John Ramsey only showed up in the 1790 census of Anson County. He recieved a Grant on Lane's Creek in 1774 and between those two dates, he was mentioned in several land transactions.
He did not show up in the 1799 petition of the residents of Anson County or the 1800 census of Anson County.
My ancestor, Starkey aka "Stark" Ramsey shows up for the first time in the 1800 census and in every census between there and 1850, his last. He recieved a Land Grant in 1803, "bordering John Ramsey and Abercrombie". It is very likely that John Ramsey and Stark Ramsey were related.
But Stark was not the only Ramsey to show up in the 1800 census. There was one other.
Samuel Ramsey also shows up in the 1800 census, near Stark Ramsey, and living in the same neighborhood, among the names listed as bordering the property of John Ramsey, or in whose land transactions Stark served as a witness.
This list is a bit difficult to read, especially at this size, so I will transcribe.
Thomas Stone Charles Ferrell Edward Winfield * This is my 5th Great Uncle Edward Winfield, Esquire, for whom the Winfield Road in Stanly and Anson was named. He is mentioned in several deeds that his property bordered with that of John Ramsey. Mathew Turner Everhart Verhine *This is the poor man whose name was spelled a gazillion different ways, He is also mentioned in deeds involving John Ramsey. Avery Lucky John Stone Reuben Hildreth * Starkey Ramsey witnesses the 1797 deed from Elijah Hogan to Reuben Hildreth, or Heldrith, of Montgomery County. Elijah Hogan moved to Georgia. He was a son of James Hogan of Anson. Others of his family moved to Giles County, Tennesee. Samuel Ramsey **** Jeptha Morris Thomas Threadgill Griffin Nash * Griffin was a son-in-law of my ancestor Peter Winfield and also my 5th Great Granduncle by marriage. His name appears in multiple deeds with land joining that of John Ramsey. He was a brother-in-law of the above mentioned Edward Winfield. When his first wife, Jemima Ramsey died, he married a daughter of Phillip Lynch, another neighbor. His children, over half of them, would migrate at various times to Mississippi, Missourit, Arkansas and on to Texas. Ephriam Adkins Hugh Ross * There were multiple Hugh's. Not sure if this was Jr. or Sr. Hugh Ross is also mentioned in deeds bordering John Ramsey. Hugh Ross originated in Mecklenburg County, Virginia along with my Davis, Winfield, Freeman and Marshall ancestors and sold the property in Anson to Peter Winfield. John Hicks Uriah Tison * Also appears in deeds of land bordering John Ramsey Nathan Morris * Starkey Ramsey witnesses the 1800 deed of Nathan Morris to John McDaniel. Edward Freeman * A nephew of Charlotte Freeman Winfield and cousin of Edward Winfield William H. Davidson Whitwell Ryal Cason Harrell Jacob Tison John Watson George Threadgill
This is the age and gender breakdown of the Samuel Ramsey household in 1800.
Name:
Samuel Ramsey
Home in 1800 (City, County, State):
Fayetteville, Anson, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males -10 thru 15:
1
Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 25:
1
Free White Persons - Males - 45 and over:
1
Free White Persons - Females - Under 10:
1
Free White Persons - Females - 16 thru 25:
1
Free White Persons - Females - 45 and over:
1
Number of Household Members Under 16:
2
Number of Household Members Over 25:
2
Number of Household Members:
6
The persons enumerated in Samuel Ramsey's household were as follows:
A male and female over 45. A male 16 to 25, a male 10 to 15
A female 16 to 25 and a female 10 to 15.
Was Samuel over 45, or could he have been the male 16 to 25? Could the older couple be his parents and the younger two teenagers be his siblings and the young woman be his wife?
The only other trace of Samuel Ramsey in Anson County is the 1799 Petition to the Assembly by the citizens of "Upper Anson".
In the third section, Samuel Ramsey is listed next to my ancestor, Peter Winfield, who died in 1803, David Helms and Darling Allen.
In the last section, Stark Ramsey is listed near Davis Yarbrough and Robertson Pistole, his 1850 Burnsville Township neighbor.
These are the only two mentions of Samuel Ramsey (the first) in Anson County. Due to the proximity, he was very likely a relative of John Ramsey and Starkey Ramsey.
During the early part of the 1800's, there was a mass migration from there to Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and even Indiana and areas further west as those areas opened up. Could Samuel Ramsey have been one of those individuals? Most likely. So I decided to look to see where there were Samuel Ramsey's in 1810.
There were actually 11! There was a Samuel over 45 in Burke County, North Carolina. There was a Samuel Ramsey in Abbeville District, South Carolina with a very large family and 13 slaves. This was very likely not our Samuel as the ones in Anson never owned slaves. There were Samuel's in New Hamphire, New York and Pennsylvania. These 3 were also not likely to be our Samuel as migrations tended to be south and west. Not impossible, but not very likely. There was one in Augusta, Virgina, an area I see a great deal in the trees of Ramsey family dna matches, but this one is only between 16 and 25, a young man just getting started. Too young to be our Samuel in Anson 10 years prior. There are two other Samuel's in Virginia, one in Rockbridge and another in Brooke. Not impossible, but also not likely. Those are two counties I've never seen Ansonites heading to or really, never from. There's a Samuel in Kentucky. Possible, but most families who migrated to Kentucky came from Virginia or Pennsylvania, not North Carolina. Then there is a Samuel in Nashville, Rutherford, Tennessee. The most likely candidates to be the Anson Samuel would be the one in Tennessee, or the one in Burke. There was also a Richard Ramsey in Burke.
Richard Ramsey does not appear in any census or petition of Anson County. He only witnesses three deeds.
The first is in September of 1788 Joshua Davis and wife Hannah of Anson to James Marshall of the same, 65 acres on the southside of the Rocky River beginning at the upper corner of the plantation, near the mouth of a small branch, being a corner of an old grant and above the mouth of the Spring Branch. Signed by Joshua and Hannah Davis and witnessesed by Drury Robertson and Nathaniel Robertson, along with Richard Ramsey.
It must be noted that in other deeds, the land of Joshua Davis bordered that of Phillip Lynch, Griffin Nash and Edward Winfield. As did that of John Ramsey. It is also worthy to note that Drury and Nathaniel Robertson were part of the Southside Virginia party who had migrated to Anson just a few years before with Peter Winfield and his inlaws, and the Marshall family.
The second deed, dated January 17, 1793 was between James Fletcher and James McIlvale (of Montgomery and Anson to Griffin Nash of Anson, a tract of land that began near a pole near Ross'es line (no doubt Hugh Ross), joins Camp Branch and Marks Branch (the name of this branch intriques me because of my Marks ancestry, where did it get that name?). It was signed James Fletcher and James McIlvale with Rufus Johnson and Edward Winfield as witnesses.
In April of 1794, James McIlvale was the fellow who would sell 150 acres on Little Creek to John Ramsey. And of course, again, the properties of Griffin Nash and Edward Winfield adjoined that of John Ramsey
October 16, 1792 William Davenport, planter, of Anson to Joshua Williams, esquire (meaning these two were men of substance) 100 acrea on Lanes Creek near a drain of Clemons branch and being near Joshua Williams line and joins the drain of Cedar branch. Signed by William Davenport, with John Broadway and Richard Ramsey as witnesses.
The Broadway family also occupied this area and lived near Stark Ramsey.
In 1793 John Ricketts of Anson sold to John Preslar of Anson 100 acres that begin near Isham O'Neal's line and joined Preslar's path and included an old improvement that was granted to Anthony Preslar in 1790. It was signed by John Ricketts and witnessed by Joshua William, from the last deed, and Richard Ramsey.
And this is the last mention of Richard Ramsey. He either passed away or migrated away before the 1799 petition and 1800 census. Most likely, he migrated. Was he the Richard Ramsey in Burke?
A quick look shows that Richard Ramsey was in Burke County in the 1790, 1800 and 1810 census of Burke County.
Research can be a tedious process of looking first at the most likely scenarios, and through the proces of elimination, whittling those scenarios and individuals down, until you are left with the most probable possibilities, and then you have to dig in those areas for documentation and proof. It could be a biography of their children or grandchildren, documents or letters kept by descendants of migrant kin that documents their origins; involvement of known neighbors who appeared to stay connected during their travels that link back to the place of origin. Sometimes, it was just too long ago to find any concrete evidence that would be considered proof for SAR or DAR membership, but it could possibly be enough, that you know in your heart, that this person was the one you were looking for.
Speaking of...there is a John Ramsey in 1800 in Richmond County, North Carolina. Oh, just beyong Anson, joining Montgomery and Anson...Could this be the John I was looking for? Could the Ramsey be like the Maskes and Christians and Robertson and countless others with plantations and property all up and down the Pee Dee River?
Lucinda Ramsey was one of the 5 daughters of Holden Ramsey. She left as scant records, nearly, as her father. She married Michael Honeycutt, son of Samuel and Nancy Helms Honeycutt, who also left very scant records of his existence, making this a very difficult family to follow.
Marriage license of Michael Honeycutt and Lucinda Ramsey Burgess
Holden Ramsey, one of the older sons of Starkey "Stark" Ramsey, first shows up as Head of Household in 1830, in Anson County, NC.
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored):
4
He looks to be married, between 20 and 29 years old, putting his year of birth between 1801 and 1810, having a wife of the same age. We know from the 1850 census that his wife Mary aka "Polly" was born about 1815. He has two sons under 5 years of age. One of these could be William R. Ramsey born 1827, who named one of his sons "Holden". He is married by 1850 to Lavina Barbara Springer, daughter of Lewis Springer and Rachel Sides, from Stanly County, not to be confused with his cousin, William Riley Ramsey, son of Samuel Ramsey, of a comparable age.
Name
Holden Ramsey
Home in 1840 (City, County, State)
Bomgarners District, Wilkes, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9
1
Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 14
1
Free White Persons - Males - 30 thru 39
1
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5
1
Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9
1
Free White Persons - Females - 30 thru 39
1
Persons Employed in Agriculture
1
Persons Employed in Manufacture and Trade
1
No. White Persons over 20 Who Cannot Read and Write
2
Free White Persons - Under 20
4
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49
2
Total Free White Persons
6
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves
6
By 1840, Holden has moved his young family to Wilkes County, North Carolina. He now has 4 children, but it looks like one of his first young sons may have died as a child. He has one son between 10 and 14, but 3 others had been born between 1830 and 1840, a daughter between 5 and 9, a son between 5 and 9, and a daughter under 5. One of those daughters was Lucinda. The other, Emmaline. The younger son, I believe to be Herbert.
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves:
1
Michael Huneycutt first shows up in the 1840 census of Cabarrus County. He is a single man between 20 and 29 years old. And in the 1850 census, he is no where to be found, or either, I can't find him yet. But his parents, Samuel and Nancy Honeycutt, can be found, and the census page they are on, is an interesting one, that explains some things and makes a lot of sense.
Samuel and Nancy Honeycutt are shown living in Burnsville, Anson County. Samuel is 70 and Nancy is 60. Living with them is Mary, 25, Betsy 16, Ander 13 and Lucy 8. Are these grandchildren? Mary is actually the only one old enough to be a daughter. But their neighbors are the interesting point, James Ramsey, Holden Ramsey's brother, lives next door. He is married to Beadie Ledbetter, and next to them in Nelly Ledbetter, her mother.
On the previous page, it reveals that other Ramsey family members are closeby as well.
Polly Ramsey, 35, is Mary, widow of Holden Ramsey. 17 Lucy is Lucinda. Nelly,5, Polly 3 and Annice, 9, appears to be living with neighbors James and Martha W. Ramsey, are also daughters of Holden Ramsey. Not too far away, yet another dauhter, Emmaline, is living with Cornelius and Rebecca Dunn Cox. The family progenitor, Holden's father and Polly's father-in-law, Stark Ramsey, is living next door with his wife Lisha, his son John, and John's wife Tempy. Next to Stark is more of my family, Wilson Turner and then his father George Turner, who is a 5th Great Grandfatehr of mine. He married Beadia Nancy Broadaway, and was the son of James Melchor "Jaspar" Turner and Lucy Marshall. The Turner, Broadaway and Marshall families had all settled on the Rocky River and originated in Southside Virginia and most of my maternal line did.
Lucy, 17 in this census, was now of marriagable age. Although Michael Honeycutt was nowhere to be found in 1850, and they were not each others first marriages, this shows his parents as neighbors to the Ramseys, so he must have known Lucinda as a young girl.
In 1854, Lucinda Ramsey married Allen Burgess of Stanly County. He was born on May 9, 1825, son of Basketmaker Akel Burgess, Jr. and Sarah Ledbetter Burgess. Akel was a son of Akelley Burgess and Sarah Mainor Burgess of Wake County, and himself named a son Akel Burgess, so there were 3 Akels.
The 1860 census shows Allen and Lucy living near Albemarle with a 4 year old son, John Franklin Burgess.
Michael Honeycutt reappears in 1860, and he too has gotten married. His wife is only shown as "Mrs." Honeycutt and they have a 14 year old daughter, Margaret and a 2 year old son, Joseph. The 12 year age difference suggests that maybe Mrs. Honeycutt was not his first wife, and Margaret's mother had passed away, or there were children in between who might not have made it. This big age span was not typical for this era.
Then came the Civil War. Michael Honeycutt volunteered in Albemarle and at age 42, became a Private in Company H, 42nd Infantry. He was signed for a period of 3 years, or the term of the War, by J. M. Hartsell. From the sound of it, he spent a great deal of this time in the hospital in Wilmington. But Mike, unlike so many others, made it home.
Allen Burgess did not. Lucinda is nowhere to be found in 1870. She may have been somewhere attempting to find her missing- in- action husband, Allen. There are several Lucinda Burgesses about in 1870, some which could have been her. There are several Burgesses in Alexander County, North Carolina, where her sister Elenor "Nellie" gets married (to a guy from Stanly County), or even two Lucinda Burgesses, close together in age, living in the same house and working at a Cotton Mill in Randolph County, very near the Randolph/Montgomery County line. But I can't pin her down.
She left her son, John F. Burgess , now 14, with Alfred and Tempy Ledbetter, probably relatives of his grandmother, Sarah Ledbetter Burgess, in Big Lick, Stanly County. There was a Ramsey/Ledbetter connection in Burnsville, Anson County, too, suggesting the possibility that Lucinda's mother, Mary aka "Polly" Ramsey, may have been a Ledbetter. But there is no proof of that.
Schools had ceased, for the most part, during this time and young John could not read and write. John F. Burgess lived to marry and have descendants.
He married a girl named Rose and moved to Roan County, Tennesee. They had two sons, Harley Gay Burgess, born in 1890 and William Augustus Burgess, born in 1894.
Harley joined the military and later married Maude Rollins in Polk County, North Carolina. They had a large family of 9 children: 1913 Palmer H., 1914 Delmar Samuel, 1916 Edna Mae, 1918 Bertha Burgess Moore, 1920 Ethel Rue Alice Burgess Moore, 1923 J. Howard, 1914 Carl F, 1925 Everett Harris, 1928 Mary Frances Burgess Daly.
Maude died in 1939. Harley moved from Ruffin in Rockingham County, NC to Mount Crogan in Chesterfield County, South Carolina to Augusta, Georgia. By 1950, he was back in Charlotte, North Carolina where he married at 61 to Ida Inman Osborne. Harley Gay Burgess died September 25, 1868 in Mathews, Mecklenburg County, NC.
His younger brother, William Augustus Burgess, did not live as long as Harley. He did grow up to marry, to Ruth Henderson Gilbert, and they had one daughter, Elsie Mae Burgess, who lived a long life in Florida, married twice and had two children.
Allen and Lucinda had descendants.
Elsie Mae Burgess Summers, Granddaughter of Lucinda Ramsey Burgess Honeycutt
While Lucinda, was nowhere to be found in 1870, Mike Honeycutt was living with his family in New Salem, in Union County, not far from Burnsville. His wife is named in this one, "Vina", probably short for Lavina. His daughter Margaret is now Mary, her name being Mary Margaret. Mary Margaret and Joseph have been joined by two other siblings, Nancy and Julius. Vina would not live long after this. Michael's name is incorrectly transcribed as Mitchell.
But back to Lucinda. Whereever she was in 1870, she was back to Stanly County in 1873. Exactly when Vina died is unknown, but she is gone by 1873, because Mike Honeycutt, son of Samuel and Nancy, marries Lucinda Burgess, daughter of Holden and Mary Ramsey.
The 1880 census shows that Mike and Lucinda have had a chld of their own, Eva. While Mike's oldest children are adults and on their own, Julius would only be 16. Oddly, he is not living with his father. Perhaps Lucinda would not allow it.
The family is living in Big Lick, in Stanly County, due north of New Salem and an area infested with Honeycutts. 65 year old Mike Honeycutt is working as Farm Labor. He never owned anything himself. Lucy is Keeping House, and unlike Mike, she can read and write.
And with this last census record, both Mike and Lucy pass into obscurity. It is not known when they died or where they were buried. Perhaps in the Oakboro/Big Lick area, perhaps in Burnsville. Eva was their only child, and she survived to adulthood. Her parents were at least alive until she married, at age 16.
On September 19, 1889, Eva Honeycutt, daughter of Mike and Lucinda, married Richard Holbrooks, age 21, at the home of P. M. Morris,( Philemon Milton Morris), in Township Number 2, Cabarrus County. Mike and Lucy Honeycutt gave their permission for their minor daughter to marry. The service was performed by J. Mc Caldwell, Justice of the Peace. Witnesses were Leah M. Penninger, her husband Paul Penninger, and Lucinda's father, M. C. Honeycutt. It appears the Mr. Caldwell wrote Mike's name and then Mike put an X in the signature and it was labeled "his mark".
A year after his daughter married, Mike Honeycutt entered the County Home. He was about 72 by then. No mention of Lucy is made, but instead, it is stated he had been living off the generosity of a Cabarrus man for the past year. Perhaps that man was Richard.
Richard Holbrooks, born in 1868, did not know who his parents were. He was obviously an orphan. But that became a mystery, as his son, upon his death, knew who his parents were, and was exactly right. But that is not the only mystery surrounding this couple. Eva evidently inherited this aire of mystery from her mother.
The 1900 census finds Richard and Eva living in Lemley, Mecklenburg County. As were the sad realities for the day, Eva had given birth to 6 children, with only 3 of them living.
I found him in 1870 as a child, living with his parents, Simpson and Mary Ann Young Holbrooks. He's even living with his Grandmother, Marie and Uncle Larkins.
By 1880, his father had died and his mother had remarried, to John F. Fisher. Zula, his little sister, was a Fisher, not a Holbrook. They were now in Gaston County. While he was very young when his father died, he should have certainly remembered his mother when he married at age 21. The mystery of the unknown parents is simply why did he say he didn't know them?
Back to Richard and Eva. They continued to be on the move. By 1910, they had moved from Lemley Township in Mecklenburg, which is now partially covered by Lake Norman, back to Cabarrus County. where they lived in Township Number One.
The family had increased to 5 children , all boys. Leroy, Arthur, Walter, Lonnie and Otis were all trendy names of the era. Sort of like Steve, Danny, Ricky, Bobby and Jimmy of my generation, or Jason, Justin, Brian, Brandon and Mathew of my childrens generation. Now, my grandchildren's generation, it would be Aiden, Jayden, Caiden, Mason and Cyrus.
Eva had given birth to 8 children with 5 living, so she had lost no more in the last decade. They lived on Rocky River Road, in Number One Township, which is the Harrisburg area and passes the old Rocky River Presbyterian Church, one of the oldest in the area.
Richard was trying his hand at farming, but as the tides would turn in the next decade, when waves of farm families would head to town and factory, so it went with the Holbrooks.
1920 found the family split. Only the youngest son, Otis Odell, remained at home. The other sons had left the farm and headed to the Cotton mills. Richard was now farming in Lanes Creek Township in Union County.
Lanes Creek bordered Anson County to the East and South Carolina to the South. But Richard and Eva could not sit still long.
By 1930, Richard was claiming retirement and Eva had no occupation listed. They were empty nesters.
This time they would be found in the town of Raeford, in Hoke County. Hoke became a popular destination in the early 20th century for its tobacco farms. It could have also been due to its proximity to Fort Bragg if a family had a son in the military stationed there.
Name
Richard H Holbrooks
Gender
Male
Residence Year
1932
Street Address
77 Spofford Mills Village
Residence Place
Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
Spouse
Eva Holbrooks
Publication Title
Wilmington, North Carolina, City Directory, 1932
Household Members
Name
Age
Richard H Holbrooks
Eva Holbrooks
But the antsy Holbrook family could not sit still. The 1932 City Directory of Wilmington, North Carolina would find them there, living in house number 77 at Spofford Mill Village with their son Walter and his wife Docie.
Richard and Eva would move one last time, this time to Bladen County, where their oldest son Leroy lived, and where their youngest son Odis Odell would move to after living in Robeson and Cumberland Counties.
Richard Holbrook died on March 8, 1933 of a cerebral hemmorhage. He was 84 years old. The Death Certificate informant was his son Lonnie, now also of Bladenboro. His father's name was given, Simpson Holbrooks, and his mother, Mary Ann Young. He knew who his parents were.
Eva outlived her husband by 6 years. She died in Wilmington, New Hanover County. She was buried in Bladenboro. She was 66 years, 1 month and 11 days old. Informant was her oldest son Leroy, of Bladenboro.
Her father was listed as Mike Honeycutt and her mother as Lucy Ramsey. Her place of birth was Stanly County. She had terminal bronchial pnuemonia.
Cut and dried, huh? No mystery there. But just wait, there was.
On May 18, 1910, Eva Honeycutt married W. M. Whittington. She was the daughter of Tillman and Lucy Honeycutt and her spouse was the 55 year old son of James and Rowena Whittington. This had to be another Eva Honeycutt, didn't it? Our Eva was already married, to a still very much alive Richard Holbrooks. Or, could Tillman be Mike's middle name. His crooked "c" looked very much like a curved "T". This would all be the case of two young women from the same area with the same name, but then....
When we find the older boys working in the cotton mills in the 1920 census, we find Lonnie living with .... the Whittingtons. Was J. F the father of W. M?
Name:
Odis Odell Holbrook
Event Type:
Delayed Birth
Birth Date:
12 Feb 1903
Birth County:
Cabarrus
Parent1 Name:
Richard Holbrook
Parent2 Name:
Eva Whittington
Roll number:
NCVR_B_C016_68001
Volume:
19
Page:
105
And to make things more tangled, in many documents, the boys listed their mothers surname as Whittington.
