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.

30 Mothers in 30 Days: Sarah

I've often felt the influence, or the presence of, Sarah Elizabeth Winfield Howell Davis, when reading her words, when walking about the old family lands, when in her home county of Mecklenburg County, Virginia, or,just when thinking about her. As if, with a swish of her skirts and a gentle touch of her hand on my shoulder, she lets me know she is still with me, with all of her descendants, guiding, instructing and praying.







I recently participated in a discussion on "Cell Memory", or as I prefer to call it, "Genetic Memory", on a Facebook Genealogy Group. When one poster brought this to the forefront, the comments poured in. Several posters mentioned noticing small children or grandchildren of theirs "born knowing" things, talents, how to do things, or fix things.  One child with an affinity to France before a previously unbeknownist French ancestry was discovered by her mother. Others mentioned vivid dreams or visions of places they had never been, just  to either see a photo of the place, or to arrive in the place and experience a memory they should not have had. Or, they  had met people they felt a kinship to, before discovering they actually did share dna. It goes on.

Could this explain my connection to Sarah, or is it a whisper of her actual presence, how I somehow "know" her, how I can feel her calm piety and her ladylike gracefulness?

Mecklenburg County, Virginia in orange

Sarah Elizabeth Winfield was born on February 2, 1773 in Mecklenburg County, Virgina. She was the youngest of the 4 children  of Peter Winfield and Charlotte Freeman Winfield and the granddaughter of Arthur Freeman and wife, Agnes Stokes Freeman and Edward Winfield and Mary Harris Winfield. Tried and True Olde Virginia stock.

She had one brother, Edward Winfield, Esquire, who would in turn, take over his father's plantation along the Rocky River after their migration to North Carolina, and two older sisters, Jemima, named for Charlotte's oldest sister, who would marry Griffin Nash and Ancena, who would marry first, James Morrison and second Thomas Avett.

From records, it appears Peter Winfield probably made a trip down to purview and purchase the property and perhaps set up accommodations before bringing his family down. There are documents in both Mecklenburg Coounty, VA and Anson County,  NC, that show the back and forth movement in the early 1780's.

The Winfields lived on Taylors Creek, near South Hill and the Brunswick County border

From the best estimate, the Winfields arrived to the area of the Great PeeDee, not far from it's fork with the Rocky River, about 1784. They came with members of Charlottes' Freeman family: Freemans and Stokes, along with some Ledbetters of no particular relation, just neighbors. Also in the party was the Robertson family and the connected younger generation of Winfields. Drury Robertson, Sr. appears to be Peter Winfields best friend. He came with his sons James and Drury, Jr., both who had married Peters nieces Mary Winfield and Martha Winfield.

Peter's brother, Captain Joshua Winfield had married Charlotte Freeman Winfields sister, Jemima Winfield. He remained in Virginia. When Jemima died, Joshua married a young widow, Rebecca Thrower Carloss. I mention that because  the younger genertaion of Winfield kin included Joshua's children, his stepson, a Carloss, and the children of Peter and Joshua's deceased brother, Joel.

Also in the group was Richard Manly or Meanly, who had married the youngest Freeman daughter, Keziah, sister to Charlotte and Jemima Freeman Winfield(s).

Several of the younger generation would, within a few decades, migrate to Marlboro County, South Carolina, the Roberston brothers among them, with the Carloss family,

Marlboro County, SC, just south of Anson

Nephew Joel Winfield would start an Ordinary and a Post Office at a place he named Winfieldsville. He held several county offices and would become the one to marry Sarah Winfield Howell, now a young widow, to her second husband, Job Davis. Winfieldsville would become Carlisle and eventually a name that would stick, Bennettsville.

Richard Meanly and his family would migrate in the other direction with several Anson families in tow, including Ropers, Randalls and Allens, to Tennessee.


But back to Sarah. Arriving in North Carolina about 1784, Sarah would have been 10 or 11 years old.

In the early 1790's, she married Richard Howell, thought to be about 3 years or so her elder. She would have been about 18 or 19 upon marriage.

The exact heritage and parentage of Richard Howell has not been proven. There were Howells in Anson decades before the Winfields arrived, dating back to the 1840's and 1850's. From a preponderance of circumstantial evidence, however, it is said that his line leads back to the Howells of New York and New Jersey and that he was a relation of Rednap Howell, who was known to have came to Anson. Rednap was a brother of Richard Howell who was  Govenor of New Jersey during this time. These Howells were kin to Varina Howell, who married Jefferson Davis.

Varina Howell Davis

I believe our Richards father was a man named James Howell, who was in the area, and had a son named Paul.  James and Paul migrated to Tennesee, after the death of Richard Howell. I'm nearly certain that Jordan Howell the elder was his brother. Jordan was the executor of his estate and witnessed his will. Richard had a son named Jordan and Jordan had a son named Richard. And the two families would 'swim in the same pond', so to speak, associating together and with the same group of families, for generations. Richards mother is thought to have been a Jordan from Marlboro County, South Carolina, having came up the Great Pee Dee from the Charleston area. Some Jordans settled in Montgomery County, that at that time, was a part of Anson.






Sarah and Richard would have 4 children:

1794 Peter- named for his maternal grandfather.
1796  Jordan- named for Jordan Howell, the elder, on his father's side of the family.
1799  John W. Howell - the W is thought to stand for Winfield
1801  Charlotte - the only daughter of Sarah and named for Sarah's mother, Charlotte Freeman Winfield.

1802 was a year of tremendous loss for Sarah. First, she would lose her beloved father Peter.
Later, she would become a widow with 4 small children. Peter would die first, as Richard Howell is mentioned in his will and in the following divisions of lands. It is unknown what they died from. Perhaps is was fate, perhaps a deadly disease was in the area. Thyphoid was rampant in the riverside plantaions and Peter owned land on both sides of the Rocky River.

Name:	Sarah Howell
Spouse:	Job Davis
Marriage Date:	1773-1865
Source:	Marriage and Death Notices, Southern Christian Advocate

Sarah would not remain a widow long. She was married in Marlboro County, South Carolina by her cousin Joel Winfield, to Job Davis.

Job Davis was born in the same year, in the same county as Sarah. He was just a few months younger, having arrived on April 10th, 1773 to her February second. Although I do not know, yet, exactly who Job Davis's parents were, circumstances, familial connections and dna have verified which set of Davis's he came from.

One set was from the southwest corner of Mecklenburg County. Certain unusual names reared their heads in the generations in that line of Davis's that do not appear in ours.

The other set of Davis's lived in both Mecklenburg and Brunswick, near their border and in the northeast corner of Mecklenburg, along the same creeks as the Winfields. Also in this area was the Floyd family. Job Davis gave a depostition for the widow of Josiah Floyd, so she could obtain a pension from her husbands Revolutionary War Service. In this depostition, we learn that Job arrived in the early 1790's with the Floyd Family to this area from Virginia, at the age of 19. He lived with them for a period of 18 months. Mary Tillman Floyd, the wife of Josiah Floyd, was the daughter of Roger Tillman and Rebecca Ann Davis. They would have 3 children, Henry, Ann and Mary.

Mary is mentioned in the wills of both her father and her brother. After her father's death, Mary's mother would marry a James Taylor and have more children. James Taylor would become a guardian to some of the younger siblings of Rebecca Ann Davis Tillman Taylor, after the death of her parents, Henry Davis and Mary Marriott Davis. So would Captain Joshua Winfield, brother of Peter Winfield., to the youngest daughter, Silvia Davis, who would marry, Sterling Wright. Joshua Floyd's brother, Charles would marry into this Davis family.









The Floyds and the Winfields both lived along Taylors Creek that was located in both Mecklenburg and Brunswick Counties, Virginia. So did several of the children of Henry Davis and Mary Marriott Davis. Josiah and Mary Tilllman Floyd named one of their sons Henry, for her grandfather and Marriott, for the maiden name of her grandmother.

Job and Sarah Davis would name thier firstborn son, in 1806 - Henry.
In 1808, they named their second son, James M. Davis. Some believe the M stood for Marshall, as Peter Winfield was a friend and close associate of James Marshall. Also, the father of Henry Davis of Virginia was James and the family line leads back to a Captain James Davis of Jamestown.

The third son of Job and Sarah, born in 1811, became the dominant son, after the fall of oldest son Henry. Edward Winfield Davis was obviously named for the grandfather, Edward Winfield, and brother, of Sarah.

The youngest child, yet another son, in 1815, was Marriott Freeman Davis, or M. F., as he was known. Freeman, of course was Sarah's mother's maiden name. Could Marriott stood for Job's grandmother's maiden name?









All roads lead to my strong theory that Job and Sarah knew each other well and played along the same creeks while small chidlren in Mecklenburg.


When Peter Howell was only about 15 years old, his mother and stepfather deeded him a portion of the property that belonged to his father. As he grew older, Peter would purchase all of the land in Anson County that had once belonged to Richard Howell. Peter would remain a farmer and live in Anson County, while his mother and stepfather would maintain a large plantation on the side of the river that is now Stanly County.








On the above map, notice the area where Howell, Kendall and Woodson Roads vere east from the old Plank Road. This was the area where Richard Howell, and then Peter Howell, farmed. Midways, you will see Old Winfield Road. This road once led from Stanly into Anson and crossed the river at Winfield Ford and went through the part of the Winfeild Plantation that Peter left to his only son, Edward. The area that is Springer Road and Concord Church Road is the area that marks the old Concord Church. This land was deeded to the church by Griffin Nash, husband of Jemima Winfield and marks their portion of  Peter Winfields property that was left to them.

To the far left of the photo, heading south into Anson from Stanly is Gaddys Ferry Road. Just over the bridge into Stanly, it intersects Old Davis Road. This crossing is not where the Davis Ford was, but the crossing of the Winfield Road was where the Winfield Ford, that later became known as the Davis Ford was. The 'boot' shape made by the Rocky River was the Davis lands and north of there.
Along Boone-Caudle Road, in the north of the photo, on the Stanly side, is where the Benjamin Franklin cemetery is found. He was the oldest grandson of Job and Sarah and the oldest son of their oldest son, Henry. This was where he lived. From that area to the River was the Davis plantation. This whole picture, plus more, was within the Winfield lands. Job and Sarah were not poor. They were well-educated and part of the "Upper-Crust" Society of  Pee Dee area Virginians.

This fact came to me in its most blatant form when I began researching Sarah's second and third sons, Jordan and John W. Howell. Both became merchants and businessmen and both relocated to the market town of Crosscreek, which would become Fayetteville.

An ad concerning only one of Jordan Howells' business adventures

Peter Howell, the oldest son, would marry Elizabeth "Betsy" Floyd, the daugther of Josiah and Mary Tillman Floyd, the family and, I believe, cousins, that Job Davis traveled to North Carolina with.

Jordan Howell, the second son would marry Hannah Handy, in Fayetteville, on January 20, 1820.

John W. Howell would marry Mrs Clarrissa Harlow Phelps, widow of Nathan Phelps, who was born in Harwinton, Connecticutt and married first in New York, and to John Howell, in Fayetteville, on December 18, 1821.

In researching Jordan and John, I discovered that a Job Davis owned property in Fayetteville. At first, I dismissed it, thinking it must be a different Job Davis, as Fayetteville is a good 2 hour drive from here, nearly, in this day and time. But then, when I discovered that he signed over property on Haymount, for love and affection, to his stepson, Jordan, I knew it was the same Job Davis.

Downtown Fayetteville in the late 1800's.

In fact, Job Davis owned property on the hill called Haymount and he also owned a townhouse, a brickhouse, on Hay Street in downtown Fayetteville.

One of the most fullfilling moments in my genealogical life occured several years ago, when I visited Fayetteville, searching for Haymount and searching for the area of the brickhouse mentioned in the deeds. I saw a Methodist Church, Hay Street Methodist, and this genetic dna thing drew me to it like a moth to a flame. I knew that the family had been devout Methodist Episocopals.


 It was a weekday, but there was still a great deal of activity happening in and about the church. Hoping to discover the age of the church, I asked if they had a church historian. Indeed they did and as luck would have it., she was present. A delightly delicate and beautiful aged lady appeared, not a day under 80 and a frail as a feather. She took me to their archives, and yes, the church was old, much older than I could have ever dreamed. Not only that, preserved in glass cases, were Sunday School attendance books that dated back to the 1820's and 1830's. She allowed me to photograph them while she turned pages with a gloved hand and to my delight, whom did I find in the pages, not only the Howell sons of Sarah, but Sarah herself and Job Davis.






After noticing a pattern, that they seemed to arrive in June, sometimes late May, but more often June, and then were no longer in attendance in by late August, I questioned why that was. Jordan, John and their families, were in attendance all through the year. The historian stated that it appeared they "summered" in Fayetteville, or at the time, Cross Creek. They may have began going there to purchase supplies for their ever growing plantation, a few days travel. After the boys moved there, Jordan to operate a retail business and merchantile and John to run a lumber company, where he grew very beloved and helped employ many a poor man who needed work, the couple summered to visit with the sons and grandchildren there. They must have left their other children and employees in charge of  the plantation and homestead back on the Rocky River.

Obituary for John W Howell in the Fayetteville Observer, 1853

By the time Job signed the Fayetteville property over to his stepsons, he was in his later 60's. I believe he did this as the trip to Cumberland County by horse and buggy, or by stagecoach, may have been more than his and Sarah's old bones could take any longer.

Upon the death of Jordan Howell, however, they took in his daughters, Charlotte and Clarrissa, while his son, Jordan Lafayette Howell, relocated to Columbia, Georgia, with Jordan Sr.'s business partner, Paris Tillinghast. Both girls married men from this area. Charlotte, the eldest, married Allen Newsome from the Newsome (defunct community displaced by the building of High Rock dam) community in Davidson County, just up river. Allen ran a store, plantation and Post Office in the town of Jackson Hill for awhile. He was not a good slave owner as recounted in the story of a runaway youngster. Charlotte outlived him and ended up removing to Gonzalez, Texas with a few of her chidlren and dying there. Her husband was highborn and wealthy, however, and kept her well.

Clarrissa married Jeremiah Broadaway from the Rocky River area of Anson. They had a large family and relocated to Pike County, Alabama. After Clarrisa's death, Jeremiah removed to Georgia to be near his brother-in-law, Jordan Lafayette Howell, and remarried there on the same day as one of his elder sons.

The comings and goings, marriages and deaths of this family, were all recorded in the newspapers of the time, for the most part, The Southern Christian Advocate  and The Fayetteville Observer. For that, I am thankful. The Argus, from Anson County and the Salisbury, NC newspapers, are also to be appreciated.

I wish I had a picture of Sarah, but I do not. I only have an old memory of a portrait, I believe was painted, that a cousin of my Grandfather had that I saw when I was little. In this portrait, Sarah was old and drawn and tiny, with her hair pulled back into a white napkin-looking lace-trimmed cap and a dark dress with a high collar. Job looked to have been a tall, thin man with dark hair. But that is not how I see her in my minds eye. I see her with wide skirts with crinolines and dresses consevatively buttoned up to the neck, hair pulled back and tucked neatly into a tight bun, a quiet smile upon her face.

Name:	Sarah Davis
Gender:	Female
Age:	76
Birth Year:	abt 1774
Birthplace:	Virginia
Home in 1850:	Ross, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Line Number:	38
Dwelling Number:	789
Family Number:	794
Household Members:	Name Age Job Davis 77 Sarah Davis 76 Edwd W Davis 37

Sarah only appeared in one Stanly County census record. She is living with Job and their next-to- youngest son, Edward Winfield Davis, who would become the second sheriff of Stanly County and marry late in life.

Sarah's only daughter, Charlotte Howell, would marry a Methodist Episcopal Minister named Levi Stancell and they would relocate to Newton County, Georgia, where Levi was originally from. She would have 10 children and die there in 1877.

All of her Davis sons stayed in Stanly County and raised their families here.

Henry, the oldest, was a businessman, a preacher, a farmer, a politician, a judge and a Ranger. He was instrumental in his 20's and 30's with founding a number of Methodist Churches, some in other counties. He would become an alchoholic and grow in debt to this father and brothers, father-in-law, and others, forcing his brother, the dominant Davis, businessman Edward W. Davis, who was evermore like his Uncle Edward, to have Henry declared unfit, so he could settle his debts and try to prevent his wife and children from becoming paupers.

Henry married twice, first to Reuben Kendalls daugther, Sarah, and second to James Palmers daughter, Martha. He had 2 sons by the first and 7 children by the second.

James M. Davis would marry Rowena Lee, daughter of John Lee of Anson. James would own property in both Stanly and Anson. He did not seek to get into polictics like Neddy (E.W.) or Henry. He farmed and eventually bought out a mill and a Gold Mine, with his brothers investments. He was a farmer and a businessman, and several of his daughters married well. Two married the wealthy Mauney brothers, Valentine and Ephraim, of Stanly and Rowan. Another married into the Mecklenburg County Belk family.

Edward Winfield Davis was a merchant, and investor, a politician, a mason, an attorney and lawman. A handsome man with light brown, (or dark blonde) hair and a handlebar mustache, he married late in life, at 56, to an 18 year old girl from the Rocky River named Rebecca Hathcock. They had 3 children before his death and she would remarry to John T. Crump. That is why some Crumps are buried in the old Davis Graveyard.

Marriott (sometimes seen as Merritt) Freeman Davis, the youngest child of Sarah, took more after James. He married first to Elizabeth Turner, daughter of George Turner, of the Richardson Creek area of Anson near its juntion with the Rocky River. They had two children, Rebeth and Millard F. Davis. Elizabeth died at the young age of 20 and her baby daughter followed her to the grave 18 months later, leaving only Millard. Millard would grow up and move west to become a cowboy. I keep up with his descendants. Marriott would then marry the widow of his first cousin. Milton Winfield, a son of Edward Winfield, Sarah's brother, had married Mary Ann Pickler. I believe the Picklers to be cousins of the Davis's throught their Matriarch, Jane Davis Pickler. Milton would die leaving Mary Ann and no children. She would marry M. F. Davis and remained childless.


Sarah would be widowed a second time when Job Davis passed away on November 8, 1852, at the age of 78.

She would join him in the Old Davis cemetery off of Old Davis Road, near the Rocky River and Cottonville community, just 4 years later, on July 10, 1856. The Southern Christian Advocate would publish the obituary of Sarah Elizabeth Winfield Howell Davis, my 4th Great Grandmother.

Below, I have copied from one of my other posts on Sarah.

http://www.jobschildren.com/2015/01/the-complimentary-obituary-of-sarah.html

There were some errors in the Obituary, as 1833 was not the year Job died. She did have 8 children, Jordan and John W. Howell predeceased her, and all were members of the church at that time, except my line, Henry, who had become a drunk and gambler.

The Southern Christian Advocate was a newspaper published in South Carolina in the 1800's, that was the official publication of the Methodist conferences in many of the Southern States.

The August 21, 1856 issue gave the following obituary for Grandma Sallie:

Mrs. Sarah Davis - formerly Winfield - was born in Meclenburg Co., (sic), Va., Feb. 7 ,1773 and died in Stanley (sic) Co., N.C. July 10, in the 83rd year of her age.  Joined the M. E. Church when 13 years old. About 1790 she married Richard Howell, and was left a widow in 1802. She married a second time in 1804, to Job Davis, and a second time was left a widow in 1833 (incorrect as Job passed away in 1852), mother of 8 children, two of whom have died in the faith, and the rest, but one, are members of the church. 


Rest in peace, Grandma Sallie, I will remember you this Mother's Day.