When someone begins this journey and receives the results of their DNA testing and sees the multiple countries of origin of their African roots, and then as many countries of origin of their European roots, their minds first go to tales of slavery and the abuse of enslaved women by their enslavers or the supervisory men placed over them by their enslavers, and often, that was the source of their European ancestry. But sometimes, it was not. With the increase in YDNA and MtDNA testing, it is shown that a great deal of racial mixing occurred prior to the plantation era and was the results of Irish indentured servants mixing with the earliest arrivals of Africans to the colonies. A majority of indentured servants did not live long enough to find themselves free with the dangers of the new colonies from disease, starvation, wars and attacks and outright murder. Punishments often ended in death, whether intentional or not. However, men were more likely to make it to freedom than women. An out-of-wedlock pregnancy would lead to more years added to their indenture, and when they were abused, as they often were, pregnancies would occur. Many found companionship among the other enslaved people, including African men. But that wasn't the only other source of European DNA in the African American diaspora.
Since I have begun researching my roots in Stanly and surrounding Counties that sometimes extends into neighboring states and beyond, I have run into a phenomenon that was not supposed to have existed, that was the existence of free white women who gave birth to mixed race children. A common occurrence now, this was not to have existed in the past, especially in the Civil War and Jim Crow eras, but it did. I have labeled my collection of the stories of these individuals as "The Women who did not exist, except that they did". I've found many of them, not only in Stanly County, but Montgomery County, Anson County, Rowan County, and I am sure every other county and every other state. They were not numerous, but neither were they rare.
I recently recounted the story of one of them, Charlotte Melton, a white woman with brown sons. She was a member of the Melton family who came to live in Stanly County from Eastern North Carolina around the turn of the 18th to 19th century. One of her sons married a white girl named Ann Byrd, and in the 1850's, they were brought up on charges of fornication, because the legality of their marriage was in question. These women existed, and for the most part, their offspring married into families that were either mixed, indigenous, or black. They existed prior to the Civil War, like Charlotte Melton, and after, as well. I believe some of the individuals disappeared from records due to foul play that was neither recorded nor reported, like the fate of Harris Melton, Charlotte's son, who died in 1855, just after the trial in Stanly County. Harris had moved to Gold Hill in Rowan County and was working in the mining industry there as a laborer. Mining is and was dangerous, and his demise may have been from that intrepid enterprise, but why was he brought back to Albemarle for burial and not buried in Gold Hill? And why was he buried in the Henry Marshall Cemetery?
So sometimes those European genes showing up in your 23 and me DNA test were not the result of pre- emancipation rape, but of 'wayward' white women who fell for darker-skinned men. The brief story below mentions one of them.
While searching for the mysterious "J. S. Honeycutt", the father of a woman named Arwelder who was the subject of my last post, I came across the following entries in the early court records of Union County, NC.
"Union County, April Session, 1850
Ordered by the court that a baseborn boy of color a child of Martha Honeycutt named Henry now about eight years be bound unto James Beckett until he arrive at the age of twenty-one years and (illegible) he find him good victuals and clothes, learn him the trade of laying stone and brick and give him fifty dollars when of age."
The next paragraph read nearly the same, a baseborn child of color, the son of Martha Honeycutt, named Monroe, "now about six years old", was bound to James Beckett until he reached the age of 21 to learn the trade of laying stone and brick. These children were not slaves, they were intended to be more like apprentices, but were they?
These were not the children of slaves. Those would not have been brought to this court or mentioned in this record. Martha Honeycutt, the mother, was not a slave or a person of color herself. She was white. Her sons were not.
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| James Beckett/Bickett in the 1850 census of Union County. |
Beckett/ Bickett and his wife, Elizabeth, are shown at the bottom of the page, meaning his entry continues on the next one.
Here, we find the list of 'Bickett' children, listed in an indicated 'jail'. Of course they were not in jail. It only revealed that their father resided at the place or house that was serving as the jail. These individuals included Harriett Bickett, 18, James S. Bickett, 15, Thomas M. Bickett, 13 and Mary Jane Bickett, 11. Fifteen-year-old James was noted as being a brick mason. He was also born in Mecklenburg County, as opposed to his nearest older and younger siblings, Harriett and Thomas, who were born in Anson County. Also in the residence was L. A. Winchester, 24, first labeled a merchant. That title was stricken out and replaced with the occupation of 'clerk'. He was related to the previously mentioned Winchesters, a neighbor.
Next in the residence was 22 year old Jacob M. Long, a School Teacher. For some odd reason, the year was written beside his name. He seems to have been the only individual in the Beckett household, aka 'the jail', who was in jail. In the column labeled "Whether deaf and dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper or convict" were the words 'Assault and Battery'. So, he was not a house guest.
Last, but not least, we find the two little boys bound to him by the court. Henry Honeycutt, age 7, male, mulatto, was listed as being born in Anson County, NC. His brother, 'Munroe', just 5, was listed as being born in Stanly County. This gives us three counties in which to search for their mother, Martha Honeycutt.
The page continued a list of those who lived in the small, but industrious town; J T Griffin, Clerk of Superior Court and his family, born in Lancaster County, SC, his wife, Mary, born in Mecklenburg County, NC and their children all born in Union County; House Carpenter A. G. Snipes from Johnston County, NC; Merchant Hugh Houston and his family and boarders, a clerk named James Rogers, and retailer of spirits, Hezekiah William and Mr. William B. Skipper. Next was Hotel Keeper, William H. Hart from Lancaster County, South Carolina, his family, and the boarders in his hotel, which included teachers, attorneys, saddlers and other tradesmen.
So, who exactly was James Beckett or Bickett, and by the way, which spelling was correct?
Born March 31, 1802, James Beckett, Jr. was the son of James S. Beckett, Sr., an Irish immigrant from Carha, Silgo, Ireland, himself the son of Samuel Bickett and Mary Stuart Shannon. Notice the change in spelling. James Sr. married in 1794 to Elizabeth Osborne, an American girl, in Mecklenburg County, NC. They are found in Salisbury, in the 1800 census, so James Jr. may have been born in Rowan County. He grew up in Mecklenburg County, however, and as Union County was formed from portions of Anson and Mecklenburg, it appears they had settled in the part of Mecklenburg that became Union County.
All of the Bickett children were educated and it served them well in the generations to follow, as they became professionals and leaders in their communities. James Sr. remained in Mecklenburg County until at least 1840, then he and his wife, Elizabeth removed to Tallapoosa, Tallapoosa County, Alabama, with some of their children, particularly William, their youngest son who survived to adulthood, Rev. Samuel Capers Beckett, and their daughters, Margaret and Sarah, who had married two brothers with the surname Wolfe. It appears to be the older children who remained in North Carolina.
The Bickett Sr.'s are found in Alabama in 1852 and their tenancy there was brief, as James Sr. passed away on September 8, 1852, and his wife, Elizabeth, would return to Monroe, North Carolina, where she is found in the 1860 census living with one of her younger daughters. She died there on July 25, 1861, at the age of 85. The body of Elizabeth Tabitha Osbourne Beckett is thought to have been transported to Tallapoosa, Alabama to have been interred beside her husband. On a train, probably, can you imagine?
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| Sarah Beckett Wolfe and her husband, George, in old age, sister of James Beckett and last caretaker of their mother, Elizabeth Tabitha Osborne Beckett |
James Beckett Jr. remained in Monroe for quite some time after his parents and younger siblings meandered down to Alabama. His name appears often in court records of the era, primarily in reference to his station as jailer, or constable, or in his later métier as an Innkeeper pursuing debts. However, one of his primary and germinal skills appears to have been that of a Stonemason, one he passed on to multiple sons and was bound to impart to children placed in his care, or bondage, however one may chose to regard the condition.
Just before the denouement of the Civil War, James Beckett appears in an indenture ordered by the Court that Harriett Watts, a free girl of color, only ten years old, " be bound to James Beckett to live with the said James Beckett to live with the said James Beckett after the manner of an apprentice until she arrives at the age of 21 years and the said James Beckett is to feed, clothe, said Harriett comfortably and at full age is to give her one hundred dollars in money and a bed and furniture suitable to her color and a good freedom set of clothes." Did he fulfill his obligations?
On October 25, 1866, James Beckett of Union County, NC appears by signature on a petition found in the US Freedman's Bureau records nominating William Harding Broom for the office of A.(illegible) Agent for the Bureau, signed by the Governor of the State, Jonathan Worth, who served from 1865 to 1968, during the early years of Reconstruction. While there was a buffet of rationale for signing such a document, it tended to be antipodal to the dominate attitudes of the region which was based in resistance. It was a pragmatic and beneficial action that could have positive results for former slave holders in the possibilities of the restoration of confiscated lands, and aiding in establishing labor contracts between property owners and freedmen, in the face of the attrition of the labor force due to the ravages of War and the migration of many of the manumitted. James Beckett had the discernment to survive the aftermath of the upheaval with little impairment.
| Name | James Bickett |
|---|---|
| Age in 1870 | 68 |
| Birth Date | abt 1802 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Dwelling Number | 5 |
| Home in 1870 | Monroe, Union, North Carolina |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Male |
| Post Office | Monroe |
| Occupation | Keeping House |
| Male Citizen Over 21 | Yes |
| Personal Estate Value | 200 |
| Real Estate Value | 1000 |
| Inferred Spouse | Elizabeth Bickett |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| James Bickett | 68 |
| Elizabeth Bickett | 64 |
| Mary J Delorme | 30 |
| James E Delorme | 8 |
| Harriet Watts | 16 |
In 1870, James Beckett had remained an Innkeeper, still living in the middle of the town of Monroe, between a Lawyer and the Clerk of Superior Court. Among the household was 16 year old Harriett Watts, said to be a Domestic Servant, not an intern. It appears that Harriett, at least, survived her term of Indenture, to marry and become a mother, and live to see the turn of a new century. She is buried at Watts Grove Baptist Church in Monroe.
James Beckett did not remain in North Carolina in his old age, either. It is my notion that this removal to another state in the winter of ones life was not the resultant of seeking greener pastures as it would have been among a more youthful generation, but instead was a grapple for security and care in the waning years of a life. Hence, James and wife, Elizabeth Ross Beckett, being found in different households in 1880, in Georgia.
James and Elizabeth were the parents of seven well-educated children.
- John Wade Hampton Beckett (1825-1864), a farmer and married father of five, had also married into the Wolfe family, like his aunts. He was a Corporal in the Confederate Army and met his end at Orange County Courthouse, Virginia.
- Theresa C. "Tressie" Beckett ( 1826-1888) Married Abel Laney Funderburk and relocated to Decatur County, Georgia and was the mother of 13 children.
- Harriett E. Beckett (1832-1850) Married William Franklin Windell and died a newlywed five short weeks after her wedding.
- James Sample Beckett (1836-18700, a Master Stone and Brick Mason, died unmarried at age 34 in Decatur County, Georgia.
- Dr. Thomas Winchester Bickett (1836-1888), a Physician, retained the "Bickett" spelling of the name, and survived his service in the Civil War. He married Mary Ann "Mollie" Covington and remained in Monroe, becoming a father of five.
- Mary Jane Bickett (1839 - after 1900) Married 1st to James Edward Delorme, Sr., having one son of the same name born 2 weeks posthumously to his father's death as a Civil War casualty in West Virginia on October 14, 1862. Her son was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She returned home to her parents and is shown above with them in the 1870 census. She later settled in Kershaw County, South Carolina and married Andrew Jackson Baker, with whom she had two children, Lillian in 1875 and James Edgar in 1879. It is unknown what happened to Mr. Baker, but in 1880, Mary Jane is found in a boarding house with 5 year old Lilly and 6 month old E.J.. He may have been out looking for a new place to settle, or working, or he may have passed away, like her first husband. She is last found in the 1900 census, living with her married daughter, Lilly Simms in Williamsburg County, South Carolina, where both of her younger children settled, while her firstborn took up with his paternal family and settled in Atlanta.
- Rachel Louise Bickett (1829-1909) Married a Funderburk, like her oldest sister, Theresa. Hers was named George Washington, and they also settled in Decatur County, Georgia, raising a family of 11 children, a few who died young. the birthplaces of the children reveal the timing and their path of migration, as the oldest five were born in Lancaster County, South Carolina, ending with James Sample Funderburk, born in 1854 and picking up with the birth of Elizabeth Desdemona Funderburk in 1857 in Decatur County, Georgia, where Rachel died in 1909, at the age of 54.
| Name | Rachel Funderbuck |
|---|---|
| Age | 51 |
| Birth Date | Abt 1829 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Home in 1880 | Pine Hill, Decatur, Georgia, USA |
| Dwelling Number | 231 |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Female |
| Relation to Head of House | Wife |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse's Name | George W. Funderbuck |
| Father's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Occupation | Housekeeper |
| Neighbors | View others on page |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| George W. Funderbuck | 57 |
| Rachel Funderbuck | 51 |
| Laura J. Funderbuck | 21 |
| Jefferson G. Funderbuck | 19 |
| Josephine L. Funderbuck | 17 |
| Mary E. Funderbuck | 14 |
| James S. Funderbuck | 25 |
| Elizabeth Beckett | 74 |
The 1880 census shows Rachel as the caretaker of her mother, Elizabeth, 74.
| Name | James Bickett |
|---|---|
| Age | 78 |
| Birth Date | Abt 1802 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Home in 1880 | Pine Hill, Decatur, Georgia, USA |
| Dwelling Number | 230 |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Male |
| Relation to Head of House | Father |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Father's Birthplace | Ireland |
| Mother's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Neighbors | View others on page |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Tricia C. Funderbuck | 55 |
| Robert S. Funderbuck | 18 |
| Effie Funderbuck | 12 |
| James Bickett | 78 |
While Theresa was the caretaker of her father, James, 78. Elizabeth passed away in 1888, while James endured until 1917, being buried at the Brinson Cemetery in Decatur. But, back to the Honeycutt's. I still ponder Becketts motives for garnering the indentures of freeborn, but illegitimate, or orphaned children of color. Was he a benevolent guardian or a malevolent master? Were the children bound to him because of his skill set without his own bartering, or did he seek them out as a source of cheap labor?
But there was one more.
Martha had an older son. In the 1850 census, 11-year-old William Honeycutt, mulatto, was living in the home of Tilman Helms, a farmer in Union County, but not inside the town of Monroe. One of Tilman's sons was a merchant and his neighbors were farmers, save one, Dugald Carter, a Shoemaker whose son was a miner.
I have an ancestor named Tillman Helms, but this was not the same one.
This was the son of Isaac Helms, as shown in the family tree above.
The difference between William and the younger Henry and Monroe, is that he is found in the 1860 census, living in Union County, in the Monroe Post Office District. And he's not alone.
William is a Day Laborer, his age given as 19 here, placing his year of birth between 1839 and 1841, from the two census records, so around two to four years older than Henry. He's still living among a number of Helms', next to Levi Helms, a Stage Contractor and Dresser. William is a newlywed, married to Mary, 18, also a mulatto. This is still before the Civil War, so Mary was also a free person of color. That term covered free persons of any ethnicity, or mix of ethnicities, other than white. At this point, in this place, it appeared to be a catch-all, and in the area, most with this labor were either mixed race individuals with black and white heritage, or Native Americans. Free Africans with no European heritage were labeled "B" for black.
William and Mary were included in the marriage documents, and revealed her maiden name was Richardson. The Richardsons, white, were a large slave-holding family found primarily in Anson and Union Counties. Mary was most likely of black and white heritage, source unknown.
No parents were named and the wedding was performed by G. W. Hargett. They're not found in the 1870. This couple seemed to weave and wave through various counties and even states until William was alone and ended up returning home and living out his last, and very long, days, although not as long as his death records indicate. I've seen this before. In those days, some, when they could no longer press for youth, embraced their long-lived status, claiming to be much older than they were. Papers would advertise an individual's age as near 100, or over, while earlier records would indicate they were factually around 80 or so.
William was found in the 1920 census, working for a family as a laborer, with his age given as 95. But it was his death certificate that intrigued me most.
William Honeycutt, the brown William Honeycutt, died on November 13, 1924. His cause of death was labeled Old age, and I recognize the word "palsy", but otherwise, the script is illegible. He was widowed and a resident of the County Home when he died and buried at the cemetery located there.
It was the excerpt above, where his parents' names were to be recorded, that caught my eye. His father was written in as an "Unknown Indian" and his mother as an "Unknown White Woman". We know that his mother was named Martha Honeycutt because of the Court records. In the death certificate, William had been given "Indian" as his race.
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| 1920 |
There are those online who have this William Honeycutt conflated with a William Monroe Honeycutt who married Ophelia Pheobe Medlin, but that William was a white man, and the son of a William Honeycutt and Mary Fairley Love Honeycutt.. His father had passed away in the late 1840's.
Above is shown Mary's petition for her year's allowance as a widow, dated July term, 1850.
| Name | Mary Honeycut |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Race | White |
| Residence Age | 43 |
| Birth Date | abt 1807 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Residence Date | 1850 |
| Home in 1850 | Union, North Carolina, USA |
| Line Number | 38 |
| Dwelling Number | 1114 |
| Family Number | 1114 |
| Inferred Child | Sarah Honeycut; Wm Honeycut; Dempsey Honeycut; Elizabeth Honeycut; Jane Honeycut; Susanna Honeycut |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Jane Honeycut | 8 |
| Susanna Honeycut | 6 |
| Mary Honeycut | 43 |
| Sarah Honeycut | 21 |
| Wm Honeycut | 20 |
| Dempsey Honeycut | 18 |
| Elizabeth Honeycut | 10 |
And this is Mary's household in 1850, with her six children, and William aged 20. He was not the "Indian" or "mulatto" William. William Monoe Honeycutt married Phoebe Ophelia Medlin in 1853. His year of death is unknown, but his descendants, some of them, have commandeered the death records of "Brown William", which is inaccurate.
Martha Honeycutt, who appears to have lived in both Union and Stanly County, appears to have had a great deal in common with Charlotte Melton from my earlier post. She gave birth to several darker-skinned sons, while she was white, outside of marriage. The father in both instances appears to have been Native American.
This leads back to the question of who Martha Honeycutt was, and where did this group of Honeycutt's come from? Searching for a Martha Honeycutt in the 1850 census of Union, Stanly, and even Cabarrus or Anson Counties, we find four Martha's, however, there was only one old enough, (or young enough), to have been the mother of these little boys. The others were just children, in the same age range of the boys, or far past their child-bearing years. This was Martha, the daughter of Lewis and Polly Rowland Honeycutt. She would shortly afterwards marry a Sides and have a lengthy marriage and many children. I do not believe this was the same Martha. There was no indication, and in this time and setting, she would have been a pariah among possible brides.
The search for the origins of these boys appeared to be a dead end, but there were clues.
GW Hargett
George Washington Hargett had applied with William Honeycutt on the marriage bond with Mary Richardson. There was only one man in the area that this shoe fit, the son of Daniel Hargett and Mary "Polly" Kesiah Hargett. He was born about 1830 and was a contemporary of William Honeycutt. I've found no other connection between George and William, and one can surmise they were probably just friends.
Looking back to the 1840 census, for Honeycutt's that may have lived in this same area of Union County that neared the Stanly County border, we have to look in Anson County, as Union would not be founder until two years later. Union was born in 1842 as the child of Anson and Mecklenburg, with its portions from the west side of Anson and east side of Mecklenburg. Knowing Martha's children were born in Stanly, and then in Union Counties, the Anson County census was the one that held the part of Union that now borders Stanly.
Here, of interest, we find the listing for "Bry T Honeycutt. While not definitive, I believe this given name may have been an abbreviation of "Bryant". I can't find anything else on Bryant, or anything close to this name or abbreviation, in Anson, Union, or any nearby counties in North Carolina. There was a Bryant Honeycutt, born June 15, 1828, in North Carolina, possibly Anson, who married Sureptia Bridges, and previously to a lady named Margaret, to Scott County, Tennessee prior to 1850. He was buried there in 1898.
The above clip shows B. Honeycutt on a list of the area that begins with Henry Marshall and Dominic Morton, both who would also show residence in Montgomery (Stanly) County during their lifetimes. There also is my ancestor Stark Ramsey, who lived around the Burnsville area, and a few Broadways, who did also. His name appears closest to my distant cousins, John and Milton Winfield, brothers, and sons of Edward Winfield, my fifth Great Granduncle. They lived along the Rocky River, which borders Anson and Stanly Counties.
A variant view of the 1840 census of Union County shows a family of five, with the Head of Household being a young man in his 20's, three females: one in her 20's, a teen between 15 and 19 and a younger girl between 10 and 14. The final family member was a male under 10 who was a free person of color who could have been William. What was this family makeup? A young man whose parents were deceased and his sisters? A married couple in their twenties with two young sisters or boarders? This can't be determined, but one of the older two females could have been Martha, and the little boy, William.
The 1870 census of Scott County, Tennessee, shows an older Bryant Honeycutt, with his family, surrounded by other Bridges (his wife Surepta's family) and other Honeycutt's. Could this have been the same family?
And then there was Sam.
1830 West Pee Dee
In the 1830 census of West Pee Dee, we find a Samuel Honeycutt, listed near William Wall, Lewis Springer and the John Furrs, Junior and Senior, in an area that would become Stanly.
A different view of the same family reveals a family of seven, two adults and five children, all free whites.
| Name | Saml Honeycut |
|---|---|
| Home in 1830 (City, County, State) | West Side Pee Dee River, Montgomery, North Carolina |
| Free White Persons - Males - Under 5 | 1 ? |
| Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9 | 2 Mike & ? |
| Free White Persons - Males - 40 thru 49 | 1 Sam |
| Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9 | 2 Mary & ? |
| Free White Persons - Females - 30 thru 39 | 1 Nancy |
| Free White Persons - Under 20 | 5 |
| Free White Persons - 20 thru 49 | 2 |
| Total Free White Persons | 7 |
| Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored) | 7 |
However, ten years later, this same family has relocated temporarily to Cabarrus County.
1840 Cabarrus
| Name | Samuel Henrycutt |
|---|---|
| Residence Date | 1840 |
| Home in 1840 (City, County, State) | Cabarrus, North Carolina |
| Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 14 | 1 |
| Free White Persons - Males - 30 thru 39 | 1 |
| Free White Persons - Males - 40 thru 49 | 1 |
| Free White Persons - Females - 15 thru 19 | 1 |
| Free White Persons - Females - 40 thru 49 | 1 |
| Free Colored Persons - Males - Under 10 | 3 |
| Free Colored Persons - Females - Under 10 | 2 |
| Persons Employed in Agriculture | 2 |
| Free White Persons - Under 20 | 2 |
| Free White Persons - 20 thru 49 | 3 |
| Total Free White Persons | 5 |
| Total Free Colored Persons | 5 |
| Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves | 10 |
The ages match up somewhat exact with where Sam's family will appear later, with one exception, they have five free children of color in their home, all under the age of ten. Was Martha Honeycutt a member of this family, and were these her children? Did she have more than three?
1850 Burnsville, Anson County.
Jumping ahead another decade, they have relocated once again to the Burnsville area of Anson County. They are living next to James Ramsey, a son of the afore mentioned Stark Ramsey, my kin. This puts them in the same area that had been occupied by Bryant (?) Honeycutt.
Sam is 70 and his wife, Nancy, is 60. An older, known son, Tillman Michael Honeycutt, was already an adult with his own family, living in the same general area. The others found in the Honeycutt home, in addition to Samuel and his wife, Nancy, were an 8-year-old Lucy, possibly a grandchild, and likely daughters, Mary, 25, Betsy, 16 and son, Ander, 13.
1860
This year, Sam and Nancy are accompanied by a daughter or granddaughter, perhaps, named Margaret, age 19 and an infant, 6-month-old, Sarah, who may have been her daughter. Margaret is a day laborer, and it is noted that Sam was a pauper, and while it was showing him as 65, although he was counted as 70 a decade prior, this was the same family. I've seen hundreds of instances in my years of research proving that age was tentative and variable in these documents.
The neighborhood was much the same in 1860. The family is still in the Burnsville District of Anson County. He's still on the same page as James Ramsey and with several Carpenters, descendants of Thomas Carpenter, shown at the bottom of the page in 1850. There is also Ben Hudson, a brother of Stanly County's infamous Joshua Hudson Jr. of Ugly Creek in Stanly County, and Stokes McIntyre, who was the estranged husband of my second Great Grandmother's sister, Elizabeth Murray McIntyre and had resided on the other side of the Rocky River, in Tyson Township, Stanly County, prior to moving to Anson County. He is buried at Rocky Mount Baptist Church, just across the river. On the same page was another Murray sister, Rebecca, and her husband, Richard Poplin.
Sam Honeycutt apparently died between 1860 and 1870.
His widow, Nancy, is shown as 68, having been enumerated as 66 in 1860. Margaret, who was seen as 19 in 1860, has advanced 12 years instead of 10, and shown as 31. There are two small children living in the home now, possibly the children of Margaret; Clementine, 6, and Melinda, 2. Nancy was living in the household of Marion Blackman, who had married her daughter, Mary.
The neighborhood reveals that Nancy and her remaining family were still in the same place as they had been since 1850.
They were still among the descendants of my ancestors, Thomas Carpenter and Stark Ramsey, as well as the Ledbetters, again. They lived right next to Stokes McIntyre, now, who was back with his wife, Elizabeth. Living in their home were two Huneycutt children, Levi, 12 and Elizabeth, 8. Future records would show that these were the illegitimate children of Stokes McIntyre and Margaret Honeycutt. Like other Civil Wars Veterans who had returned alive, Stokes McIntyre seems to have maintained, or generated, two families simultaneously.
The 1880 census was the last one for most of Sam and Nancy's children.
It would also reveal relationships, showing that Nancy had passed away, and Mary's husband had abandoned her to return to South Carolina, where he was from. She was now the Head of Household and had returned to her maiden name of Honeycutt. Margaret is shown as her sister, and although Margaret was not in the 1850 census, the child, Lucy was, and born within a year of Margaret's probable age, so I believe Margaret and Lucy was one and the same. She had continued to have more children, adding John W. Honeycutt, aged 7, to Tiney (Clementine), now 15 and Melinda, now 11. They seem to have been living in the Honeycutt homeplace, and while Stokes McIntyre had passed away in 1875, this last child, John William Honeycutt-McIntyre claimed him as father as well. It appears that Margaret Honeycutt was the mother of six children with Stokes McIntyre.
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| Marriage License of John William (Honeycutt) McIntyre, naming his parents as Stokes McIntyre and Margaret Honeycutt. |
The younger son of Sam and Nancy Honeycutt, Ander or Andrew, despite not showing up with them in the 1860 census, died on August 30, 1862, in Richmond County, Virginia, a Civil War Casualty.
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| Elizabeth "Eliza" or "Betsy" Honeycutt in 1860 |
Daughter Elizabeth "Betsy" Honeycutt, struck out on her own, finding work and refuge among the Burnsville Lee family.
| Name | John W. Honeycut |
|---|---|
| Age | 22 |
| Birth Date | Abt 1858 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Home in 1880 | Burnsville, Anson, North Carolina, USA |
| Dwelling Number | 181 |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Male |
| Relation to Head of House | Son |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Father's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Mother's Name | Eliza Honeycut |
| Mother's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Occupation | Farmer hand |
| Months Not Employed | 3 |
| Neighbors | View others on page |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| John W. Honeycut | 22 |
| Eliza Honeycut | 50 |
She is last seen in the 1880 census, living with her own son, John W. Honeycutt, not to be confused with her nephew of the same name, who was twenty years younger than his cousin.
Mary Honeycutt remained childless.
Oldest son, Michael "Mike" Honeycutt was first married to a woman named Lavina. He is also found in Cabarrus County in 1840, like his father.
He would marry Lucinda "Lucy" Ramsey in 1871, daughter of Holden Ramsey, another Stark Ramsey son, after the family had relocated to Burnsville, Anson County. He was the father of five. I believe this is the family that Martha Honeycutt sprang from, due to circumstance, location, and the process of elimination.
There was another, large Honeycutt family who had settled in the "Winchester" area of Union County, and that was the family of Dempsey J Honeycut (1807-1867), who had married Tabitha Helms and moved to Mississippi. They were the parents of 11 children that bore many of the same names that ran through the Samuel Honeycutt line, including oldest son, Samuel Wilburn Honeycut (1836- 1905). This line has been much better documented, and Dempsey was a common given name among the Honeycutt's hailing back to an earlier Dempsey. He was supposedly the son of a Dempsey Jr. (1787-1856). They may have been related to Samuel.
Martha Honeycutt and her sons were square pegs among the Rocky River community in the 19th century. She joins the club of the women who didn't exist, except that they did. While I found no answers, I found possibilities. I wonder who these Indigenous fathers were that left free brown children among the Rocky River population of settlers and crossed the color-lines along with that flooded ditch.
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