Thirty Fathers in Thirty Days: Nicholas Broadway

 

The surname of Broadway, also seen as Broadaway, takes me back to my British roots, my second largest hunk of DNA. The name originated in the area of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset in the West Midlands of England. Simply put, it referred to someone who lived by a broad road or path.

Nicholas Broadway was one of my 5th Great Grandfathers. I have two Broadway lines, both through female ancestors. His daughter, Obedience Broadway, (1785-1837), my 4th Great Grandmother, married James Ludwell Carpenter, and was settled along the Rocky River near my Davis ancestors. Elizabeth "Betsy" Broadway, born circa 1804, married their son, Thomas Jackson Carpenter (1802-1877). She was the daughter of a William Broadway (circa 1772) and wife Mary and the granddaughter of Robert (circa 1752) and wife Ann Berry. This may have been a cousin marriage for Thomas and Betsey. Robert and his wife married in Philadelphia, and he is the one who brought his branch of the Broadways to Anson County. 

Nicholas, on the other hand, was the son of an Edward Broadway and Mary Pettypool. He was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia, and was found in Edgecomb, North Carolina by the mid 18th Century. He didn't tarry long in Edgecomb County, as he and his wife are found in 

 he is found in a Tax List for Anson County in 1763.

Name	Nicholas Broadway
State	North Carolina
County	Anson
Year	1763

Nicholas was probably named for an earlier Nicholas Broadaway, who arrived in Maryland in 1658 and was found later in Virginia. Nicholas married Elizabeth Berry while still in Prince Edward County. The couple set forth to North Carolina in their twenties. 

Name	Robert? Broadway
Residence	1763 Tax List, Anson, North Carolina

Nicholas and Robert the Early were the only Broadaways, as heads of families in the middle 18th Century, the earliest years of settlement of Anson County, the part of the County that remains Anson to this day. I can't help but think there is a connection somewhere, whether close or distant, I can't say.

In a transaction dated September 20, 1757, wherein Nicholas Broadway and his wife, Elizabeth sold to Thomas Tallant for 15 lbs. in Virginia money land on Smith Creek that had been granted to Joseph White and Francis McElwain on April 13, 1749, and had been conveyed to Tomas Berry by deed on July 17, 1752, and then from Thomas Berry to his daughter, Elizabeth and as such, to her husband, Nicholas Broadway.  It was signed by both Elizabeth and Nicholas. Witnesses were Samuel Berry, Isaac Falkenberry and William Howell. 

The above plat of 250 acres was surveyed for Nicholas Broadway in 1763, on the Southwest side of the Pee Dee River. It bordered Joseph "Whitet" and F."Mchilcherson".  This was Joseph White and Francis McElwain.

This land was like a hot potato, as on July 27, 1762, Thomas Tallant of Anson sold it on to Leonard Higdon, planter, also of Anson, for L30.00, doubling his profits. It was the same land granted to White and McElwain and then to Thomas Berry, and then to Nicholas Broadway, on Smith's Creek. Witnesses were Benjamin Martin and Isaac Falkenberry. 

If that wasn't bad enough, just four months later, on November 4, 1862, Leonard Higdon sold the exact same tract, with the list of owners getting longer to Samuel Flake for the same amount he paid for it. The same men, Martin and Falkenberry were witnesses. 

In August of the next year, Charles Berry, Elizabeth's brother, sold his share of his father's property, on both sides of Smith's Creek, to Thomas Tallent, "175 acres conveyed to Thomas Berry " on July 18, 1752 and to Charles Berry, his son, in October of 1755. This had also been granted previously to Francis McElwaine in 1749. It was signed by Charles and Elizabeth Berry and witnesses by Benjamin Martin and James Denson.

Smith's Creek runs west to east from around Lilesville to the Pee Dee River, north of Clark's Mountain.

This is east of Wadesboro.

In 1766, Nicholas and Benjamin Bridges were chain carriers on a survey of James Hutchins 100 acres. 

The Broadways were not a populous family in those days, in fact, records are sparse and fleeting. Location becomes very important. In NC land Grants we see:

• 1756 Robert on Buffalo Creek
• 1767 Nicholas 
• 1791 Robert on Lane's Creek
• 1799 Robert on Cribbs Creek
• 1844 Robert on Rocky River next to Hinson
• 1797 William on Richardson Creek
• 1818 William adjoining Ludwell Carpenter and John Charactor
• 1833 Thomas adjoining his own and Wiley Polk
• 1795 John on Arnett Branch of Rocky River
• 1801 and1802 - John on Cribbs Creek
• 1808 and 1812 - John, adjoining his own and John Lee
• 1826 and 1827 - Again John Broadway

There is a later one in 1854 involving Hartwell Broadway.

There were an earlier Robert and a later Robert. Then there was Samuel Broadway, a Revolutionary War solider who stated that he was born in Anson County in 1763, the year Nicholas was taxed in Anson County, NC. Samuel stated he had since lived in South Carolina and Georgia, but had lived primarily in Rutherford and Haywood Counties, North Carolina. He lived in Macon at the head of the Tennessee River for about 9 or ten years. He server as a substitute for Montford Dejarnett, a Virginia Militia man in Prince Edward County, Virginia, the place Nicholas Broadway was born. Samuel had gone there, where he had met DeJarnett, and later returned for a period of 9 months.

On August 27, 1834, Samuel Broadway wrote from Dahlonega, Lumpkin County, Georgia, that he had moved there.

William Broadway living next to Ludwell Carpenter is significant, because Ludwell married Obedience Broadway, and William's daughter, Betsey, married Ludwell's son, Thomas.

It seems by marrying Elizabeth Berry, Nicholas had lucked up, allowing him to become freeholder. But Nicholas was not the only Broadway to marry a Berry (or Barry). Robert Broadway married Ann Berry, but not in Anson County.

According to 'Encyclopedia of Biographies' an older Nicholas Broadway, settled in Talbot County, Maryland in 1662. He had a son, Samuel, who had Ambrose, who married Mary Wilson. The book claims they were the parents of Robert Broadway, who married Ann Berry and had a son, also named Ambrose. 

Nicholas Broadways year of birth has been estimated at 1722; He had a brother named Ambrose. This lineage seems to take him back to being the grandson of Nicholas the Immigrant, and making Robert Broadaway, who arrived in Anson County about the same time as Nicholas, his nephew, Robert being the father of William whose daughter, Elizabeth 'Betsy' Broadway, married the son of Obedience Broadway Carpenter, daughter of Nicholas. Got that?

Name	Nicholas Brodoway
Arrival Year	1658
Arrival Place	Maryland
Primary Immigrant	Brodoway, Nicholas
Source Publication Code	8510
Annotation	Index from manuscript by Arthur Trader, Chief Clerk in the Maryland Land Commission, 1917. And see nos. 4507-4511, Land Notes.

There is a book on Nicholas the Immigrant and his wife, Catherine. Although the book finds its way to Robert, it does not mention Nicholas of Anson who married Elizabeth Berry.  There are too many unanswered questions within the Broadway family. I cannot help but to view them as a puzzle waiting to be solved. For instance, there exists in the middle years of the 19th century, a Robin Broadway, who is sometimes seen as Robert, and once as Thomas, who exists in my family tree as the husband of my 4th Great Grandaunt, Sarah Webster, sister of ancestor, Nancy Webster, who is mentioned in my earlier post in this series on Erasmus Preslar. Robert seems to be steadfastly anchored to the oak of the John Broadway family tree, but the identity of his mother is anybody's guess, although I've seen three different suggestions. These inconsistencies and quandaries lead me to desire to investigate the particulars of the Anson County Broadways or Broadaways, as a whole a little deeper. I'm not sure I agree with others concurrences.  

When Nicholas Broadway appears in the 1763 Tax List of Anson County, who is the obliterated name below his? We see his father-in-law, Thomas Berry, below him three spaces, who is taxed for 1 poll, his sons grown. Nicholas was taxed for 5 white polls and no black polls. This means he had four males over 16 living in his household, besides himself. 

Nicholas Broadway bought and sold land in Anson County between the years 1757 and 1768.

On Christmas Eve, 1760, Nicholas, identified as a Planter, bought property from John Husbands, his neighbor. 

The document was witnessed by W. Brown and Elizabeth Brown. 

The tract was 200 acres and cost him 20 pounds proclamation money. 

The tract was on the southwest side of the Pee Dee River and began at Caleb Howell's upper corner. This is the second time a Howell is mentioned in connection with Nicholas Broadway. This interests me, because the cove of them huddles in the same area as other ancestors of mine. I've long attempted to identify the family of Richard Howell, my 5th Great Grandmother Sarah Winfields first husband. These Howells near them is inspiring for that purpose. The survey proceeded forward to John George's corner on the Riverbank near the Grassy Island Wagon Ford, then down the Pee Dee River, then back to John Husbands'. 

Six years later in 1766, Nicholas bought property from Thomas Mitchell for 30 pounds proclamation money. 

This tract was 150 acres on the north side of Jones Creek.

Witnesses were Henry F. Falconborouh (later Falkenbury) and William Fielding, another name I've seen frequently in other family documents. 

In January of 1766, Thomas Berry departed with more of his own property, to his son-in-law, Nicholas Broadway. 

For 25 pounds proclamation money, he conveyed to Nicholas a tract in Anson, formally called Bladen, a piece of property beginning at Samuel Flake's lower corner of 100 acres altogether including buildings and 'one half of all gold and silver mines", and was part of the 500 acres of land Thomas Berry had gotten from Joseph White and Frances McElwain.

Later in the deed, Thomas Berry is referred to as Thomas 'Broady'. 

The above sale to Thomas Tallent, previously mentioned, was in 1757, and witnessed by Isaac Falconbrough, Samuel Berry and William Howell

Thomas Berry appears to have had at least the one daughter and two sons, Samuel and Charles. If Nicholas had another wife, there is no proof of it.

Nicholas Broadway had a case in court against William Hamer, but it doesn't say what the issue was about. 

Nicholas Broadaway had ventured into South Carolina on unspecified business, it is supposed. There he died on December 26, 1766. It is unknown where he was buried. However, the grave of his wife, Elizabeth, still remains to this day.

Tombstone of Elizabeth "Betty" Berry Broadaway

Elizabeth Berry died in 1769, the year after her husband. She was not an old woman; her age estimated at about 44. Her husbands at 46 when he died. Some of the children must have still been minors. As was the custom, they would have been assigned a guardian, or bound, and placed in another's home. Unfortunately, Anson is one of the many Counties that suffered record loss, from fires and other acts of nature or men, so that information is lost to time.

Rocky Mountain Church sits atop the highest hill in the area surrounding it near the forks of Richardson Creek and Rocky River. The Road begins at the Anson/Stanly County border, swirls around the rich ford area, near the John Lee cemetery, where Henry Davis lies, and then bends west, where the old Turner Cemetery is, all family and ancestors of mine. It ends near Crib Creek where two other roads, one called Randall, split off. For decades it was used for random camp meetings as the itinerant ministers would pass that way. The oldest graves predate the church by 70 or 80 years, so it must have served the earliest of arrivals. The church was founded in a log building in 1852. There are many Broadways in the Rocky Mount Cemetery. Among the internments there is Elizabeth 'Betty' Berry Broadaway, and more than likely, her husband Nicholas, too. 

Tombstone for Robert Broadway

Also buried in this same cemetery is my 6th Great Grandfather, Robert Broadaway. It's hard to focus on one without mentioning the other. There are no dates on the ancient stone, with its' rune-like markings

By 1790, the first census of the new United States of America, there was only one Broadway head of household in Anson County, a lady, named Gracy.

There has been much speculation on exactly who Gracy Broadway was. There were 7 males in her home over 16 and 7 females. The historic timeline analysis concludes that she certainly must have been the widow of Robert Broadway, although not a first wife. Otherwise, there are no hints as to who she was.

In the row of names where Gracy is listed, folks we can assume lived in the same general, though widespread, area, included my Uncle of many Greats, Edward Winfield, Drury Robertson, a friend of the Winfield's, who made the trip from Mecklenburg County, Virginia, with them, Richard Meanly, who married Edwards's mother's sister, Keziah Freeman, and also part of that same caravan, and John Ramsey, who I speculate may have been an ancestor, as Stark Ramsey, a known ancestor,  lived next to him, and was a generation younger.

She is nearest Gardner High and several Yarboroughs. 

And just above Gideon and Jacob Green.

In the 1800 census, Gracy is not listed, but there are two Broadways side by side, John and William.

Both families seem to hold a young couple, with children. Both have a man and woman between 16 and 25. William also has two girls under 10, and John has 1 boy and 2 girls under 10.

In 1810, there is only John. William may have moved temporarily, but not permanently. He and his wife are now in the 26 to 44 age range, and he's up to 7 children, four girls and two boys

By 1820, John and wife are over 45, they have 8 children, and for the first time, 7 slaves. 

William is back, in the same age range as John, with 5 younger household members, three young women 16 to 25, and one under 10 and one male under 10. 

There is a third Broadway household in 1820, led by a female named Lydia. There are two women 26 to 44, and a little boy under ten.

By 1830, the family starts to take off both figuratively and literally. There's Jordan, Robert, John and James and three Williams. Two Williams are in their 40's, one with a family of five and one slave, the other with a family of 8 and no slaves. Family of 8 lives near the Allens and George Turner, which puts him in the Rocky Mount Church area. Family of 5 lives near Whites, William Nash and Marshes, which puts him in Nicholas Broadaway's stomping grounds. The younger William appears to have been on the west side of the county, the part that became Union. He was between 16 and 25. 

My Broadway roots definitely need a more intense scrutiny, which I plan to launch into soon. But as I descend from both Nicholas and Robert, I hope to put at least some of the puzzle together.

The Heirs of George Cagle

 

David S. Cagle, Son of George W. Cagle

The heirs of George Washington Cagle are a story of their own. The question presented is who exactly were they? Some daughters had protean names, never seen as the same incarnation twice. Others, assumed dead before 1870, are listed in estate papers dated 1887, as alive. Some children were born out of wedlock, and which of these offspring by a promiscuous paramour were his and which were not? Who were some of the mysterious heirs listed twenty years past his death. I will attempt to answer that question in this post.

What is known is that George Washington Cagle had been born along the Rocky River in what is now Stanly County to Charles R. Cage, Senior and wife, Maranda Elizabeth Springer. He was the oldest son and came into the world around 1813, or thereabouts. He married around 1830 to Elizabeth Rose Whitley, daughter of Needham Whitley and Sarah Sides, she being about a year older than he. His family was sufficiently entangled with the Whitelys, and not only the Whitelys, but the Hinsons, Huneycutt's, Thomas's and Smiths.

George W. Cagle was murdered on February 27, 1876, as a result of his nefarious and wanton ways. That shocking end does not encapsulate the life of George W. Cagle at all. He was a farmer, a businessman, a husband and father and a humanitarian as well. Things seemed an easy and steady road for him, as long as he had Elizabeth. She passed away between late 1850 and early 1852. She was fully alive when counted in the 1850 census on October 3, 1850 and passed away before George remarried on January 4, 1852. Elizabeth was still a young woman when she passed, around 39 years old. She may have passed from complications of pregnancy or childbirth. Her youngest, daughter Lucy Catherine, was born in 1848.

Elizabeth seems to have been George's imperturbable, serene influence, his Eupraxia, his muse. George lived large, he gambled high on business deals, he bought and sold real estate and tried his hand at several industries, some successful, others, not so much. He ended up fairly wealthy in terms of comparison with many of his neighbors and seems to have kept a level head, until he lost Elizabeth.

Name	George Cagle
Gender	Male
Marriage Date	4 Jan 1852
Marriage Place	Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Spouse	Nancy Speight
Spouse Gender	Female
Event Type	Marriage

George married Nancy Hinson Speight on January 4. 1852. Nancy was a widow and the daughter of Charles Sampson Hinson and wife, Milly, or Amelia, Clark Hinson. In the estate papers, there are mentions of "the Estate of Charles Hinson". George was an heir of Charles Hinson via his marriage to Nancy, and that inheritance comes into play in the probate. 

Name	Nancy Hinson
Gender	Female
Spouse	Joseph Spate
Spouse Gender	Male
Marriage Date	7 Dec 1847
Marriage County	Union
Marriage State	North Carolina

Nancy did not have the same effect on George as Elizabeth had. Just the opposite, of course, she was a Hinson. If the Cagle's were fire, the Hinson's were gasoline, just a sense of things I've felt going through the old records and lives of these Big Lick citizens.  Nancy had married a Joseph Speights, or 'Spates'. on December 7, 1847, in Union County. 

Name	Nancy Speight
Gender	Female
Race	White
Residence Age	30
Birth Date	abt 1820
Birthplace	North Carolina
Residence Date	1850
Home in 1850	Smiths, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Cannot Read, Write	Yes
Line Number	37
Dwelling Number	688
Family Number	693
Inferred Spouse	Joseph Speight
Inferred Child	Martha Speight; William A Speight

Household members

Name	Age
Joseph Speight	24
Nancy Speight	30
Martha Speight	2
William A Speight	0

Joseph and Nancy were living in Smith's District, in Stanly County, in 1850, the same as George Cagle. Joseph Speight, the son of John Speight and Martha Jane Austin Speight, would die on September 28, 1850. The couple had two children: 

Daniel Cicero Huneycutt and Martha Jane Speight Huneycutt

A) Martha Jane Speight, born April 10, 1848 and married Daniel Cicero Huneycutt. 

William Alexander Speight

B) William Alexander Speight, born October 15, 1849, married Sarah Rebecca Harkey.

George Cagle does not appear to have taken the Speight children in after the marriage to their mother. The why's and ways to this fact may not have anything to do with the character of George or Nancy. Women didn't have the rights they do at present. Children without a father were considered orphans and were normally appointed a guardian by the court. The guardian could be family or not. 

Name	William A Spight
Age	11
Birth Year	1849
Gender	Male
Race	White
Home in 1860	Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office	Albemarle
Dwelling Number	1002
Family Number	1017
Household Members	Household Members Name Age Alexr M McLester 55 Lydia McLester 35 Daniel McLester 22 William A Spight 11 Edmond McLester 71

In 1860, William is found in the home of  Alexander McLester.

Name	Elizabeth Spight
Age	43
Birth Year	1817
Gender	Female
Race	White
Birth Place	North Carolina
Home in 1860	Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office	Albemarle
Dwelling Number	969
Family Number	984
Real Estate Value	75
Cannot Read, Write	Y
Inferred Child	Martha Spight

Martha is found in the home of her Aunt, Joseph's unmarried sister, Elizabeth. This may have been due to Joseph dying insolvent, and Elizabeth in possession of property. 

Nancy Hinson Speight Cagle would have two daughters with George Cagle, Anna Jane in 1854 and Frances Laura in 1857. All three of them would be among those who moved to Iredell County after George's death, with Anna Janes husband, Joseph "Joe" Hartsell in the lead.

Name	Nancy Cagle
Age	60
Birth Date	Abt 1820
Birthplace	North Carolina
Home in 1880	Coddle Creek, Iredell, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number	170
Race	White
Gender	Female
Relation to Head of House	Mother-in-law
Marital Status	Widowed
Father's Birthplace	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace	North Carolina
Occupation	Housekeeper
Maimed, Crippled, or Bedridden	Y
Cannot Write	Y
Neighbors	View others on page

Household members

Name	Age
Joe Hartsell	33
A. J. Hartsell	23
Geo. B. Hartsell	9
W. H. Hartsell	7
Etta Hartsell	5
E. F. Hartsell	3
May Hartsell	9/12
Laura Cagle	22
Nancy Cagle	60

Nancy Hinson Cagle died March 5, 1892 in Coddle Creek, Iredell County, NC, at the age of 74.

She was buried at Pleasant Hill Primitive Baptist Church. Several members of this family are buried there, along with others from Stanly County, primarily the Big Lick area who moved there. Some of them would move on to Mecklenburg County, NC.

Name	Nancy Caroline Cagle
Maiden Name	Hinson
Gender	Female
Birth Date	15 Mar 1817
Birth Place	Montgomery County, North Carolina, United States of America
Death Date	5 Mar 1892
Death Place	Iredell County, North Carolina, United States of America
Cemetery	Pleasant Hill Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place	Statesville, Iredell County, North Carolina, United States of America
Has Bio?	Y
Father	Charles Sampson Hinson
Mother	Milly Hinson
Children	Annie Jane Hartsell; Sion Speight; Martha Jane Honeycutt; William Alexander Speight

In the Find-A-Grave profile for Nancy Hinson Cagle, I discovered an error. Sion Speight is included as a child of Nancy and Joseph. He was not. Sion "Bud" Speight (1851-1922), was the son of Alexander Speight (1824-1851) and Winny Hinson. They also married in 1847 in Union County. Winny was the daughter of Sampson Hinson and Sarah Cagle. Sarah was the daughter of Benjamin Franklin Cagle and Susannah Rebecca Lowder Cagle. Alexander Speight was he son of John Speight and Martha Austin and a brother of Joseph Speight who married Nancy Hinson. So, they were all related in a multitude of ways but were different people.

The similarities do not end there. Alexander and Wincy or Winnie also had a daughter named Martha, also born in 1848, except theirs was Martha Elizabeth and Nancy and Joseph's was Marth Jane. I can see where confusion could ensue. To make matters even worse, both Speight brothers died young.

Alexander died July 9, 1851 at the Rocky River. Joseph would die January 28, 1850. It gets even spookier. Their brother John Speight, would marry Mary Jane Hinson on Christmas Day, 1848. He would die November 6, 1850 at 29 years old. Alexander was only 27 and Joseph only 24.

It gets worse. They had two other brothers named Manasseh and Sion who died in 1850, as young men. The three sisters lived a bit longer, but none grew old, a mysterious family kismet.

The above page is from the estate file of George Cagle titled 'D S Cagle and others against A.G. Morton admin of Geo Cagle decd.'. Dated the Fall Term, 1893, this page tells us the percentage of each heir and also, which children were still living in 1893. The names who received one eleventh were:

Menece A. Hartsell  (Adeline)

Lithana Hinson (aka Ithama Barthena)

D. S. Cagle (David)

Sara Jones

Elizabeth (marked through)

Catherine Baker (Lucy Catherine)

Luthina Hartsell (Beadie Luthina Mathene etc.)

Anna J Hartsell

Laura Cagle (Frances Laura)

Malinda Crisco

The above were all legitimate children of George Cagle. The name of Elizabeth was struck through because she was deceased. This also shows that Adeline was living in 1893. I've not been able to locate her in 1900, or find out when or where she died. Signs point to Mecklenburg County. 

The next two names received one- twenty-second share, or one-half of a child's share each.

Wlm Honeycutt (William)

Bell Baker (Isabelle)

These were the two children of Elizabeth Cagle, by two different husbands. William was mentioned in George's Will, as his Grandfather raised him.

The next names following were under a heading of one seventh-seventh. They were descendants of a lesser degree, grandchildren or great-grandchildren of other deceased children, perhaps.

Susan Thomas

Anna Honeycutt

M. J. Whitley

Ellen Caldwell

James Smith

George Smith

Ila Smith

The next page is similar, but is dated Fall Term of 1887, or about 6 years earlier. Things could have changed in those six years.

It names: D.S Cagle, Sarah Jones, Malinda Crisco, Catherine Baker, Luthina Cagle, Laura Cagle, Ann J. Hartsell, William Honeycutt, 

not of age - Isabell Baker, minor child of Elizabeth, who appears by their next friend William Honeycutt. This statement clarifies two things, Isabell, who was under 21, was the daughter of Elizabeth Cagle, not Catherine, whom she always seems attached to, as Catherine did raise her, and that she was represented in court by her half-brother, William. It continues: Susan Thomas, E.A. Huneycutt, M.J. Whitley, Ellen Caldwell, not of age - James Smith, George Smith and Ila Smith, the last three being minors and appear by their next friend J. A. Crisco, Adeline Hartsell and I. M. Hinson.

vs A.G. Morton admin of George Cagle, deasd., William Parker, J. C. Burris and Evan Morgan.

These were the business partners and executor of George Cagle and the heirs claimed he left a valuable estate, to which they were entitled a part. My next puzzle to solve was, who were the Seventy-sevenths?

There were two known legitimate children who were not named in the papers above, Martha and Mary. Martha was last seen in the 1870 census. at age 29, living in the home of her sister, Malinda Cagle Crisco. Unmarried, she appears to have died as a young woman, leaving no heirs. Her sister, Mary, also seen as Polly, did marry, to Alfred Smith, son of Richard and Susan. They were among those Big Lick citizens who had removed to Iredell County, where Mary died on Marh 11, 1885.

Her tombstone survives. Alfred and Polly had seven children: Susan Adeline, Elizabeth Ann, Mary Jane, Eliza Ellen, James Richard, George W. and Ila. At the time of the probate, Susan had married Jacob Thomas, the brother of David S. Cagle's wife, Sarah. Elizabeth Ann aka "Betsy" had married Calvin Arenas Honeycutt. Mary Jane had married Titus Hillman Whitley and Ellen had married James F. Caldwell, the only one, despite living in Iredell County, had married outside of the western Stanly County gene pool. The younger three were still underage and had not married. But they were not "seventy-sevenths", as the paper stated. They were seven grandchildren, heirs of one child, one of the eleven legitimate children of George W. Cagle. I stress legitimate because George had other children, born from affairs outside of marriage. By law, they had no claim, unless named in the Will, as one had been. However, the shares of Polly Cagle Smith's children should have read as seven-elevenths, as the two children of Elizabeth Cagle shared two-elevenths.

The above page, included in the George Cagle estate papers is titled "D.S. Cagle admin. of Martha Cagle dec. against George Cagle".  It was stated s served against George Cagle on the 26th day of January 1876. David was the administrator of the estate of Martha Cagle, who was named in her father's will, but had predeceased him by months, it appears, and he sued their fathers' estate to cover her expenses, medical and burial.

 George Cagle had his fingers in many endeavors, and when he died, folks from all around wanted a little piece of the pie, so his estate file is massive, consisting mostly of of ragged receipts and affidavits. One interesting one was dated 1876 and was for $7.52 to M. A. Honeycutt on March 27th for the work of her son. The particular son was not named. This was Maniza Honeycutt and she was a mistress of George Cagle. Her children are said to have been his, or at least some of them. Maniza went before a Justice in June of that year and made oath to it, that she was due the money. The receipt that followed was dated November of 1876 and was received by C. A. Honeycutt for Maniza.

Then there was the Baker mystery. The probate papers show Isabella Baker as heir of George Cagle through her mother, Elizabeth. Most have Elizabeth dying as a Honeycutt, after the birth of her son, William. Obviously, that did not happen. Above, I located the marriage certificate of Elizabeth, under her married name of Honeycutt, marrying James T Baker on August 31,1865, in Cabarrus County, after her first husband, John W. Honeycutt, was killed in the Civil War. What cinches it is her brother, D. S. Cagle, signing as a witness. This is the correct Elizabeth. 

Elizabeth was not the first wife of James Tanner Baker, as he had married Mary Sims in July of 1840, in Cabarrus County, again, as he was from Rowan. He had entered the marriage with Elizabeth with his own children. This may be the reason that George took custody of his grandson, William Honeycutt.

What happens after that is a bit tricky. 

On June 9, 1868, James T. Baker comes to Stanly County to marry Elizabeth's younger sister, Lucy Catherine Cagle. 

The next census, 1870, shows 53 year old James, 22 year old Catherine, his youngest daughters by his first marriage, Florence and Dixie, his daughter with Elizabeth, Isabella, age 4 and Vanhoy, his first child with Catherine. Did he divorce Elizabeth, or did she pass away? 

Isabella Baker was born about 1867, the year before James married Catherine. Elizabeth and Catherine are both named as Bakers in one list. I believe this was in error. Elizabeth appears to have passed away after the birth of Isabella. Catherine stepped on and raised her niece. I've not found Elizabeth in 1870, or any documentation suggesting there was a divorce, or that she remarried a third time. One man appears to have married one sister after the death of another.

In addition to the nine children by his first wife, Elizabeth Rose Whitley, and two by his second wife, Nancy Caroline Hinson Speight, George W Cagle had children outside of marriage, possibly five by Maniza A. Honeycutt and maybe one by his other mistress, Mariah Myers Meggs. Only one is mentioned in his Will, shown above, and that was his son, Eli or Ely. 

In the Spring Term of Superior Court, 1889, an addendum to the case of D. J. Cagle and others vs A. G. Morton admin. of George Cagle was included as the Affidavit of Eli Huneycutt.

My transcription of the above page: 

Eli Huneycutt, complaining says, That George Cagle died in the year 1876 and that the Defendants above named administration upon said estate and that the said George Cagle made and published his last Will and testament before his death which has been duly probated and recorded in the Office of the clerk of the Superior Court of Stanly County. That under said will this affiant is entitled as one of the legacies of said will and is not a party to said action. 

II That if the proceeds of said estate which is left for distribution Viz the sum of eight hundred and seventy-three & 29/100 dollars arise from the sale of real estate? by said administration to pay debts which real estate "Vis" the home plantation was devised to this affiant Eli Huneycutt which alleges that he is entitled to .. cont. 

cont. "same. 

III That affiant is entitled to be made a party plaintiff to this one him to the end that an around sixty to taken of his interest in said estate and to have .....paid....order....the provision of the will. (This part is extremely dim and difficult to read). 

He therefore prays the court that he may be made a party Plaintiff and he ..judgement... signed by Eli Huneycutt and S. H. Milton. 

Above, the names of George's surviving,  married daughter were included into a suite, where previously, only their husbands were named, along with the widowed and single sisters, and surviving children of the deceased sisters.

Some of George Cagle's daughters bore unusual names, like Ithama Luthena Barthena, that evolved with time.

Ithama may have been a family name passed down the Cagle line from far back ancestors. Above is the Salisbury announcement of the marriage of Ithamey Cagle, (1826-1902), daughter of James Cagle, a son of Benjamin Franklin Cagle and semi-distant relative of George W. Cagle, who married George Sides. 

In conclusinon, I've compiled a list of the definitive heirs of George Washington Cagle. His two mistresses have their own, very unique stories, and I want to give a closer look at their lives, and if there is any proof to the parentage of their children.

George Washington Cagle was born about 1813 to Charles Robert Cagle, Sr. and wife, Miranda Elizabeth Springer. He died on Februay 27, 1876. His death is a story of its own. He first married Elizabeth Rose Whitley (1812-1860), daughter of Needham Whitley and wife, Sarah Sides.

Ten children:

1) Menece Adelin Cagle, (1832 - unknown) Her father's estate records suggest she was alive until at least 1897. She is not to be found in 1900, and the locattion of her daughter suggests she may have relocated to Mecklenburg County and could possibly be found in a City Directory there in 1898.

Married: Tillman Coley (1827-1856)

Married second: Holden Hartsell (1816-1865) One son: Adam Hartsell born 1864, last seen at age 18.

Daughter, Nelie "Nealie" A. Hartsell, born in 1872, could not have been the daughter of Holden Hartsell. She married Elhannon Mack Ferrell and became the mother of six children: Alberta Lee Ferrell Beam, Addie L. Ferrell Baxter, Tillman Allen Ferrell, Lura M. Ferrell, Inez Iva Ferrell Brown, Delola Neely Ferrell Holshouser. Nealie Hartsell was born in Big Lick, where she is found in 1880 and is in Huntersville, Mecklenburg County, NC in 1900, they then move to Coddle Creek in Iredell, where many of her relatives had relocated to, then to Cleveland County, then to Lincolnton in Lincoln County, then to Hickory in Catawba County, then finally to North Kannapolis in Rowan County, where she died in 1951, and was buried in Mooresville, Iredell County.

2) Ithama Lithana Barthena Cagle (24 Oct 1833-25 March 1812) 

Married William B. Hinson (1830- between 1878-1880). Eight children:

     George LaFayette Hinson (1851-1897) , Nathaniel L. Hinson (1851-1908), Doctor Hinson (1857-1870), Harriett Hinson (1864-1960), John I Hinson, (1874-1923), James Alfred Hinson (1874-1950), Millie Arnette Hinson Crayton (1876-1943). 

The Hinsons moved from Stanly County to Olive Branch in Union County, which was just across the river, then became one of the Big Lick area families who moved to Iredell County, living in Coddle Creek and Davidson, where Ithama was buried. Referred to as Lithana in her father's estate papers, she is seen as Barthena in 1850, Isama in 1860, Lythama in 1870, Lithania in 1880, but Ithamia, or Ithama on most of her childrens documents. As Ithama was a family name, I believe that is actually what her first name must have been.

3) David S. "Dave" Cagle (31 March, 1835 - 11 April 1915) As the only son of George Washington Cagle born within the bonds of Holy Matrimony, Dave was the de facto head of the Cagle family after the death of his father. He seemed stable and steadfast, perhaps only due to the responsibilities thrust upon him, but he was nothing like his father. The settlement of his estate was even more arguementive and expansive than that of his father. William Alfred Cagle was the Administrator of his father's estate and Dave had outlived a few of his adult children, which made involving grandchildren and their spouses neccesary.     

    

The above and below lists are the names of the surviving children and grandchildren whose Cagle parent predeceased their grandfather. 

David S. Cagle married Sarah Thomas on January 10, 1854. Sarah was the daughter of  Jacob Thomas and Betsy Baucom of the Rocky River area. She was born on September 23, 1835 and passed away on April 7, 1908. The 1900 census had reported that she had been the mother of 7 children with 5 living. All seven are known. 

Sarah Thomas Cagle

Sarah's younger brother, Jacob Thomas Jr. married David's neice, Susan Smith, daughter of his sister, Mary, who married Alfred Smith. Their 7 children were James David Cagle (1854-1897), William Alfred Cagle (1856-1933), Alexander A. Cagle (1858-1943), Eliza J. Cagle Nance (1861-1918), Mary Jane Cagle Teeter Turner (married twice) , (1865-1941), Margaret E. Cagle Honeycutt (1870-1901), Rosanna Cagle Edwards (1877-1951). Rosanna would be the child who took care of her aging father after her mother passed. 

Above is part of the distribution to heirs in the estate of David S. Cagle. Dave died on April 11, 1915. He had survived several of his own children. The first four names above are the children who survived him; William Alfred Cagle (W A), Mary Jane Cagle Teeter, Alexander A. Cagle, and Rosanna Cagle Edwards (Rose Ann Edwards). These recieved a full one seventh share of his seven children. The next group recieved one eight of one seventh, meaning they were one of eight children of one of David's chidren. 

James David Cagle

Those eight were the children of James David Cagle, who passed away on December 30, 1897. Sam would have been Samuel Prince Cagle, next is Emma Cagle who married Victor Widenhouse, Travis James Cagle, Ida B Cagle Cagle, who married George Franklin Cagle, a son of Robert Lindsay Cagle and wife Francis Caroline Robbins, and a great-nephew of George W. Cagle. Next is Connie Lee Cagle who married James Seabron Joyner, Daniel Webster Cagle (Dan) , William David Cagle (W.D). The one child of James David Cagle not listed was Walter L K Cagle. He traveled a bit, but would settle back in North Carolina. His obituary states when he passed, he was only survived by two brothers, Sam and Travis. This may have been in error that his name was excluded from being one of the eight.

Above, the continuation of the list shows first, three of sevens, or one third share of a child's seventh. These were the children of Margaret "Maggie" Cagle Honeycutt; Thomas Dewitt "Dee" Honeycutt, Arabella Honeycutt Thomas and Lillie Mae Huneycutt (will be Burris). The final group is one seventh of one seventh and those were the children of  Elizabeth "Eliza" J. Cagle. She had married William Jacob Nance and although she had outlived her father by three years, passing away on March 1, 1918 in New Salem, Union County, by the time of this action, she was deceased. The heirs to her one seventh share were John David Nance, William Alfred Nance, Loretta Emaline "Lou Rettie" Nance Austin, Sarah Elizabeth "Bettie" Nance Austin, Callie E. Nance Mask, Lillie Maggie Nance and James Benjamin Nance.

The Turners came into play in the estate when Mary Jane Cagle Teeter was widowed and chose a second husband in the form of  James Thomas Turner and have one more child, Minnie. 

The above shows distributions.

Actions like these could drag on for years until nothing was left, or any proceeds were held in escrow. Sometimes the government and attorneys just ate it all. 

This shows the case taking until at least 1919. Compare this to the distributions from the estate of George W. Cagle, below.

The fouth child of  George Washington Cagle and first wife, Elizabeth Rose Whitley was:

4) Sarah P Cagle (13 Dec 1836 - 6 August 1905) Note: the middle initials of Sarah and her brother, David are only known by letter. It has been proposed that David's was either Stanly or Sampson and that Sarah's "P" stood for Priscilla. This could be true, but I've found no documentation for that, so I leave them as a simple initial that is documented. As I've mentioned before in other posts, Sarah married Wiley Allen Jones in Stanly County, on June 5, 1853. Three years after his marriage to Sarah, he fathered a daughter, Ellen M. Safely by Sarah Frances Safely. Sarah apparently endured that indiscretion with grace and forgiveness, and gave wily Wiley six legitimate children : James Franklin Jones (1855-1914), Tillman Allen Jones (1858-1942), Margaret Ann Jones Cashion, (1850-1960), Wiley Alexander Jones (1862-1943), Elizabeth Ellen Jones Mills (1867-1947) and Sarah L. Jones (1868-1879). 

Little Sarah and her father both died of Typhoid Fever about the same time. They were buried together at Centre Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Mooresville, Iredell County, North Carolina.

Sarah P. Cagle Jones spent the remainder of her years, 26 of them, living with her children, first with son James F. Jones in Coddle Creek and later with daughter Eliza Mills in Davidson. She died on August 6, 1905, and was buried at Davidson College Cemetery in Mecklenburg County.

5) Mary "Polly" Cagle (16 Jun 1838-11 Mar 1885) Married Alfred Smith, son of Richard and Susan Smith. They lived in the New Salem Community of Union County, just across the river from Big Lick in Stanly County, at first, before moving to Coddle Creek in Iredell County, along with many others of the family and the community. Polly died a young woman in March of 1885, at 46. She and Alfred Smith had seven children, as was seen in the above Probate papers. They were Susan "Sis" Smith Thomas (1858-1898) Sis was married to Jacob C. Thomas, the brother of Sarah Thomas who was married to Polly's brother, David S. Cagle. The others were Elizabeth Ann "Betsy" Smith Honeycutt (1859-1931), Mary Jane Smith Whitley (1863-1930), Eliza Ellen Smith Caldwell (1865-1921), James Richard Smith (1867-1950), George Washington Smith (1868-1937), Ila Smith Honeycutt (1873-1942). Polly Cagle Smith was buried at Willow Valley Cemetery in Mooresville, Iredell County, NC. Her husband, Alfred Smith, outlived her by about 20 years. He lived until January 31, 1905, and was buried at the Fairview United Methodist Church Cemetery in Mooresville. 

Alfred Smith

 6) Martha Cagle (1838- bet 1880 and 1887) Unmarried, burial location unknown. 

7) Elizabeth Cagle (26 June 1842 - bet 1868 and 1870) David S. Cagle recorded his siblings' births in his Family Bible, which may have started with his parents, but not their dates of death. Elizabeth married first, John W. Honeycutt, who perished in the Civil War. One child, William Alfred Honeycutt (1859-1889). She married second to James Tanner Baker. One child, Isabella Baker Huffman. 

8) Malinda Ellen Cagle (2 Aug. 1844- 6 Feb 1917) Married Jacob A. Crisco on July 20, 1858 in Stanly County. They would move to Coddle Creek / Mooresville in Iredell County before 1880, where they raised a family of 8 children: William Crisco (1856-1860), Adam Dawson Crisco (1860-1927),

Araminta "Minty" Evelyn Crisco Russ (1866-1925), Dolly Lupine Crisco Cook (1869-1942), John C. Crisco, (1879-1945), King David Crisco (1872-1945), Mary Magdalen Crisco Christenbury (1878 -1955) and Bingham Caldwell Crisco (1880 -1938) Melinda was buried at the Coddle Creek ARP Church Cemetery in Mooresville. Jacob outlived her by two years and is buried beside her. 

9) Beadie Luthenia Mathene Cagle (26 Sept 1846 - 25 Mar 1912). Never married. One child: Effie Cumi Cagle Wilson (1883-1970). Beadie Luthenia's daughter was supposedly fathered by her brother-in-law, Jacob A. Chrisco. Beadie was living with her sister Malinda's family at the time, and after leaving Big Lick for Iredell County. She was buried at McKendree Chapel UMC in Iredell County. 

Beadie Luthenia Mathene Cagle

10) Lucy Catherine Cagle (3 July 1848- 4 Sept 1899) Lucy became the third wife of James Tanner Baker on June 9, 1868, three years after her sister Elizabeth had married him. It can be assumed that Elizabeth passed away. Catherine raised Isabella Baker, born in 1867, but Elizabeth was her mother. Lucy Catherine and J. T. Baker had four known children: Osbourne Vaughn Baker (1869-1937), David Council Baker (1872-1943). These first two moved to Texas and raised their faimly there. Dominic Baker (1877 -?) Dominic may have died as a child. Nothing else is known about him and I've not been able to locate his burial location. Deborah D. Baker ( 1881-1920) Married William Holden Hartsell, son of Lucy Catherine's half-sister, Anna Jane Cagle Hartsell and grandson of Holden Hartsell, son of her sister Menece Adaline Hartsell's second husband, Holden Hartsell. They remained in Fallstown, Iredell County. 

Lucy Catherine Cagle Baker married second to Jacob Monroe Eudy on December 22, 1887 in Iredell County, both with Stanly County roots. She would pass away two years later on September 4, 1889 and was buried at Willow Valley Cemetery in Mooresville. Jacob M. Eudy would join her on September 4, 1896, seven years later. Lucy was the youngest child of George Washington Cagle with his first wife, Elizabeth Rose Whitley.

George had married his second wife, Nancy Hinson Speight in 1854. Their children were:

11) Anna Jane Cagle ( 7 September 1854- 24 November 1931). Annie married on March 20, 1870, to Joseph Monroe Hartsell, son of her sister Adaline's husband, Holden Hartsell. Joe and Annie raised their family of ten children in Iredell County, moving from Fallstown to Coddle Creek to Davidson. Later in life, they moved to Concord, Cabarrus County. Anna Jane, sometimes called Annie, died on November 24, 1931 and was buried at Pleasant Hill Primitive Baptist Church in Trountman, Iredell County, where her mother was buried. This must have been the families home church when they lived n that area.

The ten children of Anna Jane Cagle and Joseph Monroe Hartsell, who died in 1923, were: George Benton Hartsell (1871-1907), William Holden Hartsell (1872-1943), Etta Roxie Hartsell Smith (1875-1954), Lottie Mae Hartsell Overcash (1878-1957),  Eli Franklin Hartsell (1879-1933), Anna Hartsell Gilbert (1881 - ?), Virginia Alice Hartsell Byers (1883-1956), Olaa Ann Hartsell Thompson (1884-1957), Rufus Reid Hartsell (1886 -1944), Doke Monroe Hartsell (1889-1934).

12) Frances "Fanny" Laura Cagle (1857-1897) Never married, died in Troutman, NC.

Some people attribute an Eli Cagle to Nancy Hinson Cagle, but he was not her child. Eli Cagle and Eli Honeycutt was one person. 

George's children by Maniza Honeycutt. George had a relationship with Maniza Honeycutt outside of marriage. I will explore this relationship closer in a future post as we look at the question of who the fathers of Maniza Huneycutt were. I so believe several of them were the children of George Cagle, but the one we can definately attribute to George Washington Cagle was Eli, as he was named in George's Will.

13) Ellison "Eli" F. Honeycutt/Cagle (3 June 1856-Jan 7 1940). Eli, who is seen by both surnames at varioud times of his life, married Frona  Alice Thomas, daughter of William Green Thomas and Lydia Dry. We will look more closely at Eli's family in a future post, but they had a family of about five children. Eli remarried later in life to Jennie Yow Huneycutt and died in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, NC. 

The boisterous, industrious and lusty life of Geoge W. Cagle tinted the color of the 19th century town and community of Big Lick. He left a large family, perhaps larger than the 13 children mentioned. We will later explore the lives of his mistresses and perhaps add some children to the list above. My next post will take a closer look at the death of George W. Cagle. Was it murder or self-defense?