Have you ever wondered what life would have been like if the Civil War had never happened? Not the ending of the inhuman and brutish policies that it held in place, but if slavery and the other policies in dissent, had been resolved, disolved and changed for the best, without a War and the massive death and destruction that had come with it. Yes, there would have been changes and readjustments, and possibly changes in governance and probably a great deal of oversight, but if the South had not lost most of her men, if a generation of children had not grown up fatherless and an entire region had not been left devastated, with starvation, crops rotting in the fields and desparate widows taking desparate measures to feed their children, or being attacked and taken advantage of.
One of the phenomena rising from what really happened, I find far too often while researching families who lived, and died, in the middle and later 19th century, is that of people claiming deceased fathers on their marriage certificates and marriage licenses, who died, years, not months, before the person ever breathed life. Widows impregnated by the literal ghosts of their husbands who had died of the atrocious diseases that abound among the troops, or had bled out on a distant battlefield.
Of course, we knew this was not possible. There had to have been other events in play. Yet, there's that 1934 death certificate with the name of the mother's husband, who died in 1862, on the certificate of the child born in 1869. The worst of it, is that it appears the same way in all these family trees, repetitively, one copying another, no one hesitating to do the math or ask themselves, how did this happen? And if you try to notify them of the error, oh how dare you! How could you possibly demean Great Great Grandma by suggesting something so crass and common? "That did not happen back then".
Except that - it did.
Lee Hathcock was my 3rd Great Granduncle. He was the son of Benjamin Franklin Hathcock and Nancy Ann Burris and the brother of Obedience "Beadie" Hathcock Burris, my 3rd Great Grandmother. Lee was born on August 25, 1835, which put him in the prime target age of a soldier.
Name
Lee Haithcock
Gender
Male
Race
White
Residence Age
15
Birth Date
abt 1835
Birthplace
North Carolina
Residence Date
1850
Home in 1850
Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Attended School
Yes
Line Number
40
Dwelling Number
902
Family Number
907
Household members
Name
Age
Benjamin Haithcock
48
Mosby Haithcock
20
Gracey Haithcock
17
Lee Haithcock
15
Benjamin Haithcock
11
Mary A Haithcock
9
Sarah M Haithcock
2
Lee was born into a typically large farm family of the day with lots of daughters and a repectible spattering of sons. His mother, Nancy, died when he was still a young boy. In 1840, his father is shown as a widower with his youngest children, his mother having passed in 1849.
Beside of the Blalocks lived McCamie Willis and his wife, Obedience Burris Willis. The Willis's never had children of their own, but they had taken in Obedience's mtoher, Judith Burris, my 5th Great Grandmother, Beada L. Hathcock, Obedience's namesake neice and my 3rd Great Grandmother, and had raised a boy named Solomon, then 18, after the court had removed him from car of Solomon Burris, the 1st, Obedience's father and Judith's husband, after the couple had grown too aged. Solomon was the illegitimate son of Jane Murray, the sister of another one of my third great grandmothers and Obedience's brother, Joshua Christian Burris, not only one of my fourth Great Grandfathers, but also my 4th Great Granduncle several times over. I know, creepy isn't it, but this was my family.
Keep this family group in mind for future reference.
Lee was probably named for his uncle, Lee Hathcock, who was 37 years his senior and who had settled in Cabarrus County, NC. The surname, Hathcock, is seen in various other spellings, mostly Heathcock, but I will used Hathcock, which is how our particular line is most often seen in these parts.
On September 15, 1853, at the age of 18, Lee Hathcock married Martha Judith Coley, age 19, daughter of Nathan Coley and Nancy Vickers Coley. They had three little boys in rapid succession, as was common for the day.
1855 Adam Franklin Hathcock
1858 Daniel M. Hathcock
1859 William Whitson Hathcock
In 1860, the young family is listed right above his father's in the census.
Name
Lee Heathtock
Age
25
Birth Year
abt 1835
Gender
Male
Race
White
Home in 1860
Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office
Albemarle
Dwelling Number
1087
Family Number
1102
Occupation
Farmer
Personal Estate Value
60
Inferred Spouse
Judieth Heathtock
Inferred Child
Adam Heathtock; Danil Heathtock; William Heathtock
Household members
Name
Age
Lee Heathtock
25
Judieth Heathtock
24
Adam Heathtock
5
Danil Heathtock
William Heathtock
1
The Hathcocks would have one more son, Levi, born in 1862, and then it would happen, The War.
Lee Hathcock enlisted on March 25, 1862 as a Private in Company H, 42nd Infantry with a number of other Stanly County men. He was 26 years old. His service didn't last long. He died on October 1, 1862, of disease in Petersburg, Virginia. Disease took as many, if not more, men than battle. North Carolina was particulary hit hard. If I'm not mistaken, North Carolina lost more men than any other state.
Name
Lee Hathcock
Enlistment Age
26
Birth Date
abt 1836
Enlistment Date
25 Mar 1862
Enlistment Place
Stanly County, North Carolina
Enlistment Rank
Private
Muster Date
10 May 1862
Muster Place
North Carolina
Muster Company
H
Muster Regiment
42nd Infantry
Muster Regiment Type
Infantry
Muster Information
Enlisted
Muster Out Date
1 Oct 1862
Muster Out Place
Petersburg, Virginia
Muster Out Information
died disease
Side of War
Confederacy
Survived War?
No
Residence Place
Stanly County, North Carolina
Notes
1862-08-09 Deserted
Title
North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster
We don't know if Judy was pregnant with Levi, or if she was left with a newborn and three other little men.
Name
Lee Hathcock
Gender
Male
Birth Date
25 Aug 1835
Birth Place
Stanly County, North Carolina, United States of America
Death Date
1 Oct 1862
Death Place
Petersburg, Fauquier County, Virginia, United States of America
Cemetery
Commie Willis Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place
Oakboro, Stanly County, North Carolina, United States of America
Lee's body was returned home for burial. He was buried in the McCamie Willis cemetery in Red Cross, near Oakboro.
Judy was left with 4 small boys, one of them an infant. She lived near her in-laws, who probably helped as best they could in those trying days. She also applied for a widow's pension, to help ensure the survival of her young family.
What happened next? Why the Ghost of husbands past, of course.
Judy Hathcock, in 1870, is shown with all of her sons, and an extra, 1 year old Mack, as joined the group. Her older sons, even down to 8 year old Levi, were probably helping run the farm, for survival.
Mack Luther Hathcock was born on April 10, 1869, the son of Lee Hathcock and Judy Coley Hathcock, some claim. Really? I mean 1862 to 1869? A seven year pregnancy. Umm, you might not be a Hathcock.
Others descendants, more skilled in math, have attached the above explanation to their family tree. Mack may have been a little olive -skinned, and I believe I may have an answer for that, but he was no "Full-blooded Catawba Indian", and he wasn't left on his mother's doorstep by a warring Catawba, or a stork, or any other imaginary friend.
There does exist a legal, plausible, logical and collaborative record of how Mack Hathcock came to be seven years beyond his "fathers" decease.
Recall the family living next to McCamie Willis and his family of borders, which included a young man named Solomon?
"State of North Carolina, Stanly County
Know all men by these Presents , That we, Solomon Burris or Murray and Mycamma Willis are held and firmly bound and by these presents bind our homesteads into the said State of North Carolina in the sum of two hundred dollars current money, to be paid to said State; and....dated this 20th day of September, 1869. The condition of the above Obligation is such, That if the above bounden Solomon Burris or Murray, the reputed father of a base-born child, begot on the body of Judy Hathcock, a single woman of said County, shall keep the said County of Stanly indemnified from all costs and charges in and about the maintenance of said child; and perform every order of the Court of said County, relative to the said child; then this Obligation to be void; otherwise to remain in full force and virtue.
Signed, Sealed and Acknowledged
In the Presence of
Solomon Burroughs (Seal)
his
M. C. (X) Willis (Seal)
Mark
The above transcription is of a document called a Bastardy Bond. As horrible as it sounds, it was actually an archaic form of child support used in the 17th to 19th centuries, and at least into the earliest years of the 20th.
One must step back and look at the climate and mores of the day, to understand it a little better. Women had little power, no vote, few options in those days. She had to be connected to a man, a father, a husband, a brother, some man, or her chances of survival were slim. A woman was not looked at as being able to support a child on her own, even though Judy seemed capable of doing so with her first four. She had her widows pension. She had her small farm. The County, however, wanted to ensure, this child, born to a widow years after her husband's death, and the baby, would not be a financial burden on the county.
The bond held the father, Solomon "Burris or Murray", financially responsible for the child, at least until the child was old enough to be "bound out", or appreciated to learn a trade, to an intact family, typically at about 7 to 10 years old. Some of these situations were pretty good for the child, especially if they were bound out to family, a Grandparent, an Uncle, or even, an older sibling. Sometimes, as in foster homes today, the situation was cruel and abusive. Tales were told of children being "worked to death".
Solomon knew of those tales and knew he was one of the lucky ones. Why was his name shown as "Murray or Burris"? It's because his mother was Jane Murray and his father was Joshua Christian Burris, who was married to Sarah Springer, not Jane Murray. So Solomon had inherited some character traits from his own father. McCamie Willis, his uncle by marriage, who had raised him like a father, stood as bondsman for Solomon in this legal proceeding.
Solomon must have first been placed with his namesake grandfather, Revolutionary War Veteran, Solomon Burris, Sr. , while Stanly was still part of Montgomery. Those records were destroyed. But in the earliest court records of Stanly County, founded in 1841, his elderly grandfather was ordered to bring him to court to be bound out. Afterwards, he had grown up with McCamie Willis, who was married to his Aunt Obedience Burris Willis.
The next time we see Judith Coley Hathcock is in the 1880 census. From the neighbors, it appears they are living in the same place as in 1870. She is living with her son William Whittson Hathcock and his young bride, Johannah. Mack is now 11 years old..
Tombstone of Judy Hathcock from Find-a-Grave
Judith Coley Hathcock spent her last 20 years, living among her surviving sons. Her last years were with her youngest son, Mack Luther. She passed away on March 8, 1900 in Sanford, Lee County, North Carolina and was buried at the Center United Methodist Church Cemetery. Mack and his family were found in Moore County four months later on the 1900 census.
Mack Hathcock and family as a young man.
The Five Sons of Martha Judith Coley Hathcock were:
1) Adam Franklin Hathcock born about 1855. Married: 23 March 1876 in Stanly County to Judith Elizabeth Whitley, daughter of Alexander Davidson Whitley and wife, Mary Ann Burris. One child: Samantha Macedious Hathcock Linker. Died around 1877, def. before 1880. Cause of death unknown. Widow remarried to James Martin Barbee in 1881 and had two more children.
2) Daniel Monroe Hathcock born February 14, 1853, according to death certificate, however, in the two census records, where he appeared as a child and a teen, he was two years behind Adam. Adam's two census records and his marriage liscense give him a birth year of 1855. Dan was 3 in 1860 and 12 in 1870, 21 in 1880 and 21 when he got married in 1878. Very fluid, but I believe a birth year of 1878 is more accurate. He married on March 7, 1878 to Elizabeth Rosenclontz Thompson, daughter of John and Ellen Rosencrantz, a young widow. Four children were born to this marriage, William, Octie, Etta and Perry. Daniel was a farmer during the early part of his marriage, had moved to Concord, Cabarrus County in 1898, and afterwards worked in Government Service. He moved his family to Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee by 1900. There he worked for the Government until at least 1920. He lost his wife sometime between 1920 and 1930. She was likely related to the German Rosecranz family who had land grants in Stanly County in 1845 on Meadow Creek, and applied for naturalization in Stanly around 1848. A few of them married local ladies in Stanly and Cabarrus Counties, but they left few records. It's unknown when Betty died, or where she was buried. There's no record of which Thompson she married, too.
In old age, Daniel moved in with his daughter, Etta Hathcock Norris. They lived in Hillsboro, Florida. He worked as a night watchman then, and was there in 1930 & 1940. By 1942, Daniel had returned to Tennessee with his son, Perry, in the town of Daisy, Hamilton County. He died there on October 27, 1942, buried at the Johnson Cemetery in Daisy.
3) William Whittson Hathcock was born on January 19, 1859. He married Johanna Francis Yow, daughter of Moses and Winny Yow, about 1880. They lived in Furrs Township, Stanly County, until the turn of the century, and then moved to the Bethel Church area of Cabarrus County.
Will and Johanna were a farming family and as such, had a large number of children. The 9 known children were Mary E., Martha A , Joseph P., Adaline, William S., Fillmore, Emma, Rettie Bell and Julia E.
Johanna died in 1932, at the age of 71.
William died January 28, 1948 , at the age of 89. They are buried at Loves Grove Methodist Church in Stanfield, Stanly County, NC.
4) M. Levi Hathcock was born in 1862, the year his father died. He moved to Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, NC, where he married Mary Elizabeth "Molly" McCall, daughter of William and Mary, on November 12, 1884. There were two daughters, Odie, Bertha Mae. Levi died before 1900. Mollie lived until 1926 and supported her family as a Seamstress in Charlotte. She's buried at Providence Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC.
5) Mack Luther Hathcock was born April 10, 1869. He married Mary Louise Smith on September 19, 1889. He moved to Lee County, and Moore County, before settling down in Franklinville, Randolph County, a unique and picturesque little Uwharrie town. There, they farmed and raised a large family of nine children; Hurley Edmond, Cora Ann, Frankie E., Bessie Mae, Riley Anderson, Rose Ella, Mattie Wadsworth, Hugh G. and Minnie Bell.
Mary Louise died in 1937 and Mack died in on March 25, 1958 at 88 years old. They are buried at Cedar Falls Baptist Church in Randolph County, NC.
When I type the name Judith Taylor into my family tree, the same exact lady comes up not once, not twice, but 4 times! That is because I have 4 separate ancestrial lines back to Judith and her husband, Solomon Burris. It's easy to say I probably have more dna from Judith Taylor Burris than any other 5th Great Grandmother in my family tree as she is my 5th Great Grandmother times 4! And all 4 lines lead to my paternal grandfather.
Let's see if I can draw this out.
Judith Taylor and Solomon Burris
Gen Two
Joshua C Burris Taylor Burris Nancy Ann Burris Solomon Burris Jr.
1790-1878 1784-1856 1804-1879 1800-1873
m m m m
Susan Honeycutt Nancy Morton Benjamin F Hathcock Sarah Morgan
Gen Three
Mary Anna Burris Soloman Burris III Obedience Hathcock Gideon Green Burris
1833-1880 1822-1897 1828-1880 1831-1898
m m m m
C. M. 'Kin" Honeycutt Elizabeth Morton Gideon G. Burris Obedience Hathcock
Gen Four
Ellen Honeycutt Sarah Ann Burris David T. Burris David T. Burris again
1856-1930 1850-1885 1851-1928 1851-1928
m m m m
David T. Burris Rufus A. Lambert Ellen Honeycutt Ellen Honeycutt
Gen Five
Rowena Burris Elias M. Lambert Rowena Burris Rowena Burris
1872-1915 1875-1943 1872-1915 1872-1915
m m m m
Elias M Lambert Rowena Burris Elias M. Lambert Elias M. Lambert
Gen Six
Burley Melvin Lambert 1915-1986 all 4 Rows.
Gen Seven
Dad
Gen Eight
Me
Now, add to the fact that Charles McKinley "Kin" Honeycutt and Mary Anna Burris were 1st cousins through the Honeycutt line and that there are two Mortons in there, who may connect at some point, and you have a very limited gene pool. It's as if Red Cross, Stanly County was an island with no one else for thousands of miles.
I've posted on my Burris family several times before.
The Burris Reunion About one of the family's yearly reunions and what brings us together.
Black Sheep Sunday: Druken Duncan About Rowena's brother, who ended up being my Grandmother's Stepfather. Yes, my Grandparents were first cousins by marriage, but not biologically related, thank goodness. This would make Duncan my Great Great Uncle and my Step-Great Grandfather.
A bit confusin? Try being me. And yes, I have blogged about them alot.
As far as Judith goes, the concensus is not in on who her parents were. I've seen a Robert Taylor as her parents. In my Dad's research, he had a James Taylor and wife Lucy as her parents, which I guess I will leave in my tree until it's disproven as this was inherited genealogy.
Judith was born about 1766 in North Carolina. She was married to Solomon Burris, one date given, is December 12, 1783, in Surry County, NC. Their oldest son, Taylor Burris was born the next year.
Solomon Burris was a Revolutionary War Soldier. Judith recieved a pension after his death.
In the 1850 census, Judith was living with her daughter, Obedience Burris Willis. Obedience and her husband , McCamey "Mac" Willis, were childless. With them besides Judith were a neice and a nephew.
Judith passed away on April 18, 1856 in Stanly County. She was 89 years old.
Below is a story from The Stanly County Heritage Book. There are some inconsistencies in the story, for instance, the German part. I believe his lineage is most likely Engliah as it derives from the Anglo-Saxon Burroughs or Burrows. In the early years, some of the Burris family spelled their name Burroughs.
From: Stanly County Heritage - North Carolina, Vol.1 - By: Stanly County Heritage Book Committee #720
Happy Mother's Day Grandma Judith. I'm probably more like you than anyone else of your era.
In the midst of a barren winter field, some distance from the main road, in the crossroads community of Red Cross, Stanly County, sits a lonely grove of trees. Hidden among vines and branches, saplings and the loamy mulch, are scattered slate markers, horribly worn by time and nature, indicating an abandoned family cemetery. Once upon a time a house and probably several outbuildings stood nearby. The land around it is still farmed.
This is the McCamie Willis Cemetery, said to have been the original resting place of Revolutionary War veteran Solomon Burris, Sr and his wife, Judith Taylor Burris.
Their remains, at some point, were moved nearby, just a few miles away, to Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.
On a recent chilly and damp January afternoon, I had the good fortune to participate in the clean-up of this cemetery, with a group of other Burris descendants and associates.
Some stones had fallen over. Others had been
nearly overtaken by the roots of trees. A few
were legible still. Many other graves were obvious, but no longer marked, the slate markers beneath the ample foliage, covered by dirt and decades of neglect.
For me, this is holy ground. Solomon and Judith Taylor Burris hold a heavy spot among my ancestors. I am descended from not one, not two, but 4 of their children: Taylor, Solomon Jr., Nancy and Joshua C. Sr., all in the personage of one Grandfather. This type of endogamy was common during the 19th century in small farming communities and makes my family tree smaller than most. Nancy Ann Burris married Benjamin Franklin Hathcock, and many Hathcocks are buried here. One of her children married a child of her brother Solomon Jr. A first cousin marriage. My Grandfather's mother, Rowena Burris Lambert, was descended from this line, but his father, Eli Marion Lambert, carried not one, but two, distinct lines to old Solomon Burris himself. My paternal Grandmother, thank goodness, did not carry any biological Burris lines. Her family tended to be from Mecklenburg, Cabarrus and Union Counties. But after her father died, tragicly and young, her mother married a Burris, the brother of my Grandfather's mother, Rowena, so she had Burris half-siblings and a Burris stepfather. This was obviously how she met my Grandfather.
The cemetery bears the name of Commie Willis, or rather McCamey Ervin (or Erwin) Willis. Commie or Kamey, his nickname, is seen in many various spellings. Sometimes the "Mac" was separated from the "Camey" or "Commie" or "Kamey". Having a direct ancestor, the Rev. John McCamey Wilson, with the same name included in his, I know that McCamey was a surname, and that McCamey is the correct spelling of it.
Many of the old slate stones, that Stanly County is noted for, have barely legible etchings remaining upon them. Our local State Park, Morrow Mountain, was even noted for an ancient Native American quarry, as the old volcano among the Uwharries, one of the oldest, and worn down, mountain ranges on the east coast, made stone that became some of the best arrowheads, found as far west as the Mississippi.
Once members of our local Historic and Genealogical Societies, who have vast experience in saving and marking old cemeteries, work their magic with squeegies and shaving cream, a beautiful work of art appears. The above is the tombstone of Mary Ann Hathcock. It reads:
"Fair Well friends Memary of Marann HatHcock Was BornD Janu 28 AD 1830 DC March 14th AD 1863 AG 33 on 1 month 17 day She was a wife of Caulvan Hathcock She was the mother of 7 children She was a devoted member of the Babeths Church Blessed are the Ded that Die in the Lord" Translation taken from "These Hallowed Grounds", published by the Stanly County Genealogical Society in 2012.
Below is how Mary and her young family appeared in the 1850 census, with only her oldest daughter, Priscilla Rosanna, being born. Mary Ann was the daughter of John Hartsell and wife, Rosanna Herlocker Hartsell. Her husband Calvin was the son of Benjamin Franklin Hathcock (or Heathcock) and Nancy Ann Burris, making him a grandson of Solomon and Judith. I descend from his sister, Obedience, named most probably after her aunt, Obedience Burris Willis.
The 7 children of Calvin and MaryAnn Hartsell Hathcock were, as best as I can determine (and am hopefully open to correction and addendums) were:
1) Priscilla Rosanna Hathcock b 1850 d 1929 Married John E. Clark
2) Jackson Franklin Hathcock b 1852 d 1910 Married Nancy Ann Honeycutt
3) Sarah Jane Hathcock b 1857 d 1928 Married David I Coley
4) Green L Hathcock b 1858 d 1898 Married Mary C Smith
5) Zinna Elizabeth Hathcock b 1860 d 1905 Married George R Hinson-Hathcock
6) James Benjamin Hathcock b 1861 d Married Bathsheba Whitley
7) Unknown at this juncture, possibly a Mary
Below is the tombstone of Lee Hathcock after its etchings had been made clear. Notice the beautiful artistic borders, palms and Tree of Life etchings. It reads:
"In Memory of Lee Hathcock Was Born August the 25 Day AD 18?? Blessed Are They Dead they That Died in the Lord"
Lee Hathcock was also a son of Benjamin Franklin Hathcock and Nancy Ann Burris Hathcock. He was a brother-in-law to Mary Ann Hartsell Hathcock. He was born on August 25, 1835 and was killed on Oct 1, 1862 at Petersburg, Farquier County, Virigina during the Civil War and his remains returned to his family for burial.
Name:
Lee Hathcock
Birth Date:
25 Aug 1835
Birth Place:
Stanly County, North Carolina, United States of America
Death Date:
1 Oct 1862
Death Place:
Petersburg, Fauquier County, Virginia, United States of America
Cemetery:
Commie Willis Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place:
Oakboro, Stanly County, North Carolina, United States of America
From Find-a- Grave
Lee married Martha Judith Coley on September 15, 1853. They became the parents of 4 boys: Adam, Daniel, William and Levi.
Name
Lee Heathtock
Age
25
Birth Year
abt 1835
Gender
Male
Home in 1860
Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office
Albemarle
Dwelling Number
1087
Family Number
1102
Occupation
Farmer
Personal Estate Value
60
Household Members
NameAge
NameLee Heathtock
NameJudieth Heathtock
NameAdam Heathtock
NameDanil Heathtock
NameWilliam Heathtock
Levi Hathcock (Heathcock) was born the year his father died.
Judith Hathcock's Petition for her Widow's Pension
A fifth son, Mack Luther Heathcock, would be born to Lee's widow, Judy, in 1870, 8 years after his death. Although he carried the name Hathcock on to his own large family, his father was actually Solomon (Murray) Burris/Burroughs, another grandson of Solomon and Judith, 1st cousin of Lee and a ward of McCamey and Obedience Willis
This is how Lee's family was enumerated in 1860.
Hand prints were also a common them on the rustic tombstones. The above shows a large hand print above the inscription on the tombstone of Zenas Burris. The hand represented reaching toward Heaven. The inscription reads;
" Zenas son of Z. E. and M. Burris B. Mar THE 11th D Mar the 27th 1874"
Z. E and M Burris stood for Zachary Ephraim Burris and his wife Margaret Victoria Burris. Both were Great Grandchildren of Solomon and Judith Taylor Burris. Zenas would have been their second child. Zachary Eprhriam Burris was the son of David Burris and wife Sarah Vanderburg Burris. David was a grandson of the couple through their son Solomon Burris Jr. and wife Sallie Morgan.
Margaret Burris was the daughter of James Allen Burris and wife, Lucy Hinson. Allen was a grandson of the couple through their son Joshua Burris and wife Sarah Springer. As their fathers were 1st cousins, Z. E. and Margaret Burris were second cousins.
This stone shows how the shaving cream can make words appear like magic on these old stones.
A broken stone, wedged halfway into the soil.
The tombstone of Nancy J Burris, another infant's grave, born July 11, 1851 and died only a few months later on September 19, 1851. Her exact parents are unknown, but no doubt a Great Grandchild of Solomon and Judith.
This stone is being consumed by the roots of a tree and revealed only the initial A M B.
David Almond, author and Burris descendant, eyes a sapling for disposal.
A little digging reveals an unknown footstone.
In a row, some leaning, some half-buried and others broken completely off.
A team member hides behind a tree as the cemetery is being revealed.
Last minute touches show 3 or 4 rows of tidy, but ancient graves.
The cemetery was named for McCamey Ervin Willis. His homestead was here. But who was "Commie Willis" and from where did he come?
That is a question we have no real answer to.
McCamey Ervin Willis appears in 4 Census Records in Stanly County, NC: 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. He also appears in several land records and court records. None give a hint as to his origin before arriving in Stanly County, only the fact that he was born in North Carolina. He does not appear in the 1830 or 1840, although with birth years given in those censuses as between 1814 and 1818, he was certainly old enough to have been, at least in the 1840 census.
It is also not known when or where he married Obedience Burris, but it was most likely in Stanly County. Her father was obviously here for many decades before his demise, and in his will, probated in 1845, he refers to his daughter Obedience as "Obedience Burris", meaning she was single at that time. Being born about 1808, "Beadie" was a few years older than Commie and would have been considered an old maid, at 37, in 1845. Her older sister Judith was also single and 50 at the time their father's will was probated, and he had especially taken care to provide for his widow and single daughters.
Judith Burris Jr. died in 1847 at the age of 52. She must have been sick and knowing her demise was near, so she herself, wrote a will. It was probated in August of 1847. In her will she makes the following statements:
"First, I give to my sister Obedience, my chest and all my clothes, and all my interest in my father's estate at my mother's decease and next I want Solomon K (or R?) Burris to have my bed and good furniture. I appoint my beloved brother, Joshua to be my executor."
John Huneycutt and Gideon Morgan were Testators.
From the above reference, it appears Obedience was still single upon her older sister's death in 1847.
McCamey Willis first shows up in the land records of Stanly County on May 5, 1850 when William H. Randle, attorney sold to "Kamy R Willis" for $100 a tract of land. Randle was representing John Ward, Jeremiah Adderton and James Adderton of Davidson County, NC and Daniel Freeman of Stanly County, NC. They had been residents of Stanly County previously, as I've recalled seeing the name "Jere Adderton" quite often in old records.
The land was described as " Beginning at a stake in the bank of Stony Run Creek" and met Asberry's line and Solomon Burris's line and was described as 226 acres "more or less", " with the exception of 26 acres which is for the use of and benefit of the widow Judy Burris including the house and improvements in which she lives during her life and after her death to belong to the said Kamy R. Willis". "Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of Solomon Burris and David Burris", brothers of Obedience Burris. It was registered on February 25, 1851 and signed by John Ward, Jeremiah Adderton, James Adderton and Daniel Freeman.
The facts seem to point to the marriage of Obedience Burris and McCamie Willis as between August of 1847 and May of 1850. He may have been a widower, but there are no indications he ever had any children of his own. None ever appeared wanting a piece of the pie after his death. He may have married Obedience because she was a woman with land that he wanted, but he did not sway in caring for her family and others in the community. The union was true.
The Willis and Burris's of Red Cross, Stanly County, were enumeratied on Novemeber 2, 1850.
Commie and Obedience were Household 906 with 904 being her brother Solomon Jr. and 905 being his son David, with an infant Z. E. Burris, who was spoken of previously.
House Number 907 was Benjamin F. Hathcock, her brother-in-law, widower of her sister Nancy. House 908 was Benjamin's son Calvin and his young wife Mary Ann and their baby daughter Priscilla, Mary Ann's tombstone being mentioned previously as well. Family and neighbors.
The occupants of House 906 were: 36 year old McCamey Willis, his 42 year old wife, Obedience, her 85 year old mother, Judith Taylor Burris, their ward and nephew, Solomon (Murray) Burris, 18 and her neice and my ancestor, Obedience "Beadie" Hathcock Burris, 24.
Obedience Hathcock Burris, daughter of Benjamin Franklin Hathcock and Nancy Ann Burris Hathcock, was married by this time and expecting her first child, my ancestor, David T. Burris, who was born on January 13, 1851. As this was November 2, 1850, she was 7 months pregnant. Her father lived next door and there is no Obedience in his household and her husband, 18 year old Gideon Green Burris, who was also her first cousin, was listed in his parents household as a laborer, and she wasn't listed with him, so this has to be Obedience L Hathcock Burris.
Solomon Burris was Solomon Murray Burris, son of Obedience's brother, Joshua C. Burris Sr., a married man, and Jane "Jincy" Murray, a single woman. I descend from Joshua C. Burris through his daughter, Mary Anna Burris with Susannah Honeycutt and I descend from a sister of Jane Murray, Priscilla Murray Aldridge, who was one of my second Great Grandmothers. I know, it's complicated.
In the February 1844 session of the Court of Pleas and Quarters of Stanly County, the Sheriff had been ordered to bring the child, Solomon Murray "to next court to be bound out, now living with Solomon Burris, Sr." Old Sol seems to have been trying to keep this stray grandson in the family, one of his several namesakes. The boy grew up with his Aunt and Uncle, Obedience and Commie Willis, and so loved the couple he named children for them. He was a troubled child, as illegitimate children in the era often were due to the social ostracization. He was in and out of court, and always there with him, going his bond, whether for affray, drunkeness, petty larceny or making his own out of wedlock babies, was his adopted Dad, Commie Willis.
Solomon was married 4 times that I know of, and fathered at least 15 children that I have found. He grew up, he moved east and spelled his name "Burroughs". He moved around a bit, like a rolling stone, in Cabarrus, Wilmington, Lenior, Goldsboro. He is buried in Jason, Green County, North Carolina. Never heard of it? Neither had I.
On December 20, 1852, "MyCama E Willis" bought 33 1/2 acres from Daniel Freeman, an Albemarle merchant on Stony Run Creek that ran along Benjamin Hathcock's line for $23. This may have been a portion of Judith's property that covered a debt at the Freeman's store.
On November 8, 1855 "Isaiah Coley of the 1st part, Solomon Burris of the 2nd part, G. D. Whitley and Kamey E. Willis of the 3rd part, George Cagle of the 4th part and Jessie Hathcock of the 5th part, all of Stanly County" were involved in a transaction. Isaiah Coley was "justly indebted" to the estate of Robert Motley for $50 and to Daniel Freeman for $33 and interest and to Nelson Smith. G. D. Whitley, 'Camey E. Willis', George Cagle and Jesse Hathcock were his securities for these notes. To give them relief, he put up the land and property upon which he was living, one yoke of steers and cart, '4 head dry cattle', 12 head of hogs and 200 bushels of corn.
By 1860, Mother Judith had passes away, Beadie was living with her husband Gideon Greene Burris and young Solomon was working as a farm hand in Mount Pleasant, Cabarrus County, with his first wife and 4 children. McCamey had Real Estate valued at $236 and Personal Estate at $200. And Rebecca Page had arrived.
Becky Page was listed as a Day Laborer in the 1860 census. She was 30 years old. She lived and worked for Commie and Obedience for many, many years. I have not found her in the 1850 census, but I believe she may have been a daughter of Dempsey Page and the 1870 census will explain why.
In 1870, Commie and Obedience are boarding more of the Page family. This portion of the 1870 census is incorrect. They divided Commie and Obedience from the rest of the household.
Notice the Dwelling number, 22, on both entries. The Pages ladies lived with the Willis's. The transcriber also made a mess of their last name, but a peak at the original copy clearly shows "Page".
While I've not found Rebecca in 1850, or outside of her residence with the Willis's, that does not ring true for Mason and Delitha. The inclusion of all 3 in the 1870 household of McCamey Willis and the shared surname leads me to naturally believe they must have been closely related.
I've found that Mason's age in this census was incredibly incorrect. Mason was an unusual first name for this era, especially for a female. On September 26, 1877, in Cabarrus County, Mason Elisabeth Page married William Alexander Coley, son of Isaiah and Caroline Coley. Both families were from Stanly County. Mason Elisabeth's mother was given as Dilly Page and in the space for father, only dashes were placed. In the place where it indicates whether or not the parent is living or deceased, again, only dashes for father and living for mother.
Name
Mason Elisabeth Page
Gender
Female
Race
White
Age
22
Birth Year
abt 1855
Marriage Date
26 Sep 1877
Marriage Place
Cabarrus, North Carolina, USA
Mother
Dilly Page
Spouse
William Alexander Colen
Spouse Gender
Male
Spouse Race
White
Spouse Age
27
Spouse Father
Isiah Colen
Spouse Mother
Caroline Colen
Event Type
Marriage
Household Members
NameAge
NameWilliam Alexander Colen
NameMason Elisabeth Page
Mason Elisabeth Page Coley lived a long and traceable life. She went by the nickname "Bettie" and her actual birthdate, as given in other records, was May 2, 1851. She would have been 19 in the 1870 census, not 41, and her mother, Dillie's age was undercut by quite a bit as well.
Her marriage was even announced in the paper, but for some reason, they could not get the surname of her husband, Coley, correct. They also picked up the name of her mother-in-law, Caroline, and gave it to her.
William Alexander Coley was the son of Isaiah Coley and Francis Caroline Honeycutt Coley, the same Isaiah Coley who was the next door neighbor of McCamie Willis and who is named in the above deed from 1855 who was indebted to a number of people and had named Commie as one of his sureties.
Bettie and Alec or "Ellick" had 5 children. She named her firstborn daughter, born August 9, 1878, Rebecca. Was this in honor of Rebecca Page? What relationship was Rebecca to Bettie? The most likely, I believe was Aunt. Rebecca Coley moved to Arkansas and was married 3 times, to Ferguson, Reeves and Lattimore.
Rebecca Coley and husband M C Larrimore
Bettie Page Coley was widowed young and raised her children in Union County, North Carolina. Her other children were:
Daniel 1880,
James M "Jim" 1888
Dillie Lou, named for her mother, 1885
and Roy Jack, 1894
Jim Coley of Union County, later in life.
Bettie died on August 16, 1928 at the age of 77. The informant on her death certificate was her son-in-law, Bright Fletcher Broom, the husband of her daughter Dillie. Dillie Lou obviously knew the name of her own father, Alex Coley, which was given correctly. However, the names of her grandparents were rather confusing. She knew her family's origin was in Stanly County. However, she gave her grandmother's name as Rebecca, not Dillie or Delitha. As her mother's father, she gave the name of Joel Page. There was no Joel Page in Stanly County or any surrounding counties, who could have been the father of Bettie Page Coley. Could her first name have been a clue? Could her father have been a Mason? There was a family of Masons living in Almond Township, Stanly County, during the time she was concieved.
Dillie Lou Coley was the one named for her grandmother. She lived in Waxhaw, Union County and was married twice, to a Helms and to Fletcher Broom.
Dilly Lou Coley and husband Bright Fletcher Broom on their wedding day
She should have remembered her Grandmother, the original "Dillie", as they lived together at one point, and possibly for some time. The original Dillie, aka Delitha or Delilah, was the key to whom the Page women may have been.
In 1850, Dillie shows up in the home of Dempsey Page and wife Macey, both in their 50's. They have a family of 6 children. Or could the younger ones have been grandchildren? Macey seems a little old to have been the mother of a 9, 6, and 3 year old. Right next to them was a James Page, a young man of 25, and his young family, who is noted to have been a son of Dempsey Page.
James is found also in the 1860 census. He had a wife named Lucy and 4 children. He served in the Civil War from Cabarrus County.
Home in 1860:Subdivision East of NC RR, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Post Office:Mount Pleasant
Dwelling Number:261
Family Number:261
Occupation:Farm Hand
Personal Estate Value:50
Cannot Read, Write:Y
Household Members:
James Page had a hard time during the War. He was in and out of the hospital and suffered at various times with "Cattarh" and rhuematism. He spent some time as a Prisoner of War and finally died of disease, at the age of 37 on July 5, 1863. His widow, Mary Ann Lucinda Page, applied for a widow's pension in 1863, with the help of a W. H. Taylor. It was noted that she was "a poor woman."
Mary L Page, born in 1823, married William Taylor Newell on 21 September, 1864. Born in 1798, Mr. Newell was an elderly widower with grown children. After that, both he and MaryAnn Lucinda disappear from records. From 1878 through 1891, his son John, described as his executor, is selling off and redistributing his father's property between siblings and neighbors. No mention is made of Mary Lucy. James and Lucy's two oldest daughters, likewise, disappear from records, but probably were married before 1870. The younger two children, Isabella and James Monroe Page appear in Salem, in Forsyth County. Whether they were sent there to an orphanage and remained in the area, or whether their mother remarried a third time and moved there is unknown. When they appear, they are on their own. Monroe marries a Nancy Cannady, and dies in 1900 of typhoid fever. His widow remarries quickly after. Belle married a George Jackson and has a large family, dying in 1905.
Wiley Page is married in Cabarrus County in 1852. Other than that, he also disappears from record.
In fact, all of Dempsey Page's family has disappeared by 1860, except for Dilly, her younger sister Sarah "Sally" and the youngest boy, Darius Riley Page.
Name:
Dilly Page
Age:
20
Birth Year:
abt 1840
Gender:
Female
Birth Place:
North Carolina
Home in 1860:
Subdivision East of NC RR, Cabarrus, North Carolina
The younger children are all living in the home of a 60 year old Lydia Page. How was she related to them? Six - year- old Elizabeth Page corresponds with the age of Mason Elizabeth Page, Dilly's daugther.
Dempsey's brother, Sion Page remains in the area. There is a Dempsey Page who marries in Cabarrus to a Melinda Brumley and turns up in Rowan County and serves in the Civil War. In each records, he appears to have been born around 1820. Some people have combined these into one and the same person, but I believe them to be a different Dempsey Page. In fact, there are several Dempsey Pages, of various generations and Sion Pages as well. I believe due to the fact that these were not common names like John or James, that these various Dempsey's and Sion's interconnect somewhere. Maybe 1820 Dempsey was the son, or nephew, of 1798 Dempsey. As for Elizabeth Page, she was a year older than James and may have either been missed, or was working in another household, in 1850.
But something, some disease or disaster, seemed to take Dempsey, his wife Macey, sons Thadrick, Wiley, and Edmund all away between 1852 and 1860. No sign of Wiley's wife, Melinda Hagler Page, is to be found yet at this point, either.
Sarah Lucinda, "Sallie" Page survived. She married J Wesley Burleson and lived her life in Stanly County, raising a large family and passing away in 1924 at the age of 78.
Riley Page appears to have went westward, as many a young man did.
And then there was Dilly. Going backwards, she and her daughter, Mason Elizabeth Page were living with Rebecca Page and the Willis's in 1870.
In 1880, Dillie, "Delilah" is living with her daughter Bettie, son-in-law Alex and their first two children, Rebecca and Daniel in Big Lick, Stanly County.
Twenty years later, in 1900, Alex has passed away and Delilah and Bettie are living with her 3 youngest children, Dillie, James Monroe and Roy Jack in Cabarrus County. And that is the last of Dilly.
She, a Sarah Page, a Sallie Page and Hessy Newell, daughter of William Taylor Newell, were on the public dole for a dollar a month until at least May of 1900.
And then there is Rebecca Page, who last shows up in the Household of McCamey Willis and Obedience, as their housekeeper, in 1880. Shei is 52 and single. Not widowed, so I believe she never married.
Again, they separated the households, but they were not separated. Still dwelling number 316. This is the census in which we learn that Commie's middle name was Ervin or Erven. And this was the last census for them all.
On December 21, 1868, McCamey Willis made application to John Honeycutt, excutor, "for the use or benefit of the homestead law and therefore, I, John Honeycutt, Esquire, proceed to summon B. L. Whitley, T. A. Hathcock, J. T. Honeycutt, 3 Freeholders, to give him the benefit of the same".
This included 118 acres on Stony Run Creek, from the Deberry line to the West Bank of Rocky Branch and meeting Solomon Burris's line. This "Deberry line" that keeps being mentioned has me curious, as no Deberries are seen in the neighborhood. Perhaps there was a tract of land that had belonged to a Deberry, many decades past, and the area just bore his name from then on.
The property of McCamey Willis at this time was listed as 1 Bay Horse valued at $100, A one-horse wagon valued at $10, 3 Head of Cattle, $22.50, 8 head of hogs, "Roughness" $5.00, farming tools, household and kitchen furniture, $40.00, and one Saddle $5, totaling $193.50.
There were several interesting deeds in the 1880's and the same properties are mentioned.
Book 21 Page 249 M. E. Willis to Rebecca Page
For $100, Commie sold to Becky a tract of land on the west side of Rocky Branch and the Deberry line to a stake in the old road, of 110 acres. "which is to be reserved until the death of M. E. Willis and Obedience Willis his wife and then to belong to Rebecca Page".
Witnesses were T. A. and G. R. Hathcock.
Book 21 Page 185 M. E. Willis and others to Jacob A. Morton
M. E. Willis and Obedience, his wife and Rebecca Page, a tract on the Deberry line and Rocky Branch, "in the consideration of the support of their natural lives".
Witnessed by T.A. Hathcock, Ed Smith and Ephraim Burroughs.
Book 14 Page 61 M. E. Willis to the School Committee
17 Oct 1888 to the School Committee Distric 47 for $2, a tract of land adjoining Gideon Greene Burris, one acre for Public School Property, with the exception that when it "becomes uneccessary for Public School Property it returns to me" (McCamey Willis).
Book 21 Page 378 August 9, 1888 Jacob A. Morton to M. E. Willis Jacob A. Morton of Stanly bound unto M. E. Willis, Obedience Willis and Rebecca Page for $300.
Commie, Obedience and Rebecca had contracted with and agreed to sell to Jacob A Morton the 110 acres on Stony Run Creek adjoining T.A.Hathcock, Ed Smith and Ephraim Burris. In exchange, Morton agreed to "settle and liquidate certian indebitedness of the said M E Willis". The indebitness included $150 that he owed Jackson Hathcock and another amount owed Russell and Cagle, which I take as a business partnership. McCamey went to great trouble to detail the exact terms of the contract. Morton was to keep the 3 of them furnished with provisions for their support "suitable to their condition in life which shall be furnished to them at their place of residence now on the lands conveyed for the term of their natural lives and also to furnish them with the neccessary firewood for said term." Commie made clear in the document, and reiterated it many times, that the trio would be allowed to remain in their home until death took them and that they were to be cared for there, not sent to some facility or poor house as their bodied became frail. "The said M E Willis Obedience Willis and Rebecca Page are allowed to remain in and occupy the dwellings and such outhouses as they may have need for + no more + to cultivate and enjoy any crops they may plant and reap on about 1 1/2 acres near the barn and also the garden, the said Morton argreeing to do the ploughing of said lands and garden + the said Morton is to be allowed to enter the remaining part of said lands". Commie made conditions over a few of the domesticated animals stating that Rebecca Page be allowed to keep her cow, but Commie was to "dispose of his mule as soon as practicable". That must have been one stubborn or one-owner only mule if Morton didn't want it around.
The contract was written on August 9th 1888 and witnesses by James W Efird. It was proved on March 4, 1896.
An older survey of the Commie Willis Cemetery mentioned his stone with a date of death as 1894. It seems to be correct, although we did not locate his stone on this day.
Jake Morton
Jacob Alexander Morton aka "Jake" was born May 11, 1851 and died March 27, 1925 in Oakboro, Stanly County, NC. He was the son of Joseph Calvin Morton and Beadie Malinda Hartsell Morton. He married Julianne Dry and had a large farm family as they did in those days. This family considered themselves of Cherokee descent and Jake's name, of Big Lick, NC is on a list of people who applied for membership to the tribe or government benefits of such, in 1911.
In 1888, when the contract was signed, he would have been 37 years old. In the 1880 census, he and his young family lived near abouts, although not directly around, the Willis place. In 1900, he was not living on this property either. I went back to the deeds to see if I could somewhat trace the ownership of this tract of land. I found a few things and a few other things that made me think.
Obedience Burris Willis appeared in one more deed. It appears she outlived McCamie, but probably not by much.
Book 20 Page 196 January 28, 1895 Obedience Willis to Sallie M. Hathcock
Obedience sold to Sallie Hathcock for $300 a tract of land of 110 acres (sound familiar?) bordering Green Almond, Ed Smith and Ephraim Burris "Known as the Old Solomon Burris Place".
This kind of cements that idea that McCamie and Obedience lived on the exact property that her parents farmed. But what happened to their deal with Jake Morton?
Sallie M. Hathcock, I believe was Sallie Morton Hathcock, widow of Isaiah Hathcock, a son of the Willis's neighbor Lloyd Hathcock.
The day after Sallie bought the land, she flipped it.
Book 20 Page 197 January 29, 1895 Sallie M. Hathcock to Thomas J Jerome
For $150 (half the amount) One half interest in a 110 acres parcel of land adjoining Green Almond, Ed Smith and others known as the Solomon Burris place.
Knowing Jerome was not a native Stanly County name, I looked into who Thomas J Jerome was. The Jeromes landed in Union County, NC from Connecticutt in the mid-1880's. There was one Thomas J Jerome born 1800-1801 noted as Carriage Maker in the 1860 census. There was another Thomas J Jerome, a nephew of the elder one, who was born in Union County in 1859 and died in Greensboro in 1921.
Name:
Thomas J Jerome
Publication Year:
1912
Publication State:
North Carolina
School Name:
University of North Carolina
Residence:
Union
Title:
History of the University of North Carolina... / by Kemp P. Battle.
He even attended the University of North Carolina. This was most likely the Jerome who bought the half-interest of the Burris Homeplace from Sallie M Hathcock. Thomas J Jerome was an attorney. He bought and sold land and acted as Trustee. He had many deals in Stanly County. The below article descrbies best who he was.
But I noticed Sallie M. Hathcock had only sold half of the property. So back to the land records to see if I could find out anything about the rest of it, or any mention of Obedience or Becky.
Book 22 Page 228 7 Nov 1898 Sallie M Hathcock to J L Williams
For $100 Sallie sold "3/8 ths of the followig described lands as set apart in a certain decree of Judgement rendered by H R Stanback Judge at Fall Term of Stanly Superior Court in the case of Sallie M. Hathcock vs Jacob A. Morton"
So Sallie sued Jake and obviously prevailed. I've got to get a look at that Court Case. But until then, the land was described as being on the west side of Rocky Branch in the Deberry line containing 110 acres more or less. Same land, and if you notice, Sallie retained just a bit of it.
Obedience Burris Willis's year of death is given as 1901, but she was not showing up in the 1900 census. The status of the land under the trust of T J Jerome was probably not occupied. But Sarah M. Hathcock may have been living on a small portion of it and J. L Williams may have been living on his share. So I looked for who J. L. Williams was in hopes of finding Obedience, and possibly Rebecca Page as well.
J. L. Williams turned out to be Joseph Leander Williams, born 1871 in Union County and died in 1948 in Big Lick, Stanly County. He was living in Big Lick in 1900 and from the neighbors, appeared to be living on this beleagered plot of land, this old Solomon Burris homeplace near Stony Run Creek on the west bank of Rocky Branch, bordering that ancient Deberry line. I sooo want to find out who Deberry was...
But that was not all....
I checked out the neighbors. I found things time after time now by looking for clues. The census takers were not perfect. They made mistakes. The transcribers are not from the areas of documents they transcribe, not familiar with the common names of the area. Bless them for their efforts on trying to read this ancient scrawl. Due to the steep drop in education and rise in illiteracy after the Civil War, the 1900 census is one of the worse. It must have been difficult to find census takers who could actually write on a third grade level in the county. Mostly only the very old or very young could read. So I've learned to look for those errors, like the Page women being transcribed as "POGO" in 1870.
Alot of times, boarders, or people who were not the head of household were listed by first names only, and so their surname, albeit different, was transcribed as being that of the Head of Household. It especially happened with step-children. The father would die and the mother remarry and her older children would be listed only by first name, and end up with the wrong surname in someone's family tree. I've learned to look for things like that. And because of this, I found Obedience.
Her given dates of birth and death, found in many trees, I am not certain of the origins of, perhaps someone with a Family Bible out there somewhere? But she is listed as being born on February 6, 1808 and passing away on April 23, 1901. There is no cause to dispute this. It could be accurate.
She was living with a family of female Hathcocks neighboring Leander Williams and his family, on the same census page. Her relationship was "Friend". She was a widow. The year of birth - 1807 - was correct compared to all the other census records she appeared in. She was a widow. And the clincher, which was an extremely rare thing in that day and time, she was the mother of Zero children. This census and the 1910 asked how many children a mother had and how many were living. I suppose it was a way to measure child mortality. 43 was a transcription error. It was actually 93, which matches the year of birth of 1807. She was actually 92 going on her Find-a-Grave birthday, but close enough for Rock and Roll. " Beadie" was not a Hathcock. This was Obedience "Beadie" Burris Willis.
The house was headed by a middle-aged Malinda Hathcock. The elderly Malinda C. Hathcock was called her step-mother in the census and Francis her sister.
Remember Sallie M Hathcock who Obedience sold the land to in 1895 and then who sold half of it to Attorney Jerome and then sold 3/8 interest in it to J. L. Williams, but kept a little piece of it for herself? The 48 year old "Malinda" was Sarah M. "Sallie" Hathcock. She was actually Obedience's neice as she was the daughter of Benjamin Franklin Hathcock and Nancy Ann Burris Hathcock, Obedience Burris Willis's sister. Malinda C. Hathcock was Malinda Catherine Yow Hathcock, and she was Sallie M Hathcock's step-mother as the census stated and yes, Francis was her sister.
Sallie M. Hathcock died in 1907 and her step-mother, Katie in 1916. Malinda Catherine Yow Hathcock is buried in the old Hathcock cemetery, which is about a quarter mile from the Commie Willis cemetery.
The one person not accounted for was Rebecca Page. I believe Rebecca Page was deceased before 1900, and most probably before 1895, when Obedience sold the "Old Solomon Burris place" to Sarah Melissa (or Melinda) Hathcock, her niece. As the oldest of the 3, Commie, Rebecca and herself, Obedience had lived the longest.
But the land was not yet through telling its tales. Two more deeds hold interest.
Book 34 Page 552 March 27 1907 Sallie M Hathcock to Morrow Brothers and Heath C M Dry was the highest bidder for 33 acres in Big Lick also known as the Ben Hathcock place. Proven Jan 4, 1909.
This may have been where the death date of 1907 came from for Sallie M. Hathcock. She did not appear in the 1910 census, although her stepmother, Melinda Catherine Yow Hathcock and her sister Francis still appeared together, most probably in the same place, so this puts Sallie's date of death between 1907 and 1909.
Book 23 488 Year 1899 Thomas J Jerome to J A Morton A certain tract of land in Big Lick Township, Stanly County.....The interest herein conveyed...same as mentioned in a certain judgement in which Sallie M Hathcock is plaintiff and Jacob A Morton is defendant obtained at Fall Term 1898 Stanly County Superior Court before his honor H. R. Standback, Judge and a Jury, Pages 407 & 408 of the minute docket of said Superior Court... Beginning at a post oak by a red oak, dogwood and rock corner on the West Side of Rocky Branch in the Deberry line.......
From "These Hallowed Grounds", published by The Stanly County Genealogical Society 2012
Surveryed in October 2005 by Priscilla Clark, Wayne D Burris and Pam Holbrook.
5 marked stones, 14 unmarked stones, 15 other possible graves
After the 4 above pictured stones of Mariann Hathcock, Lee Hathcock, Zenas Burris and Nancy Burris.
__Amey Hathcock
"In 1936 Mrs G. D. B. Reynolds found Judith Burris b Dec 16, 1795 d. Aug 20, 1841 (Note: Due to the dates of her will, this was probably 1849 misread as 1841).
In 1980 Laton Burris also found: Canney Willis Died 1894 (The year works, probably actually said Commey Willis) Benjamin Hathcock born March 13, 1838 Died Oct. 12, 1855 The "Whitley Family History", p. 78, states that Beedy Burris B. Feb 6, 1808 d 1900 is buried here. (This would be Obedience Burris Willis, daughter of Solomon and Judith Taylor Burris, and wife of Commie Willis, who owned this land, thus the name of the Cemetery.) Solomon Burris b. 10 Dec 1754 d.21 May 1845 Judith Taylor Burris b. 10 Nov 1766 d. 18 April 1856 and his Wife Note: Solomon and Judith Taylor Burris were originally buried here. They were both moved to Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Cemtery in 1939.
Tombstones of Solomon Burris and Judith Taylor Burris
