Wednesday's Child: Levy Erkskine Hill

The tombstone for Levy Erkskine Hill reads; "There was an Angel Band in Heaven that was not quite complete, so God took our Darling Levy Erkskine to fill the vacant Seat".

Levy Erkskine Hill

April 27, 1925
October 29, 1926

He was the son of Fred Douglas Hill and Ouissa Stewart Hill and lived to be 18 months old. He was to be their only son and had 3 older sisters. I can imagine the little toddler, beginning to talk in small sentences and running around everywhere chasing Faye and Esther and Ethel.

This post is dedicated to the memory of Levy Erkskine Hill, another one I did not know was in my family tree until searching old cemetaries.

The Sad Affair of Kitty Davis

Today I just spent a few hours at our local library. Deciding to concentrate on the mystery of Hortense Davis Stewart's short life and mysterious death, shortly after her divorce went through, I went back through the Davis files to see if anything there would give me any hints on her cause of death, her daughters name, who Kitty Davis was exactly or what happened to William after her death. I know well the siblings of my ancestors, and even their children, but had never gone down a generation from that, unless I had cause to. Several individuals descended from our Patriarch Job Davis contributed their trees, down to living individuals. 


Hortense's father Edward Winfield Davis aka Neddy, married late in life, age 56 to be exact, so his children were much younger than their first cousins. Example, Benjamin Franklin Davis, the oldest son of Neddy's brother Henry was born in 1829, while Hortense was born in 1861, 32 years apart, but they were first cousins. 


In the file I discovered a record of Frank Davis' Family Bible. Frank is what Benjamin Franklin Davis was known as. This had been submitted by Luther McIntyre. Two of Frank's daughters, married brothers who were McIntyres's. The McIntyres's, coincidentally, were also members of the Murray family, mentioned in earlier posts. 


The Bible starts with a list of the 14 children born to Frank and his wife Julia Sibley Davis. How many descendants from this family do you think are out there now?


Lula Davis  March 27 1855
Sally Davis   August 1857
Mathew A Davis  December 11 1858
J F Davis  December 2 1860
Thomas Davis   July 3  1865
Mary Davis  December 27  1866
Hart A Davis   January 15  1868
John S Davis   December 8  1870
Mary A Davis  September 21 1872
H. E. Davis   August 18 1874
Nannie Davis  May  6  1876
Kitty Davis  September 15  1878
Susie Davis  March 7 1880
Lillie Mae Davis  May 31 1882


The Bible also has listed that Benjamin Franklin Davis died  December 21 1898 and Julia Sibley Davis died  Feb. 18 1914, and Hart A Davis died August 2 1902.


But there she was ...Kitty Davis. Of course, she was in my family tree already, but not as Kitty. Matching  up the birthdate, Kitty turns out to be Wincey Catherine Davis. 

Sarah Hortense Davis Stewart claims in her divorce papers that her husband, William R Stewart, was having an adulterous affair with Kitty Davis, who as it turns out, is her first cousin once removed. Hortense married in 1891 and by 1894 had been abandoned by W. R. Stewart, with a two year old daughter, who was then found to be teaching music in Chester, Chester County, South Carolina. 


Stepping back at looking at what I have found out so far, Billy Stewart appears to be a cad who has left a trail of broken women. Billy was born in 1868, Hortense in 1869. In 1894, when he is accused of having an affair with Kitty Davis, Kitty, who was born in 1878, was a mere child of 15 or 16. Bill 10 years her senior. In modern America, Bill would have been arrested for indecent liberties with a minor, but in Victorian North Carolina, Kitty would have been considered of marriageable age, many girls married then in their early teens. 


At some point Kitty married a Cox, and her death certificate stated she had lived in Polkton, NC, which is just over the Rocky River in Anson County. Her death certificate is telling and tragic in other ways as well. 


Kitty's Find a Grave Tribute

Kitty died at the age of 43 in Broughton State Mental Hospital. She had been there nearly 18 years, entering at age 25. What happened between her affair with Billy Stewart at 16 and being admitted to an insane assylum at age 25? Who was this Cox that she married? I will have to check the surrounding counties for marriage records for Kitty and Mr. Cox. Anson will be the most likely, as the death certificate said that was her last residence. It also states that she was married, which means Mr. Cox did not go to the trouble to divorce her. She died of pulminary tuberculosis. Probably a chain smoker. I see a vague image of her in my mind, thin, wan, yellowish tint in her skin, legs crossed tightly, smoking like a freight train and twitching nervously. Was this Kitty?


I attempted to gain more information on one family tragedy and came upon another. 


I am waiting on a copy of Hortense Stuart's estate papers and also the official copies of her divorce papers, instead of the ones I photographed from microfilm. I am also going to search for the mysterious Mr. Cox and perhaps a marriage license. Below are some old photos of Broughton State Mental Hospital and the cemetary where Kitty is buried. 

An old post card of Broughton State Mental Hospital in Morganton, North Carolina












The State Hospital cemetery where Kitty Davis lies. 

Information on John M. Stewart...etc.

From Branson's Business Directory, 1896

TOWN OFFICERS

MONROE – Mayor, Dr. J.W. Stephenson; Commissioners, H.A. Shute, J.M. Blair, B.A. Morrow, S.W. Parham;Clerk, J.M. Stewart; Treasurer, J.M. Stewart; Marshall, N.S. Ogburn.

The year of Sarah Hortense Davis Stewarts death and the year after her divorce, her father-in-law held not one, but two offices in the town of Monroe. I am sure if William, who was teaching at a Music School in Chester, South Carolina, was a little low on funds for a lawyer, his father would have gladly helped out. Hortenses father had already passed away by this time and her mother had married a drunkard who had came from money, but by the time of their marriage, his was long gone. They lived off what she could muster from her deceased first husbands estate. 

J. M. Stewart was still alive and well in Monroe in 1902. 

From the Freepages.genealogy Union County Deeds:

Deed Book 32 pages 544-545

Therefore let the said deed, together with this certificate, be registered March 21, 1902. 

E. A. Armfield CSC

Filed for registration March 21

st

1902 at 1:50 oclock pm

JM Stewart, Register

E. C. Williams commissioner to S. E. Hamilton

State of North Carolina

Union County

This indenture made this  15

th

day of March A.D. 1902 between E. C. Williams commissioner of 

the County of Union, State of North Carolina party of the first part and S. E. Hamilton of the 

County and State aforesaid, party of the second part, Witnesseth that whereas in a special 

proceeding regularly instituted in the Superior Court of Union County before the block and 

entitled M. A. Newsome, et al, Plaintiffs and Addie Pusser, et al defendants for the partition and 

division of certain premises mentioned in the petition in said proceeding an order was made by 

said Court that a sale of said premises be made and appointing and directing E. C. Williams, 

party of the first part, commissioner to make said sale of said premises at public auction to the 

highest bidder at the Court House door, in said County, after giving notice according to the law 

of the time and place of such sale, and whereas the said commissioner pursuant to the said order 

and directions of the said Court after giving notice of the time and place of said sale prescribed 

by statute, did on the 4

th  

day of Nov. A.D. 1901 at 12 oclock M, in the city of Monroe, N. C.  at 

the Court House door, exposed to sale at public auction, the hereafter described lands at which 

time and place S. E. Hamilton, party of the second part, became the last and highest bidder at the 

price of seven hundred and ten ($710.00) Dollars, and whereas the said S. E. Hamilton has paid 

the entire sum of the purchase price in cash, and the party of the first part having reported the 

said sale according to law and the same having been approved and confirmed by said Court and a 

deed ordered to be executed to the party of the second part.