Mariah's Divorce

Waiting on microfilm from Utah can be a timely, but rewarding, matter.

Earlier I had many posts on the 'Scarlett O'Hara' of my family tree, Mariah Booth Winfield Moffett/Maffett Booth. I had found her in Lawrence County, Alabama, where she had filed suit in a Civil action against her second husband and first cousin, Dr. George Washington Boothe. Both Mariah's mother Mary "Polly" Booth and G. W.'s father Harper Booth, were children of Thomas Booth of Mecklenburg County, Virginia. 

The marriage was not a happy one. In the suit, Mariah had accused George of being a drunk, a gambler and a spend thrift, having his way with her slaves left to her by her father, Joel Winfield and grandfather, Lt. Joshua Winfield. She said his actions toward her, and her only daughter, Mary Ann Newland Moffett, were 'cruel' and 'indifferent'. Two years after the marriage, she had filed suit. 

The suit and legal actions in court took place between 1838 and 1840. During this period, Mariah had turned guardianship of her affairs and property over to Robert Kernachan, her uncle by marriage, in neighboring Lauderdale County, Alabama. She had nearly every notable person in 3 or 4 counties to testify as to the misconduct of the good doctor, who promptly took off to Mississippi, after burying his mother Nancy Booth in Franklin County, Alabama, and settling in and around Itwamaba and Lee Counties in Ole Miss with his father, Harper and brothers John Fletcher and Thomas. His father seems to have owned property in 2 counties in Alabama and 4 in Mississippi. 

Just a few years after, in 1842, for unknown reasons, Mariah turned her affairs over to another relative, John Nicholas Malone, after having been defended in court by her couisn, Vinkler Jones. 

The papers had stated that a divorce was sought, but I had not been given a final date on the outcome. 

Then arrived the microfilm. It can not be copied, as the machines are not set up for that at the Mormon Church, which graciously allows researchers to use their library and equipment, but it could be photographed. Through the glass is not the best shot, but there it was, the defining information.

Under the lists of Alabama divorces of that era, a misspelled "Marian Boothe" from  George Washington "Boothe" January 21, 1843 Lawrence County. 

Mariah recieved her divorce. Her freedom from tyranny would be short-lived however, as she would die in Limestone County, with the Malone family, before the decade was up. 

Several ladies of her standing and in her family filed for divorce during that era. I had seen many within the Booth/Jones/Malone family on the divorce list. These independent Scarletts had the resources and gumption to "not take no crap', even in the early years of America. 

John Booth and Lucy are listed just above her. This was probably John who married Lucy Gilliam Malone. 

The story of Mariah does not end here. I will be returning to her shortly, and continuing with the saga of her daughter Mary Ann, and how their noted cousin, the great navigator and blockade runner, John Newland Maffet, Jr. sewed it all together. 

Ellerslie

In her book "Hometown Heritage, Vol One", Lucille Miller Johnson writes that  "Ellerslie is located on Elliot's Bridge Road several miles off North Carolina Highway 401, about ten miles north of Fayetteville, It is believed to be the oldest plantation home in Cumberland County lived in continuously by members of the same family. A definite date of construction has not been established, but it is believed to be around 1790".

Ellerslie was the home of Dr. William H. Maffett, and is recorded so in the journals of many historic figures, including his nephew, Col John Newland Maffett, Jr., a famed Seaman. Below is a link to John Newland Maffet's Find-a-grave site. 

Find-a-grave Cmd. John Newland Maffett


Other sources have it linked to the Elliott family. No doubt the estate is old. I will have to look into deeds and see when it exchanged hands or when the Maffett family may have intermarried with or morphed into the Elliott family. A visit to Ellerslie is definately in order. It appears the home was first built by George Elliott and then occupied by Dr. Maffett and later Florie, his great-niece. Dr. Maffett was married to Margaret Adams, and not an Elliott. Were these Elliott's related to Rebecca Booth Elliott mentioned in a previous post? The mysteries continue.


From Cultural Heritage Trails:

Gaelic Beginnings

b) Ellerslie - Elliot Bridge Rd.

Ellerslie has been the homeplace of the Elliott family since 

settling on the state granted land in 1790. By 1801, the plantation had grown in size to more than 5,000 acres. George 

Elliot, founder of the American family, was educated at University of Edinburgh and immigrated from Scotland to settle 

on the Lower Little River in the Upper Cape Fear Valley. He 

represented Cumberland County at the Hillsboro Convention 

in 1788. His son Alexander represented Cumberland County 

in the North Carolina Legislature in 1826. The home highlights eighteenth century domestic architecture of the area. 

The original appearance of the home was altered with a 

Greek Revival addition in the 1850s. Private.

Created Date:

circa 1790

Provenance: George Elliot (Scots planter), first owner | Architectural Note: In the 1840s, a new Greek Revival house was added to the front of the existing home, which became a rear ell. | Historical Note: The home is one of the few late eighteenth century plantation houses along the Upper Cape Fear River and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

From the United States Department of the Interior National Park Service:

National Register of Historic Places:

Thorbiskope is similar in form to many other houses along the Cape Fear, and throughout the 

coastal plain of North Caroina. It is similar to the houses built by George Elliot (Ellerslie, 

ca. 1797, NR) and Henry Elliot (Cool Springs, ca. 1815, NR) nearby. 

From the "290 Foundation: Ancestors"

Mary 'Florie' Maffitt

Her name was Mary Florence Maffitt though better known as Florie Maffitt. Daughter of John Newlands Maffitt and his wife Mary, Florie was born in Mobile, Alabama in February 1841 although news of his daughter’s birth, only reached her father when he arrived in Pensacola, Florida. John Newland Maffitt immediately sent for his wife and daughter Florie to come and live with him while he was on a three-month leave.

On August 3, 1852, when Florie was eleven years old, her father married Caroline Laurens Read, a South Carolinian whose late husband was also an officer in the navy. They were married in St. Paul’s Church in Charleston, and Caroline then took on the care of Florie and her brother while their father was at sea. Her stepmother taught Florie how to dress and act in front of people and in the many social skills required at Washington gatherings.

Following the death of her stepmother, Florie’s father moved her to Ellerslie Estate, the home of Dr. William Maffitt, brother of the senior John Maffitt near Fayetteville, North Carolina. The estate got its name from the Maffitt ancestral home in Dublin, Ireland, and Ellerslie stood on a high elevation near the head of Blount’s Creek, about half way between Fayetteville and present-day Fort Bragg. In a new home and being close to family once again, Florie’s life gained a new purpose and renewed energy and totally enjoyed her stay in the countryside She would make many trips to Wilmington or Fayetteville to visit her father when he came in port, or to shop at the fine places that Wilmington had to offer to such a young lady. Then came war; and her father’s new assignments in the Confederate Navy took him away for longer periods

Before the Civil War ended, Florie met the man who captured her heart. His name was Joshua Wright. The Wrights were a well-known Wilmington family which in years to come, alongwith the Maffitts, would shape the future of Wilmington as one of the best seaports on the East Coast for shipping goods. On February 17, 1864, Florie and Joshua married in St. JoFebruary 17, 1864, Florie and Joshua married in St. John’s Church, Fayetteville, North Carolina and in the years following had six children: James Allen, John Maffitt, Joshua Grainger, Thomas Henry, Mary Allen and Caroline Lauren. Florie and her husband would often travel to their estate in Cork County, Ireland after the war, and visit members of the Maffitt family residing there. She also traveled to the Middle East, meeting kings and queens who knew of Captain Maffitt’s reputation on the high seas and his work with the British merchant navy after the close of war.

Florie and Joshua along with their children lived on John Maffitt’s estate until her untimely death in 1883. Maffitt was at her bedside at the time of her passing and is reported to have endured a massive hemorrhage of blood from his nose.

Florie Maffitt remains an important part of Wilmington’s unique history. Probably her full story will never be known but we do know from the foregoing that she was a brave woman and a fine example of courage to other women. She was a loving daughter to a man who taught her the secrets of the sea. Florie changed many lives and challenged much conventional thinking of her time. In her father’s twilight years (and unknowingly hers), she was already a truly inspirational figure in our history.

Condensed from an article by Bob Maffitt, Hon Vice-President (US), 290 Foundation, Wilmington N.C.

The Water Cure

A plaque emplaced by Malvern Civic Society at Ellerslie records that,

Ellerslie was the water cure establishment of Drs Edward and Walter Johnson.(son)

Here Thomas Attwood the Birmingham political reformer died in 1856.

Thomas Attwood 1783 - 1856 was the first Member of Parliament for Birmingham.

Dr Johnson and his son later moved their business across the road to Malvernbury.

In 1911 Ellerslie was occupied by widow Julia Caroline Colt nee Hutton.

 Coachman Adam Anderson lived at Ellerslie Cottage, and gardener Robert Scott lived at Ellerslie Lodge.

Julia Colt's husband Captain George Frederick Russell Colt died Great Malvern in 1909. In 1881 his occupation had been recorded as proprietor of the Gartsherrie Estate, Roxburgh, Scotland.

Mary Florence "Florie" Maffett Wright

hn’s Church, Fayetteville, North Carolina and in the years following had six children: James Allen, John Maffitt, Joshua Grainger, Thomas Henry, Mary Allen and Caroline Lauren. Florie and her husband would often travel to their estate in Cork County, Ireland after the war, and visit members of the Maffitt family residing there. She also traveled to the Middle East, meeting kings and queens who knew of Captain Maffitt’s reputation on the high seas and his work with the British merchant navy after the close of war.

Florie and Joshua along with their children lived on John Maffitt’s estate until her untimely death in 1883. Maffitt was at her bedside at the time of her passing and is reported to have endured a massive hemorrhage of blood from his nose.
Florie Maffitt remains an important part of Wilmington’s unique history. Probably her full story will never be known but we do know from the foregoing that she was a brave woman and a fine example of courage to other women. She was a loving daughter to a man who taught her the secrets of the sea. Florie changed many lives and challenged much conventional thinking of her time. In her father’s twilight years (and unknowingly hers), she was already a truly inspirational figure in our history.

Condensed from an article by Bob Maffitt, Hon Vice-President (US), 290 Foundation, Wilmington N.C.

The above was the origins of the Ellerslie estate in Ireland.

From:

The Stuff of Legends

by Dr. Chris E. Fonvielle Jr.

February 2009

Soon after making landfall in New York, the Maffitts moved to New England, where young John lived the first five years of his life. But he spent several happy boyhood years at Ellerslie, the plantation home of an uncle, Dr. William Maffitt, near Fayetteville, North Carolina, as well. It was a Southern exposure that would greatly influence his life.

Dr. Maffitt, who had accompanied his brother’s family to America in 1819, adopted young John when his mother and father separated in 1824. 

The Players Continued: William H Moffett

Old Wagon in Fayetteville, North Carolina

I have been fortunate in my Family Search to find the most delectable bits of information concerning certain individuals in my family tree. The entire family that contributed to my DNA did not leave as deep of footprints as the Davis and Winfield lines and associated families did. Job Davis and his in-laws were movers and shakers. The more I search, the more I discover. Most of what I know of Dr. William H Moffatt, or Moffett, or Moffitt, or Maffett, as whomever at the time spelled it, I have discovered from the journals of his nephew, John Newland Maffett, a naval officer during the Civil War, of some renown, whom the good doctor adopted.  
The Doctor Maffett was so beloved and trusted, that Mariah Booth Winfield, when marrying his brother, Dr. James Maffett, wished William to be the trustee of her substantial estate, and to safeguard her interests, as she lost all rights when she married.
http://www.jobschildren.com/2013/03/imagining-mariah.html


John Newland Maffett revealed that his Uncle, Dr. William H. Maffett lived at Ellerslie. Dr. Maffett's daughter, Eliza, would marry Thomas L Hybart, from Canada. Roads named for the estates that were there show the approximate location of where the Maffet's and the Hybarts resided.

Ellerslie, Cumberland County, North Carolina , Photos of Ellerslie Courtesy of North Carolina State University

Interior Fireplace, Ellerslie

The Fayetteville Observer gave small glimpses into this small Fayetteville family.

October 14, 1824

Died on Tuesday last, at the summer residence of Dr. William Maffet near this town, Mrs. Janet Mumford

August 9, 1826

In this vicinity, on Monday last, John Adam Maffitt, infant of Dr. William H Maffitt.

Thursday 16 Aug 1827

At the residence of Dr. William H Maffitt, in the vicinity of this place, on Tuesday morning last, Jane Henrietta Goodwin, aged 14 months infant daughter of  Robert T. Goodwin. (Robert T Goodwin was a relative of John Goodwin whom Dr. James Maffitt and Mariah hired to build their home. The individuals dying at Dr. William H. Maffitt's home were likely patients). 

March 29, 1828

Died in this vicinity on Monday, Mrs. Margaret Maffitt, wife of Dr. William H. Maffitt.

December 11, 1839

Died in this vicinity yesterday morning, Dr. William H. Maffitt.

February 22, 1843

Married in this town, Thursday last, Thomas L. Hybart, Attorney-at-law, to Eliza Maffitt, only daughter of the late Dr. William H. Maffitt

January 5, 1847

In this vicinity, Friday last, Thomas L. Hybart, more than 20 Years a member of the Bar of this place, recently County Solicitor, former member of the legislature.

Wed., August 18, 1852 

Married: In Charleston on the 3rd August at St. Paul's Church by Dr. Hanckell, Lieut. John N. Maffit, of the US Navy to Mrs. Caroline Laurens Read. 

Mon. March 21, 1859

Died on March 3rd, Caroline Laurens, wife of Lieut. John N Maffit, of the US Navy, and daughter of the late Hon. John Laurens, of Charleston, SC. 

This family suffered a great deal of loss and short marriages due to death. 

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Carolyn Shank Carolynshank@msn.com December 7, 2007, 9:41 am

Wed. May  2 ,   1827 North Carolina Journal April 11, 1827
                       TRUST SALE
   By virtue, and in pursuance of a Deed of Trust, to us executed by DR. 
WILLIAM H. MAFFITT, dated 3rd March, 1827, and Registered in the Registrar's 
office of the County of Cumberland, we shall upon the 4th day of May next, at 
the Town House, in Fayetteville, proceed to sell the interest which the said 
WILLIAM H. MAFFITT had, and has for certain purposes conveyed in the following 
property, to wit:
   The life estate of the said WILLIAM MAFFITT, in that parcel or tract of 
land, known as the "Beaver Creek Mills" situate about five miles from Town, 
and containing 179 acres adjoining, for and during the above, with the 
privilege of cutting saw-mill timber on three other tracts. Also adjoining, 
for and during the natural life of the said WILLIAM H. MAFFITT -- also his 
life estate in a tract or parcel of land containing 187-1/2 acres being that 
tracy of land upon which he now lives -- also, the like interest in two other 
lots adjoining the last mentioned, the one containing 120-1/2, the other 54-
1/2, known by the name of WILLIAMS Tract. Also, his life estate on three 
tenements or stores on the North side of Hay-street, now in the occupancy of 
C. & P. MALLETT, JOSEPH AREY, C. P. & S. W. TILLINGHAST, subject, however, to 
an unexpired lease in the aforesaid tenants, for the term of one year from the 
1st day of Sept. 1826 -- also his interest, being an absolute estate, in a 
negro man named DUBLIN, about 30 years of age, one wagon and team, and all the 
stock and farming utensils on the sand hill plantation, which are too numerous 
to particularize. Terms made known on day of sale.
                          ROBERT T. GOODWIN
                          WM. F. STRANGE, Trustees
                          L. FITZHARRIS, Auctioneer
Fayetteville, April 11, 1827

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/cumberland/newspapers/trustsal391nw.txt

Old Bluff Presbyterian Church, Cumberland County, North Carolina

The Maffits were from Scotland and were Presbyterians. 

The following excerpts are from: 

Collection Number: 01761 

Collection Title: John Newland Maffitt Papers, 1833-1911, 1976

John Newland Maffitt (1819-1886) was a United States Navy officer, Confederate Navy officer, blockade runner, and author. Maffitt was born in Connecticut; grew up in Fayetteville, N.C.; and retired to Wilmington, N.C. The collection includes family, personal, business and official correspondence of John Newland Maffitt concerning his early career in the U.S. Navy; his Confederate service (for which there is also a journal) on both combat and blockade running vessels, particularly the C.S.S. Florida; service as captain of a British vessel after the war; retirement to Wilmington, N.C., and literary activities; and the controversy over the alleged negligence of Commander George Henry Preble, U.S.N., for allowing the C.S.S. Florida to enter Mobile Bay in 1862. Also included are papers of Maffitt's daughter, Florie, and his third wife, Emma Martin Maffitt, who published a book on her husband in 1906; scrapbooks; genealogical materials; photographs, including a snapshot of Amelia Earhart; and a manuscript novel and speeches by Maffitt.

John Newland Maffitt (1819-1886) was the son of Ann Carnic and the Reverend John Newland Maffitt, a Methodist minister. Young Maffitt lived in Connecticut until, at age five, he was adopted by his uncle, Dr. William Maffitt of Ellerslie near Fayetteville, N.C. In 1832, at the age of 13, Maffitt was commissioned a midshipman in the United States Navy. Following a cruise on the sloop-of-war St. Louis, he spent three years in the Mediterranean aboard the Constitution, a frigate, about which he later wrote a novel, Nautilus; or, Cruising under Canvas (1871). In 1838, Maffitt was promoted to passed midshipman, and, three years later, he became acting master of the frigate Macedonian.

Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar Statue

The Reverend John Newland Maffitt was another brother of James and William H. Dr. James Maffett is recorded as providing the escort for the Marquis Du Lafayette on his 1825 tour of the South from his namesake town of Fayetteville, North Carolina, to Cheraw, in South Carolina, where he attended a ball. . James would marry Mariah the next year in 1826. Perhaps it was at this ball that the young  Physician would meet the beguiling Mariah Booth Winfield, and begin a courtship that would lead to marriage and a daughter.





Link to Information on William Newland Moffett/Maffitt, father of the Maffett brothers


The following excerpt from "Naval Officers, Their heredity and development" by  Charles Benedict Davenport, mentions William H. Maffett and a few of his siblings, nieces and nephews. 

Maffitt was highly intelligent, as evinced by his employment on the coast 
survey. In blockade-running he was full of resources, devices, and deceptions to 
escape capture. He came of intellectual stock, especially on the paternal side. 
His father, Rev. John Newland Maffitt (born at Dublin in 1794; died at Mobile, 
Alabama, in 1850), was a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, of wealthy parents, 
and a "born preacher"; he traveled in Ireland as a missionary, and occupied the 
highest place in popular esteem. Coming to New England, he was an itinerant 
Methodist preacher there (1822-1830); he then went to Nashville, Tennessee, 
and issued there the first number of the Western Methodist, now the Christian 
Advocate. In 1841 he was elected chaplain to the lower house of Congress. 

His father's sister Emily had a mind that sparkled with wit and intelligence; 
she married into the nobility of England. """Her brother William was a physician, 
who also came to the United States. """"

Of Maffitt's sibs, Eliza was celebrated for her intellectuality as well as for her 
beauty; living in Texas, she was called the "Belle of the Brazos." Another sister, 
Matilda, married a Texas judge and is reputed to have written some of her hus- 
band's speeches. A third sister, Henrietta, married General Mirabeau Lamar, 
the second president of Texas. 
FAMILY HISTORY OF JOHN N. MAFFITT. 
Dr. William Maffitt, who came to Fayetteville, North Carolina. 

Mary Florence Maffitt Wright

Mary Florence, shown above was the daughter of Lieut. John N. Maffitt and niece of Dr. William H. Maffitt and Dr. James Maffitt, husband of Mariah.


The following is from "Dressed in Sunlight" Eleanor Wright Beane as told to Susan Taylor Brock.


Mary Florence Maffitt Wright, Eleanor Beane's grandmother, was born in 1842. She was the daughter of Confederate Naval Captain John Newland Maffitt. Florie, who ran the blockade with her father, in 1862, was “reckoned among the rare beauties of her day. I saw her for the last time in Wilmington, in March 1883,” wrote author Henry E. Shepherd. She died in September 1883, at the age of 41. (Wright-Beane Collection)

Lieut. John Newland Maffitt, Jr. 

Henrietta Maffit Lamar


The above is the Burgwin-Wright House and Henrietta Maffit Lamar.

The daughters and sisters of the Maffitt brothers were known for their charm and natural beauty.











John N Maffitt in later days.

There are so many interesting things to discover concerning this family, that I am sure my research and fascination will continue a long time.