The Saga of Thomas Ellerbe

 

Dr. William Crawford Ellerbe

A South Carolina tale has a Stanly County, North Carolina connection. Poking about it the dirty laundry of history is a fascinating thing. You never know what you may uncover. 

Recently, I was digging a bit around the roots of the Farmer family tree. Several 19th century relatives of mine, including my Great Grandfather's brother, George Washington "Gus" Davis, and his cousin, John Teeter Davis, had married daughters of one George T. Farmer, the 'T' perhaps standing for Thompson, but I can't be certain. At first, it appeared that George had no apparent connections. The Farmer family seemed solitary to the Tyson Community, in southern Stanly County, where a good chuck of my mother's family roots sprang from. While I didn't work much past his parents and siblings, I've positively confirmed, for my own purposes, at least, that George T. Farmer was one of the sons of Joseph and Nancy Thompson Farmer. His parents had both passed away in the late 1840's, within about a year of each other. Not all of their children had reached adulthood by this time, in fact, most of them were quite young. A tragic beginning. 

It appears some of them were taken in by their widowed Grandmother, Mary Thompson. Mary would then pass away in 1854, leaving these poor children without a guardian yet again. The court appointed one James F. Kendall as the guardian of the younger children. A few of the older girls had married by then, and this story involves one of them, Mary Ann.

In 1850, Mary Ann was 18, and living in the home of her grandmother, Mary Thompson. Her uncle, George W. Thompson was there, as well as her two youngest brothers, Leon and Wesley. The family was in Center Township, in the southeast corner of Stanly County, NC. They lived near a few Ivey and McSwain families.

This same year, 65-year-old Thomas C. Ellerbe was living in his hometown of Chesterfield, in Chesterfield County, South Carolina. 

Chesterfield County sits along the North/South Carolina border. Anson is above it in North Carolina and Center in Stanly County was located on the northern border of Anson, so the two were a distance, but not an unimaginable one, away. 

In its day, Chesterfield, like Anson, was a place of wealth and commerce, where several families of prominent, socially and politically active continence, lived. In 1850, Thomas lived next to a young man named Ellerbe Boggan Crawford Cash, 26, whose first name was that of Thomas, and whose last name was that of Thomas's wife, Mary Cash Ellerbe, who had passed away in 1824.

 E. B. C. Cash, as he was known, was born on July 1, 1823, in Wadesboro, Anson County, NC. He was the son of Patrick Boggan Cash and his wife, Elizabeth E. Ellerbe Cash and the grandson of Col. James Ingo Dozier Cash and wife Margaret "Peggy" Bogan, tying together multiple large and important Anson County Plantation families. E. B. C. Cash married Allan Eunice Ellerbe, the daughter of William Crawford Ellerbe and Ephtha "Essey" Moore Sanders. She was the granddaughter of Captain William E. Ellerbe and Elizabeth Ann Crawford. This last-mentioned couple was also the parents of Thomas Crawford Ellerbe, the 65-year-old Chesterfield man I previously brought your attention to. This means that Thomas was Allen Eunice Ellerbe Cash's uncle. 

Ellerbe Boggan Crawford Cash

To add interest to incest, Thomas Crawford Ellerbe had married Mary Cash, daughter of Col James Ingo Dozier Cash and his wife, Margaret Boggan, making her the aunt of E. B. C. Cash. 

South Carolina College Horseshoe circa 1850

These were the educated and elite sons and grandsons of Revolutionary Patriots who had made well in the world. This was the time and age of the old South with large stately homes and large farms, fledgling industry and mercantile investment, trade and triumph. An old saying states that;

“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”

It's supposedly a quote from a book, but I don't know which one, but oh how true it is. I've lived long enough to see all four generations, from those that precede mine to those that follow.

As seen in the above Boggan family history, these families had Anson County origins, although they would later spread west and south with great intensity. The generations to follow were sometimes haughty and often times what we would call "spoiled".  Echoes of Scarlett O'Hara. In order to keep the money in the family, marriages were arranged among neighbors and business partners, until over a few generations, unions between cousins and close relatives were common. Brides and Grooms would be connected to each other in multiple and onerous ways. The names of the children reflected these entanglements. This was no excuse for the behavior of Thomas Crawford Ellerbe, but perhaps had some blame to it. 

On November 8. 1809, Thomas C. Ellerbe married Mary Cash, again, bringing two respected and prominent PeeDee River plantation families together. There were five children born to this union:

Ingoe Ellerbe, a son, born in 1810 and died in 1812

William Ellerbe, born about 1812, died in West Florida about 1836 or 1837.

Mary Ellerbe, born in 1813, married Hunter House 1st and John Lewis Stovall second, and was widowed twice.  With her siblings, moved to Hancock County, Mississippi. She had a large family of children, but most of them died young. 

Boggan Ellerbe born in 1818, moved to Mississippi and died in 1862 during the Civil War. Unmarried.

John Crawford Ellerbe, born Christmas Day, 1826, was the most successful of the five children, in sheer longevity, proclivity, and being philoprogenitive. He married Elizabeth Jane Trussell Head, a young, childless widow. John Crawford Ellerbe was a teacher, and he and his wife moved about Mississippi, after he started in Kemper after relocating from Chesterfield County, SC. They lived in Lauderdale, Newton and Scott Counties, where he died in 1882 at age 55. They had seven children, Theophilus Moody, Thomas John, William R., Crawford Cash, Peter Hunter, Mary Elizabeth and Laura Victoria Ellerbe.

Mary Cash Ellerbe died on July 31, 1824, and was buried at Eastview Cemetery in Wadesboro, NC. 

She was 30 years old. 

The movements after the death of his wife, or due to the death of his wife, of Thomas C. Ellerbe has been mostly lost to time.  He was 39, he had children from early teens to infancy. We know he ended up in Florida? What made him go to Florida?  

In 1824, Florida was still a new United States Territory, having been transferred from Spain in 1819 by the Adams- Onis Treaty. General Andrew Jackson, whom the Ellerbe's knew of, if not knew well, had been appointed as a Military Governor. The territory had been appointed two capitols previously, Saint Augustine in the east and Pensacola in the west. 1824 was the year that Tallahassee was chosen as the official capitol to unite the territory, which was still under much upheaval between the native population, the longtime Spanish based inhabitants, including a sizeable African population, and the constant new American arrivals from the north, who would primarily set up and live in straw cottages.

Florida settlers in the 1800's

Had Thomas taken his entire family there, or just his oldest living son? What had Mary died of, and under what circumstances? Was it from childbirth of his youngest son? All we know is from a newspaper article, that had been shared far and wide, 13 years later. 

The Newbernian

New Bern, North Carolina • Fri, Oct 20, 1837Page 2

According to the above article in the Raleigh Register, reprinted in The Newbernian, and Dated October of 1837, Thomas C. Ellerbe had arrived in the area around May of that year. He had taken up residence in an 'untenanted', or empty/ abandoned house on the outskirts of town. He must have looked a bit roughshod, and acted mysteriously or secretive, as he attracted the curiosity and attention of the townspeople, due to his lack of socialization and unkempt look. Although a loner, with no friends, no business or occupation, or relations in the community, he kept quietly and unobtrusively to himself. He was in another word, a recluse, and although the community watched him, they saw no signs of criminal behavior, just speculated on his manner of support and sustenance. 

But then, Thomas made a pivotal error. He had moved to the center of State business and trade and took a walk during an important session of Superior Court. There were in town a number of men from Anson County, who had arrived for Court. They immediately recognized him, as he had lived for a while in Anson County, and had married into the prominent Cash family from there.  He was thereafter arrested and brought before a couple of officials, and jailed, as the men knew him to be a fugitive from justice. In 1824, the same year his wife died, Thomas had been accused of the murder of a Wagoner, a person who drove a wagon and transported goods, similar to a truckdriver today. The event had taken place near Cheraw, SC, just south of Anson County, NC, and Thomas had quickly absconded and made himself vacant, and according to them, had remained in hiding until a recent report of the murder of William Ellerbe in West Florida. As rumor had been told that Thomas had ran south to Florida, and had a son named William, it was inferred that he was that Thomas, so he was taken to prison for safe keeping.

Weekly Raleigh Register

Raleigh, North Carolina • Mon, Nov 6, 1837Page 2

A few weeks after his arrest, another article appeared in the papers. In this brief report, the name of the wagon driver was told, a William Hamilton from Mecklenburg County, NC. A witness to the murder, Moses Swain, was still living in Charlotte, and he was bound over to attend court in Chesterfield County, where the crime had occurred, but Thomas C. Ellerbe had escaped. 

There was a William Hamilton, over age 45, living in Mecklenburg County in the 1820 census.

He lived beside an Alexander Hamilton in the same age group.

He had a Will, and named his wife, Elizabeth. She was the Executor of his estate, which was settled in 1825. The shoe fit. There was also a Moses Swain, or Swan, in Mecklenburg County, several generations of them, apparently. 

What had taken place in the life of Thomas Ellerbe before this? He is listed in the 1810 and 1820 census of Chesterfield County, although he married in Anson. He was a resident of Raleigh in 1837.

In October of 1820, a decree was made commanding the Sheriffs of the State of South Carolina, to bring the body of Thomas C. Ellerbe to court in Chesterfield County concerning a debt owed to Pickett and Myers of $216. 41, of which $182.87 was in arears. These people were persistent too, as you will see. 

Thomas appears to have been the black sheep of his family. His brother Michael, who married Elizabeth Wall, was a successful Planter, with lots of land, livestock and people. His brother William, shown in the heading of this post, was a doctor. Youngest brother John, was an attorney. They all had the same middle name, Crawford, as was the custom of their social group. All the sisters married well, or not at all. Thomas was the odd man out.

He had tried to make a go of it and started off well. On January 8, 1813, four years into his marriage, his father-in-law, Ingoe D. Cash, mortgaged half of his plantation to Thomas for 3000 pounds.

The same year, Isaac Lanier of Anson County, sold 700 acres to Ingoe and Thomas.

By 1820, Thomas was showing cracks. In April of 1821, The sheriff, Andrew Polk, was authorized to seize property of Hubbard Williams and Thomas C Ellerbe, as they had acquired a debt together. No goods or chattels had been found, but Thomas still owned land, and a claim was made against it. The costs were $155.38 and was recovered by William Blewett. The paper was actually written between Sheriff Polk and Anthony Williams, a relative of Hubbard.

Thomas had also acquired a debt in Fayetteville, NC, a major trading and banking hub of the day. Past research shocked me as to how many people in these counties traveled all the way to Fayetteville to buy and sell goods, and do their banking. It would be like a trip to New York by vehicle, for us today. *************************************** I can't find a transcript or newspaper report on whether or not Thomas C Ellerbe faced trial for the murder of William Hamilton or William Ellerbe, his son. What we do know is that he returned home by 1840. Thomas was is the 1840 census of Anson County

Cheraw, South Carolina · Wednesday, October 20, 1841

His sister, Elizabeth lent him two slaves, Cale and Jane, whom she reserved the right to recall at will and whim. Their brother, Dr. WC Ellerbe witnesses the legal papers. 1845

And as seen earlier in this post, Thomas was in the 1850 census of Chesterfield County, South Carolina. By this time he was an old man, yet still a rolling stone. Shortly after, he had made his way back up the Pee Dee River, passing by all of Anson, until he made it past the mouth of the Rocky River, to Stanly County. What business had he had in Center? Did he have friends and associates in Shankle or Norwood, or what was left of Allenton? Had he planned to plant roots in Stanly, hoping no one knew his reputaion and the rumours? 

We know the 66 year old Thomas met the 19 year old Mary Ann Farmer, granddaughter of Mary Thompson, and married her on November 2, 1851.

And then he died.

Thomas C. Ellerbe's estate was settled in 1852. Had he been the victim of some vigilante justice, recognized by a Hamilton relative? Had he even been found guilty of the crime at all? Or had his social standing preempted him from facing the charges ? Moses Swann had died in 1839, just a few years after the arrest. Was he the only witness, and therefore, the case was dismissed for lack of evidence, if it had ever made it to trial?

Or had Thomas just succumbed to natural causes? Many possiblities abound, diseases were often untreated and fatal.  Life was hard. Sixty-seven in 1852, is more like 87 today. Without a death certificate or newspaper article, we can't know. Or,  perhaps it was a case of having such a young, energetic bride....

Dr. Abram J. Shankle, a several 'Great" uncle in-law of mine, was the Administrator of the Estate. The court hearing on it was to take place on the second Monday in February 1852.  Mary Ann and Thomas had just married in November, three months prior. It would have taken weeks, if not a month or more to have gotten to this stage of the game, legally. This had been a very, brief, marriage.

The Estate file was over 50 pages long, mostly receipts and repeats. This one for the widow, Mary Ann "Elerby" was dated first, December 23, 1851. Very brief marriage indeed. She had married him on his death bed, nearly. Was that intentional?

Martin Reap was paid for the delivery of a coffin in 1851 and hauling it to the grave. Some of the pages were repetitive. Others, like the one above, I found interesting. 

Some of the proceedings took place at the Chesterfield Courthouse in South Carolina. Having lived there prior, Thomas had business, property, debt. There was one surviving partner in a business that Thomas owed a very old debt to, and he still had a bone to pick. The Partnership was that of A. Myers and Martin Pickett. Sound familiar? He owed a debt to them in 1820. One may escape a charge of murder, or two, but not a debt owed. It will follow you to the grave. 

"The State of South Carolina, Chesterfield District

Thomas C Ellerbe was attached to a suite to Martin Pickett & Absolom Myers in a plea that he ...to the said Picket and Myers the sum of One Hundred and eighty-two dollars and 87 cents..

second day of January in the year of our Lord One thousand eight Hundred and twenty to wit at Chesterfield C. H. in the district and state aforesaid by his certain writing obligatory 

Copy Note

Ten days after d....to pay Pickett and Myers or order One Hundred & Eighty two dollars & Eighty-seven cents being for value rec'd of these this 25 day of January 1820         Signed  Thos C. Ellerbe 

It was an authentic debt and Absolom finally got his pound of flesh upon Thomas's death. Absolom Myers is a character I've came across many times in m perusing of old records. 

Above is a list of notes owed to Thomas Ellerbe. These are Stanly County folks, many in my family tree. It makes me wonder how long a presence Thomas had in Stanly County. He couldn't have just arrived in 1851. He must have been making inquiries and visits to the north side of the Rocky River. He may have vacationed at Rocky River Springs. There was no Aquadale at that time, and development of a village, complete with street names and house lots divided, would not come along for a few decades, but the Springs were there and people had long discovered their value and were taking holiday there. 

Notes owed Thomas were from P. (James Pinkney) Floyd, R. (Richard) Poplin, L. ( Lewis) M. McIntyre, Jones Green, Celia Easley, James Crump, Ferdinand Foreman, and Lafayette Green. Most lived on the Stanly side of the Rocky, a few on the Anson, some would switch back and forth over the decades, but all lived near the river. 

During the course of the probate of the estate of Thomas C. Ellerbe, his widow remarried.

The young widow, Mary Ann Farmer Ellerbe, married John F. McIntyre, son of Malachi Stokes McIntyre and Elizabeth Murray McIntyre, my third Great Grand Aunt, on March 8, 1852. He was closer to her age. This one would stick. 

Mary Ann was awarded her year's allowance of $38.00, and one year of provisions, despite having remarried, which wasn't a common occurrence. Most widows had to wait a year to marry, or forfeit their meager benefits.

Abram J. Shankle had boarded Thomas's Bay Mare for the one month he was married. She was also shoed and the fees were $8.50, which was pretty expensive, considering Mary Ann was only given $38.00 to live on for a year. 

The above record blew my mind. Dr. Shankle received a dollar from the estate for his services of holding a 'crying sale', "of said deceased." What was a crying sale? I had to look into this, and discovered it had nothing to do with sadness or grieving. The word crying referred more to the process of announcement, like a Town Cryer, or an auctioneer, and was otherwise known as a vendue. The official explanation is below.

When someone died, their estate was first appraised by two respected community members. Then, on a publicly announced day and place, the vendue crier would “cry” the items — calling out prices and accepting bids — to sell off the deceased’s belongings, such as furniture, farm equipment, livestock, and other property 

The vendue crier was responsible for:

• Calling out prices and accepting bids.

• Maintaining order at the sale.

• Often being a respected local figure, as the auction was a public community event

Above is an invoice of what the estate owed to Cottonville resident, Celia Easley. Celia, who had some connection or relation to the Miller Easley extended family, was a free person of color, who was a wise businesswoman and owned her own property, and husband. She bought Harry Randall from his Randall owners down on the river above Allenton, after having had several children with him already. Her invoice tells us a bit more about Thomas. She was paid for having moved "goods from the Springs", which leads me to believe he may have come north to Stanly County for the rumored healing properties. There was also mention of a payment to Jones Green, the use of her wagon for moving goods back to the Springs, and cutting wood, and making food for the sale, moving goods on the last day of the sale, bringing 51 pounds of pork for the widow, along with 18 lbs. of salt. Celia Easley was an industrious lady and had helped Dr. Shankle with the auction.

Mary Ann Farmer Ellerbe McIntyre lived until 1900 and is buried in Roan's Prairie, Grimes County, Texas. She and her second husband, John Francis McIntyre were the parents of 11 children, a few who remained in Stanly and Anson Counties, while others moved to Tennessee and Texas.

Thomas Crawford Ellerbe left a lot of questions behind. His temperament may have been a family trait, and not a good one. The young relative he lived next to in 1850? He had a quiet a story and history of violence of his own. He was the subject of roadside markers, as was Thomas Crawford Ellerbes Grandfather, also named Thomas Ellerbe, who would have been EBC Cash's Great Grandfather. Read below. 

Who Was George Farmer?

 

With an observation of George Farmer, I enjoy a welcome recall to my Tyson Township, Stanly County roots. Ruminating on his interlaced connections to my family tree, like a morning glory vine with its daily snaking around and slowly weaving in and about the boughs till it meets its efflorescent goal, I realize I have not a datum on his origins. Other family researchers don't either, it seems. I would be remiss if I didn't give a gander at the ipseity of George Farmer. 

He seems an unattached thing, hovering in midair without connections, and without a childhood. Which isn't true, of course. He didn't drop into the vicinage of my Tyson families as a rootless plant, pulled up from a ghostlike garden and tossed aside along the Rocky River. The man lived, as all men do, and had two parents, and four grandparents, biologically, but perhaps with rocks in the river along the way. As is now, life's random occurrences and brevity can cause bends and breaks in the family tree, as he may have had, and almost certainly would in the 19th century. 

Let me begin with what I know of George Farmer, his family and its connections to my family tree. 

George T. Farmer married Sarah Elizabeth Watkins, daughter of Arnold Watkins, a Stanly County farmer with Anson County roots, and his wife Marina Wilkerson, around 1865, according to the 1900 census, as no marriage contract is found. Their first son, Joseph, was born around 1868. 

In 1870, the young couple is shown with Joseph, age two, in Tyson Township, near West and Upchurch families.

In 1880, George and wife are living in Center township, right next to an Eli A. Farmer. He's also near John P Morton, several Blalock's and Benjamin Franklin Duke. The family connections are like a spider web! 

Eli A. Farmer was 39 years old in this record, as was George T. Farmer. George certainly did not practice obfuscation of his origins.  However, one might view the coincidence of two men with the same,( not overly common in the area), surname, of the same age, and think "Brothers!". That was not the case. I already knew Eli A. Farmer or knew who his people were. They were not brothers. This does not mean that they were not related in some manner, but exactly how, I cannot speculate at this juncture. 

I had come upon Thomas Farmer during the dead-end research of my ancestor John Falkner, a third Great Grandfather from Anson County.  Thomas Farmer was born about 1805. He shows up in Anson County in the 1840, 1850 and 1860 census records, recorded in Sandy Point and Diamond Hill. His wife was named Winnie or Wincy, she was seen by both names. Born about 1813, Winnie disappears before 1870, the year that Thomas, and Eli, show up in Stanly County, in Center Township, or around Norwood.  During that year, Thomas is living with his daughter, Ann, Eli, and two grandchildren, Thomas and Elizabeth. This does not mean Winnie was deceased.  Thomas' death date is sometime after 1871, when he last appears in a document as living, and 1880, where he no longer appears, but his surviving children do. Thomas had close connections to the Carpenter family, both in Anson and Stanly. He had a few deed exchanges with John A. Lilly and Simeon Carpenter and contact with a Seabury Carpenter. One of his sons was named Seabury. It could possibly be that his wife was a Carpenter due to the close connections with that family.  Just a thought. He also partnered with a Martin T. Farmer, in an 1860 document in Anson County.

Martin is suspected to be his brother. Martin is also the one of the first names of his son, Seabury. Some have split these into two different sons, but Martin C. is shown in 1850, but no Seabury and Seabury in 1860, but no Martin, being born about the same year. As Seabury is also seen spelled with a "C" as in Cebury, it is my belief they were one and the same. Eli was the youngest son. 

After my own research, I've determined that Thomas and Winnie were the parents of four children. 

A) James H. A. Farmer, born around 1834. He is 16 in his parents' home in 1850, and marries Sarah "Sallie" Hildreth, daughter of Thomas Hildreth and Hispira Childress Hildreth before 1857. His son's obituary states that his father died in "the War between the States", but his wife is shown alone in 1860, and his two children are living with Thomas in 1870, so his year of death remains a mystery. More on them in a few. 

B) Lana Ann Farmer (aka Lancy, called Ann) was born sometime between 1828 and 1843. Her year of birth is shown twice as 1836, which I believe is the most accurate. Ann was an old maid and lived with her parents up until the 1870 census.

 She became the second wife of Shelby Carpenter in 1875, and her age given in that document was 38. She had one child with Shelby, Julius Benjamin Carpenter. 

In 1880, Lana Ann Farmer Carpenter is shown in Tyson Township with her 60-year-old husband, suffering from liver disease, and her 80-year-old mother, W. (Winnie) Farmer, suffering from old age. Lana doesn't live until 1900.

C) Thomas Martin Seabury Farmer was born about 1838. He is shown in both the 1850 and 1860 census records with this birth year and older than Eli in both. He enlisted in the Confederate Army at age 24, under the name Thomas S. Farmer and became a casualty of it. 

Name	Thomas S Farmer
Enlistment Age	24
Birth Date	abt 1838
Birth Place	Anson County, North Carolina, USA
Enlistment Date	29 Oct 1862
Enlistment Place	Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Enlistment Rank	Private
Muster Date	29 Oct 1862
Muster Place	North Carolina
Muster Company	I
Muster Regiment	60th Infantry
Muster Regiment Type	Infantry
Muster Information	Enlisted
Muster Out Date	21 Nov 1862
Muster Out Place	Murfreesboro, TN Hospl
Muster Out Information	died disease
Side of War	Confederacy
Survived War?	No
Occupation	Farmer
Title	North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster

D) Eli Armstead Farmer was born between 1840 and 1842 according to the 1850-1880 census record. His death records give his date of birth as August 10, 1834, but I believe this was exaggerated. He is shown as the youngest child in all the census records of his youth. He was the only child to live a long life, passing away on June 6, 1921. In the 1920 census, he was living on Cottonville Road in Center Township, and was buried at Cedar Grove UMC Church Cemetery. 

He married Nancy J Morton, daughter of Armstead and Frances Wilkerson Morton, on November 5, 1871. They were the parents of seven children, Emma Farmer Duke, Charles Baxter Farmer, William Henry, Wincie Gertrude, Samuel Armstead, Thomas Cicero, and Walter Virgil.

Many family trees add two more, Thomas F. and Elizabeth, because they appear in his household in 1870, but those two were grandchildren, by his oldest son, James. 

Sarah/ Susan Elizabeth Farmer lived with her mother in one census, and her grandfather in another, but died young and unmarried in 1873.

Thomas Crosson or Cason Farmer married Martha Kissiah Thompson, daughter of George W. and Mary Ann Morton Thompson in Albemarle, Stanly County. Both his marriage document, shown above. 

 His death certificate shows his parents as James H. and Sallie Hildreth Farmer. 

Thomas moved his family to High Point, in Guilford County, where he worked as a Shoemaker. He and Kessiah had three children. His son, James Seabury Farmer, became a respected minister. His obituary, shown above, states that he was born in Anson, moved to Stanly, and had spent the last 25 years in High Point. His father, named as James M. Farmer, was noted to have been killed in the Civil War. He could have separated from Sallie Hildreth Farmer before the War, as she is alone in 1860.

Thomas, the Carpenter

The elder Thomas Farmer, grandfather of the above Thomas, worked as a Carpenter. As I previously mentioned, he was shown in a deed, purchasing land together in Anson County with a Martin S. Farmer

1840 Anson County

In the 1840 census, above, Martin Farmer is listed third from top and Thomas Farmer is listed second from bottom, so they lived, for a time, in the same general vicinity. 

One Farmer descendant has Thomas being the son of a James Farmer, son of a Thomas Farmer. I've not done enough research, and will not, as it's not my direct family, to either agree or disagree with these findings. The snippet above speaks on this particular line, so it may be of interest to someone to delve into. What I can confirm is that there was an older James Farmer in early Anson County. He appears in the 1790 census with a family of six, and in the 1800 census with what could be interpreted as five daughters and six sons. In that same year, there are no other Farmers in Anson, but a Thomas in Iredell. 

1810 finds a Joseph and Jessie in Anson, and a Margaret and John in Cabarrus. 1820 finds only Joseph in Anson, an Elisha in Iredell, and none in Iredell or Cabarrus. In 1830, there are no Farmers in any of those counties, then in 1840, we have Thomas and Martin in Anson, and Joseph is now in Montgomery County, West Pee Dee, which means he is located in Stanly County. 

Joseph is show as a young father in his 20's, his probable wife a little older than himself, and six children under 14, three boys and three girls. 

Hold that thought, and let's return to the main subject of this post, George T. Farmer. 

1900

George T. Farmer lived to see the 20th century. He's 60 and his wife, 59, here with their daughters, Nancy E., 21, Lila W. 19 and "Lizer" J. 14. A 16-year-old boy has been hired as a farm helper, too, named Pop Colson. 

George and Sarah's children were:

1868 Joseph Farmer only appears as a two-year-old and then no more, leaving us to speculate that he died as a child.

1871 Marina "Mary" J. Farmer married twice but remained childless. Her first marriage in August of 1887, was to Thomas Deberry Green. Thomas Green did not have another wife, but did father a child, during his marriage to Marina. He fathered a daughter in 1892 with Inezzie McSwain, herself a product of an unfortunate birth, and squarely in my family tree as the daughter of my Second Great Granduncle on my mother's side, Caleb H. Aldridge, her mother his young stepdaughter. Inez was also the abandoned wife of my second Great Grand Uncle on my father's side, William Thomas Hooks, the son of my Third Great Grandfather, William Matthew Hill, and his sister-in-law, Emmaline Hooks. Inezzie was truly a tragic character in my family tree. Thomas died in 1895 and Marina remarried in 1897 to William Crowell Aldridge, my 1st cousin, four times removed. I began the post explaining that the Farmers were entangled tightly in my family tree. 

1875 Adam Huston Farmer married Julia Adeline Boone, daughter of William Peter "Andy" Boone and Mary Jane Smith. Andy's father, Andrew, moved to Alleghany County, NC after his first wife, Jane Hobbs died. Before he did, he had married into my family tree, of course, by choosing Martha "Patsy" Murray, as a bride. Patsy Murray married him the same day that Keziah Murray married Jesse Mills. Keziah was the daughter of my 4th Great Grandfather, Jesse Murray. Patsy was tied to her brother, James Murray, who died about 1850. I've not deduced whether or not Patsy was his daughter, or a younger, second wife. Adam Huston Farmer and Julia had 11 children: Joseph, Hurley, Walter, James, Johnsie, Nealie, Elizabeth, Virginia, Beatrice, Dorothy and Lila. He died in 1953, at 78, and was buried at Cottonville Baptist Church. The second family connection to these Boone's is that my Great Grandfathers oldest sister, Mollie, married Julia's brother, John Frank Boone. 

1879 Nancy E. "Nannie" Farmer was the first wife of John Teeter "Jaspar" Davis. He was the son of my 4th Great Granduncle, Edward Winfield Davis, the second sheriff of Stanly County. Another link to my family tree. All this due to their location in Tyson. They had one son, George Dewey Davis, and Nannie died young in 1911. John T. Davis then married a second time to Jennie Lenora McSwain, a daughter of the previously mentioned Inezzie McSwain, with Joshua Myrick "Mike" Harward, a man she did not marry. They had six children and he would marry a third time to a girl from Davidson County who had boarded with his brother, and they had twins. Nannie was buried in the Davis Family Cemetery in Cottonville, and her son would move to Vass, NC. 

1881 Lila W. Farmer married George Henry Boone, a brother of her sister-in law, Julia Boone Farmer, with all those same connections. They were the parents of five boys; Charlie Black Farmer, Arthur Jennings, George Travis, Jevaid and Thomas Alexander. She died in 1957, at 62, and was also buried at the Cottonville Church. 

1886 Eliza Jane Farmer married George Washington "Gus" Davis. She was his first wife, but he had no children by either wife. Gus was the older brother of my Great Grandfather, William Hampton Davis. This is the closest family connection. Almost every child of George and Betty Farmer had a connection to my family tree. Eliza passed away in 1934 and was also buried at Cottonville. She was only 52. 

Now, having looked at George's life after marriage, it's time to find him before.

Looking for George T. Farmer in the 1850 census, I am incapable of doing so. However, I do find other Farmer family members in Stanly County that look like a scattered tribe. 

The first record is in Center Township, which we now consider the Norwood area in Southern Stanly.  Headed by 55-year-old Mary Thompson, the home also includes a 35-year-old George W. Thompson and three young Farmer family members, Mary, 18, Leon 5, and Wesley, age 3. At this point, I don't want to make any assumptions on how these three are related to each other, except that they probably were. They live near a group of McSwain's, and next to Benjamin Ivy. 

Next, I find a 12-year-old Joseph Farmer living in another Thompson home. This is, of course, not the same Joseph in 1840. The home is headed by 25-year-old William Thompson, and looks like a young family with Mary, 20, and Susan, 2. There must be a strong Thompson connection to the Farmer family.  William is probably closely related to Mary and George W. Thompson. A 9-year-old "Samuel" Morton is also boarding in the home. As I have an ancestor named Samuel Parsons Morton, I have looked at this child in the past and determined that this was Lemuel Morton, not Samuel, and he was the son of David Morton, Jr. and Nancy Reddin Morton. Unfortunately, Lemuel became a casualty of the Civil War.  

They also lived in Center, near Hardy Watkins, James Allen and John Duke, just one page over from the previous Farmers. 

Lastly, we have William Farmer, age 18, living near my ancestor, Calvin Lee, and amongst a grove of Blalock's, whose land bordered Calvin's. William, like Joseph, has also been taken in by a young family, headed by 27-year-old Jordan Blalock, who has a wife and infant daughter. They live near John Norwood, of the Norwood Brothers Store that the town would be named for. He had married into my family, at one point, by marrying the widow of Burwell Hudson. Albert Murray, son of my third Great Aunt, Mariah Murray, is boarding with John Norwood. In fact, Murray children are scattered over the entire neighborhood. 

I find where William Farmer married just four years later, to Martha J. Phillips on February 10, 1854.

This list of Farmers, in order of age appear as:

Mary 18

William 16

Joseph 12

Leon 5

Wesley 3

No George, but that doesn't mean he wasn't there, somewhere. Born in 1841, he would have been a 9-year-old, and could have been counted under the wrong surname in someone's, possibly a relatives, home. 

Mary Ann Farmer, age 18 above, soon married. She has a very interesting story which deserves its own post, but briefly, she became the second wife of a much older, and very interesting man from a prominent Chesterfield County, South Carolina family. 

On November 2, 1851, she married the notorious Thomas Crawford Ellerbe. Born in 1785, he was a 66-year-old groom and she a 19-year-old bride. If that wasn't creepy enough, he had a shocking background on top of it all. His family was wealthy and had produced doctors, lawyers, statesmen, business leaders and Thomas. He had been previously married to Mary Cash, a member, through her mother, of the wealthy and respected Boggan family of Anson County. Mary was fortunate, in that she was not dragged down by the weight of his past but was the beneficiary of his estate. Thomas died in Stanly County in early 1852. His 50 plus page estate file shows that he had establish himself well in and around the Rocky River Springs area and Cottonville, having many locals who owed him money, before his demise. The file included properties in Chesterfield and Anson County as well.  This left Mary Ann Farmer a young, and very eligible widow. 

She was quickly charmed and swept up by John Francis McIntyre, my first cousin 5 times removed, son of my 4th Great Grandaunt, Elizabeth Murray McIntyre and Malachi Stokes McIntyre. They were married March 6, 1852, just four months after her first marriage. 

A. J. Shankle was the administrator of the estate and Uncle E. W. Davis was the sheriff who served the papers and signed as to Mary Ann receiving her year's allowance, even after her remarriage. 

I found the above accounting page from the Thomas Ellerbe probate papers very interesting. It was from Dr. A. J. Shankle, Admin. of the Estate to Celia Easley. Celia was a lady who I intend to focus on in a future post. She was a free person of mixed African and European ancestry, who would purchase her husband, Harry Randle, a slave. Their children were all freeborn, as the status followed that of the mother. She was paid for 'Helping to move goods from the Springs", then to Jones Greens, then move goods back to "The Springs", and for the use of wagon for cutting wood, then moving goods on the last day of the sale. Her name for her signature was spelled "Selia" Easley, and she made her mark with an 'X'. 

Thomas Ellerbe was shown in Chesterfield County in 1850 and Anson County in 1840, but he had obviously been in Stanly County, perhaps traveling back and forth at first, making connections, and meeting the teenaged, can we guess it, orphan, Mary Ann Farmer. She must have made an impression. 

I feature her, because her name, and situation, had changed before 1860, which is the first time we see George. 

George Farmer, now shown as 21, although in actuality was 19, is living in the home of the very respected and important citizen, James F. Kendall, working as a day laborer. He is followed by two other new names, John, 19, and Margaret, 17, and two familiar names, the two youngest boys in the home of Mary Thompson in 1850, Leon, now 15, and Wesley, now 13. But check out the neighborhood!

It begins with Valentine Mauney, a merchant and businessman, whose reach and influence extended to many counties, from Fayetteville, Cumberland County, to Davidson and Randolph Counties. Valentine had married Winnie Catherine Davis, and his brother, Ephraim Mauney, who would relocate to the mining boomtown of Gold Hill in Rowan County, would marry her sister, Elizabeth. The Davis sisters were daughters of James Davis, brother of my Great Great Great Grandfather Henry Davis, who also had substantial properties and businesses on both sides of the Rocky River, Stanly and Anson, as did the Kendall's. After the Mauney's was James F. Kendall, 39, followed by his younger brothers, William D. Kendall, 33, B. L. (Benjamin Leonard) Kendall, 35, John Q. Kendall, 28 and Rueben A.  Kendall, 26. They were followed by George D. Efird, William Coley, Sr and Dr. A. J. Shankle and his wife, Charlotte. Dr. A. J. Shankle was previously mentioned as the Administrator of the Estate of Thomas C. Ellerbe. His wife Charlotte Davis was also a daughter of the previously mentioned James M. Davis and his wife, Rowena Lee Davis. This meant that Valentine Mauney, who led the page and Dr. Shankle, who closed it out, were brothers-in-law. This was plantation row along the Rocky River. Stanly County was not known for its grand plantations like Anson County and other counties through South Carolina, down the Pee Dee River were, but there were a few along the rivers. The forks of the Rocky River, with the Pee Dee River, were known as a very fertile area. A community started there early in the county's inhabitation, with ferries, Inns, and even a town, called Allenton. It spread up the Rocky from there, on both sides of the river, with Walls, Kendall's, Winfield's, Howells, Beards, Avett's, Ropers, Lees, Broadway's, Nash's, Morrisons, and others.  Just up from this section was the Davis Plantation. 

These were the sons of Thornton Kendall. Another Kendall, Rueben the elder, lived on the Anson side of the river. He was the father of my ancestor, Henry Davis's first wife, Sarah. I descend from his second wife, Martha Palmer. There were multiple interactions between the Kendall and Davis families.

There is something else to ponder in this grouping. Young Reuben A. Kendall (to separate him from the older Reuben), was married to Sarah, seen here at age 26, whose maiden name was Farmer. Hmm, another young Farmer. 

Below is the death certificate of Jesse B. Carpenter showing his parents as Margaret Farmer and James Carpenter.

And above is Margarets Obituary. 

Her death certificate states that she was born in Anson County, but the informant didn't know the names of her parents. 

The 1860 grouping appeared to be a possible group of siblings, which included the younger of the 1850 group in the home of Mary Thompson. Time to find out more about her. Come to find out, Mary would pass away in 1854, just a few years after the census, leaving a very informative Probate file.

She was the widow of a William Thompson who died about 1840.

Stanly County Equity court, Spring term of 1859

"To the Honorable Judge of this Court The Petition of Patsy Pritchard, William Farmer, R. A. Kendall  wife Sarah, John M McIntyre & wife Mary Ann, Jo? Farmer & George Farmer John Farmer, Margaret Farmer Leon Farmer Wesley Farmer (the said George, John Margaret Leon & Wesley being infants who due by their guardian & next friend J F Kendall Edmund Thompson James Thompson George Thompson Elisha Thompson (stricken out) William Thompson Alexander Thompson Calvin C Thompson Mary A Thompson Robert D Thompson Francis Thompson and Winey Thompson ( the said Calvin Mary Robert Francis & Winey being the heirs at law of Elisha Thompson all of whom are infants of tender years who are - - - by their Guardian Benjamin L. Duke against Thomas Thompson.

  

Your petitioners further show that their ancestors the said Mary left as her ? heir at law Patsy Pritchard, Wm Farmer, R A Kendall and wife Sarah, John McIntyre & wife Mary Ann nee Farmer, George Farmer John Farmer Margaret Farmer Leon Farmer & Wesley Farmer the said ? Sarah & Mary Ann & also William Joe George John Margaret Leon & Wesley being the children of Nancy Farmer deceased who was one of the heirs at law of the said Mary decd...

Calvin Thompson, Mary A Thompson Robert D Thompson Nancy Thompson & Wincy Thompson the said (repetition of the above names) being infants & the heirs at Law of Elisha Thomson deceased and Thomas Thompson are the only heirs at law of the said Mary Thompson. They further show that from the large number of heirs and the small size of the tracts of land that it is impossible to divide the same by metes and boundaries without doing manifest injustice to your Petitioner..

Patsy Pritchard et all

vs

Thomas Thompson 

North Carolina                Court of Equity

Stanly County

In pursuance of a Decree of the Honorable, the Court of Equity made at Spring Term 1859, I proceeded on the 1st day of Sept. 1859. After due advertisements to see the lands mentioned in the Petition to the highest bidder, according to the of the decree, 1st Tract, containing 32 acres to Joseph Farmer, who became the last & highest bidder at the sum of sixty-four dollars, second tract containing 30 acres to Burwell Hudson who became the last highest bidder at the sum of $131. .. the purchases entered into bond with sufficient security

The Petition of Patsy Pritchard, William Farmer R A Kendall & wife Sarah, John McIntyre & wife Mary Ann, Joe Farmer & George Farmer John Farmer Margaret Farmer Leon Farmer Wesley Farmer (the said George, John Margarett Leon & Wesley & next friend J F Kendall, Edmund Thompson.

Mary Thompson, maiden name unknown, had passed away at the age of 59, and the above records a dispute, (isn't there always a dispute among heirs?), even of her unsubstantial property, between her many heirs. Her children are named, as are the offspring of the two children who had predeceased her. Her son, Elisha, was alive in the 1850 census, but passed away before this 1859 event. His children were Calvin C. Thompson, Mary Abigail Thompson, Robert D. Thompson, Frances "Fanny" Thompson and Winey Tabitha Thompson. He had married Martha C. Duke. Her daughter, Nancy, had married Joseph Farmer. She had died between the birth of Wesley, who is shown as three in 1850, and the 1850 census taken in June. Her husband, Joseph Farner was also deceased. Two of the Farmer children were married, and shown named with their husbands, Sarah, who married Reuben A. Kendall and Mary Ann, who married John F. McIntyre, after her brief marriage to Thomas C. Ellerbe. The other Farmer children were named as William, Joe, George, John, Margaret, Leon and Wesley, with George, John, Margaret, Leon and Wesley being under 21, which legally categorized them as infants. James F. Kendall had been named as the Guardian and 'next friend' of the minor Farmer children.

Mary, the widow of a William Thompson who died around 1840 or after, had also left living children including Patsy Thompson Pritchard, who had brought on the dispute, and Thomas Thompson, whom it was against, and also included Edmund, James, George, William, and Alexander Thompson.

So, George Farmer had not fallen out of the sky. We was the son of Joseph and Nancy Thompson Farmer and the grandson of William and Mary Thompson. In the earliest inception of Stanly County, NC, Joseph Farmer the first was mentioned once and his wife, Nancy mentioned twice in the Court of Pleas and Quarters. In the May 1843 Session, Joseph Famer had conveyed property to the heirs of Thomas Steele and R. J. Steele. The deed was proved by John Thompson.

In May of 1849, James Harward was appointed the Administrator of Joseph Farmer. This gives us a fairly reasonable estimate of his year of death. Bondsmen were E. W. Davis and John Howell, my family.

In August of 1850, just 15 months later, Letters of Administration on the estate of Nancy Farmer were given to George W Thompson with Elisha Thompson and James S. Turner as securities.

Later, we will see in the Estate records of one of George T. Farmer's siblings, a share of the land of William Thompson, as an heir, comes into play.

 He had a large family of siblings. They were:

1832) Mary Ann Farmer who married Thomas C. Ellerbe first, and John Francis McIntyre, second. Much of her story has been told previously in this post. She had a large family with her second husband, whom she raised in Tyson Township. Later in life, the couple migrated west, first stopping in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, and ending up in Roans Prairie, Grimes County, Texas, where Mary Ann died in 1900 and buried in the Old Oakland Cemetery there.

1834)  Sarah Farmer who married Reuben A. Kendall. Reuben was a Civil War Casualty, passing away on Valentine's Day, 1865, at Point Lookout, Maryland. They had two sons, Thorton A. Kendall, born in 1859, died as a child, and John Atlas Kendall, born in 1863 , who married Mattie Treadway, lived a long life and raised a large family, including many sons. He settled in Rockingham, Richmond County and finally in Wadesboro. Sallie, as she was known, died sometime between the 1880 census and 1889, when her only living child married. Her son died in Wadesboro in 1930.

1836) William M. Farmer married Martha Jane Phillips on February 10, 1854, in Stanly County. They had one son, James Oliver Farmer, in 1861. William enlisted in the Confederate Army on March 25, 1862. He appears to have headed west to start a new life, or to escape the War, leaving his family abandoned. He married Amazia D. Kenneman in Williamson, Texas, on November21, 1862. She died in 1868, and he remarried Marjorie Rebecca Fail later that same years. She had been married once before. William Farmer died that same year at the age of 34, cause unknown. Possibly still Civil War related as a deserter, maybe not. His widow remarried for the third time to a Johnson, and had ten children, living until age 77.

1837)  Joseph K. Farmer aka "Joe" who married Lucy Ann McSwain. One son, Joseph Alexander Farmer born Christmas Day, 1862. Joe had enlisted in the Confederate Army on August 8, 1862. He died of Typhoid Pneumonia on December 23, 1862 in Lynchburg, Virginia. He never met his son.

Some family trees have Joseph Alexander as the son of John A. Farmer, but it was Joe. There are two small estate records, "John W. Smith, admin. of Joseph Farmer vs James K Faremer et all 1873" and Lucy Ann Farmer's Petition for Dower in 1871, which mentions an only child named Joseph Farmer. The jury consisted of ME Blalock, John Genes, Will Lowder, B. L. Duke, and laid off the lands of Joseph K. Farmer deceased, being Lot No 7 in the lands of the Heirs of William Thompson, deceased. This was Joe's share of property in his grandparent's estate, William and Mary Thompson, after the death of his mother, Nancy Thompson Farmer. Litte Joseph was appointed a guardian, William R. McSwain, from his mother's family.

The 1871 suite was first heard in the August Term of Court, 1863 and described $100 in indebtedness', and Lucy Ann Farmer became the purchaser of her husband's land and her son's inheritance. The biggest mystery here is, who was 'James K Farmer'? The only James in the family line I can figure was James H. A. Farmer, son of Thomas, who may or may not have been the brother or some other kin of Joseph the first. He passed away in 1863 and so it could not have been him, and what claim would he or his children have on Joseph K's estate? I wonder if it was a mistake and the person and their 'et al', was not James, and maybe even not a Farmer. If anyone has any insight into this kerfuffle, let me know. 

On September 26th, 1874, Lucy A. Farmer gave to Joseph A. Farmer, for motherly affection, property on the Rocky Rivier adjoining M. M. McSwain and others, known as the James Thompson lot. 

It was signed by Guardian W. R. McSwain and Lucy A. McSwain, as Lucy had married her cousin, Charles John McSwain, by that time. They would have three children together. Could the lawsuit have been with James Thompson and not James K Farmer? There was not a James Farmer anywhere close, or with local roots, that could have fit Cinderella's shoe.  Food for thought. 

1840-41 John A Farmer enlisted on September 7, 1861, in Albemarle in Company K, 28th Infantry of the Confederate Army. He died in battle on December 13, 1862, at Fredericksburg, Virginia, at the age of 21. The two brothers, John and Joe, died within two weeks of each other, from different causes, one in battle and the other from one of the many illnesses the soldiers were prone to fall with. 

1841- George T. Farmer was next in line. I won't extrapolate on him except to note he married Sarah Elizabeth "Bettie" Watkins and remained in Stanly County.

1843- Margaret E. Farmer married James C. Carpenter, son of Edmund Lilly Carpenter and wife, Martha Baucom Carpenter, on March 15, 1875.

They lived around Burnsville and Lanesboro in Anson County, before moving to Mecklenburg, where they remained. They were the parents of six children, with only four living until adulthood, Hattie, William, Jesse and James. 

Margaret Farmer Carpenter passed away January 14, 1920, at the age of 77.

1845- Leon R. Farmer enlisted on the same date, September 7, 1861, in Company K, 28th NC Infantry, in Albemarle, as his older brothers. He was 16 years old. Leon fought for 3 years, he was imprisoned at Hanover Courthouse.  He died of illness on May 1, 1864, in Virginia, at the age of 19.

1847- Lewis Farmer is only shown as a 13-year-old boy in the home of the elderly Susan Easley, probably as hired help. 

He is in the right location and age range to have been a child of Joseph and Nancy Farmer; however, he is not in the list of Mary Thompsons heirs. He is not seen anywhere else, so must have died before 1859.

1849-Wesley Swift Farmer was fortunate enough to have escaped the War due to his age. If it had lingered, he may not have.  Wesley married Mary Ann Taylor.

He was placed in the guardianship of J. F. Kendall, after the death of his grandmother, Mary and apprenticed with a Wagoner, Alexander Yates, and learned the skills of a "Cooper".  He is shown above in the 1870 census in Laurel Hill, Richmond County, North Carolina. By 1880, they have moved to Wadesboro, and now have two children, Margaret and Mattie. By 1890, Wesely had moved his family north, to Baltimore, Maryland, where Wesley made a career of selling Fertilizer. The 1900 census indicated they had been the parents of 10 children, with 5 living and the 1910 census recorded that they had 13 children with five living. Margaret and Mattie were not part of the five living. Mattie had died in 1885. The other known children were Clyde, Lida, Mary, Nannie, Naomi, Holly and Ruth. Wesley and his wife both died in 1932, within two months of each other, he in January and she in March. They were buried at the Willow Oak Cemetery in Washington, DC. 

Besides the two brothers, William and Joseph, who had one son each, both named Joseph.

In his younger days, George T. Farmer was having problems with debt. He indentured much of his crop and livestock to W. E. Blalock.

In 1851, when George was 20, Benjamin L. Duke was allowed $12 by the County for keeping him up for four months, supposedly until he turned 21.

Later, George must have been having some medical issues, because he was a pauper, and M. J Waddle was allowed $11.25 for treating him. These dates were before he married. He seems to have recovered. 

Joseph Farmer- The First

So now that we know George and his siblings were the children of Joseph Farmer and Nancy Thompson Farmer, what can we learn about Joseph?

November 12, 1841 

An Indenture between Joseph Farmer and Thomas Steel, deceased heirs and Robert J. Steel of Richmond County, North Carolina. The Steels paid Joseph $75 for a tract of land, being in Stanly (formerly Montgomery County). The tract touched David McSwain's corner and Joseph's old tract, and Easley's line. The deed was witnessed by John and William J. Thompson.

This is the only deed involving Joseph Farmer in Stanly County. However, there were others in Montgomery County before the new county split off. 

In the Court records, James Harward was appointed administrator of Joseph Farmer. He entered into bond with E. W. Davis and John Howell. 

The Estate Settlement was in 1857, although Joseph had long passed away. There was no Will. 

The only probate files found in Stanly County for the Farmer family was that of George T. in 1905, and the two related to his brother, Joseph K. who died in the Civil War. 

Thomas Farmer, who was of the same generation as Joseph the first, eventually moved to Stanly County from Anson, as his son did, and there are three deeds involving him. 

In book 9, page 290, he is indentured to J. W. Lilly and allocated personal property to cover it if not paid. Book 9, page 525, involves the same people and the same property. Book 10, Page 22 was between Thomas Farmer and Simeon Carpenter, involving corn and cotton grown on the property of CW West that Thomas was renting, dated April of 1875. Thomas was getting up in age at this time and struggling to keep his head above water.

Shortly after, in 1878, George and his wife Sarah were among the heirs of the estate of her father, W. H. S. Watkins. The others were Robert R. Lee and wife, Jane; Churchwell Carpenter and wife, Sophrania Ann; Whitson Ross and wife, Araminta D Ross. This was advantageous to George T. Farmer, as it allowed his to alleviate his debts and be able then create a positive net worth, so that by the time he passed on thirty years later, he left his family in a better position than he had been in.

Joseph Farmer had been named in a land record that was a who's who of his neighborhood and in-laws. The road that Arnold Watckins had been appointed overseer of stretched from the Anson line to Center, later renamed Norwood.

Also, during the 1840's, Joseph Farmer and Mary Farmer, his daughter Mary, I am guessing, were among the witnesses in a case of Forcible Trespass against William Mills. Other witnesses were Robert Lanier, Matthew Waddill and James Harward. James Harward is also named in the road record and became the administrator of his estate.  I believe they must have been pretty close friends.

In conclusion, if I wished to doggedly pursue this theory, which I don't, I would look for leads on Joseph Farmer being the son of James, perhaps, and the brother of Thomas and Martin, probably. But this is who George T. Farmer was, son of Joseph Farmer and Nancy Thompson and brother to Mary Ann, Sarah, Margaret, William, Joseph K., John A., Lewis, Leon, and Wesley. He hadn't fallen from the sky.