A Love that Lasted Forever

Sometimes, while researching your family tree, you discover stories that melt your heart. Such was the case of My Great-Great Grandparents, James Duncan Mauldin and his wife, Margaret W. Solomon Mauldin.


James Duncan Mauldin, most often called "J. D.", was the oldest son of Thomas Alexander and Mary  "Polly" Blalock Mauldin.




He grew up on Jacob's Creek, on the west side of the Pee Dee River, in Stanly County, North Carolina.


Margaret W. Solomon was the daughter of Rev. William S. Solomon and wife Tabitha Marks Solomon. Land records indicate that she also grew up near Jacobs Creek, but along the inner stretch of it near Stone Mountain. Neighbors with adjoining land included a couple of Latons, William Forest and Mary Mauldin, mother of J. D. .

In the 1850 census, James and Margaret were shown as children with their families.

The Solomon family was listed as living in the Freeman District of Stanly County.  Neighbors listed in the census were Truxton Kirk, David Laton, Washington Thompson, John Mauldin, Archibald Mauldin, Mary Mauldin, George Shankle, Catherine Thompson, W C Thompson, Francis Nobles.

Knowing where the two Solomon cemeteries are located and where the old William Craven Thompson cemetery is just north of Jacob's Creek, this puts them in the area that makes sense, somewhere between Green Top and Valley Drive.

Name	Age
William Solomon	48
Tabitha Solomon	44
Jane C Solomon	21
William S Solomon	14
Thomas Solomon	13
Mary Solomon	10
Margaret Solomon	6
Eliza Solomon	2

The Mauldin family was listed as being in Harris Township, with neighbors of Thomas and Franklin Biles, David and J. J.  Crowell, Howell Parker and William Howell, places them more in the New London area, but James's grandparents and uncles were neighbors to his future wife, Margaret.

Name:	James Mauldin
Age:	7
Birth Year:	abt 1843
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1850:	Harris, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Gender:	Male
Family Number:	292
Household Members:	Name Age Thomas Mauldin 28 Mary Mauldin 27 James Mauldin 7 Martha Mauldin 2 Mary Mauldin 1

1860 finds the Mauldins living near a number of Kirks and the family considerably enlarged.

Name:	James D Maulden
Age:	18
Birth Year:	abt 1842
Gender:	Male
Home in 1860:	Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office:	Albemarle
Family Number:	414
Value of Real Estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Thomas Maulden 40 Mary Maulden 38 James D Maulden 18 Martha J Maulden 13 Mary A Maulden 11 Washington Maulden 10 Laura Maulden 8 Nancy Maulden 7 Leny Maulden 5 William Maulden 3 Henry Maulden 1

The Solomon family appeared to be living in the very same place in 1860. that they were in 1850.

Name:	Margaret Solomon
Age:	17
Birth Year:	abt 1843
Gender:	Female
Home in 1860:	Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office:	Albemarle
Family Number:	225
Value of Real Estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age William Solomon 55 Tabitha Solomon 50 Catherine Solomon 30 Thomas Solomon 22 Margaret Solomon 17 Eliza Solomon 10 George Solomon 8

And then came The War. J. D. Mauldin enlisted in Salisbury, Rowan County. Perhaps under the influence of his future father-in-law, William Solomon, who also enlisted in Salisbury, but being a minister, had a real issue with the war.

James enlisted under a Col. Gibbs, in Company C, 42nd Regiment, NC Infantry, for a period of 3 years "or the war".  His muster roll papers show an eventful stint, in which he is present and accounted for every time, with no sickness or wounds, until April 20, 1864, when he is recorded as being sick. In October of that year, he is listed as being sick and on furlough from Richmond, Virginia. A passport dated September of 1864 from General Hospital Camp Winder of Richmond, Virginia show him on leave with a destination of Salisbury, NC.  A roll of honor has him as a Private, age 21, from Stanly County.

In this link, on the hospitals in and around Richmond, a description is given of Winder Hospital by wounded soldier, John Tucker of the 5th Alabama as being “the nastiest place I ever saw in my life.”

Winder Hospital, Richmond, Virginia


The 42nd Regiment, organized in Salisbury in April of 1862, surrendered on April 26,1865 along with the Army of Tennessee. James Duncan Mauldin survived the war.

It may have taken J. D. several months to actually make it home from Virgina, but one of the first things he apparently did was to marry his sweetheart, Margaret Wincy Solomon on September 16, 1869.

Civil War Bride

By 1870, James and Margaret had settled in a home in Albemarle and had delivered their first child, a daughter named Eva.

Name:	James Mauldin
Age in 1870:	25
Birth Year:	abt 1845
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1870:	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Post Office:	Albemarle
Value of Real Estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age James Mauldin 25 Margaret Mauldin 25 Eva Mauldin 1

James was listed as a farmer and a look at the page, the neighbors were all Margaret's relatives. The young family was sandwiched in between a young J. F. Marks, 23 and his young wife and infant son, Nancy Marks, with her three teenaged children and each on the side of those were Margaret's parents, William and Tabitha Marks Solomon with her sister Eliza and below Nancy Marks, her aunt by marriage, was her brother, William Sidney Solomon, Jr, with his young family.





By 1880, James and Margaret had grown their family considerably.

Name:	J. D. Maulden
Age:	36
Birth Year:	abt 1844
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Self (Head)
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Margaret Maulden
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Neighbors:	View others on page
Occupation:	Farmer
Cannot read/write: Blind: Deaf and Dumb: Otherwise disabled: Idiotic or insane:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age J. D. Maulden 36 Margaret Maulden 35 Eva J. Maulden 12 Flora Maulden 6 Mary L. Maulden 4 Walter J. Maulden 1

This was the year Great-Grandfather, Walter Jonah Mauldin, showed up in the records. Eva Janette, sometimes called "Nettie", was now 12 and two younger sisters had joined her. Flora never reappears, but a sister seen as "Rosa", "Rosey" or "Tine" does, and due to her birthdate, should have appeared in this census. In fact, she shares the same birth year as "Flora", so I believe they are the same person. I've seen the name "Floratine" used for other girls in the area, so her name may have been Floratine Rose or Rosa Floratine. Often Christian names were interchangeable and you could see a person with their name in either order.

ames Mauden [James Mauldin]  [James Manden]
Age:	56
Birth Date:	Aug 1843
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1900:	Center, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Margeret W Manden
Marriage Year:	1865
Years Married:	35
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	View on Image
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age James Mauden 56 Margeret W Manden 56 Tine Manden 28 Mary L Manden 24 Walter J Manden 20 Minnie L Manden 18 Willie A Manden 3 Scrafy B Manden 3

The 1900 census was the last one for J. D. Mauldin. A few changes had occurred in the family structure and J. D. and Margaret seemed to absorb them. "Tine", older than Mary L., who I believe was aka Flora. Mary Louise  was also known as "Babe" Mauldin. Great-Grandpa and only son, Jonah was now 20 and soon to be married and youngest sister, Minnie Lee, had been born during the 20 year stretch and was now 18. The two 3 year olds, Willie A and Scrappy B were not twins and not children of James and Margaret. They were granddaughters. Willie Alice Mauldin was the daughter of Mary L. "Babe" Mauldin and Scrappy was the nickname of Bertha Mae Mauldin, who was the daughter of Tine Mauldin. Willie Alice was married at least twice, but never listed a parent either time, with the exception of Mary Mauldin. Bertha Mae "Scrappy" Mauldin married only once and listed her mother as "Tine" Mauldin and her father as "Duncan" Mauldin, who was her grandfather, James Duncan Mauldin. It could be she considered him her father figure as she grew up in his house until he passed away in 1909

The following obituary for James Duncan Mauldin and wife, Margaret Solomon Mauldin was printed in the paper. Both sick, apparently, with perhaps the same malady, Margaret knew she would be joining him soon "up yonder".




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


The chilren of James Duncan and Margaret Solomon Mauldin were:

1) Eva Janette "Nettie" Mauldin (1868- 3 Nov 1909) Married David Bennett Thompson. 2 Children.

              A) 1890-1977 Riller Jane Thompson
              B)  1898-1957 Mary Ella Thompson

2)  Floratine Rose Mauldin (1872-1912)
               A) Bertha Mae "Scrappy" Mauldin (Doby) 1898-1997

3) Mary Louise "Babe" Mauldin ( 15 May 1884-16 March 1936) Married Cicero Albright McCollum.
                A) Willie Alice Mauldin (1897-?) Married William Cephus Kimmer in 1916 (one son Harris died as a toddler). Married Zebulon Vance Honeycutt in 1929 (who remarried in 1938).

4) Walter Jonah Mauldin ( 4 April 1879 - 28 April 1930) married Wincy Ann Mauldin. 9 children.
     A) 1901-1957  Grover Littleton Mauldin (Viola Martin)
     B) 1903-1967   James Fred Mauldin (Nora Bell Mann)
     C) 1906-1970   Ethel Pearl Mauldin Thompson (Clifford Thompson)
     D) 1909-1990   Annie Maude Mauldin Davis (Lewis T. Davis)
     E) 1911-1937   Walter Lee Mauldin (Onnie Agnes Clayton
     F)  1913-1915   Riller Estelle Mauldin  (Gastroenteritis)
     G) 1916-1918   Holly Benton Mauldin (Ileocolitis)
     H) 1919-1975   Robert Franklin Mauldin (Rellie Leona Eudy)
     I)   1922-1999  Ada Louise Mauldin (Robert Franklin Vanhoy)

5)  Minnie Lee Mauldin (1883- 17 Nov 1918) Married David Ellis Pinion. 1 son
       A) Clyde Adams Pinion (1904-1995)