Temperance and Franklin

Some lives are but a whisper in the wind, a touch of breeze before a storm, a sprite that passes so quickly you hardly realize that it was ever there. Dowd Franklin Mauldin, my third Great Granduncle, and youngest son of James O. Mauldin and wife, Mary A. Smith Mauldin, was one of those whispers. He made it to adulthood, but died very young.

Until recently, I didn't realize that Franklin had ever married, but he did. No marriage license exists, and I don't believe any children survived them. His wife was named Temperance, her maiden name unknown, her location prior to matrimony, and her fate afterwards, remain a mystery. Yet, for one brief halcyon moment, there existed Temperance and Franklin.

Dowd Franklin Mauldin had lost his father at about 6 years of age. The first record of his existence was in his father's 1848 estate file. His mother, Mary, was the executress.  In the August  1850 Session of the Court of Pleas and Quarters for Stanly County, North Carolina, Mary Mauldin was appointed guardian of her own minor children, James, Benjamin, Eliza, Parham and Franklin Mauldin.She submitted a $200 bond in conjunction with John Mauldin, Thomas Mauldin and John F. Stone as securities. John and Thomas were two of the older, adult children of James O. Mauldin.

Household members

Name	Age
Mary Mauldin	52
James Mauldin	19
Mary Mauldin	21
Benjamin Mauldin	17
Eliza Mauldin	15
Parham Mauldin	12
Franklin Mauldin	8

The 1850 census gives the ages of those children. Mary was 52, her daughter, Mary Jr. was 21, and therefore of seniority and not given to her mothers guardianship. James O. Jr. was 19, Benjamin II (as James O. Mauldin's brother was the 1st and his son the Jr.) was 17, Eliza 15, Parham 12 and Franklin 8. At this time they were living in Freeman's township, off of Jacob's Creek, where James land grant was located, and probably near the area where the family cemetery still exists, off of McNeil Road, east of Albemarle and north of Norwood. 

A decade later, Mary has relocated among a number of Smiths, who lived off of the Salisbury Road, north of Albemarle and had properties adjoining David Kendall. Why had she moved into this family group of dozens of Smiths? Had this move betokened her origins?

Name	Frank Maulden
Age	20
Birth Year	abt 1840
Gender	Male
Race	White
Home in 1860	Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office	Albemarle
Dwelling Number	621
Family Number	628
Occupation	Day Laborer
Inferred Mother	Mary Maulden

Household members

Name	Age
Mary Maulden	62
Frank Maulden	20
Elizabeth Maulden	5
Ellen Smith	21
Mary F Smith	1

The 1860 census came with a basket of questions. Led by Mary 62, and Frank, listed as 20, when it was probably 18 or 19, instead, there were others in the household that left ominifarious questions. I have solved the question of whom 5 year old Elizabeth "Mauldin" was. I believe she was actually Mary's granddaughter, Mary Elizabeth Russell, born in 1854, who was the daughter of Eliza Mauldin, who had married William Henry Russell. Eliza had died in 1857, leaving her husband with two children, William Isaiah Russell born in 1852, and Mary Elizabeth. While Henry is found in 1860, living with his parents, Eli and Elizabeth Russell, along with his 7 year old son, his daughter is missing. This Elizabeth "Mauldin" appears to be the right age, and her surname was in error. There were two other individuals in the household, Ellen Smith, 21, and a baby, Mary F. Smith. Ellen was most likely the mother of Mary F. Smith. Who were they and how were they related to the Mauldins?

Archibald Mauldin, who passed away in 1857, included D. F. Mauldin in a codicil in his will.

"I bequeath to Franklin Mauldin thirteen 3/4 acres of land joining the part of land that falls to his share."

He left young Franklin nearly 14 acres that had joined Franklins part of their father's estate.

Another area where D. F. Franklin's name is found is in the estate papers of  Elizabeth Russell. Elizabeth is my 3rd Great Grandmother. Her husband, Eli Henry Russell passed away in 1854. The concantenation between this family and the Mauldins is complicated and plentiful.

My most direct connection is through their daugthers, Martha Margaret "Mattie" Russell, my second Great Grandmother, who married Frank Washington Mauldin, son of Thomas Alexander Mauldin, and a nephew of Dowd Franklin Mauldin. Another link is through their son, William Henry Russell, who married Eliza Mauldin, the youngest sister of D.F. Mauldin. It's also thought that Elizabeth's maiden name was Mauldin, but I'm begining to doubt that. I believe, instead, that someone,  somewhere along the line, confused Elizabeth, wife of Eli Henry Russell, with Eliza, who married her son, William Henry. Still, I have a presage that there may have been yet another link between the Russells and the Mauldins.

Elizabeth Russell was alive in the 1860 census. Her estate was probated in 1861. An estate sale took place on October 25, 1861. D. F. Mauldin and his brother, Parham made purchases on this day. Many purchases.

In the above section, D. F. purchased a cage, 12 lbs of picked cotton and 78 lbs of Cotton seed, while Parham purchased 4 1/4 lbs of picked cotton.

On this page, D. F. Mauldin purchased a side saddle, a tin pan, and one pitcher and dish. Parham bought a spinning wheel, a churn, 2 milk (spelled milch in those days) crocks, a coffee pot, and a pitcher. These purchases suggest both brothers were married by this time. D. F's purchase of a side saddle was probably either an engagement gift or a wedding present for his bride, Temperance. 

Other buyers at the estate auction were Sarah Tolbert (Talbert), John Thompson, Jerusha Hudson, Francis Marbury (Mabry), Alex Russell, (son of Elizabeth), Wiley Hudson, E. D.Swaringen, and John Poplin. 

Lastly, on this page, although there were multiple others, we find D. F Mauldin purchasing a 'slag', twice, from the estate of Elizabeth Russell, although I can't tell you exaclty what it was, possibily an aggregate of iron, glass or steel. Parham picked up a set of cups and saucers, and some slag himself. Other purchasers were Elizabeth's daughters Mary and Martha, Martha being my 2nd Great Grandmother, and  her son, Alexander. Again, the names of John Thompson, Ferdinand Foreman, Ben Upchurch, T. A. Simpson, George P. Ross, Sarah Tolbert and James Hinson are found. 

In the Court Minutes of the August, 1862 Session of  the Pleas and Quarters of Stanly County, NC we find the following three paragraphs, coincidentally right in a row. 

"Ordered by the Court that Sarah Mauldin be appointed administrator of James Mauldin, deceased upon her giving bond of three hundred dollars with W. F. Nash and W. J. Ross as Securities."

"Ordered by the Court that Temperance Mauldin be appointed administrator of Franklin Mauldin deceased upon her giving bond  of $200 with W. F. Nash and W. J. Ross securites, bond filled, she takes the usual oath  and letters of admininstration."

"Ordered by the Courth that James E. Mauldin be appointed administrator of David A. Mauldin."

L. Green, W. F. Nash and G.M Sides, were securities in the David A. Mauldin estate case.

So, Dowd Franklin had married Temperance between July 4, of 1860, when the 1860 census was taken by J. M. McCorkle, and August of 1862, when his bride was appointed the administrator of his estate. He was alive in October of 1861, when he made purchases at the Estate Sale of Elizabeth Russell. By the purchases of a few feminine items, such as a side saddle, he was probably married by then. It was a brief marriage.

Who were the other two Mauldins who seemingly died about the same time as D. F. Mauldin?

Name	James Mauldin
Enlistment Age	30
Birth Date	1832
Enlistment Date	15 Mar 1862
Enlistment Place	Stanly County, North Carolina
Enlistment Rank	Private
Muster Date	15 Mar 1862
Muster Place	North Carolina
Muster Company	K
Muster Regiment	28th Infantry
Muster Regiment Type	Infantry
Muster Information	Enlisted
Muster Out Date	27 May 1862
Muster Out Place	Hanover Court House, Virginia
Muster Out Information	Killed
Side of War	Confederacy
Survived War?	No
Residence Place	Stanly County, North Carolina
Title	North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster

James Mauldin referred to James O. Mauldin, Jr., D. F. Mauldin's brother, who had married Sarah Ross. Sarah Ross was the daugther of Wiley Ross and Sarah Dudney, and the granddaughter of Williamson Ross and Elizabeth Odom. The W.J. Ross who served as security for both Sarah and Temperance was Williamson Jackson Ross, son of Green David Ross, who was also a son of Williamson Ross and Elizabeth Odom. This made Sarah Ross Mauldin and W. J. Ross first cousins. As an aside, George P. Ross, who was with the Mauldin brothers among the purchasers at the estate sale of Elizabeth Russell, was George Packingham Ross, who married Martha Nobles and was the son of  Woodson Ross and Mary Sarah Smith. Woodson Ross was also a son of Williamson Ross and Elizabeth Odom, so one big connected family.

As can be seen on the above record, James O. Mauldin, Jr., was a casualty of the Civil War, being killed in battle at Hanover Court House, Virginia.

The third group, James E. Mauldin and David A. Mauldin, were James Ervin (1827-1905) and David Arnold Mauldin, son of Benjamin R. Mauldin Sr., brother of James O. Mauldin Sr. and so these two brothers were first cousins of Dowd Franklin Mauldin and James O. Jr. 

David Arnold Mauldin also enlisted in the Civil War. His records on Fold3 are minimal and mysterious. A remark on his Muster Roll record, where it states he enlisted at Salisbury in February of 1862 by Major Gibbs for a period of 1 year informed that he "Refused to re-enlist for this War and was thrown into a 12 months company"

Another records gives a list of units or duties he was assigned to: 

Capt. Griswold Co. Local Defense (Provost Guard)

Goldsboro and Home Guards, Goldsboro

Capt. Hoskins Co. Local Defense and Capt. Howards Co. Prison Guards.

Below is a statement attached to his profile taken from "Ye Mauldins" by Ervin Mauldin.

David enlisted Feb 1, 1862  in Company D, 42nd NC regiment for only one year. He was assigned to be a prison guard at the Confederate prison in Salisbury, NC in Rowan County (the prison where so many Union soldiers died during the war.)  Apparently what he saw there was too much for him because he refused to re-enlist for a second year.  However, this refusal was not accepted and he was reassigned for another year and thrown into a 12 month company. The records do not say what he did the rest of the time he was in service nor if he was ever discharged. His descendants say he returned home where he died of a disease he contacted during the war. In 1863, David's land and home were awarded to his wife and four children.

David was deceased by August of 1862, we can know because of the entry in the August 1862 Court Minutes. His estate was probated beginning in August of 1862 and continued until 1866. He has a marker at Silver Springs Church in Aquadale, where he and his wife, Mahala Elizabeth Whitaker, daughter of Samuel Nelson and Sophia Murray Whitaker, attended.

There is no record that I can detect, that Dowd Franklin Mauldin enlisted in the War. However, it was a nearly mandatory act for young men of the era, willing or not. I wonder if David's refusal had anything to do with his demise. I also wonder if the War had anything to do with the death of D. F. Mauldin. Did he enlist and the record lost? There were reports of men hung or executed by the Home Guard, but no names attached, except for a few in Montgomery County. Was Franklin a victim of the Civil War in some manner? He was deceased by August of 1862 and only 19 years old.

The last record of the brief life of Franklin Mauldin was his estate papers. Here, we learn, he had a bride named Temperance.

There was not a great deal of anything to his estate. The above is primarily food items.

The auction of his estate took place on September 8, 1862. W. F. Nash was the biggest purchaser of items, including the side saddle Franklin had bought of the Elizabeth Russell estate. Other names were W. J. Ross, C. J. Laton, Alex Russell, son of Elizabeth Russell, neighbor Marcus Carter, Isham Tolbert and Franklin's brother, Thomas Mauldin.

So, who was Temperance Mauldin? It's hard to surmise. The next census would have been the 1870, and there is no Temperance, or Tempy Mauldin, anywhere. Tempy would have likely been young, as was Frank. She could have remarried. The marriage may have been so brief, that she returned to her maiden name. Yet again, like Frank, she could have died young.

Temperance was not an uncommon name for the time and place, but not close to being as common as say Mary, or Nancy or Sarah.

It's one of those Quaker names, like Obedience, or Charity or Patience. While Tempy may not have lived until 1870, she would have had to have been alive in 1850 and 1860. While she could have been older than Frank, she could have not been too much younger, as she would have been a child, he himself being so young. Another thing, since their marriage was so brief, there was a good chance that she didn't live too very far away from him either. Since the numbers of possible Temperances was not overwhelming, I decided to look for possible candidates. 

First, it would seem that the Ellen Smith who was living with Franklin and his mother, Mary in the 1860 census would have been a perfect candidate for a bride, unless she was a close relative, which she could have been. Was she Temperance Ellen Smith?  I have no apophena for this theory, as I can find no trace of Ellen Smith, or her possible daughter, Margaret F. Smith, either before this census, or after.

There were two Temperances, or Tempies, who lived fairly close to the Mauldins in 1860, but both were married and much older than Franklin. First, there was Tempy Randle, who was 50 in 1860, and lived with her husband James C. Randall, 76. This was Temperance Pennington Randall, who hadn't married her husband until 1851, and  James C. Randall actually outlived young Franklin Mauldin, passing away in 1866.

The other nearby Tempie was Temperance McDaniel Lisk, who was 44 in 1860 and the wife of  William Jackson Lisk, and also ruled out as she and her husband were still together and living in 1870.

And so it went. Tempie Green, Tempie Ledbetter, Tempie C. Ledbetter, Temperance Austin and Tempie Russell, the Albemarle City Seamstress, were too old or too married. Tempie Lefler, Temperance K. Green and Tempy McDaniel were too young, far too young to marry between 1860 and 1861.

There were only a few, nearby, of proper age, who were not ruled out by marriage or otherwise. 

Temperance Elliott was born about 1839 and was the daughter of Charles Pennington Elliott and his wife, Rebecca Haltom. 

Name	Miss Tempy Elliott
Gender	Female
Residence Date	Abt 1859
Residence Place	Stanly
Marriage Date	9 Dec 1859
Parents	Charles Eiliott
Spouse	James Clayton

Miss Tempie Elliott had actually married on December 9th of 1859 to James Clayton, in Stanly County, as reported in a newspaper called, The Spirit of the Age, January 5, 1859 edition, page 3. The marriage was no more by the summer of  1860 when Mr. McCorkle came around and enumerated Tempy by her maiden name back in her parents home. In fact, Temperance Elliott never went by another name in future records, except Elliott.

Name	Tempe Elliotte
Age	21
Birth Year	abt 1839
Gender	Female
Race	White
Home in 1860	Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office	Albemarle
Dwelling Number	1158
Family Number	1174
Cannot Read, Write	Y
Inferred Father	Charles Elliotte
Inferred Mother	Becky Elliotte

Household members

Name	Age
Charles Elliotte	52
Becky Elliotte	52
Tempe Elliotte	21
J M Elliotte
Margaret P Elliotte	12
M J Elliotte	9

Her temporary husband, James F. Clayton, was a Civil War soldier, and was killed at Frazier's Farm battle in Virginia on June 30, 1862. Above shows Tempie in the 1860 census, living with her parents as an Elliotte, not a Clayton. While mistakes were often made when family members or others of a different surname were living in a household, Tempie's husband was not living with her.

Temperance Elliott died in 1886 at the age of 47. She left a Will, naming her sisters, and some of the children of her siblings. Temperance Elliotte was buried a single woman in the Kirk and Clayton family cemetery near Badin.

Another Temperance in the age range was Temperance J. Colson. The daughter of Jacob Harris Colson and Zilphia Drake Threadgill, she was born in 1842 in  North Carolina. Every census she is in gives her birthplace as such, but in 1850, as a 7 year old, her family is found in Marshall County, Mississippi.

Name	Temperance J Colson
Gender	Female
Race	White
Residence Age	7
Birth Date	abt 1843
Birthplace	North Carolina
Residence Date	1850
Home in 1850	Northern Division, Marshall, Mississippi, USA
Attended School	Yes
Line Number	8
Dwelling Number	1127
Family Number	1127
Inferred Father	Jacob H Colson
Inferred Mother	Zelphy Colson

Household members

Name	Age
Jacob H Colson	30
Zelphy Colson	27
Temperance J Colson	7
Thomas K Colson	5
Jonas J Colson	4
William H Threadgill	16

They have returned to North Carolina by 1858, however, as her father passed away in Stanly County, NC on July 19th of that year. His will was probated in Stanly County, while his body was laid to rest in the Colson Family cemetery in Anson County, where Jacob had grown up. He was only 38 years old.

Name	Temperance Colson
Age in 1870	26
Birth Date	abt 1844
Birthplace	North Carolina
Dwelling Number	170
Home in 1870	Center, Stanly, North Carolina
Race	White
Gender	Female
Post Office	Albemarle
Occupation	At Home

Household members

Name	Age
Z D Colson	41
Temperance Colson	26
Jones J Colson	28
Elmo Colson	19
Carolina Colson	17
Sarah Colson	14
Charlotte Colson	12

In 1870, Temperance is found living with her mother and most of her siblings in Center, the Norwood area. Charlotte, the youngest, was born the year her father died. I wonder what had happened to this young father?

Temperance would become a mother. In 1878, she had a daughter, Theadocia Dorian Colson by John Thompson. He was a  married farmer and neighbor of the Colsons. Temperance would raise her daughter at her mother's home and after Theadocia married, would follow her to Davidson County, where she passed away in 1913. Temperance Colson never married, or did she?

The last possibility for who Temperance might have been may be the most conspicuous, due to proximity and familial connections.

Name	Eli Russel
Gender	Male
Race	White
Residence Age	46
Birth Date	abt 1804
Birthplace	North Carolina
Residence Date	1850
Home in 1850	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Occupation	Farmer
Industry	Agriculture
Real Estate	49
Line Number	22
Dwelling Number	936
Family Number	941
Inferred Spouse	Elizabeth Russel

Household members

Name	Age
Eli Russel	46
Elizabeth Russel	39
Alxe Russel	24
Henry Russel	21
Caroline Russel	18
Isiah Russel	15
Temply Russel	13
Elizabeth Russel	8
Gabriel Russel	5
Catharine Russel	3

Temperance Russell was the daughter of Eli Henry Russell and wife Elizabeth, making her my 3rd Great Grandaunt. Her brother, Henry, would marry Dowd Franklin Mauldin's sister, Eliza. Her mother, Elizabeth, is the selfsame Elizabeth at whose  estate auction Frank and his brother , Parham,. made purchases, notably, that side-saddle. Was D. F. a son-in-law? 

Temperance Russell is a cromulent candidate for the wife of D. F. Mauldin. The controverisal element of this theory is that Tempy doesn't appear with ther family inthe1860 census. Lack of a corporeal acknowledgement doesn't neccessarily betoken her death. Mary E. Mauldin, sister of Franklin Mauldin, doesn't appear inthe 1860 census,either.

Household members

Name	Age
Thos Maulden	50
Mary Maulden	47
Mintie Maulden	31
Mary Maulden	21
Laura Maulden	18
Nancy Maulden	15
William Maulden	13
Henry Maulden	12
Lancy Maulden	11
Thomas Maulden	7
Mary Maulden	41

But there she is in 1870, living with surviving brother Thomas. Missing a census didn't mean the individual was deceased. Census takers made mistakes; older children sometimes went to work for neighbors or others to earn their own money, or were out visiting, or even traveling miles away to pick up supplies or 'shopping'. 

Family trees have Temperance Russell dying young, but she may not have died single.  Eli Russell died in 1854. His probate papers only mention his widow, both as "Betsy" and as "Elizabeth". No other heirs are mentioned. He did not leave a will. 

As previously mentioned, Elizabeth Russell's estate was probated in 1861. It's one of the documents of the existence of Dowd Franklin Mauldin, with the several mentions of purchases made by both him and his brother, Parham. Among the buyers were her sons, Alexander and Gabriel Russell, and her daughters, Mary and Martha.

There are even several mentions of John Thompson, who was discussed in an earlier paragraph. There are no mentions of Henry Russell, who was most definitely living at the time, or her older two daughters, Tempie and Caroline. Oddly, several people have noted in Caroline's profile, that she married an "unknown Mauldin". Could that Mauldin be determined, or did they have her confused with Temperance?

There is one more thing.  In the 'Mauldin Book', "Ye Mauldins", by Ervin Mauldin, mention is made of a possible child of Franklin and Temperance.  Quote, "Franklin and Tempy were married in 1861 in Stanly County. Franklin died that same year. I believe he had ason - William L. Mauldin b. 1862 -but I can not prove this -all evidence indicate William to be the son of Franklin, I cannot tie him in to any other family. "

Included was the following family listing:

(8) William L. Mauldin b. May 1862  m. Suffronia A. _________ b. May 1864.

       (9) Swiler E. Mauldin B. May 1891

       (9) Henry C. Mauldin b.Oct. 1894

-no further record - disappeared from the country.

Seeing the obvious transcription errors in the name of the 9-year-old child, I believe I have discovered where Cousin Ervin, who was limited to word of mouth, family bibles and dusty courthouse record books, for the most part, in his late 1900's research, found this individual Mauldin and his family. 

Name	William Manden
Age	38
Birth Date	abt 1862
Birthplace	North Carolina, USA
Home in 1900	Center, Stanly, North Carolina
Sheet Number	6
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation	101
Family Number	107
Race	White
Gender	Male
Relation to Head of House	Head
Marital Status	Married
Spouse's Name	Susph??a A Manden
Marriage Year	1884
Years Married	16
Father's Birthplace	North Carolina, USA
Mother's Birthplace	North Carolina, USA
Can Read	Y
Can Write	N
Can Speak English	Y
Neighbors	View others on page

Household members

Name	Age
William Manden	38
Susph??a A Manden	35
Sniler E Manden	9
Henry C Manden	6

William Mauldin, 38 with a wife, S? A. Mauldin (incorrectly transcribed as 'Manden', with two children, 'Sniler' E., age 9 and Henry C., age 6.

This record, and this family, were already in my family tree, for two reasons. Not only were they Mauldins, but they were also members of my Solomon family, and my Murray family. William David Mauldin was born May 11, 1863, the year after his father, David Arnold Mauldin died. David Mauldin was one of the three Mauldins whose widows were mentioned in three paragraphs in a row in the August 1862 Court Minutes referenced earlier in this post. He was a first cousin of Franklin Mauldin. His mother was Mahala Elizabeth Whitaker Mauldin, a daughter of Nelson Samuel and Sophia Murray Whitaker. Sophia was a sister of my 3rd Great Grandmother, Priscilla Murray Aldridge. That puts him in the Murray Tree. He married Saphronia A. Solomon, daughter of Henry Clay Solomon and wife, Mary Elizabeth Russell, and yes, that also puts them in the Russell tree, as Mary Elizabeth was a daughter of the afore mentioned Eli Henry and wife Elizabeth. As Cousin Ervin was looking at a "Sniler", and not a "Milas", as the first child of William David and Saphronia was actually named, I can see where it gets a little confusing. 

Name	W D Maulding
Age in 1870	9
Birth Date	abt 1861
Birthplace	North Carolina
Dwelling Number	12
Home in 1870	Salisbury, Rowan, North Carolina
Race	White
Gender	Male
Post Office	Salisbury
Occupation	At Home
Inferred Mother	Elizabeth Maulding

Household members

Name	Age
Elizabeth Maulding	36
J F Maulding	13
M E Maulding	12
B R Maulding	10
W D Maulding	9

William shows up first in Salisbury, Rowan County, with his widowed mother, Elizabeth Mauldin and three older siblings, James Franklin, 13, Mary Elizabeth, 12, and Benjamin Rufus, 10.

Mahala Elizabeth Whitaker Mauldin may have moved to Salisbury when her husband, David Arnold Mauldin, was working at the Confederate Prison in Salisbury as a prison guard. 

Name	David Mauldin
Age	20
Birth Date	Abt 1860
Birthplace	North Carolina
Home in 1880	Center, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number	8
Race	White
Gender	Male
Relation to Head of House	Son
Marital Status	Single
Father's Birthplace	North Carolina
Mother's Name	Elizabeth Mauldin
Mother's Birthplace	North Carolina
Occupation	Works on farm
Neighbors	View others on page

Household members

Name	Age
Elizabeth Mauldin	45
Mary E. Mauldin	21
David Mauldin	20

She moved with her children back to Norwood in Stanly County by 1880. On April 18, 1884, they were said to be living in Montgomery County, when David, 22,  married 'Fronia' Solomon, 19.

Then we are back to the 1900 census, where William David Mauldin and family had returned to Stanly County, and were living in Norwood again.

They had three sons, Milas Eugene, Henry Clay and Arnold Dewey.

Name	David Mauldin
Age in 1910	46
Birth Date	1864
Birthplace	North Carolina
Home in 1910	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Sheet Number	19a
Street	Wiscassett Hill
Race	White
Gender	Male
Relation to Head of House	Head
Marital Status	Married
Father's Birthplace	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace	North Carolina
Native Tongue	English
Occupation	Laborer
Industry	Farm
Employer, Employee or Other	Wage Earner
Home Owned or Rented	Rent
Farm or House	House
Able to read	Y
Able to Write	Y
Enumeration District Number	0116
Years Married	25
Out of Work	N
Number of Weeks Out of Work	0
Enumerated Year	1910
Neighbors	View others on page

Household members

Name	Age
David Mauldin	46
Safhona Mauldin	44
Eugene Mauldin	19
Clay Mauldin	16
Arnold Mauldin	6

In 1910, the family of 5 has moved up to Albemarle and are living on  the 'Wisscassett Hill', which was one of the Textile Mill Villages that built Albemarle into a City after the turn of the century. David was farming, while his two older sons worked in the Mill. In those days, the children were often sent to work and brought their wages home to their parents, while the father usually worked too, but the mother stayed home and took care of the house and younger children. After child labor laws kicked, mothers started going to work and leaving the children home with either a Nanny, or older children taking care of the younger ones. Sometimes a grandmother or maiden aunt lived in to take care of the children, or the parents worked different shifts, passing like ships in the night. This prompted the shrinking of the American family, at least the ones who moved into towns or cities.

Saphronia Solomon Mauldin died in 1912, just before the popular use of death certificates in the state, at age 48. She was buried at Cedar Grove Church, near Norwood.

After Fronie's death, David married Martha A. Hinson, daughter of Jeremiah Hosea Hinson and Elizabeth Miley Harward. Martha was a Stanly County born and bred girl, who hadfirst married Charles Baxter Swicegood Sr. in Davie County.

Name	David Mauldin
Age	47
Birth Year	abt 1873
Birthplace	North Carolina
Home in 1920	Big Lick, Stanly, North Carolina
House Number	Farm
Residence Date	1920
Race	White
Gender	Male
Relation to Head of House	Head
Marital Status	Married
Spouse's Name	Martha Mauldin
Father's Birthplace	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace	North Carolina
Able to Speak English	Yes
Occupation	Farmer
Industry	Farming
Employment Field	Own Account
Home Owned or Rented	Rented
Attended School	No
Able to read	Yes
Able to Write	Yes
Neighbors	View others on page

Household members

Name	Age
David Mauldin	47
Martha Mauldin	47
Arnold Mauldin	16
Samuel Mauldin	10
Charlie Mauldin	7

In 1920, they have now relocated to the western end of Stanly County, where David is farming in Big Lick. Arnold was the only one of his children still at home. Samuel and Charlie, mistakenly shown as Mauldins in the census, were not Mauldins and were not David's sons. This was Samuel Hosea Swicegood, and Charles Baxter Swicegood, Jr., Martha's sons.

1930 found the couple living in the town of Norwood on Kendall Street, with David's oldest son, Milas Eugene and his family. Davied was now 69 years old . He passed away the next year, on April 3, 1931. He was 69 years, 10 months and 22 days old. His cause of death was pellagra ,due to 'cerebral softening,' a far too common ailment in those days, due more to bad nutrition. Parents names given were David Mauldin and Haley Aldridge. Mahala wasn't an Aldridge. Martha may have mixed her up with her Aunt Priscilla.

Martha buried him next to his first wife at Cedar Grove. She them moved to Iredell County, where she lived the last four years of her life living with her youngest son, Charlie Swicegood. She died on June 17, 1940, and was buried in Mocksville, Davie County.

I end this post with as many questions as I started with. Why did D. F. Mauldin die so young? Did it have anything to do with the Civil War or resistence to service in the Civil War? Who was Temperance? Where was she before the wedding and what became of her afterwards? Was there a child born of this brief union?

I end with no definite answers, but I leave you with possibilities and ideas.

Bad Girls of Stanly County Part 2: The Shameless Jade

The sensibilities and mores of 1880's Stanly County were nearly in a different dimension than they are today, in 2018. It would take more than 100 years for certain practices, that do not turn an eye today, to transform from jail, shame and prosection in 1887.






This is the story of one Julia Ann Ross, of Stanly County, NC and her socially disallowed lover, Charlie Bruton.

Julia Ann Ross was born January 17, 1865 in southern Stanly County, North Carolina. She was the sixth of the twelve children of George Packingham Ross and his wife, Martha Catherine Nobles Ross.

Julia Ann was the first child born after her 34 year old  father came home, limping, but alive, from service in the Civil War, a member of Lane's Brigade.








G. P. Ross had an interesting experience in the war. He enlisted on March 27, 1862 in Albemarle, with his nearest Post Office being listed as Norwood, by Capt. Moody for the period of the War.

He was a Private in Company K, 28th NC Regiment.

He was detailed by the Secretary of War to the Pettigrew Hospital in Raleigh, NC, as a nurse, on July 21, 1864. He was assigned due to a disability that arose due to "Vul Sclopt" or Vulnus Sclopeticum, meaning a gunshot wound, to his left hip, but was otherwise in good health. This had followed a stay in the Wayside Hospital, or Hospital No 9, in Richmond, Virginia.








So G. P. Ross had made it back to his wife and children very much alive, with a crippling, but not debilitating wound. Julia Ann Ross was neither an orphan nor a fatherless child. She had many immediate and extended family members in the area, being the granddaughter of Woodson and Polly Ross and Daniel and Jane Nobles.

The first census that Julia shows up in is the 1870. It's the era of reconstruction.

Name:	George Ross
Age in 1870:	40
Birth Year:	abt 1830
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Dwelling Number:	13
Home in 1870:	Center, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Occupation:	Farmer
Cannot Read:	Y
Cannot Write:	Y
Male Citizen over 21:	Y
Inferred Spouse:	Martha C Ross
Household Members:	Name Age Julia A Ross 7 Martha Ross 3 William Ross 6/12 George Ross 40 Martha C Ross 28 Warner Ross 15 Matthias Ross 12 Agnes Ross 10 Mary J Ross 8

Her father is a farner in Center Township, near the town of Norwood. His neighbor is Calvin Lee, an ancestor of mine, so I know whereabouts the family lived. The odd listing of the family, with the youngest three children leading in is due to them being listed on the next page. Fifteen year old brother, Warren,  here as "Warner" is listed as a mute.

George and Martha lost a few of their children before they reached adulthood. The handicapped Warren would remain with them for life. But their 6th born Julia Ann was a healthy and able young woman who made it to adulthood. But she was a different kind of child.










Charles "Charley" Bruton was most born in Montgomery County, North Carolina, near Troy. He is first seen in the 1870 census, living and working in the home of William and Caroline Bruton, along with his mother, Harriett and his grandmother, Hannah.

Name:	Charles Bruton
Age in 1870:	12
Birth Year:	abt 1858
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Dwelling Number:	8
Home in 1870:	Troy, Montgomery, North Carolina
Race:	Black
Gender:	Male
Occupation:	Hired Labor
Cannot Read:	Y
Cannot Write:	Y
Household Members:	Name Age William Bruton 54 Caroline Bruton 51 Martha Bruton 24 Emeline Bruton 21 Daniel Bruton 18 David Bruton 15 Virginia Bruton 12 Jacob Bruton 21 Sarah Bruton 20 Hannah Bruton 52 Hariet Bruton 35 Frank Bruton 20 Charles Bruton 12 Susan Bruton 8

The Brutons were large land holders in the East-Central portion of Montgomery County. Charles was without a doubt, born into slavery, but by fortune of his late birth, he had not remained in it long. As was most common upon emanicaption, if they had not taken the name before, former slaves were known by and adopted the surnames of, the plantation owners,  sometimes that of prior slave masters and sometimes those of the current ones at the time of emancipation. It appears Charles, his siblings and the older generations of his family all went by the surname "Bruton".

The Genealogy Trails History Group gives a fairly brief and informative synopsis on the origins of the Bruton family of Montgomery County in thier biography of businessman, John C. Bruton, who whose born into this extensive family.

John C. Bruton

As a wholesale dealer in and manufacturer of lumber, John C. Bruton has been prominent in southern lumber circles for a number of years. For about five years he has had his home and business headquarters at Columbia. He is a man of large and substantial resources and a valuable addition to the citizenship of South Carolina. Mr. Bruton was born in Montgomery County, North Carolina, February 8, 1856, son of James T. and Jane (Bruton) Bruton, Bruton is a name of French Huguenot origin. The first in America left France and settled in old Williamsburg, Virginia, in the early part of the seventeenth century. Members of the family built there an Episcopal Church that is still standing and is known as Bruton Church, and is said to be the first Protestant Episcopal Church erected in America. Some of the descendants of those old settlers subsequently moved to Montgomery County, North Carolina, prior to the Revolutionary war. In that section of the Old North State and neighboring counties the name has long been one of enviable and honorable prominence. Largely as a result of the war, John C. Bruton inherited little from his honorable ancestry except a good name and character.

The William Bruton, with whom Charles Bruton's family lived with in 1870, and were probably the former slaves of, was the son of  James Ozier Bruton (1787-1873) and Dianna "Dicey" Parsons (1790-1881). He was the grandson of a Rev.  William Bruton and Sarah Elizabeth Ozier and Joseph Parsons and Nancy Jordan. Joseph Parsons was the son of a Colonel Samuel Parsons, a militia Captain during the Revolutionary War,  who is said to have been born in Wales and buried in the Parsons family cemetery in Wadeville, Montgomery County. The Brutons and Jordans also had very deep roots in Olde Montgomery.





William was a brother to John Turner Bruton and an uncle to John C. Bruton mentioned above. He was born about 1816 and he and his wife Caroline raised a family of 9 children. He passed away on January 15, 1886.

Charles Bruton was married more than once. His marriage certificates lists his parents as Harriett and William Bruton. There was no listing in a census or deed or other document of a black William Bruton, except a brother of his who bore the exact same name as one of William and Caroline Bruton's sons. As Charles was noted as a mulatto, a person of mixed-heritage, it is considered that William Bruton, slave owner, was his father. This was possible, but yet a theory among descendants, and with the new science of DNA could possibly be proven or disproven.

By 1880, young Charles had found work in the busy and bustling gold-mining community of Gold Hill in Rowan County. He may or may not have tried his hand at mining.

Name:	Charles Burton
Age:	12
Birth Date:	Abt 1868
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Gold Hill, Rowan, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number:	127
Race:	Black
Gender:	Male
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	Servent
Cannot Read:	Yes
Cannot Write:	Yes
Neighbors:
Household Members:	Name Age Charles Burton 12

In 1880, he was working as farm labor for a Christenberry Holshouser. Charles's age was fluid. As with many other African-Americans, he may not have been aware of his exact age of birth, and therefore labeled it and told it as whatever best suited his situation. He was far older than 12 when he worked for Mr. Holshouser in Gold Hill. In fact, he fathered his first child, Clarence Alexander "Coot" Snuggs with an Ida Snuggs, in Stanly County, just two years later in 1882.

So in 1880, Julia Ann is a teenaged girl living around the area of South Stanley High School on her family farm. Charles Bruton is at least in his early twenties and soon to be married to Eliza Forrest, with 3 children to be born to the couple in  rapid succession. He roamed between Rowan, Montgomery and Stanly Counties, but had chosen to make the Norwood area his home.  He had evidentally gotten into enough trouble to have landed himself in jail at some point.

Then Julie met Charley and this happened:




The Rocket
(Rockingham, North Carolina)15 Sep 1887, Thu  • Page 3

Maria Barton grew up in the Wolf Pit Section of Richmond County. The 1880 census had her still in Richmond County, living with Kesiah Barton and her own young son.

Name:	Maria Barton
Age:	24
Birth Date:	Abt 1856
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Rockingham, Richmond, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number:	70
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Daughter
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's name:	Kezia Barton
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Neighbors:
Household Members:	Name Age Kezia Barton 75 Maria Barton 24 Robert Barton 2

She is listed as Kesiah's daughter, but was actually her granddaughter, her parents being Joseph and Mary. It appears Maria must have moved to Troy in the interim between 1880 and 1887. It appears she was also considered a woman of "low" charactor, having had a child out of wedlock, and this may explain why she was living with her grandmother and not her parents.





The Dunn Signboard
(Dunn, North Carolina)05 Oct 1887, Wed  • Page 1


Relationships between persons of different ethnicities were not just frowned upon at this time in history, only twenty years after the war, it was illegal. While persons often chose to look the other way if a relationship occured between white men and nonwhite women, if the female partner was Causcasian,however,  it became a major tragedy, an upheaval, a sin worse than any other.

Charles Meehan, a white Irishman and a Hester Meehan, who was born in Canada. A family historian said: ‘For Charles, it was just a natural thing to marry this woman who racially wasn’t the same as him but in every other way was the love of his life’. Charles and Hester were born in 1856, three months apart. They were married in Canada, where interracial marriage was legal though frowned upon. But for reasons that are unclear, they later headed south to Nebraska with three children in tow.

Julia Ann Ross was a woman before her time, but she was not alone. History was full of stories of the wives and daughters of plantation owners giving birth to babies who were obviously not white. These unfortunate babes were disposed of in one of two ways, taken secretly by a maid or midwife to the slave quarters and given to a mother there to raise, or else smothered or drowned or killed in some other horrific way, hopefully before the master of the house saw, and disposed of as quickly as possible, the father or grandfather being told that the child was deformed or stillborn.


The Wilmington Morning Star
(Wilmington, North Carolina)20 Sep 1887, Tue  • Page 4


The shocking story made the papers far and wide. Julia Ann was said to have denied even knowing Charlie Bruton, at first. She later recanted, after how much and how intense questioning she endured is unknown. The statement included "on approaching the jail", so it may have been the fear of being incarcerated that brought her to confession.

On his part, Charles had not had an easy life. Just four months earlier, he had been shot at by some unreported person. The bullet grazed him with no severe injury.  Had he and Julia Ann been seen together already, their relationship suspected? Could this have been a warning shot from an angry father?



The Wilmington Morning Star
(Wilmington, North Carolina)31 May 1887, Tue  • Page 1



This next report included the fact that Charles was ploughing. Could it be that heavy leather straps worn by plowing farmers saved him from severe injury? It still seems like a warning shot from an angry father. G. P. Ross was a studied Civil War soldier. There is no doubt he knew how to handle a gun.



The Concord Times
(Concord, North Carolina)02 Jun 1887, Thu  • Page 2


To make matters worse, Charlie wasn't just of mixed race. He wasn't just also a married man with young children. Charles Ross was also an ex-convict, having served time while a resident of Montgomery County for breaking and entering.




The Wilmington Morning Star
(Wilmington, North Carolina)06 Sep 1887, Tue  • Page 4


All papers noted that Charles Bruton was a mulatto, an archaic term for someone of mixed race, possibly the son of William Bruton, the planter, or another of the white Bruton family or of someone near their farm or employed by it. He had moved from Montgomery to Stanly County after his release from jail, but had not kept a clean slate.

As the below article reports, Charlie broke into the Parnell Brothers' store, stole $13 cash and $5 in merchandise. While this does not seem like a great deal now, remember the year was 1887, over 130 years ago. It was a significant haul.

The breakin occured on August 19th, about a month before Julia Ann Ross was discovered at Maria Barton's. On August 20, Charles was seen wearing a hat and shoes that had been stolen from the store and with Julia Ann Ross. Julia was described as young and good looking, and seemed to be the persuader of the crime. They were planning to run off to South Carolina. It could have been that they were on their way to Charleston.

Some time ago, I discovered while reading books on the Ball family, and in early histories of Charleston, that the town had a small but acknowledged community of  free persons of color, mixed couples and the like, that were resigned to a specific neighborhood, prior to the Civil War.  Most of them were skilled craftsmen and businessmen who had came to the city to make a comfortable living. I had read the story of one mixed race couple who dwelt there, the fully Causcasian individuals in the community assuming the identity of mulattos in order to skirt the laws. This area might have been the couples destination, somewhere they could blend in without alarm or arrest.




The Rocket
(Rockingham, North Carolina)08 Sep 1887, Thu  • Page 2

The couple was caught and charged with fornication and adultery, but not miscegenation, as may be expected. Charles was sentenced to 18 months in prison.  He was also charged with larceny. He had a fine of $200 levied against him. He was his own bondsman in conjunction with W. D. Bruton.

Julia Ann was sentence to 8  months in jail, but it was reduced to 3 months with good behavior, and if not by law, by social ostracization, ran out of Stanly County.

So what happened to this wayward couple after their public scandal?

The parents of Julia Ann, G. P. and Martha Ross, remained in Stanly County, where they both died within 20 days of each other in 1916. There was an horrific influenza virus going around that may have contributed to their deaths.

Julia Ann Ross removed to the growing city of Charlotte, a populous area where she would be considered anonymous.

On March 9, 1897, at the age of 32, she married William Henry Tyser.

W. H. Tyser,  (Or Ticer), was an old Civil War Vet, 25 years Julia's senior. He was from a Virginia family and had married into Mecklenburg's coveted Berryhill family and had lived in the Berryhill section with his wife Dorcas, with whom he had two daughters.

They had obviously gotten a divorce, although I do not know for certain, but she remained his "widow" in the City Directories for years after he married Julia.

Name:	William H Tiser
Age:	58
Birth Date:	Jul 1841
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1900:	Berryhill, Mecklenburg, North Carolina
Sheet Number:	4
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation:	65
Family Number:	68
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Julia H Tiser
Marriage Year:	1897
Father's Birthplace:	Virginia
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	Farming
Months not employed:	0
Can Read:	Yes
Can Write:	Yes
Can Speak English:	Yes
House Owned or Rented:	O
Home Free or Mortgaged:	M
Farm or House:	F
Neighbors:
Household Members:	Name Age William H Tiser 58 Julia H Tiser 32 Cora E Tiser 3

Julia and William Tyser would have 3 children together.

1897  Cora Essie
1900  Robert Ross
1902  George Sloan

William Henry Tyser would die shortly after his last son was born. Of his two daughters by D. C. Berryhill, one died as a child and the other lived to marry, but died as a young woman, 6 months after her marriage. All of his living descendants came through Julia Ann Ross.

Name:	Julia Fiser [Julia Tiser]
Age in 1910:	38
Birth Year:	abt 1872
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1910:	Charlotte Ward 3, Mecklenburg, North Carolina
Street:	Grenville Division Of Souther RR
House Number:	3
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Widowed
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Native Tongue:	English
Home Owned or Rented:	Rent
Farm or House:	House
Able to Read:	Yes
Number of Children Born:	3
Number of Children Living:	3
Neighbors:
Household Members:	Name Age Julia Fiser 38 Essie Fiser 13 Robert Fiser 11 George S Fiser 7

Julia Ann continued on after her husband's death and lived a long life. In 1910, she and her three children were still livng in Charlotte. Sometime between 1910 and 1920, the family would move to Belmont, in Gaston County.

Name:	Julia Tgres [Julia Tyser]
Age:	53
Birth Year:	abt 1867
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	Belmont, Gaston, North Carolina
Residence Date:	1920
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Widowed
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Home Owned or Rented:	Rent
Able to Read:	Yes
Able to Write:	No
Neighbors:
Household Members:	Name Age Julia Tgres 53 Ross Tgres 20 Dorothy Tgres 19 George Tgres 17 Nora Tgres 18

By 1920, her daughter, Cora Essie, had married at the age of 18 in 1914, and she and her husband, Robert Helms, and two little girls were living with his parents.

Julia Ann's two sons, still in their teens, had both married recently as well, and both of them, with their brides, were living with Julia Ann. No occupation was shown for Julia Ann, but her sons and their wives were all working in the cotton mills.

Name:	Julia H Tyser
Birth Year:	abt 1866
Gender:	Female
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Widowed
Relation to Head of House:	Mother
Home in 1930:	Belmont, Gaston, North Carolina, USA
Map of Home:	View Map
Street address:	Second Street
House Number:	33
Dwelling Number:	195
Family Number:	200
Attended School:	No
Able to Read and Write:	No
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Household Members:	Name Age Robert R Tyser 30 Dorthy I Tyser 30 Evelyn L Tyser 9 Joe D Tyser 7 Robert R Tyser 5 William H Tyser 3 Irene Tyser 1 Donald W Tyser 0 Julia H Tyser 64

By 1930, all the children were out on their own. Middle son, Robert Ross, and his wife Dorothy had been busy and had six little Tyser's all under the age of 9 and the youngest 4 months old. They were living in Belmont still, and Robert was the only one working, in the cotton mill, but it appears his wife had worked part of the year. Julia Ann was obviously there to help take care of the 6 small children.

Name:	Julie H Kyser [Julie H Tyser]
Age:	75
Estimated Birth Year:	abt 1865
Gender:	Female
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Widowed
Relation to Head of House:	Mother
Home in 1940:	Belmont, Gaston, North Carolina
Map of Home in 1940:	View Map
Street:	Short Street
House Number:	6
Inferred Residence in 1935:	Belmont, Gaston, North Carolina
Residence in 1935:	Same House
Sheet Number:	2B
Attended School or College:	No
Highest Grade Completed:	Elementary school, 5th grade
Weeks Worked in 1939:	0
Income:	0
Income Other Sources:	No
Neighbors:
Household Members:	Name Age Robert R Kyser 41 Dorothy S Kyser 40 Evelym L Kyser 17 Joe D Kyser 17 Robert R Kyser 15 William H Kyser 13 Irene Kyser 11 Donald W Kyser 10 Julie H Kyser 75

The family size had not changed by 1940. Rob and Dorothy had decided six was enough. They were still in Belmont, with Julia Ann as their live-in Nanny, but Rob and Dorothy, and the 4 oldest children, all the way down to the 13 year old, were working in the Cotton Mills. Child Labor laws had obviously not taken affect.

Julia Ann, 75 in this last census, would live another 14 years. She passed away on March 8, 1954 at the age of 89. She passed away in Charlotte, but was buried in Belmont. Born at the end of the Civil War, to a Civil War soldier, and dying in 1954 at the onset of the Rock and Roll era, with TV's, Radio's, Telephones and Automobiles everywhere, just imagine how much change she had seen in her life. What she did not see was an era, yet to come, when what she had done would not even turn heads, nonetheless not end her up in jail.





But what about Charles Bruton? Did he continue with a life of crime? Was his life worse for the wear?

Name: Charles Burton [Charles Bruton]  [Charles Benton]  Age: 49 Birth Date: abt 1851 Birthplace: North Carolina Home in 1900: Center, Stanly, North Carolina Sheet Number: 2 Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation: 25 Family Number: 26 Race: Black Gender: Male Relation to Head of House: Head Marital Status: Married Spouse's Name: Eliza Burton Marriage Year: 1880 Father's Birthplace: North Carolina Mother's Birthplace: North Carolina Occupation: Farmer Months not employed: 0 Can Read: No Can Write: No Can Speak English: Yes House Owned or Rented: R Farm or House: F Neighbors: Household Members: Name Age Charles Burton 49 Eliza Burton 36 Innes Burton 19 Quality Burton 18 General F Burton 14 Bertie Burton

Apparently not. By 1900, Charles had returned to his wife Eliza Forrest Bruton, whom he had married in 1880. They were farming and raising a family in Center. Charles farmed and even owned his own land. He had first bought a lot from Eben Lowder and wife, S. A. Lowder in November of 1900.


The Enterprise
(Albemarle, North Carolina)11 Apr 1901, Thu  • Page 3

He found it difficult to pay his taxes, however, and at times, found portions of his property sold for taxes.



The Enterprise
(Albemarle, North Carolina)21 Mar 1918, Thu  • Page 8


In 1918, T. H. Hudson sold a 4 acre portion of land that bordered Charles Bruton, and gives us more of the general idea where Charles Bruton lived.







Still Charles and wife Eliza were one of a handfull of African American families, notated as "Col" or colored, to own property in Center township in the early part of the 20th century. Charles owned 155 acres, by far the largest property owner in this group, the only one close, being his neighbor, James Hudson, with 129 acres. As is first purchase of land was less than 2 acres, perhaps only a homestead, Charles, despite a few tax problems, had built a successful and productive enterprise, buying and building himself a substantial farm.

Name:	Charles Burton [Charles Bruton]
Age in 1910:	56
Birth Year:	abt 1854
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1910:	Center, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Eliza Bruton
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Native Tongue:	English
Occupation:	Farmer
Industry:	General Farm
Employer, Employee or Other:	Employer
Home Owned or Rented:	Own
Home Free or Mortgaged:	Free
Farm or House:	Farm
Able to Read:	No
Able to Write:	No
Years Married:	42
Neighbors:
Household Members:	Name Age Charles Burton 56 Eliza Bruton 46

The 1910 census reported that Charles and Eliza, now empty nesters, owned their farm free and clear without mortgage. There are some errors in this census however. Notice that it reported they had been married 42 years, and Eliza's age only 46.

Name:	Charles Bruton [Charles Burlin]
Age:	55
Birth Year:	abt 1865
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	Center, Stanly, North Carolina
Street:	Albermarle Rood
House Number:	Farm
Residence Date:	1920
Race:	Mulatto
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Eliza Bruton
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Farmer
Industry:	General Farm
Employment Field:	Own Account
Home Owned or Rented:	Own
Home Free or Mortgaged:	Mortgaged
Able to Read:	No
Able to Write:	No
Neighbors:
Household Members:	Name Age Charles Bruton 55 Eliza Bruton 55 Isedure Kizer 15

The 1910 census also recorded Charles as white, but by 1920, he was "Mulatto", or of mixed ancestry, again. They had a granddaughter, Isodore, living with them. The 1920 census also informs us that they were living on the "Albemarle" road, which would become known as Highway 52.





This was Charles last census. He passed away on July 15, 1923 at the age of  59 years, 10 months and 7 days of Gastroenteritis resulting from endocorditis.

He left a will, with T. A. Hathcock as administrator. Charles left the homeplace to his wife Eliza. He left $50 to his daughter Bertha Bruton Horne. He asked that his just debts be paid and afterwards, the residual of his estate to be divided equally between his wife and his 4 surviving children: Nina (Donna or Ina) Horne, Bertha Horne, Qually Bruton (Evander Qually) and Finch Bruton (Doctor Finch).

Charles was buried at East Macedonia Church, near where he lived most of his life.

If the story of Julia and Charles has any moral of it, it is one or both of two things:

One, things and people change with time and
Two, life goes on....even after scandal and what may seem at the time like the end of world.