The Heirs of George Cagle

 

David S. Cagle, Son of George W. Cagle

The heirs of George Washington Cagle are a story of their own. The question presented is who exactly were they? Some daughters had protean names, never seen as the same incarnation twice. Others, assumed dead before 1870, are listed in estate papers dated 1887, as alive. Some children were born out of wedlock, and which of these offspring by a promiscuous paramour were his and which were not? Who were some of the mysterious heirs listed twenty years past his death. I will attempt to answer that question in this post.

What is known is that George Washington Cagle had been born along the Rocky River in what is now Stanly County to Charles R. Cage, Senior and wife, Maranda Elizabeth Springer. He was the oldest son and came into the world around 1813, or thereabouts. He married around 1830 to Elizabeth Rose Whitley, daughter of Needham Whitley and Sarah Sides, she being about a year older than he. His family was sufficiently entangled with the Whitelys, and not only the Whitelys, but the Hinsons, Huneycutt's, Thomas's and Smiths.

George W. Cagle was murdered on February 27, 1876, as a result of his nefarious and wanton ways. That shocking end does not encapsulate the life of George W. Cagle at all. He was a farmer, a businessman, a husband and father and a humanitarian as well. Things seemed an easy and steady road for him, as long as he had Elizabeth. She passed away between late 1850 and early 1852. She was fully alive when counted in the 1850 census on October 3, 1850 and passed away before George remarried on January 4, 1852. Elizabeth was still a young woman when she passed, around 39 years old. She may have passed from complications of pregnancy or childbirth. Her youngest, daughter Lucy Catherine, was born in 1848.

Elizabeth seems to have been George's imperturbable, serene influence, his Eupraxia, his muse. George lived large, he gambled high on business deals, he bought and sold real estate and tried his hand at several industries, some successful, others, not so much. He ended up fairly wealthy in terms of comparison with many of his neighbors and seems to have kept a level head, until he lost Elizabeth.

Name	George Cagle
Gender	Male
Marriage Date	4 Jan 1852
Marriage Place	Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Spouse	Nancy Speight
Spouse Gender	Female
Event Type	Marriage

George married Nancy Hinson Speight on January 4. 1852. Nancy was a widow and the daughter of Charles Sampson Hinson and wife, Milly, or Amelia, Clark Hinson. In the estate papers, there are mentions of "the Estate of Charles Hinson". George was an heir of Charles Hinson via his marriage to Nancy, and that inheritance comes into play in the probate. 

Name	Nancy Hinson
Gender	Female
Spouse	Joseph Spate
Spouse Gender	Male
Marriage Date	7 Dec 1847
Marriage County	Union
Marriage State	North Carolina

Nancy did not have the same effect on George as Elizabeth had. Just the opposite, of course, she was a Hinson. If the Cagle's were fire, the Hinson's were gasoline, just a sense of things I've felt going through the old records and lives of these Big Lick citizens.  Nancy had married a Joseph Speights, or 'Spates'. on December 7, 1847, in Union County. 

Name	Nancy Speight
Gender	Female
Race	White
Residence Age	30
Birth Date	abt 1820
Birthplace	North Carolina
Residence Date	1850
Home in 1850	Smiths, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Cannot Read, Write	Yes
Line Number	37
Dwelling Number	688
Family Number	693
Inferred Spouse	Joseph Speight
Inferred Child	Martha Speight; William A Speight

Household members

Name	Age
Joseph Speight	24
Nancy Speight	30
Martha Speight	2
William A Speight	0

Joseph and Nancy were living in Smith's District, in Stanly County, in 1850, the same as George Cagle. Joseph Speight, the son of John Speight and Martha Jane Austin Speight, would die on September 28, 1850. The couple had two children: 

Daniel Cicero Huneycutt and Martha Jane Speight Huneycutt

A) Martha Jane Speight, born April 10, 1848 and married Daniel Cicero Huneycutt. 

William Alexander Speight

B) William Alexander Speight, born October 15, 1849, married Sarah Rebecca Harkey.

George Cagle does not appear to have taken the Speight children in after the marriage to their mother. The why's and ways to this fact may not have anything to do with the character of George or Nancy. Women didn't have the rights they do at present. Children without a father were considered orphans and were normally appointed a guardian by the court. The guardian could be family or not. 

Name	William A Spight
Age	11
Birth Year	1849
Gender	Male
Race	White
Home in 1860	Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office	Albemarle
Dwelling Number	1002
Family Number	1017
Household Members	Household Members Name Age Alexr M McLester 55 Lydia McLester 35 Daniel McLester 22 William A Spight 11 Edmond McLester 71

In 1860, William is found in the home of  Alexander McLester.

Name	Elizabeth Spight
Age	43
Birth Year	1817
Gender	Female
Race	White
Birth Place	North Carolina
Home in 1860	Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office	Albemarle
Dwelling Number	969
Family Number	984
Real Estate Value	75
Cannot Read, Write	Y
Inferred Child	Martha Spight

Martha is found in the home of her Aunt, Joseph's unmarried sister, Elizabeth. This may have been due to Joseph dying insolvent, and Elizabeth in possession of property. 

Nancy Hinson Speight Cagle would have two daughters with George Cagle, Anna Jane in 1854 and Frances Laura in 1857. All three of them would be among those who moved to Iredell County after George's death, with Anna Janes husband, Joseph "Joe" Hartsell in the lead.

Name	Nancy Cagle
Age	60
Birth Date	Abt 1820
Birthplace	North Carolina
Home in 1880	Coddle Creek, Iredell, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number	170
Race	White
Gender	Female
Relation to Head of House	Mother-in-law
Marital Status	Widowed
Father's Birthplace	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace	North Carolina
Occupation	Housekeeper
Maimed, Crippled, or Bedridden	Y
Cannot Write	Y
Neighbors	View others on page

Household members

Name	Age
Joe Hartsell	33
A. J. Hartsell	23
Geo. B. Hartsell	9
W. H. Hartsell	7
Etta Hartsell	5
E. F. Hartsell	3
May Hartsell	9/12
Laura Cagle	22
Nancy Cagle	60

Nancy Hinson Cagle died March 5, 1892 in Coddle Creek, Iredell County, NC, at the age of 74.

She was buried at Pleasant Hill Primitive Baptist Church. Several members of this family are buried there, along with others from Stanly County, primarily the Big Lick area who moved there. Some of them would move on to Mecklenburg County, NC.

Name	Nancy Caroline Cagle
Maiden Name	Hinson
Gender	Female
Birth Date	15 Mar 1817
Birth Place	Montgomery County, North Carolina, United States of America
Death Date	5 Mar 1892
Death Place	Iredell County, North Carolina, United States of America
Cemetery	Pleasant Hill Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place	Statesville, Iredell County, North Carolina, United States of America
Has Bio?	Y
Father	Charles Sampson Hinson
Mother	Milly Hinson
Children	Annie Jane Hartsell; Sion Speight; Martha Jane Honeycutt; William Alexander Speight

In the Find-A-Grave profile for Nancy Hinson Cagle, I discovered an error. Sion Speight is included as a child of Nancy and Joseph. He was not. Sion "Bud" Speight (1851-1922), was the son of Alexander Speight (1824-1851) and Winny Hinson. They also married in 1847 in Union County. Winny was the daughter of Sampson Hinson and Sarah Cagle. Sarah was the daughter of Benjamin Franklin Cagle and Susannah Rebecca Lowder Cagle. Alexander Speight was he son of John Speight and Martha Austin and a brother of Joseph Speight who married Nancy Hinson. So, they were all related in a multitude of ways but were different people.

The similarities do not end there. Alexander and Wincy or Winnie also had a daughter named Martha, also born in 1848, except theirs was Martha Elizabeth and Nancy and Joseph's was Marth Jane. I can see where confusion could ensue. To make matters even worse, both Speight brothers died young.

Alexander died July 9, 1851 at the Rocky River. Joseph would die January 28, 1850. It gets even spookier. Their brother John Speight, would marry Mary Jane Hinson on Christmas Day, 1848. He would die November 6, 1850 at 29 years old. Alexander was only 27 and Joseph only 24.

It gets worse. They had two other brothers named Manasseh and Sion who died in 1850, as young men. The three sisters lived a bit longer, but none grew old, a mysterious family kismet.

The above page is from the estate file of George Cagle titled 'D S Cagle and others against A.G. Morton admin of Geo Cagle decd.'. Dated the Fall Term, 1893, this page tells us the percentage of each heir and also, which children were still living in 1893. The names who received one eleventh were:

Menece A. Hartsell  (Adeline)

Lithana Hinson (aka Ithama Barthena)

D. S. Cagle (David)

Sara Jones

Elizabeth (marked through)

Catherine Baker (Lucy Catherine)

Luthina Hartsell (Beadie Luthina Mathene etc.)

Anna J Hartsell

Laura Cagle (Frances Laura)

Malinda Crisco

The above were all legitimate children of George Cagle. The name of Elizabeth was struck through because she was deceased. This also shows that Adeline was living in 1893. I've not been able to locate her in 1900, or find out when or where she died. Signs point to Mecklenburg County. 

The next two names received one- twenty-second share, or one-half of a child's share each.

Wlm Honeycutt (William)

Bell Baker (Isabelle)

These were the two children of Elizabeth Cagle, by two different husbands. William was mentioned in George's Will, as his Grandfather raised him.

The next names following were under a heading of one seventh-seventh. They were descendants of a lesser degree, grandchildren or great-grandchildren of other deceased children, perhaps.

Susan Thomas

Anna Honeycutt

M. J. Whitley

Ellen Caldwell

James Smith

George Smith

Ila Smith

The next page is similar, but is dated Fall Term of 1887, or about 6 years earlier. Things could have changed in those six years.

It names: D.S Cagle, Sarah Jones, Malinda Crisco, Catherine Baker, Luthina Cagle, Laura Cagle, Ann J. Hartsell, William Honeycutt, 

not of age - Isabell Baker, minor child of Elizabeth, who appears by their next friend William Honeycutt. This statement clarifies two things, Isabell, who was under 21, was the daughter of Elizabeth Cagle, not Catherine, whom she always seems attached to, as Catherine did raise her, and that she was represented in court by her half-brother, William. It continues: Susan Thomas, E.A. Huneycutt, M.J. Whitley, Ellen Caldwell, not of age - James Smith, George Smith and Ila Smith, the last three being minors and appear by their next friend J. A. Crisco, Adeline Hartsell and I. M. Hinson.

vs A.G. Morton admin of George Cagle, deasd., William Parker, J. C. Burris and Evan Morgan.

These were the business partners and executor of George Cagle and the heirs claimed he left a valuable estate, to which they were entitled a part. My next puzzle to solve was, who were the Seventy-sevenths?

There were two known legitimate children who were not named in the papers above, Martha and Mary. Martha was last seen in the 1870 census. at age 29, living in the home of her sister, Malinda Cagle Crisco. Unmarried, she appears to have died as a young woman, leaving no heirs. Her sister, Mary, also seen as Polly, did marry, to Alfred Smith, son of Richard and Susan. They were among those Big Lick citizens who had removed to Iredell County, where Mary died on Marh 11, 1885.

Her tombstone survives. Alfred and Polly had seven children: Susan Adeline, Elizabeth Ann, Mary Jane, Eliza Ellen, James Richard, George W. and Ila. At the time of the probate, Susan had married Jacob Thomas, the brother of David S. Cagle's wife, Sarah. Elizabeth Ann aka "Betsy" had married Calvin Arenas Honeycutt. Mary Jane had married Titus Hillman Whitley and Ellen had married James F. Caldwell, the only one, despite living in Iredell County, had married outside of the western Stanly County gene pool. The younger three were still underage and had not married. But they were not "seventy-sevenths", as the paper stated. They were seven grandchildren, heirs of one child, one of the eleven legitimate children of George W. Cagle. I stress legitimate because George had other children, born from affairs outside of marriage. By law, they had no claim, unless named in the Will, as one had been. However, the shares of Polly Cagle Smith's children should have read as seven-elevenths, as the two children of Elizabeth Cagle shared two-elevenths.

The above page, included in the George Cagle estate papers is titled "D.S. Cagle admin. of Martha Cagle dec. against George Cagle".  It was stated s served against George Cagle on the 26th day of January 1876. David was the administrator of the estate of Martha Cagle, who was named in her father's will, but had predeceased him by months, it appears, and he sued their fathers' estate to cover her expenses, medical and burial.

 George Cagle had his fingers in many endeavors, and when he died, folks from all around wanted a little piece of the pie, so his estate file is massive, consisting mostly of of ragged receipts and affidavits. One interesting one was dated 1876 and was for $7.52 to M. A. Honeycutt on March 27th for the work of her son. The particular son was not named. This was Maniza Honeycutt and she was a mistress of George Cagle. Her children are said to have been his, or at least some of them. Maniza went before a Justice in June of that year and made oath to it, that she was due the money. The receipt that followed was dated November of 1876 and was received by C. A. Honeycutt for Maniza.

Then there was the Baker mystery. The probate papers show Isabella Baker as heir of George Cagle through her mother, Elizabeth. Most have Elizabeth dying as a Honeycutt, after the birth of her son, William. Obviously, that did not happen. Above, I located the marriage certificate of Elizabeth, under her married name of Honeycutt, marrying James T Baker on August 31,1865, in Cabarrus County, after her first husband, John W. Honeycutt, was killed in the Civil War. What cinches it is her brother, D. S. Cagle, signing as a witness. This is the correct Elizabeth. 

Elizabeth was not the first wife of James Tanner Baker, as he had married Mary Sims in July of 1840, in Cabarrus County, again, as he was from Rowan. He had entered the marriage with Elizabeth with his own children. This may be the reason that George took custody of his grandson, William Honeycutt.

What happens after that is a bit tricky. 

On June 9, 1868, James T. Baker comes to Stanly County to marry Elizabeth's younger sister, Lucy Catherine Cagle. 

The next census, 1870, shows 53 year old James, 22 year old Catherine, his youngest daughters by his first marriage, Florence and Dixie, his daughter with Elizabeth, Isabella, age 4 and Vanhoy, his first child with Catherine. Did he divorce Elizabeth, or did she pass away? 

Isabella Baker was born about 1867, the year before James married Catherine. Elizabeth and Catherine are both named as Bakers in one list. I believe this was in error. Elizabeth appears to have passed away after the birth of Isabella. Catherine stepped on and raised her niece. I've not found Elizabeth in 1870, or any documentation suggesting there was a divorce, or that she remarried a third time. One man appears to have married one sister after the death of another.

In addition to the nine children by his first wife, Elizabeth Rose Whitley, and two by his second wife, Nancy Caroline Hinson Speight, George W Cagle had children outside of marriage, possibly five by Maniza A. Honeycutt and maybe one by his other mistress, Mariah Myers Meggs. Only one is mentioned in his Will, shown above, and that was his son, Eli or Ely. 

In the Spring Term of Superior Court, 1889, an addendum to the case of D. J. Cagle and others vs A. G. Morton admin. of George Cagle was included as the Affidavit of Eli Huneycutt.

My transcription of the above page: 

Eli Huneycutt, complaining says, That George Cagle died in the year 1876 and that the Defendants above named administration upon said estate and that the said George Cagle made and published his last Will and testament before his death which has been duly probated and recorded in the Office of the clerk of the Superior Court of Stanly County. That under said will this affiant is entitled as one of the legacies of said will and is not a party to said action. 

II That if the proceeds of said estate which is left for distribution Viz the sum of eight hundred and seventy-three & 29/100 dollars arise from the sale of real estate? by said administration to pay debts which real estate "Vis" the home plantation was devised to this affiant Eli Huneycutt which alleges that he is entitled to .. cont. 

cont. "same. 

III That affiant is entitled to be made a party plaintiff to this one him to the end that an around sixty to taken of his interest in said estate and to have .....paid....order....the provision of the will. (This part is extremely dim and difficult to read). 

He therefore prays the court that he may be made a party Plaintiff and he ..judgement... signed by Eli Huneycutt and S. H. Milton. 

Above, the names of George's surviving,  married daughter were included into a suite, where previously, only their husbands were named, along with the widowed and single sisters, and surviving children of the deceased sisters.

Some of George Cagle's daughters bore unusual names, like Ithama Luthena Barthena, that evolved with time.

Ithama may have been a family name passed down the Cagle line from far back ancestors. Above is the Salisbury announcement of the marriage of Ithamey Cagle, (1826-1902), daughter of James Cagle, a son of Benjamin Franklin Cagle and semi-distant relative of George W. Cagle, who married George Sides. 

In conclusinon, I've compiled a list of the definitive heirs of George Washington Cagle. His two mistresses have their own, very unique stories, and I want to give a closer look at their lives, and if there is any proof to the parentage of their children.

George Washington Cagle was born about 1813 to Charles Robert Cagle, Sr. and wife, Miranda Elizabeth Springer. He died on Februay 27, 1876. His death is a story of its own. He first married Elizabeth Rose Whitley (1812-1860), daughter of Needham Whitley and wife, Sarah Sides.

Ten children:

1) Menece Adelin Cagle, (1832 - unknown) Her father's estate records suggest she was alive until at least 1897. She is not to be found in 1900, and the locattion of her daughter suggests she may have relocated to Mecklenburg County and could possibly be found in a City Directory there in 1898.

Married: Tillman Coley (1827-1856)

Married second: Holden Hartsell (1816-1865) One son: Adam Hartsell born 1864, last seen at age 18.

Daughter, Nelie "Nealie" A. Hartsell, born in 1872, could not have been the daughter of Holden Hartsell. She married Elhannon Mack Ferrell and became the mother of six children: Alberta Lee Ferrell Beam, Addie L. Ferrell Baxter, Tillman Allen Ferrell, Lura M. Ferrell, Inez Iva Ferrell Brown, Delola Neely Ferrell Holshouser. Nealie Hartsell was born in Big Lick, where she is found in 1880 and is in Huntersville, Mecklenburg County, NC in 1900, they then move to Coddle Creek in Iredell, where many of her relatives had relocated to, then to Cleveland County, then to Lincolnton in Lincoln County, then to Hickory in Catawba County, then finally to North Kannapolis in Rowan County, where she died in 1951, and was buried in Mooresville, Iredell County.

2) Ithama Lithana Barthena Cagle (24 Oct 1833-25 March 1812) 

Married William B. Hinson (1830- between 1878-1880). Eight children:

     George LaFayette Hinson (1851-1897) , Nathaniel L. Hinson (1851-1908), Doctor Hinson (1857-1870), Harriett Hinson (1864-1960), John I Hinson, (1874-1923), James Alfred Hinson (1874-1950), Millie Arnette Hinson Crayton (1876-1943). 

The Hinsons moved from Stanly County to Olive Branch in Union County, which was just across the river, then became one of the Big Lick area families who moved to Iredell County, living in Coddle Creek and Davidson, where Ithama was buried. Referred to as Lithana in her father's estate papers, she is seen as Barthena in 1850, Isama in 1860, Lythama in 1870, Lithania in 1880, but Ithamia, or Ithama on most of her childrens documents. As Ithama was a family name, I believe that is actually what her first name must have been.

3) David S. "Dave" Cagle (31 March, 1835 - 11 April 1915) As the only son of George Washington Cagle born within the bonds of Holy Matrimony, Dave was the de facto head of the Cagle family after the death of his father. He seemed stable and steadfast, perhaps only due to the responsibilities thrust upon him, but he was nothing like his father. The settlement of his estate was even more arguementive and expansive than that of his father. William Alfred Cagle was the Administrator of his father's estate and Dave had outlived a few of his adult children, which made involving grandchildren and their spouses neccesary.     

    

The above and below lists are the names of the surviving children and grandchildren whose Cagle parent predeceased their grandfather. 

David S. Cagle married Sarah Thomas on January 10, 1854. Sarah was the daughter of  Jacob Thomas and Betsy Baucom of the Rocky River area. She was born on September 23, 1835 and passed away on April 7, 1908. The 1900 census had reported that she had been the mother of 7 children with 5 living. All seven are known. 

Sarah Thomas Cagle

Sarah's younger brother, Jacob Thomas Jr. married David's neice, Susan Smith, daughter of his sister, Mary, who married Alfred Smith. Their 7 children were James David Cagle (1854-1897), William Alfred Cagle (1856-1933), Alexander A. Cagle (1858-1943), Eliza J. Cagle Nance (1861-1918), Mary Jane Cagle Teeter Turner (married twice) , (1865-1941), Margaret E. Cagle Honeycutt (1870-1901), Rosanna Cagle Edwards (1877-1951). Rosanna would be the child who took care of her aging father after her mother passed. 

Above is part of the distribution to heirs in the estate of David S. Cagle. Dave died on April 11, 1915. He had survived several of his own children. The first four names above are the children who survived him; William Alfred Cagle (W A), Mary Jane Cagle Teeter, Alexander A. Cagle, and Rosanna Cagle Edwards (Rose Ann Edwards). These recieved a full one seventh share of his seven children. The next group recieved one eight of one seventh, meaning they were one of eight children of one of David's chidren. 

James David Cagle

Those eight were the children of James David Cagle, who passed away on December 30, 1897. Sam would have been Samuel Prince Cagle, next is Emma Cagle who married Victor Widenhouse, Travis James Cagle, Ida B Cagle Cagle, who married George Franklin Cagle, a son of Robert Lindsay Cagle and wife Francis Caroline Robbins, and a great-nephew of George W. Cagle. Next is Connie Lee Cagle who married James Seabron Joyner, Daniel Webster Cagle (Dan) , William David Cagle (W.D). The one child of James David Cagle not listed was Walter L K Cagle. He traveled a bit, but would settle back in North Carolina. His obituary states when he passed, he was only survived by two brothers, Sam and Travis. This may have been in error that his name was excluded from being one of the eight.

Above, the continuation of the list shows first, three of sevens, or one third share of a child's seventh. These were the children of Margaret "Maggie" Cagle Honeycutt; Thomas Dewitt "Dee" Honeycutt, Arabella Honeycutt Thomas and Lillie Mae Huneycutt (will be Burris). The final group is one seventh of one seventh and those were the children of  Elizabeth "Eliza" J. Cagle. She had married William Jacob Nance and although she had outlived her father by three years, passing away on March 1, 1918 in New Salem, Union County, by the time of this action, she was deceased. The heirs to her one seventh share were John David Nance, William Alfred Nance, Loretta Emaline "Lou Rettie" Nance Austin, Sarah Elizabeth "Bettie" Nance Austin, Callie E. Nance Mask, Lillie Maggie Nance and James Benjamin Nance.

The Turners came into play in the estate when Mary Jane Cagle Teeter was widowed and chose a second husband in the form of  James Thomas Turner and have one more child, Minnie. 

The above shows distributions.

Actions like these could drag on for years until nothing was left, or any proceeds were held in escrow. Sometimes the government and attorneys just ate it all. 

This shows the case taking until at least 1919. Compare this to the distributions from the estate of George W. Cagle, below.

The fouth child of  George Washington Cagle and first wife, Elizabeth Rose Whitley was:

4) Sarah P Cagle (13 Dec 1836 - 6 August 1905) Note: the middle initials of Sarah and her brother, David are only known by letter. It has been proposed that David's was either Stanly or Sampson and that Sarah's "P" stood for Priscilla. This could be true, but I've found no documentation for that, so I leave them as a simple initial that is documented. As I've mentioned before in other posts, Sarah married Wiley Allen Jones in Stanly County, on June 5, 1853. Three years after his marriage to Sarah, he fathered a daughter, Ellen M. Safely by Sarah Frances Safely. Sarah apparently endured that indiscretion with grace and forgiveness, and gave wily Wiley six legitimate children : James Franklin Jones (1855-1914), Tillman Allen Jones (1858-1942), Margaret Ann Jones Cashion, (1850-1960), Wiley Alexander Jones (1862-1943), Elizabeth Ellen Jones Mills (1867-1947) and Sarah L. Jones (1868-1879). 

Little Sarah and her father both died of Typhoid Fever about the same time. They were buried together at Centre Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Mooresville, Iredell County, North Carolina.

Sarah P. Cagle Jones spent the remainder of her years, 26 of them, living with her children, first with son James F. Jones in Coddle Creek and later with daughter Eliza Mills in Davidson. She died on August 6, 1905, and was buried at Davidson College Cemetery in Mecklenburg County.

5) Mary "Polly" Cagle (16 Jun 1838-11 Mar 1885) Married Alfred Smith, son of Richard and Susan Smith. They lived in the New Salem Community of Union County, just across the river from Big Lick in Stanly County, at first, before moving to Coddle Creek in Iredell County, along with many others of the family and the community. Polly died a young woman in March of 1885, at 46. She and Alfred Smith had seven children, as was seen in the above Probate papers. They were Susan "Sis" Smith Thomas (1858-1898) Sis was married to Jacob C. Thomas, the brother of Sarah Thomas who was married to Polly's brother, David S. Cagle. The others were Elizabeth Ann "Betsy" Smith Honeycutt (1859-1931), Mary Jane Smith Whitley (1863-1930), Eliza Ellen Smith Caldwell (1865-1921), James Richard Smith (1867-1950), George Washington Smith (1868-1937), Ila Smith Honeycutt (1873-1942). Polly Cagle Smith was buried at Willow Valley Cemetery in Mooresville, Iredell County, NC. Her husband, Alfred Smith, outlived her by about 20 years. He lived until January 31, 1905, and was buried at the Fairview United Methodist Church Cemetery in Mooresville. 

Alfred Smith

 6) Martha Cagle (1838- bet 1880 and 1887) Unmarried, burial location unknown. 

7) Elizabeth Cagle (26 June 1842 - bet 1868 and 1870) David S. Cagle recorded his siblings' births in his Family Bible, which may have started with his parents, but not their dates of death. Elizabeth married first, John W. Honeycutt, who perished in the Civil War. One child, William Alfred Honeycutt (1859-1889). She married second to James Tanner Baker. One child, Isabella Baker Huffman. 

8) Malinda Ellen Cagle (2 Aug. 1844- 6 Feb 1917) Married Jacob A. Crisco on July 20, 1858 in Stanly County. They would move to Coddle Creek / Mooresville in Iredell County before 1880, where they raised a family of 8 children: William Crisco (1856-1860), Adam Dawson Crisco (1860-1927),

Araminta "Minty" Evelyn Crisco Russ (1866-1925), Dolly Lupine Crisco Cook (1869-1942), John C. Crisco, (1879-1945), King David Crisco (1872-1945), Mary Magdalen Crisco Christenbury (1878 -1955) and Bingham Caldwell Crisco (1880 -1938) Melinda was buried at the Coddle Creek ARP Church Cemetery in Mooresville. Jacob outlived her by two years and is buried beside her. 

9) Beadie Luthenia Mathene Cagle (26 Sept 1846 - 25 Mar 1912). Never married. One child: Effie Cumi Cagle Wilson (1883-1970). Beadie Luthenia's daughter was supposedly fathered by her brother-in-law, Jacob A. Chrisco. Beadie was living with her sister Malinda's family at the time, and after leaving Big Lick for Iredell County. She was buried at McKendree Chapel UMC in Iredell County. 

Beadie Luthenia Mathene Cagle

10) Lucy Catherine Cagle (3 July 1848- 4 Sept 1899) Lucy became the third wife of James Tanner Baker on June 9, 1868, three years after her sister Elizabeth had married him. It can be assumed that Elizabeth passed away. Catherine raised Isabella Baker, born in 1867, but Elizabeth was her mother. Lucy Catherine and J. T. Baker had four known children: Osbourne Vaughn Baker (1869-1937), David Council Baker (1872-1943). These first two moved to Texas and raised their faimly there. Dominic Baker (1877 -?) Dominic may have died as a child. Nothing else is known about him and I've not been able to locate his burial location. Deborah D. Baker ( 1881-1920) Married William Holden Hartsell, son of Lucy Catherine's half-sister, Anna Jane Cagle Hartsell and grandson of Holden Hartsell, son of her sister Menece Adaline Hartsell's second husband, Holden Hartsell. They remained in Fallstown, Iredell County. 

Lucy Catherine Cagle Baker married second to Jacob Monroe Eudy on December 22, 1887 in Iredell County, both with Stanly County roots. She would pass away two years later on September 4, 1889 and was buried at Willow Valley Cemetery in Mooresville. Jacob M. Eudy would join her on September 4, 1896, seven years later. Lucy was the youngest child of George Washington Cagle with his first wife, Elizabeth Rose Whitley.

George had married his second wife, Nancy Hinson Speight in 1854. Their children were:

11) Anna Jane Cagle ( 7 September 1854- 24 November 1931). Annie married on March 20, 1870, to Joseph Monroe Hartsell, son of her sister Adaline's husband, Holden Hartsell. Joe and Annie raised their family of ten children in Iredell County, moving from Fallstown to Coddle Creek to Davidson. Later in life, they moved to Concord, Cabarrus County. Anna Jane, sometimes called Annie, died on November 24, 1931 and was buried at Pleasant Hill Primitive Baptist Church in Trountman, Iredell County, where her mother was buried. This must have been the families home church when they lived n that area.

The ten children of Anna Jane Cagle and Joseph Monroe Hartsell, who died in 1923, were: George Benton Hartsell (1871-1907), William Holden Hartsell (1872-1943), Etta Roxie Hartsell Smith (1875-1954), Lottie Mae Hartsell Overcash (1878-1957),  Eli Franklin Hartsell (1879-1933), Anna Hartsell Gilbert (1881 - ?), Virginia Alice Hartsell Byers (1883-1956), Olaa Ann Hartsell Thompson (1884-1957), Rufus Reid Hartsell (1886 -1944), Doke Monroe Hartsell (1889-1934).

12) Frances "Fanny" Laura Cagle (1857-1897) Never married, died in Troutman, NC.

Some people attribute an Eli Cagle to Nancy Hinson Cagle, but he was not her child. Eli Cagle and Eli Honeycutt was one person. 

George's children by Maniza Honeycutt. George had a relationship with Maniza Honeycutt outside of marriage. I will explore this relationship closer in a future post as we look at the question of who the fathers of Maniza Huneycutt were. I so believe several of them were the children of George Cagle, but the one we can definately attribute to George Washington Cagle was Eli, as he was named in George's Will.

13) Ellison "Eli" F. Honeycutt/Cagle (3 June 1856-Jan 7 1940). Eli, who is seen by both surnames at varioud times of his life, married Frona  Alice Thomas, daughter of William Green Thomas and Lydia Dry. We will look more closely at Eli's family in a future post, but they had a family of about five children. Eli remarried later in life to Jennie Yow Huneycutt and died in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, NC. 

The boisterous, industrious and lusty life of Geoge W. Cagle tinted the color of the 19th century town and community of Big Lick. He left a large family, perhaps larger than the 13 children mentioned. We will later explore the lives of his mistresses and perhaps add some children to the list above. My next post will take a closer look at the death of George W. Cagle. Was it murder or self-defense?

Arwelder

 

Stumbling across Arwelder Morton in my search of descendants of Ezekial Morton and wife, Elizabeth Brumbalow Morton, was a discovery plagued with munificent questions concerning her name. Morton was her married name and there seemed to be no consensus concerning what her maiden name was, even among the various legal records that documented her life. Added to that conundrum, there's the situation of her first name "Arwelder".  What even is that? Was it a phonetic spelling of an actual name that was fangled and fractured by a countrified southern accent? Who was this mysterious lady?

First things first, the name Arwelder. I discovered that this was a surname associated with a small, but existing group of people found in Union and Mecklenburg Counties, North Carolina, near and neighboring counties to Arwelder's home county of Stanly. In other forms, this same surname was seen and spelled as Arwilder and Arwalter, possibly a deviation of Attwater. Had she descended from this family?

Arwelder remained dutifully hidden until adulthood. Born June 20, 1864, she should have appeared somewhere in the 1870 census yet has managed to evade me. The first record of her existence was her marriage license, which occurred at a mortifyingly young age. 

On April 24, 1880, Adam A. Morton, 21, applied for the marriage license between himself and "Welder" Chrisco, 14. He was the son of A. G. and Elizabeth Morton, both parents living. She was daughter of father unknown and a living Nancy Hinson. It was also noted as unknown as to whether her father was living or not. As I would discover later, her father was not unknown, just unnamed. This could have been because her mother was now married, herself. The consent to the marriage, as Arwelder was underage, was given by Henry Hinson and Nancy Hinson, with it being noted beside Nancy's name that she was "the mother". Henry Hinson was Nancy's husband and Arwelder's stepfather. 

The wedding was performed the next day by Justice of the Peace, F. G. Turner, at his place in Big Lick, home or office, and witnesses were E. W. Morton, A. G. Morton and A. M. Hinson. I presume these were probably Adam's brother, Enoch Willis Morton, and either his father, Allen Green Morton, or his younger brother, A. G. Morton, Jr, and A. M. Hinson were perhaps a neighbor, or relative of Henry's.

Name	Welder Morton
Age	15
Birth Date	Abt 1865
Birthplace	North Carolina
Home in 1880	Big Lick, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number	85
Race	White
Gender	Female
Relation to Head of House	Daughter-in-law
Marital Status	Married
Spouse's Name	Adam Morton
Father's Birthplace	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace	North Carolina
Occupation	Homeworker
Neighbors	View others on page

Household members

Name	Age
A. G. Morton	52
Elisabeth Morton	52
John Morton	22
Lizzie Morton	22
Adam Morton	20
Welder Morton	15
A. G. Morton	15
James F. Morton	12
Levey Morton	10
Lucy Morton	7

The 1880 census came so quickly after the wedding, that the young couple had not yet time to establish themselves on their own. They were found living with Adam's parents and siblings in Big Lick and 'Welder', as she was called, was noted as a daughter-in-law. Adam's brother, John Calvin Morton, had also recently became a bridegroom in March of the same year, and had his wife, Eliza "Lizzie" Cable Morton, in their parents' home, too. Adding to the family were younger siblings, A. G Jr., James F., Levi and Lucy Morton.

Arwelder Magdalena and Adam A. Morton

Adam and Arwelder seemed to have had a long, happy marriage of a turn-of -the century farm family and begin building a large collective of children.

1) Their firstborn son, Ellam, born around 1881, came around a year after the marriage and is only shown as a 19-year-old young man in the 1900 census. He didn't live to make the 1910 and was buried at the Little-Morton Family Cemetery near Oakboro, NC, with his name mis transcribed as "Ellan". The cause of his early demise remains unknown. It was not noted in the newspapers to my knowledge.

2) Dahlia Eugenia, the second born, would step in as leader of the pack. Born August 15, 1884, she would marry Everette A. Anderson and would remain in Big Lick for life, passing on January 26, 1954, at the age of 69. They had a son and daughter who lived until adulthood and a son and a daughter that passed as infants. Everette was the grandson of the infamous "Big Lick Witch", Melinda "Lynn" Pless Coble Byrd via her daughter, Hester, despite their marriage license naming his father as William B. Anderson (correct) and his mother as Melinda Byrd (incorrect). Dahlia's marriage license gave her mother's surname as her married name, Morton, while her death certificate gave her mother's maiden name as 'Hinson'.

3) Cornelia Nancy, aka "Nellie Ann" was born on August 22, 1886. She married Philas Jerome "PJ" Smith on January 22, 1905, and they became the parents of 10 children: Ethel, Taft, Jolie Bell, Vaughn, Mary, Willard, Newton, Fannie, Harding and Glenn. She died on November 26, 1958, having spent the first part of her marriage in Big Lick, Stanly County and the latter years in Cabarrus County, where they farmed. She was returned to her home in Stanly County for burial. Her mother was named as "Felder Morton" on her marriage document.

4) Cannon Fetzer Morton was born on July 27, 1888. He married Bertha Williams on December 7, 1917. His death certificate named his mother as "Arwelder Hinson Morton". They raised 7 children, 6 daughters and one son, moving from Big Lick to New London to Albemarle.

5) Maude Minnie Morton was born on October 10, 1890, and died on April 3, 1976. She married Adam Brigham Helms on April 21, 1907, and had 8 children, they raised in Big Lick. Her mother is referred to as "Wilder Morton" on her marriage license. 

6) Willie Adam Morton was born on March 13, 1893, and died on August 26, 1963. He married Nellie Hatley on December 21, 1915, and they lived in Big Lick, and later Albemarle, and raised 9 children. His mother was referred to as "Arwelder Crisco" on his death certificate.

7) Walter Haywood Morton was born on May 30, 1895, and died on March 19, 1951. He married Mary Lucy Huneycutt on September 8, 1919. Together, they raised a family of 10 children in Big Lick: Virginia, Naomi, Seneca Bernice, Mary Inez, Ezra, Alfred Hoover, Stella, Patricia Arwelda, Shirley J., and Delmar "Dale" Morton. His mother was named as "Arwelda Morton" in his marriage certificate.

8) Oliver Morton was born in July of 1896. He passed away as a child between June 8, 1900, when he was shown as a 3-year-old in the 1900 census, and the 9th of May 1910, when his family was shown living on the Monroe Road in Big Lick, without him. He was buried in the Little-Morton cemetery south of Oakboro.

9) Watson Lowe Morton aka "Watt Lowe" Morton was born October 18, 1901, and passed away on August 1, 1976, in Mecklenburg County, NC. He married Nannie Poplin June 24, 1930, in Chesterfield County, NC and raised their daughters in Oakboro and Big Lick, NC. His mother was named as "Arwelder Huneycutt" on his documents.

Five Generations, Colorized, beginning with Nancy Crisco Hinson, sitting, right, with daughter,  Arwelder

, on the left. Standing behind Nancy is Arwelders' daughter "Dallie" Dahia Morton Anderson and behind Arwelder is Dallie's daughter, Annie Bell Anderson Griffin. Nancy Hinson is holding Annie's baby. 

It's not unusual for a woman to have had a number of different surnames. Life happens. She's usually born with one surname, gained from her parents, then acquires another as she marries. She may marry numerous times, and add on another, due to death or divorce, or even annulment.

Arwelder had one married name, Morton, with that there is no argument, but what was her maiden name? She's shown as Crisco, Hinson, and Huneycutt. The answer cannot be gleaned from looking at just Arwelder. We must back up another generation and look at the life of another lady. 

Nancy

Nancy, the oldest mother in this five-generation shot was born as Nancy Crisco, or Chrisco, 

Below is Arwelder's Death Certificate.

Her name is given as Arwelder Magdalene Morton. Her age as 66 years, 2 months and 9 days. She was a housewife and her husband; A. A. Morton has outlived her. The informant was A. F. Hinson, who reported that she was born in Stanly County, NC, and that her father's name was J. S. Huneycutt, and her mother's name was Nancy Crisco. So that is where the Crisco and the Huneycutt came from! She died of paralysis on August 28, 1930, and no reason was given for the paralysis. I believe A. F. Hinson was Finley Adam Hinson, Nancy's youngest son, who would have been Arwelder's half-brother.

Adam and Arwelder's children seemed at odds with what her maiden name was. Youngest son, Walter "Watt" Lowe Morton's death certificate named her as Arwelder  Huneycutt.

Maude Morton Helms's death certificate named her mother as Arwelder Hinson. 

Now was the time to look at the life of Nancy Crisco and answer a new question, who was J. S. Huneycutt?

Nancy Crisco first shows up as an 11-year-old in the home of her father, Jacob Crisco.

She was the youngest child in the family. Also in the home were brothers Conrad, 20 and Jacob Jr., 14. Above them lived Henry and Margaret Carver. Margaret was Nancy's older sister, and daughter of Jacob. His daughter Lydia had married a Carver as well, Margeret marrying Henry and Lydia marrying his brother, John Butler Carver. 

Jacob Crisco, Sr. had been born in the Browers Community of Randolph County, the son of George William Crisco (1765-1830) and Susannah Maness Kennedy, (1762-1860). There would be a long-standing relationship with the Kennedy family, who originated in neighboring Davidson County, and also had settled in Stanly County about the same time, in the same area. The probability of a familial relation between the two groups was high. 

ame	Jacob Criscow
Residence Date	1840
Home in 1840 (City, County, State)	North Catawba River, Burke, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - Under 5	1 Jacob
Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 14	2 Conrad & Gooden
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29	1 John Thomas
Free White Persons - Males - 40 thru 49	1 Jacob Sr.
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5	1 Nancy
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 14	1 Lydia
Free White Persons - Females - 15 thru 19	2 Margaret
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29	1 Unknown
Free White Persons - Females - 40 thru 49	1 Polly
Persons Employed in Agriculture	4
Free White Persons - Under 20	7
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49	4
Total Free White Persons	11
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves	11

Jacob would be found in Burke County, North Carolina in the 1840 census, living on the North Catawba River.

It was likely this is where Nancy was born. Her mother was a Mary "Polly" Yow, and it is unknown exactly when they were married or when Polly died, however, Jacob would marry in Randolph County on February 27, 1846, to an Eliza Burrow, daughter of a John Burrow. Eliza would pass away before Jacob was shown as a widower again in the 1850 census of Stanly County. He had settled around Stillwater Creek. 

1850

Several of Nancy's siblings would find themselves among those who migrated south and west in search of greener pastures, as that area opened up for settlement. Her brother, Gooden or Goodwin, would settle first in Alabama, marrying there in 1849 to Nancy Ann Watson, in St. Clair County. Later, they would push further west into Lawrence County, Arkansas, where Gooden died in 1867, probably from wounds or debilitation he incurred during his service in the Civil War. He left one son, Jacob L. Crisco.

Another brother, John, chose to raise his large family in Shannon County, Missouri.

1860

Nancy Crisco was not to be found in the 1860 census. She would have been around 16, and still single and completely orphaned. The youngest child, both parents had passed on and Jacob Crisco left no Will. 

It is my belief that Nancy was most likely mistakenly omitted but would have been living somewhere in the above listed neighborhood. As in the prior 1850 listing, the Henry Carver family, which was headed by her brother-in-law, Henry and her sister, Margaret, is residing near her brother, Conrad Crisco, who has started his own family. They are surrounded by Honeycutt's, and Nancy would end up in a relationship with a "J. S. Honeycutt" within the next few years. A James W. Honeycutt family is listed right under the Carvers, headed by 24-year-old James and his 34-year-old wife, Rebecca. Further up the page are the Lewis and George H. Honeycutt families. Were they closely related to each other? Did they have an age-appropriate J. S. among their ranks?

Nancy would marry Henry Hinson on June 23, 1865, in Union County, NC, at the close of the War. As J. S. Huneycutt is so elusive, many have ruminated and declared that he must have met his maker during the War years. But was J S really a J. S. ? Could he have been a J W? 

James W. Huneycutt married Rebecca A. Austin on January 3, 1858, in Stanly County by H. Carver, JP. Henry Carver, husband of Nancy's sister Margaret, was living next to the couple two years later in 1860. An 8-year-old boy named Riley is living with them and was enumerated as a Huneycutt, but he may not have been a Honeycutt. By 1868, it appears that Rachel may have died, as James W. remarried to Martha Jane Griffin. Unknown when Rachel, who was a decade older than James, passed on, there is certainly available a window of time in there, where Arwelder could have appeared in the world within. 

Henry Hinson was a widower. The son of Charles Sampson Hinson and Milea Clark Hinson, he had married Mary Ann Speights, one of the "Dying Speights", on November 27, 1861. Most of her family had died off from various diseases within a brief time of each other, strangely. This tale deserves a post of its own. Henry and Mary Ann had five children together between 1851 and 1860, Anne Henrietta, John Calvin, Eli H., James Samuel, and Marion Hinson. In the 1870 census, shown above, three of Henry's sons by his previous marriage are living with Nancy and himself, and their first child together, William Henry, is shown as a 4-year-old.  He and Nancy will also have five children together, as William Henry was followed by Martha Margaret, Nancy Jane, Robert Lafayette and Finley Adam, bringing up the rear in 1882. Arwelder also escaped this census. It is unknown where she could have been, but one bit of evidence suggests she may have lived with her mother and stepfather at one point, the fact that she was seen as a "Hinson" at times. 

In 1870 the Crisco's, her youngest two brothers, are living near each other, protensively in the place their father had lived and left them. Arwelder was not among them, either.  

So, her first appearance in records remains as a newlywed in her inlaws home in 1880, and simultaneously on her April 25th, 1880 marriage license at a cringeworthy 14 year old, that declares her only as "Welder Crisco", the fatherless daughter of Nancy Hinson.

She was called Crisco, because that was her mother's maiden name and there is no indication that her parents were married.

She was called Hinson, because her mother married a Hinson, and it appears she had been raised, for the most part at any rate, in the Hinson family. 

She was called Morton, because she married a Morton.

She was called Honeycutt, because her father was a known Honeycutt, the mysterious J. S. Huneycutt, who may have been the J. S. Honeycutt who served in the Civil War, and died shortly after her birth, or possibly even before.

Rest in peace, Arwelder Magdalene, the girl with many names.

Looking for Liberty Hartsell

 

Tabitha Liberty Hartsell Barbee

When my oldest daughter was expecting her only child, she was considering the name "Liberty" if the baby was a daughter. He was not, and was instead, named after my Great Grandfather on my Paternal side, Elias. I've alway liked the name, however, for its attributes of implications and uniqueness. We never welcomed a Liberty. 

Recently, I've been researching a certain obscure Whitley family. While looking at the small family of Hardin "Hardy" Whitley (1835-1864) and his wife, Basheba "Bashie" Hatley, (1832-1873), that her brother, Hardin "Hardy" Hatley (1834-1918) , had custody of their children for at least a period of time after the deaths of both Whitley's. Yes, that's a lot of Hardys and I believe the mother of Hardy Whitley could have been a Hatley. The Whitleys had left two children, a son and a daughter, and only the daughter survived long enough to marry. I examined this family in my post, The Curse of Bitter Rain.

While examing Hardy Hatley's family, I saw that in 1880, there was a young woman named Liberty Hartsell in his home. The name intrigued me, and I wondered who exactly Liberty Hartsell was, this young woman with the interesting name.

Name	Hardy Hatly
Age	45
Birth Date	Abt 1835
Birthplace	North Carolina
Home in 1880	Big Lick, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number	71
Race	White
Gender	Male
Relation to Head of House	Self (Head)
Marital Status	Married
Spouse's Name	Malinda Hatly
Father's Name	Wily Hatly
Father's Birthplace	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace	North Carolina
Occupation	Farmer
Neighbors	View others on page

Household members

Name	Age
Hardy Hatly	45
Malinda Hatly	28
Jonah Hatly	16
Ephram Hatly	14
Minnie Hatly	1
Wily Hatly	87
Liberty Hartsell	23

Luckily for me, 1880 was the first year that the relationships of the people in a household to the head of the household were given. Hardy Hatley was one of those older men that had married a much younger woman as his second wife. At 45, 28 year old Malinda was not his daughter, but his wife. Jonah and Ephraim were his sons, and one year old Minnie was his daughter. It's easy to understand that the sons were by his first wife, and he probably hadn't been married to Malinda for long. Wiley Hatley, 87, was Hardy's aged father, and Liberty Hartsell was his sister-in-law. 

A little further research revealed that Hardy had married, as his second wife, Mary Melinda Hartsell, daughter of Holden Hartell and his wife, Mary Honeycutt. The couple had a family of 10 children and Mary passed away in 1862, before they were all grown up. Holden had remarried and had one more before passing away in 1865. 

Mary Malinda Hartsell Hatley was one of the younger children of Holden and Mary. Above, in the 1860 census, Mary Malinda was 9, her younger brother, Holden Monroe, aged 6, was scratched out and added again at the bottom of the page, I'm not sure why, and the youngest child was Bitha L. Hartsell. It looks like Bettie, and was transcribed as such, but there was an older sister named Bettie and with a little more research, it was clear that the child's name was "Bitha L.", and she was only four years old. 

This was a good list as it included the entire family which was :

Holden Hartsell  45 and wife, Mary 46 then: William Riley (1838-1899), Elizabeth P "Bettie" Byrd (1839- 1917), Emaline M Hartsell Smith ( 1841-1909), Julia Ann Hartsell Howell (1842-1879), John Adam Hartsell (1844 -1910), Joseph Monroe Hartsell (1846-1923), Eva Mahaley Hartsell Smith (1847-1928), Mary Malinda Hartsell Hatley (1851-1926), Holden Monroe Hartsell (1854-1910) and Tabitha Liberty Hartsell (1851 -1910).

After the death of their parents, the children seemed to scatter to the wind. Most of the older ones married as soon as they could, especially the daughters.

Name	Tobitha Hartsell
Age in 1870	14
Birth Date	abt 1856
Birthplace	North Carolina
Dwelling Number	217
Home in 1870	Big Lick, Stanly, North Carolina
Race	White
Gender	Female
Post Office	Albemarle
Occupation	Domestic Servt
Cannot Read	Yes
Cannot Write	Yes

Household members

Name	Age
John Byrd	30
Elizabeth Byrd	28
Mary Byrd	6
Sarah Byrd	4
Sophonia Byrd
Tobitha Hartsell	14

Tabitha Liberty Hartsell, being the youngest of the children of both parents, ended up as the Domestic Servant, Elizabeth "Bettie" Hartsell, who had married John Byrd. She was living in Big Lick at 14, in 1870, the wild west of Stanly County.  And then, of course, in 1880, we find her living with another sibling, Mary Malinda Hartsell Hatley, in 1880. It seems Tabitha, as she was normally seen, earned her keep as Housekeeper and Nanny for her married siblings after she was evicted by her wicked stepmother, Adaline, after the death of her father, and that is a story of its own.

Just when it seemed as if Tabitha Liberty Hartsell was destined to be an old maid, she found herself a husband, and a younger one at that! She had not settled herself as the young bride of an old man for stability, like many of her time, when there were Civil War widows and orphans aplenty, although that was not what she was. No, Tabitha had been just an ordinary orphan with a young stepmother who married an old man with one foot in the grave so she could take over his estate from his older children. 

Tabitha married on April 10, 1887, to 21 year old William Barbee, son of  Jacob and Sarah Barbee. Her age was given as 26, when she was actually 31. Perhaps she felt like five years was all she could believably shave off. The marriage was performed at the office of John A.Furr, Justice of the Peace, in Furr Township. Witnessess were A.J. Huneyctt, E. D. Smith, which may have been her sister, Emaline, and A. J. Barbee, perhaps a relative of the groom.

William Martin Barbee

William Martin Barbee was the son of Josiah and Sarah Smith Barbee. At the time of the marriage, his father was deceased, but his mother was living, as both of the brides were deceased. While Tabitha had grown up in Big Lick, William had grown up in Furr Township. He was the oldest son and second child in the family. He was preceeded by Susan Catherine and followed by Cenia Marie, Nelson, James Hiram, Sarah Elizabeth, Lina and Lundy.

During the next thirteen years, the couple had settled among the rest of the Barbee Family in Furr Township, in the general area of Stanfield. Around 1900, give or take, the Barbee's had their photos made. William appears to have dressed in his best suit, and a colorized version of the photo paints his hundred yard stare with bright blue eyes. He appears nervous, like he could jump and run in an instant. He has a brunette combover and an unruly mustache that looks like a scrub brush resting under his nose. Tabitha Liberty Hartsell's photo is the lead in, off center and severe, she has an almost manly bearing. Her brunette hair pulled tightly back, Tabitha shows none of her husbands nervousness. Her eyes akilter, they also appear light, either blue or green. Broad-shouldered and square, she looks like a strong woman, but not a pretty one. Hers was a body built for work, and her large, oval face with a short, wide chin was directly opposite of William's oblong face with a recessive chin.

They would have five children, beginning immediatley and in rapid succession.

1888  Beechus S. Barbee

1890 William Harley Barbee

1891 Lou Etta Barbee

1896 Twin girls Bertie and Gertie Barbee

The 1900 census shows them surrounded by family names closely involved in their lives, lots of Barbees, with a few Hathcocks, a Stogner and an Eudy. The Barbees appeared to be very tribal, they stuck together, which is a strength. Sadly, the 1900 census revealed that Tabitha had actually give birth to seven children, only five survived. All of these five grew up.

1910 looks a little odd, but it appears the whole family pitched in together, still. They are no longer living in the grove of Barbee's, but still in Furr Township. William and Tabitha, now 44 and 50, respectively, are farmers, and thier oldest son, Beechum, is the only one living in their home. Second son, Harley, has married to Gatha Barbee, a distant cousin, and had two sons of his own, Melvin and Hubert, the era of those steampunk names. The three Barbee sisters, Etta, Bertie and Gertie, are now in their teens, and living with their brother, instead of their parents. The two households must have been close together.

Tabitha didn't live a very long life, but for her time, she was considered an old woman, when she was overcome with uterine cancer at 61, which led to her demise. An A.A.Hartsell was the informant, probably a relative, but not a sibling, who correctly gave her parents as Holden Hartsell and Mary Huneycutt. He knew she had been born in Big Lick. Her attending doctor had been Ira Yow, of Georgeville, in Cabarrus County and her death certificate was filed by Dock Love in Stanfield. She was buried in the Meadow Creek Cemetery in Locust and the undertaker was P.L.Hartsell of Oakboro. Her age gap had caught up with her. It was now known that she was ten years older than her husband, not five.

Widower, William Martin Barbee, would go on with his life for another twenty-three years. He remarried, to Martha Lou Hinson, who was also middle-aged, at 48, on July 27, 1919. She was the daughter of  John Washington Hinson and Sarah Jane Rummage, and the widow of a Tarlton.

They shared over a decade together in the 'Village of Stanfield', as the 1920 census put it, before William passed away at 63. His children buried him next to their mother. His own widow, Martha, is shown living with her son and still with the name, Barbee, in 1930, the year that he died. She would return to her former name of Tarleton, to match her own children, by 1940, and would pass away 18 years after William in 1948. Martha was buried at Love's Grove.

Tabitha (or Tibitha) Liberty Hartsell lived the typical life of a Victorian era farmwife in rural North Carolina. There was nothing outrageous or extraordinarty about her, and therein lies her beauty, the girl with the beautiful name.