The News story says it all.
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The Charlotte ObserverCharlotte, North Carolina • Page 4 |
I was perusing the Charlotte, NC newspapers for information on a certain Hargett, but not this one, when this story hooked me with curiosity and intrigue. Who were these two wronged ladies? Even more so, who was the cad who married them both? The journalists apposite, pictorial description had me hooked, especially wanting to know more about Mrs. Hargett numero dos, her loquacious and unpretentious manner belied her youth and innocense. I had to know more about her. What happened to her afterwards?
And what happened to the first wife, a weary and wronged mother the paper described as middle-aged? Had she suffered other abuses and lack of probitity from this man? And above all, who was Hargett? Who was this impulsive and hubristic scoudrel who was so cocksure and santimonious he thought himself beyond discovery of his foul actions?
While the Observer reporter was descriptive, but obscure, the Mecklenburg Times laid it all out there.
The Rascal was one J. M. Hargett and his first wife was Sarah Hargett, a cousin marriage that had lasted long enougth to produce three children. Wife number two was identified as Mary Kessiah, a young girl whom he became infatuated with at first sight. One can just imagine her to be pretty and charasmatic. He met with her time after time in attempts to woo her and intice her into a relationship. She must have made marriage a prerequiste to the satisfaction of his wonton and obsessive desires. The illicit marriage took place and the couple honeymooned in South Carolia, but the first wife, whom the Observer had described as quiet and dignified, was no dummy. She had not fallen for whatever obvious lies he fed her, and instead went to Squire Maxwell, whose name has been mentioned in several of my Mecklenburg posts from the turn of the century. The long arm of the law quickly found him in Blacksburg, SC and the young Miss Kessiah, falsely Hargett, found herself stranded, defamed and deflowered. She telegrammed her Daddy to come get her, and her embarrassment and anger was exposed in the first article. She was out for blood.
So, who was J. M. Hargett, besides a bigamist?
John M. Hargett was a farmer and a carpenter, who was born in Union County, North Carolina on January 5, 1860, and was but a toddler when his father marched off to War. He was the fourth of the seven children of Henderson Morrison "Hall" Hargett and wife Pitha Elizabeth Harkey. His father was born in Sardis, Mecklenburg County, and his mother in Shortly after John came along, the family had moved up to Mallard Creek Township. While John M. Hargett's character may have been lacking, his brother, James LeRoy Hargett was a police officer, as is revealed in their father, Hall's, obituary.
Hall lived to be 71, obviously outliving two of his seven children.
John appears to have been a laviscious sort, and married at 17, to Sarah R. "Sallie" Hargett, and true to the report, Sallie was the daughter of Harris and Sarah A Broom Hargett. Both Harris and Hall were sons of Caspar Hargett and Prudence Massey Hargett. While John's father, Hall, had survived the war, Sallie's had not as Harris died in Dinwiddie County, Viriginia in the course of the Civil War in 1862.
Sallie was older, more mature, and feasibly more desparate, at 22, fatherless, and facing a destroyed landscape and social structure. The marriage took place on April 10, 1877, at the home of Justice of the Peace, A. G. Byrd, in Providence, Mecklenburg County.
The Hargett family was a deeply rooted Mecklenburg County family. Their shared grandparents Caspar and Prudence Massey Hargett were both born in Mecklenburg around and before the Revolution. Their family lines come from old and populous Union and Mecklenburg County families, Helms, Burlingtons, Brooms, Craig's, Massey's and Gatewoods.
In 1880, the young family is living in Mallard Creek with one young son, farming. By 1889, the city of Charlotte Directory lists them in the city, John working as a Carpenter. By 1893, John was 33, Sallie was 40, and described by the reporter as middle-aged. She must have seemed particularly worn down and long-suffering. They had three children by this time, a son, age 14 and two little girls, 7 and 4.
John married Mary Kissiah, still fully aware of his current wife and children, and attempting to live two lives at once, on April 25, 1893. He gave his residence as Charlotte and his age as 32. His parents were correctly reported as H M and Elizabeth Hargett, both living, of Missouri. Mollie Kessiah was a 22 year old resident of Concord, daughter of J. H. and Susan Kessiah of Concord, both living, also of Concord. The wedding took place at her parents house by a Rev. Payne, the witnesses all from Concord. Afterwards, it didn't take Sarah long to smell a rat. He must have been riding that train between Charlotte and Concord, between Sarah and Mollie, on a regular basis, digging himself into a deep rut of lies.
So, what happened in court?
As reported on August 10, 1893, the court made haste of the matter and the trial was swift. Mollie was perseved as a lady of good character. John came across as shifty and shady, and very unbelievable. Attorney W.G.Means implied that John was trying to put all the blame on Mollie, suggesting she had been in pursuit of him, "doing all the courting", and suggested she knew he was married. Mollie responded quickly from her place in the courtroom and corrected that lie quickly and surely, declaring, "the rascal can't look me straight in the face and say so either." She was right and John Hargett became visibly hang-dog after that. What gained he by trying to pull her into it? Nothing! He knew he was married, he was going to gain the penalties of his errors, whether she joined in the blame of it or not.
As for Sarah, the paper suggested she was willing to compromise, or to take her husband back and forgive him. This was a different time, still in the Victorian era, horse and buggy days. Women had not yet the right to vote, or many rights at all. Skirts still drug the ground and wayward husbands were often forgiven, at least on the surface, of serious trangressions, as the wife and children depended on him for survival. So where do we find John and Sarah seven years later, in 1900?
| Name | John M Hargett |
|---|---|
| Age | 40 |
| Birth Date | Jun 1860 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina, USA |
| Home in 1900 | Charlotte Ward 1, Mecklenburg, North Carolina |
| Ward of City | 1 |
| Street | 12 Street |
| House Number | 805 |
| Sheet Number | 19 |
| Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation | 368 |
| Family Number | 430 |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Male |
| Relation to Head of House | Head |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse's Name | Sallie R Har |
| Marriage Year | 1878 |
| Years Married | 22 |
| Father's Birthplace | North Carolina, USA |
| Mother's Birthplace | North Carolina, USA |
| Occupation | Mechanic |
| Months Not Employed | 0 |
| Can Read | Y |
| Can Write | Y |
| Can Speak English | Y |
| House Owned or Rented | Rent |
| Farm or House | H |
| Neighbors | View others on page |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| John M Hargett | 40 |
| Sallie R Hargett | 47 |
| Nellie B Hargett | 16 |
| Lilia L Hargett | 12 |
| Lester Hargett | 21 |
| Ida S Hargett | 29 |
The family stayed intact, tightly. John was working as a mechanic and they were renting a house in Charlotte. Married son, Lester, was working as a Clerk in a Store, and they were residents of the City, not on the outskirts. Lester had married Miss Ida Serena Auten, a more mature lady than he. Both she and his oldest sister, Nellie, 16, were working as Seamstresses, probably in a factory setting. John and Sarah have been married 22 years, with three children and three living. It's interesting that they did not enlarge their family after John's indescretion.
The couple would remain together and remain in Charlotte, until Sarah's death in 1919 at the age of 66. The 1910 census showed their son, J. Lester Hargett, as the head of the household, he was a fireman, and he and his wife had two children, but had had four in total, losing two. John and Sarah were living with them.
| Name | Sarah Elizabeth Hargett |
|---|---|
| Maiden Name | Hargett |
| Gender | Female |
| Birth Date | 1857 |
| Birth Place | North Carolina, United States of America |
| Death Date | 27 Dec 1919 |
| Death Place | Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States of America |
| Cemetery | Oaklawn Cemetery and Mausoleum |
| Burial or Cremation Place | Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States of America |
Sarah was described as a retired domestic, but a married one, on her death certificate dated December 27, 1919. She died of uterine cancer and must have been suffering during her last days. She was buried at Oaklawn Cemetery in Charlotte.
John M. Hargett outlived Sallie by nearly two decades. He remained in Charlotte and took up residence with his middle child, Nellie Hargett Anderson. John died on January 16, 1938 at the age of 78. He had nephritis, which was common in those days, and was also buried at Oaklawn in Charlotte. Their three children seem to have lived relativley long and normal lives.
But what about Mollie? What did she do after walking out of that courtroom and stepping out to move on with her life? Her story was a bit more interesting.
When Mollie left Charlotte, she didn't leave alone.
Mollie's Story
Mary Frances "Mollie" Kezziah (also spelled Kissiah, Kiziah, Keziah, or any other way you can imagine it), was born on June 6, 1867, to James Hutchinson Kezziah, known as "Hutch" and his wife Susannah Cassive Noah Hatley Kezziah. Mollie was the oldest of their six children together, namely: Margaret Ann, aka "Maggie", Rosa E., Martha Eagle, aka "Mattie", Charles Emil, aka "Charlie" and James Frederick, aka "Fred". Mollie's mother, Susan, as she was known, was previously married to Simeon Hatley, son of Guilford Hatley and wife, Purity Rodgers, of Gold Hill, Rowan County, NC. He died in 1862, a Civil War casualty, and left her with two sons, John Hatley and Simeon Eugene Hatley, Jr.
Susan was from Gold Hill, the daughter of Eli Noah and wife, Rebecca Earnhardt Noah. Hutch was from Union County, the son of William Alexander Kezziah and wife, Charity Ritch Kezziah. Hutch was also a Confederate Veteran, and had, of course, survived the war. A very respected man in the community, he organized and hosted Veteran Get-togethers and events, up until the day he died.
Mollie's first appearance in records was in the 1870 census, which found the combination family in Township 12, Cabarrus County, NC, as a 3-year-old, with her parents, her half-brothers, John and Simeon, Hatley, with her grandmother, Charity's household next door.
Township 12 is the Odell area, northwest of the City of Concord.
The 1880 census revealed the distressing fact that Mollie, at just twelve years old, and her younger sister, Maggie, were working in a Cotton Mill, as was their father. Brother Simeon was working on a farm and mother; Susan was keeping the house and smaller children. They were still in Township 12, and a young woman named Katie Phillips was living with them. Another Phillips, an on-going theme in my last few posts.
Thirteen years later, came the disastrous situation wherein Mollie, would be wooed by married man, John M. Hargett and mislead into a situation that ended with her embarrassment and his imprisonment.
1900
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28 Jun 1895 Concord, North Carolina |
The 1900 census ends up with a surprise. Mollie's illicit marriage lasted from April to August of 1893, when Hargett's spurned wife, and first cousin, Sarah, caught on to his game and went to the Sheriff. The family was still involved in textiles. Sixty-year-old Hutch was folding cloth, while Susan was still a housekeeper. The shamed Mollie and her two little brothers, Charlie and Fred were working in the Cotton Mill in various positions. The four-month marriage had left Mollie with something other than a heartache. Three-year-old Mary Hargett was also in the home, listed as a granddaughter, with the same last name as the rest of the family. The Keziah's must have owned a sizeable house, because they entertained a slew of boarders. Only frame fixer Albert Sims was in this view, but he led out the page. On the next page, three more young men were boarding with the Kezziah's; all Weavers in the Cotton Mill, which Mollie also was occupied as. John F. Spark, 22, Avery Sherman, 21, and Ben Tarrie, 19, finished out the household. Mollie may have gotten involved with a co-worker or family boarder sometime after this, but she would never remarry.
1910, Hutch had passed away in 1901, as we previously saw in his obituary. The surviving family members are still living in the Odell area. Mollie is not employed, and neither is her mother. She's 43 now, but there is no mention of health issues. They do have a couple of plumbers boarding with them, Charles Elmore and Milton Buchanon. Then there are the children, Mollies children. Mary Hargett Kezziah is now 13, and Mary has added two more children, of unknown fathers, to the household, Myrtle, 7 and Eugene, 4.
Susan will pass away on November 10, 1918. She leaves a Will, with Mollie in it.
Neither document mentions Mollie's children. After the death of her mother, Molly seems to have lived a quiet life.
Mary claimed to be a widow, which she was not. Another fact I found interesting was that she owned her home, not rented, and it was owned free and clear, not mortgaged. Also, Eugene was 14, and in school. Mollie did not require her children to work in the Cotton Mills as she had at a very young age.
Mollie would remain in the company of her only son, Rembert Eugene Kizziah, for the remainder of her life. Eugene's records would never reveal the name of his father, if he ever knew at all. In 1940, Eugene and his young family are living on American Avenue in Concord. He's working as a Foreman at a Cotton Mill and his wife, Clarice, is a bookeeper at the Cabarrus Creamery, a favorite Concord landmark and destination in my youth. His 72 year old mother, Mollie, is no longer in the workforce, and was likely watching her grandchildren while their parents worked.
Mollie died on January 2, 1949. She was 81 years old. She had outlived both of her daughters. I believe Myrtle died on typhoid fever and Mary died of poisoned ice cream, but I can't verify it was the same girl, or another with the same name. Mollie Kizziah was buried in Oakwood Cemetery, as her son Rembert (or Rembrant) Eugene would alson.
Mollie died of heart failure and hypertension. The spirited young girl who was betrayed by a married man who stole her youth with a lie, never remarried, although she obviously had a relationship with at least one other man. Something in her caved. Her betrayal seems to have affected her for life, but she was a beloved mother and grandmother. One of her grandson's name his daughter Mollie Frances.
