I believe we all have many different kinds of female ancestors climbing our family trees. Some were straight-laced and extremely pious, purest vessles of godliness and matronly sainthood. Others were lackadaisacally whorish, and devil-may-care. Some were highborn, educated,uppercrust and priveledged. Others were common, illiterate and of the earth.
In my minds eye, I see Nancy Caroline Hudson, a second Great Grandmother of mine as perpetual discheveled.
Caroline was born November 21, 1852, near Cottonville in the Southern part of Stanly County. Her father was Burwell Hudson, one of the older sons of Ol' Joshua Hudson of Ugly Creek who had 22 children by 3 wives and lived nearly 100 years. Her mother was Sarah Lee, daughter of Calvin Lee and Elizabeth Duke of close to Center, or now, Norwood, NC. She was their firstborn child.
Cottonville, NC by artist Nancy B. Brewer
Cottonville is not more than a sign, two churches, a Volunteer Fire Department, an abandoned store and a gathering of houses, now. With lots of acres of cotton, still. In its heyday, the 1830's, it was larger than Charlotte and proclaimed by the New York Stock Exchange, to have the finest cotton in the land. This is where Caroline would grow up.
She would gain a brother, Marion Patterson Hudson, when she was 3, and two little sisters, Emma Frances, called Fanny, and Sarah Anne, in 1858 and 1860, respectively.
Caroline's young life would be paved with tragedy, as her mother would die shortly after the birth of Sarah. Caroline was 8. I'm sure she had to act as a surrogate mother until her father remarried two months later, to another Sarah, Sarah Arrena McSwain.
A fourth daughter, Lucy Ella, would join the family in 1862. Then the Civil War happened. Burwell enlisted. He didn't make it.
Caroline had attended the common school in the area, no doubt a little one room schoolhouse. There are attendance books in the NC State Archives online that show her and her brother present. During the War years, attendance became scant. Off to left of the childrens names, the teacher would notate who their parents were, usually the father. It's heartbreaking to see the name go from naming their father, to months, or even a few years of nonattendance, to being named the child of 'Widow so and so".
In 1870, Burwell's widow, Sarah McSwain Hudson, would marry old storekeeper, John Norwood. She was 39 and he was 73, yet the marriage would bring two children into the fold, Laura in 1872 and John Henry in 1874.
In the 1870 census, Sarah McSwain Hudson hasn't married yet. She is a widow living with Caroline, shown incorrectly as Camelia, instead of Caroline, and Caroline's little sisters, Sarah and Lucy Ella, the child of Burwell and Sarah McSwain.
As for the other 2 children of Burwell Hudson, they appear to have went to live with their maternal grandfather, Calvin Lee. In the 1870 census, Marion 16, and Fannie 12, are living there.
Caroline, now an orphan, would fall fate to a situation that haunted many a young fatherless child after the war, she became an unwed mother.
She had a son, James Robert Hudson, by a teenaged boy, James Robert Thompson, son of William Craven Thompson and wife, Anna Blalock. This is the family in 1860. I blogged on Caroline before I knew this. A distant cousin descended from Caroline's legitimate children contacted me after the blog, to let me know they knew the identity of Caroline's oldest child, J. R., my grandmother's Daddy. Unfortunately, J.R.'s direct descendants, like my grandmother, died not knowing who his father was.
It is said they the young couple considered marriage when they got in trouble, but she was only 15, and he 14, and it was decided he would not yet be able to support a family at that age. The 1870 census found Caroline and her son living with her little sister, Sarah, who married J. Wesley Whitaker.
As for J. R. Thompson, he would move first to Chesterfield County, South Carolina and then to Marlboro. He married Effie Elizabeth Graham and had 10 children.
If you would like to read more about Caroline, just click the following link to my original blog post. Remember, at this point in time, I did not know who the father of her son was.
Despite becoming a teenaged mother, Caroline would marry at age 26 to Robert Dock "Dodie" Singleton. She lived a long life, dying in 1930 at age 78, and had 7 children with Dodie.
She is buried in the old Norwood town cemetery, in the Singleton section. Rest in Peace, Caroline.
This is Robert Lee Thompson, son of J. R. Thompson by wife Effie.
This is William Lane Thompson, son of J.R. Thompson by wife Effie
The above photo is James Robert Hudson on the far right, son of James Robert Thompson and Caroline Hudson Singleton. To his left is his second wife, Nealie and his children, Reece Craven Hudson aka "Ted" and Hattie Helen Hudson McSwain Thompson. The "Craven" in Uncle Ted's name tells me that J. R. may have known who his father was. By the time I came into the picture, grandma didn't know. But she told me all about Caroline and J. R., me being the only grandchild she had that she could talk to about her old photos, which I now treasure.
One of my current research projects is to locate the unknown "Mountains" listed in old deeds and papers of Stanly County. I, and every other person in Stanly County, have been living among these old hills for as long as we have dwelt here, and most people don't even acknowledge the ones outside of Morrow Mountain State Park, and few, if any, know their names.
Their names and locations have been lost to time.
Since I have been on my quest to find these mountains, I am now seeing them everywhere. I can crest a hill coming down 24/27 eastward towards Albemarle, and I see them in the distance. Every time I cross the square in Albemarle, I look westward and see Lowder Mountain. As I come down the North East connector, and crest a hill, I look across in the distance and see Shepherds Mountain. As I cruise the rolling hills and twisting highways of old StanCo, I'm seeing mountains in the distance, everywhere. And they were there the whole time.
One of the mountains I've been attempting to locate is Carr Mountian.
It was with a bit of luck, that I found an article to give me a hint on the location of Carr's Mountain.
From this article. I assumed that Carr Mountain was located in the area of Shankle, which was a community south of Norwood, in the pennisula formed by the forks of the Rocky and PeeDee rivers and was one of the most fertile land in the area and drew some of the earliest settlers.
In the reports of the earliest academies of education in Stanly County, it was reported that on February 9, 1893, the North Carolina General Assembly passed an act to incorporate Carr Academy in Norwood, NC, with 26 trustees.
Carr is not a name I was familiar with, so who was this Carr person or family, who had not only an Academy named for them, but a mountain, and where exactly is Carr Mountain?
Also looking for a Shankle Mountain, where Victorian teens from Norwood and the surrounding area loved to go hiking have picnics, I had learned that Shankle Mountain was in the vicinity of Norwood, but outside of Norwood, not in it. I also learned that Shankle Mountain was not in Shankle, but north of Norwood.
Shankle is the pennisula between the Pee Dee and Rocky Rivers as you get to the forks. Historically, it's been revered as one of the most fertile areas of the county.
Shankle remains a remote, but populated area. Covered in soybean fields and corn fields, with happy horses tossing their manes in multiple pastures, Shankle is an area of immense agrarian beauty.
I perused old maps and found that several of the family names that populated the area around the turn of the century (1880 to 1920) still populate the area at the most recent turn of the century (1980 to present). In the old 1916 map, Shankle Road veered left, or west and led down to the old Dunlap Ferry that crossed the Rocky River. This road is still populated by Shankles, and has several dead end roads branching off of it, as they hit water at every side. This is the road that the historic William Wall house was located on, and from what I can determine, was purchased and still owned by a Mabry family. The Mabrys are another family found on the 1913 map, so they have occupied Shankle for over a century.
Up the road before it got down to the old Wall house, another road branched off to the East. I believe this is now what is called Fork Road and cut between the homes of Killis Almond and Joe Almond on the 1913 map. This led to the old Almond Ferry that crossed the Pee Dee River.
Fork Stables, a beautiufl place, occupies this area now. The Horse trials there have been a quite popular event for Stanly County.
Photo courtesty of Visit Stanly County
Up the road a little further on the 1913 is a Loop Road that loops out toward the Pee Dee side of the pennisula and reconnects with Shankle Road. I believe this is now called "Old Thompson Road", however, no Thompsons were listed on it in 1913. Instead, Jones Howell, Adam Mabry and W. A. Hough lived there.
Up the road still lived a Cap Lowder, and the railroad ran up above his place and headed out toward the dam. Near there was what looked like no more than a dirt path, as it did not have the markings of a road and a place called "Old Brick Yard" was located there.
End of state maintained part of Shankle Road. Ahead, the mouth of the Rocky River before it joins the waters of the Pee Dee
Shankle or Shankle Grove, as it was collectively known, had dwindled already by the turn of the century, as the town of Norwood had grown, but around the time of the Civil War and Reconstruction as Allenton had turned to not much more than a ghost town and Center had become Norwood in its infancy, Shankle was a center of commerce, agriculture, education and civilization. It boasted a churches, a school, industry, an academy and some of the best crops around.
But the one thing I did not find in Shankle was a mountain. That was because Car's Mountain or Carr Mount, as it was also called, was not in Shankle, was not even in Stanly County, but instead, was within the town of Wadesboro, in Anson County.
Carr Mountain was the site that George Singleton chose to build his Silk Mill, a progressive engagement and ground-breaking industry for the time. The Mill led to growth in the town of Wadesboro, in more ways than one. Investors from northern towns arrived, looking to make a profit with the cheap laborin the non-union South, a trend that would extend well into the lifetimes of living persons.
In this 1940 map of Wadesboro, within the sideways triangle, is an empty spot in the northwest quadrant. Within that quadrant, it say "Silk Mill area" and the letter A is encircled there. The letter "A" marks Car's Mountain.
The above link gives a very thorough history of the Singleton Silk Mill. So there ends my search for Carr Mountain. It was not in Stanly County. But Shankle Mountain was.....
While researching the families of the siblings of my Fourth Great-Grandmother, Sarah Winfield Howell Davis, I often discovered they led interesting lives and traveled greatly. But sometimes, they seemed to disappear into the wind.
Oddly, at times, I feel a lingering tug, some little voice in my ear that tells me that their story did not end there, at whatever brick wall I may have stumbled upon while trying to find them.
That was the case in the family of Ancena Winfield Morrison Avett, her sister and my Fourth Great-Grand Aunt.
Sometimes you have to step away and revisit things at a later date and with a fresh approach. And that is exactly what I did one day last fall.
I was attempting to discover the final resting place, and perhaps a date, for the demise of Ancena. What I found instead, was her daughter, Euxena, or Erexena, as this lady with the unusual name, is found with multiple spellings and misspellings of her moniker.
First the name. Apparently, it was a rare, but not unheard of, trendy name for girls born in the late 1700's - early 1800's. Just with one Google, I found:
Exerena Lull 1791-1870
Exerena Brown 1824-1844
Exerena Roberts Baker 1795- 1883
While these Exerena's were from New York, ours was from North Carolina and her mother, Virginia.
In North Carolina, not much was found of her, save her marriage record in 1822 in Anson County to George Singleton of Montgomery County.
George Singleton to Euxene Morrison 1822
Then there is the land division after the death of James Morrison, and the division among his children and widow, all listed in Anson County records, and the deed wherein George Singleton and wife "Euxena" sell their inherited property to Richard Randall
But after that, Euxena had disappeared into thin air. The census records and most land exchanges did not list women, and I could not find George Singleton anywhere.
Then I took a closer look at the children of Ancena who I knew had moved to Tennessee, Thomas Avett Jr. , Alfred Morrison, Margaret Morrison Scarborough, Annabelle Morrsion Beard.
And I found Erexena.
Sometimes, a scan of the actual census record and the adjoining pages, can reveal a great deal.
The family was all in Anson County, NC in 1830, but by 1840, they had migrated to Tennessee. It appears that Ancena went with them, as the oldest female in this census record of Thomas Avett, Jr.
Name
Thomas A Vett
Home in 1840 (City, County, State)
Fayette, Tennessee
Free White Persons - Males - 50 thru 59
1 Thomas
Free White Persons - Females - 40 thru 49
1 Sarah W.
Free White Persons - Females - 80 thru 89
1 Ancena
Slaves - Males - 10 thru 23
3
Slaves - Males - 55 thru 99
1
Slaves - Females - Under 10
2
Slaves - Females - 10 thru 23
2
Slaves - Females - 36 thru 54
1
Persons Employed in Agriculture
6
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49
1
Total Free White Persons
3
Total Slaves
9
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves
12
I have not determined if Thomas Avett, Jr. was her son or stepson, as she did not marry Thomas Sr. until 1819.
It also appears Ancena was living with them in 1830 as all were a decade younger.
Total All Persons - White, Slaves, Colored, Other:
16
The 1850 census was the kicker.
Name
Erixena Duke
Age
50
Birth Year
abt 1800
Birthplace
North Carolina
Home in 1850
District 12, Fayette, Tennessee, USA
Gender
Female
Family Number
1383
Household Members
Name
Age
Robert G Duke
55
Erixena Duke
50
William Duke
22
Cristina Duke
19
Robert Duke
17
Eliza Duke
15
Mary Duke
13
Lucius Duke
10
Jane Singhton
28
In and of itself, it would have probably be missed, this family in House number 1383,
But in House number 1382 was "Ann B. Baird" or Annabelle Morrison Beard/Barid, daughter of Ancena Winfield Morrison Avette and widow of John Beard, with her younger children, Ann E, 19, Edwin L. 15, William H. 16 and Margarite A. 13.
Not only that, but just above this family was the family of Abraham Scarborough, 49, his wife Margaret, 44 and their children, Alfred, William, Jane, John, Lemuel and Thomas. Margaret Morrison Scarborough was also the daughter of Ancena and James Morrison.
The Sisters had stuck together. This was Erexena Morrison Singleton and an additional supporting fact, was the addition in the household of a 28 year old Jane Singleton, who obviously had to be the daughter of Erexena and her first husband, George Singleton.
Erexena obviously was widowed young, with the little daughter Jane, and married Robert G. Duke in North Carolina, where their children were born. They afterwards migrated to Fayette County, Tennessee to be with her family there.
We learn more of Erexena through her children, actually, most notably her son, Robert Spain Duke, the 17 year old in the 1850 census.
He and his family moved to Lonoke, Arkansas, which turned out to be a popular relocation spot for multiple branches of the same family tree that migrated west.
His biography appeared in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Lonoke County, Arkansas published by Goodspeed Publishing in 1889.
It states, "Robert Spain Duke, a leading farmer of Prairie Township, was fourth in a family of 9 children born to Robert G and Erexena (Morrison) Duke, his birth occurring in North Carolina, April 30, 1833. Robert G Duke was born in North Carolina, July 5, 1795, and was a son of Robert Duke, a soldier in the Revolutionary War, of Irish decent, who settled and married in Anson County, North Carolina, and died there in about the 100th year of his age. Robert G. Duke moved from North Carolina to Tennessee in 1845, where he lived until his death. which occured May 3, 1879. His wife (Erexena) was born in North Carolina January 3, 1801 and died in 1856."
The biography goes on to tell how Robert Spain Duke grew up in Tennesee, married twice and had 5 children, three by the first wife, two by the second, served in the Civil War and established himself well in the community.
Further research reveals that this article may have been mistaken in the Grandfather of Robert Spain Duke. The story of the American Revolutionary War veteran, who lived to be nearly 100, sounds like my ancestor, James Duke, who settled in Stanly County, which was part of Montgomery County for most of his life, and lived to be nearly 100. Records of Robert G. Duke, put him in the right area, at the right time, to be the son of James Duke, and brother to my ancestor Elizabeth Duke Lee, not the son of some illusive and undocumented Robert. So, it is my belief that the writer simply got the grandfather's name wrong, it being James, not Robert.
So Erexena shows up in her marriage license to George Singleton, the land division after her father, James Morrison's death, the sale that land to Richard Randle, and the 1850 census.
Most likely, George Singleton died in North Carolina and Erexena and Robert G. Duke married here, as all of her children, including the youngest, Lucian, in 1840, were born here.
Erexena Morrison Singleton Duke's date of death is given as 1856 in Fayette County, Tennesse, by her sons' biography. Her place of burial is unknown.
By dashes on the older census records, it appears there may have been 2 more children, a male and a female, born between Jane Singleton in 1822 and William D. Duke in 1828. It is not known if they were Singletons or Dukes or if they were living in 1850, just as adults and not with the family, or died as children. Another odd clue is Robert Spain Dukes' biography naming him as the 4th in a family of 9 children, implying the two missing children came after his birth, as he is fourth in the known lineage of Jane, William, Christina and Robert Spain.
So as follows are the 7 known children of Mary Erexena Morrison Singleton Duke, daughter of Ancena Winfield Morrison Avett and granddaughter of Peter Winfield and Charlotte Freeman Winfield.
4. Robert Spain Duke b 1833 d 1898 Married Susan Catherine Allison
Married Rebecca I Mason
Died in Prairie, Lonoke, Arkansas
Six children
5. Eliza Duke b 1835
Shown with family in the 1850, 1860 and 1870 census.
Futher research needed.
6. Mary Abigail Duke b 1837 d 1878
Married James Teague. 3 children. Died in Fayette County, TN
7. Lucious Alexander Duke b 1840 d 1912
Married Susie Elizabeth Ormsby 7 children. Died in Lonoke County, Arkansas.
Lucious A. Duke and Susie Ormsby Duke
Addendum: Shortly after publishing this post, I immediately began researching the daughters of Erexena Morrison Singleton Duke. Eliza came quickly. In the 1870 census, she is shown living with her father at 35, and a farmhand named John Thompson.
ame
Mr John Thompson
Gender
Male
Marriage Date
25 Dec 1870
Marriage Place
Fayette, Tennessee, USA
Spouse
Eliza Duke
Household Members
Name
Age
Mr John Thompson
Eliza Duke
That year, on Christmas Day, Eliza was married to John Thompson by Rev. W. P. Simmons, a family member and son-in-law of her mother's (half or step) brother, Thomas Avett.
John Thompson ended up being Jonathan Wilkerson Thompson, born in 1846, the son of George H. and Sarah T. Davis Thompson. He grew up in Center, or Norwood, the brother of David King Thompson, who was well established in that area.
Jonathan and Eliza also moved to Lonoke County, Arkansas and raised 3 sons, William J. , Vernon Culpepper and John Edgar Thompson.
Name
J. W. Thompson
Birth Date
May 1858
Death Date
31 Jul 1914
Cemetery
Oak Grove Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place
Austin, Lonoke County, Arkansas, USA
Has Bio?
N
Spouse
Eliza S. Thompson
Children
William J. Thompson
They are buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Austin, Lonoke County, Arkansas.
