Sidetracks are a railroad term, referring to a track that branches off from a main line and is very useful for safety reasons and moving trains around, or allowing one to pass another. In that form, the word is a noun. If you pull the switch and transfer it to a verb, you get a more common meaning, to a distraction, or divert someone's attention away from the main subject or action.
Delaney is a sidetrack for me, a diversion, in trying to backtrack to 'drafts' in my blog, that I've never completed, or staying on a track of subjects that relate to one another. However, she is not a divertissement, I have a very real curiosity and reason to want to know who she was.
| Name | Delaney Hinson |
|---|---|
| Age in 1870 | 30 |
| Birth Date | abt 1840 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Dwelling Number | 118 |
| Home in 1870 | Tyson, Stanly, North Carolina |
| Race | Mulatto |
| Gender | Female |
| Post Office | Albemarle |
| Occupation | At Home |
| Cannot Write | Yes |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| James Davis | 60 |
| Roena Davis | 55 |
| David Davis | 27 |
| Wesley Davis | 25 |
| Mary Davis | 22 |
| Louisa Davis | 19 |
| Louis Gainer | 17 |
| Delaney Hinson | 30 |
In the 1870 census of Tyson Township, Stanly County, North Carolina, Delaney Hinson, age 30, was living with the family of my Great, Great, Great Granduncle, James M. Davis. I needed to know who she was and what her connection to the family might be. Why was she living with them?
To that last question, I do not have an answer. There was no family relation, her own father was still living, no job was given to her in the record, she was described as simply "at Home". Still, perhaps she served a purpose as a hired hand. One notable thing about the above census record is that her race is noted as "Mulatto". She was not. I believe this was just a transcription error, as the 'W' looks the same for the Davis family as it does for Delaney Hinson. Louis Gaines, however, who was a transcription error victim with his name, which was Gaines, not Gainer, was black.
I found Delaney, but it wasn't easy, as her name took many forms. Having an ancestor named Delaney, I knew to look for the following variations and nicknames: Laney, Lany, etc. So, who was she?
| Name | Larry Hinson |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Race | White |
| Residence Age | 16 |
| Birth Date | abt 1834 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Residence Date | 1850 |
| Home in 1850 | Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina, USA |
| Line Number | 31 |
| Dwelling Number | 945 |
| Family Number | 950 |
| Inferred Father | James Hinson |
| Inferred Mother | Nancy Hinson |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| James Hinson | 48 |
| Nancy Hinson | 47 |
| Sarah Hinson | 21 |
| Adaline Hinson | 19 |
| Larry Hinson | 16 |
| George Milton | 7 |
| Margaret Hinson | 5 |
| Rebecca Hinson | 3 |
| Robert Blalock | 50 |
| Nancy Blalock | 30 |
Laney Hinson was the daughter of James Hinson, shown in the 1850 census in Albemarle Township. She was not the daughter of Nancy, above, his second wife. She is shown above as 16-year-old "Larry", who is a female born about 1834 in the above document. Again, a transcription error, a look at the actual document shows "Lany", not Larry.
We go back to the estate records for George Shankle. James Hinson first married Tabitha Shankle, daughter of the Rev. George Shankle and his first wife. Tabitha died on December 28, 1842, according to the Benjamin Ivy Family Bible. James Hinson would later marry Nancy Melton, who is the 47-year-old Nancy shown in the 1850 census. By time the estate of Rev. Shankle was fully settled, as he predeceased his daughter, Tabitha by two years, Tabitha's share of his estate was divided amongst her heirs, which were named as John Hinson, Sally, married to Jesse Hathcock of Stanly County, Polly, who was married to William Melton who went to the Arkansas's, Adaline, who married Isaiah Marberry of Stanly County and Selana Hinson of Stanly.
In the above document, Selana signs her mark that she had received of James L. Gaines, former clerk of Montgomery County, her share of the proceeds of the sale of her mother's share of the property of Rev. George Shankle, her grandfather. Recall the Louis Gaines who would be living in the James M. Davis household in 1870.
So, Laney's real name was Selana, not Delaney. That's one thing.
| Name | Lany Hinson |
|---|---|
| Age | 24 |
| Birth Year | abt 1836 |
| Gender | Female |
| Race | White |
| Home in 1860 | Stanly, North Carolina |
| Post Office | Albemarle |
| Dwelling Number | 424 |
| Family Number | 427 |
| Cannot Read, Write | Y |
| Inferred Father | James Hinson |
| Inferred Mother | Nancy Hinson |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| James Hinson | 65 |
| Nancy Hinson | 50 |
| Lany Hinson | 24 |
| George Hinson | 17 |
| Peggy Hinson | 13 |
| Becky Hinson | 9 |
| Retty Hinson | 7 |
| Jane Hinson | 4 |
In the 1860 census, Laney is shown as 'Lany' and 24 years old, although she was 16 in 1850 and 30 in 1870. Ages, especially for women, were fluid in those days. The next few years may have been dramatic for Laney, or whatever one wishes to call her.
First, she met a man named Britton L. Tucker Parks. He was not from Stanly County, but it appears he was born in North Carolina.
| Name | Britten L Parks |
|---|---|
| Age | 30 |
| Birth Year | abt 1830 |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | White |
| Home in 1860 | Stanly, North Carolina |
| Post Office | Albemarle |
| Dwelling Number | 188 |
| Family Number | 188 |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Cannot Read, Write | Y |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| David McDaniel | 40 |
| Lucinda McDaniel | 35 |
| Elizabeth McDaniel | 14 |
| Alexr McDaniel | 12 |
| Caroline McDaniel | 9 |
| Francis McDaniel | 7 |
| Tempe McDaniel | 4 |
| John McDaniel | 2 |
| Britten L Parks | 30 |
In 1860, Britt Parks was working as a Laborer, near Albemarle, in Stanly County. I don't know the nature of the relationship between Brittan Parks and Laney Hinson, no marriage license is found, but on March 5, 1861, they became the parents of a baby girl, named Mary.
War came, and that would change everything for the young family.
Britton L Tucker Parks enlisted in Company K, 28th Infantry on September 7, 1861, in Stanly County. He was wounded in the Battle of Cedar Mountain, Virginia and Chancellorsville.
He was captured at Spotsvania Courthouse May 12, 1864 and was taken as a Prisoner of War.
Britton L. Tucker Parks was transfered to the renown and terrible Elmira Prison where he died of disease on April 1, 1865. He was buried at Woodlawn National Cemetery in Elmira, New York.
Laney and Mary became two of thousands of Civil War orphans and widows, left to pick up the pieces.
Mary Parks is next seen as a 9 year old in the 1870 census in the home of her grandfather, James Hinson. And of course, her mother was found at this time, in the home of James M. Davis.
The fate of Laney Hinson, after that, is unknown. I find no more record of her after this. I can't find her in the 1880 census and we know she was deceased by 1889, as her daughter Mary declares her as such on her marriage document.
Mary is found in the 1880 census, still living in the home of her Grandparents.This time, she's seen by their surname, Hinson.
On March 17, 1889, 28 year old "Marrah" Parkes, daughter of Britton Parks, married 35 year old Daniel Hinson, son of John Hinson. The wedding took place at the home of Nancy Hinson, now a widow, and Mary's Aunts, Jane and Rebecca, were witnesses.
Daniel Adam Hinson, was the son of John Hinson and wife, Elizabeth, and grew up in the same general area as Mary. They were probably related, but I don't know the connection between James Hinson and John Hinson, if there was one.
Daniel and Mary had three known children and raised them in the area of Big Lick, NC.
| Name | Mary Henson |
|---|---|
| Age | 38 |
| Birth Date | Mar 1862 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina, USA |
| Home in 1900 | Big Lick, Stanly, North Carolina |
| House Number | 8 |
| Sheet Number | 7 |
| Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation | 121 |
| Family Number | 121 |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Female |
| Relation to Head of House | Wife |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse's Name | Daniel Henson |
| Marriage Year | 1889 |
| Years Married | 11 |
| Father's Birthplace | North Carolina, USA |
| Mother's Birthplace | North Carolina, USA |
| Mother: number of living children | 3 |
| Mother: How many children | 5 |
| Can Read | N |
| Can Write | N |
| Can Speak English | Y |
| Neighbors | View others on page |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Daniel Henson | 49 |
| Mary Henson | 38 |
| Jno D R Henson | 12 |
| Evie Henson | 7 |
| Birdie Henson | 1 |
Those three children are shown here in the 1900 census of Big Lick, Stanly County, NC. Son John Daniel Rufus Hinson, born in 1886, is shown as 12 here, Evie L. E. Hinson is 7 and Bertha "Birdie" Hinson is one. Mary reports being the mother of 5 children, with 2 living, meaning she had lost two babes at some point.
The 1910 census shows Daniel and Mary, 60 and 45 respectively, with Eva L. Hinson, 17 and Bertha B. Hinson, 10.
Sadly, Eva Hinson didn't have the chance to grow up and start her own life. She passed away on May 5, 1913 at the young age of 20, and was buried at Saint Martin Lutheran Church.
 |
Stanly News and Press
Albemarle, North Carolina • Page 2 |
Daniel Adam Hinson, her father, would join her five years later. He died of 'dropsy' at the age of 71. The Stanly News and Press reported that he was survived by a wife, one son and one daughter.
| Name | Mary E Hinson |
|---|---|
| Age | 58 |
| Birth Year | abt 1862 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Home in 1920 | Furr, Stanly, North Carolina |
| Street | Albemarle Road |
| House Number | Farm |
| Residence Date | 1920 |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Female |
| Relation to Head of House | Head |
| Marital Status | Widowed |
| Father's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Able to Speak English | Yes |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Industry | General Farm |
| Employment Field | Own Account |
| Home Owned or Rented | Rented |
| Able to Write | No |
| Neighbors | View others on page |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Mary E Hinson | 58 |
| Bertha Hinson | 19 |
| Raymon Hinson | 7 |
| Pauline Hinson 7 |
By 1920, Mary has moved her surviving family to the Locust area. In the home is just her daughter, Bertha and herself. Her son, John Daniel Rufus Hinson, who went by the name Dan, is a widower, having lost his first wife, Cordie Bell Almond Hinson, daughter of Achilles Almond and Julia Ann Whiltey, in 1918, the same year he lost his father. He had also lost his two younger sons, Eugene at 4 and Herman, at one, after moving his family to Cabarrus County. The two children Raymond and Pauline, living with Mary, were his older children.
| Name | Dan Hinson |
|---|---|
| Age | 32 |
| Birth Year | abt 1888 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Home in 1920 | Baptist Church, Cabarrus, North Carolina |
| Street | Green St |
| Residence Date | 1920 |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Male |
| Relation to Head of House | Boarder |
| Marital Status | Widowed |
| Father's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Able to Speak English | Yes |
| Occupation | Carder |
| Industry | Cotton Mill |
| Employment Field | Wage or Salary |
| Able to read | Yes |
| Able to Write | Yes |
| Neighbors | View others on page |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| William Honeycutt | 24 |
| Mollie Honeycutt | 34 |
| Emiline Munson | 65 |
| Dan Hinson | 32 |
John Daniel Rufus "Dan" Hinson, was at the time living in a whole 'nother County, as Momma would say, Cabarrus, working in the Cottone Mills there. He was living in the home of a William Honeycutt, that puts an entirely different bend on things. It's an interesting household. Dan was boarding, widowed, and a Carder at the Cottonmill.
William Franklin Honeycutt was a relative of his. He was the son of William Thomas Hinson, son of Henrietta "Rittie" Hinson. Rittie was the sister of Dan's Grandmother, Laney. William Franklin Honeycutt was a Honeycutt and not a Hinson because his mother was one Minerva Honeycutt, who William Thomas Hinson did not marry.
Hang on to your hats with these Williams and Thomases, because its about to get a little more hairy. William Franklin Honeycutt married Mollie Hooks, shown here at 34. Emaline Munson was his mother-in-law. Emmaline Munson was also the sister of my Second Great Grandmother, Sarah Jane Hooks Hill. So that puts him squarely in my family tree, when his second wife was Carrie Evie Ann Hooks, a granddaughter of said Emmaline Hooks Munson.
See, Emmaline had an affair with her brother-in-law, William Matthew Hill, Sarah Jane's husband, my Second Great Grandfather. That trist produced a son, William Thomas Hooks, whose second wife was Della Munson. They were the parents of Carrie Evie Ann. So how was Emmaline a Munson? Well Emmaline is a whole story of her own, having about nine children by a variety of men, with Henry Munson, her daughter-in-laws father, being the only one she married. She had three daughters with the much older Henry, but he made her a respectable widow in her latter years.
Mary E Parks Hinson passed away on August 12, 1926, at the age of 65, of Liver Cancer. Her son, Dan Hinson, was the informant. He mistakenly listed her parents as Burton Tucker and Fannie Hinson. The only thing correct was the Hinson. One can't blame Dan for the mistake, his grandfather died when Mary was but three, far away in another state. Her mother perished sometime before she hit 12. Mary could not have remembered her father and barely her mother, and that was decades before her son was born.
 |
The Albemarle Press
Albemarle, North Carolina • Page 3 |
The papers reported on Mary's illness...
 |
The Albemarle Press
Albemarle, North Carolina • Page 8 |
and then, her death. She was survived by... what? Four sons and one daughter? Her husband was survived by only one son and one daughter. Brakes squealing screeeech!
Then looking back to the 1910 census...
Mary was working as a laundress for a private family and claimed to have been the mother of 7 children with 5 living. This was while Eva was still living, so two children were unaccounted for, both obviously sons, alive still in 1926 when their mother died.
So who were they?
The first was easiest to find due to his name on his marriage license.
John Parks, son of Davis Crisco and Mary Parks, age 19, married Penina Whitley, 26, daughter of Ephraim Whitley and wife, Sarah Ann Whitley on February 18, 1899 in Big Lick Township. One of the witnesses was his cousin, W. T. Hinson.
Then it all came back to me. Mary was the niece. Several sisters of Serlana Hinson, especially Jane, the youngest, were frequent flyers to the Stanly County Courthouse in the years after the War, and among this group was a niece, Mary.
Mary had children, at least two sons, before her marriage to Dan Hinson.
John Parks, sometime shortly after his marriage, took on his father's surname. He was the son of Mary E Parks by Jefferson Davis Crisco (1863-1930), like Mary, a child left fatherless by the Civil War, son of David C. Crisco and Elizabeth Honeycutt Crisco, who was raised by his Grandparents. Three years after John Travis's birth, he married Margaret Whitley and had a family of nine legitimate children, but acknowledging his oldest son as an adult, allowed him to take on the Crisco name.
It makes sense. Travis would cling to the Hinson family.That's him at 6 months old, above, in the home of his Great Grandfather James Hinson, next to his cousin, Louisa, with his mother Mary, 18, in the list, all mistakenly labeled Hinson. That's 1880.
Then after marriage in 1899, two decades later, we see his cousin WT "Tom" Hinson, his Aunts, Rittie and Rebecca living in their father's old place, no doubt, another cousin, James C. Hinson, with John Travis sandwiched between with Penina.
In 1920, he's in that same spot, next to Rittie and Rebecca on Barbees Grove Rd, but now with a houseful of kids.
The second son was a little harder to find, but his brother gave us a clue.
When Daniel Rufus Hinson died in 1972, his obituary stated that he only had one sibling living, W. D. Hinson, a half-brother. So now we had initials. We also knew this brother was born before Mary's marriage to Daniel Adam Hinson im 1889. So, I returned to the family, the Hinson family.
I found a foot to fit the shoe. In the 1900 census, a 14 year old student named William Hinson was living with Jane Hinson. He was her nephew, and I hadn't connected him with any of her sisters.
On January 15th of 1905, 21 year old Will Hinson, son of Dan and Mary Hinson of Big Lick, married Annie Sides, daughter of Jim and Nealie Sides, age 18. I had found William Davidson Hinson, aka, 'Will'.
There were other William David or Davidson Hinsons, but this was only married to Annie.
I had tracked down all of the grandchildren of Selana 'Laney' Hinson, a Civil War widow. From one child, Mary E Parks, she gained a wealth of descendants.
Mary E Parks (1861-1926)
With Jefferson Davis Crisco
1) John Travis Crisco 1880-1948 married Mary Penina Whitley
A) Ollie Lee 1900-1990
B) Belzorra Sarah Ann 1902-1969
C) Claude Ephraim 1904-1979
D) Leander Devotion 1905-1972
E) Victoria Lizzie Crisco Barber 1908-1958
F) Arwilder Roberta "Berta" 1909-1992
2) William Davidson Hinson (1885-1971)
Married Annie Catherine Sides
A) Nealie Estelle 1907-1993
B) Beaulah Viola 1910-1993
C) Laura M. 1911-1917
D) Gertrude 1914-1994
E) Blanche Lucretia 1916 -2000
F) Juanita Marie 1923-2003
G) Harvey Calvin 1926-2018
With husband, Daniel Adam Hinson
3) John Daniel Rufus Hinson (1886-1972)
Married first Cordie Belle Almond
A) Raymond Adam 1910-1998
B) Julia Pauline 1913-1965
C) Eugene 1914-1924
E) Herman J 1916-1917
Married 2nd Carrie Evie Ann Hooks
F) Bunn William 1921-1971
G) Eva Mary Bell 1924-1971
H) Homer Alexander 1925-2013
I) Clifford J. 1929-2007
J) Fred Donald 1938 -
4) Eva L. E Hinson 1893-1915
5) Bertha Belzorra 1898-1982
Married Alvah Cabasco Brattain first.
Married Samuel Johnson Ford second.
