Bethany

In another post, I told the story of a presentation on the life of one of Stanly Counties early and best known doctors, Dr. Francis Kron, his family and his uncle-in-law Henry Delamothe.

Delamothe had migrated to America during one of North Carolina's early gold rushes in search of wealth, had obtained large amounts of land in Montgomery County and having no heirs, enticed his well-bred, well-educated niece and her husband to come join him in this virtual wilderness.

Dr. Kron had shown some signs of enjoying his little self-made piece of paradise, but at other times seemed discontent and disjointed by the lack of manners and refinement in his country neighbors, although he would admit that some of them were good-hearted, hard working honest people, still scores of others he found dishonest and uncouth.

Henry Delamothe had promised to make the Krons his heirs, and he did, but at some point had a falling out and Delamothe, a very old man for the times at this point, decided to create his own heir. He married a young Montgomery County girl, only a teenager at the time, although he himself was over 70. Apparently, he was not able physically to produce his own heir, so he devised a scheme, recorded with slyness and a snicker, by Dr. Kron, and hired a 'stranger' to assist in bringing an heir into his home. This worked, and a little girl named Nancy was born. Just a few years later, to Delamothe's dismay, another heiress was born into his household, a girl named Elizabeth or Lizzie. Lizzie was not according to plan. The stranger was to create one heir and no more. Delamothe would revise his will, leaving the mandatory dower to Bethany Delamothe, his wife, but only 50 cents each to his legal, albeit not biological, daughters.

He also mentioned the possibility of any other heirs arriving before his death, or shortly after, as children born posthumously to a point were also heirs, that they too, would only get 50 cents, which was worth more than it is today, but based on Delamothes wealth, was but a trifling amount.

Yesterday in searching deeds in Montgomery County, I came across these little tidbits and decided to share.

October 3 1835  (Montgomery County Extant Deeds) Henry Delamothe to Joseph Smithson - "that said Henry Delamoth hath sold to said Joseph Smithson one plantation going by the name of Chisholm old place supposed to contain 300 acres on the Yadkin river for the sum of $1000.00 which is to be paid in the manner following viz" $520.00 on or before the 25th of Dec. next, one sorrel horse at the price of $80.00 to be delivered sound betwizt the date of these presents and the 25th of Dec. next and four hundred dollars on or before the 25th of December 1836.

Signed   H. Delamoth, Joseph Smithson

Witnesses: L. Harris, Joseph Russell





Then 3 years later, Henry Delamothe had passed away and the young widow Bethany, just in her early 20's wasted no time getting married and most likely to her dear Stranger. Page 159 reads:
"" 11 April 1839 William Morgan and Bethany Delamothe- Marriage Contract-
"As she has been broken up by the loss of one husband, she feels it her duty to secure herself so that she may not be broke up by the loss of another one first if I. W. Morgan depart this life before the said Bethany Delamothe, all the property is to be hers and no one else's to do as she pleases with during her life and after she is down with it to go to the heirs of her body and also the increase of the negroes, all go the same way. Second if the sd. Bethany Delamothe depart this life before I. Willis  does all the property that is on hand and the increase of the negroes shall be mine to do as I please with during of my life and after I am done with it, it will then go to the heirs of the said Bethany Delamothe body and no one else. "

Signed: Willis Morgan, Bethany (X) Delamothe

Witness: E. F. Morgan

The document is crude, coarse, insensitive and politically incorrect, but I've learned to understand to accept the times as they were and to understand that the people of that time were in a different mindset and moral, but still intensibly and tragically human.

Knowing the story, I found this entry interesting to say the least and a bit humorous in its wording. Obviously written by Mr. Morgan, by the use of the term "I" in the later part, he signed his name, but Bethany, obviously could neither read nor write. However, she wan't to make sure she had property should she outlive this next husband and probably a bit worried that he was marrying her only for her inheritance and that he might divorce her, or worse, for the land.

The Morgan's must have shortly sold the property after the marriage, because it is known that they migrated South to Georgia and had 5 children born within their marriage.

Nancy Delamothe likely died young, as no more trace of her exists. Her younger sister, Sarah Elizabeth "Lizzie" Delamothe/Morgan married at age 16 to Thomas Wilkerson in Coweta, Georgia as Sarah Elizabeth Morgan, and died in Jack County, Texas.
Lizzie's marriage license is further evidence that Willis Morgan was most likely the stranger hired by Henry Delamothe to sire his heir.

Bethany Bailey born 1806 to John Bailey and Elizabeth Dennis Bailey in Randolph County, North Carolina. Grew up in Montgomery County, North Carolina.

Married Henry Delamothe, about 1830 or prior.

Two daughters, Nancy and Sarah Elizabeth born prior to Henry Delamothe's death in 1839.

Married I. Willis Morgan in April of 1839

Five children born after the marriage to Willis Morgan:
Rosannah 1840-1915
Margaret 1841- unk.
John Thomas 1842-1922
William Harrison 1844-1927
MaryEtta 1848-1894

Bethany died June 7, 1867 in Palmetto County, Georgia

The Kron and Delamothe Families

I

Tombstone of George Kron. The cemetary was vandalized in the early part of  the 20th century by treasure hunters. 

The Kron and Delamothe Families of Stanly and Montgomery Counties, North Carolina.

One of only two of these ancient chestnut trees left in the South east, it was part of the Kron  orchard. 

On August 19, 2012, I attended a program at Morrow Mountain State Park on Dr Frances Kron. Dr. Kron was a very influential person in the early years of our area and his homesite is a restored property within the confines of the State Park. Dr. Kron was born in Prussia and later moved to France. It is said he was the first formally educated doctor in the area. He married a Parisian girl, Mary Catherine Delamothe. Her uncle, Henry Delamothe, was one of the earliest settlers on the Montgomery County side of the river, and he came over during the North Carolina Gold Rush in search of treasure. He persuaded the Krons to come to America, by promising to make Mary Catherine and her family his heirs, as he had none at the time.

Garden Marker

Dr Kron left an extensive paper trail, including ledgers, journals, botanical drawings, scientific studies, family history, and genealogical information on the Kron slaves. Kron was a horticulturalist, a physician and a botanist.
He originally bought his log cabin and property from an early Scotch settler in the area,Rev.  Willliam McGregor. While pursuing his medical practice, Kron also became involved in local politics and helped petition for the division of Stanly from Montgomery County in 1841, due to the danger in crossing the Yadkin River to get to the Courthouse. The Kron property was located near the  small community of Tindallsville, which once served as the County Seat of Montgomery County, until a typhoid outbreak caused most of the townspeople who survived to relocate. Other Courthouses and County Seats were located on the East side of the PeeDee River. It was also located near Lowder's Ferry and Inn, along the Salisbury to Fayetteville Road. This ferry was located on the river, where the Uwharrie runs into the Yadkin to form the PeeDee.  According to the presentation on Sunday, Dr. Kron was a member of the First Court of Common Pleas, was one of 9 men appointed as a Superintendant of Common Schools, directed to set up an education system in the county and was on the Commision to build the new Stanly County Courthouse.  He referred to his home as Attaway Hill. He and his wife Mary Catherine had two daughters, Elizabeth and Adeline. The girls never married as Dr. Kron did not feel that the Americans were good enough for his daughters. They were educated by their parents and attended St. Mary's Episcopal school for Girls in Raleigh, North Carolina. Although the Krons do not have any descendants, their materials and journals were important for the records they kept on local families and the contributions they made to the community.

Dr. Kron prided himself on the many varieties of trees, flowers and vegetable he grew. He had an orchard, a vineyard and a greenhouse. He cultivated 13 varieties of grapes prior to 1859 and in 1859 he ordered 107 varieties from the Luxemborg Gardens. He experimented with grafting and some trees from his experiments exist, or descendants from the original trees.

The Kron House before the Restoration

There were Krons existing in the early records who have descendants. These are descendants from the slaves of Dr. Kron and his family. They were very close knit and the descendants of the Kron slaves remained with the daughters until their deaths. Adeline, the last of the Krons, attempted to leave her estate to Saul Kron, a son of George and Julia, who had worked for her father. However, she was so in debt to the Morrow Brothers and Heath company in Albemarle, that they confiscated her estate instead and her will was  disavowed.


Henry Delamothe was the cantankerous uncle of Mrs Kron, Mary Catherine Delamothe Kron. His relationship with the Krons was tenuous at best. Although he had drawn his neice and her husband over with promises of a legacy and prosperity, late in life, he made the decision to create his own heirs. He married the daughter of a local farmer at the age of 70, his bride Bethany Bailey was only 18.

Dr. Krons Medical Office

Vineyard and Greenhouse

View of Cabin coming up Attaway Hill

Two daughters would be born during the marriage of Henry Delamothe and Bethany Bailey, Nancy and Elizabeth. It was said that old Henry had brought a 'stranger' into the fold in order to orchestrate an heir. Nancy Delamothe arrived according to plan. Elizabeth, later known as Lizzie, appeared to be quite a surprise. It is said that Dr. Kron thought this was very amusing, and went around the community laughing and making light of it. Statements made in Henry Delamothe's will verify these rumours and remarks. On December 1, 1835, Frances Augustus Delamothe arrived, per Henry's bidding. Augustus was the younger brother of Henry and refered to as 'The Nice Uncle'. Frances Kron recorded this arrival shortly after the following entry in his diary. "In the evening I went to Lawrenceville. According to reports Mrs. Delamothe was delivered of a stranger on Friday 28th November, a little girl made to inherit the old cuckhold's property. Will that nefarious scheme be crowned with success? " Henry died in 1838 after making his will. The will bears the date September 10, 1838, so he passed in the fall. The will was probated on January 9, 1839 in Lawrenceville, Montgomery County. Among the pronouncements within were these stipulations: "To wife Beneathy (Bethany) Delamothe one third of the estate and personal property and a tract of land. For her years provisions 125 bushels of corn, 10 bushels of wheat, 25 lb weight of coffee, 50 lb of sugar, 500 weight of pork and $50 cash." For the legacy of his children "I give my daughters Nancy and Elizabeth (so called) 50 cents each and no more. The reason for it can be easily guessed at. And should my wife Beneathy get any more children before my death or after my decrease whom the law would entitle to be heirs of mine I give each of them the same sum of 50 cents and no more. To my brother Augustus, was given some small specific legacies, the sum of $1000 and an annuity of $150 per annum during the remainder of his life. To Mary Catherine Kron - legacy of $1000 and an annuity of $100 for the remainder of her life." Each Kron daughter recieved $1000 when she attained the age of 21 from their cantankerous, convivng great-uncle Henry. The remainder of the estate was held in trust by the executer for the benefit of his sister Quenet's children and grandchildren," by the name of Forestier, who might apply for the same within two years, it being obligatory upon them to pay $100 annually to their grandmother during her lifetime and following her death, to their mother." Henry's memory of this family was hazy, and indeed, he may never have met his sisters grandchildren. It seems a little course that Henry would provide so well for his wife, considering, but so little for her two daughters bearing his name, after all, they were innocents and the fruit of his own plotting. Rather rapidly after Henry's death, the young Widow Delamothe married Willis Morgan from Montgomery County, but not before drawing up a prenuptual agreement. Nancy Delamothe would die young, but Lizzie would be known as 'Morgan' from thence on, suggesting Willis Morgan was the hired surrogate to produce a Delamothe heir. The Morgans would leave this state and relocate South to Alabama. Lizzie, after marriage, would relocate to Texas. Bethany and Willis would bring several more children into the world too.

Six grandchildren of Quenet named Forestier applied for the inheritance within the prescribed time. There would be several lawsuits dealing with Henry's massive plantation. The courts finally ruled that neither Augustus, the Forestiers or Mary Catherine Kron could inherit the property, due to not being American citizens. Mary Catherine had applied for citizenship, but not yet recieved it. In December, 1841, the Kron daughters, both natural born citizens, came into the possession of 6090 acres of land lying across the PeeDee river from their home. Elizabeth, called Lizzie Kron, was the oldest and blonde, while Adelaide or Adele was called Addie Kron and was a brunette. Both girls were well educated and artistic. They even grew silkworms on the Mulberry trees. The girls were said to have kind hearts and in 1858, they bought George Kron's wife Delia and four children, who lived on a neighboring farm so the children could be together. In 1910, with the passing of Addie, the Kron family was no more, but they left a mark. The county of Stanly and local individuals funded the restoration of the Kron house and other structures to preserve the memory and contributions of Dr. Frances Kron. The cabin was originally built by Rev. McGregor, a Scotchman who preached in the Baptist church in Tindallsville known as the Mouth of The Uwharrie Baptist Church. A marker to him is located in the woods past the cemetary. Descendants of George Kron and Israel Delamothe still carry on the legacy of the Kron an Delamothe names. These men were of African and European ancestry of what origin we do not know, and were born into slavery, but remained near the family for the rest of their lives. Thanks to the care of the State Park system, Dr. Krons knowledge and contributions to Stanly County will be known to generations to come.