Another Mystery Solved

Verina Isabelle McSwain Whitley

Page 194  1880 Tyson Census

P 195  1880 Tyson census

Page 196  1880 Tyson census

Inez C McSwain was a young woman who lived a brief life in the Tyson community of Stanly County around the turn of the Century. She was born in March of 1874 to a 14 year old mother, whose father had died during the Civil War and whose mother had remarried her uncle by marriage, Caleb Hampton Aldridge. Her step-father, Caleb Hampton Aldridge, was also the father of her daughter, the above mentioned Inez C McSwain.

Inezzie, as she was called, also became an unwed teenaged mother, having her two oldest daughters, Jennie Lenora McSwain and Verina Isabelle McSwain, prior to her marriage to William Thomas Hooks, with whom she would have 2 more daughters, Martha Irene and Lena. 

Inez was my cousin, her father being the brother of my great, great grandmother, Julina Aldridge Davis. Her oldest daughter Nora, would also marry a grandson of Job Davis, John Teeter Davis. Inez's husband, Tom Hooks, is also my cousin, being the half-brother of one of my paternal  great-grandmother's Lottie Hill. 

Until yesterday, the father, or fathers of Inezzie's oldest two daughters, born in 1891 and 1892, were unknown. Neither the girls marriage licenses or death certificates listed a father. 

Yesterday, I was perusing the microfilm on file at the public library heritage room. 

Thankful Thursday is an ongoing theme with Geneabloggers. In this instance, I am thankful to Mr. & Mrs. Gaskin for keeping these records on microfilm. On C. R .089.102.2, I found the Stanly County Bastardy Bonds from 1892-1923.

And in that collection the below document. 

State & Inez McSwain vs. Thomas D Green

"We the undersigned Thomas D Green and J. M Harward acknowledge ourselves indebited to the state of North Carolina in the sum of One Hundred dollars to be paid, however, on condition that the above named Thomas D Green shall in all respects perform an order made in the above entitled bastardy proceeding at this term of  the superior court of said county for the maintenance of the said child of Inez McSwain and shall indemnify the county from  all charges for the maintenance of said child, the order above referred to requiring the defendant to pay the said Inez McSwain twenty dollars in cash, fifteen dollars on the first day of June, 1892 and the remaining $15 on the 11th day of November 1892, and also a fine of Ten dollars and costs. This April 15, 1892. 

It is signed T. D. Green and Myrick Harward. There is also a receipt for $50 signed by Inez McSwain. 

This may have been a little confusing if not for the message from a descendant of Isabelle Aldridge, a half-sister/aunt of Inezzie who was one year her junior and who married the brother of Inez's future husband. 

Why were two men in court and signing the bond? They were not related. 

Myrick or Mike Harward had been in court the previous year for Inez's daughter, Nora, born in 1891. This was 1892, and the child was her second daughter, Verina. 

The story passed down from Isabelle's family was that a wealthy farmer, an older, married man, had been "sniffing around young Izzie", Hamp Aldridges legitimate daughter with his second wife Bettie, Nezzie's grandmother. Hamp was very angry about this, and threaten severe bodily harm or death to this Mr. Harward if he laid his hands on Izzie as he had already "ruined" or "rurnt" Nezzie. There was not a first name given for this Mr. Harward. 

The documents show that the Harward mentioned was J. M. Harward. On examing who the citizens of the community were, he turns up to be Joshua Myrick Harward, a member of my Hudson crew, son of Beverly Harward and Martha "Patsy" Hudson. He was also married, to Betty Carpenter. Mike Harward, as he was called was born May 15, 1848 and died October 4, 1939. He is buried at Silver Springs Baptist Church near Aquadale. 

Mike and Bettie Harward

The Hallowed document that solves the mystery

The Thomas D Greene mentioned in the document was Thomas Deberry Greene, a son of William Henry Deberry Greene and Caroline "Nancy" Treadaway. W. H. D Greene is buried at Rehobeth cemetery near Cottonville. Thomas D Greene is shown as 16 in the 1880 census of Tyson while Nezzie is 6. His estate records are listed in 1895, meaning he died young, just a few years after his daughter Verina was born.

Nancy Caroline Treadaway Greene, mother of Thomas Deberry Greene and  Verina's grandmother she never  knew about. 

Receipt from Inezzie that Tom paid her child support.

The research on this is long from over. Tom's estate records are on order. His father, WHD Greene, died the same year as Tom, so I am wondering if they died from an accident at the same time, or they both contracted a deadly disease, or if it was just coincidence. But as far as the who fathered Inezzies' daughters, the mystery is solved.