Who was Albert Smith?

 

In my earlier post, The Schoolhouse, I explored a nontypical, brief deed wherein my Third Great Grandfather, Henry Davis, deed a half-acre's lot to a School that obviously already sat upon it. The deed, shown below, was witnesses by two men I knew, James Palmer, my Fourth Great Grandfather, and Henry's father-in-law, and Bailey Smith, his brother-in-law. They had married Palmer sisters. It was also witnessed by two men I did not know, James Sanders and Albert Smith. I wondered if James Sanders could have been related to Bailey Sanders, and if the first name of "Bailey" had somehow descended through a Bailey family line to both Baily's, Smith and Sanders. I also wonder about who was Albert Smith? Was he a relative of Bailey Smith?

I've done a bit of ferreting around the Smith family within the past year, as I have a link to one branch, and discovered that Bailey Smith, was descended from a William Smith who passed away in the 1840's. During my rootling around, I did not come across an Albert.

Brief lives who left no heirs and few traces are often viewed as inconsequential by genealogy hounds and are disregarded. Left to collect dust, those without descendants fade away into oblivion, forgotten and dishonored. Yet I'm as intrigued by the mysterious as the perspicuous. Enter Albert Smith. Who was he?

Although his name had not caught my attention until the schoolhouse deed, I soon came across it again, as I was perusing the 1841 land entries in Stanly County, the year of its formation. Albert Smith is mentioned twice in these, and that fact is very telling. It again brings him in the sphere connection to the same people in the deed.

Entry 80, dated December 20, 1841, has Albert Smith with 100 acres of land on the waters of Mountain Creek, adjoining John C. Smiths line. So, here he is in connection with another Smith. The next entry, number 81, on the same date, is John C. Smith's entry for 100 acres on Mountain Creek, adjoining Albert Smith's entry. Nothing to see here, however, it's the entries preceding Alberts, also on the same date, that pique my interest.

77 12-20-1841 James Palmer enters 100 acres on the waters of Mountain Creek adj. Joseph Picker.

78 12-20-1841 Elisha Smith enters 100 acres on the waters of Mountain Creek adj James Palmers.

79 12-20-1841 Williamson Smith enters 100 acres on the waters of Mountain Creek adj Elisha Smith.

A hive of Smith's with connection to James Palmer, perhaps? Then, in March, I had discovered the following:

391 3-25-1841 John Davis 100 acres on S. W. side of Mountain Creek adjoining B.F. Davis's 100-acre entry. These were the two oldest sons of Henry Davis.

393 3-28-1841 John C Smith 100 acres on the waters of Mountain Creek adj. his own lines.

394 3-28-1841 Albert Smith entered 100 acres on the waters of Mountain Creek adjoining John C. Smith's entry.

There were at a minimum, three distinct families of Smiths in the area in those days, and possibly as many as five or six. I will not try to separate them out or tie them together, just the one group with ties to my Davis and Palmer lines. 

On March 25th, Bailey Smith, Henry's brother-in-law, also entered 100 acres on the S.W. side of Mountain Creek adjoining Joseph Pickler's line and on the same day, Bailey's son Edward P. Smith entered 100 acres joining his father's line. These were entries 388 and 389. Entry 390, just before the John Davis entry seen above, was the one for his brother, Benjamin Franklin Davis. On the same date as John, March 25th, he entered:

"100 acres on the S. W. side of Mountain Creek adjoining Bailey Smiths' and Edward P Smith's line."

One might think that in a census record, either the one before or after, you'd find all these folks together in a little community along Mountain Creek and there would be Albert, but no. James Palmer is not listed near any Smiths at all, and neither is Bailey Smith.

1850 is a different story. Bailey is listed next to his mother, Elizabeth Smith, his brother, James Smith and near a John Smith and his wife, Lurena. No Albert anywhere. 

The thing about the land entries, they are void of any indicators of age, unlike census records. For instance, in 1841, in the above entries, B. F. Davis, born in 1829, was about 12, and his younger brother John, about 10. Same with Edward Pinkney Smith, son of Bailey Smith, born in 1932, he was only 9. These men, (Henry Davis and Bailey Smith), had entries applied to for their young sons. So, seeing Albert Smiths name there does not mean he was an adult. 

Albert Smith does appear in other documents, however. 

The above shows John Smith and Albert Smith, side by side, making purchases from an estate. There is a signature of James Smith, Executor of the Estate. 

The above is the Estate file this document came from, that of William Smith who passed away in 1845. James Smith was his son, and so was Bailey Smith. I posted on James Smith here: The Mysterious Disappearance of James Smith

And on Bailey Smith here: Bailey Francis Smith

Could John, and Albert, have been descendants of this same William Smith?

This is another excerpt from the William Smith, Referring to A.C. and Robert Smith, Robert being a proven son of William Smith and A.C being a son of Robert.

Yet another excerpt mentions James, William and Bailey Smith.

This next list in a row shows Bailey, Robert and Archibald C. Smith, along with Arthur Freeman Atkins and Henry Davis. A. F. Atkins is related to the mother of Mary Palmer Smith and Martha Palmer Davis, who was an Atkins, and perhaps even related to Henry Davis through his grandmother, Charlotte Freeman.

Above is another document containing the name of Albert Smith. It's the 1843, 100-acre Grant to Edward Pinkney Smith, son of Bailey and Mary Palmer Smith. The property was located on the Camp Branch of Mountain Creek. It joined the lands of William Smith, his grandfather, and Joseph Pickler, a name often seen in the deeds of this extended family. The witnesses were Joseph Pickler and Albert Smith.

The row of consecutive land entries for Bailey Smith adjoining Joseph Pickler and William Smith, Edward Pinkney Smith adjoining the same, James Palmer adjoining Joseph Pickler, Elisha Smith adjoining James Palmer, Williamson Smith adjoining Elisha Smith, and Albert Smith adjoining John C Smith, all on Mountain Creek.

Those were followed by John C Smith's entry adjoining Albert Smith's. Albert seems to be mostly connected to John C. Smith and this group of Smiths, as a whole, could very well be one family. 

John C Smith has two deeds in the Stanly County Deed books, back-to-back. He lived along Mountain Creek and in this virtual Smith's grove that included James Palmer, Henry Davis and his family.

The two questions concerning Albert Smith is where did he come from and where did he go?

In 1850, no Albert Smith was not to be found in Stanly County. But we do have this "Neighbors of Joseph Pickler" lineup above. John Smith with wife, Lavina, Daniel McLester household, Joseph Pickler household, James Smith household, his mother, Elizabeth, widow of William Smith, followed by the Bailey Smith household. Were these "His People"? 

Albert may have appeared in land records during Stanly's earliest decades, but not a census. That leads me to believe he was a young man, not ahead of household then.

He does appear in one other record in Stanly County, and that is in the Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarters. In the August 1848 session, Barnett Clayton was released from working on Salisbury Road under Albert Smith as Overseer. This would ultimately prove to be a hint about Albert's future.

With a good deal of wrangling, rifling and the process of elimination, I believe I discovered what became of Albert Smith.

Name	George A Smith
Gender	Male
Race	White
Residence Age	30
Birth Date	abt 1820
Birthplace	North Carolina
Residence Date	1850
Home in 1850	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Occupation	Laborer
Industry	Industry Not Reported
Line Number	14
Dwelling Number	934
Family Number	939
Inferred Spouse	Mary Smith
Inferred Child	Louisa Smith

Household members

Name	Age
George A Smith	30
Mary Smith	22
Louisa Smith	2

Albert was actually George Albert Smith. He married Mary Addams Clayton about 1846 or 1847, before the recorded Stanly County marriage records survived. In 1850, Albert and Mary lived in Albemarle District, but what looks somewhat north of the town, near Eli Russell and Nancy Cauble, where George Albert was working as a Laborer, and they were parents of 2-year-old Louisa C. Smith.

Name	George A Smith
Gender	Male
Race	White
Birthplace	North Carolina
Home in 1860	Salisbury, Rowan, North Carolina
Post Office	Gold Hill
Dwelling Number	496
Family Number	480
Occupation	Day Labourer
Personal Estate Value	50
Inferred Child	Mary A Smith

Household members

Name	Age
George A Smith
Mary A Smith	32
Louisa C Smith	11
Sarah L Smith	9
Carrell E Smith	8
John T Smith	10/12

By 1860, their family size had increased to four children, and they had moved to the bustling gold mining town of Gold Hill, just a few miles to the north in Rowan County. George was working as a day laborer.

Then War hit, and that is what happened to George Albert Smith. 

Albert joined Co A. 20th North Carolina Infantry, in Cabarrus County, at the age of 40, on March 9, 1862. He survived many battles. 

As shown above, Albert fought at such notable places as Cold Harbor, Malvern Hill, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg, where he was wounded and captured.

The above shows him as being reported wounded during a muster.

On another muster, he was reported as being "in the hands of the enemy", captured and wounded. But the wounds didn't kill him.

Albert Smith died of disease caught while a prisoner of war. He died of payaemia, or blood poisoning. 

Below is his entire service record in a nutshell, from Fold3.com.

Name	George Albert Smith
Enlistment Age	40
Birth Date	abt 1822
Enlistment Date	22 Mar 1862
Enlistment Place	Cabarrus County, North Carolina
Enlistment Rank	Private
Muster Date	22 Mar 1862
Muster Place	North Carolina
Muster Company	A
Muster Regiment	20th Infantry
Muster Regiment Type	Infantry
Muster Information	Enlisted
Imprisonment Date	3 Jul 1863
Imprisonment Place	Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Casualty Date	27 Jun 1862
Casualty Place	Gaines' Mill, Virginia
Type of Casualty	Wounded
Muster Out Date	12 Aug 1863
Muster Out Place	David's Island, New York
Muster Out Information	died disease POW
Side of War	Confederacy
Survived War?	No
Residence Place	Cabarrus County, North Carolina
Notes	1862-09-01 Returned, estimated day; 1863-06-30 Returned, Estimated day; 1863-07-17 Transferred, (David's Island, NY Harbor)
Additional Notes 2	Casualty 2 Date: 17 Sep 1862; Casualty 2 Place: Sharpsburg, Maryland; Casualty 2 Type of Casualty: Wounded; Casualty 2 Information: Estimated day; Casualty 3 Date: 03 Jul 1863; Casualty 3 Place: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; Casualty 3 Type of Casualty: Hospitalized; Casualty 4 Date: 03 Jul 1863; Casualty 4 Place: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; Casualty 4 Type of Casualty: Wounded; Casualty 4 Information: Wounded in the foot
Title	North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster

George Albert Smith is buried at Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

Name	Geo A Smith
Death Date	13 Aug 1863
Interment Date	13 Aug 1863
Interment Place	New York, USA
Cemetery Address	625 Jamaica Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11208
Cemetery	Cypress Hills National Cemetery
Plot	Section 1 Site 776
Notes	Us Army

The Civil War may have taken the life of Albert Smith, but that wasn't the end of his legacy. He left a widow and children. The records of his surviving family members verified that he was our Stanly County Albert Smith. After the War, they appear to have been scattered like the wind.

Albert had married Mary Addams Clayton. She was most likely a daughter of Joseph Clayton and Margaret Houston, due to ties to the Thomas Clayton family who lived near her in 1850. I've not fully explored that possibility. Thomas Clayton married Martha Patsy Moore, that will come into play later. Her children's records give her maiden name as Clayton. This would make Albert and Barnette Clayton, mentioned above in the road records, Brothers-in-law.

Name	Mary Smith
Age in 1870	44
Birth Date	abt 1826
Birthplace	North Carolina
Dwelling Number	84
Home in 1870	Salisbury, Rowan, North Carolina
Race	White
Gender	Female
Post Office	Salisbury
Occupation	No Occupation

Household members

Name	Age
John H Verble	50
Nancy Verble	60
Mary Smith	44
Richard Julian	11
Hattie Klutts	8

1870 found Mary in a boarding house in Salisbury. Her children had been bound out.

Name	Edward Smith
Age in 1870	18
Birth Date	abt 1852
Birthplace	North Carolina
Dwelling Number	266
Home in 1870	Atwell, Rowan, North Carolina
Race	White
Gender	Male
Post Office	Salisbury
Occupation	Farm Laborer

Household members

Name	Age
John O King	42
Martha King	24
Joseph W King	13
Rosy King	9
Mary A King	8
Nannie K King	6
John O King	4
Mattie B King
Sarah Mills	21
Jane Barnhart	21
Edward Smith	18

Carroll Edward Smith was working for John O. King.

Name	Sarah Mitcher
Age in 1870	18
Birth Date	abt 1852
Birthplace	North Carolina
Dwelling Number	225
Home in 1870	Township 1, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Race	White
Gender	Female
Post Office	Concord
Occupation	Keeping House
Inferred Spouse	Victor Mitcher

Household members

Name	Age
Victor Mitcher	31
Sarah Mitcher	18
Florence Mitcher	3

Daughter Sarah L. "Sallie" Smith had married on August 13, 186 to Victor Theopolis Melchor, and they were living in Township 1, Cabarrus County, NC. They had married in Cabarrus and the whole family would hover around the area where Stanly, Cabarrus and Rowan all come together.

Name	Louisa Smith
Age in 1870	25
Birth Date	abt 1845
Birthplace	North Carolina
Dwelling Number	49
Home in 1870	Ridenhour, Stanly, North Carolina
Race	White
Gender	Female
Post Office	Albemarle
Occupation	At Home
Cannot Read	Yes
Cannot Write	Yes
Inferred Mother	Jane Smith

Household members

Name	Age
Jane Smith	41
Louisa Smith	25
Lucy J Welson	7
William Welson	4
Nancy Lowder	35

Oldest daughter, Louisa J. Smith, was living with a lady named Jane Smith in Ridenhour Township, the northernmost part of Stanly County. This was Jemima Jane Wilson Smith, a Civil War widow, and the Wilson's have a story of their own. I've not determined how her husband, Joshua, may have been connected to the Albert Smith family, if at all. He was definitely a friend of Bennett Russell, of Stanly County. Nancy Lowder was Jane's sister, Nancy Wilson Lowder, widow of Henry Lowder. The children were the children of their sister, Eliza Wilson.

The infant son of Albert and Mary Smith, John T. Smith, is not to be found. He may have died as a child or taken in and raised under a different name by family, possibly as a Clayton, I can't determine.

The next decade would one of recovery and resilience.

Mary would eventually remarry, on a spring day, May 15, 1877, at the age of 49, Mary A. Clayton Smith married George Wilson Barringer, age 60, son of George Barringer. Under Mary's parents, it appears as if they were about to write her name again, or something, but marked it out. That deed has led to a great deal of confusion but meant nothing. Her parents, as well as George's, were deceased. They were in Cabarrus County, and both was said to be from Township 7. Witnesses to the wedding were Victor T. Melchor, Mary's son-in-law, husband of Sarah, Calvin J. Russell and L. C. Smith, Mary's daughter, Louisa. The marriage was performed by Samuel Rothrock, Minister of the Gospel of the Lutheran Church, and was held at home of Victor and Sarah.

Cabarrus County Numbered, instead of named their Townships, but Township 7 is considered Gold Hill, although the town of Gold Hill is in Rowan County, it grew close to the Cabarrus County border and became very large in those days. They were basically living within a few miles of where Albert and Mary had first settled after getting married. 

Mary wasn't the only one hearing wedding bells. 

Son, Carroll Edward Smith, 21, married Lorena Catherine Redwine, 17, on February 23, 1874. The bride was the daughter of J. D. and Phoebe G. Redwine, both living, while the groom reported that he was the son of George A. Smith, deceased, and Mary A. Smith, living. Both lived in Township 7 of Cabarrus County, and the wedding took place at the home of the bride's parents. Performed by Rev. Thomas M. Joiner, a Methodist Episcopal Minister, witnesses again were C. J. Russell, William G. Melchor and S. C. Fisher. (husband of sister Louisa).

Louisa C. Smith was married on March 2, 1871, to Calvin Solomon Fisher, son of Solomon Fisher and Christena Foutz Fisher. The groom was 21 and the bride was 22. His name is seen as both Solomon Calvin and Calvin Solomon. The wedding was performed at the bride's mother's house by Rev. John C. Denny, in Cabarrus County. 

Their Lives

Mary Addams Clayton Smith Barringer would settle in the Reed Masenheimers part of Cabarrus County. This, again, was near Gold Hill and not far from the northernmost part of Stanly County. 

Name	Mary A. Barringer
Age	51
Birth Date	Abt 1829
Birthplace	North Carolina
Home in 1880	Reed Misenheimers, Cabarrus, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number	287
Race	White
Gender	Female
Relation to Head of House	Wife
Marital Status	Married
Spouse's Name	George W. Barringer
Father's Birthplace	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace	North Carolina
Occupation	Housekeeper
Neighbors	View others on page

Household members

Name	Age
George W. Barringer	63
Mary A. Barringer	51
George A. Barringer	19

George W. Barringer was a widower with 6 grown children. They are seen above in the 1880 census, with his youngest son, George Addison Barringer. George Wilson Barringer would pass away on Halloween in 1894, leaving Mary, again, a widow. 

She is found in 1900, at 71, living in King's Creek, Cabarrus County, with her oldest daughter, Louisa and her family. In 1910, she's back in Township 7, appearing to live in her own home, but she's sandwiched between 'Edward C. Smith', her son Carroll Edward, and Adam Edward Smith, his oldest son, and Burton A. Culp, who was married to Carroll's oldest daughter, Esther Lucy Smith. Carroll was a farmer, but Burton was a Gold Mining Engineer and Adam was a miner. 

Mary Addam Clayton Smith Barringer passed away on November 27, 1914, at the age of 85. She was buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Concord, Cabarrus County with her second husband, George Wilson Barringer. The informant was her son-in-law, Solomon Fisher, and he got a few things wrong. He had her maiden name as Moore, possibly because her brother married a Moore, and they knew each other somewhat. The reason for her death was heart regurgitation due to Old Age. Mary had been the mother of 4 known children, Louisa C., Sarah L., Carroll Edward and John T. Smith.

Louisa C. Smith Fisher was born October 20, 1848. She married Solomon Calvin Fisher and became the mother of 5 children: 

1872-1943 Mary Ellen Fisher Ritchie Bost

1876-1953 Minnie Corabell Fisher Penninger

1878-1967 Rose Christine Fisher Mabry

1883-1966 Jason Holmes Fisher

1887-1943 Charles Albert Fisher

Louisa raised her children in Cabarrus County. 

She passed away on October 10, 1934, and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Concord, like her mother. 

Sarah L. Smith Melchor was born on November 4, 1850. She married Victor Theopolis Melchor and became the mother of 5 children:

1867-1939 Florence E. Melchor Misenheimer

1873-1948 James Oscar Melchor

1877-1964 Walter Deberry Melchor

1879-1899 Charles H. Melchor

1886-1963 Hattie Marybelle Melchor Voncannon

Sarah raised her family in the Reed Misenheimer District of Cabarrus County. 

She passed away on February 3, 1929, and was buried at Saint Stephens Lutheran Church in Gold Hill, Rowan County. Her Death Certificate gave her father's name as Albert Smith, born in Stanly County and her mother as Molly Clayton, born in Rowan County. She died of Influenza and other complications due to Nephritis. 

Carroll Edward Smith was born February 24, 1853, in Gold Hill, Rowan County, North Carolina. He married Lorena Catherine Redwine and became the father of 6 children. 

1874-1877 John M. Smith was one month shy of 4 years old when he died. He is buried at Matton's

 Grove UMC Church in Richfield, Stanly County, NC. 

1876-1876 Minnie Smith was 3 weeks old when she died. She is also buried at Matton's Grove in Richfield, NC. 

1878-1942 Adam Edward Smith became the oldest sibling to make it to adulthood. He married Mary Jane Fisher.

1885-1968 Esther Luticia Smith Culp, married Burton L. Culp. 

1889-1965 Rufus Alexander Coy Smith, married Gertrude Harmon and Flora Belva Furr.

1894-1972 Myrtle E. Smith Payseur, married Darius F. Payseur

Carroll Smith raised his family in Cabarrus County Township 7, nearly right on the Stanly County line, in the Matton's Grove Church Community. He died on May 11, 1913, at the age of 60, and is buried at Matton's Grove. 

Albert Smith appears to me to be a member of the William Smith family, who died in 1845 in Stanly County. Exactly how, I have not discovered, but this is the branch of Smiths he was in close association with, including Bailey F. Smith and James Smith, whom I have blogged about. He may have been a nephew of those. Again, this is simply a theory based on circumstantial evidence. He married Mary Addams Clayton, daughter of Joseph Clayton and Margeret Houston Clayton and had at least 4 children, three known to have made it to adulthood. He was one of the casualties of the Civil War.  George Albert Smith has many living descendants to this day. 

The School House

On May 6, 1859, my 3rd Great Grandfather, Henry Davis gave half an acres of land to the County School Committee for a school that was already built upon his property. I remember seeing this deed years ago, and at the time, I didn't give it much creedence, and thought it to be the Old Davis Schoolhouse, but it wasn't. What was known as the Old Davis School House was located near Aquadale, Stanly County, North Carolina. 

Stanly News and Press Albemarle, North Carolina • Thu, Feb 11, 1915Page 3

The schoolhouse building was actually a multipurpose building, as seen in the above 1915 newspaper clipping from the Stanly News and Press. It was more of a community building, and in February of 1915, the community of Davis was having a box supper, or a community gathering, much like what we would call a 'potluck'. The school was located around the intersecton of Old Davis Road and Aldridge Road. It was called Davis because it had been decades earlier, the Old Davis Plantation and many descendants of Job Davis had lived there. Other families had moved in, primarily Keplys and Kimmers. Aldridges, Carpenters, Browns and Smiths had long been neighbors of the Davis family. A Deese family had settled just south of Aquadale before the turn of the Century and an Efird family had moved in from the Big Lick area about the same time.

Stanly News and Press Albemarle, North Carolina • Sun, Apr 6, 1997Page 4

The odd thing about the old Davis School was that although the school was located on my mother's family's ancestral lands, it was my Dad who had shown me the location. Well, he had explained that he had played there as a child, and it was over the hill from his Aunt Dorothy's house, who we were visiting. Aunt Dorothy was a that time a Luther, having married one, and she was the sister of my paternal grandmother. Half-sister, to be exact, as Grandma had been born a Lemmons and Aunt Dorothy, a Burris. Both Grandma and Aunt Dorothy had attended Davis School as children. The above picture is of Davis School students in 1920. Grandma would not be in this photo, as she was born in 1915, and would not have been old enough to attend school yet. Dorothy had not been born. The two girls that were idenfied in the above photos were Keply's. One had married a Floyd. Anyone familiar with the Davis family history knows the association with the Floyd family. The roots run deep.

Stanly News and Press Albemarle, North Carolina • Tue, Jun 9, 1992Page 7

The above photo of Davis School graduates is from about the time my Grandmother was born.They are holding popscicles they recieved as a prize for the achievement of graduating. There was one boy, Lawson Hill, probably because sons were expected more, to help run the family farm than girls. As my Grandmothers mother was a Hill, and although they lived in Cabarrus County, they had Rocky Rivers roots, I pondered on if there was a relation. There may have been a few generations back, very likely, in fact. However, I found Lawson briefly in my family tree, but not due to the Hill connection. He was the younger brother of a Fred Hill, owner of the 'Fred Hill House' which is still occupied by that family. Fred Hill has a significance in two manners. First, he married Ouisa Stewart. Ouisa was the daughter of Hortense Davis, the oldest child and only daughter of Edward Winfield Davis, a son of Job and second sheriff of Stanly County. Hortense died young, of pneumonia, and had actully divorced Ouisa's father, William R. Stewart, of  Union County. The reason for the divorce was an affair with Kitty Davis, Ouisa's cousin, a tragic figure. I have several posts in the early years of this blog concerning Hortense and Kitty, and Ouisa. Ouisa was raised by her grandmother, Rebecca Hathcock Davis, widow of Edward Winfield Davis, and her legal guardian, as during that era, a man was preferred, was Rebecca's second husbanc, John T. Crump. As Ouisa was the sole heiress of her mother's share of E. W. Davis's substantial holdings, there were some shady issues involving Crumps usage and disposal of Ouisa's assetts. Eventually, she regained control of real estate, which was firmly protected due to the diligence of her grandfather, and she inherited the Davis Hill or Rocky River Hill part of the property, which is near the end of the Gaddy's Ford Road. 

Fred Hill's homestead is located off of Aldridge Road and my third Great Grandmother, Priscilla Murray Aldridge is buried behind it. Her daughter, Julina Aldridge married E. W. Davis's nephew, Horton H. Davis, and I will come back to that in a moment.

Stanly News and Press Albemarle, North Carolina • Fri, Oct 27, 1922Page 8

In the October 27, 1922 edition of The Stanly News and Press, it was revealed that the Davis School was also used as a church, or meeting house, as services were held there. Rev. Will Hopkins, evidentally, an itenerant minister, was set to preach there. Also reported that Miss Ophie Efird was going to be employed by the school as a primary teacher.

Stanly News and Press Albemarle, North Carolina • Thu, Apr 5, 1917Page 6

In 1917, the Davis School was closed for the Easter Holiday. It was announced that a picnic was to be held at the Carpenter Ford. The mention of this Ford is exciting. The Carpenter Ford was up river and around the bend from the Davis Ford. My ancestors Job Davis and Ludwell Carpenter, (James Ludwell), had been neighbors from the late 1790's. Their descendants have been neighbors for over two centuries.

This clipping seems to refer to the whole neighborhood under the title of the school. It names some of the people who lived there, Aldridges, of course, as they lived on Aldridge road, which connected to the Davis Road, but also Allen and Baucom.

Stanly News and Press Albemarle, North Carolina • Sun, Apr 27, 1997Page 4

Above is another picture of students at the school in 1923. The names of the female students are given with their maiden names and the surname of who they married. The maiden names would reflect who lived in the neighborhood, the married names, not necessarily. Lots of Aldridges, of course, Deese, afore mentioned, Floyds, of course, Turners, from just across the river, originally, another family name. Simpson, another family that lived closer to Aquadale, and Davis was between Aquadale and Cottonville, but a little west of them both. There are also Honeycutt and Burris's, immigrants from the western part of the county, and mixture of these names in the marriages, but not one Davis. Aunt Dorothy was born a Burris, and Grandma would marry a Lambert. Dorothy was born about this time, and grandma should have been old enough to attend by then, but she's not listed, but she definately stated that she went there. Oh, and there are the Keply's.

It's time to voice my grievance with the Keply's. One household of them moved into what was the home of my 2nd Great Grandmother, Julina Aldridge Davis, before she married Horton H. Davis. It is known that Julina was a Civil War orphan, who had been bound to the Benjamin Lindsey Whitley family after his death, despite having a living mother. Some of her older sisters were pushed into marriage at this time,  one to one of Whitley's sons at age 15. Julina was too young, as was her twin sister, Julia, who died as a child. Her oldest brother was also called to War, but had lived. A younger brother was sent to live with an Uncle. Julina was bound to the Whitley's who had lots of sons. Julia had several older children by one or more of these sons before her marriage. We know Molly (Aldrdige Davis Boone), and Jesse Filmore Aldridge, where children of his son, Ephraim. George's father is unknown, as he went by Davis and had no children and didn't name him in the Permanent voting record like Filmore. The first of Julina's children with H. H. Davis was Titus, born in 1887.

But there were two more, born before H. H. was involved, both girls, confirmed by Filmore, and were buried behind the house. The house at the fork of Aldridge and Davis Roads. 

The house was purchased by Keppys after Juliana joined the Davis household. A beautiful modern brick ranch house stands there now.  But, at some point, as reported by my Dad, who grew up in the neighborhood and attended Aquadale School, one of the Keplys, past the time of the children in this photo, decided the small area occupied by two tiny graves, took up too much room along the edge of his tilled property, pulled up the modest markers, and plowed over my Great Great Aunts, my Great Grandfather's half-sisters. Sally and Lizzie are now covered in Corn and Cotton. The girls were born roughly around 1883 and 1885 and died between 1887 and 1889, respectively.  He could not spare the small amount of turf taken up by two small little girls. I don't know the first name this of Mr. Kepley, and of course he is long gone by now, but when I hear of a Kepley from the Aquadale or Cottonville area, I cringe in anger. 

Stanly News and Press Albemarle, North Carolina • Tue, Oct 19, 1971Page 5

Above is an actual newspaper photo taken of the Old Davis Schoolhouse around 1920. It was probably built about 1890 or so, and was in use until the 1940's. It stood abandoned until at least the early part of my lifetime but has now totally collapsed into the earth.  The odd thing about my grandmother attending, is that her people were from Mecklenburg and Union Counties, with a little flow into Cabarrus. She was born near Concord, in Cabarrus County. Her mother would marry a Burris, after her father's death, just before her birth, who happened to be a Stanly County boy who had moved to Concord to work for Cannon Mills. They would end up near Cottonville by her teens and the children would attend the Davis School. There, she met and married her step-fathers nephew, Burley Lambert, who had been raised in Cottonville by his mother's sister, who married a Smith from the area, his mother having died when he was an infant. 

But the school that Henry Davis was donating the land to predated the Davis School by at least 3 or 4 decades. If I'm not mistaken, it also seemed to be located in another part of the County, closer to his father-in-law's house, than to his fathers.  Check out the deed below.

This small piece of property of Henrys was located near the Concord Road. As there doesn't appear to have been any direct route from the old Davis property to Concord in such a way that the road would attain the name of the town, this road was not near there at all. Other signatures on the deed give a hint to where it was most likely located. Four signatures were shown on the document besides Henrys that were not the Clerk or Registrar. Those names were James Palmer, his father-in-law, Bailey Smith, his brother-in-law, James Sanders and Albert Smith. At this juncture, I can't verify who James Sanders or Albert Smith may have been. 

If the schoolhouse was near the homes of James Palmer and Bailey Smith, however, the location to a Concord Road might be discernable. 

This above late 1800's era map of Stanly and Cabarrus Counties shows no direct path between Albemarle and Concord, but we know from other records, that one existed. This map is also a little whacky-jawed my Mom would say, as Norwood was not that close to Albemarle and was actually located much further down the river, almost to the county 'toe''.  And Narrows was a bit further up and closer to the river. Copal Grove was also a little bit further north, while the location of Leo hasn't been exactly pinpointed, but around the Stanfield area, which puts it pretty close. 

The hunt for what schoolhouse this may have been is on. I'm guessing it may have roughly been in the area of where Old Parker Road reaches the current Concord Road. I take comfort in the fact that education seemed to be of great importance in my family that even in the wild years of the 1800's, they donated schools, at least two and possibly three, to the community. 

Henry's Genes

Henry and Martha Palmer Davis 

Some of my ancestors intrigue me more than others. Possibly because the more I find out about them, the more I wonder about the actions they took and why. Sometimes it's because they are such a mystery. Sometimes it's because I'm haunted by a mentally created image of them in my dreams or memories. 

For instance, after discovering through Mtdna that my mother's mother's mother's line led back to Iceland, and that I am apparently descended from a woman named Anna Jonsdottir and that the Haplogroup to which I belong began in Finland 30, 000 years ago, I have envisioned a blonde, nordic woman looking off over the ice as my original "Mother".

Of course, Job Davis, the 4th Great Grandfather and brickwall ancestor for whom I named this blog, is one of those. As is his son, Henry.  I am fascinated and bothered at the same time, by the evolution and contradictions of the character of the man that was Henry Davis.

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The North-Carolinian

Fayetteville, North Carolina

01 Feb 1840, Sat  •  Page 3

He was ordained as a Methodist Episcopal Minister and performed weddings.

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Carolina Watchman

Salisbury, North Carolina

17 Aug 1844, Sat  •  Page 3

I believe my fascination with Henry lies in his diversity of character.

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Carolina Watchman

Salisbury, North Carolina

21 Jan 1843, Sat  •  Page 3

He served as a Ranger.

Carolina Watchman

Salisbury, North Carolina

20 Jul 1848, Thu  •  Page 3

He attained the military rank of Major and ran for a seat in the House of Commons in the State Legislature.

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Fayetteville Weekly Observer

Fayetteville, North Carolina

29 Jan 1845, Wed  •  Page 4

Lawrenceville was the County Seat of Montgomery County, which before 1841 had included Stanly County, before Troy was established. 

In a case called "Mason VS Hearne",  Henry is mentioned as a Landlord.

December Term, 1852.

Where A took an absolute deed for a tract of land from B, and then executed an agreement in writing with C. reciting that "he had a deed for C's land," for which he had paid the purchase money, and therein bound himself to make C a deed on her paying back the said purchase money within two years; and it appearing thus, as well as from other facts, that A was to hold the land merely as a security for his debt: — Held, that C, upon her payment of the purchase money, was entitled in this Court to a reconveyance of the land from A, and to an account for the rents and profits — the time of payment not being of the essence of the contract.

CAUSE removed from the Court of Equity of STANLY, at Fall Term, 1852.

J. H. Bryan, for the plaintiff.

No counsel for the defendant in this Court.

The plaintiff by her bill, filed 11 February, 1851,

alleges that several years since, her father, John Mason, now deceased, contracted with one Henry Davis for the purchase of a small tract of land, at the price of fifty dollars. That her father, in his life-time, paid Davis a part of the said purchase money, to-wit, $20; and finding himself unable to pay the balance, transferred his claim to the plaintiff, who states that she then made an arrangement with the defendant, by which it was (89) agreed that he should pay to Davis $30; and become her surety to him in a note for $5.55, the balance due for the land; which arrangement was carried into effect, and the defendant thereupon took a deed to himself for the land, and executed the following agreement in writing with the plaintiff:

"No. Carolina, Stanly County, 13 Feb'y, 1843.

"Articles of agreement between myself and Martha Mason. I certify that I have a deed for her land to which I paid thirty dollars for the land, on which no lives, 50 acres, which I bind myself to make her a deed for the same, if the said Martha Mason pays me the thirty against 13 February, 1845.

"J. HEARNE."

Afterwards, from time to time, the plaintiff states that she did work and labor for the defendant to the value of $19.05, (an account whereof is exhibited), and having also taken up her note to Davis, she offered to pay the defendant the sum mentioned in the above agreement, and take a conveyance of the land — which he refused, saying "that it was too late." That she still remained (with her mother) in possession of the land, and the defendant brought ejectment against her and turned her out of possession; and further, that he had sued out a warrant against her for the rent of the premises, and recovered judgment thereon for $25 — on which judgment he entered a credit of about $17, for the said labor and services rendered by her; whereas she charges that she was not to pay rent, and that said credit should, according to their agreement, have been applied to the payment for the land. The plaintiff then states, that she afterwards, to-wit, in September, 1850, made a formal tender in gold coin to the defendant, of the balance due him under their said agreement, according to the above showing; and that he positively refused to accept the same and execute a deed to her. The prayer is that he be decreed to execute a conveyance and for an account.

The defendant, in his answer, admits that "he purchased the land of Davis" — having before refused to become the plaintiff's surety for the purchase money; and he admits the agreement with her, above set out; but he avers, that she failed to pay the $30 therein mentioned within two years; and (90) that remaining in possession, she agreed, soon after her father's death, to pay him for the rent of the premises $5 per annum. That after her default, he did bring ejectment against her and evicted her; and also that he sued out a warrant and obtained judgment against her for $25, on account of said, rent, and credited the same, as charged in the bill, for her work and services rendered — which he insists he had a right to do, under their said agreement.

As to the first alleged tender, he denies that the plaintiff ever offered to pay him, until after the expiration of the two years, the time mentioned in the above contract, and after ejectment brought against her; and he admits, that in September, 1850, he did refuse the tender as charged; and he insists on his right in equity, as well as at law, to hold the land.

Replication was taken to the answer, and the parties took testimony, principally as to the fact of plaintiff's agreement to pay rent, and as to the manner in which her payments to defendant were to be applied.

Mason v. Hearne, 45 N.C. 88, (N.C. 1852)

I previously posted of Henry's participation as a Trustee of the Methodist Episcopal Church, participating in founding churches in other counties, see my post, "The Moods and Mores of Henry Davis" in the below link.

The Moods and Mores of Henry Davis

In 1838, he was included in a list of petitioners to have what is now Stanly County divided from Montgomery County, due to the dangers in crossing the PeeDee River to get to the County Seat for Court, supplies, etc. As seen previously, his mail was delivered to Lawrenceville in 'East PeeDee' and from the Ledgers of the Daniel Freeman Store, which was located in Lawrenceville at that time, we see that he traded there.

1838 Petition of Inhabitants Seeking to Divide Montgomery County from angelfire.com/benjthomasfansnc

He was afterwards elected as a Justice of the Peace. The below excerpt is from:

On January 11, 1841, a new county was founded in North Carolina’s piedmont region – Stanly County. Created out of the western portion of Montgomery County, Stanly County’s eastern borders were determined by the Yadkin and Pee Dee Rivers. The names of Stanly County’s first Justices of the Peace remain prominent among Stanly County citizens today –William Swaringen, chairman, Edmund Lilly, Eldridge Parker, Henry Davis, Joshua Hearne, Jacob Austin, Richmond Snuggs, James Allen, John Stone, Francis Kron, John Miller, Daniel Palmer, Thomas Rowland, Mathias Moose, and John Furr. The county court elected D. Hearne, Clerk of Court; S.P. Morton, Register of Deeds; and Eben Hearne, High Sheriff. The Hearne family donated fifty-one acres of land to establish Albemarle, the new county seat. The County Commissioners accepted the deeded property, and a section of what had been the great Hearne Plantation became the heart of the new town.

As you can see, Henry Davis was a man of many contradictions, as by the end of his life, he had fallen so deeply into alchoholism and derelictism, that his younger brothers had to have him declared incompetent so that they could overtake his affairs to ensure his wife and children were cared for. 

There is a story recounted in the Palmer Family History, that includes his second wife, Martha Palmer Davis, that tells of Henry getting beligerant at a wedding and a fight ensuing, which caused much grief and trouble. His character has passed through history as that of a volatile and strong-willed, yet highly intelligent and benevolent man.

I have copies of 3 of the children of Henry Davis. Now that I have a copy of his own portrait, I can compare, how close of a resemblance they bear to their father.

Henry was married first to Sarah L. Kendall, born 1811 in Anson County, NC, just across the Rocky River from the Davis's. She was the daughter of Reuben and Sarah Smith Kendall. She gave Henry two sons. Benjamin Franklin Davis was born in 1829, when she was 18 and two years later, she gave birth to John Edward Davis, in 1831. She passed away shortly after the birth of John Edward, at age 20.

Reuben Kendall made provisions for his two grandsons in his will, so Frank and John inherited land in Anson County, in lieu of their mother, from Reuben Kendall. John is first seen in the 1850 census, working for his grandfather Kendall as an Overseer. He then married Emmeline Katherine Staton, daughter of esteemed Baptist minister, Uriah Staton of the northern Anson County area. John later established himself in the Burnsville area and became a minister (and farmer) himself, although I did find he owned land in the Cedar Hill area as well. 

John Edward Davis

Henry Davis

John Edward Davis holds a strong resemblance, in my opinion, to his father. They both share a high foreehead, the low brows and low, prominent cheekbones. John Edward, however, had dark, probably brown eyes, while Henry had light, probably blue or light green eyes.

John and Emmaline had 7 children:

1853: William Postelle Davis

1856 Uriah Alexander Davis

1858 Ada Missoura Davis Marsh

1864 Joanna Davis Kiker

1866 Harriett Francis Davis Parker Beachum

1876 Sallie Elizabeth Davis Austin

1877 John Edmund Davis

Rev. John E. Davis served in the Civil War and was the Excecutor of his father's estate. He died at age 46, accidentally, after being injured by a tree limb in 1878. His wife, Emeline lived until 1929.

After the death of Sarah Kendall Davis, Henry married Martha Palmer, the daughter of James and Martha Atkins Palmer from the central Stanly County area, just north of Albemarle and near the Kendall Valley area. James and Martha Palmer had 7 daughters and only one son. I'm sure James was happy in the beginning to have Martha Jr. marry well. She took over the raising of his two young sons, although it is apparent Reuben Kendall was very involved in his grandsons lives. Martha Jr. favored her mother a great deal and I can see the influence of the Palmer genes strongly in their offspring.

Martha Palmer Davis

Henry and Martha would have 9 children: 

1837 Sarah "Sallie" Davis - married Woodson D. A. Crump of Anson County.

1838 Nancy Baldwin Davis - married John Wall of Anson County and migrated to Carroll County, Mississippi.

1840 Henry Hampton Davis - married widow, Ann Eliza Allen High, settled in Burnsville, Anson County, NC.

1842 Mary "Mollie" Davis - there are some reports she married a Smith. I've not determined her fate.

1844 Martha J. "Mattie" Davis - married Joseph Alexander Ingram, migrated to Rusk County, Texas.

1846 Horton Hampton Davis - married Francis Julina Aldridge, remained on the Davis property in Stanly.

1848 Job Davis II - migrated to Carroll County, Mississppi with sister Nancy, died in Garza, Texas.

1850 Laura Davis - never married, died in 1911 in Albemarle, NC

1852 Margaret Victoria Davis -married William D. Crump,stepson of sister Sallie. Lived in Tyson, Stanly Co.

Nancy Baldwin Davis Wall

Nancy was the second daughter of Henry Davis and Martha Palmer Davis. At the age of 18, she became at least the third wife of James Wall, Jr. 38, son of James Wall Sr., and Nancy Long Wall. He already had a large family of children, and after marrying Nancy, he packed everyone up and migrated to Bright Corner, Carroll County, Mississippi. There's a story in the Palmer chronicles that tells of Nancy's weeping and complaining and being very unhappy about moving away, that I can't recall the exact words of at the moment. Nancy gave James at least 5 and possibly 7 more children before passing away at age 42 of Lung Disease in 1880. 

Surname:	Nancy B. Wall
Year:	1880
County:	Carroll CO.
State:	MS
Age:	42
Gender:	F (Female)
Month of Death:	Apr
State of Birth:	NC
ID#:	198_357185
Occupation:	HOUSEWIFE
Cause of Death:	LUNG DIS

James Wall, albeit 20 years her elder, outlived her another 22 years, passing away in 1902. He had taken another wife with Anson County roots, Sarah Streeter, but there were no children born to that marriage. Nancy's known children were: Cornelia, John Davis, William Long, Benjamin Wiley and Hettie Harris Wall.

James Wall Jr. (photos of James and Nancy Davis Wall were copied from the book, "The Walls of Walltown", written and compiled by Ann Wall Thomas, 1928, by someone before being transferred to me.

Horton Hampton Davis (1846- 1902) was my direct ancestor and 2nd Great Grandfather. He was the 6th child of Henry and Martha and Henry's 4th son. His older brother, Henry Hampton Davis, was born in 1840, married a widow, Anne Eliza Allen High, and lived in Burnsville. As both their intials were "H. H. Davis", they were often confused. As "Hawk" or "Haut", my ancestor, was often called, lived in Stanly County as an adult and Henry Hampton lived in Anson, generally, if you see H. H. in Stanly, it was Hawk and if you see H. H. in Anson, it was Hamp.

Hawk Davis was a late bloomer, much like his Uncle, Edward Winfield Davis, who he was like a son to. In fact, when E. W. died, Hawk was made guardian of his minor children, until his widow, Rebecca, remarried. Likewise, when Henry died, Hawk, who was still a minor, came under the guardianship of his Uncle Ned.

Hawk married Francis Julina Aldridge, whose family had been a neighbor of his before her father passed away during the Civil War. He was 10 years her senior. Julina had a number of children before their marriage in 1891, when he was 42 and she was 32. Her older two children, Mollie and Jesse Fillmore Aldridge, occasionally went by the name Davis, but mostly Aldridge. Mollie's tombstone has her name as "Mollie Davis Boone".

In the Permanent Voter Registration books of the Turn-of- the- Century Jim Crow era, Fillmore named his father as Ephraim Whitley, son of Benjamin Lindsey Whitley, to whom Julina was bound as a child.

All of Julina's other children all went by the name Davis. All of the children who lived were: 1877 Mollie, 1879 Jesse Filmore Aldridge, 1881 George W. "Gus" Davis, (Gus is listed as a Davis in documents, but his actual father is unknown. He was not H. H. Davis' biological son. 1887 Titus Henry, the first biological Davis, 1888 Rebecca Jane ( Aunt Becky lived to be almost 100. I remember her well. She passed away in 1987),  1891 William Hampton (my line), 1892 Martha Priscilla "Mattie",  1893 Carrie J. Davis, 1895 Thomas Parrish, 1897 Ritchie Clark, 1898 Cora Victoria Davis.

I've included the portrait of Henry again, in order to compare the resemblance between father and son. John certainly favored him more, and having seen a portrait of James Palmer and wife, I can certainly see a great deal of Palmer in Hawk. Hawk does still have those low-slung cheekbones and Henry's equaline nose. The hat may make a difference. 

Henry Davis

Below is a portrait of Job Davis II, Henry's youngest son who accompanied the Walls to Mississippi. He has no descendants that I know of. I think he bears a striking resemblance to H.H., yet favors Henry more than Hawk does. Such is the way with siblings.

If anyone has any portraits of any other of Henry's children, I would love to see them. Please share, they belong to all of his descendants. Missing Benjamin Franklin Davis, Sarah Davis Crump, Henry Hampton Davis, Martha Davis Ingram of Texas, Mary Davis (Smith?), Laura Davis and Margaret Victoria Davis Crump.