Saturday, July 5, 2025

The Courage of the Calla Lillies

 



Calla Lillies are a beautiful annual bulb of South African origin. They will usually survive a mild Carolina winter, but not always a harsh one. They are known as a common flower given to greivers at times of a loss in the family, a funeral flower, so to speak. 

At home, in the southwest corner of the yard, near a little wood, we have a pet cemetery. There lies our very first German Shepherd, who ignited our love for the breed, Maxi, our friends Beagle, Molly, followed by 9 other dogs, mostly German Shepherds, two Australian Shepherds and one unfortunate mix. One of dogs that hit us the hardest when his body couldn't hold up to the abuse of gravity anymore was Coco, short for Constantine Conan. He was special, in more ways than one. Not only was he incredibly beautiful, he was the most loyal and protective guardian one could ask for. Coco was "the good one". When the other pups we had  at the time, Telah, the Shiloh, Little Max, named for Maxi, and Raven, the Lab, were being bad, he was the one barking at them and letting them know they were in trouble. The Lab didn't care. If they were at the creek, Raven was going in, she didn't care how mad Mom or Dad would get. Raven being bad would somehow sanction Telah and Max's wet feet, but not Coco, never Coco. He'd run up and down the bank, barking, Mama said "No".

So, what does all that have to do with Calla Lillies, and futhermore, what does all that have to do with genealogy?

When Coco passed, my mother-in-law sent a potted Calla Lilly for his grave. She's a terrible grandmother, but is all in for the dogs. Coco has been gone several years now, about six or seven, as he was born in 2005 and died just before turing 14. Since then gladiolus and far too many weeds, frought by the hot mid-summer sun, have taken over the pet cemetery. Yet Coco's Calla Lilly fights its way through, every year, bright and beguiling, surviving despite all obstacles. 

During my dispiriting quest to discover the Stanly County roots, which I know exist, of some Iredell County Whitleys, I came across another family of  Whitley's with Stanly County roots who moved to Iredell County, if only briefly. While not the family I was looking for, their journey begs for answers to more questions. Why did they remove from Stanly to Iredell? Was there a familial connnection to the William Alexander Whitley family or the Adam Whitley family? I can't help but think that the Civil War was an imepetus to all the moving around. Families all across the land were left fractured, yet like the Calla Lilly who continues year after year to show her beauty, and demand her place in the garden, who fights for survival among the weeds and wildflowers. This Calla Lilly was named Jane.


While trying to go backwards in time to discover where William P or T Whitley (1835 Stanly to 1923 Iredell), and his wife Margaret Malinda (1843 -1921), came from, I kept getting crossed referenced to another William Whitley who was a contemporary of William P T Whtiley, but was an entirely different person altoghter. However, as I often find, some had merged the twain, into one. But instead of  starting at the end and going backwards, as I have in my research, I will start at the beginning with this family and move forward. After finding this family, with a son named William, close in age to the William I was looking for, I discovered his mother, Jane, was a widow prior to the 1850 census.

A look into the 1840 court records revealed that Jane was widowed during the earliest years of Stanly County's existence, fortunately, because if it had been before, I may have never found him.


Jane was the widow of a John Whitley, who died about 1842



In the Mary Session of Court, of 1842, a few mentions of John Whitley suggested a change in a lawsuit he seems to have gave bond in, and a tax charge, prior to the third entry.

"Jane Whitley vs. Personal estate of John Whitley - Petition for year's allowance- John Furr, Esq., Malachi Harwood, and Killis Almond appointed to lay off and assess year's allowance to her according to law."

After that entry came the entry shown in the clip, above showing William Whitley as administrator of the estate. This was not his son, William Whitley, who would have been a 6 year old child at the time, but William "Old Billy" Whitley, his brother, who would live an extraordinarily long life.





In the February, 1850 Session, an entire 8 years later, another entry:

"Plaintiffs have leave to withdraw papers from Clerk's office in case of Ransom Motley vs. William Whitley, Admin. of John Whitley, and Ed. Almond filed August Term, 1843."



The above clip is from a court case of State vs. Allison Whitley and John Whitley.  Allison was the oldest child of John and Jane. The charges were assault. A comment was added, "Not ? as to John (jno) Whitley".
Did they assault someone together or each other? The case appears to have been dropped or did not make it to court. John died soon after this case was brought up.



Above is the last page of the estate file of  John Whitley, showing the name of his widow, Jane Whitley, and that his brother, William Whitley, was the administrator.




Above is a page from John Whitley's estate file. Most purchases were from his widow, Jane. So tragically different than the way we do things today. One would think his possessions would automatically belong to his wife, and widow, the things they used together and that she needed to raise their large batch of children. Other purchasers named were son Allison Whitley, and neighbors, John Dick, Eben Hearne, and John Almond.






A committee consisting of John Furr, Justice of the Peace, John Morton and Malachi Harwood awarded a year's allowance of $61.50. Nearly 200 years ago, this was much more valuable than it is today, but considering that after that, she was on her own, it was a terrifying time to be a widow.

John Whitley is held as a son of George Whitley, who settled on Bear Creek in what is now Stanly County, and served in the Revolutionary War, and his second wife, Rebecca Honeycutt, daughter of Ambrose Honeycutt. William "Old Billy" Whitley was his full brother. George Whitley II and Needham Whitley were his half-brothers. Both John and William had married daughters of Benjamin Hathcock, John to Jane and William to Martha. In the list, taken from The Jacob Whitley Papers, that I have not seen, but heard referenced on many occasions, the children of  John and Jane were noted as:

Allison, George, Snyder, Russell, Oliver H., William, Louie or Lovie, Elizabeth or Bettie, Linda or Melinda, Nancy and Suzanna or Sussannah/ Susan. Some of these I can verify. Others I can not. And the list is not complete. Left out is Solomon S. Whitley, who was still at home in 1850, and youngest son, Levi Hobson Whitley, who lived long enough to have a death cerificate and has John and Jane (sometimes called Jenny), on his death certificate.





Son Oliver Harrison Whitley, who remained in Stanly County, also lived long enough to have a death certificate and John and 'Jennie' are listed on his death certificate.





John Whitley had been the reciever of a grant of 100 acres located on the West Side of the Yadkin River, in Montgomery County, near Ezekial Perry's line and Nehemiah Hearne's line,  on November 2, 1817.





Above is the order by Will Stone to lay off the property for John Whitley.



NameJane Whitley
GenderFemale
RaceWhite
Residence Age53
Birth Dateabt 1797
BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Residence Date1850
Home in 1850Almonds, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Cannot Read, WriteYes
Line Number35
Dwelling Number427
Family Number428
Inferred ChildNancy Whitley; Solomon S Whitley; Susan Whitley; William Whitley; Levi Whitley
Household members
NameAge
Jane Whitley53
Nancy Whitley22
Solomon S Whitley17
Susan Whitley15
William Whitley13
Levi Whitley11

Archibald Whitley3


Jane, at 53, was the head of her own household in 1850. Still at home was her daughter, Nancy, 22, son Solomon S. Whitley, 17, Susan  15, William 13, and Levi, 11. Three year old Archibald was not her child, and probably a grandchild and would live with his grandmother and family until and after he was married. 




Jane and family were enumerated twice in the 1860 census. In the first instance, she is 65, and Nancy, William, Levi, Susan and Archie are living with her.





In the second instance, she is five years younger, at 60, and William is 21 instead of 25, and listed first. Levi is 19 and not 22, Susan isn't even listed, or Archie, Nancy is 24 instead of 25, and there is a six-year-old boy, "Lindsey" in the home. This goes to show how fluid ages were, and what a difference a week or so can make in the composite of a household. Perhaps Susan and Archie were visiting away and Lynsey was a grandson visiting in.


1870 was the first census to show that the family had moved out of Stanly County. Several sons had fought in the Civil War. This branch of Whitley's was fortunate in that most of them had made it out alive.




The whole troop of survivors that were together in the 1860 census had packed up and moved to Mount Mourne, Davidson Township, Iredell County. William H. Whitley was the Head of the pack, and a farm hand. He had married Julia Ann Smith, daughter of Moses Smith, about 1864, assumably in Stanly County, where they were both from. His younger brother, Levi, had married Julia's sister Margaret about the same time. Little nephew Archibald had married Isabella Hunter of Mecklenburg County near Christmas the year before, in 1869. So, they family probably moved from Stanly about 1866 or after. 

In William's household was his 75-year-old mother, Jane and his two unmarried sisters, Nancy, 45, and Susannah, 33. Archibald and Isabella lived in the next household and Levi and Margaret in the home after that. They appeared to have been working as a group as farm hands. 

This was Jane's last appearance. She likely died between 1870 and 1880 in Iredell County, or Cabarrus County, where William, Levi and Nancy end up in 1880. Susan's fate is also unknown. She may have married or died in the same decade as her mother. 

The courage of 19th century postwar survivors to not only push on, but thrive is the reason we, their descendants exist here today. With the courage of the Calla Lillies, we have pushed through the weeds and not only grow, but shine.

John Whitley appeared in two census records, the 1810 and the 1830. Montgomery County, which encompassed present day Stanly County, in which he lived, does not have a surviving 1820 census record, and the family was somehow missed in 1840. In 1810, his family is a two person household of one male and one female, age 16-25. In 1830, it shows a very unusual family setting for what his was supposed to be.


NameJohn Whitty
Home in 1830 (City, County, State)West Side Pee Dee River, Montgomery, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - Under 52 Solomon, Russel,? Oliver b 1828?
Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 91 George
Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 141 Allison
Free White Persons - Males - 30 thru 391 John ?
Free White Persons - Females - Under 51 Nancy
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 141 Lovie or?
Free White Persons - Females - 15 thru 191 Bettie?
Free White Persons - Females - 60 thru 691 Mother?
Free White Persons - Under 207
Free White Persons - 20 thru 491
Total Free White Persons9
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored)9

John should be the oldest male, 30-39. There is no female in this age group. Jane would have been 35. Instead, there is a female in her 60's, his mother perhaps? This family grouping needs more research.


The descendants of the John and Jane Hathcock Whitley family were, to the best of my knowledge:


A) Allison Whitley born Feb. 18, 1818 and died May 16, 1896, born and remained in Stanly County. Married 1st Elizabeth "Betsy" Eudy (1818-1879). Married 2nd, later in life, to Lucinda Jarmon (1837-1890). 10 children, all by Betsy Eudy. 

  • Tillman Whitley 1837 to unknown. Wife and son alone in 1870. May have abandoned or died.
  • Noah Alexander Whitley 1838-1914
  • Jacob R.Whitely 1842-1860 - died at age 18 of 'the fever'.
  • Mary Anice Whitley 1844-1890 - unmarried
  • Lucinda "Lucy" Whitley 1847-1890 - unmarried
  • Martin Whitley 1848- unknown
  • Ashley Swim or Swain Whitley 1850-1935
  • Martha "Mattie" Whitley 1853-1926 marrie Helms
  • Willie 1859-1861
  • Sarah 1862-1900 -unmarried 


B) George Whitley born June 11, 1820 and died September 15, 1869. Married Keziah Eudy, a daughter of William "Billy" Monroe Eudy and Sabra Harwood Eudy and a sister of Allison's wife, Betsy. George was a Civil War Veteran. Below is a recap of his Civil War Service as shared by S. M. Whitley. 


George Whitley served during the Civil War. He enlisted and msutered in as a private on Sep 7 1861. He was captured at Hanover Court House, Virginia May 27 1862 and confined at Fort Monroe, Virginia, and at Fort Columbus, New York Harbor. He was paroled and transferred to Aikens Landing, James River, Virginia where he was received on July 12 1862 for exchange. He was exchanged at Aikens Landing on August 5 1862. He returned to duty and promoted to 1st Sergeant on an unspecified date. George Whitley was discharged on Sept 23 1862 by reason of being overage. George died Sept 15 1869 and Kisiah was left to raise their children. Seven of their ten children were still at home. Times were hard, but with the help of her family and the children they managed.

George and Keziah Whitley had the following family:

  • Julia Ann Whitley 1842-1913
  • John M. Whitley 1844-1921
  • Nancy Elizabeth Whitley 1846-1907
  • William Ervin Whitley 1849-1925
  • James Goodwin Whitley 1850-1927
  • Sophronia Atlet "Phronie Whitely 1853-1939
  • Jacob Oliver Whitley 1855-1926
  • Lewis Whitley 1857- bef 1870
  • John Filmore Whitley 1858 -1919
  • Varina Jane Whitley 1862-1900
  • Henry Jackson Whitley 1867-1943



C) Elizabeth "Bettie" Whitley (oldest daughter) Birth 1820-1825 not in  Jane's household in 1850. Married possibly an Almond. Another mention of a possible marriage to a Manuel mentioned in a book of an interview with an older Whitley family member.

D) Solomon Snider Whitley born about 1825, died between 1871 - 1880, probably in Mecklenburg or Cabarrus County. Married Josephine Hinson, daughter of Charles Sampson and Melia "Millie" Clark Hinson on August 15, 1854. Also a Civil War Veteran.


NameSolomon S Whitley
Enlistment Age37
Birth Dateabt 1825
Enlistment Date25 Mar 1862
Enlistment PlaceStanly County, North Carolina
Enlistment RankPrivate
Muster Date10 May 1862
Muster PlaceNorth Carolina
Muster CompanyH
Muster Regiment42nd Infantry
Muster Regiment TypeInfantry
Muster InformationEnlisted
Imprisonment Date19 Mar 1865
Imprisonment PlaceBentonville, North Carolina
Side of WarConfederacy
Survived War?Yes
Residence PlaceStanly County, North Carolina
Notes1862-08-09 Deserted; 1862-09-30 Returned, Estimated day; 1863-08-09 Deserted; 1863-10-04 Returned; 1865-03-30 Confined, (Point Lookout, MD); 1865-06-21 Oath of Allegiance, (Point Lookout, MD)
TitleNorth Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster


Snider's family is a bit of mystery and mess. Because he and his wife both seem to have passed away prior to 1880, leaving a large lot of mostly young children, he has been merged with a John Snider Whitley born in 1842 and his wife with a Sarah Hinson, who died as a "Sarah Hinson", not a Whitley, in 1901. This is incorrect information and will take more research to unravel. Solomon S. Whitley and Josephine Hinson Whitley had the following children:

  • William Allison Whitley (1854-1935) Cabarrus
  • Samuel Whitley (1855-unknown) Possibly Samuel Marion Whitley.
  • Horace Whitley (1856-unknown) Possibly Harris Whitley.
  • Mary Catherine Whitley Crisco (1859-1897) Iredell
  • Nancy A. "Nannie" Whitley Troutman (1862-1945) Cabarrus
  • Ellen Whitley (1862-1938) Cabarrus
  • Amanda Jane Whitley Overcash (1864- between 1890-1900) Cabarrus
  • Charles Green Whitley (1869-1824) Cabarrus
  • John Phillip Whitley (1872-1947) Cabarrus    


E) John Russell Whitlely (1827-1863) Died of disease in the Civil War. Married Susannah Almond. Was a Fifer.


NameJohn R Whitley
Enlistment Date2 Mar 1863
Enlistment PlaceStanly County, North Carolina
Enlistment RankMusician
Muster Date2 Mar 1863
Muster PlaceNorth Carolina
Muster CompanyH
Muster Regiment42nd Infantry
Muster Regiment TypeInfantry
Muster InformationEnlisted
Muster Out Date14 Sep 1863
Muster Out PlaceHosp, Goldsboro, North Carolina
Muster Out Informationdied disease
Side of WarConfederacy
Survived War?No
Residence PlaceStanly County, North Carolina
TitleNorth Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster

John R. Whitley and Susan Almond Whitley had the following children:

  • George marshall Whitley (1849 - 1923)
  • Sarah Jane Whitley Dunn (1853- 1930)
  • Mary Frances Fry (1859-1899)
In addition, Susan Almond Whitley had an additional child, Lucy Whitley, a few years after Russells death.

F) Nancy Whitley (1828-after 1880) Never married. Died probably in Cabarrus County. Possibly mother of Archibald Hariis Whitley.

G) Melinda "Linda" Whitley (10 Dec 1830 - 25 Feb. 1910) Died in Salisbury, Rowan County, NC. Married Joshua Wood.  Linda  and Joshua Wood had the following children:

  • William H. Wood (1853-1931)
  • Martha J. Hoffner (1856-1925)
  • John R. Wood Sr. (1857-1933)
  • Hiram J. Wood (1858-1913)
  • Margaret Melinda Wood Cozzens (1861-1928)
  • Sarah J. Wood Smith (1863-?)
  • George Oliver Wood (1866-?)
  • Jerry O. Wood (1866-?)
  • Julia Ann Wood Bains (1868-?)
  • Walter Wood (1876-1942)
H) Susannah "Susan" Whitley born about 1835, died between 1870 and 1880, possibly in Iredell County.

I) William R Whitley born about 1836 and died on July 1, 1921 in Mecklenburg County, NC. Married Julia Ann Smith.  Also served in the Civil War. I have given a great deal of information on William already, in my previous post, "A Tale of Two Williams", which can be found here.

Willaim and Julia had the following children:

  •  Mary Hargett Whitley Rowe (1865-1940)
  •  Sidney A Whitley (1866-1931)
  •  Emily Jane Whitley Deaton (1869-1906)
  •  William Presley Whitley (1871-1917)

J) Levi Hobson Whitley born 1839, and died August 3, 1914 in Greensboro, Guilford County, NC. Levi married Margaret Jane Smith.

Levi, the youngest child of John and Jane Whitley was also in the Civil War,


NameLevi H Whitley
Enlistment Age27
Birth Dateabt 1835
Enlistment Date25 Mar 1862
Enlistment PlaceStanly County, North Carolina
Enlistment RankPrivate
Muster Date10 May 1862
Muster PlaceNorth Carolina
Muster CompanyH
Muster Regiment42nd Infantry
Muster Regiment TypeInfantry
Muster InformationEnlisted
Imprisonment Date10 Mar 1865
Imprisonment PlaceWise's Forks, North Carolina
Side of WarConfederacy
Survived War?Yes
Residence PlaceStanly County, North Carolina
Notes1862-08-09 Deserted; 1863-01-01 Returned, Estimated day; 1863-08-09 Deserted; 1864-09-22 Returned; 1865-03-16 Confined, (Point Lookout, MD); 1865-06-21 Oath of Allegiance, (Point Lookout, MD)
TitleNorth Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster

It amazes me how many times this set of brothers,  and a nephew, deserted and rejoined without being court-martialed and hung. The Whitleys really didn't want to fight. 

Levi and Margaret had the following children:

  •  John Riley Whitley (1864-1940)
  •  Laura E. Whitley Coble (or Cauble) (1866-1911)
  • Avert Whitley (1878-1922)
  •  Margaret "Maggie" Whitley Milloway (1880-1957)


The Jacob Whitley papers, the main source of local information on the Whitley family outside of available records of land, marriage, Wills, etc , doesn't list Levi as a child of John and Jane Hathcock Whitley, but his documents, like his death certificate, above, makes it clear that he was.
However, they do list a "Lovie" Whitley, that some have deciphered as possibly "Louie". I have another idea. What if it was "Levi" old Jacob was writing in his ancient 19th century scrawl? There's no sign of either a Lovie or a Louie anywhere, but there most definitely was a Levi. He was correct on the rest, although 'Bettie' remains a bit of a mystery.

There was one more Whitley in this gypsy pack of Whitley's, but he wasn't a son of John. Archibald Harris Whitley, born about 1848, lived in the home of widow Jane Whitley, with her younger children, from the time he was a two year old toddler until after he married Aseneth Isabella Hunter from Mecklenburg County, on December 23, 1869, in Cabarrus County. He traveled with this family from Stanly County to Iredell to Cabarrus to Mecklenburg. He was without doubt a member of the pack. Yet, he was born six years after John died and when the widow, Jane, was 53 years old. It is my belief that he was a grandchild. He doesn't appear to have been the child of any son of the couple, at least not any that were known, and living, two years after he was born. It is possible that he was the child of an unmarried daughter, but so far, I have not found any court record, or other document to prove that theory either. If this were true, the most likely mother would have been Nancy, as she was twenty when he was born. The other unmarried daughter in the 1850 census was Susan, 15, making her only 13 when he was born. Then there is the mysterious Bettie, of whom we know no more than her name and that she was supposedly the oldest daughter. So, the origins of Archie go unproven and speculative. I move forward with the fact that he was somehow one of the pack.

K) Archibald Harris Whitley born in 1848, married Asenath Isabella Hunter (1852-1907). Archie and his wife were textile workers and died in their early 50's, leaving a large family. They are buried at the Back Creek ARP Church Graveyard in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, which is not far from Harrisburg, Cabarrus County. Archie died on March 3, 1901, of either thyphoid fever, or  pnuemonia,  that may have hit other family members. The papers cant agree. One even overstated his age by thirty years.

The Charlotte Observer

Charlotte, North Carolina • Page 2


The Standard

Concord, North Carolina • Page 3


The Concord Times

Concord, North Carolina • Page 3




Archie and Isabella left the following family"

  • Henry Joshua (or Joshway) Whitley (1871-1942)
  • William Holt Whitley (1874-1901)
  • John Patrick Whitley (1877-1934)
  • Carrie May Whitley (1881-1942)
  • Ellie Jane Whitley (1883 - 1900)
  • Owen Hunter Whitley (1886-1932)
  • Infant Son Whitley (1888)
  • Leonard Harris Whitley (1889-1908)
  • Mattie B. Whitley (1893-1893)
  • James Gilmore Whitley (1895-1910)











Thursday, July 3, 2025

A Tale of Two Williams

When two people are born in the same place around the same time, with the same name, confusion ensues. I have been researching one William  P. Whitley, born about 1835 in Stanly County, North Carolina and died January 24, 1923, in Fallstown, Iredell County, North Carolina. I am closing in on more and more information about him all the time. 

The other William Whitley was born about 1836 in Stanly County and died on July 6, 1921, in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, NC. There are no mysteries as to who his parents were. He also moved to Iredell County for a period after living in Stanly County. 

Both men fought in the Civil War and both men survived it. I can see how it would be easy to get them mixed up. This William Whitley, I discovered had a middle initial of "H". He is also mixed up with another William H. Whitley, who while was not from Stanly County, was from North Carolina, and migrated west. Here, I will attempt to untangle the two from Stanly County, as best as I can from this stage in my research, and later, may do a separate post on the other guy. 

1850 is when at least one of them appears in records, in the census, with his mother, Jane, as the head of household. 






This is William H. Whitley, the one who dies in 1921, in Mecklenburg County. He's 15 years old and living in Almonds Township, Stanly County, with his mother, Jane, 53, and siblings, Nancy, Solomon S., Susan and Levi, 11, the youngest child. The asterisks above his mother's listing and beside the two little Almond girls, Catherine and Rosa, indicate they were left out of the Almond list and belong there, not in the Whitley household. There was another member of the Whitley family, a little boy named Archie Harris Whitley, who was listed on the next page. He was too young to have been a child of Jane, and was probably a grandchild of hers, but through which of her children, I don't know. 

Court records from the 1840's show that Jane was the widow of John Whitley, a son of the George Whitley who first settled here and a brother to "Old Billy" Whitley, whom I have mentioned in previous posts. Jane was supposedly Jane Hathcock, a daughter of Benjamin Hathcock, my ancestor, and another early arrival to western Stanly County. She was a sister of Martha Hathcock who married John's brother William "Old Billy" Whitley, and they were sisters to my 5th Great Grandfather, Benjamin Franklin Hathcock who married Nancy Burris, daughter of Solomon Burris and his wife, Judith. 

1860




Jane and her family appear twice in the 1860 census, a few small differences in age and assembly, but the same folks. Above is one instance. William is now 25. Unmarried sisters, Nancy and Susan, are still in the home, as is younger brother, Levi, and little Archie.  The census riders made errors, as in this family being counted twice. 





The family of the other William was missed altogether in 1850, but they were there, as land records proved, and as a young man, he went by his middle name, Pinkney. This family was also headed by a widowed mother, 62-year-old Nancy Whitley. Pinkney is listed as 20, with a 30-year-old sister, Mary, and an 11-year-old brother "Teller", whose name was really Taylor Whitley. Above them is another brother, Hardy, 25, married to Bathsheba Hatley and the also live near Sampson Hinson. From land records, and location, I know this family is tied or related to Hezekiah Whitley, and I believe they are somehow related to the Exodus Whitley family. Still working on that. Land records also reveal they lived in Stanly County on Stillwater Branch during the 1850's. The census taker just rode past them on his mule that day or didn't see a path to their home. 

Unlike Jane, I haven't yet determined which Whitley Nancy was the widow of. In the 1840 census of Stanly County, there was Green D., George, Needham, Isham, Allison, Edmund, William, Mary and a Henry in Anson. Ten years prior, in 1830, there was Zachariah, Thomas, Isham, George, Needham, Needham, Jr., Exodus, John, William and Green, with Henr and an Allen in Anson. Just like Nancy was skipped in 1850, it appears John was skipped in 1840, because he was alive in 1840, and passed away in 1842, so we can only guess. We know she wasn't the widow of anyone still living in 1860. With Taylor being born in 1849, her husband had to have been living until at least 1848 or 1849.


The War

There were three William Whitley's who enlisted in the Confederate Army from Stanly County. There were more who had William in their name, like William Malachi Whitley, who went by Malachi. For the three who went by William, I used their enlistment dates to keep them separate.








William H. Whitley, son of John and Jane, enlisted on February 8, 1863, by J. M. Hartsell.









William P Whitley was residing in Rowan County by the time he took the oath of allegiance. 


NameWilliam P Whitley
Enlistment Age21
Birth Dateabt 1841
Enlistment Date25 Mar 1862
Enlistment PlaceStanly County, North Carolina
Enlistment RankPrivate
Muster Date10 May 1862
Muster PlaceNorth Carolina
Muster CompanyH
Muster Regiment42nd Infantry
Muster Regiment TypeInfantry
Muster InformationEnlisted
Side of WarConfederacy
Residence PlaceStanly County, North Carolina
Notes1862-12-19 Deserted; 1863-01-30 Confined, Estimated day; 1863-09-30 Returned; 1864-08-16 Deserted; 1864-10-19 Returned
TitleNorth Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster



When he enlisted, he enlisted in Stanly County, on March 25, 1862, in Company H, 42nd Infantry, and was 21 years old. He deserted multiple times, which may be why he abandoned Stanly County, but he made it out alive. 

NameTaylor Whitley
Enlistment Age16
Birth Dateabt 1848
Enlistment Date4 Aug 1864
Enlistment PlacePetersburg, Virginia
Enlistment RankPrivate
Muster Date4 Aug 1864
Muster PlaceNorth Carolina
Muster CompanyH
Muster Regiment42nd Infantry
Muster Regiment TypeInfantry
Muster InformationEnlisted
Imprisonment Date10 Mar 1865
Imprisonment PlaceWise's Forks, North Carolina
Casualty Date10 Mar 1865
Casualty PlaceWise's Forks, North Carolina
Type of CasualtyWounded
Muster Out Date12 Apr 1865
Muster Out PlaceHosp, New Berne, North Carolina
Muster Out Informationdied wounds
Side of WarConfederacy
Survived War?No
Residence PlaceStanly County, North Carolina
Notes1864-08-17 Deserted; 1864-10-19 Returned
TitleNorth Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster


His little brother, Taylor who was only 16 and 17 years old when he served, did not. 


ameHardin Whitley
Enlistment Age26
Birth Dateabt 1836
Enlistment Date25 Mar 1862
Enlistment PlaceStanly County, North Carolina
Enlistment RankSergeant
Muster Date10 May 1862
Muster PlaceNorth Carolina
Muster CompanyH
Muster Regiment42nd Infantry
Muster Regiment TypeInfantry
Muster InformationEnlisted
Rank Change RankSergt
Muster Out Date25 Apr 1864
Muster Out PlaceHosp, Wilmington, North Carolina
Muster Out Informationdied disease
Side of WarConfederacy
Survived War?No
Residence PlaceStanly County, North Carolina
Additional Notes 2Rank Change 2 Date: 24 Dec 1862; Rank Change 2 Rank: Private; Rank Change 2 Information: Reduced to ranks
TitleNorth Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster



Neither did his brother, Hardin "Hardy" Whitley. 







Hardy left two children, James and Eva Ann and a widow, Bathsheba, who died in 1873 and has probate files. Neither she, nor the children show up in 1870. We know John Brooks and John W Austin served as Guardians. Eva doesn't show up again in records until her marriage in 1880. William P. Whitley, Nancy Whitley and Mary Whitley are not to be found in the 1870 census, either. I have not located Mary or Nancy after mention in an 1864 land transaction. 









The William H Whitley family does show up in the 1870 census, as if they were standing by the fence post on the closest road, waiting on that census taker and his mule. William has married Julia Ann Smith, daughter of Moses Smith, sometime just after the War, or before the end of it, as their oldest child, Mary Hargett Whitley was born in 1865. The family is living in Davidson Township, Iredell County. It is unknown what spurred their relocation there, but they have moved to Mount Mourne. Mount Mourne was originally the name of a Plantation owned by Rufus Reid in Davidson Township. A huge cotton plantation, it had a post office as early as 1805, and by the 1860's was on a railway route. As the economy changed from a slavery based to an agricultural base, early cotton mills shot up in the area, which may have brought the Whitley's there. The plantation was named for the Mourne Mountains in Ireland by early Irish settlers along Davidson Creek. 

Also in the home of William Whitley was his 75 year old mother, Jane, and his two unmarried sisters, Susannah, 33,  and Nancy, 45. The household below William's was Archibald Whitley, or "little Archie", 22, and his bride, Isabella. Archie's wife, Aesenith Isabella Hunter, was from Mecklenburg County, and they had married there on December 23, 1869.. Their first child was born the next year, so the family may had moved to Mecklenburg before settling in Davidson. 

The household after that was of youngest brother, Levi Hobson Whitley. Levi had also served in the Civil War and had married Margaret Jane Smith, a sister of William's wife, shortly after the War. It seems they returned to Stanly by 1865 or 1866, and had moved away by 1869.

1880 
The William H. Whitley family has moved again. This time to the Rocky River area of Western Cabarrus County.


William and Julia are farming with their four children, Mary H., Sidney, Emma and William Presley Whitley.


Flip to the next page and we find that Levi H. Whitley and his family has followed and is living next door. With him is his older sister, Nancy. Their mother Jane and sister, Susan, are no longer with them. Jane has probably passed away. Susan may have also, but could have also gotten married in the early 1870's.



Back in Iredell County,  the other William Whitley shows up with a wife and a teenaged son, who is actually a stepson. William Pinkney Whitley married sometime after the war to Margaret Melinda, maiden name unknown, the widow of another Confederate soldier from Stanly County, Israel Springer. With them is her son, Alexander Springer, or John Alexander Springer, born in 1861. He will marry, in 1882, to a Telitha Jane Whitley, in Iredell County. In 1900, they are living next door to her brother, William Alexander Whitley, born in 1868 in Stanly County. Telitha Jane Whitley was born in 1856. In 1870, she was living with the Alfred Ledbetter family in Stanly County and in 1880, she is living with her mother, Mary and brother William A. Whitley in Iredell County. I haven't solved the identity of her parents yet, besides her mother's first name.

1900 - Both William Whitleys evaded the 1900 census. William Pinkney Whitley was undoubtedly in Iredell, as he will be found there in the next two decades. As for William H. Whitley, he was probably in Guilford County, as his oldest daughter, Mary Hargett Whitley marries there in 1901, to James F. Rowe. His middle two children are already married and living in Guilford, Sidney A. Whitley to Martha Jane Keisha and Emily Jane Whitley to Robert H. Deaton. Oddly, youngest son, William Presley Whitley returns to Stanly County to marry Ella Wilson, and is found there in 1900.

1910

William H. Whitley is a widower, and living in Crowder Mountain, Gaston County, in the home of his older daughter, Mary H. Whitley Rowe.



Still in Iredell, William P. Whitley and wife, Margaret Malinda Whitley, are operating a general farm in Barringer Township, Iredell County. At this point, he is 75 and she is 66, both getting on up there, so a decade later, they've found themselves unable to operate their farm any longer.


William and Malinda find themselves in the Iredell County Home for the aged in 1920, in Fallstown. 

As for William H Whitley, he has escaped the 1920 census, but appears to have remained with his daughter Mary, who had moved to Mecklenburg County.



He was the first William to go, reported as passing away at 85, outliving two of his children. He had lost his wife in 1896 and passed away on July 6, 1921, as reported by The Charlotte News. 



William P. Whitley lost his wife, Margaret Melinda, on November 25, 1921. She was buried at Saint Paul's Lutheran Church in Iredell County.



He would live in his loneliness another two years, and passed away January 4, 1923, as was reported by Statesvilles The Landmark.


William P. Whitleys death certificate reveals he died of pneumonia following influenza, but not much else. His informant was a staff member of the home, or perhaps medical personnel, who knew nothing much about him and didn't name his parents. He was buried in the County Home Cemetery.


In contrast, William H. Whitley, who had died of acute nephritis, had his son-in-law as his informant, who knew his parents names were John and Jane. 

Two old Civil War Soldiers died with two years of each other, and had been born within two years of each other. They shared the same place of birth, the same first and last names and had fought on the same side of the same war, but there were two of them.