30 Fathers in 30 Days: Job Calloway

 

The Biblical character of Job was a long-suffering, but faithful believer in God, never swaying from his convictions, despite what tragedy, loss and illness befell him. A dejected and miserable individual to say the least.  

The etymology of the name Job sources an original word for father, but that which had evolved into 'the persecuted 'or, 'one who suffers'. It doesn't sound like an optimistic name to lay upon a child. Yet, I ended up with two, at least, Fifth Great Grandfathers named Job. Both were born in the later decades of the 18th century. Why had their parents given them such a sorrowful name?

In the case of Job Calloway, (1790-1835), son of Isaac Calloway (1750-ish to after 1810), he was named for an uncle, brother of Isaac, who had kept moving southward and ended up in Georgia. From what I can tell, neither of their lives was as terrible as that of the biblical Job. 

I have posted on Job Calloway before, but not in great detail. See the link below.

The Setting of the Son: The Will of Job Calloway

The Calloway or Callaway surname is Norman in origin, and comes from the French "Cail", meaning pebble, or pebble-way. It's a place name, referring to a family from Caillouet-Orgeville in Eure, France, who later migrated to Dorset. 

Village of Origin shown in red

Our line began with a Peter Calloway, in the village of Marnhull, Dorset, England. His son, Peter II, was born there around 1640. Peter II indentured himself for passage to America. According to "Callaway Family History 1630-1898"  compiled by Robert Ellis Colson, Peter bonded himself to William Pressley for payment of passage and arrived in Northumberland County, Virginia where he worked for seven years. Fifteen years later, he would relocate across the Chesapeake Bay and settle near the Wicomico River in Maryland and worked as a Carpenter on his 50 acre headright until March 26, 1667.

On that date a girl named Elizabeth Johnson, daughter of John and Susan  Johnson, was brought to court on a bastardy charge and named Peter Callaway as the father of her child. Peter was fined 1000 lbs. of tobacco and Elizabeth was fined 500 lbs. Peter was also to pay Elizabeth 100 lbs. of tobacco, the current currency in the Quaker era court.

Peter and Elizabeth avoided further prosecution by making their relationship legal and married on March 26, 1667, in Princess Anne, Somerset County, Maryland.  He had arrived as a very young man, possibly a teenager, around 1649. He and Elizabeth raised their family of 11 children in Somerset, Maryland, where Peter died in 1719 at age 81. The children of this couple were part of a very mobile generation of young Americans who migrated into Virginia, North Carolina and later, Georgia.

Among those 11 children, was John Callaway or Calloway, the spelling being interchangeable. John was born about 1685 and married Mary Gould, daughter of Edward and Francis Gould on Christmas Day, 1709, in Stepney Parrish, Somerset County, Maryland.

John was a Cooper by trade. Peter had been able to build his wealth in Maryland and owned numerous tracts of land, the true American dream. John inherited some of this land and added to it himself. His collection of properties were given names. In various patents, lists and rent rolls they were known as Callaway's Folly, Callaway's Chance, Callaway's Hard Fortunes, Callaway's Venture and Venture Still. His extensive properties extended into Delaware.

Johan and Mary had  a family of nine children four sons and five daughters. Mary died before John, but John lived a long life, to age 85,  surviving all of his children except one, son Ebenezer. The oldest of these nine was a son named Edward, our line.

Edward Callaway was born in 1711 in Somerset County, Maryland and became a wheelwright by trade, and a farmer. He was my 7th Great Grandfather making John my 8th and Peter my 9th. Edward married around 1734 to Elizabeth Anderson. His first purchase of property was in Somerset County, Maryland consisting of 50 acres of land between Wicomico River and Broad Creek, an estate known as "Ryan's Grave". How outré' and ghoulish. They remained there for about a decade or more, before moving to Sussex County, Delaware in 1745, and purchasing 200 acres in Cedar Creek Hundred. While in Delaware, he purchased a 216-acre tract called 'Battle Green'.

Edward was like a worm in hot ashes. After another decade, in 1755, he sold his old plantation called Ryan's Grave in Somerset, and four years later, in 1759, he moved the family back to Maryland, this time settling in the less populated Worchester, Maryland. Somerset and Cecil were filling up and had been for over a century. Edward was the ancestor who brought the Callaway's to North Carolina. In 1760 he sold the Cedar Creek property and in 1763, he sold Battle Green. He was on his way to Onslow. 

On December 7, 1765, two years after the Battle Green sale, Edward Callaway had a survey of 300 acres on the White Oak River in Onslow County, North Carolina. Edward lived five years after moving to Onslow, passing in 1770. 

White Oak River forms the Northeast border of Onslow

Isaac Callaway, my 6th Great Grandfather, son of Edward, was born around 1750 on the Ryan's Grave homestead in Somerset, Maryland and moved with his family to Onslow County. After Edwards death, the family was again on the move. They sold the property in Onslow and moved to what was then Anson County, North Carolina.

While in Onslow, the Calloway's lived near a man named Peter Arnold. Isaac would marry his daughter, Elizabeth. The Arnold's also relocated to Anson County. This was usually done in groups of neighbors and relatives. 

Elizabeth, Edward's widow, moved with her sons to Anson County, and settled along Mountain Creek in what is now Stanly County. About ten years later, four of her five sons would again migrate to Wilkes County, Georgia. Most of her sons, including Isaac, would serve in the Revolutionary War. Some folks have the War record of Isaac's brother Job, attached to my ancestor, Job Calloway. This is incorrect. Our Job was too young. That record belongs to his uncle Job, son of Edward. Elizabeth Anderson Callaway died in Wilkes County, Georgia sometime after their 1784 move. The five sons of Edward and Elizabeth Arnold Callaway were:

John who married Bethany Arnold

Job who married Mary

Isaac who married Elizabeth Arnold

Joseph who married Sabrina Morgan and Elizabeth Lee

Joshua who married Isabell Graves Henderson.

Some of the weddings took place in Onslow County, and others in Stanly (Montgomery/Anson).

Isaac was the only brother to remain in North Carolina.

Calloway Plantation House, Wilkes County, Georgia

Isaac Calloway

Isaac Calloway. my 6th Great Grandfather is first seen in the 1770 tax record of Onslow County, North Carolina. 

Isaac entered a grant of 100 acres on Mountain Creek on the southwest side of the Yadkin River on November 22, 1779. Chain Carriers were Joshua Carter and Isaac Calloway. 

Isaac would settle in Montgomery County, NC, which would have been part of Anson prior to 1779. He received a grant in Montgomery County, on the southwest side of the Yadkin River, on the south fork of Mountain Creek. Along this creek is where Job was born, lived, raised his children, and died.

In the first census of the USA, Isaac is shown heading a household of ten, one male over 16, four under, and five females. 

Name	Isaac Callaway
Home in 1800 (City, County, State)	Montgomery, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - Under 10	1
Free White Persons - Males -10 thru 15	2
Free White Persons - Males - 45 and over	1
Free White Persons - Females - Under 10	4
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 15	1
Free White Persons - Females - 26 thru 44	1
Number of Household Members Under 16	8
Number of Household Members Over 25	2
Number of Household Members	10

In 1800, Isaac was still heading a household of ten. A male over 45 would have been himself, with his wife, Elizabeth Arnold, the female between 26 and 44. He had two boys between 10 and 15 and one under ten in the home and one girl between 10 and 15 and four under ten. 

The list of children I have of Isaac Callaway and Elizabeth Arnold are:

Bethany Callaway - Married David Kendall.

Isaac Callaway Jr. - Married Mary Barrett and relocated to Wilkes County, Georgia with his uncles.

David Callaway - Married Judith Tillery and relocated to Wilkes County, George and later to Madison County, Florida.

Elizabeth Callaway - Married Richard Stoker

Job Callaway - Married Susannah Randall

Sarah Callaway - Married John Randall 

Anne Callaway - Married James Colby Randall.

Eunice Callaway - Married Burrell Willis Coggin, moved to Dekalb County, Tennessee.

Vashita Callaway - Married John Parker.

John M. Callaway - Married Elizabeth Smith and secondly, Lucinthia Ingram.

Above, a record from the Arnold family website showing descendancy of Eunice Ann Callaway Coggins.

Job's father Isaac was the only Calloway in Montgomery County in 1810. He was in Captain Kirks District, near Kirk's, Carters, Safley's and Jones, which put him on the west bank of the Yadkin River in the Mountain Creek area. Isaac had accumulated 600 acres on both sides of Mountain Creek by 1800. He would later add a 150-acre tract. 

Isaac would serve in the Revolutionary War as a soldier from Montgomery County. After the War his brothers and at least one sister relocated to Georgia. Two of Isaac's sons would go with them, Isaac Jr. and David.

Isaac died after the 1810 census.  His estate wasn't settled until after the death of his widow, Elizabeth. Elizabeth Arnold Callaway was listed as a member of Rocky River Church in 1828, and her grandson in law, Samuel Parsons Morton, would be a minister there in later years. 

Elizabeth died on June 30, 1834 and Isaac's estate was settled during the 1836-1837 period. Both are buried at the Palestine Community Cemetery near Mountain Creek between Albemarle and Badin, which began as the Callaway Family Burial Ground. 

Job

My 5th Great Grandfather, Job Calloway " Isaacson," was born between 1785 and 1790 in Anson County, North Carolina. There must have been a very early ancestor in Peter's line named Job, as the family seems to have left a trail of Jobs everywhere they had settled. When my Job appeared in the Montgomery County, NC census, there was also a Job Calloway in Somerset, Maryland, where his family had come from, and another in Wilke's County, Georgia, where some of his father's brothers had pushed on to. This would have been his uncle.

Above, the family of Isaac's brother, John, who also named a son Job. Note: he was not born in Bedford County, Virginia. His parents were clearly in Maryland the year he was born. He may have removed to Bedford as a young adult, and there are records of him in the same area as Isaac in Anson/Montgomery (Stanly) County before he migrated to Wilkes County, Georgia.

The above record for Job Calloway from 1783, would have been lost if it had not been presented and proved later on in Stanly County in August 1851, most likely by the Moss family. The Carr and Bankston family were very early inhabitants, or owners, of land in what is now Stanly County, but their names are not familiar in more modern records because they did not stay. This was not my 5th Great Grandfather Job, as he was not yet born, but his family was, showing he was born here, along Mountain Creek. This Job would leave the area for Georgia.

Above, 400 acres on the lower side of Rock Hole Creek is referenced as being next to Andrew Bankston and Robert Carr, and a second 87 acres next to Job Callaway "being part of Carr's tract". 

In 1771, Stanly was still part of Anson as Montgomery had not been formed yet. Courts were few and far between. When Jacob and Job Calloway, along with Robert Carr and others, were ordered to lay the road from Edward Moore's store on the Yadkin River, they were referring to land in present Stanly County, probably near the Mountain Creek area where the Callaway's lived to the river, above the mouth of the Uwharrie. There was an early village in Stanly County called Narrowsville, named for the Narrows of the Yadkin River. It did not appear to be located right upon the river, but a short distance from it. The Salisbury Road is shown to have run, in another old map, between Mountain Creek and the river, and crossing the river, or ending at it, just below the mouth of the Uwharrie, (on the eastern bank of the Yadkin, across from the site of the old town of Henderson. Near the top of the map, another road veers off the Salisbury Road, and ends at Stokes Ferry. This would, of course, have been the Stokes Ferry Road, south of Ryals Creek. Narrowsville must have stood near this road, somewhere just west of the Narrows. There are a few names listed on the map, with one of them being Carters, on the Salisbury Road, near the headwaters of Mountain Creek. I believe the Calloway's probably lived in the vicinity of the Carters.

An old newspaper article from 1804 tells of a John Moore living on Mountain Creek, along with Luke Marbury on the same creek. He could have been a relative of Edward Moore.

As his father served in the Revolutionary War, Job put in his service in the War of 1812. The records describe him as being 5 foot 10 inches tall, with grey eyes, dark skin and dark hair. He received 100 acres on the Yadkin River in 1814 for is service, according to

Job only appears in one census, that of the 1830 in Montgomery County. He was probably also in the 1820 as Head of his own household in 1820, but that document was destroyed. He married Susannah Martisha Randall or Randle sometime soon after 1810, the daughter of Colby Randle and Lettie (Short for Letitia) Elmore. 

I have also posted on Colby Randle in this series on fathers 

Job and Susannah also settled along Mountain Creek and raised their family there. He inherited 64 1/2 acres from Isaac Callaway.

By 1830, Job was heading a household 11 people. He is shown as a man in his 40's, as was Susannah. There was a boy between 15 and 19, two between 10 and 14 and two under 5. Likewise, there was one female 15 to 19, one 10 to 14, one 5 to 9 and one under 5. This would record would have included all of his children, listed below, with the exception of the last, Matisha Callaway Kendall.

Job's neighbors in 1830 included Kinchen Pennington, John Fulchs (Folks), Timothy Ragsdale, Ethelred Morris, Thomas Rice, Howell Parker, J. Thomas Moss, Annis Carter, Cecily Fulchs and Daniel Kirk.

Archibald Smith, Fred Hinson, Joseph Ingram and William Jones.

Job, like his father, would build his wealth and land holdings over his lifetime, which wasn't long, but long enough to do so. 

On October 12, 1814, 60 acres was granted Job Calloway on the southwest side of the Yadkin River, meeting the properties of Letty Randle, his mother-in -law, and Francis Locke, who lived near Locke Mountain near the Narrows. Chain carriers were John Forrest and Jonathan McDonald.

There was an additional grant entered on the same day for 20 acres, always connecting to both Letty Randle and Francis Locke. This time Charles Jones and Jonathan McDonald were chain carriers.

Job and Susan Callaway were at times members of Rocky River Baptist Church across the Rocky River in Anson County. At other times, their church membership was at Kendall's Church in the Kendall Valley along the Salisbury Road.  It was obvious they were of a primitive Baptist ilk. In Mr. Colson's Calloway book, he states that Job and Susannah lived in "what is now the Davidson Talbert Place" three miles north of Albemarle. He also recounts a story concerning Job Callaway and his church attendance. 

"On the Saturday before the fifth Sunday of May 1830, Job rode to the Rocky River Church to ask that Kendall's Church be constituted as a regular church. Kendall's was only a few miles from his home.....There is some speculation that the Callaway's had a falling out with the Rev. Sammy "Crying Sammy" Morton at Rocky River Church.'

Job Calloway did not live to be an old man, despite some folk's opinions on the contrary. I will get into that later. He was born around 1790 and died in 1837, making him about 48. Above is a court record from 1838, where his will was offered for probate by evidence of Samuel P. Morton, his executor, son- in- law and my 4th Great Grandfather. 

The above transaction between Samuel P. Morton and his brothers-in-law's, Isaac Calloway, Alfred Calloway, and Agrippa Calloway, took place during the division of property of the Calloway estate. Isaac, the son of Job, is not to be confused with his uncle, Isaac Jr. the brother of Job, who went to Georgia with his uncles.

The division and swapping of properties among the heirs of Job Calloway continued nearly a decade after his death. The above deed references a 200 acres tract on Long Creek, not in the typical area of his abode, crossing a branch referred to as "namons" branch, twice, a branch I'm not familiar with. This 200-acre property is one mentioned as a grant for military service in the book, "Callaway Family History 1630-1898" compiled by Robert Ellis Colson. Upon his death, it was sold to his son-in-law David Kendall by his executor and son-in-law, Samuel P. Morton and widow, Susannah. This property was located roughly in what is known as the Kendall Valley, along the Old Salisbury Road in northern Stanly County today. 

In 1854, John, Job's son, transferred his interest in his father's property to his brother, Isaac. 

In 1858, Susan Callaway transferred her dower and right to the house she lived in and inherited to her sons, "the boys", I believe meaning the younger ones, Isaac, Agrippa and Elmore. She would have been about 68 years old, having been born on July 11, 1790.

The original will of Job Callaway is thought to have been destroyed by fire in one of the Montgomery County Courthouse fires prior to 1841, when Stanly County was founded. It was brought before the Stanly County court in the May Session of 1858 and presented as actual under the oaths of Nelson Pennington and Samuel P. Morton. At his death, Job was in possession of about 770 acres of land. 

After the usual wishes for disposition of his body, Job left the balance of his estate to his "beloved wife" after his debts were paid during her widowhood and or in the case of remarriage, he wanted it to go to his children.

rd I give to my eldest daughter Mary McLester property to the amount of $70 which property she has got.

4th I give to my second eldest daughter Vashti Morton property to the amount of $70 which property she has got.

5th I give to my eldest son Isaac Calloway property to the amount of $70 which property he has got. the above mentioned children having their property now in hand are not to recieve anything more until all the rest of the children recieve $70 each if there be not that much, if not the three oldest above mentioned to pay over to the rest unitl all are equal.

6th I divide in this that 20 acres of land lying on the Yadkin River be sold.

7th I direct in my will that 400 acres of land at home be priced at $2 per acre + my 4 boys younger than lsaac buy the same + pay into the estate the amount thereof + as they come to the age of 21 they are at liberty to build, settle, + clear said land outside of the old premises so that there shall be no improvement on the widows peaceable possession + if they choose not to take their place in this land the said when called for by the 1st oldest or by any of the 4 when 21 to laid off equally + value accordingly to division + the drawed for by them four boys, viz, Elmore, John, Agrippa + Alfred. 

Job appointed his son-in-law, Rev. Samuel P. Morton as his executor.

			Susanna Randall Callaway passed away on April 18, 1870, of consumption. Other members of the family died about the same time. Mary Callaway McLester also died of consumption the same year. She may have been taking care of her ill mother. Job and Susannah were both buried in the Calloway family cemetery, with his parents. The cemetery is still in use, but overtime became the Palestine Community Cemetery. The Calloway's were early citizens of the Palestine Community and descendants still live there. The ten children of Job and Susannah Randle Calloway were: 1) Mary M. Calloway 1810-1870. Married Daniel McLester and died of consumption.  2) Vashita Calloway 1812-1846. Married Samuel Parsons Morton 3) Isaac Calloway 1814- 1898. Married 3 times; Mary Kendall, Betsy Mann and Mary Linda Carter. 4) Elmore W. Calloway 1816 - 1898. Married Samantha Mariah Hodges. Moved to Tatnall, Georgia. 5) John C.  Calloway 1819-1862. Married Mary Clay. 5 children, died Petersburg, VA. Civil War. 6) King Agrippa Gamaliel Calloway 1823-1890 Married Eliza Elliott, 6 children. 7) Alfred S. Calloway 1827-1863. Married Mary Jane Marks, 1 child. Died Lynchburg, Va, Civil War. 8) Cassandra Calloway 1828 - Unknown. Married 1st William D. Kendall, 2nd to a Pennington, 3rd Nathaniel Wallace. 9) Sarah Calloway 1829-1894 Married James M. Clay. Moved to Grayson County, Texas. 10) Martisha R. Calloway 1834 - 1911. Married Benjamin L. Kendall. Moved to Tatnall, Georgia Palestine One of the earliest mentions of the town of Palestine in Stanly County that I can find mention of was published  in the Charlotte Observer in 1888. It was the description of a lengthy road being built by the state. The mention of our section involved the road leading from Albemarle would "run by Palestine Church in Stanly County and will cross the Yadkin at Penningtons Ferry; thence will run through Eldorado in Montgomery County direct to Asheboro in Randolph County." The Charlotte Observer Charlotte, North Carolina • Thu, Jul 12, 1888Page 4 We can ponder on old and modern maps what road, or a connection of them, that might have been, but the mention was of Palestine Church.  There are other accounts of the Post Office named Narrows, being renamed Palestine on April 7, 1880, and Green M. Dry being the first Postmaster. So, to my understanding, the name Palestine seems to have been derived from the Church, and the Church name from the Bible.  A quick history of the church states that the site began as a place established for seasonal outdoor camp meetings during the 1860's. Those meeting transitioned into a formal church and eventually a Methodist Congregation. At present, it is the Palestine Community Church. One afternoon recently, I decided to drive by on my way from Badin to Albemarle and first caught site of the old Calloway family cemetery highlighted by a sunbeam through the clouds from the curve before the railroad tracks. It's a mix of old and recent interments, the oldest being in the center of the cemetery and many of the stones now missing or illegible. In the church history is mentioned that the area was first settled by the pioneer Calloway and Talbert families. The church would later adopt the Calloway family cemetery as it's own, and it is now simply the Palestine Community Cemetery. The most populous name in the cemetery seems to be that of Dry, and a Dry was the first Postmaster. Early newspaper accounts also mention several Drys in connection with Palestine, especially an Adam Dry. Talbert is also a common name in the population of the marked stones.

As I thought of my Calloway ancestors and their connection to this land, a heavenly peace came across sky and I felt the connection to the early families who settled in the long ago community of Narrowsville, when the land was fresh and the people few. Other names popular among the internments are Blalocks, Bowers, Carpenter, Carter, Donahoe and Davis. Two of my Great Grandfather's brothers are buried here, as well as the son and descendants of my second Great Grandfather's brother who moved from the Stanly side of the Rocky River to Burnsville in Anson. His descendants relocated back to Stanly to the Palestine area. There is also a heathy population of Foremans, Forts, Fespemans and Hopkins. Hopkins are almost as populous there as Talberts, but no one family can touch the number of Drys buried there. The names like Halls, Griffins, Goss and Greens, Rummage and other litanies of common Stanly County names found here, were all intermarried into the primary four names found here: Drys, Hopkins, Talberts and Carters. The Davis family married into the Carters. The family of country singer, Kellie Pickler, who grew up here, are buried here, having married into the Drys. I can remember driving by the old Union Russell store, that I hoped would stand forever, but someone took it down in recent years. Russells also possess a good representation in the plots.

		Somewhere in these visible graves, deprived by tiime and weather of markers, are Isaac and Elizabeth Arnold Calloway and Job and Suannah Randle Callaway.

An old cemetery record book states that the grave of Isaac and Elizabeth lie beneath the first cedar tree as you enter the drive, but the cedar tree is no longer there. This was however, part of the property where Isaac Calloway lived and raised his children over 200 years ago, along Mountain Creek, which ran right through it and behind the cemetery.

It is also said that Job lived in the old Davidson Talbert place. Palestine now, is a place where five roads meet and cross. One of those "five-point' intersections. The church is there, many homes and several independant businesses. They used to have a sewing mill, now they have a towing service. The lot of the old putt putt golf is still there, but with decades of disuse. There is still a Christmas parade every year. And the Calloways wil rest in peace here forever among the ghosts of old Narrowsville.

Calloways and their descendants still live in and near Palestine.

Below, some information on the Wilkes County, Georgia Calloways

Enoch Callaway Homestead, Wilkes County, Georgia

The Callaway family of Georgia, established by brothers Job Callaway (c1741-1804), John Callaway (1746-1821), Joseph Callaway (1754-1821) and Joshua Callaway (1757-1816), is one of the best known family names in the state of Georgia. These men, sons of Edward Callaway (1711-1769); grandsons of John Callaway (1746-1821); and great-grandsons of American immigrant Peter Callaway (c1640-c1719), migrated with their families from Onslow County, North Carolina and settled the western lands of Wilkes County about 1783. Joined later by nephews, Isaac Callaway, Jr. (1776-1822) and David Callaway (1779-1844) sons of brother Isaac Callaway (c1750-c1819), the Callaway family spread through the surrounding counties, across the state and eventually westward as new land opened to settlement.

From these early times, Callaway’s and their allied families have been leaders in the civic, religious and political affairs of their communities, states and nation - a commitment that now stands at two-hundred and twenty-seven years as of 2010. The Callaway Family Cemetery is located on the Enoch Callaway Homestead near the town of Rayle in Wilkes County, Georgia. Known through the years as both the John Callaway Cemetery and the Rev. Enoch Callaway Family Cemetery, the family burying ground is located on land first settled by the Callaway’s in 1783 and still occupied by their descendants today.

While most of the individuals buried in the cemetery are descendants of Rev. Enoch Callaway (1792-1859), youngest son of John Callaway (1746-1821) and Bethany Arnold (1749-1844), some cousins from the Job Callaway (c1741-1804) family line are found among the gravestones. Descendants of Job, Joseph, Joshua, Isaac Jr. and David Callaway, as well, are found in the early history of Wilkes County, many still living in Wilkes County today and several connected to John and Bethany Arnold Callaway through allied families.

Directions:

From Georgia Highway 78 take Callaway Road(County Road 82) 1.5 miles (northeast) to Adolphus Callaway Road, turn right and travel 1.3 miles (southeast), passing the Enoch Callaway homestead (457 Adolphus Callaway Rd.) at .6 mile (pavement ends after .7 mile). Continue another .6 mile on the dirt road and turn left at the old wooden gin mill (also on the left). Travel .3 mile through the field to the cemetery.

Excerpt from 'The History of Anson County" by Mary Louise Medley

 

'A contemporary of Freeman and the Ratliff preachers was Samuel P. Morton known as 'Crying Sammy Morton'. An emotional type, he was given to shedding tears from the pulpit. Deacon Uriah Staton, large landowner of the Rocky River section and  a leader in both the first church there and a later one at Red Hill, usually went to sleep when Uncle Sammy preached. When asked about this he is said to have replied, "I know I can trust Uncle Sammy, but a stranger I have to watch'. Morton was born in Stanly County in 1805 and lived near Badin. He was an earnest, good man and filled with the spirit, and lived a meager life, bordering on poverty. He requested that the words on his tombstone be 'S. P. Morton A Sinner Saved by Grace.' What he lacked in colorful revival tactics, he made up in sincere good work. He converted and baptized many people during his ministry. '

  Note: The present town of Badin did not exist during the lifetime of Sammy Morton. What the author meant was he lived in the area of the present town. Ebenezer Baptist Church, now Badin Baptist, did exist and in it's cemetary is buried the father of Sammy Morton's first wife, Vashti Calloway, Job Calloway. Vashita Calloway Morton's grave and the homestead of Samuel P. Morton at the time was is the path of the expanding waters of Badin lake during the Dam construction era. Vashti's grave, with many others, was relocated to one of the Graveyard Islands near Tuckertown Dam. Sammy and his second wife, Lucy Ingram Morton, are buried at Red Hill Baptist Church in northern Anson County. 

The newspaper clipping above, I've found attached to the profile of Job Calloway who was married to Susannah Randle. This was not him by a long shot. There are also claims that he is buried at Kendall's Church and not Palestine. The Job Callaway buried at Kendall's Baptist Church was the one mentioned above. He was the grandson of my 5th Great Grandfather, for whom he was named. Job Callaway the III was the son of Isaac Calloway the III, son of Job II. He was born April 26, 1847, and in the spirit of serving in the military as his predecessors did, he was a Civil War Vet. He married Elizabeth Mann and died on April 23, 1934. 

) Mary M. Calloway 1810-1870. Married Daniel McLester

2) Vashita Calloway 1812-1846. Married Samuel P. Morton

3) Isaac Calloway 1814- 1898. Married 3 times; Mary Kendall, Betsy Mann and Mary Linda Carter.

4) Elmore W. Calloway 1816 - 1898. Married Samantha Mariah Hodges. Moved to Tatnall, Georgia.

5) John C.Calloway 1819-1862. Married Mary Clay. 5 children, died Petersburg, VA. Civil War.

6) King Agrippa Gamaliel Calloway 1823-1890 Married Eliza Elliott.

7) Alfred S. Calloway 1827-1863. Married Mary Jane Marks, 1 child. Died Lynchburg, Va, Civil War.

8) Cassandra Calloway 1828 - Unknown. Married 1st W. D. Kendall, 2nd Nathaniel Wallace.

9) Sarah Calloway 1829-1894 Married James M. Clay. Moved to Grayson County, Texas.

10) Martisha R. Calloway 1834 - 1911. Married Benjamin L. Kendall. Moved to Tatnall, Georgia

Thirty Fathers in Thirty Days: Benjamin Hathcock, Sr.

 

Lloyd Hathcock Family Cemetery, Red Cross, NC

The frailty of the human condition is an inherent reality that blends biological vulnerability with the philosophical search for meaning. Genetically and psychologically, we are built with delicate physiological reserves and deep emotional capacities that ultimately shape our resilience and mortality. The Divine Mercy.

My fifth Great Grandfather, Benjamin Hathcock, Sr.  was another long-lived ancestor of mine. This trait did not pass down to all of his descendants, however. Benjamin F. Hathcock was the ancestor of my paternal grandfather. My father lived to 81, his father lived to 71, his father lived to 68, his father lived to 73, and so on. Then there was Ben. His Find-a- Grave claims he was born August 10, 1742, in Brunswick County, Virginia and he died January 18,1857, in Stanly County, North Carolina. That amounts to 114 years old, in the mid 19th Century of all times.

Do I believe this man was 114 years old? Of course not. Do I believe he was a very old man? Yes, well obviously. 

I descend from Benjamin Hathcock, Sr. through one of his younger sons, Benjamin Hathcock Jr., who married Nancy Ann Burris, daughter of Solomon Burris and his wife, Judith. I refrain from throwing a 'Franklin' in, at least on Senior. Yes, there was a trend to name a son after the Revolution for the astute and respected stateman, Benjamin Franklin, but Benjamin Heathcock or Hathcock Sr. was born well before that time. He was simply Benjamin.

He seems to have been a well-liked, but not a wealthy man, so he didn't leave too many traces in his early years, only in the recall and memories of his grandchildren, whom he lived to see grow up, which was an amazing feat. They remembered him as an old man, though, so little is known about his youth. As far as his arrival to the area in which he died, he was here by 1783, when his name appears on a Montgomery County Tax list.

Census Records

1790

Benjamin Hathcock was the only Hathcock, Hethcock or Heathcock in the 1790 census of Montgomery County, North Carolina. It counted 1 male over 16, two under 16 and 3 females in the household. Edgecomb reported 4: Frederick, Ptolemy, Isham and William. Chatham: Hosea, James, John and William. Northampton: John, Rueben and Newman. Richmond County also had just one: Thomas. More on him later.

In 1800, the name appears as "Heckcock" and there are 3 in Montgomery County, Benjamin, Young and Dempsey. Benjamin had a full house. Ten people, a man and woman over 45, a boy 10-15 and another under 10. Six girls, two in each age group of 16-25, 10-15 and under 10. Dempsey looked like a young married couple, a man and a woman, both 16-25. Young had a male 26-45 and a female 16-25, there were two children under 10, a boy and a girl. It appears Young was the oldest son, at about 26, and Dempsey was second.

In 1810, there is Benjamin, Dempsey, James and "D". Ben still has 10 people in his household, but the dynamics have changed. There is still a male and female over 45, so his wife is still alive. He has one male 16-25 and two under ten, so two more sons born between 1800 and 1810. There are two females between 16 and 25 and two in the 10 - 15 brackets. He has one under 10. Dempsy and his wife are now both 26-45, two girls 10 -15 and two boys under 10. James has now started his own household, with a man and woman both 16-25 and a little girl under 10. James is next to Benjamin, and the unknown "D" is up a few spaces next to Edward and Edmund Almond. There is a theory that "D" Hethcock was actually Young Hathcock. The ages are correct.

Dempsey is listed among Burris's, Hardy Hatley, Malachi Harwood and Ezekiel Morton, and Edward Almond Sr., several of those also ancestors of my grandfather.

There was no 1820 Census for Montgomery County. By 1820, however, Young Hathcock was one of the many young men who removed to Tennessee. He settled in Montgomery County, Tennessee. The name must have felt familiar.

In 1830, There is Dempsey, James, James H, Jesse and John. No Benjamin.

Name	Benjn Haithcock
Home in 1830 (City, County, State)	Southampton, Virginia
Free Colored Persons - Males - Under 10	1
Free Colored Persons - Males - 24 thru 35	2
Free Colored Persons - Females - Under 10	2
Free Colored Persons - Females - 24 thru 35	1
Free Colored Persons - Females - 55 thru 99	2
Total Free Colored Persons	8
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored)	8

There is a Benjamin Hathcock (or spelling variant), in Southampton, Virginia. This is not our Benjamin. He was a free person of color and that branch, and subject will be discussed later in the post.

Back in Montgomery County, North Carolina, Dempsey Hathcock is living next to Dempsey Springer and Frederick Lambert. This is intriguing to me, because I know that Frederick will soon migrate to Mississippi, and the two Dempsey's makes me wonder if there was a connection between the Hathcock and Springer families. Just a thought.

Jesse, James and James H. are living very near each other. One James is in his 20's and the other James in his 30's. Jesse is in his 50's. He may have just joined the family from another County. Jesse's oldest son, James Green Hathcock was born about 1804, so I believe he was the younger James. Jesse has an 80-year-old in his home, and it's listed here as a female, but I think that may be an error, and this was actually Benjamin, because the age is right. A decade later, he is in a grandson's house as a nonagenarian. There is also a a John Hathcock in his 20's living between Will Morton and Richard Poplin Jr., who was living near Dempsey before. I believe this John is a son of Dempsey.

Name	Jesse Hathcock
Home in 1830 (City, County, State)	West Side Pee Dee River, Montgomery, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - Under 5	2
Free White Persons - Males - 15 thru 19	1
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29	2 One of these could be youngest brother, Ben.
Free White Persons - Males - 50 thru 59	1 Jesse
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5	1
Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9	1
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 14	2
Free White Persons - Females - 15 thru 19	1
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29	1
Free White Persons - Females - 50 thru 59	1
Free White Persons - Females - 80 thru 89	1 Error? Benjamin?
Free White Persons - Under 20	8
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49	3
Total Free White Persons	14
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored)	14

In 1840, the name is back to Hethcock and there is Ben Jr., James Jr., James, James Sr, Jesse Sr., Jesse Jr., Lloyd and Neelin. Benjamin, Sr. is obviously living with his Grandson Lloyd, as well as Lloyd's mother, Sally. The Grandsons are beginning to populate and youngest son, Benjamin Jr. is head of his own household.

Name	Loyd Heathcock
Residence Date	1840
Home in 1840 (City, County, State)	West Pee Dee River, Montgomery, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - Under 5	2
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29	1 Lloyd
Free White Persons - Males - 90 thru 99	1 Benjamin
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5	1
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29	2
Free White Persons - Females - 60 thru 69	1 Sarah, Lloyd's mother
Persons Employed in Agriculture	3
No. White Persons over 20 Who Cannot Read and Write	2
Free White Persons - Under 20	3
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49	3
Total Free White Persons	8
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves	8

I personally believe the Hathcock family is a little more complicated than it's made out to be.

And then we have the 1850 census. Benjamin Hathcock Sr made it to the 1850 census. Amazing! This actually is the most amazing fact about him. Lloyd was now 41, married, and with seven children. At the top of the page, you'll see a two-year-old Sarah M. Hathcock. Her father, Benjamin Hathcock Jr. was listed on the previous page and she was a rollover. After Benjamin was miner Calvin Hathcock, 21. That was John Calvin Hathcock, Ben Jr.'s oldest son, who married Mary Hartsell. Notice that Benjamin's age is give as 108, and his birthplace as Virginia. 

The Wife

There is no document that gives the name of Benjamin Hathcock Sr.'s wife. Let me repeat that, there is no documentation of the name of Benjamin Hathcock Sr.'s wife. There is, however, speculation. By living so long, many of the grandchildren of Ben Hathcock had the advantage of knowing him and knowing him well. You can imagine a pack of them huddled around his feet as he told them of his childhood in Virginia. So, things undocumented were passed down. David Burris was one grandchild recorded speaking on Ben Sr., and he quoted from another grandmother of his, Judith Taylor Burris. The wife of Benjamin Hathcock Sr. is named either as Sarah or Nancy. Her maiden name is given as either Taylor or Young, sometimes crunched together. If I was to guess, I believe he probably had two wives, not one, as the ages of his children stretch from about 1775 to 1802. There seems to be a gap of about a decade in between two groups, which would lead me to believe that Young, Dempsey, Martha, James and Jesse were by one wife, and Sarah (Sally), Jane, Lee, and Ben II, were by a second one. He appears to have had a living wife through the 1810 census, but she was gone by 1830, or 1840, at least. The Young surname appears to have evolved from the given name of the oldest son, Young. This group also most commonly claim Nancy. The younger ones claim Sarah. Sarah may have been some relation to Judith Taylor Burris, so Sarah Taylor. But remember, no proof of either, just vague memories of a few elderly grandchildren written down somewhere.

Personality

-Benjamin Sr. and his family were musically talented. It was recounted to David Burris by his grandmother, Judith Taylor Burris, that Ben Sr. was the fiddler at her wedding, (to Solomon Burris).

-He was said to have owned the first Buggy in Stanly County. He wasn't into collecting large swaths of land, or owning the biggest farm, but he must have liked his vehicles. 

-He was said to have won a sharpshooter contest after he was 100 years old. 

Quite an incredible fellow.

There are a few sources of where most of the information we have concerning old Benjamin derives from. First and foremost is the deposition he gave for the pension from the Revolutionary War for William Poplin and his wife, Lucy. Benjamin did not serve in the Revolutionary War. I personally believe he was born more around 1857, than 1842. This deposition is best, and most accurate we have, because it's in his own words. I'm beginning to see a group move, a wagon train forming in my mind., with Hathcock's, Poplins, Perry's and probably a few more. Individuals usually did not travel alone. There would be a collective of families, some related, others just neighbors or acquaintances, heading for the same destination. 

The other information was from a letter, and recollections from grandchildren or others, who knew Old Ben, had met him, or heard their parents, his children, talk about him and passed the information on, someone having the forethought to write it down. 

Above, the pension claim of William Poplin of Montgomery County, North Carolina, a Private in the Company commanded Captain Welch of the Regiment commanded by Col. Alston. 9 months in North Carolina. June 7, 1832, Lawrenceville, NC. Although he was living elsewhere during the time of his service, he had moved to Montgomery County, NC by 1830.

Lucy Poplin, widow of William Poplin, stated she was married about 1767 or 1768. She believed she had three children at the time her husband left for the War, and that they were married in Chatham County, NC. She was in her 80's at this time.

State of North Carolina  

Montgomery County

On this 25 day of April 1840, personally appeared before me Solomon Efird a justice of the peace in and for the county aforesaid Benjamin Heathcock aged about ninety years form what he states and on his appearance.

indicates and who being duly sworn according to law Declares that as nearly as he can state he's now about ninety years of age. that he was born and raised in the state of Virginia and came to the county of Chatham in this state before the Revolutionary War. He further states that he became acquainted with William Poplin and his wife Lucy Poplin before the war and lived in the same neighborhood that they lived in Chatham. That they then lived together as man and wife and had before the war one child or two he cannot state which but he knows that they had a child. He states that the fact...

of their marriage was never questioned and the has no doubt at this time but that they were duly and legally married. He further states that William Poplin has been dead for several years and that Lucy Poplin who now declares for a Pension is his widow and has not married since his death and from the time he first knew them they had lived together as man and wife and have raised a large family of children and no doubt of suspicion in his mind nor ever entertained that they wee not duly married. That they  .... now in Montgomery County. 

Sworn to and Subscribe before me 

Solomon Efird

Benjamin X Heathcock (his mark)

This document gives us four facts about Benjamin:.

• He was born and raised in Virginia.
• He came to Chatham County, NC before the War.
• He met William and Lucy Poplin before the War and they all moved from there to Montgomery County.
• He was around 90 in 1840.

Family Tree of Mary Catherine Hathcock

The whole matter of Benjamin Hathcock's origins and the floundering, later, of prideful grandchildren is the story of human frailty and nature as old as time. The mortar of brick walls. We'll go through the sources later, but the bottom-line was that Benjamin Hathcock, was not a Hathcock down the male line. His father was a Hamilton or Hambleton, and his mother was a Hathcock. The man named Hathcock who raised him was his grandfather. There have been multiple books written on the Hathcock, and its many spellings, clan. Quite a few contain information on Benjamin, and some of that information is pretty old. One author of it was a Dr. Thomas Alexander Hathcock, a grandson of Benjamin Hathcock, Sr. He, being a learned and austere, (insert prideful) man, had to formulate a speculative, yet believable canard about his grandfather's origins that would not bring shame upon the family, so he told a half-truth. His story was that Ben was an orphaned boy who was taken in by an old man named Hathcock, although his real name, or his father's name was Hambleton or Hamilton. 

His cousin, Mary Furr, another descendant, would recount what her mother, a daughter or granddaughter of old Ben, told her. That Ben had been born out of wedlock to a Hambleton or Hamilton man and a Hathcock girl. He was raised in the home his maternal grandfather, Hathcock. This explains a lot, like Ben's lack of property and records, and a few other details. 

Ben had the opportunity to payback the care of his grandfather, and then to receive care back in turn. His own daughter, Sarah, aka "Sally", became an unwed mother by Daniel Perry, from another family who seem to have migrated at the same time from the same place, here. She had a son named Lloyd, and possibly a daughter, Mary. That's something I have to look at a little closer. Benjamin Sr. kept up his daughter and her child, (or children). Her son Lloyd is the one who took care of Ben in his old age. Reciprocal care.

Where did Ben first settle in Montgomery County? We know he first was found on a Tax list there in 1783.

He entered a grant on Long Creek of 100 acres,  on October 2, 1799, entry # 5115. Grant # 2392 was issued on December 6, 1816, Book 130, Page 373. The tract was on the waters of Long Creek, at the mouth of a branch on James Lee's line. Later is mentioned John Poplin's line.

He appears to have entered a failed grant two years earlier, as an assignee of Wiley Carpenter, for 100 acres on Long Creek, but no matching patent was found. It was entered on April 25, 1797, entry # 3057. There is no record of it actually being issued. 

This entry, shown above is mentioned as "Beginning at Poplin's corner", then to Taylor's corner, then to Carson & Moore's line, then to Lee's corner. James Howell and James Lee were chain carriers. Knowing that Lee probably referring to James Lee and that Poplin referred to John Poplin, I looked to see which Taylor it may have been referring to. Having looked well into, I was pretty sure I knew already.

Carson and Moore spoke of the partnership of Thomas Carson and Willam Moore, land speculators who had acquired large tracts of land in Piedmont North Carolina, primarily along the Rocky River, Island Creek, Long Creek and Bear Creek, most of which was in present Stanly County. In 1795, they received a grant for 17,920 acres in the forks of the Rocky River, and along Bear and Long Creeks. A John Carson later bought them out and sold tracts out of it, including one of 67,000 acres to William Thornton, whose name is also seen a lot in these early deeds. So, Ben's grant bordered one of Carson & Moore's lines, their presence is not one to look into as they owned half the county at the time.

I figured out that the Taylor mentioned in Ben's grant was most likely Nimrod Taylor. I found him in conjunction with Jonathan Taylor. There is also a Grant that reveals Johnathan Carpenter had property connecting Wyley or Wilie Carpenter, and also John Carpenter. 

Wylie Carpenter was the name Ben was an assignee of on the failed Grant. The Carpenters are also one of my family lines. They migrated here with the Upchurch family from counties east. John Carpenter was the son-in-law of Benjamin Upchurch, and I descend from his son, James Ludwell Carpenter, who married Obedience Broadway, one of my two Broadaway lines.

Another interesting name to look into was that of William Poplin.

His entry was on Scaley Branch and ran with Daniel Perry's line. Daniel Perry was the father of Ben's grandson Lloyd, or Loyd, Hathcock by his daughter, Sally. Jonathan Poplin had a grant that bordered John Poplin and Daniel Perry. 

"The above warrant of one hundred acres of land is transferred to Benjamin Hathcock for Value Rec'd and the security is required to Issue the grant in his name as witness my hand and seal this 14th day of January 1798. Test Asa Atkins His mark Wiley Carpenter (Seal).

Where did the Hathcock's originate to start with? What did the name mean?

It's of British origin and derives from the word haeth, meaning an open Moorland and cot for cottage, Heath Cottage, or Cottage on a Heath, a place name, like Hill or Woods. It was first found in Derbyshire in the 12th Century and is of Anglo-Saxon origin.

The Hathcock name has about a dozen variations including, but not limited to Hathcox, Hatcoat, Hathcoat, Haithcock, Haithcoat, Heithcock, Heathcock, Heathcoat, Heathcote, Heathcot, Heathcott, Hethcox, Hethcock. The most common one used in Stanly and Montgomery Counites were Hathcock, Hethcock and Heathcock. Most books on the family agree that our specific line began with a Thomas Hatcock who came to America from England about 1635. He first settled in what is now Northampton County, Virginia. By 1730 descendants had moved to Prince George County and Brunswick County, Virginia. 

We can't know for certain who exactly Benjamin's kin were, but by following the real estate, we can see the flow, like a river, from where we know he came from to where we know he ended up. Greensville County, Virginia was formed from Brunswick County in 1781. Its southern border is Northampton County, NC. 

There was a Joseph Heathcock whose plantation had been located in Brunswick County, in the part that became Greensville in 1781. 

Joseph had a son, John, who would later move to Bute County, NC, the part that later became Warren.

Hosea "Ozzy" Hathcock

Recall from the 1790 census, that a Hosea Hathcock lived in Chatham County, along with James, John and William. In the 1779 deed abstracts of Montgomery County, NC, we find the below information;

"50 acres of land was granted to Jesse Wooten in Montgomery County, NC". The property was said to have adjoined that of "Ozzy" Hathcock and a Mr. Collins. 

The same year that Hosiah "Ozzy" Hathcock in noted as having land in Montgomery County, NC. Thomas Hathcock, son of Edward Hathcock of Northampton County, NC, is noted as living in Anson County, 1779, in the part that would later become Richmond County, NC. Thomas and Hosiah were close together at this time. Josiah was a member of Captain Elisha Cains Chatham County Militia in September 1772, in Chatham County, NC. He appears to have been in Chatham, went to Montgomery, then back to Chatham. Militia groups would naturally travel to various places, sometimes on a near constant move, in the years between 1775 and the early 1780's. Hosea would move to Elbert County, Georgia, and is found there in 1800. There were several Hathcock's who preceded him there, including a John, Hastin, William and James, perhaps relatives.

Edward Heathcock

Edward Heathcock may have been born in Henrico County, Viriginia sometime between 1643 and 1675. He seems to have had some kinship to Joseph and Jesse Heathcock who were in the Brunswick County area with him in the 1730's.  Edward owned land on Arthur's Creek and Norton's Branch an in the Turbyfield's Run area near the NC/ Virginia border and along the Roanoke. Joseph, (1700 -1782), who had land on Beaver Pond Creek in Brunswick County may have been his son. Joseph died in Brunswick County on his Falling Run property.  Jesse Heathcock, who lived in the same area at the same time may also be a relative. 

A Granville grant dated June 22, 1749, to Joshua Stepp tells of land on the east side of Arthur's Creek adjoining Edward Heathcock and Norton's Branch, meaning Edward had settled there by 1749

 In April 1757, Edward Hathcock, in conjunction with his wife, Catron, sold 100 acres of land in Brunswick County, Viriginia to Drury Jordan, on the north side of Ragland's Ferry Road, adjoining James Norton and other land belonging to the Heathcocks. Deed Book 2 Page 387. Catron is a form of Catherine with Welsh origins, possibly indicating his wife may have been of Welsh extract.

On November 26, 1753, "Edward Heathcock, Planter" sold 100 acres in Northampton County, NC, to James Norton, "part of a patent originally granted to Edward Heathcock". Deed Book 2, Page 129. James Norton was his son-in-law, having married his daughter, Martha. The Norton family had land holdings dating back to the 1740's and references to a place called Norton's Corner are found in the old deeds. 

In May of 1758, Edward gave "for love and goodwill", to his son, Thomas Heathcock, 100 acres on "Turbafields Run", a name that would evolve into Troublefield in our area, found in Deed Book 2 Book 476.  On the same day, he conveyed 20 acres, also on Turbafield's Run to John Heathcock, found in Book 2 Page 475. He doesn't' specify John as his son in the deed, but it's likely. 

James 

A James Hathcock (1743-1838) was born in Brunswick County, Virgina to William and Nancy Anthony Hathcock. He removed to Chatham where he married Elizabeth Sexton and had seven known children; Charlotte, Isaac, Isaiah, Hiram and Patrick. He served in the NC militia during the Revolutionary War and afterwards settled in Hillsborough. He died in Chatham in 1838, at the age of 95, continuing what seems to be a nature towards longevity in this particular Heathcock/Hathcock line. He was known as Scout or Scott. Whether that was a middle name, or a nickname, I don't know. It could have indicated a career if it was Scout, or origins if it were Scott.

Thomas 

Thomas Hathcock was the son of Edward Heathcock of Northampton County, NC, whose property seemed to have straddled the State lines. Edward was there by 1758. Thomas was in Anson, then Richmond, by October of 1777. It was a fact that River Jordan and John Jordan had moved to the same general area. River Jordan was previously a resident of Brunswick County, Virginia and would also move to Elbert County,  Georgia where Hosea Heathcock moved.

A John Jordan witnessed a Heathcock deed in Northampton County and Edward Heathcock had sold property there to Drury Jordan, who was also his neighbor. There seems to be a strong Jordan theme running through the family connections. Thomas died on April 13, 1818, and it appears he had something in common with Benjamin Hathcock than just a surname. His age was greatly exaggerated.

A newspaper article that appeared in the Carolina Observer of Richmond County and was reprinted in Augusta Chronicle out of Georgia, made the following incredible claim:

"Longevity - Died in Richmond County on 13th instant at the seat of Col. Therogood Pate, Thomas Heathcock age 125 years!

He left a numerous family of children settled in different parts of the country, two of whom live in the State of Georgia. (Elbert County?!?), One aged 93 and the other 87, and one son in Richmond County but little over 16 years of age."

His known sister, Martha Norton, was born during the 1720's to 1730. He was probably fairly close to his age, and that would have put him between 80 -90 at death. 

A quick check of the 1820 census in Richmond, finds only a Samuel Heathcock, with only Hosea in Georgia, Elbert County. His age is only categorized as over 45, so we can't know, but Hosea was probably one of the sons. There's also a Grace Hathcock in Chatham that year, which interests me, because Ben Jr. named a daughter Grace.

Recall the 1830 census of a Benjamin Hathcock family in Southampton County that were classified as "Other Free"? There was a branch of the Hathcock/ Heathcock family that were considered mixed with the Nottaway tribe. The paragraph below is from the book, "Family Connections of the Brooks, Hathcock and Nance Families of the United States, Compiled Genealogies". Authors include Bill Gullickson, Nancy Norton, Sam Norton, Marcy Stephens, June Melvin and Myrtle Stephens.

From the book 'Hathcock Family History: United States. Family Histories 1991 (no single author given, just collaborate efforts mentioned)

Holiday Hathcock was a free man of color from Johnston County, North Carolina. Born about 1760, he volunteered for multiple tours of service in the Revolutionary War. His 1834 pension application was suspended. His eventual successful fight was helped by the testimony and affidavit of Justice of the Peace, William Bryan. Byran provided that Free People of Color were drafted, volunteered and served just like white Patriots.

A timeline of Holiday Hathcock's locations show:

• 1784 in Sampson County, just south of Johnston, (Sampson Early Tax List)
• 1788 assigns his Revolutionary War Bounty lands over to his daughter Nancy Sheppard (John)
• 1790 Census Johnston County, North Carolina (6 people, Other Free Persons)
• 1800 Hillsborough, Orange County, (6 people, Other Free Persons)
• 1832-1836 Pension Application
• 1853, his son David applied for his pension in 1853, meaning he was deceased. His wife named as Sally.

Why would Holiday Hathcock be important to the story of  Benjamin Hathcock?

Many believe Holiday to be the son of Edward Hathcock. He was born in Northampton County, where Edward had moved to from Brunswick/Greensville County, Virginia, along the same waterways, as Greensville borders Northampton. There was interaction on a road crew. Had Edward, who was known to be a white man, marry a Nottaway woman or have a child with her? Or was she not a Nottaway? Who really was Edward?

I question this because Hathcock DNA studies link Benjamin Hathcock descendants with the Edward/Thomas group, only autosomal, but then again, Ben wasn't a Hathcock down the male line. Hosea Hathcock group matches with them among Ydna testing within a normal range of mutations. The Joseph Hathcock group, who was a contemporary of Edward, is also connected, but not as directly. I am copying and pasting the information below because if I just typed it, no one would believe me.

From Familytreedna.com

More on the Poplins:

In 1777 in the Chatham County Superior Court records, Sally Hathcock of Halifax County, was ordered to appear before a Justice of the Peace, to give testimony against William Poplin, of Chatham for a charge of Horse Theft. William was later convicted. Sadly, the records do not include Sally's exact testimony. Since Benjamin knew William Poplin and bore the same name, there could have been a relation between he and Sally, as we know that she also knew William Poplin and knew of his criminal act. Could Benjamin have also had a connection to Halifax County?

Of course, Halifax borders Northampton, and all arrows point to the family being in Northampton before arriving in Chatham.

Again, I link to the incredible research and blog of George Thomas, who mentions in the following post the family of William Poplin prior to his service and after, and connections to the early Taylor and Burris families. Please see below:

A Veteran's Story from They Lived Upon a Rocky River

We know from his grant that William Poplin also ended up in Montgomery (Stanly) County, along with Benjamin Hathcock. He was born about 1749 and died on June 2, 1835 in Stanly County, becoming the Patriarch of a large Stanly County family. He served under that dastardly Col. Phillip Alston who tormented my Dowd relatives. He lived in Chatham briefly after the War, moved to Moore County for a few years before removing to Georgia, finally returning to Montgomery County where he lived out his last years.

Dr. Thomas Alexander Hathcock, Jr.

Dr. Hathcock, who was the son of  Thomas Alexander Hathcock, Sr., (1824-1908), was a Great Grandson of Old Benjamin Hathcock. He published a genealogy in "Makers of America. Vol. 3, 'Biographies of Leading Men and Women. Including Family Histories and Accurate Genealogical Records" by Leonard Wilson, F.S.A.  B. F. Johnson Incorporation, Washington DC. 

Family can be biased in recounting their ancestry. That's an understatement. It particularly can apply to descendants of education and status, like those with letters after their names, beyond Jr. and such.

Dr. T. A. Hathcock, Jr.

Among the claims and whitewash in Dr. Hathcock's account of his ancestor was the exaltation of the eight Hathcock's who were soldiers along the NC line during the Revolution. Fair enough. He mentions Thomas Hathcock of Richmond County,  as being a forebear, due to his first name, Thomas. See quote below.

"Christian names are often repeated in families, and following reasonable deductions, it is possible that all these Hathcock's are descendants of Thomas Hathcock who was an early Viriginia (Stone County) immigrant. The repetitive use of the name Thomas Alexander Hathcock suggests that the original immigrant's full name may have been Thomas Alexander Hathcock".

Dude get over yourself! I take his recounts with a grain of salt. For one thing, he invented a County in Virginia that never existed. I suppose he pulled that from the name of William Stone who transported a Thomas Heathcock from England, who was an indentured servant by the way! He left that little tidbit of information out. He also attempted to whitewash the whole story of how Benjamin, whose father was a Hambelton or Hamilton, became a Hathcock. Mrs. Mary Furr's account is much more credible.

Debra Baugh's account of the Benjamin Hathcock family seems more accurate and carefully compiled. She didn't contrive anything out of the ether due to the multiple occurrences of a common name in a family.  Ms. Baugh carefully and diligently collected information from various Hathcock families in Stanly and surrounding counties, weaving together the various patches of the spring branches of the Benjamin Hathcock tree. There were common threads that would weave into a consistent dialogue. 

Debra Baugh compiled and incorporated Mary Furr's records into her book, 'Hathcock Family History, Descendants of Benjamin Hathcock, Vol. IX (1986).

Mary Furr had written a letter in 1969 with the following information, "My mother, (Elizabeth Jane Burris), told me just before she died that Benjamin's mother was a daughter of this Mr. Hathcock".  She had admitted on her deathbed that the Mr. Hathcock known to have raised Benjamin was his grandfather and that his mother was not married. 

Also, in Mrs. Baugh's rendition of the Hathcock menagerie was the recount of an undated letter from a David Burris to an unknown person, (probably Eliza Jane Burris, she surmises). This could have been my second Great Grandfather, David Burris, (1851-1928), who married Ellen Honeycutt. He was the son of Gideon Green Burris and Obedience Hathcock, a daughter of Benjamin Hathcock Jr. and Nancy Ann Burris. There were multiple David Burris's, so I can't be sure that he's the one, but the shoe fits. 

He made several interesting observations and recollections of Old Ben in his letter, which must have come to him in the stories of older relations. One was the story of how Benjamin had been orphaned as a child and was raised by Mr. Hathcock, (his grandfather), and that his father's name had been Hamilton or Hambleton. It was David who revealed the musical talents of the bunch. He recalled, "This generation was much inclined to music. They were drummers, fifers and fiddlers and some were fine singers. I heard Grandma Burroughs, (Judith Taylor Burris) say that old man Hathcock, (Benjamin), of them all was their fiddler when she and grandfather, (Solomon Burris) married". This was probably a David Burris a generation up from my David, as, although my David was a Hathcock descendant as well, he was a Great Grandson of Solomon, not a Grandson.

Continuing quotes from the letter, "Old Jimmy Hathcock, (James Sr., son of Benjamin), your Great Grandfather on your grandmother Hathcock's side of the family said that their proper name was Hambleton. Your grandfather Lloyd Hathcock's father was Daniel Perry, but he (Lloyd) took his mother's name. As to their children, I do not recollect that they were twins. I think they died in infancy. That is all I know about them." I don't know what children he was referring to, perhaps those of Lloyd and his wife who had died young. 

"A postscript to this letter continues, 'Old Benjamin Hathcock of all, I have seen this often. He belongs to the old school Baptist, Primitive Baptist and lived to be very old - 115 years of age. They said he had a son named Benjamin who married my father's sister, Nancy Burris. (This indicates this could have been David Wright Burris, son of Joshua C. Burris), "Old Billy Whitley married one of old man Benjamin's daughters, (Martha Hathcock Whitley). " I have forgotten her name. He lived, (William Whitley) to be of great age 118 years.' (Another exaggeration) This letter was in the possession of Beatrice M. Hanson of Mesa, Arizona in 1971."  It is also in her book the claim that Benjamin had the first buggy in Stanly County. She added that even though no stone exists that Benjamin is regarded as having been buried, in 1857, in the family cemetery of his grandson, Lloyd, with whom he lived. The cemetery is located on the east side of Ridgecrest Road in the town of Red Cross, Stanly County, NC. The book reports that it's "Just before crossing Stony Run Creek." 

Summary on Benjamin

These are my own summations. We know from his own words, and the 1850 census, that Benjamin Hathcock Sr. was born in Virginia. He later moved to Chatham County, "before the Revolution". This doesn't mean he went straight there. He followed the same trail, more or less, as Thomas Hathcock and Hosea "Ozzy" Hathcock, at first. His parents were rumored to have died of smallpox, his father at least. Fatherless children were considered orphans in those days. His father's surname was Hambleton, (or Hamilton). His mother's surname was Hathcock/Heathcock. He was taken in and raised by his maternal Grandfather, Mr. Hathcock. 

Some claim descent from the long living Thomas Hathcock who moved to Richmond County. Thomas was the proven son of Edward and lived in Northampton County before moving to Anson as early as 1758. Benjamin first appears in Montgomery (Stanly), as early as November of 1782. Thomas shows up in Richmond by 1777, with a connection to the Jordans. Thomas was of an older generation than Benjamin, but he was not old enough, to have been Benjamin's grandfather. I believe he was more of an uncle, and that Hosea was the son of Thomas. There were certainly similarities with Thomas, and James, who lived to be a believable 95. 

My bets would be on Edward Heathcock being the grandfather who raised Benjamin. It all fits together. There is a consensus among the Hathcock family authors and that Ben was born in Brunswick and then lived in Greensville Counties in Virginia. I propose that he lived along the border in the part that was Brunswick but became Greensville. I can see him following his grandfather into Northampton, before moving to Chatham with relatives after the passing of Edward. An exact birth year for him would help with my theory, but alas. If Benjamin was born in 1742, like his Find-A-Grave entry suggests, he would have been a young adult of 21 when Edward Hathcock died. I think he was younger than that and may have been 10 or 12 in 1763. There was indeed a smallpox outbreak in 1759. I believe this was probably a few years after Benjamin was born. He may have traveled down this way with Chatham neighbors, or with Hathcock relatives. 

The Children

United States. Family Histories 1993

1) Dempsey Hathcock (1775- aft 1860) wife or children unknown. Died in Guy, Montgomery County, Arkansas after 1860. There were two Dempsey Hathcock's. The other lived in Moore County, NC. He also had his start in Chatham County, and ended up in Jack County, Texas. The Moore County Dempsey was older, but not a generation older. This could suggest a familial relationship somewhere up the line. 

2) Martha "Patsy" Hathcock (1776-1880) Married William "Old Billy" Whitley. They had a son named Jesse who married Reuah Perry, the daughter of Daniel Perry and Sarah "Sally" Hathcock, a cousin marriage.

3) James Hathcock Sr. (1778 - May 9, 1848) Buried at Old Freedom Cemetery. Married Esther or Easter Honeycutt.

4) Jesse Hathcock Sr. (1780-1847) Married Catherine "Katie" Whitley. There were many marriages between the two families. The prevalence of the name "Jesse" leads me to a believe a definite familial relationship between the Jesse and Joseph Hathcock families who were in Brunswick with Edward and moved down into Johnston and Halifax. 

Ten-year gap between children indicating a second marriage, possibly. A wife appears to have been living at least until the 1810 census, possibly longer. 

5) Young Hathcock (1790 -1850) Married Sarah Meredith. Moved to Montgomery County, Tennessee.

6)  Sarah "Sallie" Hathcock (1792-1860) Did not marry. Mistress of Daniel Perry had at least two children, Lloyd in 1809 and Reuah in 1818. Possibly a Mary in 1811. Reuah was an old Hebrew name that meant breeze, wind or spirit.

7) Jane Hathcock (1795-after 1870) Married John Whitley. Died in Mount Mourne, Iredell County. I have posted on John and Jane and their family while I was focusing on the Whitley family. 

8) Lee Hathcock (1798 - 1849) Married Sarah Ann Wilhelm. Settled in neighboring Cabarrus County.

8) Benjamin Hathcock, Jr. (1802 - 12 Jun 1884) Married Nancy Ann Burris, daughter of Solomon and Judith Taylor Burris. 

Benjamin Hathcock's Grant as an assignee of Wiley Carpenter bordering Carson & Moore, Poplin's corner, Taylor's corner and Lee's line. James Howell and James Lee, Chain Carriers.

John Poplins Grant on both sides of Long Creek dated 1794 beginning at James Lee's corner, to William Taylors line, Richard Thomason and Benjamin Hathcock chain carriers.

James Hathcocks 1830 Grant of 42 acres on Scaleybark Branch, running with Daniel Moooses entry. Benjamin Hathcock (probably Jr.) and Solomon Hathcock chain carries.

Lloyd Hathcock allowed $38.75 for keeping and taking care of his grandfather, Benjamin Sr.

1850 Paupers list for Stanly County. Benjamin Hathcock near bottom.

See the below book for more information on the descendants of Benjamin Hathcock, Sr.