In February of 1890, kindly storekeeper, Lindsey F. Austin of the Burnsville Community took in old "Aunt Polly" Ramsey. Was he a relative? Furthermore, who exactly was Aunt Polly?
Having been peeking back into my Ramsey family, I found this mention of an "Old Aunt Polly" in the Anson County newspaper and wondered who she was. The cognomen, 'Polly', was often used in place of Mary. Every family had a Mary. It was so overused generation after generation, that they had to come up with variances and nicknames. There were more than one Mary Ramsey in the modest little town of Burnsville, so which one was she/
The first clue was to find out who L. F. Austin was. Did he have an actual Aunt named Polly Ramsey, or perhaps, his wife's Aunt?
The shoe fit one Lindsey Franklin Austin, Sr. Lindsey was born on February 22, 1840, in Union County, NC. He was the son of Jonathan and Elizabeth Efird Austin. He grew up along the Rocky River in the Morgan Mill area and his family had Stanly County roots,
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| L. F. Austin |
For Polly to have been Lindsey's actual Aunt, she would have been a sibling of one of his parents. Did either Jonathan or Elizabeth have a sister named Mary? As a matter of fact, they did. Jonathan had a sister Mary "Polly" Austin, but this Polly was born in 1812 and married Thomas Jefferson Griffin and died in 1853, being buried in the Griffin Cemetery in Wingate, Union County, NC.
How about Lindsey's wife Elizabeth? Elizabeth, the daughter of Jacob Efired and Elizabeth Dove, (whose surnames began as 'Ifert' and 'Taub' and were anglicized to 'Efird' and 'Dove'), also had a sister named Mary. Almost everyone did if they had sisters and they were not themselves named Mary. This Mary was born in 1795 and married Jacob Shoffner. She died in 1872 and was buried at St. Martin's Lutheran Church in Stanly County. So it doesn't look like Polly Ramsey was Lindsey's actual Aunt.
Could "Old Aunt Polly" have been the Aunt of Lindsey's wife, Nancy Caroline Stewart Austin? Nancy was the daughter of Coleman Stewart and wife Melinda Jane Ross Stewart. Did Coleman or Melinda have a sister named Mary or Polly? Coleman, son of Joseph and Keziah Brewer Stewart, did not. His siblings were John William, Nancy, Martha, Culpepper and Jemima. His wife, Melinda, aka "Mindy", did have a sister named Mary. Daughters of Thomas Griffin Ross and wife Ola Rebecca Maness, Mary C. Ross was born in 1826 and married Russell Helms. She died in 1879 and was buried at the Emmaunel Cemetery in Union County, NC.
So it appears that Polly was not an actual biological aunt to the Austin family, but the title was often gifted kindly to older women about the community and the neighborhood in those days. So next, my quest was to see who among the Ramsey family lived near Lindsey Austin and would have been welcomed neighbors of the family, and if there was a Mary who would fit the bill. For the year 1890, due to the loss of the 1890 census, I first went back to 1880 to see if a Polly Ramsey lived near.
| Name | L. F. Austin |
|---|---|
| Age | 40 |
| Birth Date | Abt 1840 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Home in 1880 | New Salem, Union, North Carolina, USA |
| Dwelling Number | 103 |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Male |
| Relation to Head of House | Self (Head) |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse's Name | Caroline Austin |
| Father's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Occupation | Merchant |
| Neighbors | View others on page |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| L. F. Austin | 40 |
| Caroline Austin | 30 |
| Sarah E. Austin | 11 |
| Mary Ann Austin | 9 |
| Nancy J. Austin | 6 |
| Thomas C. Austin | 3 |
| Lou E. Austin | 1 |
This is the young family of Lindsey Austin in 1880, working as a merchant in the New Salem community. New Salem was a neighboring community of Burnsville and Anson, right across the county line. This portion of Union County had been a part of Anson until 1842, when Union was created from parts of Anson and Mecklenburg.
There was a Ramsey family who would have been close enough to the Austins to have been frequent and welcome customers. This would have been one Clement Ramsey and his wife, Mary "Polly" Ramsey.
| Name | Clem Ramsey |
|---|---|
| Age | 40 |
| Birth Year | abt 1820 |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | White |
| Birth Place | North Carolina |
| Home in 1860 | Diamond Hill, Anson, North Carolina |
| Post Office | Ansonville |
| Dwelling Number | 125 |
| Family Number | 125 |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Personal Estate Value | 15 |
| Cannot Read, Write | Y |
| Inferred Spouse | Mary Ramsey |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Clem Ramsey | 40 |
| Mary Ramsey | 38 |
Clement Ramsey and his wife, Polly, were both born in the early 1820's. They were a childless couple and Mary's maiden name is unknown, as no marriage certificate remains, and there were no children to reveal their mother's maiden name in their records. There is a possibility that she may have been born a Lee, from indirect interpretations in some existing church records. The above census record shows "Clem" and Mary as farmers in Diamnd Hill Township.
The above Anson County map, circa 1900, shows the location of Diamond Hill in the upperwestern quadrant of the County.
This matching map of Union County shows New Salem Township in the Upper Eastern Quadrant of Union County, so you can see the two areas were close.
| Name | Clem Ramsay |
|---|---|
| Age in 1870 | 56 |
| Birth Date | abt 1814 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Dwelling Number | 24 |
| Home in 1870 | Burnsville, Anson, North Carolina |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Male |
| Post Office | Wadesboro |
| Occupation | Farm Laborer |
| Cannot Read | Yes |
| Cannot Write | Yes |
| Male Citizen Over 21 | Yes |
| Inferred Spouse | Polly Ramsay |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Clem Ramsay | 56 |
| Polly Ramsay | 51 |
In 1870, Clem and Polly are in Burnsville, working as farm labor and still childless.
| Name | Clemual Ramsay |
|---|---|
| Age | 61 |
| Birth Date | Abt 1819 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Home in 1880 | Big Lick, Stanly, North Carolina, USA |
| Dwelling Number | 245 |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Male |
| Relation to Head of House | Self (Head) |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse's Name | Mary Ramsay |
| Father's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Occupation | Farm Laborer |
| Cannot Read | Yes |
| Cannot Write | Yes |
| Neighbors | View others on page |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Clemual Ramsay | 61 |
| Mary Ramsay | 60 |
And lastly, in 1880, they have relocated to the Big Lick Community of Stanly County, still just across the border from Burnsville, still working as farm labor, and both now over 60. Here, Clem is seen as 'Clemuel'.
Why do I refer to him as Clement? Because he joined the Rocky River Baptist Church in 1843 and was baptised under the name "Clement Ramsey".
The Ramsey's were Baptists and this was their church. Rocky River was named for the substant creek it was built near that provided for the people who lived near it. I have many family ties to this church.
In the above section from "The History of Rocky River Baptist Church", by E. M. Brooks and John Culpepper, 1928, we see mention of James Broadway, an ancestor, Stark Ramsey, Clements father and another direct ancestor and "Mason" W. Winfield, a cousin several tiimes removed (actually Milton W. Winfield, son of Edward Winfeild who married Mary Ann Pickler).
Clement was married to Polly by February 13th, 1845, when she, herself, was Baptized into the church.
There is no mention or knowledge of Clement, Clem or Clemuel past 1880. It is my belief that he did not make it to 1890. In 1890, Old Aunt Polly would have been nearing 70, which was a physical accomplishment in those days.She was a childless widow and perhaps without family of any kind. It appears the Austin family took the old lady in, whom they may have known since childhood, out of the kindness of their hearts.
Lindsey F. Austin lost his longtime wife, Caroline, in 1896. In 1898, Lindsey, now 58, married Almetta "Mittie" Little, to spend his waning years with. Mittie was only 37, and gave him two more children to add to his already full house.
| Name | Linzy F Austin |
|---|---|
| Age | 60 |
| Birth Date | Feb 1840 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina, USA |
| Home in 1900 | Burnsville, Anson, North Carolina |
| Sheet Number | 17 |
| Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation | 303 |
| Family Number | 304 |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Male |
| Relation to Head of House | Head |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse's Name | Almetta Austin |
| Marriage Year | 1898 |
| Years Married | 2 |
| Father's Birthplace | North Carolina, USA |
| Mother's Birthplace | North Carolina, USA |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Months Not Employed | 0 |
| Can Read | Y |
| Can Write | Y |
| Can Speak English | Y |
| House Owned or Rented | Own |
| Home Free or Mortgaged | F |
| Farm or House | F |
| Neighbors | View others on page |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Linzy F Austin | 60 |
| Almetta Austin | 39 |
| Chiron Austin | 23 |
| Elizabeth Austin | 19 |
| William Eudy | 19 |
| Fannie Austin | 16 |
| Lydie E Austin | 14 |
| Linzy Austin | 12 |
| Daisy B Austin | 7 |
| Jodie Austin | 6 |
In 1900, the Austins were living in Burnsville, where we know they were in 1890. Aunt Polly Ramsey was not with them, nor could I find her anywhere else. She must have passed away between 1890 and 1900. Her gravesite is unknown, but mostly likely near Burnsville and perhaps at the Old Rocky River Baptist Church Cemetery, where many stone markers have returned to their earthly origins.
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