, CT; m. Lois Hallett April 10, 1690 (Moved church membership to Stonington, CT in 1705) (n) Mehitabel Cobb, b. 15 Feb 1667, Barnstable, MA. (Died young, never married) (o) Experience Cobb, b. 11 Sept 1671., Barnstable, MA. (Died young) 2. Samuel Cobb, born Barnstable, Ma. 12 Oct 1654; d. 27 Dec 1727; m. 20 Dec 1680 Elizabeth Taylor, dau of Richard Taylor. She was born in 1655; d. 4 May 1721. Children are: (a) Sarah Cobb, b. 20 Aug 1681, d. January 14, 1741, Hyannis, MA; m. BENJAMINE BERSE (b) Thomas Cobb, b. 1 June 1683, Barnstable, MA; d. October 01, 1743; m. RACHAEL STONE (c) Elizabeth Cobb, b. Nov 1685, Barnstable, MA; d. July 15, 1711; m. JONATHAN LEWIS (d) Henry Cobb, b. February 17, 1686/87, Barnstable, MA -POSSIBLE LINK TO HENRY COBB&JEMIMA MORSE (e) Samuel Cobb, twin b. 10 Sept 1691, Barnstable, MA; d. December 07, 1786, Tisbury, MA; m. (1) MARY HINCKLEY, August 25, 1743; (2) HANNAH BICKNELL, April 11, 1749. (f) Mehitable Cobb, twin b. 10 Sept 1691, Barnstable, MA; m. NATHAN TAYLER, June 30, 1715. (g) Experience Cobb, b. 8 June 1692, Barnstable, MA; m. JASPER TAYLER, February 18, 1712. (h) Jonathan Cobb, b. 25 Dec 1694, Barnstable, MA; d. August 03, 1773 (i) Eleazer Cobb, b. January 14, 1695/96, Barnstable, MA (j) Lydia Cobb, b. December 08, 1699, m. EBENEEZER SCUDDER, April 02, 1725. Henry and Jemima left CT around 1742. In 1755 they appeared on the tax rolls of Orange County, NC (Now Caswell Co. NC) There are many, many Cobb’s living in that area today. Noah remained there and his will was proved there in 1808. He had children and grandchildren, one of his granddaughters married a man named Grant who flew into a jealous rage and killed two men walking with his wife from church. He was hanged in Caswell Co. NC in 1827. Notes for COBB BROTHERS FIVE: The clan of the Cobb Brothers Five first appears in Orange County, NC about 1755, namely Samuel and Henry. From the Orange Co. Court Minuites Book: Court held March 1757 - "Thomas Laxton, Jr., and Samuel Cobb proved their attendance as Evidences in the suit - Taylor vs Reynolds". Court held August 1760 - "Ordered that Nathaniel Hart, David Hart, Thomas Highs, Edmund Denny, Daniel McCullom, Samuel Cobb, John Cantrel, John Thrasher, Robert Wells and Samuel Watt be appointed to lay out and open a road from the McCollom's Plantation to Taylor's Road leading to the Court House". Court held August 1763: - "Ordered that Henry Cobb be appointed overseer of the Lower Town Road from the County Line to John Cantril's and that all hands on the waters of the County Line Creek assist". In 1761, Samuel Cobb recorded a land grant on County Line Creek for 487 acres, adjoining Nathaniel Hart. In the survey of this land, Henry Cobb was one of the chain bearers. It may be that all five of the brothers shared this same tract which was transferred in 1765 to Henry Cobb. That may be about the time that Samuel Cobb moved on to Old Ninety-Six District in South Carolina, and he most probably took his younger brother, Asa Cobb with him. In 1770, Henry Cobb sold off 238 acres of this tract to Matthew Lovett and John Williams. Caswell County was created in 1777 from Orange County and the First Tax List of the newly created county shows John, Henry and Noah Cobb as land owners there in 1777. According to some records that I have read, a homesteader would stake a claim, live on it for two years and then have a survey made and apply for a land grant. This may have been the case as in 1788/89, Henry and Noah applied for and received a land grant in Caswell Co., NC. The brothers John, Henry and Noah are listed in the NC State Census of 1786. Sometime after this and before the first Federal Census was taken in 1790, both John and Henry moved on to join Samuel and Asa in South Carolina. It may be well to NOTE here that the Orange County Court House burned in 1789 and many of the records were lost or destroyed. This is the only reason that I can give for not locating any marriage records of any of the five brothers. As we have no records of the birth years or marriage dates, a reasonable estimate based on other data would show them to have been born in the 1730's to early 1740’s. The 1790 census of Pendleton District, SC, shows as heads of households: Asa Cobb, John Cobb, and Henry Cobb in the Greenville District, (across the Saluda River) was Samuel Cobb and his son, Humphry Cobb. This area along the upper Saluda River was Cherokee land until after the Revolutionary War when settlers began to move in. It was then in the judicial district of Ninety-Six, later attached to Abbeville County where many of the earlier records were kept. Land was not granted to settlers until 1784. Pendleton Co. was created in 1789 with a Court House in Pickensville, which embraced all lands northwest from Abbeville County between the Saluda River and the Savannah/Tugaloo/Chattooga Rivers (State of GA boundary) up to the Blue Ridge. In 1791, Washington District was created and was composed of Pendleton and Greenville counties. Washington District was short lived and in 1798 Pendleton and Greenville again became districts, each with a court house. In 1826, Pendleton District was divided into Anderson and Pickens Counties. This brief introduction is to establish the origin and relationships of this clan of Cobb brothers and their migration into South Carolina, from which area their descendants continued to pioneer throughout the south and west and helped to open new territories for settlement. The above was taken from a work that was "Researched and Compiled" by Thomas C. Sutton of Hamet, CA in 1982 entitled "COBB BROTHERS FIVE" NOTES FOR SAMUEL COBB: Samuel and his first wife were involved in a well documented Indian Attack known as the AUSTIN RAID in the fall of 1769 in Laurens Co. SC. The Austin farm was only two farms from the Cobb farm. Samuel lost his first wife and his daughter (Elizabeth). Two sons survived the attack, Ransom and Humphrey . Both of the boys grew up and married and moved on to DeKalb, GA in late 1790’s or early 1800’s. Henry and John remained in the Laurens Co. SC area. John died in 1793 or 1794 and Henry was the administrator of his estate. John died in 1799. Samuel and Asa as well as other members of the Turkey Creek Baptist Church moved to Owen County, KY in 1795. Asa remained in Owen Co. KY for only a few years before moving on to TN. Asa is buried in Fentress Co. TN in 1828. NOTE: I now have the transcripts from the State Library in Connecticut to confirm the marriage dates and the dates of the first five children for Henry Cobb and Jemima Morse. )|(John and Asa were born after they left Pomfret, CT. Do not know where they resided from 1743 but do know they were in Orange County (now Caswell County) NC prior to 1755. More About SAMUEL COBB, (1): Buried: 1805, Old Jackson Graveyard on the Davis Farm near Breck in Owen County, KY. Census: 1790, Only Samuel Cobb shown in South Carolina in the 1790 Census. Former marriage: Bef. 1769, Samuel Cobb had a previous family. A wife, one daughter, Elizabeth & two sons. Former offspring: Fall of 1769, Wife and daughter were killed by Indians. Both sons, Ransom and Humphrey survived. Military service: September 07, 1776, Enlistment in the Revolutionary War and fought in battles around Charleston, discharged after the battle of Charleston in 1780. (Most probably did not remarry until after his discharge. Property: May 05, 1786, Received 500 acres along the Reedy River in South Carolina as payment for War Services. He deeded this land to his son Humphrey. Special Thanks: Edgar L. Morgan Published "THE COBBS OF OWEN COUNTY, KENTUCKY" in 1961 More About JUDAH PEAK or PEAKE: Misc Information: 1790, Census of 1790 shows several families of Peak’s (?? Spelling) living in South Carolina. Children of SAMUEL COBB and JUDAH PEAK are: 3. i. THOMAS2 COBB, (1-1), b. January 21, 1781, South Carolina; d. June 08, 1854, Indiana. He married PRACILLA SMITH 1800, daughter of JOSEPH SMITH and LEONNAR (unknown). More About Thomas Cobb, (1-1) (I have 9 pages of descendants for Thomas Cobb) Moved Abt. 1817 to Jasper Co. Indiana 4. ii. JOHN COBB, (1-2), b. March 10, 1786 in Donalds, SC; d. dec. 24, 1847 in Bedford, Taylor Co., Iowa More About JOHN COBB, (I-2): (I have 42 pages of descendants for John Cobb) Moved: Abt. 1817 to Indiana and then on to Bedford, Taylor Co., Iowa 5. iii. WILLIAM COBB, (1-3), b. 1786, South Carolina; d. 1833, Owen County, Kentucky. He married (1) MISS HAMBRICK, (2) MISS SIMPSON, (3) ELIZABETH (SISTER) COX. (I have 12 pages of descendants for William Cobb) 6. iv. DILLA COBB, (l-D), b. Abt. 1788, South Carolina. She married WILLIAM JONES. More About DILLA COBB, (1-D): (I have 2 pages of descendants for Dilia Cobb) WILLIAM JONES built the first grist mill at what was known as the Cobb Settlement, then known as the Cobb Settlement and later Cobb’s Mill. Later sold to John Lusby and name changed to Lusby’s Mill. 7. v. DANIEL COBB, (1-5), b. March 04, 1792; d. January 10, 1877. He married ELIZABETH (BETSY) HOLBROOK, daughter of ZECHARIAH HOLBROOK and SUSAM MORGAN. (I have 35 pages of descendants for Daniel Cobb) 8. vi. ELISHA COBB, (1-6), b. February 19, 1794; d. December 04, 1854. He married (1) HETTIE ROACH Abt. 1814. (2) MARY F. BRYANT June 11, 1846. (I have 20 pages of descendants for Elisha Cobb) 9. vii. PEGGY (MARGARET) COBB, (l-G), b. 1797, Owen County, Kentucky. She married BENJAMINE ROBINSON of Grant County, KY. (I have 7 pages of descendants for Peggy Cobb) 10. viii. ASA COBB, (1-8), b. May 22, 1799, Lusby's Mill, Owen County, Kentucky; d. August 28, 1852, Owen County, Kentucky. He married ANNA O’BANION in 1820.