The Informant

Below: The Death Certificate of John Alexander Springer, with informant, J. A. Whitley.

In my previous post, on the family of Israel Springer, I ended with more questions than I had begun the journey with. This post can be found here: The Journey: The Family of Israel Springer. Israel Springer was a young man from Stanly County, North Carolina and son of Lewis Springer and wife, Rachel Sides Springer. He had died of Typhoid Fever in Virginia during his Civil War Service. It was not known that he was married, however, his widow, Margaret M. Springer, applied for a pension and the money due him. Afterwards, I also discovered that he had a son, John Alexander Springer, born in 1861 in Stanly County, the year before Israel left for War. 

The document shown above is John Alexander Springers death certificate. He marries in Iredell County in 1882, to a Jane Whitley.  Jane was about five years older than Alex, born about 1856. She predeceased him, and neither the marriage certificate nor her death certificate gave any clue as to who her parents were. The couple had settled in the town of Mount Ulah, in Rowan County until their deaths. They were textile workers.

Alex and Jane had no children of their own, however, they took in two daughters of William Alexander and Rachel Helms Whitley, Mary Malinda, the oldest, and Louisa or Louise Rebecca, the youngest, who was only three days old when her mother died and was raised by J. A. and Jane Springer as their own. She was the only living heir of John Alexander Springers small estate. 

The Springers had lived very close to the Whitley's, being listed directly after them in the 1900 census. Their daughters were designated as the Springers nieces in the census records, and we will not argue with that, however, I've not been able to prove the connection. William Alexander Whitley was also born in Stanly, in 1868, about seven years younger than John Alexander Springer, and I was able to find him living with his parents in Davidson, Iredell County, in 1880. His father was William T., P. or L. Whitley, and born around 1835. His mother was Margaret Malinda Whitley and born about 1844. They died in 1923 and 1920, respectively, after living in the home for the aged in Iredell County. William Alexander Whitley had also died in 1920. I was left wondering if Margaret Malinda Whitley was also the Margaret M., maiden name unknown, who had married Israel Springer. I was also left wondering how the daughters of William A. and Rachel Whitley were the nieces of John A. and Jane Whitley Springer. Were Jane and William A. Whitley's siblings? I could not find her in 1880, when she would have been 24. Or were John A. Springer and William A. Whitley half-siblings?

In the above document there was one clue I had not explored. The informant. 

The informant to J.A. Springer's death certificate was J. A. Whitley. This person knew his father's name, and his place of birth, but oddly, did not name his mother. This wasn't Jane, who was already dead, or W. A. Whitley, who was also. There was a J. A. Whitley, living a page over from these two in the 1900 census, who could have been the informant, a John A. Whitley, who unsurprisingly, also had Stanly County roots. However, his background was as mysterious as theirs.

How was he connected to these two? By finding him, would my other questions be answered?

John A Whitley, Iredell

The above is John A. Whitley, 56, his wife Emma, 39, and their son Adam, 19, in the 1900 census of Davidson, Iredell County, one page over from William Alexander Whitley and John Alexander Springer. Who was he and where did he come from?

Well, let's back up to his childhood. Here is John A Whitley in 1860, in Stanly County, as a 16 year old in the home of his father, Adam Whitley. 

Jump ahead 20 years and John is 37, with his bride, Emma, at 19, living in New Salem, Union County, NC, just south of the Stanly County/ Union County border. 

On April 22, 1878, John Alexander Whitley, 34, of Rowan County, applied for the marriage license, himself. He was the son of Adam and Sarah Whitley, both parents deceased. The bride was Emma C Honeycutt of Iredell County, 18, daughter of Joseph and Lucretia Honeycutt, both deceased. The witnesses were Whitley's too. We can see a connection to Iredell County before John had moved to Union County, NC. 

John Alexander Whitley would remain in Iredell County. He was buried in the Blue Door Cemetery near Mooresville. The cemetery is attached to Vanderburg Church, located a few miles away, the name referring to the blue iron door of a tomb that existed there.

There was another J. A. Whitley nearby who could have been the Informant, and that was John Adam Whitley, the son and only child of the above John A. Whitley. He was "Adam" in the census record from 1900.

At 27, John Adam Whitley (II) married Josephine "Josie" Owen Holder, age 18. She was the daughter of Isaac Owens and Candis Owens, both living from Iredell. The year is 1918, and Adam indicates that his father is dead, while his mother is living. As John Alexander Springer died in 1923, John Sr. could not have been the informant. 

Adam was a World War I vet who made his home in Iredell during the earliest days of his life. He lived in Coddle Creek in 1920 and 1930, in Barringer in 1935 and in Fallstown, Troutman in 1940. By 1950, he was living in Mallard Creek, Mecklenburg County. He passed away in Mooresville, Iredell County in 1957 at the age of 72, and was buried at Blue Door Cemetery, with his parents. 

John Adam Whitley II and wife Nancy Josephine Owens Whitley raised a family of 10 children: John Adam III, Floyd, Helen Louise,  Carrie Lee, Linda Adele, Lester Bill, Connie Geneva, Mary Josephine, David and Alice. 

This wasn't the only Whitley family that lived near John Alexander Springer and wife, Jane Whitley Springer. 

Name	Green Whitley
Age	29
Birth Date	Abt 1851
Birthplace	North Carolina
Home in 1880	Coddle Creek, Iredell, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number	168
Race	White
Gender	Male
Relation to Head of House	Self (Head)
Marital Status	Married
Spouse's Name	M. J. Whitley
Father's Birthplace	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace	North Carolina
Occupation	Laborer
Neighbors	View others on page

Household members

Name	Age
Green Whitley	29
M. J. Whitley	28
J. W. Whitley	10
J. D. Whitley	9
J. E. Whitley	6
N. M. Whitley	2

There was a Green Whitley in Coddle Creek, Iredell County in 1880.

Name	Green D Whitley
Age	9
Birth Year	abt 1851
Gender	Male
Race	White
Home in 1860	Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office	Albemarle
Dwelling Number	139
Family Number	139

Household members

Name	Age
Adam Whitley	37
Ellen P Whitley	20
John A Whitley	16
Beckey Whitley	11
Green D Whitley	9
Sarah E Whitley	6
Mary J Whitley	2

Turns out, this Green D. Whitley also had Stanly County roots, and was, by the way, the brother of John A. Whitley. As he arrived in Iredell prior to John, this may have been how John had met his Iredell County wife before he arrived there, himself. 

This was not Green Deberry Whitley of Stanly County. This was Green David Whitley.  Green had married twice in Stanly County. First, in 1869, to Elizabeth Betse "Lottie" Coley, with whom he had no children. After she died in 1875, he married in 1877 to Mary Jane Griffin, with whom he had 4 children, John, James and Jonas, and a daughter with the initials N. M., who appears to have died as a child. 

Mary Jane died in 1892, after they had moved to Iredell and Green would marry a third time, to Rebecca Kimball, by whom he would have eight children: George, Amos, Calvin, Martha, Mary, Mark, Matthew and William. 

Green would move to Steele Creek, Mecklenburg County by 1900, Long Creek, Mecklenburg County in 1910, River Bend, Gaston County in 1920, and would pass away in Pineville, Mecklenburg County in 1928. Above is his obituary in the Charlotte Observer. 

There was a third sibling to live in Iredell County, a sister, Rebecca. It was told to the Clerk by her informant, Mitchell Clark, that she had been born in Iredell County, but that was incorrect. She was the 11-year-old "Becky" in the 1860 census of Stanly County. Becky outlived all of her siblings and passed away in 1929. Her informant had her father correct, but her mother was Sarah Cagle Whitley. They wrote her own maiden name in the place instead, and perhaps misunderstood the question. 

Who was Adam Whitley and why did his children move to Iredell County? Was there a connection to William Alexander Whitley and John Alexander Springer?

The first record I find of Adam Whitley is in 1845, when it shows one note owed in the estate file of John B Carver. He would have been 22. 

He appears in several Overseers records, and the locations give a glimpse at the area he probably lived close to. On a road being built from Big Bear Creek, he was in the presence of several other Whitley's, Needham Whitley, Temple Whitley, Adam, Russell Whitley and George Whitley. In another being built from Meeting House Road to Bear Creek, he was accompanied by Solomon S. Whitley.

In September of 1851, Needham Whitley, Adam Whitley and Green D. Whitley were involved in a land transaction, where Needham guaranteed the $150 charged to Adam by Green D Whitley of a tract by Needham's line, half of the spring water on it, of 200 acres. Needham Whitley "doth warrant and defend said land".  It certainly reads like the act of a father.

In 1850, the case of R. Barringer vs. Adam Whitley and John F. Miller, levy on land.

Adam had appeared on a list of insolvents in 1851. In 1853 he reappeared in Court with a Petition for the Restoration of his voting rights. Most people are of the belief that all white men voted in those days, but that is not the way it worked. Only "Free holders" voted. Men, yes, but they had to be property owners, land owners, and own it free and clear. Color was not a part of it. It was free men who owned land. When in debt, their voting rights would be suspended.

Adam would get into trouble with the law in other ways, too. In February Session of Court, 1849, he appeared on a case of assault and battery. It was brought up twice before it was heard. Once for a change of security.

State vs Adam Whitley

Needham Whitley who is security for the appearance of Defendant surrenders him in discharge of himself as bond. Deft. is ordered in custody of the Sheriff and enters into recognizance in the sum of  $200 for his appearnce tomorrow with Solomon Robbins Security.

State vs Adam Whitley

Bejamin Whitley, John F. Miller, and Solomon Robbins confess judgement for $30 to be discharged on payment of costs.

February 1849

State vs Adam Whitley - A&B - deft pleads not guilty - same jury except B. L. Whitley and in his place, Agrippa Calloway. as in No 19 who find defendant guilty. Fined one penny.

- This action I wonder the cause for the dismissal of Benjamin L. Whitley as a juror.Could it have been because of a close relation?

 

February Session 1850    State vs Adam Whitley  A & B

Deft. submits - finded $2.00 and costs. Deft. with Solomon Burris, Ezekial Burris, J. C. Burris, and Hardy Hatley confess judgement for $25.

March 4, 1851, in the register of deeds, we find a transaction between Adam and JC Burris and JW Morton.

Adam was indebited to Benjamin Hathcock for the amount of $15 plus interest. Joshua Christian Burris and J. W. Morton became security to it on Adam's ability to pay with his personal property as collateral. "A certain  quantity of property on the premise where Whitley lives named as follows: one cow, one calf, one steer, 13 head of hogs, 13 head of geese, one loom, one saddel, 75 busheles of corn, 300 bundles of fodder, one tabel and one chest".

On March 17th 1851, he added one clay bank horse with flax mane and tail to the deal, if he should fail to pay.

On September 28, 1857, Adam Whitley married Penelope Eleanor "Nelly" or "Ellen" Hinson. We don't know much more about his first wife, Sally, than her name, but her estimated date of death could be between 1854, after the birth of her youngest child, Sarah E. Whitley and the date of his second marriage in 1857.

Nelly Hinson was the daughter of Jordan and Nancy Hinson, and born about 1836.

She appears with Adam in the 1860 census, and was so much younger, some have her pegged as a daughter. The little girl Mary, the youngest child in the 1860 census, was her first child with Adam.

Adam Whitley doesn't appear in the 1850 census, yet we can bank on him residing there at the time, due to the above records.

Name	Adam Whitley
Enlistment Age	39
Birth Date	abt 1823
Enlistment Date	1 Feb 1862
Enlistment Place	Rowan County, North Carolina
Enlistment Rank	Private
Muster Date	1 Feb 1862
Muster Place	North Carolina
Muster Company	C
Muster Regiment	42nd Infantry
Muster Regiment Type	Infantry
Muster Information	Enlisted
Muster Out Date	5 Mar 1863
Muster Out Place	Weldon, North Carolina
Muster Out Information	died disease
Side of War	Confederacy
Survived War?	No
Residence Place	Stanly County, North Carolina
Title	North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster

When the War came, Adam volunteered. He was nearly forty and had added two more children to the family with Nelly, after 1860, but perhaps he saw this as a way to bring in more money to pay debts. He was from a non-slave holding family. He enlisted at age 39 in Rowan County, with Company C, 42nd Infantry. He would die of typhoid fever on March 5, 1863, in Weldon, North Carolina. His battle was lost to the rampant diseases that ran through the exhausted and half-starved Confederate Troops. 

Name	Adam Whitley
Birth Date	1823
Birth Place	Iredell County, North Carolina, United States of America
Death Date	5 Mar 1863
Death Place	Weldon, Halifax County, North Carolina, United States of America
Cemetery	Weldon Confederate Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place	Weldon, Halifax County, North Carolina, United States of America
Has Bio?	N
Children	John Adam Whitley; Titus H Whitley

Oddly, his place of birth is noted as Iredell County on his Find-A-Grave profile. I am pretty sure that is incorrect. Perhaps this was put in by a descendant of one of his children who settled there, who wasn't aware of his Stanly County roots. 

Adam was buried in a group grave in Weldon, Halifax County, North Carolina

Back in Stanly County, Nelly had remarried to Jesse Stanly Smith, on March 22, 1869, in Albemarle. 

The 1870 census show Nellie with her newest husband, her three children with Adam Whitley, and a new baby boy, Millard, with Jesse.

Name	Nellie Smith
Age	45
Birth Date	Abt 1835
Birthplace	North Carolina
Home in 1880	Big Lick, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number	253
Race	White
Gender	Female
Relation to Head of House	Wife
Marital Status	Married
Spouse's Name	Jesse Smith
Father's Birthplace	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace	North Carolina
Occupation	Housekeeper
Cannot Read	Y
Cannot Write	Y
Neighbors	View others on page

Household members

Name	Age
Jesse Smith	52
Nellie Smith	45
Millort Smith	11
Wilbert Smith	9
J. Lizie Smith	6
May Smith	7/12
Mary Whitly	26
Joan Whitly	1

In 1880, Nellie's family includes her four children with Jesse Smith, Millard Wesley Smith, Wilbert Craven Smith, Lizie Smith and May Smith, and her adult daughter, Mary Whitley, daughter of Adam, is in the home with a one-year-old daughter, Joan. There is no more information on Nellie, who appears to have died before 1900.

The trail of the family of Adam Whitley has led me no closer to discovering the roots of the Iredell County Whitelys. Adam and Nellie's son, Titus H. Whitley also ended up in Iredell County, but how John Adam Whitley was connected to John Alexander Springer and wife, Jane Whitley, or William Alexander Whitley, despite the connections in Iredell and all of them being born in Stanly County, is a question I have yet to answer. 

The One That Got Away

George H W Springer

My recent romp through old Court records has turned into an expose' of the Springer family. Apologies, but inconsistencies abound, and inconsistencies bother me. 

Delving into NC Land Grants for the Springer family, I don't find an overwhelming number of them. In Montgomery, the mother county of Stanly, where the Springer family I am researching lived, I find but one, and that was to George Springer, the Stanly Springer Patriarch, dated 1800, for 200 acres on the Southwest side of the Pee Dee River. In Stanly, we find 100 acres for Lewis in 1844, 27 acres on Bear Creek for Randle, (who was actually Reuben if you read the actual document), in 1846, 9 acres for Reuben in 1854 and there is one all the way in 1912 to a D. W. Springer in Almond Township. 

There's also one in Orange County in 1790 to Uriah Springer, which is related to these, because I believe they descend from this man. The one that has me flummoxed is one to a George H. W. Springer, in 1844, the same year as Lewis. The chain carriers were Dempsey Springer, a brother of Lewis who would move to Cherokee County, Georgia, and Adam, a nephew of Lewis and Dempsey, son of their sister, Barbara.

Who was George H. W. Springer? I don't find him in any other records in Stanly County. 

The deed itself describes the tract as being on Stony Run and Bear Creeks, adjoining Dempsey Springer's line and others, it met John Perry's corner, who married Margaret, one of the Springer sisters. This repitition of the family name, and the properties connecting to each other suggests that this was family land and that George H. W. Springer was a member of this Springer family. 

I do find one other mention of a George H. W. Springer, 

Name	George W. H. Springer
Enlistment Rank	Private
Muster Place	Georgia
Muster Company	F
Muster Regiment	3rd Cavalry
Muster Regiment Type	Cavalry
Muster Information	Enlisted
Transfer From Unit	F
Transfer To Unit	K
Side of War	Confederacy
Title	Index to Compiled Confederate Military Service Records

that of a Confederate soldier from Cherokee County, Georgia. Which coincidentally is the area Dempsey Springer, one of the chain carriers from the above documents, ends up in around 1845. 

Dempsey Springer was one of the sons of George Springer, the progenitor of the Stanly County Springers. Born January 2, 1804, the date carved into his tombstone, he first shows up in the 1830 census of Montgomery County, NC, in the half that will become Stanly. His property was along Bear Creek and Stony Run Creek. 

Name	Dimpry Springer
Home in 1830 (City, County, State)	West Side Pee Dee River, Montgomery, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - Under 5	1 Josiah
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29	1 Dempsey
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5	2 Marissa and ?
Free White Persons - Females - 30 thru 39	1 Katie HInson Springer?
Free White Persons - Under 20	3
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49	2
Total Free White Persons	5
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored)	5

He's in the same place in 1840. By 1845, Dempsey is in Georgia and by1850 his wife has passed away. Dempsey first arrived in Forsyth County, Georgia, but by 1850, and settled in what would become Ball Ground, Cherokee County, Georgia. 

Ball Ground describes itself "We are a city of 3,500 residents located in Cherokee County, Georgia — on the northern edge of metro Atlanta — nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Our quaint city is known for its historic main street characterized by unique shops and restaurants, numerous historic homes and great recreation opportunities."

The town of Ball Ground was originally Cherokee Territory, and its name is derived from its origins as a flat playing field for a game played by the Cherokee tribe. They would hold competitions there with their Creek neighbors and swap land back and forth during tournaments. 

Name	Dempsey Springer
Gender	Male
Race	White
Residence Age	45
Birth Date	abt 1805
Birthplace	North Carolina
Residence Date	1850
Home in 1850	Division 15, Cherokee, Georgia, USA
Occupation	Farmer
Industry	Agriculture
Real Estate	700
Cannot Read, Write	Yes
Line Number	23
Dwelling Number	967
Family Number	971

Household members

Name	Age
Dempsey Springer	45
Josiah Springer	23
Rutha Springer	13
Marripa Ann Springer	11
Rush Springer	9
William Springer	7
Marissa Owen	20

He has added two children, Jerusha, also seen as "Rush" or Rucy" and William born in 1844, the same year that the Confederate soldier from the same area, George H. W. Springer, was born. His daughter, Marissa, is already a widow at 20, it seems. She will remarry again.

Josiah Springer will move to Missouri and serve in the Civil War.

So, George H. William Springer joined at 18 in 1862, which again, gives him a birthyear of 1844. As the land grant in question was filed that same year, I doubt very seriously that these are the same George H. W. Springers. I've came across boys still in their teens receiving land grants, as in the case of my Half- Third Great Uncle, Peter Howell, but not one in utero. 

The only possibility for the Land Grant Springer is an unknown son of George the Progenitor and a brother Dempsey named a son for. 

Let's look at that possibility. In the 1790 census, George Springer is still in Orange County, where he was from. By 1800, he's in Montgomery County, North Carolina.

Name	George Springer
Home in 1800 (City, County, State)	Montgomery, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - Under 10	1
Free White Persons - Males - 45 and over	1 George
Free White Persons - Females - Under 10	4
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 15	1
Free White Persons - Females - 26 thru 44	1 Sylvia
Number of Household Members Under 16	6
Number of Household Members Over 25	2
Number of Household Members	8

The census shows that Sally was younger than her husband. They appear to have possibly had 5 daughters and one son by this time. Miranda was born in 1789, Sarah Jr. in 1791, Mary in 1792, Margaret in 1797 and Barbara in 1800. Five daughters. The only son by 1800 was Lewis in 1794.

Name	Geo Stringer
Residence Date	6 Aug 1810
Residence Place	Wagster, Montgomery, North Carolina, USA
Free White Persons - Males - Under 10	3 Reuben (1801), Dempsey (1804) Missing boy born between 1800-1810.
Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 25	1 Lewis
Free White Persons - Males - 45 and over	1 George
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 15	3 Barbara, Margaret and Mary
Free White Persons - Females - 45 and over	1 Sylvia
Number of Household Members Under 16	6
Number of Household Members Over 25	2
Number of Household Members	9

1810 has the family in "Wagster", Montgomery County. The two older daughters have married, and three sons were born between 1800 and 1810. Reuben was born in 1801 and Dempsey in 1804. There is indeed a missing son. 

George Springer passes away before 1830, and there is no 1820 census in Montgomery County, as it was lost to time.

In 1830, Syliva is the head of household. She is with her daughter, Barbara, undoubtedly, the one who doesn't marry.

Name	Sylina Springer
Home in 1830 (City, County, State)	Montgomery, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29	1 Barbara
Free White Persons - Females - 50 thru 59	1 Sylvia
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49	1
Total Free White Persons	2
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored)	2

As she is again in 1840.

Name	Sylvia Springer
Residence Date	1840
Home in 1840 (City, County, State)	West Pee Dee River, Montgomery, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9	1
Free White Persons - Females - 30 thru 39	1
Free White Persons - Females - 70 thru 79	1
Persons Employed in Agriculture	1
No. White Persons over 20 Who Cannot Read and Write	1
Free White Persons - Under 20	1
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49	1
Total Free White Persons	3
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves	3

By this time, Babara has given birth to her son, Adam, also a chain carrier on the Land Grant, and whom I have posted on already. This suggests that all of the sons were on their own, but only Lewis and Dempsy show up. Reuben does not show up in the 1840 census for Montgomery County, or any other nearby. Neither is there a George. Perhaps they were either missed, or working for another family, and not head of household. 

To wrap up Dempsey Springer, by 1860, Dempsey was down to four children in the home.

Name	Dempsy Springer
Age	48
Birth Year	abt 1812
Gender	Male
Race	White
Birth Place	North Carolina
Home in 1860	Forsyth, Georgia
Post Office	Cumming
Dwelling Number	266
Family Number	266
Real Estate Value	800
Personal Estate Value	2300
Cannot Read, Write	Y
Inferred Child	Rutha Springer; Eliza Springer; Riva Springer

Household members

Name	Age
Dempsy Springer	48
Rutha Springer	20
Eliza Springer	18
Riva Springer	17
Wm Springer	14

William, or George H. William Springer, was now a teenager. Eliza was Maniza Aneliza Springer, who never married and Riva, was Jerusha, who was "Rush" in the census ten years prior. There are multiple land and court records during this time. By 1870, only Dempsey and Maniza were in the home. 

There is a court case involving the two of them being robbed in 1874.  Maniza was home alone when a group of men set on stealing her father's whiskey man-handled her and threatened to kill her. I will not report on that court case her, but it inspired her father to deed property to here, in the chance of his own demise. 

Dempsey would live a long life, however. In response. I believe, to Maniza's being alone when he was on the road engaged in trade and business, Dempsey would remarry. 

On August 13th, 1874, 70-year-old Dempsey Springer married 18-year-old Martha E. Jones, and he would outlive her. 

Name	Dempsey Springer
Age	75
Birth Date	Abt 1805
Birthplace	North Carolina
Home in 1880	Cross Roads, Cherokee, Georgia, USA
Street	Innaq 4th
House Number	8
Dwelling Number	159
Race	White
Gender	Male
Relation to Head of House	Self (Head)
Marital Status	Married
Spouse's Name	Martha Springer
Father's Birthplace	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace	North Carolina
Occupation	Farmer
Cannot Write	Y
Neighbors	View others on page

Household members

Name	Age
Dempsey Springer	75
Martha Springer	24
Anelizer Springer	35

And here they were in 1880, in Crossroads, Cherokee County, Georgia.

Dempsey Springer died on August 3, 1899. He was 95 years old. Despite being 70 years old upon his second stride down the aisle, Dempsey managed to father a child during his second marriage. Sadly, the boy passed away as an infant. 

The known children of Dempsey Springer with his first wife, Catherine "Katie" Hinson Springer were:

A) Josiah Springer (1827-1863) Died in Missouri.

B) Marissa Springer (1829-1919) Married 1st Mr. Owen, married second Newton Wilson, Died in Clarke County, Georgia. 

C) Dempsey J. Springer (1830-1889) Married Martha C. Pennington. Six children: Adaline, Martha Emma, Marion Frances, William Harrison, Henry, and Laura D. Settled in Mississippi, died in Tennessee.

D) Rutha L. Springer (1838-1916) Married Epsy M. Priest. One child, George W. Priest. Died in Forsyth County, Georgia.

E) Maniza Aneliza Springer (1839-1920) Lived and died in Cherokee County, Georgia. 

F) Jerusha Mahala Springer (1843- aft 1920) Married Thomas Butler Fowler. Two children: Allen Jackson Fowler, George Fowler.

G) George H. William Springer (1844-1864) Died in Missouri. 

H) George H. Springer (1894-1918) son of Dempsey Springer and Martha Jones Springer just discovered.

Springer row at Old Hightower Baptist Church Cemetery, Ball Ground, Cherokee County, Georgia.

Lucy the Lioness

  

Lucy Whitley was a Lion! And she came with a Pride. Still quixoticlly searching for the origins of William T. P. L. Whitley of  Fallstown, Iredell County, his wife Margarter Malinda, and their son, William Alexander Whitley, who was born in 1868, in Stanly County, NC, I've been looking at the Whitleys, in particular, the William Whitley's. There, I found the intrepid Lucy. 

Her actual name appears to have been Lucinda H. Whitley, or Lucy for short, as that is how her father addresses her in an 1860 land Indenture. 

Name	Lucy Whitley
Gender	Female
Race	White
Residence Age	21
Birth Date	abt 1829
Birthplace	North Carolina
Residence Date	1850
Home in 1850	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Cannot Read, Write	Yes
Line Number	18
Dwelling Number	897
Family Number	902
Inferred Father	Wm Whitley
Inferred Mother	Martha Whitley

Household members

Name	Age
Wm Whitley	63
Martha Whitley	62
Lucy Whitley	21
Davidson Whitley	19

Lucy was born around 1829, one of the two youngest children of William "Old Billy" Whitley and wife, Martha. She had a younger brother, Davidson Whitley, who was a stalwart existence in her life. William was born about 1775, and his wife not too far behind him. He would live a very long time, and that is why he is called "Old Billy", to differentiate him from the other Williams. His wife is supposedly a daughter of Benjamin Hathcock, and one of Lucy's brothers who lived long enough to have a death certificate, has Martha Hathcock as his mother, so that could be accurate. I'm not an in depth Whitley researcher, so I'm open to debate and proof of anything otherwise. My own Whitley roots hale back to Johnston and Franklin Counties, with likely connection to the Union/Anson/Stanly/Cabarrus County Whitleys, but I haven't journeyed downward this  far.

The William Whitley family lived in Albemarle District No. 9, in Household number 897 on the roll of,  J. H. Tomlinson, census taker, and Family number 902. Pretty darn close to them in Household number 894 and Family number 899, also in Albemarle District #9, was one intriguing cousin, just 16 to  Lucy's 21 years of age.

Name	Columbus Whittey
Gender	Male
Race	White
Residence Age	16
Birth Date	abt 1834
Birthplace	North Carolina
Residence Date	1850
Home in 1850	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Occupation	Laborer
Industry	Industry Not Reported
Line Number	41
Dwelling Number	894
Family Number	899
Inferred Mother	Rebecca Whittey

Household members

Name	Age
Rebecca Whittey	56
Susanna Whittey	25
Columbus Whittey	16
Benona Whittey	15
Wm R Burris	5

His name was Columbus Whitley. Columbus was from a broken home, and in 1850, was a 16 year old living with his divorced mother and two sisters, Susanna and Benona Anceline. Five year old William R. Burris, was the son of his sister, Susannah, by her lover, Joshua Christian Burris, by whom she would have four children. I've mentioned William Rufus Whitley a few times in recents posts, due to his marriage to Sarah Tucker, daughter of Lewis Tucker. He went by both Burris and Whitley, but seems to have settled with Whitley as an adult.

Columbus Whitley's father was George N. Whitley III, (1787-1858) and his mother was Rebecca Cagle Whitley, (1791-1873). The couple had a sizeable family and then George hooked up with a younger woman named Martha Harvell Owens,  by whom he would add about five more children, and headed off to Cherokee County, Georgia, which coincidentally, was the same county in Georgia that Dempsey Springer would end up. Who knows, they could have been traveling companions. Rebecca, abandoned and angry, would file for a divorce, which would be granted in 1847. 

Rebecca was also a lioness. She had been married to George for 30 years and had brought about 15 children into the world. She claimed George had been an acceptible husband until his relationship with Martha Harvel Owens, a woman with one child already. At that point, he had become a "drunkard and spendthrift, wasting his substance to the impovershment of his family." He abandoned Rebecca and her children, albeit most of them were adults by the time, she took him to court and won the divorce, and all that had been his in Stanly County was now hers. 

This is a 'quick and dirty tree' of how Lucy and Columbus were related. 

                                    George Benjamin Whitley (1735-1800)

1st wife: Martha Castles                -                  2nd wife: Rebecca Honeycutt 

son: George Whitley II        -half brothers -     son: William "Old Billy" Whitley

with Caternah Tucker                                                 with Martha Hathcock

son:George N. Whitley III    -first cousins -            daughter: Lucinda H. "Lucy" Whitley

with Rebecca Lousie Cagle

son: Columbus Eli Whitley -  first cousins once removed - to Lucy Whitley.

In 1856, it was now William "Old Billy" Whitley taking Columbus to court. Columbus, who must have inherited some of his fathers wiles and wistless ways, was now 21 years old.

The witnesses in the case for William Whitley, plaintiff, were Allen Burris, James C. Tucker, John W. Morton and Lucy Whitley. As best as I can tell about the case, it was a Breach of Contract charge.

On June 2nd of 1858, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Columbus Whitley and his older brother, Benjamin Lindsey Whitley, who were under a bond of $200 and owed the Plaintiff damages of $100. The issue in question was "the relation of Lucy Whitley'.

In a Separate case, hitting the courts at the same time, Columbus Whitley was facing a charge of Bastardy, and ordered to pay, in conjunction with his brother Benjamin L. Whitley, who had signed a bond and contract for his younger brother, to Lucy Whitley, $60, in $25 increments.

Lucy had given birth to a child. a son, on August 24, 1855, whom she named Alexander.

On January 17, 1856, five months after the birth of his son, Columbus Whitley married Amarintha Eudy, daughter of William Ransom and Sarah Furr Eudy, aged 20.

On November 7, 1856, Aramantha Eudy Whitley gave birth to a son they would name Benjamin, probably after Columbus's brother.

In most of these cases, the woman or girl who had an out of wedlock pregnancy would be taken to court and ordered to name the father, who would then be found financially responsible for the child, for at least its first years of life. When the child was deemed old enough, it would then be "bound out" to an intact family, to learn a trade. Some of these situations were successful, especially if the child went to loving grandparents or an uncle. Other times, they were placed with tyrants and abusive guardians. Not all of them survived. The Whitleys were a different type of family and Lucy Whitley was a different kind of woman.

It seems that Columbus, in conjunction with his brother B. L. Whitley as bondsman, had entered into an agreement or contract of marriage, with Lucy Whitley, daughter of William Whitley. Lucy was not a loose woman, but within the promise of engagement, from a combination perhaps of infatuation and maybe fear of loss, she had given into Columbus's concupiscence and lusty overtures, such as young men become overwhelmed by.  Allen Burris, James C. Tucker, John W. Morton, Joseph Morton and of course, Lucy Whitley, were all witnesess to his promises of marriage. Columbus had broken his contract by marrying Aramantha "Rincy" Eudy and leaving Lucy, literally holding the bag, or should we say bundle. 

Alexander would be the only child Lucy would ever have, and she would protect him fiercely. He grew up knowing exactly who his father was.

1860

On November 8th, 1860, William Whitley sold to his daughter, Lucy Whitley, for $100 paid by "Lucinda H. Whitley" , a tract of land , beginning with a pine in Nathan Coleys' line, in a deed with about the worst handwriting I've ever attempted to read. The tract met T. A. Coley's corner, James Little's line, Davidson Whitley's line and back to Nathan Coley's property on Camp Branch. There was a stipulation for 'their proper use'. The witnesses were Thomas W P...n? and Davidson Whitley.

Neither Lucy or her parents were listed in the 1860 census. It appears they missed an entire hunk of Whitleys that has been deleterious and an incumbrance to my research into the origins of the Iredell County Whitleys, who were born in Stanly County.

Name	Columbus Whitley
Age	28
Birth Year	abt 1832
Gender	Male
Race	White
Home in 1860	Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office	Albemarle
Dwelling Number	1097
Family Number	1112
Occupation	Farmer
Real Estate Value	825
Personal Estate Value	400
Inferred Spouse	Amantha Whitley
Inferred Child	Benjamin Whitley; Ephreim Whitley

Household members

Name	Age
Columbus Whitley	28
Amantha Whitley	24
Benjamin Whitley
Ephreim Whitley	1

Columbus Whitley, with his little family, did appear in the 1860 census. He had acquired a third son, Ephraim, and seemed to have been close to the same spot he was before. His wife would have been expecting a fourth son, the third for her, at this time, Columbus Jr. and Columbus Sr. was about to enter the War. 

Columbus Whitley

He would survive and he and Aramantha would have five more children after his return from War. This was a total of eight for the two of them, six sons and two daughters, before Columbus's death on January 6, 1890. They settled and raised their family in Big Lick, Stanly County.

1870

Name	Lucy Whittey
Age in 1870	31
Birth Date	abt 1839
Birthplace	North Carolina
Dwelling Number	112
Home in 1870	Furr, Stanly, North Carolina
Race	White
Gender	Female
Post Office	Albemarle
Occupation	At Home
Cannot Read	Yes
Cannot Write	Yes

Household members

Name	Age
William Whittey	84
Martha Whittey	84
Lucy Whittey	31
Alex Whittey	15

In 1870, Lucy is the only child still living with her parents, Billy and Martha, who would live extraordinarily long lives. They are in Furr Township in westernmost Stanly County, and her son Alexander is listed as 15. He is one of the Alexanders I looked at in my search for the origins of William Alexander Whitley of Iredell, who was born in Stanly County in 1868. Ages can be very off in the census records in my experience.

Davidson Whitley

Living right next to William and Martha was their youngest son, Davidson, who seems to have been the man to take care of everything.

Name	Davidson Whitley
Age in 1870	39
Birth Date	abt 1831
Birthplace	North Carolina
Dwelling Number	111
Home in 1870	Furr, Stanly, North Carolina
Race	White
Gender	Male
Post Office	Albemarle
Occupation	Farmer
Male Citizen Over 21	Yes
Personal Estate Value	300
Real Estate Value	350
Inferred Spouse	Mary E Whitley
Inferred Children	William C Whitley; Lucy Whitley; Allen G Whitley; John Whitley; Judith Whitley; James D Whitley

Household members

Name	Age
Martha Whittey	8
Mary Whittey	6
Aranna Whittey	2
Samantha Whittey	8/12
Davidson Whitley	39
Mary E Whitley	37
William C Whitley	18
Lucy Whitley	17
Allen G Whitley	15
John Whitley	13
Judith Whitley	12
James D Whitley	10
Lura Barber	10
Lundy Barber	8
Mertha Barber	8

Davidson had married Mary Burris, the daughter of Allen Burris and wife Lucy Hinson Burris, just after the census, in 1850. Despite having ten children of their own already, they had taken in three little Barbee girls, a name seen in old records as Barbee, Barbara and Barber, for the same family. These girls were the daughters of Josiah Barber, who had passed in 1866, and wife Mary Little, who was still living. 

On April 13, 1876, Lucy's son, Alexander, would marry a Barber at age 19 or 20. She was named as Lorena on the marriage document, but as Cerena on her tombstone. 'Rena' was the daughter of Noah Barbee and Sophia Little. A year later, on February 1st, 1877, their daughter Flora E. Whitley was born. 

This happy beginning would soon be overshadowed by a tearful ending. On July 19, 1877, Cerena would pass away at the tender age of 19, her little daughter only five months old. She was buried at Meadow Creek Primitive Baptist Church in present day Locust.

Lucy would step in to help care for little Flora. It seems she was always there for Flora. Still, Alexander needed a helpmate, and would soon find one in the person of 17 year old Sarah A. Honeycutt, daughter of Thomas Franklin Honeycutt and wife, Elizabeth Dry.

 They were married on May  20th, 1878, in Furr Township, by Calvin H. Brooks, a Justice of the Peace, at his office. Alexander was now 22.

The young couple wasted no time expanding their family as their son Silas came 15 months later on August 17, 1879.

The family is shown in 1880, living next to Thomas A. Coley, so on the tract Lucy bought from her father, William, with the money she was awarded from her suit against Columbus Whitley in 1860. Alexander is 24, Sarah, 20, Flora is 3, and Silas is 9 months old. They are farming and Lucy, now 55, is boarding with them.

On the next page, the next home over, is the amazing listing of William and Martha Whitley, recorded as 100 years old each! What a reand markable and robust couple!

Alexanders' family would grow again on September 23, 1881 with the arrival of daughter Mary Magdalene. The happiness of this event would soon be eclipsed by misfortune.

Alexander Whitley would pass away just before his 26th birthday. His baby daughter was only 11 months old. As no one in the family died of any plague about this time, the cause may have been accidental in some way, more likely than illness, but cause unknown. Alexander would be buried with Cerena at Meadow Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Locust.

His brief estate file mentioned two children without guardian and his property going to "waste for want of such." Of course, Sarah was still living, but women rarely counted as guardians of their own children. There were three, not two, as Flora was still living, but she had a guardian, her grandmother, Lucy! A woman! Make that make sense. It may have been because Lucy owned property. 

Jumping ahead a bit, Flora E. Whitley would marry young, at the tender age of 16, to Adam Luther Furr, on October 6, 1893. As she was a minor, it was with the permission of her guardian, Lucy Whitley.

This was proof that Lucy had been appointed as Flora's guardian, not her Uncle, or her stepmother, but Lucy, who stepped in to make sure her orphaned granddaughter was raised right and taken care of.

There were more tragic events to happen during these last decades of the 19th century. A newspaper report quoting her father, Old Billy, at the age of 112, noted that he had lost his bride of 73 years, Martha, in 1881. She was 101!

Billy, himself, was legendary, but not immortal. William Whitley, himself, would finally succumb to the inevitable on March 14, 1890, in Locust, Stanly County, North Carolina. He was buried at the George Barbee Cemetery in Midland, Cabarrus County, North Carolina.

Lucy's youngest granddaughter, Mary Magdalene Whitley, would marry even younger than her sister, Flora. On February 28, 1895, at the tender age of 13, Magdalene became the bride of George Henderson Burris, 23, son of Hiram Alexander Burris and wife, Dovie Ellen Love.

1900

Surviving to bring in the new century was Lucy, as Head of Household at 72, Sarah, her daughter-in-law, 40, and grandson Silas, 20. Although it's a bit blurry, beneath them is listed the young family of Mary Magdalene Whitley Burris (or Boroughs), with her oldest daughter, Eva Lucinda, already born. 

Lucinda H. 'Lucy' Whitley would not inherit her parents longevity. She would pass away on December 2, 1902, and is buried at the Whitley Cemetery in Oakboro, NC.

As for her brother, Davidson Whitley, he had lost his first wife, Mary Burris, on June 12, 1872. He remarried, at 42, to Obedience "Beady" Hartsell Helms. Beady would pass away on December 28, 1902, just after he lost his sister Lucy. She was buried at Love's Grove United Methodist Church near Stanfield. 

Then something surprising happened!

Davidson Whitley, 73, married his nephew's widow, Sarah A. Honeycutt Whitley, 42. Apparently, her two children were not happy about it, but it served a purpose. Old Davidson had a three year old toddler that needed a mother and Sarah, after losing Lucy, had no where to live that was hers. 

They would have 13 good years together, before Davidson, seen above in old age, would pass away in 1916. Sarah, with an inheritance left by Davidson, would live to be 76. 

She passed away on August 9, 1937 and was buried with Davidson at Loves Grove.

Sarah was also a lioness, a tough woman who did what it took to survive.

The Descendants of Lucinda H. Whitley were: 

A) Alexander Whitley ( 24 August 1855 - 16 August 1882) by Columbus Eli Whitley.

Married 1st Cerena Barbee 1 child:

     Flora Elvetta Whitley (1877-1939) She married Adam Luther Furr and raised a family of 16 children, a few who died young, in Stanly and Cabarrus Counties.

The Furrs were: 1895 Luther, 1896 Bessie Lucinda, 1898 Electra, 1900 Margaret Serena, 1902 Silas Monroe, 1904 Charlie Lee, 1906 Jackson Adam, 1907 Eva Mae, 1910 Autie Martha, 1912 Millard, 1915 Ethel Grier, 1915 Infant Son, 1916 Infant Son, 1917 Raymond, 1918 Daniel Walter, 1920 William Houston. 

Married 2nd: Sarah Ann Honeycutt 2 children:

Silas Whitley (1879-1969) Married Nancy Ella Morgan; 8 children between 1901-1929: Lonnie Alexander, Ina Mae, Roy, Claude, Eunice, Eugene, Melvin and Lucille, whom they called Lucy.

Silas Whitley and wife Ella.

Mary Magdalene Whitley (1881-1968). Married George Henderson Burris, 11 children, born between 1897 and 1925:

Eva Lucinda, Arnold Jackson, Wade Hiram, Ira Alexander, Auta Ann, Odessa Bell, Lillie Jane, Iris Gretchen, Homer Melvin, Bobby Glenn and Silas. 

Lucinda Whitley was a lion. She only had one child and three grandchildren, but ended up with 35 Great Grandchildren.

She didn't accept the misfortune that life handed her, she vociferously repeled it, turning what might have been the ruin of a lesser woman into an  asset. She demanded her own property, unreliant on a man, unless otherwise necessary. She fought back for her good name, and won.

When I ruminate on the essence of the personage of Lucy Whitley, I always envision her as a Ginger, defiant, formidable and resonate, peering out from the caliginous past.