When reading the records of people long removed into the diaspora of the afterlife, some seem immutable, cold, 'facts and figures'. With others, you can hear the attitude of a swish of their crinolines, the gruff clearing of a throat, the lingering silage of pipe smoke. Adaline Hartsell was one of those people.
While reading the Will of Holden "Golden" Hartsell, a Civil War Veteran, his new wife, Adeline, burst through the pages like an 18 wheeler through a blockade of protesters, nose pert and upwards, her shoes rapidly tapping, a gust of wind from her passing skirts in a flurry, and a "harumph" of ill intent and attitude soaked in by the pages of the probate papers like sponge. It is my belief that Adeline was a bit of an opportunist.
Holden Hartsell was a widower, about 48 years old, when he married Menece Adaline Cagle Coley, a 33-year-old widow, on October 15, 1865.
Then in the November session of court, 1865, Adeline Hartsell petitions the court for her allowed year's provisions as a widow.
We don't know what Holden Hartsell died of. He had served in the Civil War as a Private in the Senior Reserves.
He had enlisted at age 47, in Albemarle, Stanly County, North Carolina, by a Leut. Little. He had returned home, possibly sick or injured, but alive, alive enough to marry and alive enough to father an eleventh child, hmm, well maybe, a child he was accepted as the father of, at any rate.
The above page from Holden's probate papers showed he owned 150 acres bordering Solomon Pless and Levi Furr. Adeline requested a third of the estate and her case was vs. the heirs of Holden Hartsell, his living children.
In April of 1866, Sheriff of Stanly County, Jonathan Mann, who hailed more from the center of the county, put together a jury of "good and lawful men", which consisted of Michael Dry, King D. Brooks, Charles Dry, John Brooks and W. F. Moss, to allot and layoff to Adeline Hartsell, her dower and third of the property of Holden Hartsell. It began at a white oak at the corner of B.L. Green, deceased. It met Nelson Smith's corner, then commenced to a stake in the corner of the 'old Polk Road.' That bit of information intrigued me. Could this be the same road as what we now call Polk Ford Road, that runs south of Stanfield down towards the Rocky River and ends before it?
In February 1866, in the Stanly County Court of Pleas and Quarters, is found the above document, in which the heirs are named. It states, "The Petition of Adaline Hartsell Widow of Holden Hartsell (inserted), shows unto you Worship that her said Husband died Intestate in the year leaving him surviving the following children to wit; W R Hartsell, John Bird and wife, Elizabeth, Eli Hartsell Julia Hartsell, John A Hartsell, Eva M Hartsell, Joseph M. Hartsell Malinda Hartsell Monroe Hartsell Bitha Hartsell Aaron Hartsell who are his only heirs at law. " Aaron, being the infant of Adaline Hartsell, born about 1865.
A few years after this, in the 1870 census, Adeline is seen as the head of household number 216, at age 38, her six-year-old son, Aaron, living with her. Also living in her home is her younger sister, Ithama, seen here as Luthina, which may have been a middle name. Her name has many variations. Near Adeline is the John and Elizabeth Hartsell Bird family, a daughter of Holden and living with them was 14-year-old Tabitha Liberty Hartsell, his youngest daughter. On this same page, with a few nonrelated families in between, can also be found Joseph Hartsell, another sibling and son of Holden Hartsell
With Adeline in Household 216, going in the other direction, preceding her, we find Jacob Crisco, in Household 216, whose wife, Malinda, was a sister of Adeline, with single Cagle sister, Martha, in their home. It's obvious that the Hartsells and Cagles were neighbors.
The fact that piqued my curiosity and disturbed my senses in the case of Adeline and her marriage to Holden was in its brevity. Had Adeline taken advantage of an ailing man to advance her situation? Did she aid to his quick demise following the wedding herself? Was she expecting her son Aaron before the wedding? Did Holden know? Or was he conceived during an extended honeymoon? Why would I think the worst of Adeline, or, of her motives? Maybe it was because of her father, George Cagle, who was one of the characters that flavored the foul reputation of the town of Big Lick. George was the Lemon Pepper of Lemon Pepper Chicken.
Who was Adeline Cagle Coley Hartsell to begin with?
Menece Adaline Cagle was born around 1832 in the Big Lick area of what would become Stanly County. She was the oldest child of George Washington Cagle (1813-1876) and wife, Elizabeth Rosa Whitley, (1812-1860).
She does not appear in the 1850 or 1860 census with her family. In 1850, she would have been around 18 or 19, and it is assumed, married by then. She is mentioned in the Will of her father, dated November 30, 1868, and is referred to as "Menece A. Hartsell", and also in the estate files, probated February 27, 1888, as Adeline Hartsell.
"...... unto my daughter Menece A. Hartsell, fifty acres of land off the Western end if my three-hundred-acre tract commencing on Dunns line.... unto Ely Huneycutt my illegitimate son, one hundred and fifty acres of land the wheron I now live, by his maintaining my daughter Beedy M. Cagle during her natural life, in case she does not marry, and if she marries he be released from the obligation by his paying her one hundred dollars.... and unto my grandson William Huneycutt , seventy-five acres of land adjoining the fifty-acre tract given to Menece A. so as to include the long house place. now in case the above-named Rly Huneycutt and William Huneycutt should be disobedient to me and not serve as dutiful children till attain the age of twenty-one. in that case they shall have nothing of my property and in that case I direct that my daughter Beedy M. have one hundred acres of the land designated for Ely Huneycutt including the dwelling house and outbuildings....... that the remainder of the land designated for Ely and also the land designated for William, and also all the balance of my land not herein disposed of after running off my son David S. Cagle, fifty acres to be divided equally , between my daughters, Sarah Jones, Mary Smith, Martha Cagle, Ann Jane and Fany L Cagle and Malinda Criscoe, also , I direct that my personal estate goods and chattels in every respect be sold and equally divided between my daughters, Sarah Jones, Mary Smith, Martha Cagle, Ann J. Cagle and Fany L. Cagle, Malinda Criscoe, Menece A. Hartsell and Beedy M. Cagle, and my son David S. Cagle. and my son Ely Huneycutt and my grandson William Huneycutt. And also my sawmill with ten acres of land for the cite and privilege of the same, adjoining J.A. Criscoe line be sold and equally divided between my daughters named above.
George had a large collection of daughters, some with inventive names, and a spattering of children born outside the bonds of legal matrimony. He had one legitimate son, David S. Cagle.
The question remains, who was Adeline married to? Her marriage to Holden Hartsell has her as a Coley, and there were lots of Coley's in the area. The timing suggests she could have possibly been a Civil War widow, before her marriage to Holden. This gives rise to my search for which Coley she may have married that died in the Civil War. What I discovered that Adaline had married a young man even more mysterious than she, who died prior to the advent of the war.
Tillman Coley died around 1856, in Stanly County, NC, leaving a small estate.
As she did with her second husband, Adaline petitioned for her widow's dower and year's provisions, with the aid of J. M. McCorkle. She stated in the February 1856, Term of Court that she was the 'relict' of Tilman Coley and that he had died since the last term of court, which would have been in November, placing his death in late 1855, or very early 1856. She claimed he died possessed of 'some' personal property, leaving Adaline, the petitioner, 'wholly unprovided for'. She stated that she was entitled to a year's provisions out of the estate, for the support of herself and her family, meaning she may have had a child, or two, though none is known.
Four men were appointed as a committee to look into Adaline's petition, Henry Carver, Esq., Jesse Morton, Wright Dunn and Tilman Smith. When the four Freeholders returned to Court in May of 1856, to give their report, they were listed as W. H. Carver, Justice of the Peace, Jesse Morton, Tillman Little, instead of Smith, and G. W. Dunn.
When looked into the meager estate left behind by Tillman Coley, they found it lacking.
"the provisions on hand, being found insufficient, we have laid off and allotted to the widow Sundry Articles of the Household furniture, to the amount of $53.05 and font her in possession of the same."
So, Tillman had not much, and Adeline already had in her possession what little he left behind. I believe Tillman was a young man, probably around the same age as Adeline. As I find neither of them in the 1850 census, I believe they were married by then and had been missed by the census taker. Adeline is also missing in 1860, the one after Tillmans death. This doesn't mean there were no traces of him. As did most young men of the era, he was drafted into the building of the roads throughout the county.
When McCamey Willis was appointed overseer of the Fayetteville Road from Big Bear Creek to the big pond. The men and boys chosen to aid in this clearing and building were chosen from the nearby area. They were named as Allen Burris, George Cagle, Lewis Tucker, David Burris, Gideon Burris, Jesse Whitley, W. R. Huneycutt, Columbus Whitley, Tillman Coley, J. C. Burris, John W. Burris, Solomon Burris, and Loyd Hathcock. Heavy on the Burris's and others suggest an Almond Township crowd, as McCamey Willis married Obedience Burris, sister and aunt to several of these, and he lived in what we now call Red Cross. George Cagle was the father of Adaline Cagle Coley.
In another Overseer record, Needham Whitley was appointed overseer of the Charlotte Road from the crossroad near Henry Manuels to Big Bear Creek and Temple Whitley, Tillman Coley, William Burris, and George Whitley were appointed hands. Temple Whitley is important in this document, because he may have purchased property that was taken from Tillman Coley, or sold to Temple by him at some point, although a deed is unavailable.
In a Temple Whitley deed, he mentioned owning 8 acres known as the "Tillman Coley tract".
In 1853 and 1854, Tillman Coley is listed as an Insolvent in the Stanly County court records.
Perhaps one of the most important small mentions of Tillman Coley is his name listed in the 1854 list of taxables for District 7. Although he is only taxed $1.20 for one taxable, himself, and no property, it's who those listed near him were. Isaiah Coley, who would pass away in the Civil War, is listed with 325 acres, right next to Tillman, and below him is George Cagle, and next is Jacob Crisco, one of George's sons-in-laws. There is also Charles Dry and Green W. Dunn, who were two of the freeholders chosen to lay off Adeline's future dower after Tillman's decease. There is also a Green D. Coley, nearby and up the page, above Charles Cagle is Thomas A. Coley, who also passes away in the Civil War.
The last mention of Tillman Coley is in 1857, when we know he has passed away already. This was probably tax owed by Adeline from his small estate, of .32 cents. Listed above is Henry Carver, Esquire, one of the freeholders of Adaline's dower committee, so although the couple were not listed in 1850 or 1860, it can be assumed the general area of their residence at this time.
Family trees of Coley descendants who appear to have done accurate and intense research on the Coley family of Stanly and Union Counties have Tillman as a son of Nathan and Nancy Vickers Coley; Nathan having passed away in 1881. He was a younger brother of Thomas A. Coley, their oldest son, who died in the Civil War. His children are mentioned in Nathan's Will and are found in Nathan's home after the War. One of the sons was named Tillman, born about the time the older Tillman Cagle died. The information has Tillman as being born in 1827 and came from a Family Bible. If Adeline had children with Tillman, they passed away before their grandfather.
The last time we saw Adeline was in 1870, when she was head of a household that included her young son, Aaron Hartsell, and her younger sister, Ithama Luthenia Cagle. Around this time, Adeline would become involved in another relationship of some kind, with whom, I don't know. Probably some rascal around the Big Lick area in which she lived at this time. In 1872, she would give birth to a daughter she would name Cornelia A. "Neelie" Hartsell, and we know she wasn't Holden's child, as he had been deceased some seven years or so.
The next item of consequence was the death of Adelines roguish father, old Geore Cagle, himself. This event occurred on February 27, 1876, and despite George being 63 at the time, considered an elderly man at the time, his death wasn't natural. He was killed by a jealous man. George must have had some foresight into his own demise, as he had written a will in 1868, eight years prior, as seen above, he named his eldest daughter as Menece A. Hartsell, and when his estate was probated in the spring of 1876, she was referred to simply as Adeline Hartsell.
Adeline now had a solid inheritance from her last husband, Holden, and now from her father, George. Despite still being a relatively young woman, it doesn't appear that Adeline remarried a second time, not in the records of Stanly County, at least.
In 1880, Adaline is now 48 years old, and living on what can be guessed, part of George Cagle's old place, next to her brother, David S. Cagle. Living with her is her 8-year-old daughter, Neelie. Listed above her is her father's mistress, Mariah Meggs, with her daughter, Melissa. David S. Cagle has adopted William Springer, 12, and near them is Dovey Springer. The Springers are their own story.
Adeline's son, Aaron Hartsell, is now 18, and has set out on his own, working as a farm laborer for John O. Tucker.
On February 28, 1893, it is revealed that Adaline Cagle Coley Hartsell has moved to Mecklenburg County, and has sold her 12 1/2 acres of property to her nephew, Alexander Cagle, son of David S. Cagle. While this deed, found in Book 29 Page 26, of the Stanly County deeds, in Book 29, Page 24, just before it, Alexander Cagle has purchased a border property to this one, which bordered his father, D. S. Cagle, as well, from B. F. and Elizabeth Simpson. The small tract was on Stillwater Creek, a common thread in several of my previous posts.
On the second page of the deed, it is seen that Adeline Hartsell appeared before William D. Alexander , JP, of Mecklenburg County on March 16, 1903. This is the last thing I've found on Adeline. As she did in 1850 and 1860, Adeline defied being counted by the census taker, but from the above document, we know she was alive and well in Mecklenburg County at the age of 71. It is unknown exactly when Adeline died, or where she was buried, whether in Mecklenburg, or returned to home to Stanly County.
I also have no more information on Aaron Hartsell, that I can be certain is the right Aaron.
The one survivor of the small family was Neelie Hartsell.
On October 3, 1892, at Asbury Chapel in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Neelie Hartsell, 19, daughter of unknown father and Adeline Hartsell, the father dead and the mother living, married E. M. Ferrell, 24, son of W. G. and Lodeski Farrell, father living and mother dead, all of Mecklenburg County. E. M. stood for Elhannon Mack Ferrell, and he was Mecklenburg born, son of William Gamewell Ferrell and wife, Margaret Lodeska Steele. I love these old unique names, better than John and Mary.
The young family is found in Huntersville, Mecklenburg County in 1900, where E. M. is farming on rented property. They have three small children, and two teenaged boys helping out as farmhands, Will Billing 18, and a relative, Francis Ferrell, 15.
1910 - They've now moved to Coddle Creek in Iredell County and Mack is operating a Grocery Store. They live in the Dixie Cotton Mill Village on Dixie Cotton Mill Road. While Mack is a merchant, the oldest of their now six children all work in the Cotton Mill while Neelie stays home with the younger three, one a yet unnamed infant.
1920- The Ferrells have moved to Cleveland, North Carolina and Mack is now a Minister. They only have their youngest two daughters, Inez, 12 and Delola, 10, at home by this time.
1930- Mack is still a Methodist Episcopal Minister, and the family has moved to the community of North Brook in Lincoln County, North Carolina. Inez and Delola are still at home and a 12-year-old grandson, Billy Ferrell, is living with them. All three of the younger Ferrells are operating a small farm.
1935 - Still in Lincoln County.
1940- Mack has decided to give up the Ministry and return to being a Grocery Store Merchant. He and Neelie have moved to Hickory, in Catawba County, and have an empty nest. Mack is 70 and Neelie is 68 by now.
1950- By 1950, the elderly couple, 80 and 78, have determined that they should not be on their own and have moved in with their daughter, Iva Ferrell Brown and are living in Kannapolis, Cabarrus County, NC.
Mack passes away first, at the State Hospital in Morganton, on July 3, 1852. He is 81, and his profession is given as a Methodist Minister. His residence is given as Kannapolis, and he is married, his parents given as Game Farrell and Martha Steele.
Neelie doesn't last long after losing her husband. She passes away in Kannapolis, where she lives, on October 19, 1952, at the age of 79. Her birthplace is incorrectly given as Iredell County. Her mother is correctly given as Adeline Cagle Hartsell. Her father is named as A. L. Hartsell. I believe this is just a fabrication and may have been referring to Holden in some offhand way. There was an A L Hartsell in Union County, born 30 years after Adeline, and I doubt he was Neelie's father.
Mack and Neelie had the following children:
1894-1962 Alberta Lee Ferrell Beam
1897-1971 Addie L. Ferrell Baxter
1898-1961 Tillman Allen Ferrell
1902-1930 Lura M. Farrell
1908-1969 Inez Iva Farrell Brown
1910-1967 Delola Neelie Farrell Holshouser
Both parents were buried at Willow Valley Cemetery in Iredell County, NC
| Name | Neely Ferrell |
|---|---|
| Maiden Name | Hartsell |
| Gender | Female |
| Birth Date | 27 Mar 1870 |
| Birth Place | Iredell County, North Carolina, United States of America |
| Death Date | 19 Oct 1952 |
| Death Place | North Kannapolis, Rowan County, North Carolina, United States of America |
| Cemetery | Willow Valley Cemetery |
| Burial or Cremation Place | Mooresville, Iredell County, North Carolina, United States of America |
| Has Bio? | Y |
| Spouse | Elhannen Mack Ferrell |
| Children | Tillman Allen Ferrell; Iva Brown; Delola Holshouser; Addie Baxter; Lee Alberta Beam |
Menece Adeline Cagle Coley Hartsell had many secrets and liked to hide from the census taker, and she may have learned a trick or two from her nefarious father, George, but in the end, she did leave descendants, with whom we may never know.
