"It's a Man's World" sang the legendary James Brown, and at no time was this statement more true than in the mid-nineteenth century. Men would do what they did, and women suffered the consequences of those actions, then struggled to survive the after-effects as best they could.
After George Cagle passed away, I wondered what happened to Mariah Meggs, a woman who had lived with him, and with his second wife, Nancy and all of their children, known in the community of Big Lick, Stanly County, North Carolina, as a paramour of old George Cagle. George, a fairly well off businessman and farmer for the time and place, had an eye for pretty girls, and he also had a knack for making mistakes. But one of the worst mistakes he ever made was hiring this misbegotten teen-age boy name Daniel Alexander Crisco , to tend his stock. Daniel Crisco was the result of an illicit relationship between Blacksmith and Carriagemaker William G. Crisco and an unmarried woman named Rebecca Elizabeth Crisco. George may have felt sorry for the boy, as George had his own illegitimate children, which he embraced to some degree. I've came across several young men in my research of old Stanly County, and the surrounding counties, who were born into similar circumstances and several of the seemed to have carried this seething anger within them, repressed by an inadequate seal. The malice seemed to be caused by a bitterness towards the community for its ostracization of them and the assault to their characters, by simply virtue of the unfortunate circumstance of their birth.
The last half dozen posts of mine have been about George Crisco, or members of his family and stages of his life. This one will be about his mistress, Mariah. The more I found out about her, the more pity and empathy I had towards her. She had gotten a raw deal in life.
Mariah had been born to a woman named Elizabeth, around 1844, probably in Union County, North Carolina, near the Rocky River. Elizabeth's maiden name is unknown. Some have her as a Thomas, others as a Meggs, however, I've found proof of neither. She is always called "Meggs" in the documents of her children, and that was her married name. Her husband would later marry a Thomas, after her death, and that may be where the confusion came in. I believe that Meggs may have been a likely maiden name for Elizabeth, and perhaps she was joined into a cousin marriage, than Thomas, simply because Mariah Keziah Meggs, her firstborn child, went by Meggs. In those days, it was much more likely for a child born out-of-wedlock, to go by their mother's maiden name, than the name of any future husband the mother may marry. In this text, we will refer to her as Elizabeth Meggs. Several refer to her as Sarah Elizabeth, as well as her widower's future wife. That is also misleading and I believe, a case of two people being merged into one. Elizabeth was older, and I only see her in records as Elizabeth. Sarah Thomas was younger, and I've not seen her as Elizabeth.
Elizabeth Meggs, whether the surname was her current or future acquirement, gave birth to Mariah Keziah Meggs, out of wedlock, and as the mistress, or at the hands of, a married man. That man, as is named on Mariah's documents, was Shepherd Myers.
Shepherd Myers was fully named, Wilson Shepherd Myers, was born on March 5, 1811, in Anson County, NC to Marmaduke Ransom Myers (1772-1831) and wife, Rebecca Brewer (1789-1830). He was married twice, first to Clarissa Jane Teal and second to Catherine McDearmind. Isn't it great that we can know so much about Shepherd, and almost nothing about Elizabeth, not even her maiden name?
Shepherd Myers first appears in the 1840 census of Anson County as a young man counted in his 30's, with a young woman in her 20's, and two small children, a boy and a girl under 5, in the home. This looks like a young married family. His neighbors indicate that he is near what will become the Union-Anson County border. Preceding his name is Holden Lisenby, Henry Deberry and William Horn, Deberry being a name usually associated more with eastern Montgomery County, in this year. Following his listing is Margaret Jones, James Dumas, Moses Sanders and James Tice. Not far down the list I see my ancestor, William Hill, son of Julius Hill; which gives me some perspective of where this census taker was riding his mule. Other familiar names on this page are Wyatt Nance, Hosey (Hosea) Tomberlin, Berry and Coleman Austin, Thomas Polk and a few Mullises. No Meggs nearby.
| Name | Shepherd Myers |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Race | White |
| Residence Age | 39 |
| Birth Date | abt 1811 |
| Birthplace | South Carolina |
| Residence Date | 1850 |
| Home in 1850 | Meltonsville, Anson, North Carolina, USA |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Industry | Agriculture |
| Real Estate | 500 |
| Line Number | 23 |
| Dwelling Number | 894 |
| Family Number | 894 |
| Inferred Spouse | Clarissa Myers |
| Inferred Child | James Wilson Myers; Margaret A Myers; Eliza Myers; Alexander Myers; Hampton Myers; John Myers; Harrison Myers |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Shepherd Myers | 39 |
| Clarissa Myers | 35 |
| James Wilson Myers | 12 |
| Margaret A Myers | 11 |
| Eliza Myers | 9 |
| Alexander Myers | 7 |
| Hampton Myers | 5 |
| John Myers | 1 |
| Harrison Myers | 0 |
By 1850, Shepherd and his wife, Clarrissa Teal Myers have added five more children in the course of ten years, to the first boy and girl from 1840, which would have been James Wilson and Margaret. Mariah Keziah Meggs was born to Shepherd and Elizabeth in 1844, which would have been the year between the births of his sons, Alexander and Hampton, to Clarissa. They are located in the Meltonsville area, and one would think Elizabeth may have been close by but cannot be found. This census reveals that Shepherd was born in South Carolina, while his wife was born in North Carolina.
Clarrissa is found with Shepherd in the 1850 and 1860 census records, and according to her tombstone, she died on September 20, 1865, at the age of 49, having been born October 15, 1815. She and Shepherd had 11 children together, Mariah Meggs' half siblings. They were:
James Wilson Myers (1837-1963). He had married Rebecca Ann Rivers , and had one son, Charlie Shepherd Myers, before James died on September 5, 1863 at Pennsville, Salem, New Jersey, where he died of disease as a POW in the Civil War.
Margaret Ann Myers (1838-1908) Became the second wife of James Ratliff Gulledge. No children.
Eliza Jane Myers (1840-1892) Married James Green Jones, 5 children.
William Alexander Myers (1842-1935) Moved to Madison County, Tennessee, becoming a Grocery Merchant and living to age 92. Married twice, first to Josephine Price, by whom he had one daughter and second to Victoria Mathis, with who he had three sons.
Hampton Myers (1844-1871) Survived the Civil War, and afterwards, joined his brother in Madison County, Tennessee, where he died at age 26.
John Shepherd Myers (1848-1932) Married Sarah Ellen Jarman or Garman, 7 children. Farmed in Gulledge Township, Anson County, where he was born until moving to Rocky Springs in Montgomery County later in life. Lived to 83.
Benjamin Harrison Myers (1850-1936) Moved to Fannin County, Texas, as a young man, where he worked as a Carpenter. Married Bernice Brigance there, three children. Lived to see 86.
Thomas Albert Myers (1853-1924) Moved to Grayson County, Texas, where he worked as a Carpenter. Married Elizabeth Ellen Sharpe, three sons. Made it to 72.
George Franklin Myers (1855-1924) Married twice, 1st to Nora Francis Braswell, no children. Second to Emma A. Tarlton, ten children. Worked as a farmer in Anson, Lee and finally, Richmond Counties, NC. Died at 68 years old.
Elijah Dorsey Myers ( 1858-1919) Married twice, 1st to Sarah Francis Ratliff, 4 children. Second to Elizabeth Ann Gaddy, 5 children. Remained and farmed in Gulledge, Anson County.
Sarah Teal Myers (1863-between 1900 and 1910) Married John Davis Rushing, 6 daughters. Lived in Gulledge until she died at age 48.
After Clarissa died, Shepherd still had young children, so he married an "old maid", Scottish lady, Catherine McDermaid, who had just inherited property after the death of her mother, Mary.
Above, is the family in 1870, with Catherine and two older ladies boarding, Ann McLaurin, who never married and Kizzie (Kessiah) Meaders Hubbard, recently widowed.
Shepherd Myers died on Christmas Eve, 1884 and is buried at Bethel United Methodist Church Cemetery in Wadesboro, NC.
 |
| Elijah Dorsey Myers and wife Fannie Ratliff Myers. Elizabeth, the mother of Mariah Meggs, is not to be found in the 1850 census. It can be estimated that she married James Meggs by about that time, as their first child together, Jane, was born in 1852. 
In 1860, the family is found living in the Beaver Dam Community of Union County. James Meggs is a Miller, and Elizabeth is listed as a Spinster, a one who runs a spinning wheel. They have three young children together, Jane, Ellen and James. |
In 1866, Mariah Keziah Meggs is brought to court. Following in her mother's footsteps, Mariah has become pregnant outside of wedlock. Ordered to court on a Bastardy bond, and is compelled to name the father of her child, who she names as Levi Parker, a member of the Parker family that George Cagle was in a business partnership with.
A portion of this document, shown above, shows that on May 24, 1866, that Mariah Meggs had been delivered of a child, and that child had been born a 'bastard', or outside the legal binds of marriage. Mariah, of Stanly County, confessed that Levi Parker, of Union County, was the father of the child, a girl she named Melissa Ann Meggs.
Levi Guilford Parker
Levi Guilford Parker, born April 26, 1843, was from Union County, and just a year older than Mariah. It can be assumed that by 1866, she may have already taken up residence in the Cagle home, as a boarder, bounded, or laborer, as he was in association with the Parkers. She would have been about 21 or 22 and Levi 22 or 23.
He was a son of Elijah Parker Jr. and wife, Nancy Laney Rogers, and one of a very large clutch of children.
| Name | Levy G Parker |
|---|---|
| Age | 16 |
| Birth Year | abt 1844 |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | White |
| Birth Place | North Carolina |
| Home in 1860 | Union, North Carolina |
| Post Office | Lanes Creek |
| Dwelling Number | 57 |
| Family Number | 57 |
| Attended School | Y |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Elijah Parker | 40 |
| Nancy Parker | |
| Jerusha Parker | 20 |
| Georg N Parker | 18 |
| Levy G Parker | 16 |
| James E Parker | 14 |
| Young R Parker | 12 |
| Cullin Parker | 11 |
| Thomas Parker | 9 |
| William Parker | 7 |
| Adolphus L Parker | 5 |
| Emoly R Parker | 2 |
| Samuel M Parker | 1 |
| Manizer A Parker | 6 |
In 1860, the family was living in Lane's Creek Township, and there were already 11 children, and more would follow. Maniza Ann Parker was a niece, daughter of Levi's oldest daughter, Jerusha. Like many young men his age, Levi would serve in the Civil War a few short years after this. He lost a few brothers, but Levi survived.
| Name | Levi G Parker |
|---|---|
| Enlistment Age | 18 |
| Birth Date | abt 1843 |
| Birth Place | Union County, North Carolina, USA |
| Enlistment Date | 16 Sep 1861 |
| Enlistment Place | Union County, North Carolina |
| Enlistment Rank | Private |
| Muster Date | 20 Nov 1861 |
| Muster Place | North Carolina |
| Muster Company | D |
| Muster Regiment | 37th Infantry |
| Muster Regiment Type | Infantry |
| Muster Information | Enlisted |
| Imprisonment Date | 2 Apr 1865 |
| Imprisonment Place | Near Petersburg, Virginia |
| Casualty Date | 30 Jun 1862 |
| Casualty Place | Frazier's Farm, Virginia |
| Type of Casualty | Wounded |
| Side of War | Confederacy |
| Survived War? | Yes |
| Residence Place | Union County, North Carolina |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Notes | 1862-11-15 Returned, Estimated day; 1863-09-15 Returned, Estimated day; 1865-04-03 Confined, (Point Lookout, MD), Estimated day; 1865-06-16 Oath of Allegiance, (Point Lookout, MD) |
| Additional Notes 2 | Casualty 2 Date: 03 Jul 1863; Casualty 2 Place: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; Casualty 2 Type of Casualty: Wounded |
| Title | North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster |
Enlisting in September of 1861, Levi's military career was one of hardship and endurance. He was first wounded at Frazier's farm, Virginia, near Richmond on June 30, 1862 and the next year, wounded again at Gettysburg on June 3, 1863. Levi was imprisoned at Point Lookout, Maryland and released on June 16, 1865 under an Oath of Allegiance. He was described as being 5 foot 9 3/4 inches tall with a florid complexion, dark hair and gray eyes. He was literate and returned home an injured, but determined man. Shortly after he must have met, or reconnected with, Mariah Meggs, the bastard stepdaughter of James Ransom Meggs.
After his day in court, Levi Guilford Parker did what most young men in his position died, find a "good girl" and marry her, a respectable one, deserving of wifeing. On April 13, 1867, the spring after the birth of his daughter, Melissa, Levi married Lavina Elliot, 28, of Union County. Lavina ,or "Viney", was the daughter of William and Sarah Elliott, her mother a widow. She and Levi would raise a family of five; Dora, Ellison, John S., Lewis and Isaac M. Parker, remaining in Lanes Creek, Union County, NC, while the children were small, and then moving to the town of Academy in Lamar, Texas by 1900.
Academy was short-lived, but Lamar sits to the east of Fannin, Texas, where a couple of Levi's siblings relocated. Red River County borders it on the east and it's northern border is the Oklahoma state line. The County seat is Paris, which was made famous by the 1984 movie of the same name, "Paris, Texas'.
Lavina died in 1904, in Texas, and by 1910, Levi is shown living in Muddy Fork, Arkansas, with his son, Ellison. They had returned to Texas by the 1920 census, Levi was alone in his own household, but living near his sons, Ellison and Isaac. They must have had a sense of humor. In the census, these North Carolina born fellows fibbed a bit, obviously. While Levi gave his 'Native Tongue' as Dutch, he stated his mother's native tongue was Irish. Ellison gave his father's Native Tongue as French, which would have been Levi?~!
When Levi applied for his military pension, he was 78 and living in Windom, Fannin Couty, Texas. The year was 1921 and he stated that he had lived in Texas for 27 years. Levi Guilford Parker would pass away on June 20, 1924, in Windom, Fannin County, Texas.
1870 Mariah Keziah Meggs is living in the home of George Cagle with her daughter, Melissa "Lisy Ann' Meggs.
Her family had left her behind. She is shown as 26, and by her father's surname of Myers. With her is her 6/7-year-old daughter, Melissa, or "Lisy". Because of the way their names are written in this document, some folks have her as Marion, instead of Mariah, and her daughter as Lucy instead of Lisy. They are living with George Cagle, age 58, his wife Nancy, 52, and their youngest daughter Fannie. Eleven-year-old Eli is George's son by Maniza Honeycutt, and the William Huneycutt, also eleven, is George's grandson William, son of his deceased daughter, Elizabeth. While Melissa's father, Levi Parker, is living in Union County, the mother and daughter duo are living across the river to the north in Big Lick, Stanly County.
The Meggs
In 1870, while Mariah and her child are living in the Cagle household, her mother, Elizabeth, and stepfather, Ransom Meggs, are still living in the Union County Community of New Salem, and Mr. Meggs is still operating his gristmill. Their three children together, Jane, Eliza and James W. Meggs, are now in their teens. Living with them is William Wesley Meggs, 21 and his wife, Nancy Coley Meggs, a nephew of James Ransom Meggs. Within a few years, Ransom will sell his Grist Mill and his Olive Branch and New Salem properties and remove, like many in the Big Lick area, to Iredell County, North Carolina.
Elizabeth Meggs, Mariah's mother, contracts some ailment after moving to Iredell County, and passes away in September 1879, at the age of 54, of dysentery. It is unknown where she is buried.
James Ransom Meggs wasted no time after the death of his wife, Elizabeth, and remarried on December 9, 1879, about two months later. He married Sarah Elizabeth Thomas, who I believe he knew previously, the daughter of Jacob Thomas and Hester Jane Holley Thomas, who grew up in the New Salem/Olive Branch area of Union County, NC.
The 1880 census revealed that James R. and Sarah T. Meggs were living in Davidson, Iredell County, and Ransom was still a Miller.
Ransom and Sarah had one child together, a son, the named William James Meggs, who was born November 20, 1880.
After another few years, the Meggs family would move again, this time a little further, to Faulkner County, Arkansas.
| Name | James Ransom Meggs |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Birth Date | 1822 |
| Birth Place | Anson County, North Carolina, United States of America |
| Death Place | Faulkner County, Arkansas, United States of America |
| Cemetery | Copperas Springs Cemetery |
| Burial or Cremation Place | Guy, Faulkner County, Arkansas, United States of America |
James Ransom Meggs died on January 7, 1904, in Guy, Faulkner County, Arkansas, at the age of 84, and is buried at the Copperas Springs Cemetery.
Faulkner County sits in the middle of Arkanasas, where the Ozarks give way to the Arkansas River Valley and where a Miller could find a bounty of creeks to operate hisMill.
After the death of Ransom Meggs, his widow, Sarah, married a Mr. Wilson and divorced him, all before 1910. But she didn't rest on her Laurels, oh no.
1910 finds Sarah living with her only son, William J. Meggs, who has started his own family with a wife and two little children.
In 1919, Sarah Thomas Meggs Wilson, at age 64, married an old Civil War Veteran named Jacob J. Hill, 78. That one didn't work out , either, as in the 1920 census, poor old Jacob is listed as married, but living alone.
Jacob J. Hill died on March 31, 1828, and Sarah followed soon after on August 31, 1929, passing away from Bright's Disease at the age of 65, in Clifton, Faulkner County, Arkansas.
Mariah also had half-siblings through her mother. They're listed below.
Jane Ransom Meggs
Jane Meggs was the first child of Elizabeth and her husband, James Ransom Meggs. Elizabeth is thought to have possibly been a double-Meggs. Jane was born November 23, 1852, in the Olive Branch Community of Union County, NC.
She married at the age of 19 to George Lafayette Hinson, in Stanly County on January 26, 1872.
After starting their family in Stanly County, they first moved to the Leaksville Community in Richmond County, where George died in 1897. George and Jane were the parents of 10 children, with 8 living until adulthood. These eight were Ida Elizabeth Hinson Miller (1872-1957), Ella Hinson Jarrett (1877-1904), Julia Emma Hinson McCall (1879-1963), Gilena Hinson Brown (1882-1972), Rose Hinson Goldston (1884-1972), Docia Belle Hinson (1886-1965), only son, Lonnie Yeates Hinson, (1888-1945) and Nellie B. Hinson Puckett (1896-1972).
Jane was left in a mess when George died, her youngest still an infant, but with the help of her older children, they thrived. They moved to Charlotte, in Mecklenburg County, a growing city, with more opportunities for working women and teenagers, and there they remained. At first, she took in boarders and worked as a stenographer. She then moved in with her married daughter, Nellie Hinson Puckett, whose husband was an architect for the Railroad. Her unmarried daughter, Belle, followed. They would remain with the Pucketts until she passed away.
| Name | Jane Ransome Hinson |
|---|---|
| Maiden Name | Meigs |
| Gender | Female |
| Birth Date | 23 Nov 1852 |
| Birth Place | Olive Branch, Union County, North Carolina, United States of America |
| Death Date | 23 Apr 1931 |
| Death Place | Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States of America |
| Cemetery | Elmwood Cemetery |
| Burial or Cremation Place | Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States of America |
| Has Bio? | Y |
| Children | Gilena BrownIda Elizabeth MillerDorcia Belle HinsonElla JarrettRose A. GoldstonJulia Emma McCallLonnie Yates HinsonNell B. Puckett |
Jane Meggs Hinson passed away in 1931, at the age of 78, in Charlotte, NC. She was buried in Elmwood Cemetery.
Eliza Ellen Louisa Meggs Speights
Ellen Meggs was born on June 2, 1856, in New Salem, Union County, NC
She married November 24, 1872, just several months after her older sister, at the age of 16. Her husband was William Paul Speights of Stanly County, and the marriage took place in Stanly County. The Speights first moved to Davidson, Iredell County, NC, where Ellen's parents had relocated and where her mother died in 1879.
Their next stop with their growing brood was to Saline County, Arkansas, where they settled in a community called Marble by 1898. The family remained in Arkansas for two decades, after which, they relocated once again to the town of Fairley in Hunt County, Texas.
This would be their last stop. William Paul Speights died on January 2, 1922 and Ellen followed 7 years later and joined him on August 15, 1929, at the age of 73.
| Name | Eliza Ellen Speight |
|---|---|
| Maiden Name | Meigs |
| Gender | Female |
| Birth Date | 2 Jun 1856 |
| Birth Place | Union County, North Carolina, United States of America |
| Death Date | 15 Aug 1929 |
| Death Place | Fairlie, Hunt County, Texas, United States of America |
| Cemetery | Hope-Sweatbox Cemetery |
| Burial or Cremation Place | Jardin, Hunt County, Texas, United States of America |
| Has Bio? | Y |
| Father | James Ransom Meggs |
| Spouse | William Paul Speight |
| Children | Martha Jane Quinn; Lillie Mae Pingleton; Charles Green Speight; Rufus Alexander Speight; Mary Magdalene Lovelace; James Preston Speight; John Wesley Ransom Speight; Millard Fillmore Speight |
William and Eliza Meggs Speight also had 10 children, with 7 living until adulthood. All of these were recorded. Their first, 'Leuter', was born September 22, 1873, in Stanly County, and died a few weeks later on October 14. She was followed by John Wesley Ransom Speight (1875-1937), Mary Magdalene Speight (1877-1914), James Preston Speight (1879-1964), little Willie Speight was born in Davidson, Iredell County, and lived two years (1882-1884) and is buried there. He was followed by Martha Jane Speight, who was born in Arkansas City, Arkansas (1885-1964), Charlie Green Speight (1888-1964), Rufus A. Speight (1891-1959), Lillie Mae Speight (1894-1900) and Millard Fillmore Speight (1898-1981).
James William Speight
James was born on November 14, 1857, in the Olive Branch Community of Union County. He worked as a farm laborer while a teenager, and died on February 22, 1876, and was buried in New Salem, Union County, NC. He was only 18 years old. His parents moved to Iredell County after his death.
William James Speight
William James Speight was not a biological sibling of Mariah Meggs, as they did not share either parent, but he was a half-sibling of her mother's other children. He was born by James Ramson Meggs' second wife, Sarah Thomas Meggs, on November 20, 1880, in Iredell County, NC, and named for his older half-brother who had died just four years prior, by flipping his two given names from James William to William James. His sisters were adults and married before he was born, so he grew up in an entirely different world to an aging father and a mother late in her child-bearing years.
 |
| William James Speight |
William married in Faulkner County, Arkansas on February 15, 1899, to Mary Etta Glover, at the ag of 18. His wife was only 15, and had been born in the little town of Guy.
After his father died in 1904, William, now about 24, took care of his widowed mother, even though she married twice more.
On his draft card for World War I, it was declared that he was a farmer, and a citizen of Guy, of medim height and weight, and a blue-eyed blonde. He would remain in Faulkner County, Arkansas for the remainder of his life, passing away in 1938 at the age of 58. He and Mary Etta had 7 children together; Henry, Velma, Bertha, Beverly Wayland, Oscar Marion, Opie Hester, and Autie Mae.
Mariah Keziah Myers-Meggs
When we last saw Mariah, she and her young daughter were boarding with the Cagle family. Within a few years, George Cagle would hire a young man of the neighborhood to help work his farm. His name was Daniel Alexander Crisco, which decision would become an act of attrition for George Crisco.
Daniel Alexander Crisco had a background analogous with that of Mariah's. He was son of Rebecca Elizabeth Crisco, a single woman, and William G. Kennedy, a man who would marry, but not to Rebecca. He grew up in the shadow of shame, in a reprehensible status eschewing condemnation. The embullient George Cagle, full of spit,vinegar and impudence, yet gifted with empathy and a big heart, hired the young man, gave him honest work, casting aside the wagging tongues of neighbos.
One can not say what the exact circumstances were of the marriage of Dan Crisco and Mariah Myers Meggs, only that we can view it with a little askance. Yes, they were both 'bastards', the term of the day, now hurled only in insults and vagarity. Otherwise, the circumstances were suspect.
The facts are that on August 25, 1872, Daniel A. Crisco, son of William 'Kennada' and Elizabeth Crisco, applied for the marriage license with 'Marisa K Meggs' ,( or Marian or Mariah, the spelling nearly illegible), daughter of Shepherd 'Mires' and Elizabeth Meggs. Six months later, on November 24th of the same year, the wedding was performed by John Burris, Justice of the Peace.
Dan Crisco was a boy of 17. Mariah Meggs was a woman of 28 with a young daughter. Had they fallen in love over shared space and shared circumstances? Had George Cagle a hand in it, encouraging it, or had it been stronger than encouragment, some kind of deal? Was it an interdiction to keep himself from being blamed for any additional children that might be born of his former mistress, or was it somehow to appease his wife, Nancy, and get Mariah out of his house? We can't know, but we do know the marriage lasted for about 4 years, without the birth of any known children, before tragedy struck.
The in-depth story can be read at this link: A Woman Was In It:The Cagle-Crisco Murder.
Breifly, I will rehash Mariah's part in it. Mariah was an abused spouse under the hands of the angry Dan Crisco. The couple worked and lived on George Cagle's farm. One night, Daniel had a particularly violent fight with Mariah and 'ran her off', or made her vacate the house. The next day, with seemingly little concern for his wife's whereabouts, Dan Crisco went to work, as usual, and at some point when George and Daniel were working close to each other, the beaten wife reappears, out of habitude or hunger, reason unknown.
Like a beaten dog, wagging its tail, crawling up to its angry master with it's head down, Mariah made her way towards the two men. Crisco addressed his wife profanely and gesticulated for her to go back to the cabin he had evicted her from the night before. The aging George Crisco, who obviously still had benevolent and empathetic feelings toward the young woman, admonished Dan Crisco for berating his wife and the evident violence. George's protective stance angered Dan and he invited George to an altercation. This threat may have caused the older man to back off, as it seems they continued their work until the end of the day.
 |
The Concord Register (Concord, North Carolina)4 Apr 1876, Tue • Page 4 |
Daniel Crisco went home and not finding his wife, instinctively knew where he would find her. He returned to the Cagle home, armed with a knife and found his beaten wife seeking safety there. She may have had her child with her, but that is not addressed. The papers reported that he again became abusive towards Moriah, hitting her, kicking her and ordering her home. She refused and at some point, George Cagle stepped in to defend her, and demanded Crisco leave his home. Dan pulled the knife on George, prompting George to pick up a chair in self-defense. Using the chair, the old man pushed Dan out of his house and attempted to force him from the property. Coming upon the hooped frame of a Conestoga Wagon cover, and using that as a weapon, he kept advancing on Daniel to chase him away. Daniel threw a rock at the old man, causing George to dash at him with the wooden object and struck Daniel, after which Daniel stabbed George with the knife, killing him.
Daniel ran, but was later arrested. In jail, only Daniel Crisco was alive to talk. He had hours to sit and think of ways to prune and embellish his side of the story, to spin it in a way to ingratiate himself to whomever would listen. Reporters would come, seeking details of the scandalous tragedy. Daniel Crisco took full advantage of their thirst for drama and dirt, to prevaricate the tale in his favor.
There were other factors in play, Dan's youth and good looks. He was apparently handsome, boyish and charming, blonde, blue-eyed, affable and loquacious. And Dan Crisco was fully cognizant of his attributes on the inquistive and curious, taking full advantage of it. By the time court came around, public sentiment was changing.
The community reputation of George Cagle was a factor in the end. George, wealthy for the times in his community, and a shrewd, although fair, businessman, was known for drunken and depraved behavior. Dan Crisco used this fact to full effect. He was convicted of the murder of George Cagle but later after petitions from the community citizenry, after talk and the pitious portrayals from news reporters, convinced by Dan's whitewashed image of himself as a wronged husband, defending himself against the adulterous lover of his unfaithful wife, true or not, Dan was pardoned and released. He went on with life, first divorcing Mariah on grounds of adultery, which I am sure was a relief for her as well, to release her from his abuse.
Daniel Crisco would soon remarry and have several children with a woman of his own age, and seem to live a fairly normal, georgian existence, until an act of kismet, where he died at the hands of an angry drunk man, himself a murder victim, at the age of 58 in 1914.
| Name | Mariah Meggs |
|---|---|
| Age | 33 |
| Birth Date | Abt 1847 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Home in 1880 | Big Lick, Stanly, North Carolina, USA |
| Dwelling Number | 284 |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Female |
| Relation to Head of House | Self (Head) |
| Marital Status | Divorced |
| Father's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Occupation | Housekeeper |
| Neighbors | View others on page |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Mariah Meggs | 33 |
| Melisah Meggs | 16 |
1880 finds Mariah, now 33, living quietly, and obviously, on the former lands of George Cagle. She may have even been in the house she had shared with Daniel Crisco. She is in Big Lick, living next to George's widowed daughter, Adeline Crisco Hartsell, and her young daughter, Nellie, and George's only legitmate son and main heir, David S. Crisco. George's widow, Nancy, had moved to Iredell County, with her two daughters with him, a few of his daughters by his first wife, and his son Eli Huneycutt Cagle, who was by another of his mistressess, Maniza Huneyuctt. David S. Crisco lived a quieter life than his father, and seems to have taken care of, not only his own large family, but his sister and Mariah, by allowing her to remain on the property.
Mariah has returned to the surname Meggs, her marital status given as 'divorced', and her daughter, Melissa, now 16.
The next recorded event in the life of Mariah Meggs was the marriage of her daughter, Melissa Ann.
On July, 2, 1886, Levi McIntyre, 21, of Stanly County, the son of Stokes McIntyre, deceased and Margaret Huneycutt, deceased, applied for a marriage license for the marriage of himself and 'Lis Ann Meggs' of Stanly County, aged 20, father unknown and mother, Mariah Meggs, living. The wedding took place at the office of J. W. Huneycutt, Justice of the Peace, in Big Lick, Stanly County, North Carolina. Witnesses were Leander Austin, Lafayette Walters and 'Boss' Hinson.
Levi Huneycutt McIntyre, was again, a child born in similar, and shamed, circumstances as Melissa Meggs.
His father, Malachi Stokes McIntyre, born in 1804, was a married man, in fact, married to the sister of my second Great Grandmother. His wife, Elizabeth Murray McIntyre, outlived him. He served in the Civil War, despite being a middle aged man, and after his return, despite still having a wife and 10 children, took Margaret Huneycutt as a mistress.
Levi Huneycutt McIntyre
Levi Huneycutt/ McIntyre was born around 1858. In 1870, shown above, he is living in Burnsville Township, Anson County, in the home of his father, Stokes McIntrye, helping on the farm. Also in the home of Stokes McIntyre is his younger sister, Elizabeth, aged 8.They lived near the Stanly/Anson County border and Stokes often vascillated between counties. His records are found in both counties, Stanly/Montgomery more than Anson, actually. What boggles the mind by todays standards, are that Stokes was not a single man. His wife, Great Great Great Aunt Elizabeth, is still living with him, as is three of their single daughters together, along with two of his children by his mistress, Margaret Huneycutt. Margaret was 37 years his junior and was 17 years old when Levi was born. Living right next door at this time, perhaps even on land owned by Stokes McIntrye, was the home of Marion Blackmon.
Marion Blackmon or Blackman shows up nowhere else in Anson, or any bordering county. He's 38 years old and his wife, Mary, is listed as 40. Also in his home is Nancy Huneycutt, 68, the widow of Samuel Huneycutt, Margaret, 31, her daughter and mistress of Stokes McIntyre, and mother of Levi, and presumably, Elizabeth, the 8 year old. Also in the Blackmon home are two little girls, Clementine, 6 and Melinda 2, whom also appear to be children of Margaret, corroborated by the next census. I believe due to the dependants, that Mary Blackman was probably also Mary Huneycutt, a sister of Margaret, and daughter of Nancy, as Mr. Blackman soon removes himself to South Carolina, and on later to Georgia, without her, if he be the same, and she returns to Honeycutt, without being found elsewhere in 1870.
Margaret Huneycutt was the daughter of Samuel Honeycutt, who was not a wealthy or well-documented man. Honeycutt was not a common Anson County name, they tended to constellate more in Stanly and Cabarrus Counties. I believe Samuel was part of the Stanly County Honeycutt family, but where he fits in is obscure.
He shows up first in the Muster Roll of Montgomery County, NC, during the War of 1812.
In the 1830 census, he is counted in Montgomery County, on the West Side of the PeeDee (now Stanly), near some Furrs, Daniel Reap, Lewis Springer, William Wall. His household is presented as a male in his 40's and a female in her 20's, with five young children; three boys and two girls, all under 9.
In 1840, he is in Cabarrus County, next to Oliver McLure and near an Elizabeth McIntyre. I'm not entirely sure this is the same Samuel. In Anson in 1840, there is a 'Bry't' Honeycutt living next to Milton and John Winfield, sons of Edward Winfield and cousins of mine, and also near my ancestor Stark Ramsey.
In 1850, Samuel, now 70, with wife Nancy 60, are living in Burnsville Township, next to Stark Ramsey's son, James, Robin McIntyre and another ancestor, Thomas Carpenter. I wonder if 'Bryt' was Samuel, or a son of his? There are three children of his in the home, and not Margaret, Mary 25, Betsy, 16 and Andrew, 13, who will die in the Civil War. There's also an 8 year old named Lucy, who could be a grandchild.
In 1860, Samuel has gotten younger, now counted as 68 and Nancy 60. Ages were fluid. The only child listed is Margaret, at 19, which leads me to believe she may have been the 8 year old Lucy.
In 1880, Margeret is now 29, and Mary Honeycutt is 60. The ages do not line up with the previous census. Mary should have been 50 and Margaret 39. Mary is the head of household, and Margaret is listed as her sister. Neither woman has a listed occupation and Mary is noted as having heart disease. There are now three children in the home. Clementine is now listed by a nickname, Tiny, and shown as 15, was 6 in the previous census. Melinda L. is shown as 11 and was 2 in the previous census. There was another child born in the interim, John William Honeycutt/ McIntyre, age 7, who marries in 1901, naming his father as Stokes McIntrye and his mother as Margaret McIntyre, father deceased and mother living, a resident of Anson County.
So, Stokes McIntyre was the father of Margarets oldest child, Levi and youngest child, John W., so the odds were that he was probably the father of the sisters in the middle, and probably provided for them as long as he was alive.
On November 30, 1889, Levy McIntyre, 28, of Stanly County, son of Stokes McIntyre and Margaret Honeycutt, marries Jane Spears, 28, of Union County, daughter of Margaret Spears, living, and an unknown father. This was only three years after his marriage to Melissa Meggs. As Melissa is not to be found again, it can safely be assumed she passes away before November of 1889, possibly in childbirth.
This was the last record I find for Levi Honeycutt McIntyre, too and the terminus of my journey. His second wife, Martha Jane Spears, is not found in the 1900 census, but reappears in 1910, living on Marshville Road in New Salem, as a widow, living with her sister and niece. She has returned to her maiden name of Spears, which leads me to believe her marriage was brief. Jane is found again in 1920, still in New Salem, but living with her brother, then again in 1930, living with the niece who was living with her in 1910. This time, she has returned to the surname, McIntyre.
Martha Jane Spears McIntyre died on January 6, 1934 of myocarditis and hypertension. She lived long enough to recieve a death certificate and her tombstone still stands. She was 83 years old and her niece, Dora Honeycutt was the informant, naming her parents as Allen Spears and Margaret Nance. Jane was a half-orphan, but not a 'child of the wind'. She was buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery near Marshville.
Mariah Keziah Meggs was alive when her only daughter, Melissa, was married in 1886. I can't find a trace of either of them afterwards. It appears that Melissa Meggs McIntyre died prior to November of 1889, and that Mariah Meggs Crisco died prior to the 1900 census. There was not a generation afterwards, as Levi McIntyre had no children by either wife, that survived to be recorded, at any rate. These children of the wind left little trace, and were not notable enough, prominent enough, or troublesome enough, to have made the papers, yet they deserve to be remembered.
Mariah Keziah Meggs was alive when her only daughter, Melissa, was married in 1886. I can't find a trace of either of them afterwards. It appears that Melissa Meggs McIntyre died prior to November of 1889, and that Mariah Meggs Crisco died prior to the 1900 census. There was not a generation afterwards, as Levi McIntyre had no children by either wife, that survived to be recorded, at any rate. These children of the wind left little trace, and were not notable enough, prominent enough, or troublesome enough, to have made the papers, yet they deserve to be remembered.
John Hinson Sr. April 24, 1854.
