After about 3 years of 'serious' research and traveling to many North Carolina counties, and a few in South Carolina and Virginia, I finally broke down last week and made it into Mecklenburg County to do research, just an hour away. I've not made it to the register of deeds or any history room at any library yet, just to the guilds of the Olde Mecklenburg Society, an organization of which I recently became a member.
My Grandmother as a girl: Bertha Virginia Lemmonds
Roughly 25% of my heritage comes from families who settled in Mecklenburg County, some spilling over into Cabarrus, where I've been multiple times doing research, or into Union, where I've been once. You would think I would have made it there by now, but Mecklenburg is a monster county, with a county seat called Charlotte that has infected counties all around and even seeping into South Carolina with her urban sprawl. Charlotte is protected by a loop of roads traveled by people imagining themselves as immortal and driving like participants in the Coca-Cola 5000, 100 miles an hour in a 45 zone, weaving in and out of traffic faster than a ping-pong ball in a professional game. I've never been trained to drive Nascar, so I avoid Charlotte and roads like Independence Motor Speedway at all cost.
This time however, in an effort to peruse the Lemmonds files, I braved that cursed road for the 5 or 10 minutes I had to endure it to make it to the Archives. It was well worth the wait.
Lemmonds, or Lemmons, or Lemons, all have the same origin, was the family name of my paternal grandmother. They were a family of movers and shakers, therefore rather easy to trace, as they married persons of their same ilk, the kind who've left their footprints in the sand, so to speak. I really have had to do no research with them. It's been done. All I have to do is read what is already there and follow my own path to the origin. A road already cleared.
They are interested, none-the-less. Very. They married into Whites, Walkers, Lattas, Alexanders, Pfifers, McCoys, Means, Query's and Starnes's, among others. Those firstborn and revolutionary families who helped shaped Olde Mecklenburg, and ultimately, the fate of North Carolina. A noble heritage.
But what can I post of them? Any information has been pre-discovered by someone else. How can I post anything of my ancestors when 5 or 6 other people have assembled it, using their own words. What new words are there to use, that will not resemble plagiarism?
Flora Adeline Lemmonds (Mrs. Willaim Davies)
There aren't any. That is why I haven't posted on them, excluding the story of Leavy Starnes Lemmons and her 6 black hogs or her husband Bob being the walking, dancing mailman of the Clear Creek community. Those stories were strictly our branch, and no, that I've discovered, had posted anything of our branch, after the turn of the century.
But prior to the year 1900 or so, our branch runs into that mighty river of 'everyone else's research. I might post some of it, the facts, but it will cross over into all of this 'already been there/done that' kind of thing. So, it will have to be facts only. Black and White. The facts belong to us all.
Hats off to all of the distant cousins who've paved this road for me and made it a bit unnecessary to have to fight my way in and out of Charlotte.
The grand Queen of Carolina cities is a noble lass...but she has too many knights and bees.
Amos Coble was the only son of Israel S. Coble and his first wife, Sarah Murray/Coley. He is mentioned in the estate records of his grandfather, Edmund Murray (aka Coley), along with his sister, Sarah Coble Broadway. Edmund Murray had out-lived his daughter Sarah, and her two children were nearly adults, when his estate papers were brought to court and questioned by the division of his heirs. Some believed others were not entitled to a share. This dispute eventually led to the murder of Edmund's son John by two of his teenaged Great Grandsons. This story is featured in the post: The Murder of John Murray.
At the age of 27, Sarah, daughter of Edmund, had married a teenaged boy named Israel Coble. Both families were from Stanly County, North Carolina, located in the Southwestern Piedmont section of the state. I featured Israel in the recent post:The Six Wives of Israel Coble.
These families existed in the Victorian Era/turn of the century North Carolina. They lived in a time when suddenly travel had become quicker and easier, 'The Train Age", and industries were springing up, some relocating from the industrialized north, to take advantage of the South's abundance of cotton and displaced farm families aka 'cheap labor'.
Amos Coble's father was said to have skipped from Cotton Mill to Cotton Mill and his movements show he skipped from town to town. According to a later interview in court, Israel Coble stated that his first wife, Sarah Murray Coble, had died of 'consumption'. Consumption is what we now refer to as tuberculosis, or "TB" and it was rampant in that era.
By the time young Amos shows up in his first census, Israel has married his third wife, Angeline Furr, as his second wife, Eugenia Lee died after having her only child, Lorenzo. Amos is seen by his middle name "Ozell", here.
By 1910, young Amos has moved to Cabarrus County and working as a laborer on a farm. He was on his own and his sister Sarah Coble Broadway had already passed away after having only one child, Lillian.
Although the transcriber lists the relationship as "brother", that is an incorrect translation. The actual document says "boarder".
So about the time of the above incident in 1911, Amos was on his own, and his father was in a great deal of trouble legally. It seems he and his third wife Angeline had parted ways and Israel and his fourth wife, Rosa Almond Coble, were living in Charlotte. Rosa discovered that Israel had not taken the time nor trouble to divorce his third wife and went to the police. This event may have put an additional stress on young Amos, and lead to the above reported incident with the gun.
But Amos and his troubling gun were no strangers to the courts or police. Just two years prior, in 1909, he'd had other problems.
From the Concord Daily Tribune, May 2, 1909
It could have very well have been family problems that was at the source of young Amos Ozell Coble's woes. He'd lost his mother at a young age, and seemed displaced by the gypsy existence and multi-marrying existence of his father. There were orphanages about, but not a safety net for children as we have in existence today. Many fell through the cracks and several were on their own to fend for themselves and find work at young ages, especially teenagers. Intact families usually had hefty broods of their own and did not need another mouth to feed. A youngster was fortunate if they found someone to take them in.
After his first run-in with the law, Amos would be forced to mature.
Amos Coble Event Type:Draft Registration Event Date:1917-1918 Event Place:Charlotte City, North Carolina, United States Gender:Male Birth Date:08 Aug 1891 Birthplace:Stanley, North Carolina, United States Nationality:United States Affiliate Publication Title:World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards Affiliate Publication Number: M1509GS Film number :1765627 Digital Folder Number:005152102 Image Number:05715
World War I forced a lot of young men to mature.
Amos became a painter and settled in Charlotte, Mecklengurg County. He married Carrie Leona Jordan, the daughter of Thomas and Carrie Fisher Jordan of South Carolina and became the father of 8 children, 3 whom died as infants:
1920 Roy Ozell Coble
1923 Evelyn Marjorie Coble
1926 Twin: Carroll Helen Coble (lived 1 month)
1926 Twin: Harold Amos Coble (lived 7 months)
1929 Francis Pauline Coble
1932 Patsy Ruth Coble
1934 Alvin Leon Coble (died as child)
1936 Catherine Ann Coble
Today's strict laws concerning guns and teenagers would have unfolded into an entirely different story for Amos Coble. Fortunately, he was born at the turn of the century, when he was still given a chance to grow up, become a mature, contributing member of society, have a family and live out his life.
Amos passed away on July 22, 1944, of a cerebral hemorrhage, at the age of 52. He is buried in Rock Hill, South Carolina. His death certificate states that he was the son of Israel S. Coble and Sarah Coley. Even after all of those years, no one could cement the name of Murray to the descendants of Edmund Murray (aka Coley). His widow Carrie, lived to be 72, and is buried in Charlotte, Mecklenburg, North Carolina.
When researching the document that led to my post "An Interesting Find In Salisbury", I discovered that the Howell family that was involved with a Soloman family was the widow and children of Monroe B Howell.
Mrs. Howell was selling property in Salisbury, as well as in the town of Albemarle and out in the county of Stanly. Probably land M. B. Howell hsd inherited from his father, Newton Howell.
The Solomans involved were the children of M. B. Howell's daughter, Cora, who had married a Soloman.
Newton Howell is a study of his own, that I will get more in depth on at some point and quite a bit of a mystery. Some people, descended obviously from a different Newton Howell, have connected him with their ancestor in Newberry, South Carolina, but he could not be the same person. His estate papers were settled in Stanly County and he very plainly died here. He could not have been two places at one time.
Newton Howell was a merchant and citizen of the small town of Albemarle from its inception. His name is writhe in the earliest records of a newborn Stanly County during the 1840's. His son, Monroe Byrd Howell is named as a druggist in the early census records.
Charles Byrd Howell was his son.
Charle B. lived in and around Salisbury and Spencer in Rowan County at the turn of the century. He made a career with the Railroads, of which Spencer, and Salisbury too, were major hubs.
He married Leslie Powell and had two little daughters. But his life was much more complicated than all that. When I read his death certificate which gave cause of death as both drowning and suicide, I knew there had to be a tragic story behind it, and there was.
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The Columbia, SC paper had interviewed an acquaintance of his who said he was an "up and coming" young railroad man, and did not seem "deeply troubled." But he was a married father in his latter thirties, and obviously in love with a teenaged girl.
The Friday, September 11, 1914 edition of The Greensboro Daily News tells it best. MAN AND WOMAN ARE FOUND IN THE LAKE Howell and Lizzie Griffin Found Buckled Together in Lake at Charlotte Yesterday CARRY OUT SUICIDE PACT Charlotte, Sept. 10 - Locked in each others embrace the bodies of Charles B Howell and Miss Lizzie Griffin, of Monroe, were found at 6:25 this morning floating on the surface of the lake at Lakewood, the park suburban resort west of the city. The bodies were near the dance pavillion and were bounded together with a leather belt, worn by Howell around his waist ordinarily. The bodies were floating together, the woman's face upwards, the man's over her right shoulder. The woman's left arm was under the man's left arm and encircling his body, their bodies bound breast to breast together. The woman had had on all her clothing except her coat and hat which was found yesterday in the lake. On her left arm were two bracelets, apparently of value; on her finger, a signet ring
; a necklace of gold and a gold cresent pin at her waist. The waist was of white lace, her skirt dark blue serge, the same as the coat found in the boat yesterday. The bodies were buckled so tightly together that when the belt was cut, the woman's back scarcely touched the ground where she was lying, it having been pressed in so tightly that the back had sunk in. The man's body was full of water, but there was no water in the woman's body. His body had swollen greatly and pressed against her body so that her back was bent in by forcr of the pressure and belting which had not given away.
The bodies were found by E. Maynard, who works at Wearn's lumberyard, and who lives just beyond the lake at Lakewood. He was waiting at the streetcar station at the lake for a car, when hecsaw something floating in the lake near the pavillion. He went nearer and saw that it was two bodies fastened together. He phoned the coroner of the find. The news spread rapidly and in a short time their was an immense crowd surrounding the lake. W. S. Orr, manager of Lakewood and others rowed out to where the bodies were abd pulled them into shallow water thence lifted them to the bank. The dragging of the bodies caused the woman's hair to be disheveled and caused a bruise on her right cheek, which gave rise to the report that she had been forced into the suicidal back, but this latter Mr. Orr and others say is not true, as it would have bern impossible for anyone to be forced into the position in which the bodies were found together had he or she been unwilling. Said Mr. Orr: "The man and woman stood facing each other while he bound and buckled them together. They then jumped into the lake." The act was committed Monday night. Beside the bodies rising on the third day, as is the case in drowning, a conductor on one of the Chadwick-Hoskins cars which pass Lakewood, recalls that Howell and Miss Griffin, whom he knew, went out on his car Monday night about 11 o'clock and got off at Reisman's Avenue this side of the lake. The boats had all been locked up after the Labor Day Celebration, but Howell secured a boat, and in it he and the girl kept their death pact. Mr. Howell left home Saturday morning on the 8 o'clock train. He said he was going to Salisbury to spend Labor Day with his mother. As soon as he reached Charlotte, he went to the Powell home. He was in a good humor when he left. When Howell left the Powell home, he went to the Central hotel and registered thus: J J Hinson and wife, Atlanta, Georgia. He said he was looking for his wife. He was given room 76, the key to which room was found in his coat in the boat. The girl did not go to the hotel. She came to Charlotte Saturday at 1 o'clock and went to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Noah Williams, the latter her aunt, being a sister of her father. She stayed their until Monday morning at 9 o'clock. She left telling her aunt and the family that she was going up the street to shop, that she intended becoming a trained nurse and was going to Fayetteville to take her training, and that she was going to buy some goods for uniforms and would then take the 20 o'clock train for Monroe, but met Howell uptown, and they were together from that time on, the last being seen of them was when they disembarked from the car at Lakewood Monday night. There seems to be no doubt that they agreed to die together and as he said "End everything".
The article did not mention a suicide note, but C. B. Howell must have left one to be quoted "End everything."
After finding such a tragic end to these two, I wanted to know more about who Lizzie Griffin was and what may have happened in the mind of Charles Byrd Howell.
From 1910. The Lakewood Park site states that "Strings of lights were placed around the lake giving couples a well lit stroll along the walkway at night. The amusement rides were placed on the southern side of the trolley line which divided the park. A tunnel was built under the tracks so patrons could easily access the amusement park or the lake side without crossing the tracks. If you look closely towards the center of the postcard above, you can see the stairway that led from the parks main trolley station to this tunnel."
It was not difficult to find the Death Certificate of Lizzie Griffin. There were several Lizzie Griffins in and around Charlotte, and Union County, NC. Monroe is Griffin Central. But only one who died the same day as Charles B. Howell.
Her name was given as Elizabeth Griffin and she was single, and only 18 years old. Her employment was given as "Household", her education as "Common School", and her parents as H. F. Griffin and Mattie Edwards. The informant was R. E. Bishop of Charlotte.
This is a postcard of the lake where the bodies were found.
Research found out that H. F. Griffin was Henry Fulton Griffin of Monroe, North Carolina. H. F. Griffin was the son of Jacob Kindley Griffin and Elizabeth Davis Griffin. He was the grandson of the locally reknown minister, Rev. Edmund Lilly Davis and his wife Mary Newsome Davis, of the old Rocky River Baptist Church.
Henry Fulton Griffin was born on Aug. 27, 1867 and died on September 14 1893. He had married Martha D "Mattie" Edwards on December 29, 1891. He is buried in the old Griffin - Davis cemetery in Polkton, Anson County, North Carolina.
Mattie Edwards was the daughter of James Henry "Big Henry" Edwards and Sarah Arminta "Minta" Curlee. She grew up in the New Salem area of Union County. Like her husband, H. F. Griffin, Mattie was also doomed to a brief life. She was born August 27, 1873 and died January 5, 1897.
This picture is from 1915, the year after the double suicide from a play of passion.
Mattie was the mother of three children. She named her oldest for her mother, Sarah Arminta. She was born in April of 1893. Next came Elizabeth in 1896 and lastly Myers Vance Griffin in 1897. It is tragic enough that these children were orphaned at such a young age, but laid out on a timeline, you notice something else.
The Ad for Lakewood park said that 'new steel boats were purchased for the 1910 season and that row-boating was one of the favorite activities of park visitors.
H. F. and Mattie married in 1891. He was 24 and Mattie was 18. Minta came along a year and a half later in April of 1893. H. F. died in September of the same year. Elizabeth was born in 1896, two years later. Myers draft card says that he was born on Feb. 1 1897. Only Minta could have been the child of H. F. Griffin. The other two took his name, however, and lost their mother shortly after the birth of Myers, probably. Either his birth record on the draft card was wrong, which was often the case, or the death date on her tombstone was wrong, because it has that he was born nearly a month after she died. More likely she died shortly after his birth or at his birth, and as he was an orphan, no one kept up with the date very well. That of Lizzie either. One census has her being born in Dec. of 1894, in which case, she could have been the posthumous child of H. F. Griffin, and likely was. But her date of birth was not well recorded.
Whether they were the children of H. F. Griffin, or not, and Myers most obviously was not, the Griffin family took them in. In 1900, Cornelia Ellen Griffin Jerome and husband had them along with their ever expanding brood. She was the sister of H. F. Griffin.
Ten years later, Fulton and Ellen's brother Edmund, or Edward, would take them in and refer to them as his children. He must have loved them, as they were counted not as nieces and nephews, or boarders, as in Ellen's household, but as children of...
Two years later, Sarah Arminta Griffin would marry Alexander Edwards Bishop, son of Rev. Samuel Bishop of Virginia, and Mary McQueen of Scotland. He would die at 51. They had 3 children together and moved around a bit.
First in Rutherford County, and then in Lincoln County. Alex would die in 1937 and Minta would move to Gastonia and become a dress maker. She would die there in 1956.
Myers would serve in the U. S. Army in WW I and afterwards, work as a brakeman for the Railroad. He moved to Harrisburg, PA and married Clara V. Walters. He would die prior to 1930, as his wife is shown as a widow in that census living with her sister.
And Lizzie, the most ill-fated of all of the 3 orphans would meet Charles Byrd Howell.
Charles Byrd Howell was the oldest son, and third child of seven of Albemarle, Stanly County Druggest, Monroe Byrd Howell and his wife, Laura Frances "Fannie" Austin Howell. He was the grandson of early Albemarle merchant, Newton Howell and wife Rebecca Pennington Howell.
He grew up on the dirt streets of old Albemarle and lived in a house in town.
Twenty years later, in 1900, Fannie had moved her family, including married daughter Cora, her husband James Nicholas Solomon and two children, Lucille, and James N. Jr., to Salisbury, North Carolina. Charley would get a job with the railroad, which reined in old Salisbury and Spencer.
Shortly afterwards, Charlie would marry Leslie Pinkney Powell, daughter of Pinkney Shuford Powell and Louisa Regina Roarke Powell, from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
1904 would show the young couple living on Graham Street in Charlotte.
The current view of 900 Graham Street brings up a spot of foliage next to a bridge crossing a railroad track across the road from a narrow park in shadows of the Charlotte skyscrapers.
By 1909, they had moved their small family, which included two small daughters, a few blocks down to 800 N Graham Street, which is now just a clump of bushes next to an overpass.
By the 1910 census, Charlie and Pinkie are living right next door to her parents, the Powells. Charlie is listed as a machinist for the railroad, his father-in-law, as a machinist at the "Shops". His brother-in-law, John T. Powell, was living with his parents, and managing a 'moving picture theater'. They were living a city life.
It is unknown when or how Charlie Howell met Lizzie Griffin, but doubtful their relationship had began in the way it was by 1910, as she would have been a mere child. It may, however, had something to do with her Aunt and Uncle, Katie and Noah Williams, who lived in Charlotte by 1910, and whom she had visited the morning before her death. Perhaps Noah Williams was a friend of Charlie Howell, and Charlie had made the girl's acquaintance at their home, or perhaps he had just found her riding the street cars of town, a fragile looking and dewy adolescent, an orphan in search of that forever lost father figure she never had, except perhaps in her Uncle Edmond.
This photo is of the streetcar tracks to Lakewood park, circa 1911
A Streetcar like this one was the last ride for Charlie and Lizzie. It may have been this very one, from Lakewood Park circa 1911
The Mystery remains: did young Lizzie know of Charlie's plans? Was she a victim or a willing participant?
He grew up on the dirt streets of old Albemarle and lived in a house in town. 
This photo is of the streetcar tracks to Lakewood park, circa 1911