John Frederick Wilson, son of Darrington Wilson.
I recently posted, wondering who Albert Smith was, shown in multiple deeds and records with my Davis and Palmer ancestors. I knew my third Great Grandmother, Martha Palmer Daivs, had a sister, Mary, who had married Bailey Francis Smith. I had recently looked into some of those Smith relationships, particularly because of another entirely different relationship, that of a female ancestor named Mary Smith Mauldin. Why had she moved from an entirely different part of the county after the death of her husband? Not just any move, either. She had moved away from where some of her older children had settled near their father's farm, to an area where no children, except those who still lived with her, lived. She had conveniently relocated among several families of related Smiths. Those Smiths, were the children and grandchildren of William Smith who died in 1845.
I didn't determine exactly where Albert Smith fit into the puzzle, but he showed all the signs of being a member of this same group of Smiths. So, when his young daughter is found living with a Jane Smith in the census after her father's death, a single woman about 9 years older than Louisa, I had to know who that Jane was, too. I discovered that I had already done a little digging on this family already, due to another person in the household at that time, Nancy Lowder, who was this Jane Smith's sister.
The family name was actually Wilson, and I've gone down a bit of a rabbit hole with them. The following story is what I know about the Wilsons.
Darrington Wilson, who was born around 1799 - 1800 in North Carolina, first shows up in the 1830 census of Montgomery County, West Pee Dee, which was the Stanly County side of the river. As the 1820 Montgomery County census was lost, we can't know if he would have been in it, as a very young man. In 1830, he is sandwiched between Anthony Creps and Tavener Cox, with Brittain Manuel nearby. Darington was counted as a man in his forties. There was a woman in her 30's, probably his wife, Franky, one boy under 5, (his son John Franklin was born in 1825), and five females under 19. I only know of 3 daughters, Jane, Nancy and Eliza. Nancy, born in 1837, would qualify as the oldest known daughter. There may be other daughters, older, that have not been identified.
1840 has Darington still in West Pee Dee, this time near Bailey Sanders, William McLester, Samuel Mann, Sr. and Jesse Hathcock, Sr. This time, there are two adults in their 50's in the household, he and his wife in all probability, and six children. One boy, 15 -19, John Franklin fits here, and five girls, all under 9. These are young ages for a couple in their 50's.
| Name | Doventon Wilson |
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| Residence Date | 1840 |
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| Home in 1840 (City, County, State) | West Pee Dee River, Montgomery, North Carolina |
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| Free White Persons - Males - 15 thru 19 | 1 John F. |
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| Free White Persons - Males - 50 thru 59 | 1 Darrington |
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| Free White Persons - Females - Under 5 | 2 Eliza, Jemima |
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| Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9 | 3 Nancy, ? , ? |
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| Free White Persons - Females - 50 thru 59 | 1 Frankie |
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| Persons Employed in Agriculture | 1 |
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| No. White Persons over 20 Who Cannot Read and Write | 2 |
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| Free White Persons - Under 20 | 6 |
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| Total Free White Persons | 8 |
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| Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves | 8 |
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The Wilson family seems to have quite a few missing daughters. There is scant little information about them in these early years. They seem to have evaded the 1850 census. Darrington and Nelson Hathcock found themselves in court in the winter of 1849, were found guilty, of what, I don't know, but were fined 5 cents each.
Otherwise, Darrington, (also seen spelled as Darrenton and even Darlington), seemed to leave few traces and be a peaceable man.
He made a purchase from the Estate of Lindsey F. Cagle in 1843, as did Henry Lowder..
He was among the 402 signers of a petition against moving the Montgomery County Courthouse from the town of Henderson, to a 'new spot', that would in time be named Lawrenceville. This petition was signed on September 20th, 1816. Darrington would have been only about 17 or 18 years old at the time, his first showing in a record, in fact. His name was sandwiched between my ancestor, John Palmer, father of James Palmer, of recent mention, and Garrett Pickler and Henry Mann. This may or may not give any indication of where he was at the time, the the Palmers, Picklers and Manns were located in the same area on the western side of the river.
The odds are good that Darrington Wilson grew up in Montgomery, and actually on the eastern side of the river, so what was he doing on the west side at this age? Was he married already, or courting? Could he have married into one of these families?
While Darrington was missing from the 1850 census, all indications were that he was probably in Stanly County at the time, which became Stanly 9 years earlier after splitting from Montgomery County. I will return to Darrington in a minute, but it was the fact that Louisa Smith was in the household of a Jane Smith a few decades later that led me on this chase.
Things were happening in the Wilson household among the children, at least the ones we are aware of. He seemed to have more daughters, however, if they lived or who they may have married is unknown.
Nancy Wilson
On February 12, 1863, Nancy Wilson married Henry Lowder, a man 44 years her elder.
| Name | Nancy Wilson |
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| Gender | Female |
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| Marriage Date | 12 Feb 1863 |
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| Marriage Place | Stanly, North Carolina, USA |
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| Spouse | Henry Louder |
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| Spouse Gender | Male |
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| Event Type | Marriage |
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The marriage was short-lived as Henry Lowder died on July 20, 1869. There were no children to the marriage, but Henry had children, adult children.
He had married in his twenties to Mary A. Furr and they had 10 suspected children and six known children: Martha Lowder Sides, Harris Lowder, Davidson Lowder, Rowland Lowder, Eddison Lowder, and Mary Lowder Harwood Rowland.
Henry was buried in the Old Lowder Cemetery near the intersection of the Old Concord Road (historically the Morganton Road) and Rowland Road. The cemetery has been destroyed, and rumoured that the tombstones were pulled up and thrown in a well. It was known by descendants that Henry and his first wife, Mary, were buried there.
Henry died intestate and Nancy was alotted her dowery and one years widows allowance by a committee. She signed off on the rest of the estate to her stepchildren, most older than she. Davidson Lowder was appointed Executor of his father's estate. Henry was the son of William Henry Lowder and Elizabeth Eudy. Nancy's sister, Eliza Wilson was listed in the estate papers as a debtor. Nancy would never remarry and never have children.
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| The Family in 1860 |
I'm stepping back a little bit to look at the family in 1860. Darrington is working as a Carpenter at age 62. We see the name of his wife, Franky, short for Frances, as will turn up in other records. Nancy, 23, has yet to marry Henry Lowder and youngest daughter, Eliza is 21. Her profession is given as a "Hooker". That has an entirely different meaning today than it did then. On the line above Darrington's name is that of Ellen Barton, 42, someone who will come into play shortly. Ellen is also a "Hooker". In 1860, this was someone who operating a hooking machine in a textile operation. They were in Albemarle Township, which was a fairly large area, and I don't know how close to town they were. Likely someone in the area had a textile mill, albeit a small operation. Other neighbors were John T. Crowell, a farmer, with his wife Margaret Safely Crowell, and young son, Wiley Kron Crowell. Also in the home was his elderly father-in-law, David Safely, a Distiller and Camaline Morris, an orphan, working for them as a Housekeeper.
Also on the page was Calvin Ingram and wife, Eva Calloway Ingram, farmers; James Harward and wife, Susannah Sophia Teddar Harwood; Daniel Poplin and wife, Delilah Simpson Poplin; Arthur Stanhope Moss and wife, Elizabeth Burns Moss; Mathias Smith and wife, Rhoda Hecks or Hicks Smith, all farmers. Topping it off was a midwife, the elderly Mary Upchurch.
There were two known children missing from the 1860 with their parents, only son John Wilson, and the daughter, Jane Wilson Smith, who started the whole venture.
John Franklin Wilson
John Franklin Wilson was first married to a woman named Mary J., who was born about 1827 in North Carolina. She may have been a Scarborough or a McRae. They are shown living in Mount Gilead, NC in the 1850, 1860, and 1870 census. They had no children together. In the 1870 census, a 46 year old James McRae is living with them, and in 1870, they have the recently freed family of Darkus Wilson and her children, Presley, Nancy, George W. and Cherry living next to them. This family may have been enslaved by John Wilson and wife. In all three cases, the Wilson family is surrounded by both Scarboroughs and McRaes.
On November 17, 1877, John Wilson, of Montgomery County, NC, age 50, son of Darrington Wilson, living, of Stanly County, NC, and Franky Wilson, deceased, married Mrs. Margaret Wade, 36, of Montgomery County, NC, daughter of John Frazier of Montgomery County NC, living, and her mother was also deceased.
Margaret Frazier Wade was the daughter of John H. Frazier and wife, Mary Ann McAuley Frazier of Montgomery County, NC. She had married James W Wade on February 23, 1871. James Wade, the son of William Wyler "Buck" Wade and wife, Annis, also grew up in the Mount Gilead area. He served in the Civil War, and survived, but did not live to be an old man, passing away at about 32 years old in 1876. He was buried in the Wade Family Cemetery in Ellerbe, Richmond County, NC. There were no known children of the marriage.
However, unlike their first spouses, John and Margaret were able to start a family and did so immediately, John finally becoming a father in his 50's. There were five:
1878 - Mary Francis Wilson Roberts
1879 - George Franklin Wilson
1881- Anne Eliza Wilson Saunders
1882 - Laura Wilson Teddars Neighbors
1884 - John Danver Wilson
Again, John Wilson would become a widower, at a time unknown, sometime after the 1884 birth of youngest child, John.
On May 20th, 1893, John Wilson of Montgomery County, NC, age 62, son of 'Darrenton' Wilson and Frances Wilson, both dead, married Frances Swaringen of Stanly County, age 23, daughter of John Swaringen, both parents living. They were married at the home of James W. Smith, the Justice of the Peace who performed the Wedding. Witnesses were James W. Hamilton, Adam Shoe and Adam Eury.
This marriage doesn't appear to have lasted long, and not because of death. Perhaps the young woman was disagreeable to the marriage of the old man and taking care of his young children. In 1880, he had been shown at 55, with a 35 year old wife and the oldest of his five children, Mary Frances, age 2, and George Franklin, age 1. Twenty years later, despite having married 7 years prior, John is still in Mount Gilead, this time with no wife, and his two youngest children still in the home, Laurie, 18, and John Jr. 16. Fickle Fanny has her own story. But let's catch up to the rest of the family.
Jane Wilson
Above is the census record that started it all. It shows a 40 year old Jane Smith living in Ridenhour Township, Stanly County. With her is Louisa Smith, 25. This was the daughter of George Albert Smith and wife, Mary A Clayton Smith. They had lived in Stanly County in 1850, and moved up to Gold Hill by 1860, and the father had died during the Civil War. Afterwards, the surviving family members scattered, but settled in the area of Cabarrus near Stanly and Rowan. Louisa's only brother lived in the Matton's Grove area of Stanly County, where he is buried, and is in Ridenhour Township. This was not a child of Jane Smith. Try to find a Louisa Smith of that age, and it pulls up the census where she is a child in the home of her parents, George A. Smith and Mary, near Albemarle in Stanly County in 1850. The other possibilities were far, far away. The story of the Albert Smith family can be found at the below link.
Also in the home were Lucy J. Wilson, 7 and William Wilson, 4. These were the children of Eliza Wilson, daughter of Darrington Wilson. Then lastly, we find the widowed Nancy Wilson Lowder, the last wife of Henry Lowder. So Jane Wilson Smith is heading a household with her widowed sister and her young niece and nephew. How did Lousia Smith fit in? The most logical reason would be a kinship to where the Smith name came from, but who was that man? And how do we know Jane was a Wilson. That's coming. She lived a long life and has documents. First, let's go back to the years 1856 and 1857.
On July 29, 1856, there was an Indenture between Jane Wilson and Nelson Pennington, found in the Stanly County Register of Deeds in Book 3, Page 434. Yes, Jane Wilson, not Jane Smith. Both were of Stanly County, NC "
Whereas Joshua Smith is duly indebited unto John H. Rhyne in the sum of $80 about the 25th of June 1856 & whereas the said Jane Wilson & Joshua Smith are honestly desirous to secure the payment". Nelson Pennigton covered the debt to John H. Rhyne for them in exchange, "
Jane Wilson hath sold a certain house lot in The town of Albemarle, designated as lot No. 62 to be paid off by the said Jane Wilson & Joshua Smith by the 1st of January next, 1857". If not, they gave Nelson Pennington the right to sell it to the highest bidder on the Courthouse steps. It was witnessed by Eben Hearne.
Multiple questions arise. What was the relationship between Joshua Smith and Jane Wilson? Who was John H. Rhyne? How did Jane Wilson obtain this house lot in Albemarle and when? The first two, I can answer, somewhat. The last one, I don't know. There is not a deed wherein she purchased it. Did she inherit it, and if so, from whom? In 1856, both of her parents were still alive. Also, Albemarle was a brand new town.
But first, who was John H. Rhyne, the man they were indebted to?
John H. Rhyne was a merchant. He came from Gastonia and ran a Grocery Store in Wadesboro during the later half of the 1800's. In 1860, he is found running a dry goods and merchantile, but he was apparently in Albemarle during the years 1856 and 1857, trying his hand at running a business in the fledgling village.
Next, who was Joshua Smith? I've not settled that question completely, but I have found out a few facts about him.
During the time he was getting in debt in Albemarle, NC, he was also getting into small troubles with the law and others. In State vs Joshua Smith, he was facing charges of Assault & Battery in 1854.
Just months later, he and James Parker appeared in court together and fined. This may have been the person he was facing A & B Charges against.
In the August session of the Court of Pleas and Quarters for Stanly County, Joshua Smith was facing interesting charges, F & A, which stood for Fornication and Adultery. The case was referred to Rowan County.
During the next term of Court, we find out who Joshua Smith has been fornicating with, none other than Jemima Wilson. Now, who is Jemima Wilson? She submitted judgement and the case was continued.
Joshua Smith returns to Stanly County Court for one more appearance. He submits to judgement which is suspended on payments and costs.
We find the answers to a few of these questions in a marriage document dated June 1st, 1857 in Rowan County, NC, between Joshua Smith and "Mimey Jane Wilson". The bondsman was Bennett Russell, of Stanly County, New London area, a name I'm very familiar with. Both Mimey Jane and Bennetts names were damaged in transposition.
So, Jemima Jane Wilson and Joshua Smith were caught in an immoral relationship, outside of the bonds of marriage. They got caught, went to court, and headed to the next county to get lawfully wedded. Afterwards, the charges were basically dropped. Two questions arise, (there's always more questions). What was the relationship between the couple and Bennett Russell? Two, what happened to Joshua Smith? Jane is alone in 1870.
Bennett Russell was born about 1832 in Stanly County, NC. He was the supposed son of Jarrett Russell and Frances Solomon Russell, my third Great Grandaunt. I say 'supposed' because Aunt Fanny died in 1875, and left a will, mentioning all of her surviving children, or their heirs, except Bennett. He grew up with them, and it would certainly make sense that he was one of their children, as Fanny Solomon Russell was the daughter of Bennett Solomon and Ava McGregor Solomon. He was one year older than the youngest child, Caroline. There's still the chance he could have been the son of the oldest child, George W. Russell, who was born about 1810 and died around 1862. Some years ago, I did a great deal of research and a very long post on another son of Jarrett and Fanny, the Rev. William Washington Russell, who is constantly mixed up with his older brother, George. The middle initial of George W. Russell is never revealed in any record, but William Washington's, who went by his middle name, is on many occasions. W. W. Russell married a Priscilla, aka "Prissy" and George W. married a Jane. So, Washington and Prissy were William Washington and wife.
Rev. W. W. Russell ministered at Kendall's Church on occasion and would later help found a Baptist Church in Albemarle. Yet, at one point in time, he was expelled from Kendall's Church for an inappropriate relationship with a woman he was not married to. That woman was Emmaline Sell or Schell, daughter of Goright Sell and Margaret Noad Sell. She was also the wife of Bennett Lee Russell. Washington and Prissy had no children. Bennett and Emmaline did. He wasn't certain of the paternity of some of them and said as much in a court document. Despite the temporary setback, Prissy didn't leave her husband and both couples are buried, with spouses, in the New London town cemetery. There were no Smith's in the family, so the connection, outside of friendship, is unknown.
Bennett Russell was a Civil War soldier and survived. Joshua Smith was also, and did not. That is why Jane Smith is the head of her own household in 1870.
| Name | Joshua Smith |
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| Enlistment Age | 52 |
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| Birth Date | abt 1810 |
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| Enlistment Date | 4 Jul 1862 |
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| Enlistment Place | Rowan County, North Carolina |
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| Enlistment Rank | Private |
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| Muster Date | 17 Jul 1862 |
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| Muster Place | North Carolina |
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| Muster Company | H |
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| Muster Regiment | 57th Infantry |
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| Muster Regiment Type | Infantry |
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| Muster Information | Substitute |
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| Casualty Date | 31 Oct 1862 |
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| Casualty Place | Richmond, Virginia |
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| Type of Casualty | Hospitalized |
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| Casualty Information | With typhoid fever |
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| Side of War | Confederacy |
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| Survived War? | No |
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| Residence Place | Rowan County, North Carolina |
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| Notes | 1862-12-13 Returned; 1863-01-23 Transferred, (Salisbury, NC Hospl); 1863-09-15 Absent without leave; 1863-10-15 Returned, Estimated day; 1863-12-04 Detailed, (Richmond, VA), As harness maker; 1864-08-31 Returned; 1864-09-15 Furloughed, Home, sick; 1865-02-28 Returned |
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| Additional Notes 2 | Casualty 2 Date: 07 Jan 1863; Casualty 2 Place: Richmond, Virginia; Casualty 2 Type of Casualty: Hospitalized; Casualty 2 Information: With chronic diarrhea; Casualty 3 Date: 01 Feb 1864; Casualty 3 Type of Casualty: Sick; Casualty 3 Information: At home |
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| Title | North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster |
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Joshua Smith, born in 1810, enlisted in the Civil War as a substitute at age 42, on July 4, 1862. He was a Private and enlisted in the 57th Infantry. He died on Halloween of the same year of Typhoid Fever. I know his fate, but still, from where he came, I have no idea.
In 1860, I believe this family to be Joshua and Jane, in Gold Hill, Rowan County, where George Albert Smith was also.
Living with them was a 9 year old boy, James A. Smith, whom I've not found anything else on, and a 60 year old Freeman of Color, Turpence Randall, who had at least one son, Eli, who was born in Stanly County, per records, and lived in Franklin, Rowan County.
Then we saw Jane in Ridenhour, with her widowed sister, Nancy, and two Wilson children, who were the children of her sister Eliza. We'll get to Eliza in a moment, but keep in mind that Louisa Smith, relationship unknown, was also in the home. But Jane's story was far from over. The best part of her life was beginning.
Jane again found love, and again with a much older man than herself. On November 11, 1875, the widow, Jane Wilson Smith, age 37, married Dr. Daniel Fleetwood Morris, aged 64, of Virginia. The wedding took place at Jane's home in Ridenhour Township, in the northern part of the county. She noted her parents as D. Wilson, living, and Franky Wilson, deceased. The grooms parents were B.S. Morris and Nancy Morris of Virginia, both deceased. We'll get to his story later.
Eliza Wilson was the youngest of the known children of Darrington and Franky Wilson We last saw her in the 1860 census living with her parents.
In 1869, in Book 6, Page 312, Stanly County deeds, Henry Lowder and wife Nancy Wilson Lowder, deeded to Jane Smith and Eliza Wilson, on February 6th of that year, 15 acres of land for $15. This small section set aside for the two sisters was north of the Morganton Road and bordered the line of Henry Lowder. This was done just before his passing and done for the security and safety of his widowed and single sisters-in-law. He was a good man. Based upon the neighbors, this appears to have been the same area, on Old Concord Road, where the Lowder Cemetery was located where Henry and his first wife were buried.
Eliza was not found in the 1870 census, but she was most likely in Stanly County. She may have been living with her sisters, and hid that day, or was out. On Februar 28th, 1872, Eliza was brought to court in Stanly County on charges of bastardy. She was pregnant and unmarried. She named Jonathan Mann the father of the child. The Bastardy Bond is shown above.
Jonathan Mann was born in 1822, the son of Henry and Martha Mann. He never married and was 17 years older than Eliza. Jonathan Mann was a very active and civiclly-minded member of the community. He was a schoolteacher, served in the Civil War and came home to take up the office of Sheriff from 1866 to 1868, for the County of Stanly. In 1884, he was Postmaster of Rock Hole, taking over the job from George W. Crowell.
In 1880, Jonathan Mann was living in Albemare, boarding in the home of S. H. Hearne and working as a "U. S. Gauger". They lived next to D. H. Milton, Superintendant of the Steam Mill; J. M. Redwine, farmer and State Senator; Lafayette Green, Justice of the Peace; J. W. Bostian, Merchant; H. W. Spinks, teacher; James Marshall, Sheriff; M. B. Howell, Druggist; and U. F. Hathcock, Minister. Jonathan Mann died in 1891 and was buried in the Mann Family Cemetery off Mann Road, just north of Albemarle.
| Name | Lisa Wilson |
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| Age | 43 |
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| Birth Date | Abt 1837 |
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| Birthplace | North Carolina |
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| Home in 1880 | Ridenhours, Stanly, North Carolina, USA |
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| Dwelling Number | 3 |
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| Race | White |
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| Gender | Female |
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| Relation to Head of House | Sister |
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| Marital Status | Single |
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| Father's Birthplace | North Carolina |
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| Mother's Birthplace | North Carolina |
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| Occupation | Farmer |
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| Cannot Write | Y |
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| Neighbors | View others on page |
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Household members| Name | Age |
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| Nancy Lowder | 45 |
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| Lisa Wilson | 43 |
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| Lucy Wilson | 15 |
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| William Wilson | 13 |
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| Edmund Wilson | 5 |
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Eliza Wilson was living with her three children and her widowed sister, Nancy, up on Morganton Road. Next door was sister Jane, and her second husband, retired Physcian, D. F. Miller. The child born of the pregnancy is the Bastardy Bond was a son, named Jonathan Edward (also seen as Edmund) Wilson. He did grow up, marry and have children, although he died young.
Eliza already had two children, Lucy J. Wilson, born in 1865 and William A.Wilson, born n 1867. It is unknown who they were fathered by.
The Later Days of the Wilson Family
We last saw Darrington Wilson in the 1860 census with his wife, Franky and his two daughter, Nancy and Eliza. Next to them was the single woman, Ellen Berton, a 'Hooker'.
In 1870, Darington is shown as a 71 year old farmer, alone in the home with his 61 year old wife, Frances. They are living next to an Elizabeth Mann. It's not unusual that Eliza met Jonathan.
Franky must have died before 1874, because on April 19, 1874, Darrington Wilson, 83, married his former neighbor, Ellen Burton, 49. Her parents were give as Thomas and Nancy "Fare hill". His were give and Samuel and Rebecca Wilson, all deceased. Based on other records, he was actually 75, and she was 56.
I don't know where Ellen came from or where she went, but the marriage apparently ended in divorce.
In the 1880 Mortality Schedule of the US census, it is revealed that Darrington Wilson died in November of that year of "dropsy". He was said to be an 85 year old farmer and his marital status was both widowed and divorced.
So, now we know Darrington Wilson was the son of Samuel and Rachel Wilson. There was a Wilson family in Montgomery County founded on the Eastern side of the Yadkin -Pee Dee River. This seems to be in all likelihood where Darrington Wilson was born. It makes sense, as his only son lived in Mount Gilead and raised his family there, and also, two of his daughters returned there, but that is to come.
The only Stanly County deed Darrington Wilson appears in was found in Book 3, Page207, Darrington Wilson to Bailey F. Smith. There are those Smiths again!
December 1st, 1851....$50... beginning at big pine on Rice's path in Joseph Picklers line... down Picklers line to BF Smith's corner..100 acres. Witness was Newton Howell, an Albemarle merchant.
I seem to bumping into Joseph Pickler a lot these days. So Darrington Wilson lived in the same general area as my Palmer ancestors and the Smiths, the Manns, the Holts, and Joseph Pickler.
A Rachel Wilson appears in the 1830 census, and multiple times in the Daniel Freeman Store Ledger from the 1830's, when his store was located in the county seat of Lawrenceville.
There are actually a large number of Wilsons who did business with Daniel Freeman and Rachel Wilson seemed to arrive on the same days as quite a few of them, most particularly, Thomas C Wilson.
At one point she buys Prunella shoes for her unnamed daughter, and I had never heard of Prunella shoes, but I have now.
John Franklin Wilson
With Darington deceased in 1880 and Franky before 1875, we return to the children.
John Franklin Wilson remained in Mount Gilead, and penned his last Will and Testament in June of 1905. He died later that same year. In it, he mentioned his five children, George F. Wilson, Mary Frances Roberts, Anne Eliza Saunders, Jane Teddar (Laura Jane Wilson Teddar Neighbors), and John D. Wilson. It is unknown where he was buried. His last wife, Frances Swaringen, who had left him before 1900, remarried that year.
Nancy Wilson Lowder
In 1880, the three known daughters appear to be living in two residences on Nancy's property and the 15 acres Henry Lowder sold to Jane and Eliza. Jane is seen living with her second husband, Dr. D.F. Morris and nextdoor is Nancy, with Eliza 'Lisa', living with her, and Eliza three children, Lucy J, William À and Jonathan Edward/Edmond Wilson.
In 1887, Nancy receives her own land grant in Montgomery County, near the forks of the Uwharrie and Yadkin rivers.
None of the sisters are to be found in 1900, and that could very well be because they were living altogether and were altogether missed.
A decade later, however, in 1910, we find two of the sisters, Jemima Jane Wilson Smith Morris and Nancy Wilson Lowder, living in Montgomery County, NC , on the Edinburgh Road, probably on Nancy's grant. The 1910 census also revealed that although neither Nancy or Jane had any documentated children, they were not barren. Nancy was shown to be the mother of one child, none living, and Jane had given birth to two. They had either died as infants or young children, never making a census or other records.
In 1911, it appears she may have moved back to Stanly County, and was on the County dole, in ill health. She was still in possession of her Montgomery County property in 1912.
Jemima Jane Wilson Smith Morris
We left off with Jane after her second marriage, and we know she was a widow again by 1910, when she and Nancy were living together in Montgomery County, so I wanted to look back at her husband for a minute.
When Jane married Dr. Daniel Fleetwood Morris, she was 37 and he was 64. It was the second marriage for them both. He was born February 11, 1811, in Henry County, Virginia, the son of Benjamin Simmons Morris and Nancy Duggar Morris.
He grew up in Henry County, and received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania during the early to mid 1830's.
He served in the Civil War as a Physician. Before they, he had already made it down into North Carolina.
He was in Rockingham County, NC in 1850. In 1855, he married Amelia Osborne, daughter of Stephen Osborne, in Davidson County, NC. In 1856, their only child, Nanny, (1856-1946), was born. Amelia died the next year, 1857, and Nanny was placed with the family of her uncle, Edwin Morris.
Dr. Morris was practicing in Shady Grove, Davidson County, in 1860, as a Doctor. How did Jane meet him?
DF Morris had an office in Salisbury in the 1850's. Perhaps she has to travel to the doctor at some point. He seems to have made trips to Bilesville (New London), a gold town, where he had mail at the Post Office. Then he and Jane were married in 1875.
Living with Jane in Ridenhour Township, along the Morganton Road, he appears to have had a pleasant time growing tobacco and making trips back to Salisbury.
Dr. Daniel Fleetwood Morris died on January 25, 1894, at the age of 82. He was buried at Liberty United Methodist Church in Mocksville, Davie County, with his first wife, Amelia, his brother Edwin Simmons Morris and Edwin's family.
The widow, Jemima Jane Wilson Smith Morris, was found living with her sister Nancy, in Montgomery County, NC in 1910, on the Edinborough Road.
A town map of Montgomery County in the mid-nineteenth century, shows Edinborough near Mount Gilead. Again, they were all missing in 1900, so we're probably living together and the house was missed.
In 1920, the sisters Jane Wilson Morris and Nancy Wilson Lowder, were still together, and now in their 80's, but in a different area altogether, and they were not alone. We see Nancy, Jane, and their niece, Lucy J Wilson, 42, living in Stanly County, in the County Home, outside of Albemarle. This is the last census for all three.
Jane, seen as Jane Morris in a Joshua Smith pension record, passed away on December 12, 1922. He death certificate stated she was buried at Poplins Grove Church. This is a church and property with Lowder ties. Perhaps Nancy was buried there as well and no stone laid, or none survived.
Eliza Wilson
We last saw youngest daughter, Eliza, in 1880, with her three children, living in the home of her sister Nancy Wilson Lowder and next to their sister, Jane.
There's not much information on Eliza for the next several years. In 1899, it's reported that she was living near Norwood when she visited her youngest son, J E Wilson in Forest Hills, Concord.
Eleven years later, she is found living with her other son, William, his family and her daughter, Lucy is living with him too. William, his wife, Dora and Lucy J Wilson, his sister, are all working in the Cotton Mills and the family is living on the Wiscassett Hill. The two Downing children were his stepchildren.
In September of 1911, William A Wilson is awarded $10 by the County of Stanly for the burial expenses of his mother, a pauper. Eliza was the first of the three sisters to pass away, as both Nancy and Jane were shown alive in 1920.
The Third Generation
William A Wilson was born January 25, 1867, the second child of Eliza Wilson and father unknown. He lived in Albemarle and was building a comfortable life. At age 42, on October 28, 1909, he married Isadora Virginia Mintz Downing, in Albemarle. Dora, as she was known, was born near Shalotte, in Brunswick County, NC, daughter of Rev. James Arthur Mintz and Emma Mary Grissete. She would marry John Newton Downing in Brunswick County, NC, and bear two children, John Jr. and Mamie, before being widowed in 1902. It's unknown how she met William Wilson or came to live in Albemarle.
She would be widowed again in 1913, when William A. Wilson passed away on October 28, at the age of 46. There is no death certificate to know why he died so young. W. A. Wilson was buried in the Old Albemarle Cemetery on Pee Dee Avenue, among many of Albemarles earliest citizens, merchants and civil servants. His impressive monument declared, "A Faithful Brother", but I doubt it was purchased and placed there by a sibling. His younger brother predeceased him and his sister died a pauper.
The engraving atop his tombstone symbolizes the square and compass of Freemasonry and the letters at the top are an acronym for the 'Junior Order of United American Mechanics'. William was a Freemason and his Mason brothers erected the monument in his honor.
Isadora Virginia Mintz Downing Wilson would not remarry. She would first move to Lynchburg, Virginia, where she worked as a seamstress at an Overall factory. It was there that she lost her 19 year old son to influenza and pneumonia. He had just registered for the draft a year prior. Dora had at least two brothers in the area.
She would spend the remainder of her life with her only daughter, Mamie, who would marry a Bailey. They lived for a few decades in High Point, NC, then moved to Lexington County, South Carolina. Lastly, in her latter years, Dora returned to Brunswick County, NC, where she started. She died in 1953, at age 74, and is buried on Oak Island.
Jonathan Edward Wilson, the son of Jonathan Mann, and Eliza's youngest, got married on the 20th of December, 1899. He was 25 years old. His bride was 'Patsy', or Martha Catherine Lanier, 19, daughter of Robert Wilcox and Lucy Jane Lowder Lanier.
The couple would settle in Center Township, near Norwood. They would become the parents of three sons; Robert Lanier Wilson, Lee Arthur Wilson, and Thomas Alexander Wilson, within the span of four years.
Jonathan Edward Wilson passed away at age 32, of unknown causes. He was buried in the Norwood town cemetery.
His widow, Patty, would remarry to Jones J. Howell and have five more children; Jones Jr., James, Mary, Charles S. and Woodrow Wilson Howell. She passed away in 1983.
Lucy J Wilson was the child of Eliza to live the longest, as she was alive in 1920, but I can't say how long she lived beyond that.
Darrington Wilson and wife, Franky, had descendants to the next generation via son John Franklins five children and Jonathan Edward Wilson's three sons.
