Nearly everyone in Stanly County, and its surrounding neighbors, who descend from a Hudson, descend from a guy named Joshua Hudson. Old Josh had a large family. I didn't realize how far his reach was until I drove an hour to work to end up meeting a lady who worked for me who was a descendant of old Joshua. The man had a large family. And he lived a long time. He had those two things going for him that has rendered him a fecund patriarch. I'm not one of his descendants, but my nonbiological grandmother was. I loved her as much as if she was a part of my DNA, but unfortunately, she wasn't. I researched her tree, anyway, for my Daddy, to give him some answers. I'm proud to say I did.
What I found out about old Joshua Hudson of Ugly Creek was that he was an interesting man. He, however, left a legacy to his offspring that left them spinning tires in the muck. Stuck, they were, behind a trail of facts, they thought, that were not exactly true. When I began tracing my own Hudson roots, stemming from a man who lived in Anson County name Joachim Hudson, I didn't think my line would run into that of Joshua Hudson. I quickly found out that it didn't just run into that of Joshua's, it slapped up against it like a slice of bologna on a slice of white bread. This is what I discovered.
My older post on Joachim, or Joakim, gives a little insight. It can be viewed here
There were multiple newspapers articles published in the local papers of Stanly and surrounding counties, concerning Joshua Hudson, and these many stories served to amplify his persona. The one above, from around 1895, claimed 24 children, 105 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren. It also claimed that he was born where Darlington, S. C. stands. Nothing I've seen would suggest that. I believe, instead, that the Darlington connection hails back to the fact that most of the family of Joachim Hudson, the uncle who raised him and his siblings after his father died, moved to Darlington, South Carolina after the death of Joachim. The group included Sarah Hickson Hudson, Joachim's widow and second wife, and his son Elijah, who may have been the source of Joshua's name for one of his own sons, later. Now, Joshua and his siblings may have also went to Darlington, South Carolina, with the family, at that time, but then returned to Anson to reclaim their inheritance and the lands of their father, Joshua Hudson, Sr. when they got a little older. So, mark Darlington, SC as one location that was claimed to be the birthplace of Joshua Hudson of Ugly Creek.
Stories about old Joshua Hudson of Ugly Creek came along often over the years in the newspapers, often announcing the annual family reunion.
One Mr. Charles Harris McSwain, a grandson of Joshua, was the anointed family historian of the Hudson Clan.
He organized the yearly reunion, with the help of some of his cousins for decades.
One claim was descent from among the first settlers of Maryland. That statement proves to be true. A Captain Christopher Hudson of Hanover County is mentioned. I don't know who this person was, and I've not seen a Christoper in the list for this family.
Still in this same family, the following claims were made:
- That Joshua Hudson was a plantation owner.
- That he was a combat soldier during the Mexican War.
- He bred red "cranberry colored" horse.
- The horses jumped pine rail fences on fox hunts.
Mention was made of the old family cemetery, which still exists and of children ruining their Sunday clothes in the red dirt of Ugly Creek. Claim was made that "William" Joshua Hudson held family reunions on Saturdays, beginning in the 1830's. These claims were made in 1971, and his first name is given as William. Keep that in mind..
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The above portion of article is from 1963 and tells of a deed from August 5, 1880, wherein Joshua gave a tract of land near "the old Spring" to the school district, hopefully to build a school. The school committee was named as P. A. Harward, Henry Cooper, O.H. Upchurch, and J.M Harward. A schoolmaster named Mr. Kendall was named.
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- He was born in Tidewater Virginia on June 1, 1776.
- He settled in Stanly County prior to 1841 following a quarter of a century living in Anson County.
Above, from the same 1969 article, the reason for the mule-pulled wagon was given as Joshua's service in the Mexican War.
This same article claimed that Joshua Hudson had been a large land owner and that he:
- Pastured 1000 sheep a year.
- Marketed the year's wool in Fayetteville.
- Was fond of mutton.
1928 was much closer to the actual time period in which Joshua had lived than the previous articles. Let's see what knowledge was shared in this one.
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This article gave specifics of Joshua Hudson's service in the Mexican War. Among them were:
- He settled in Stanly County after 1848.
- He was a member of Captain Henry A. Area's (Arey:?) Company of the First Regiment of NC Foot Volunteers which was organized in Concord.
- The unit was organized at Concord by Captain Martin Shine in January of 1847.
- The unit was called into Service at Charlotte on Jan. 22, 1847 and was discharged near Smithfield, NC on August 7th, 1848.
The Facts
Overview of Captain Martin Shine & Company C
- Military Unit: Company C, which consisted of volunteers from the region (noted in historical rosters as organized with a company presence at Concord in Cabarrus County and associated with Anson County volunteers).
It is also fact that Captain Martin Shine's Company C. contained Anson County volunteers, but not only ones from Anson. There were men from Cabarrus, Union, Montgomery and Iredell, too.
I found at digital.ncdcr.gov the above page listed as "Roster of NC Troops, in the war with Mexico being the muster out rolls of the First Regiment of NC foot Volunteers and companies G. & I."
There is a Private William J. Hudson in a Muster-Out Roll on page 16, line 14 of this record.. There is no "Joshua Hudson". There was also a Lemuel Hudson and Richard R. Hudson.
I turned to Fold3, a trusty source for military records.
There is one sheet for William G. Hudson, corrected to show a different version as William J. Hudson. It doesn't state where he was from, exactly, just North Carolina, or give his age, or any other identify factors.
I found a Joshua Hudson among Company D of the 3rd Texas Mounted Volunteer.
This soldier signed up in Clarksville, Texas and mustered in San Antonio. Looks like this fellow was a Texan.
So, there was a William J. Hudson in the Mexican War, but there were several William Hudsons in the area that could have been him. Would it be more likely that the soldier was a 30 year old man, a 19 years old boy, or a 50 year old father of a dozen children by then? That's up to the reader to ponder. Personally, I question the veracity of the claim, and wonder if this document for this individual is where the "William" got tacked on to his name. Was this an attempt by Mr. McSwain to portray his grandfather or great grandfather as doughty and portentous? Did he indite as image of the prodigious Joshua Hudson that include pulling info from a found record that may not have been veridical, including adding a name? I've seen this before in people's early attempts at genealogy.
Example, there are still those who try to merge my ancestor Rev. John Lambert with another John Lambert who lived in Chatham County and whose children largely migrated over into Randolph County. This was an entirely different family and this John was not only much wealthier than mine, but had a wife named Mary. I continuously see my 5th Great Grandmother with a "Mary" tacked on to her name, although she was an entirely different person who was not named Mary, simply because they are trying to merge two individuals into one.
I'm not saying the exultant attorney McSwain outright fabricate the facts of his grandfather's life, or this one in particular. He very well could have found this record and truly believed it was his predecessor. What I am questioning is, was it really?
The Stanly News-Herald
Albemarle, North Carolina Tuesday, March 23, 1926
The next part of the article made more claims concerning Ebens father, and Charles's grandfather, or great grandfather, I'm not yet clear on that, Joshua Hudson, who had first established a homesite on Ugly Creek. The claims were:
- That Joshua had moved to Stanly County after the Mexican War, "when he was yet a young man." (He would have been around 50 years old. The Mexican War ended in 1847-1848. Joshua was born in 1796, one claim was 1776, but from all available records while he was living, it was a non-moving 1796).
- That he and his family had moved from New York to the Blue Ridge Mountains of N. C. in 1800.
- That he was of English lineage.
- That he had a great and fiery temper, which he sometimes could not control.
- That he was too old to serve in the Civil War but sent several sons.
Continuing, the article by Mr. McSwain made even greater bombastic claims. Was this hyperbole, or had it actually happened? Among the outlandish assertions were:
- That Joshua dressed in white flax all of his life.
- That an encampment of Union Troop patrols existed on Ugly Creek.
- That Joshua Hudson confronted the Yankees with an ax on the steps of his smokehouse as they attempted to commandeer rations.
The story continued with the declaration that the troops had halted, faced with this now 70-year-old figure in white, and the troops had meekly inquired as to what his objections were to their stealing his meat supplies. That Joshua had met them with profanity and threatened to behead them. The implausible tail ended with the troops, consisting of multiple men of an unknown number, then turned with the pusillanimity of rabbits and marched away from the old man empty handed.
Okay... the article continued.
The ending of the article told of Joshua's 1000 acres and orchard of apples trees from which he made apple cider, would host massive parties of over 100 guests, threw a fat calf on the bar-b-que and everyone would eat, drink and be merry until they passed out, satiated and soused. The old man died, the son took over and was not able to maintain the great orchards and pastures of his father, but still enjoyed a "bibulous gourd" of cider.
The subject of the article returns to Eben, who though does not continue the "grandeur" of the exaggerated past, owned 100 acres and a sawmill, corn mill and cotton gin along the banks of Ugly Creek, and was a successful farmer. He had married three times and was married still. He had adopted and raise an orphan girl, along with his own family. Eben collected pocketknives and would help dig graves for free. He was a good butcher.
Eben Hudson entertained himself in his later days by whittling.
We jump ahead 23 years now from 1926 to 1949. How had the story of Joshua Hudson evolved in that time?
The Albemarle Enterprise
Albemarle, North Carolina Thursday, May 12, 1949
The above was a letter to the Editor of The Albemarle Enterprise, from a Great Grandson. This descendant claimed:
- Lewis Hudson (oldest son) lived to be 97. (James (1821-1864) was the oldest. Lewis died at 92)
- Lucinda Hudson Swaringen lived to be 92. (Lucinda (1835-1932) lived to be 97. Looks like he mixed the two up).
- Sally Hudson Hinson lived to be 90. (Sarah (1828-1920) lived to be 92.
- Patsy Hudson Howard lived to almost 90. (Martha (1822-1901) was 78 when she died.
- Liz Hudson Cooper lived to be 80 plus. (Elizabeth (18317-1909) lived to be 72.
- "Lige" (Elijah) and Eben Hudson both lived to be near 80. (Elijah 1834-1917 lived to be 82 and Eben (1861-1942) lived to be 81.)
- No one used birth control. (What did they have available then?)
- He had a multitude of descendants from Florida to Alaska. (I don't doubt it).
- He walked from Stanly County, NC to Mexico City. (I doubt it)
The last parts of the letter checked more boxes. These following are true, or unconfirmable, if not.
- He had three sons to die in the Civil War.(5 sons went to War, only two, Lewis and Elijah, returned)
- He was on the membership roll of Rocky River Baptist Church.
- His first wife was a Smith.(True)
- She was from Chatham County. (Unknown)
- She had several brothers in Stanly County. (Unknown)
- Joshua had one brother named Benjamin Hudson (True)
- Benjamin moved to Chesterfield County and died there.(Benjamin died on Jan. 24, 1886 at his home, 'between Wadesboro and Polkton in Anson County and was buried in the old "Bailey Family Cemetery", where his son Evan was buried.)
In his later days, another short article about Joshua Hudson appeared in The Stanly News and Press, making apocryphal claims.
- 96 years old
- Never bought western bacon
- Never had a horse to die
- Never took medicine from a doctor.
- Never saw a railroad.
- Never been further from home than Monroe, NC, a distance of 50 miles.
- Raised 23 children.
- Lived to see his second Great Grandchild.
- Almost blind but active and robust.
In 1964, a monument in the family cemetery for Joshua Hudson and his wives, was placed there by descendants, led by Charles H. McSwain.
Many descendants gathered for the reveal. William B. McSwain, a minister, prayed to begin the ceremony and a young descendant sang a hymn. Mr. Charles McSwain then added, again, to his stories glorifying the common patriarch. The following claims were made:
- He was a scion of one of England's oldest families. (They were of English origin, but the name had Norman origins, 'son of Hud'.)
- He was born in Virginia in 1796. (1796 rings true. So far, he's collected four birth locations.)
- He owned a lot of land and never sold any, leaving it to his 22 children. (We will get to that).
- He erected one of the first frames houses in the county. It was still standing and in good condition. (The two room frame house is still standing. As far as being one of the first?)
- He was in the Mexican War and five of his sons fought in the Civil War, three of them killed in action. (This has been addressed.)
The below article contains a photo of one of the youngest daughters and a grandson. The title of the article on Jane Hudson Swaringen stated the amazing fact that she and her father had lived under every President of the US from its inception to 1949, the date of the article.
Another story on Joshua Hudson followed the ones on his daughter and Grandson. This one seemed a little more studied. Among its reports were:
- He was born while George Washington was President. (George Washington served from April 30, 1789 to March 4, 1797, so true!)
- He was born in Anson County, NC.
- He was married 3 times and had 22 children.
- He was blind the last few years of his life.
- He never saw a train, sewing machine or cook stove.
- He visited Wadesboro when there was only one house there.
- He had five sons in the Civil War and lost three of them.
- He still had two daughters, Jane and Judy , living in 1949.
I found this old 1925 picture of one of the Hudson family reunions online, but it was from my grandmother's collection, because that is my own handwriting.
The article below was saved to ancestry.com by an unknown descendant. Written by notable Stanly County News and Press reporter, and author, Fred T. Morgan, it was an interview of Jane Hudson Swaringen, Joshua Hudson's last living local daughter. The date was 1952. It contains valuable information from a first-hand knowledge source, but some of it had been handed down incorrectly, with generations mixed up, the distinction between grandparents and Great Grandparents to an ancient degree, mixed up.
This is a transcription of a faded copy of a newspaper article, apparently from Stanly County. The clipping bears no date or masthead, but from quotes by "Auntie Jane" Swaringen (Joshua's 20th child of 22 children) the approximate date of publication is estimated to be sometime in 1952. The article was written by Fred T. Morgan.
One lady living in Stanly County, "Aunt Jane" Swaringen by name, can claim a distinction probably shared by few other people alive in the world today [at the time of this article].
Her father, Joshua Hudson, was born in 1796 while George Washington was still president of the United States.
Mrs. Swaringen herself was born in 1875, in the 79th year of her father's life. And she wasn't the last child! She was only number 20 in a family of 22 children. The last child, dead at birth, was born when old man Joshua was around 84 or 85 years of age.
This remarkable old man, who lived to be 100 years old, was married three times. His first wife bore him 12 children, his second wife four, and this third wife six.
Many of his first grandchildren were older than some of his latter children. Only a very few of the first grandchildren are alive [at the time of this writing].
Of the 22 children, only Mrs. Swaringen and one sister, Judy, who lives in Norfolk, Va, are alive [at the time of this writing]. Judy is 80 years of age and is the 19th child in the family.
Other oddities of this large family have been gleaned by the descendants. For instance, two of the boys married sisters. Two boys married the same woman. One boy married sisters, then married his sister-in-law. Two girls married the same man. All of them were lawfully married and there were no divorces.
The descendants of Joshua Hudson would be well nigh incalculable, and they include preachers, lawyers, doctors and other professional men and women.
Mrs. Swaringen is a tall thin lady with silvery hair. Although she has been blind for the last year or two, she is active enough to walk around in the house and in the yard. She lives with her son, Harvey, a few miles northeast of Aquadale, near the old homeplace on a piece of land allotted her by her father. She well remembers caring for her father in his last years and, while listening to his reminiscing, learned a few things about his youth.
According to her knowledge of the story, her father was born June 1, 1796, somewhere near the NC-Virginia line, between Roanoke Rapids and a place called something like Halifax. His father, who was an immigrant from a foreign country, is believed to have been named Joshua also. His mother, who died when he was 10 days old, was a Dutch woman. At her death, his father gave him to an uncle who raised him upon a plantation. In his late teens, he evidently became dissatisfied with the life on his uncle's farm and left without any horse, money or material possessions.
He is believed to have lived in Orange County NC for some time before coming on south to Anson County where he married Betsy Smith and settled down to tilling the soil. Twelve children were born to them, six boys and six girls, as follows: Jim, Patsy, Nancy, Louis (or Lewis), Sally, Rebecca, Burwell, Elijah, Elizabeth, Arch and Henry (twins), and Cindy.
One son, Burwell, died when only a few years old, but the other 11 were reared to maturity. The five remaining sons went to the Civil War. Only two of them, Louis and Elijah, came back home. No word was ever heard of the other three except for Henry who, they heard, had been captured by the Yankees and murdered.
Joshua was a hard worker and he trained all his children to work. While Stanly was yet a part of Montgomery County, He purchased 800 acres of land from Louis McSwain and built a rough house which still stands today. He moved his family there and began clearing the land and planting his fields in corn. In two years, with money from his large corn crops, he had paid for the 800 acres. He grew only enough cotton to use in making clothes for the family and devoted most of his acreage to corn, peas and vegetables. He kept many livestock and fowl on the plantation and is said to have raised each of his children a featherbed.
After the death of his first wife, Joshua married Amy Kendall who lived in the Ugly Creek Section near Cottonville. To them were born four children, Eben, Polly, Johnny and Frank. Eben was born during the first of the Civil War. Both Johnny and Frank died at a very young age. His wife died at the birth of the 4th child.
The third marriage of Joshua Hudson is recorded in the Stanly County Courthouse. He was married to Miss Martha E. Morton on August 30, 1866. Eli Shankle performed the ceremony. The document is signed by J.M. Redwine. According to Mrs. Swaringen, her mother was raised an orphan.
At the time of his third marriage, Joshua was over 70 years of age. His wife was about 30. Six children were born to this union as follows: Amy, Ann, Judy, Jane, Armenta (Mintie) and an unnamed infant which was born dead. The last child was born when Joshua was around 84 or 85 years old.
For the remaining 15 years or so of his life, Joshua continued his hard and unceasing work. The old man could best be described to say that he was a worker. Never did he partake of any leisure or relaxation. Hard work the whole day through and the whole year around seemed to be his forte.
After the harvest when he went to the market or to the trading post at Monroe, he left plenty of work to keep his children busy. Any laxity in performing the chores while he was gone was punished by heavier and longer work assignments upon his return. A new pair of shoes or a stick of candy from their father was an extravagance.
Mrs. Swaringen recalls a regular chore assigned her and her sisters was cutting a supply of firewood at the end of the week to do over until Monday. Two would cut the wood while the third would carry it to the house from the woods. They knew if a certain man in the neighborhood visited the house during the week-end, a big log fire would be kept rolling throughout the extent of his visit. So their supply of wood had to be adequate for this eventuality.
Before her father became disabled, Mrs. Swaringen remembers, he would occasionally ride a horse many miles on Sunday to attend services at Liberty Hill Primitive Baptist Church.
In his last years, old man Joshua gradually lost his sight. But he still went to the field to work, often stumbling over stumps that he could not see and bruising himself. Even though he was blind, he pulled fodder in the fields near the house and husked corn for days on end. When he became too decrepit to go to the field, he commanded his children to their work with an iron voice. Often the children harvested upward of 500 bushels of corn in one year. At night when the children returned home from the field, Joshua's first words were to question them about how much work had been accomplished that day.
When he became too feeble to go outside, he would often sit by the fire and lament the loss of his sons in the war. Often he would remark how he'd love to hear the cheery sound of his son Arch come singing up the pathway. "Then I'd know he was all right" he would say.
The old patriarch died on January 11, 1896, aged 100 years, seven months and 10 days.
Today his remains lie buried in a sizable graveyard a short distance from the old house which still stands [at the time of this article]. A granite marker stands at the foot of the hill, a big spring of pure water bubbles out from under the hillside just as it did when Joshua first cam there to quench his thirst. Each year a portion of the descendants of the Hudson Family gather here at this spring to pay tribute to their eminent ancestor, Joshua Hudson.
This first person account was a treasure, and interesting to read. It contained a mixture of truth and speculation. The elderly lady was pulling from childhood memories and bits and pieces of what she had heard, mixing up the generations at times. She remembered hearing about Roanoke Rapids and Halifax, which were pertinent to generations before her, and not to her father. His father was indeed named Joshua, but he was not an immigrant. Her father's mother, there is no information on. She may have been of German (or "Deutch") extract. If Joshua Sr. had two wives, Joshua's mother may indeed have died when he was 10 days old. However, if he only had one, she did not. He was not an only child, he was the oldest. She knew that he had been given to an uncle to raise.
Jane was well-informed concerning her siblings, save for one blaring bit of information. Burwell Hudson did not die as a child. He was my grandma's Great Grandfather. Again, not my blood kin, but my Grandma from the age of 5, whom I deeply loved. Burwell was married twice, first to Sarah Ann "Sallie" Lee, daughter of Calvin Lee and Elizabeth Duke Lee, by whom he would have 4 children, and second to Sarah Arrena McSwain, daughter of Lewis McSwain and Lucinda Randle McSwain, by whom he would have one. Burwell was one of the sons who died in the Civil War.
She recounted that only two of the five, Elijah and Lewis, would come back home, and that had heard about Henry, one of the twins who had married into my Murray family. The family had heard that Henry, a deserter, had been captured by the Union Army and murdered. That is a story on its own that is time to tell.
She knew the first dozen children by Betsy Smith, and the four by Amy Kendell, his second wife, and the two little boys who had died young by that marriage. She knew well her own mother, Martha Morton, said she had been an orphan, and the six children that were Jane and her five full siblings, all girls, and one who was a stillborn. Her memories of her father was of an old man who had known nothing but work and expected it of his children. He took his harvest to sell in Monroe every year, leaving a long and hard list of chores for the children to upkeep. It was repeated that he was still a good host.
The picture painted of old Joshua Hudson by his younger children was a vast contrast of to the bombastic and quixotic vision retold by his grandson Charles McSwain in his newspaper reports. Over the years, ancestors can become aggrandized as noble creatures so beyond reproach that we can often forget they were normal human beings just trying to survive, not unlike ourselves.
So, what was the truth about Joshua Hudson? Many of the 'facts' are conflicting. and could not all be true. For example, he was given five or six different places of birth. Was it 'where Darlington, South Carolina now sits'; Tidewater Virgina; New York; near the NC - Virginia line between Roanoke Rapids and Halifax, or Anson County, NC?
Below are simply my observations from the evidence and records I have found. Everyone is free to draw their own conclusions.
First, a little about Joshua Hudson, Sr.
Joshua Hudson Sr. was the son of Hall Hudson of Amelia County, Virginia, and the brother of my ancestor, Joakim or Joachim Hudson. The Will of Hall Hudson was executed on March 3, 1778 in Amelia County. Neither Joshua Sr, nor his father, Hall Hudson were immigrants. The immigrant ancestor straight down the Hudson line from Joshua of Ugly Creek was Richard Hudson I, his third great grandfather. They were correctly, of English origin. I draw from my previous post of Joachim Hudson:
Richard was born around 1608 in Tamworth, Staffordshire, England. He was christened on November 5, 1608 at the Church of England in Tamworth. He arrived in Virginia aboard the "Safety" on August 10, 1635, at close to 30 years old. He would die in 1657 in Hungers Creek, Accomack County, Virginia, at about 52 years old. His first wife is a mystery. He married the second time to Mary Tilghman Hayes in 1632, and a third time to Barbara Jacobs in 1652, just a few years before his death.
So, our line of Hudsons had arrived in America by 1635. After a few generations, they had made it to Amelia County. Joachim Hudson was in Anson County, NC by 1777. Hall died by the fall of 1780.
He executed his will on March 3, 1778, and it was probated on September 28, 1780, in Nottoway Parish, Amelia County. Peter Hudson was the executor. Heirs named were:
Obedience Hudson, granddaughter, a cow and heifer, a sow with four shoats.
Noe Hudson, grandson, a feather bed and furniture, a cow and calf.
Richard Hudson, the "Great Family Bible". - Glad it existed!
His other named children, Isaac Hudson, Hall Jr., Joshua, Benjamin, Joakim, Obediah, Elizabeth and Susannah, received only one shilling each, "and no more of my estate". It appears these children had angered him, going against their father's wished is some manner.
Peter Hudson, the executor, received a man name "Guy" and "all the rest of my living".
Witnesses were John Grey, Elizabeth Grey, Richard Ward, Robert Hudson, and George Snelling.
Both Joshua and Joakim are mentioned in their father's will. Brothers Obediah and Isaac also make appearances in the land records of Anson County. Below are all the children of Hall and Elizabeth Hampton Hudson. Oldest son, Peter Hudson, who inherited the property by virtue of birth order, and Richard, the youngest, were known to stay in Amelia.
And then we are back to Hall Hudson of Amelia County, Virginia and wife Elizabeth again. The children of Hall and Elizabeth Hampton Hudson were:
- Peter Hudson b about 1720 who married Mary Terrell.
- Isaac Hudson born 17 July 1722 who married Elizabeth Hudson
- Joshua Hudson born 9 June 1727, died in Anson County, NC.
- Benjamin Hudson born 15 January 1728.
- Hall Hudson Jr. born 1732
- Joakim (Joachim) Hudson born February 11 1733, died December 5, 1817 in Darlington County, South Carolina.
- Elizabeth Hall Hudson born 1734. Married Cuthbert Hudson
- Obediah Hudson born 1735, married Rhoda Anderson.
- Richard Hudson born 1737
- Susannah Hudson born 1742, married a Shelton.
I can't say if Joshua and Obediah arrived in Anson at the exact same time as Joakim, but it would have made sense if they did. Joshua, however, did not show up in the 1790 census of Anson County. Of course, he could have been boarding with someone and not a head of household, or, he could have been the transcription error of a Joseph Hudson, who was in Anson in 1790. Yet Records do indicate he was in Anson County around the time of Joshua Hudson Jr.'s birth in 1796.
On July 10, 1797, Gov. Samuel Ashe of Raleigh, NC granted to Joshua Dinken 200 acres on Rays fork of Richardsons Creek, with the border beginning at Joshua Hudson's on the west side of the fork. Book H2 page 19, Anson County deeds.
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| Joseph (Joshua?) Hudson in the 1790 census. |
Joshua Hudson Sr. lived on Richarson's Creek, on Ray's fork. This location was mentioned near the lands of the other Hudsons, Joakim, William, Obediah and James, brothers and nephews.
1783- Obediah Hudson enters 300 acres on the southeast of Brown Creek bordering Abram Hill, including a branch running above Joseph White's spring branch and Abram and Samuel Hill's improvement. Obediah was a brother of Joachim.
Obediah would relocate, a little ways, over to Brown Creek, near the Hill's. Above, his property is shown as bordering that of Abram and Samuel Hill. Joshua Jr's future property will show mentions of Samuel Hill, and other Hill's, including Julius Hill, my ancestor who married Mary Hudson, daughter of Joachim. Importantly, multiple other researchers show Joshua Hudson Sr. married to a Robin Hill. I have not seen any record, or proof of how they came about that. It could have been found among Hill family research. It is certainly not out of the question that Joshua Sr. would marry a Hill, especially with the Hills being such close neighbors, and possibly friends of the Hudson family. Other names that come up pretty often, in the generations of both Jr. and Sr. are Spear Moore and Benjamin Cooper. The Hudson and Cooper families will remain interwoven for generations, as a few of Joshua Jr.'s children will marry into the Cooper family.
| Name | Joshua Hudson |
|---|---|
| Home in 1800 (City, County, State) | Fayetteville, Anson, North Carolina |
| Free White Persons - Males - Under 10 | 1 |
| Free White Persons - Males - 26 thru 44 | 1 |
| Free White Persons - Females - Under 10 | 2 |
| Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 15 | 1 |
| Free White Persons - Females - 26 thru 44 | 1 |
| Number of Household Members Under 16 | 4 |
| Number of Household Members Over 25 | 2 |
| Number of Household Members | 6 |
Joshua Sr. in 1800 is head of a household of six, as he and his wife, we can reasonably assume, were between 26 and 44. There are three younger females, one between ten and 15, and two under ten. There is only one male under ten, and we know that to have been Joshua, Jr. These were not the only children.
The 1800 listing shows Joshua Hudson between John Lee and Anthony Lee, two names of which I am familiar, and places him squarely in the northernmost part of Anson County, right near Richardson's Creek.
We don't know exactly when Joshua Hudson Sr. passed away, just that it was while Jr. and his siblings were children. He doesn't show up in the 1810 census of Anson County, only Joachim and his son, William does. Not one Hudson household shows up in the 1820 census for Anson, but Elijah, son of Joachim, does in 1830. During the 18 -teens and early twenties, Elijah was in Darlington County, where a lawsuit involving his stepmother, Sarah Hickson Hudson, and her children by her first husband, took place. It is quite possible Joshua Hudson Jr. traveled to Darlington with his surviving family for just a little while, but he was definitely back in Anson by 1824, if he had ever left, and it is my belief that he was in Anson County by 1812 or 1814. By 1840, only Joshua and his brother, Benjamin, show up in the Anson County census. Joshua had two brothers that I know of, Benjamin, who remained in Anson County, and Evan, who would migrate to Texas, eventually. Benjamin was born in 1803 and Evan in 1808 or 1809. Benjamin even named a son Joshua, who fought in the Civil War, and he also had a son named Evan. Joshua had no son, that we know of, (some may have died at birth or when very young) named Joshua or Benjamin, but he did have one name Eben, close to Evan. There were sisters, too, as evidenced in the 1800 census.
Joshua shows up in estate files of Elias Dubose in 1817, in Darlington County, SC. He was in the company of James Hudson and Elijah Hudson, his cousins, sons of Joakim Hudson. This was after the War of 1812, which we will get into shortly, so it appears he did follow his cousins there for a brief while, but he certainly wasn't from there.
Joshua was certainly in Anson County by 1824, when the May 13th edition of the Fayetteville Weekly Observer reported that Joshua Hudson, Junior, showed him 150 acres on Richardson's Creek.
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He was shown in Anson County a decade before that, in the Second Regiment, in 1814. He would have been 18 years old.
The Hudson Reunion reports in the Stanly County newspapers, for decades in the 20th century, claimed that Joshua Hudson was a veteran of the Mexican War, when he would have been in his 50's. I, instead propose that he was in the War of 1812, when he was 18 - 20 years old.- Below are portions of 27 pages of proof from Fold3.
- Joshua Hudson served in the War of 1812, as a Private, under the command of Captain Obediah Curlee and Captain Burwell Lanier, all from Anson County, NC.
In 1877, as an aged veteran, he applied for his service pension, now a citizen of Norwood, in Stanly County, NC.
There was a congressional act on February 14, 1871, that granted pension for any veteran of The War of 1812, and their widows. Surviving veterans, and there could not have been many, had to have served for 60 days before receiving an honorable discharge. Their widows could apply if they had been married to the veteran before the official end of the War, which was on February 17, 1815. Joshuas' wife at this time would not have been eligible, because they were married in 1866.
The history of Captain Lanier's company was explored in the file.
The above document, signed by Joshua Hudson, with an "X", and supplied a great deal of information. He was a citizen of Anson County at the time and enlisted in Wadesboro. He had been paid in Bounty Land and served in the Militia under Col. Andrew Irwin.
One interesting detail in the records was a physical description of Joshua Hudson. He was described as having black hair and black eyes and was 5 foot 10 or 11 inches in height.
Several of Joshua's older acquittances gave depositions as evidence of his service. Among them were B. D. Harward, 62, of Stanly County and J. H. Miller, 73, of Cabarrus County, who had known him for 50 years.
In June of 1884, Justice of the Peace, B. C. Blalock testified that Joshua was too infirm to travel to make testimony.
Joshua's claim in 1871, had originally been denied, while that of one of his fellow veteran's, James Dunn, had been approved. His friends and neighbors, including Benjamin C. Blalock, Cyrus Knight and L. S. Swaringen, went to bat for him.
Joshua, himself, gave a 4-and-a-half-page deposition, the front page only, I have featured here, and his pension was finally approved. The entire document can be found on Fold3. I intend to print it out and have it added to the Hudson Family file in the Stanly County History room for other descendants to find.
So, who was William J Hudson, the man that has been conflated with Joshua Hudson? William J Hudson, the Mexican War Veteran. He has actual military records, too, and he actually existed. He was not Joshua Hudson of Ugly Creek.
William J. Hudson served in Company C, 1 North Carolina Volunteers as a private, He is listed on 9 Muster Rolls.
- May - June 1847 Remarks: Left at Camargo to attend the sick Soldiers in Hospital of Co C. June 2.
- Jan 25 - Apr 30 - Sick at Camargo.
- Company Descriptive Book William J Hudson; Age: 30 years, Height: 5 feet 8 inches. Complexion: Dark, Eyes: Blue, Hair: Black, Occupation: Farmer. Where born: Cabarrus County, North Carolina. Enlistment: Jan 10, 1847, Where: Concord, By whom: A . H. Area, Term: War.
There were several siblings, some by his father's first wife, Polly Kerns, Mahala, Nancy, Richard R. Hudson, and his full sibling, Franklin Allen Hudson.
There may have possibly been some distant relation to the Joshua Hudson family, as some have Seth and Seth Hall Hudson, and there was a younger Seth Hall Hudson. Joshua of Ugly Creek was a descendant of Hall Hudson, so Seth may have been also.
William J Hudson who fought in the Mexican War was a very different person than Joshua Hudson and Joshua Hudson was never a William. That was a name given him by an overzealous descendant trying to hook him up to the wrong horse.
Land
Despite not appearing in the 1820 or 1830 census of Anson County, or any county for that matter, there is plentiful evidence that Joshua Hudson Jr. was in Anson County, NC during those decades, residing in the land records. Above, in the directory, was an 1838 transaction noted between Joshua Hudson, Jr. and Charles Culpepper, for property on Richardson's Creek. This action may have precluded his removal north of the Rocky River to Ugly Creek.
The above document involving an entry for my 4th Great Grandfather, Julius Hill, who had married Mary Hudson, was dated January 10, 1825. The property was 150 acres bordering the land of Benjamin Smith, Joshua Hudson and Thomas Motley. Thomas Motley was involved with my Herrin relatives, as I mentioned in my recent post on ancestor, Hezekiah Herrin. Benjamin Smith may have been related to Joshua's first wife, Betsy. In one of the remembrances mentioned earlier in this post, a descendant had mentioned Betsy being from Chatham County and some brothers coming with her. Joshua was married about this time. Their first child, James, born about 1821.
This takes me to another question that has been in the back of my mind. I've always trusted my father's research and family history that came to him from his grandmother, Lottie Hill Lemmonds Burris, that Mary Hudson Hill was the daughter of Joachim Hudson, and that may be absolute fact. However, what if she had been simply raised by Joachim and was actually a niece, one of the older sisters in the 1800 census. Just a thought.
The above Grant of 25 and a half acres, dated February 14, 1837, met land he already owned, and that of Sherwood Sykes, on Richardson Creek, the same place he had grown up.
Above is the plat for 25 1/2 acres entered by Joshua Hudson (Hutson) on January 14, 1835, on Richardson's Creek, adjoining his own property and that of Sherwood Sykes.
Lewis McIntyres' Grant entered in September of 1827, that adjoined Joshua Hudson and William McIntyre on Rocky River and the Shallow Ford Branch.
Above is the grant of William Crowell's 100 acres in Anson County that joined Wiatt Harwood and Joshua Hudson on the waters of the gum branch, beginning at Harwood's line and then to Hill's line dated February 9th of 1826. The month of February played important roles in the life of Joshua Hudson. I'm not sure what the significance of that is, only that I keep coming across February dates. Walker Nash and Soloman Nash were chain carriers, another family name with significant links to the family.
This survey from 1825-1826 is very compelling for me, because it involves a man named Spears Moore, (or Spier Moore), who is mentioned many times in the records involving Joachim Hudson. The property mentioned was located, again, on Richardsons Creek, and began at a stake on Joshua Hudson's land. This had to have been the property of Joshua Jr., as Senior was not living at this time, but it spoke of the same land as that of Senior. I'm completely convinced that Joshua Hudson Jr. had inherited the lands of his father, by virtue of being the eldest son.
Despite having appeared to have been living in Anson County in the 1820's and 1830's, Joshua Hudson, and his brother, Benjamin, don't show up in the census records until the 1840 census. Joshua was 44 years old at that time. He must have not been the head of household during the time of the prior census records, or he was just missed.
1840 census of Anson
| Name | Josb Hudson |
|---|---|
| Residence Date | 1840 |
| Home in 1840 (City, County, State) | Anson, North Carolina |
| Free White Persons - Males - Under 5 | 2 Twins |
| Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9 | 2 Elijah and Burwell |
| Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 14 | 1 Lewis - 14 |
| Free White Persons - Males - 40 thru 49 | 1 Joshua |
| Free White Persons - Females - Under 5 | 1 Elizabeth |
| Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9 | 1 Rebecca - 9 to 10 |
| Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 14 | 1 Sarah - 12 |
| Free White Persons - Females - 15 thru 19 | 2 Martha and Nancy |
| Free White Persons - Females - 40 thru 49 | 1 Betsy |
| Free White Persons - Under 20 | 10 |
| Free White Persons - 20 thru 49 | 2 |
| Total Free White Persons | 12 |
| Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves | 12 |
He was already up to a family of twelve people in 1840, ten children and two adults. His oldest son, Jim, must have been deceased by then, in my opinion, or either, at about 19, he could have been working for someone else as an apprentice or laborer.
1830 In 1830, there is no Joshua Hudson to be found in Anson or Montgomery Counties, the two counties we can be sure he lived in. There was a Joshua Hudson in Iredell County, a man in his 60's, who was also in Iredell in 1820 and 1840. We already know that Joshua was in Anson in 1840, and that he would have been about 34, so, not him.
There was a Joshua Hudson in York County, SC, and this one would be easy to mistake him for, and this Joshua Hudson was also born in 1796, so the same age. However, this gentleman is well recorded and did not have our Joshua's longevity, passing away on June 2, 1853, at the age of 57, and is buried in Clover, South Carolina. He was the son of John Rush "Jack Mountain" Hudson and his wife Mary Dedmon, and was actually born in Virginia.
Joshua in Stanly County.
Joshua Hudson moved to Stanly County between 1840 and 1850. According to Jane, his daughter, "While Stanly was yet a part of Montgomery County, He purchased 800 acres of land from Louis McSwain and built a rough house which still stands today."
I have been unable to find any record or mention of Joshua Hudson in the Montgomery County land records. Stanly County was founded in 1841 from the western half of Montgomery. Any land record between Louis McSwain and Joshua Hudson before that date should be there, but many records were lost. The McSwain's did have a long and intertwined relationship with the Hudsons for many generations. My grandmother, who was a Hudson and Great Great Granddaughter of Joshua, through Burwell, married a McSwain first. He died of illness and mustard gas poisoning from World War I. It could easily be said, if you were related to one, you were related to the other.
The McSwain's did live on Ugly Creek. What I did find in Montgomery County were three records. Hardy Bass had entered 200 acres on May 8, 1824, on the waters of Ugly Creek joining Wily Finch and George McSwian, joined Robert Duke's line, joins Wily Find, George McSwain, Charles McSwain with Lewis J. McSwain and Robert Blalock Chain carriers.
On May 1, 1824, George McSwain bought 100 acres from Duncan McRae on the waters of Ugly Creek that bordered his own property and that of Charles McSwain. Lewis J and William C. McSwain were chain carriers. I would assume this to be the same Lewis McSwain Joshua supposedly bought 800 acres from twenty years later.
In the first decade of Stanly County, the name Joshua Hudson is listed only twice in the Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarters Sessions. The first time, in August of 1848, a child, or minor, named Joshua Hudson, is bound to George Sides. This young man was a child of Cynthia Hudson, (or Hutson), a woman with an interesting legacy.
The second was in the February Sesson of 1849, when his name appears in a list of "Following venire for March Term 1849 Term of Superior Court". ' But I thought you said he never served on a jury, or appeared in court?' One might ask. That was in the newspaper clippings, from information reported by his grandson, not me. Uh hmm.
1850 -Tyson Township, Stanly County
By 1850, Joshua and Betsy were both said to be age 50 and were living in Tyson Township in Stanly County on Ugly Creek. There were 10 children in the home still, Lucinda had joined them. Son Lewis, listed above them, had started his own family and was living near, and listed right after them, was daughter Martha, who married Beverly Harward, and they were rearing their family already, too. His land was evaluated at $150.00
In the Schedule 4, Productions of Agriculture Schedule of 1850 in Stanly County, Joshua Hudson was credited with 40 improved acres of land, 480 unimproved acres of land, $350 cash value of farm, and $40 in farming implements.
In Stanly County deeds, Book 6, Page one, Joshua Hudson transferred 182 and one half acres of land to his son-in-law, Beverly Harward, who had married his oldest daughter.
On August 10, 1860, for $105, he sold to another son-in-law, J. H. Hinson, 78 acres adjoining Joshua, and a tract belonging to merchant Daniel Freeman. He made an exception of a small lot that he had conveyed to his son Lewis Hudson, that was within that acreage.
1860
Elizabeth Hudson died in 1858 and two years later, Joshua would marry Amy Kendall on May 29, 1860.
Amy was the daughter of Thornton Kendall and wife, Martha Carver. She was born Jan. 10, 1822, and was 26 years younger than Joshua, who was now 64 years old.
The 1860 census had additional schedules. The first is the slave schedule. Joshua Hudson was not listed in this one. that's important for a future story, that I will touch on in brief. The second was the Mortality Schedule. No Hudsons there. In the Productions of Agriculture Schedule, Joshua is listed with 52 improved acres and 531 unimproved acres, that's a total of 583 ares.The cash value of his farm was $874 and the cash evaluation of farm implements was $50. In comparison, his son-in-law and neighbor, Beverly Harward, had a total of 382 acres, 50 improved, and Wiley Hudson, next to Beverly, had 361 1/2 acres, 75 of them improved, meaning cleared and used, or farmed and built upon.They were not in the Products of Industry. Wiley
The other twin, Henry, was living nearby, along the Winfield Road near Rocky River Springs, next to his father-in-law, Benjamin Murray, having married his young daughter, Rebecca "Becky" Ann Murray.
Joshua lost his second wife, Amy, in 1865, and had also lost three of his sons, Burwell and the twins, during the tumultuous and dangerous years of the Civil War. He had also lost two of his younger sons, Johnny and Frank, with Amy. Two of her four children would survive until adulthood.
1866
On August 3, 1866, Joshua would marry a third and last time to Martha Ellen Morton. Joshua was now 70 years old Martha was only 24. Martha would survive until age 78 and die of Tb in 1920. Her death certificate revealed that she was the daughter of David and Nancy Morton. Both of her parents died in 1848, when she was still a child. In 1850, she is found, at 9, living with a McSwain family.
1870
1870 found Joshua listed as "Joseph", and living still along Ugly Creek, with he had Martha raising their first two little girls, Amy and Ann, and his two surviving children with Amy Kendall, Eben and Mary. He now has 1150 acres. This is the census where he is incorrectly listed as having been born in South Carolina, which confused a lot of people. His age is given as 73.
On May 4, 1879 Joshua Hudson sold 150 acres of property to his son, Elijah, for $300. There are no deeds in Stanly County (or Montgomery prior to 1841), where Joshua Hudson was the grantee, only the grantor.
In the Agricultural Schedule for 1870, in Tyson Township, Joshua had 28 acres, appraised at $300 value. Elijah had 40 acres, also evaluated at $300. This was noted to be the amount of tilled land, not the toltal amount owned.
1880
By 1880, all five of the younger daughters have been born and Eben and Mary are still in the home. They are living next to oldest living son, Lewis Hudson. Hudsons listed in the 1880 agriculture schedule in Tyson Township were James Hudson, (son of Elijah), with 35 acres tilled; Marion, son of Burwell, 35 acres; Elijah, 150 acres, evaluated at $700.00, Lewis, R+, meaning rents for fixed money, and 20 acres; next to Joshua with 32 acres evaluated at $500.00; J. D. Hudson, son of Lewis, was in the Albemamarle District, and had 25 acres.
On August 5, 1888, Joshua Hudson granted to P A Harward and the school committee, "Party of the first part for the benefit of education toward his neighbors does gratuitously give to parties of the second part, one acre near Ugly Creek as long as it remains a school." To be found in Book 13 Page 331. Joshua Hudson was concerned about the education of the children in his neighborhood, which without doubt included a number of his own descendants, children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren. The state of education and schools in the region, and indeed, the entire south, had become poor and sparse after the Civil War.
Family Secrets
Multiple Hudson grandchildren had the timeous forethought to record their parents memories of Joshua and life on Ugly Creek before they passed with the person. Some of the memories of these elderly folk were fragmentary at best, and fallacy at worst. The youngest children relied primarily on secondhand knowledge recounted to them by older siblings of how things were before their birth when their father was younger. The retelling of certain events becomes collusive, with memories being merged together, or one individuals version contradictory to that of another. Anisognostic lapses caused incomplete stories and Joshua's own personality and his generations tendency to 'sweep things under the carpet', created pompous and evanescent embellishments bordering on fiction, that descendants took as fact. But taken with some verity at its roots, the truth can be extracted from the subterfuge.
One of these stories was recounted by Rev. Magnum Luther Ross (1899-1984), son Amanda Swaringen and Henry Ross. Amanda was a daughter of Lucinda Hudson and William Hampton Swaringen. The Reverend Ross was a Great Grandson of Joshua Hudson, so there is a bit of generational distance. His mother spent most of her life as a single parent, so Rev. Ross, and his younger brother, who died tragically, had spent most of their childhood in the home of his grandmother, Cindy Hudson Swaringen. The story goes that Joshua served multiple times on the Federal Jury in Fayetteville, NC, where the earlier Superior Courts were held. This would have been prior to the Civil War, when Joshua still lived in Anson County on Richardsons's Creek.This is also in complete contradiction to some of the newspaper articles above. Rev. Ross's telling continues, "On one of these trip to Fayetteville he attended a public auction of Negro slaves in the town. One little negro boy had such a forlorn look on his face touched the heart of William Joshua Hudson and be bought the boy." The young boy, who was close in age to Lucinda and grew up with the Hudson family. His name was John Bunn Hudson. The story that the Hudson grandchildren had been told was that Joshua had raised him, and when he turned 21, gave him his freedom and a plot of land in the Porter community. that was partly true. John Bunn may have been bound to Joshua Hudson, (his name was not William), but he was not a slave or purchased by him in Fayetteville, or anywhere for that matter. Joshua Hudson had not owned a slave. John Bunn Hudson was never a slave. He was a freeborn child of mixed race, his mother was a white woman named Cynthia Hudson. The story states, "Our grandfather raised the boy and when he reached the age of 21 years,William Joshua Hudson gave him not only his freedom, but, but gave him a tract of land near Porter"." John Bunn was not yet 21 when the USA gave slaves their freedom, so it had to have been a indenture. Cynthia Hudson had several sons, and had been ordered to bring them to court to be bound out. one was named Joshua. The Joshua bound to George Sides mentioned earlier. Fathers were unknown and unnamed. When she gave birth to this dark child, the good citizens brother to court and had her declared insane and incorrigible. This connection to Joshua makes me wonder if she was not a sister. She was in the age range of Evan.
The House
The House
Twentieth century references to the home, or house of Joshua Hudson that describe it as a manor house or 'Big House' are uninformed and misleading. We can't know the manner of abode that exist for him in old Anse', but his Stanly County home still exists. Today, we would refer to it as a 'tiny home', that consists of two rooms. To its credit it was extremely well built, to have survived for 'nigh on' two hundred years, minus a decade or so. Sturdy and tough, it was constructed in the late 1840's.
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| This is Joshua's old home place where he and 3 wives raised a total of 22 children. It was a one room home with a sleeping loft. The fireplace was originally large enough to almost walk in as it was for cooking as well as only source of heat. From R. A. Swaringen |
Hailing back to the narrative of Rev. Magnum L. Ross, and his grandmother, Lucinda Hudson Swaringen's recollections, comes the following tale."Dad (Joshua Hudson), had a custom of saying he did something when he only supervised it. In his old age he was 'wont' to say that he built the old house....What Dad meant was that he had the house built. Because it is a known fact that Minor M. McSwain built and crafted the home, including building of the big stone chimney."
Minor McSwain, born in 1832, would have been in his latter teens during the building of the house. Joshua offered him $250.00 to build it and was so pleased, he later gave him $50 extra. Minor was the son of Charles McSwain and Lurana Washborn McSwain. He married Lucy Ann Randle in 1852, and afterward moved to Arkansas, apparently with a larger group of Stanly and Anson County young adventurers. He fought in the Civil War and died a young man of 41, being buried in Cleveland County, Arkansas.
According to the narrative, Joshua had furnished all the materials and the older Hudson sons helped with the work. It took 8 months. It was said that this venture is where Elijah Hudson, son of Joshua, learned the treade of carpentry, and learned it so well that he was launched into a career of house-building. Elijah taughter his own son, Joshua, who taught his own son, Edgar, so much so that at the time of the story, 1966, Edgar was known as a successful contractor in Albemarle.
There is not doubt that the strong, but humble structure had been surrounded by a collection of outbuildings in its day that no longer stand. A separate kitchen house was referenced in the recollections of several of the Hudson children, Eben, Lucinda, Minty and Jane. The log kitchen also held a loom, cards and spinning wheels. He would have had a corn crib, smokehouse, chicken coop, tool shed, wood shed, and outhouse. In addition to the typical outbuildings, there had been a tannery, and the family made their own boots and other clothing of leather. The Hudson maintained orchards of apple trees, peaches, cherries and black walnuts.
There was an ebullient spring on the property and Joshua had erected a cider mill and press made of oak. There was also a molasses mill near the stream. When the family had company, they were treated with fresh cider and molasses cakes. He evidently had begun having an annual gathering in late summer that was the talk of the town, when all of his adult children and grandchildren were to return to the homeplace for reunion and celebration. Relatives were obviously not the only ones who showed up. They brought guests and neighbors seemed to have wandered in.
It is retold that the spring had earlier belonged to the McSwain family, George and Elizabeth Jones McSwain, back in the late 1700's. It wasn't as reliable then, and would dry up during droughts. Joshua hired a well-digger to make it deeper to find a surer vein of water, and had traded the man a red 'milche' cow for doing so.
He certainly maintained a variety of livestock. Described were a collection of both beef and milk cattle, the regular collection of chickens, ducks and geese.It was told he liked his goose down pillows and mattresses.
Joshua had a known affinity for good horses, and was said to have owned some fine ones. The family did not need to raise hogs or turkeys, but the sons would hunt the wild ones when needed. For celebrations, a wild hog or two would be cooked on a spit, along with mutton and foul. Even in my own teen-aged and young adult years, a 'pig-pickin', was a common gathering and center for a party. I haven't heard of such an event in a very long time now.
The one claim among the tales of Joshua's livestock that I can't build a porch for is the telling of his herd of sheep.He apparently grew both cotton and raised sheep. He was told by several different accounts to have dressed like a serf in a white cotton shirt and light tan linen or wool britches. The tale was passed down that he had 1000 sheep. One hundred sheep is a lot of sheep and would have required a team of amazing dogs. One thousand sheep is unimaginable, even with a large family to contain them and work them. They would also have required an immense amount of pasture to graze upon. Joshua had a respectable amount of land, but most of it woodland. I believe 1000 to have been an exaggeration.
Jane Hudson Swaringen would recall that in his later years, Joshua would require his daughters to cut and carry wood for the fire. All of his youngest surviving children were girls. He would, on his good days, ride a horse all the way to Liberty Hill Baptist Church, near Red Cross and Frog Pond, for church services. As he was also know to have attended Rocky River Primitive Baptist across the Rocky River in earlier days, it could be said he was a Baptist. He was also known to have hosted preachers in his home and asked for services there, as his family was a congregation in itself.
Jane Hudson Swaringen described firsthand, her father in his last decade. He gradually went blind. When his sight was limited, but not completely gone, he would stumble out in the fields to work still, often tripping and injuring himself. He would husk corn blind, having his children to work the fields when he could not, harvesting 500 bushels of corn a year. There were advantages to a large family. He mourned the children he'd lost in his last days with fervor and sorrow, especially the sons he had lost to War.
Eben Hudson, the youngest son to make it to adulthood, presented the Last Will and Testament of his father to the probate court on January 30, 1896. It was sworn in as authentic by W. R. McSwain and C. H. Upchurch. The Will was written on January 10, 1885.
"The Due Execution thereof by the siad Joshua Hudson Decd is duly proven by the oath and Examination of W. R. McSwain and O H Upchurch."
"January 15th, A. D. 1885. I Joshua Hudson, of the County of Stanly State of North Carolina, County of Stanly being of sound mind and memory but considering the uncertainty of my earthly existence do make and declare this my Last Will and Testament in manner and form as follows that is to say.
Item 1 I give and bequeath to my beloved wife Martha the whole of my estate to have and to hold during her lifetime or widowhood for the purpose of raising the children, But in case she should marry it is my wish and desire that my personal property should be sold.."
"equally divided between my six youngest children: Polly, Amy, LucyAnne, Juidy, Jane, Minty.
Item 2 My land in the north east side of Ugly Creek to be equally divided in valuation between my six youngest daughters I have named.
Item 3 It is my wish that my spring on the southwest side of Ugly Creek is to belong to my 7 youngest children.
Item 4 It is my wish and desire that my son Eben have that part of my land lying to the south west side of Ugly Creek to have the privilege to improve it and for all time to be his and his heirs after him, at the time of Martha's death.
Item 5 It is my Wish and desire that if any one or more of the named children die before Martha, my wife thier part falls back to the survivors if they have no bodily heirs.
Joshua x Hudson (seal)
his mark
Signed in the presents of
W. R. McSwain
O. H. Upchurch
Joshua Hudson died on January 11, 1896, and buried in he family cemetery near his home. He was 99 years old according to the dates on his tombstone, missing the 100 mark by five months. Some reports claim 100. In either case, his longevity and fortitude were remarkable.
What if's?
A Joshua Hudson was a patriot. I believe this may have been his father..
On October 3, 1816, in nearby Cabarrus County, NC, Joshua Hudson married Betsy Richardson. (Richison)
Some tacked this record onto his father. I don't believe his father was living in 1816. This was just after Joshua of Ugly Creek returned from the War of 1812. He was 20 years old. He was a man. He was living on Richardson's Creek, named for the Richardsons'. Now, he certainly had enough children, Lewis, Sally, Elijah and Cindy, who lived long enough to have a death certificate, naming their mother of Elizabeth 'Betsy' Smith.
I can't find another Joshua Hudson this could have reasonably been except the subject of this post. Cabarrus County, for those who do not know, is a border county to Stanly, where Joshua lived. Many Stanly citizens crossed the border for various reasons. It was easier than crossing the river to other counties. There are two possibilities in my mind. One, Miss Richardson was his first wife, but she died young and childless, and he then married Elizabeth Smith. There are six years between the date of this marriage document and the birth of his first child. Or, this was Betsy Smith, and she was a young widow, having married a Richardson before marrying Josh. What do you think?
The Children of Joshua Hudson
I'm not going into any details as to the children of Joshua Hudson in this post. There were too many and this post is too long already. I will list them mother and date, however.
By 1st wife Elizabeth "Betsy" Smith, (or Richardson):
a) James "Jim" Hudson, born about 1821, died a young man. Some give his year of death as 1862, but no record.
b) Martha "Patsy" Hudson, born 23 Aug. 1822 - died 14 Mar. 1901. Married Beverly D. Harward, possible second marriage.
c) M. Nancy Hudson, born December 8, 1824 - died Jan. 9, 1861.
d) Lewis Hudson, born 1 Oct. 1823 - died 2 Jan. 1919, Married Malinda Kimmer or Kimrey.
e) Sarah "Sally" Hudson, born 24 Oct .1828, died 24 Sept. 1920. Married Joseph Hinson.
f) Rebecca Hudson, born 30 Apr. 1830 - died Oct. 13, 1867. Married Solomon Franklin Swaringen.
g) Burwell Hudson, born 9 July 1832 - died 7 Dec. 1862 Civil War. Married 1st Sarah Ann "Sally" Lee, Married 2nd Sarah Arrena McSwain.
h) Elijah S. Hudson, born 1 Nov. 1834 - died 15 July 1917. Married 1st Camilla Caroline Lee, Married 2nd Minta Lowder Kimrey, Married 3rd Ruthie Ellen Rummage.
i) Elizabeth Hudson, born 23 May 1927 - died 27 Oct. 1909. Married Jethro J. Cooper.
j) Henry Hudson, born 8 Oct. 1839 (twin) - died around 1864. Civil War Deserter, fled to Arkansas with in-laws, executed. Married to Rebecca Murray, one child.
k) Archibald Hudson, born 8 Oct. 1839 (twin) killed in battle around 1863 in Civil War. Never married.
l) Lucinda "Cindy" Hudson born 13 July 1842 - died 5 Oct 1932. Married William Swaringen.
By 2nd wife, Amy Kendall, married in 1860:
m) Eben Hudson born 3 March 1861 - died 15 July 1942. Married 1st Dovie Ann Morton, 2nd) Mary Ellen Morton, 3rd) Married Ruthie Ellen Rummage.
n) Mary "Polly" Hudson born 21 July 1862 - died 1922. Relationship with Marion Morrison Hudson, son of Burwell, 1 son, later married James H. Nichols, no children from that marriage.
o) Johnny Hudson (see Frank Hudson).
p) Frank Hudson (both born between 1863 and 1866 and died before 1870.)
By 3rd wife, Martha Ellen Morton, married in 1866:
q) Amy Carolina Hudson, born 9 Aug. 1868 - 4 Jan 1943, Married Atlas Douglas Singleton.
r) Lucy Ann Hudson, born 11 Dec. 1869 - 14 Sept. 1940, Married Jethro J. Cooper.
s) Judith Hudson, born 3 May 1873 - died 7 May 1957, Married John Cooper
t) Jane Marie Hudson, born 23 April 1875 - died June 4, 1967. Married John T. Swaringen
u) Araminta "Minty" Hudson, born 21 Feb. 1879 - died September 14, 1914. Married George David McSwain.
v) Unnamed Infant - 1881 - 1881. The last child, a boy, died as an infant. Joshua Hudson was 85 years old.
My Take.
I disagree with the various reports on Joshua Hudson of Ugly and Richardson's Creek, in a number of ways. How could you not? A man can't have been born in four or five different states. How did those different takes on the facts come about to start with? I know I will hear from people who will say, 'but Joshua said'. No, these accounts of his life were not straight from the horses mouth. For the most part, they came from his younger children, who were born when he was in the winter of his days, and from grandchildren, even great grandchildren, attempting to recall things their parents had told them. The fact that some of the mentioned locations are familiar, within the family lineage, tell me that Joshua had known something of his family history, and had probably told his children and grandchildren around the hearth of cold winter nights.
Let's look back at the various locations of his birth, Darlington, Halifax, Tidewater Virginia, New York, and then Anson.
He very well could have very well spent time in Darlington, SC with his Hudson relatives, cousins and such, during his late adolescence. We know his older cousin Elijah was there and back in Anson by 1830. But he wasn't born there. He may have spoke to his children about seeing the place that became the city of Darlington before it was the city of Darlington.
As far as the Tidewater, Virginia part, that probably derived from his retelling of where his own father was from. Halifax is also the name of a place Joshua's ancestors had lived, but not Joshua. New York is just utterly ridiculous and must have came from left field.
I maintain that he must have been born in Anson County, as his father was there just before and after his birth.
As far as his mother dying when he was 10 days old. I've seen no record of who his mother was, so how can we know? One thing I do know, he was not and only child. His father could have remarried after his mother died. The 1800 census shows Joshua Sr. had a female in his same age range (26-45) in his home, and three little girls, when Joshua would have been 4 years old, and the only/ oldest son. Other children came later.
I stand my ground that his name was not William. No record of his time shows him with an initial or with William tacked on. He was simply Joshua. It was an invention by his grandchildren. to merge him with the record of another, younger man, who lived in Cabarrus County.
He didn't serve in the Mexican War. It was the War of 1812.
The other conflicts in opposing stories cancel themselves out. He had never been further from home than Monroe, or he went regularly to Fayetteville to sell his surplus at the market, a much further distance than Monroe? The truth is easy on this one. He went to Fayetteville. He fought in the War of 1812. He was found in Darlington with his older cousins for a brief time.
He went to at least two churches, as opposed to not.
He had never taken a doctors medicine, or, as according to his daughter Jane, he had never to a point, but sometime after the Civil War, he'd suffered a terrible stomach ache and his sons called for a doctor, who relieved his pain and he was forever in favor of doctors afterward?
I know that by addressing the inconsistencies in the narrative of Joshua Hudson's life, I may make more than a few people angry along the way, but I call it as I see it, and readers can agree, consider, or disagree with my findings and theories, as they see it. Regardless, the story of Joshua Hudson is a wonderful window into nearly a century of life along the Rocky River in 19th century Stanly and Anson Counties.
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