Aaron Sanders was a blacksmith who lived in Stanly County for awhile in the 19th century. He had emerged into the world at the commencement of it, being born about 1800, probably in Montgomery County, NC or some County nearby. He's not to be confused with Col. Aaron Harris Saunders, (1802-1885) who served for awhile as Sheriff of Montgomery County, and lived his life on that side of the PeeDee River.
He was supposedly the son of a Stephen Sanders and Mary Morris Sanders, but I've not delved into his past far enough to verify this. Aaron was a very popular name among the Sanders/Saunders family. There may be a connection to an original and honored progenitor of it. The name is seen spelled both ways. In this instance, I will stick to the Sanders spelling as that is how I found him.
I encountered Aaron Sanders in the Case Files of State vs Harris Melton and Ann Bird. They were a Stanly County couple who escaped to Gold Hill in Rowan County when their marriage was challenged. Ann Bird Melton was white, but Harris Melton had a white mother and a darker skinned father, who seemed to be of Native American or some combination of racial makeup akin to present day Lumbee or Melungeon's. Aaron was a witness for the defense and appears to have known the Melton family for a very long-time. Something about his family intrigued me, and deserved a closer look.
He appears in both the 1830 and 1840 census records, when he would have been 30 and 40 years old, having already crossed the river into West Pee Dee (Stanly County), from East Pee Dee, (Montgomery County).
In Stanly County land records, which began in 1841, in Book 1 Page 211, Aaron bought property from James Boysworth on July 8, 1842, for $200 that had descended to James from his father, James Boysworth, Sr. consisting of 75 acres bounded by William Davis on the north, Green B. Ross on the west, Eli W. Christian on the south and the Pee Dee River made the eastern border. Witnesses were William Swaringen and George Shankle. So, we know he lived on the river. James Boysworth had also been called as witness in the same proceeding and his sister, Nancy had married John Melton Jr., an uncle of the defendant, Harris Melton. Aaron Sanders is shown as having lived near John Melton, Jr. in 1840, two years before this land purchase.
In Book 1 page 349, Aaron Sanders sells to George Shankle 35 acres of the above property, leaving 40, to settle a note Aaron owed Daniel Freeman, a merchant, due December 25, 1844, that was currently in the hands of George F. Smith, who was the Albemarle Postmaster before there was an Albemarle. His Post Office was called Smith's Store and served the fertile area where Town Creek, Melchor's Branch and Cloverfork Creek poured into Little Long Creek just before it merged with Long Creek after being fed by a few other small streams. The note was for $50 and the action was witnessed by Isaac Swearingen and Neelin Hathcock. Neelin or Newlin was also involved in the trial but was a witness for the State and had a strong objection to the marriage of Harris and Ann, who had been charged with fornication as their marriage was being declared illegal.
Lastly, Aaron received a grant, number 5155, for 95 acres on Long Creek in February of 1850. This is found in Book 2 Page 285. The land met the property of Mathias Melchor and John Allen Mann, and had been applied for, or entered, all the way back on November 27th, 1838, when Stanly was still part of Montgomery and the grand was issued as "in Montgomery", although it was near Smith's Store.
Name
Aaron Sanders
Gender
Male
Race
White
Residence Age
50
Birth Date
abt 1800
Birthplace
North Carolina
Residence Date
1850
Home in 1850
Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Occupation
Blacksmith
Industry
Miscellaneous Repair Services
Cannot Read, Write
Yes
Line Number
1
Dwelling Number
887
Family Number
892
Inferred Spouse
Nancy Sanders
Inferred Child
Mary A Sanders; Martha Sanders; Laura J Sanders; Nancy E Sanders; Wm J Sanders; Eliza C Sanders
Household members
Name
Age
Aaron Sanders
50
Nancy Sanders
48
Mary A Sanders
26
Martha Sanders
22
Laura J Sanders
15
Nancy E Sanders
12
Wm J Sanders
10
Eliza C Sanders
2
Alexander Sides
22
1850 finds Aaron at 50, living in Albemarle District 9. He's blacksmithing and has an assistant, young Alexander Sides, who is also a blacksmith. Neighbors are Roland Mann, Isaac Calloway and Solomon Hathcock. Nancy Sanders, maiden name unknown, is 48. A list of younger Sanders follows, Mary A. 26, Martha 22, Laura J. 15, Nacy E. 12, William Johnson, 10, and Eliza C. a much younger age 2. I don't know if it would make more sense that Eliza was a grandchild than a daughter, taking in the consideration the age of Nancy. There is one child missing, oldest son , Stephen J. Sanders. Stephen is living nearby, and at 20, has already married to Dicy Morton, 22.
Name
Aaron Saunders
Age
61
Birth Year
abt 1799
Gender
Male
Race
White
Home in 1860
Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office
Albemarle
Dwelling Number
459
Family Number
463
Occupation
Black Smith
Real Estate Value
100
Personal Estate Value
155
Inferred Spouse
Nancy Saunders
Household members
Name
Age
Aaron Saunders
61
Nancy Saunders
58
Polly A Saunders
37
Patsey Saunders
33
Laura Saunders
28
Betsey Saunders
22
Johnson Saunders
20
Eliza C Saunders
18
Catherine Heathtock
13
Nancy A Saunders
6
Franky Saunders
5
Martha Saunders
1
Ten years later, in 1860, the family has expanded. They are living in Albemarle and Aaron, at 61, is still a Blacksmith. Nany is 58, and the daughters are shown by nicknames. Mary is now Polly A; Martha is now Patsy. Laura is still Laura and Nancy E. is now Betsy, meaning the "E" probably stood for Elizabeth. William J., now 20, is Johnson, and Eliza C., instead of being 8 years younger than her brother, is shown as only two years younger, at 18. They've taken in a girl named Catherine Heathcock (Hathcock), 13. There were close connections between the Sanders and Hathcock's. Neelin Hathcock, mentioned earlier, was married to a Brazilla Sanders, who may have been of some relation to Aaron. She is followed by three little girls, Nancy A. Sanders, Franky Sanders and Martha Sanders, ages 6 to 1. These were not additional children of Aaron and Nancy; they had to have been grandchildren. There were other grandchildren, by their one married child, son Stephen.
Stephen also lived near Albemarle, and followed in his fathers footsteps by taking up the trade of blacksmithing.
Stephen and his wife, Dicy Morton Sanders were the parents of three children; Mary Miranda Sanders (1849-1911), Sarah "Sallie" Sanders, (1852-1925) and William Ezekial Sanders, (1852-1922).
A different look at the Aaron Sanders family in the 1860 census shows that he was a town dweller, and also reveals a humous opine of his 20 year old son, Johnson. While Aaron, at 61, is a blacksmith, the occupation of his son, William Johnson Sanders is given as "nothing". I can envision a disgruntled father of a lazy post-adolescent son telling that to a census taker. The Sanders family was followed by A.C. Freeman, farmer. Farmer, yes, but also the son of Daniel Freeman, merchant, and also a merchant himself and heavily involved in real estate and business partnerships. He was followed by Thomas B. Haskle, a Tailor, from England. Yes, indeed, in her early days, Albemarle had a British Tailor. Brothers WJ Ross and John O. Ross, Merchants, WJ Montgomery, Lawyer, Augustus W. Walker, Methodist Episcopal Minister, J. M. McCorkle, Lawyer all followed. As you can tell, a town, as merchants, businesspeople and especially lawyers, liked to situate themselves near the Courthouse.
Then came War, and Aaron and Nancy Sanders lost both of their sons to it, one to the rampant diseases that passed through the ranks, and most infectiously, through the war-made prisons. The other to the ravages of battle.
Stephen, the oldest, was highly respected and was enlisted as a Sergeant in Rowan County. He later was reduced to private and spent most of the War as a POW, dying of diseases in Elmira, New York.
The younger son, William Johnson Saunders, 22, enlisted in Cabarrus County in April of 1861.
By then, he gave his occupation as a Blacksmith. He died in Battle on June 27, 1862, that same year, at Gaines' Mill, Virginia. As far as we know, he was unmarried.
The Sanders family was left with reassembling themselves.
The 1870 census finds Aaron and Nancy Sanders in their 70's. Aaron is still trying to support the family as a Blacksmith at 70, he's lost both sons and there is a whopping 13 mouths to feed in his house, maybe more, actually. He has his five unmarried daughters, Mary "Polly", 40, Martha "Patsy" 36, Nancy Elizabeth, 33, Laura, 35 and Eliza, 28. After them are 6 others, probably grandchildren, Martha 11, Nancy 21 (unknown why the older would be second in the list?), then four who had been born within the last decade, Mary 7, Tiny 5, Robert, 2 and Josephine 2 months. None of these were Stephen's children. The family was no longer living in Albemarle, but now in Ridenhour District, or bordering Cabarrus County, somewhere between the Richfield/ Misenheimer area and Millingport. I don't think they stayed there long.
Stephen's oldest daughter, Mary Miranda Sanders married James R. Hatley, son of William Simeon Hatley and Elizabet Morton Hatley and they were living in Big Lick, next to his parents. Her mother, Dicy and two children were living with them.
Stephen and Dicy's youngest child and only son, William Ezekial (W. E. or E. W., initials were often reversed),.was boarding with a Kirk family, which places him around present-day Badin. Sarah's locations unknown, but she was alive and would marry John M. Whitley, son of George and Keziah "Kizzie" Whitley, on April 15, 1880, at age 27 to his 35.
Their mother, Dicy Morton Sanders, would find love again at 50, and marry on Valentines Day, 1878, to 56 year old Moses Bowers.
So, where did all these loose children come from in the 1860 and 1870 Census records?
1860 1870
Nancy A 6 Nancy 21
Franky 5 Not listed ,but alive, probably skipped.
Martha 1 Martha 11
Mary 7 Tiny 5
Robert 2
Josephine 2 months old.
Among the various Court records of Stanly County during the years the Sanders lived here, there were no traces of the older two daughters of Aaron Sanders, Polly and Patsy, having children, but the younger three were all mothers, Laura, Nancy Elizabeth aka "Betsy" and Eliza, who turned out to be older in 1850 than actually shown.
In August 1860 term of Court for Stanly County is found the case of Nancy Elizabeth Saunders, all three names used vs Joseph Morton, in a case of bastardy, or, a child born outside of marriage. He was to pay her $25 for the ensuing year, $15, the second year and $10 for the ensuing two years after that. On motion it was ordered that he pay Nancy E. Saunders for the year ensuing and $15 a years for the succeeding years.
The timing of the birth of this child would suggest that this was Martha, born around 1859, as the child mentioned had already been born.
Joseph Morton was the brother of Dicy Morton who married Stephen J. Sanders. To eclipse the disrespect to Nancy Elizabeth, he had married a Martha E. Mask from Montgomery County on February 18, 1860. I have seen this event recur in case after case, where a young man would pursue a girl and when her innocence was lost, turn and marry another, after probably promising marriage to the one he 'ruined'. He lived to be an old man of 85, had a large family, and lived his last years on the Efird Mill Hill in Albemarle.
1869
In September of 1869, Nancy Ann Sanders, was brought to court on a charge of Bastardy and named Benjamin Mauldin as the father of her child. Nancy Ann was not Nancy Elizabeth. Nancy Ann was the oldest of the assorted grandchildren who lived in the Sanders home. She was shown in 1860 as 6 and 1870 as 21. Whichever was closest, she was old enough to become a mother in 1869. The youth of the mother was not of consequence in the 19th century
These two warrants were recorded on school registers, suggesting a shortage of paper during these years. The child the event pertained to must have been one of the younger two, probably two-month-old Josephine, making her Aaron's Great Grandchild.
Benjamin Mauldin was a name passed down for a few generations, fathers to sons and uncles to nephews. In 1870, the nearest census, there were two. The elder had been born in 1793 and was living in Tyson township in the southern part of the county. The younger was 35 and living in Albemarle Township. He was the most likely culprit. A married man, Benjamin R. Mauldin had a wife, Ann Rummage, and a family. He was my 4th Great Granduncle and not without controversy. A few years prior at the culmination of the War, he has been called as a witness to the murder of Hector Oxendine, a Lumbee man, (called 'colored'). There is no indication that either Joseph Morton or Ben Mauldin has anything to do with their Sanders children after paying their fines.
Eliza Sanders case was a little different. She was ordered to court and when appearing, refused to name the father of her child or children and was ordered to pay a $5.00 fine.
Oftentimes when married men, or men of good standing, were caught with their pants down, figuratively, they would offer a quiet payment for the woman to bear the burden and not name names.
Eliza
On January 8th, 1870, A J Shankle received the $5.00 payment from Eliza Sanders and delivered it to J.S Stone, Clerk of Court.
That same year both Eliza Sanders and Mary E. Coley were reimbursed for attending the trial of State vs Green Hathcock as witnesses for the State. Again, there were multiple Green Hathcock's, but looking at the time period, around 1870, you had two, one in Big Lick, aged 12, and one in Albemarle, aged 45, so I believe it was clear which one this case was concerning. It also makes a lot of sense when other factors are taken into account.
This is another Hathcock connection to the Sanders family. Green Lee Hathcock (1825-1892) was another son of James H. and Mary Esther Honeycutt Hathcock, and a younger brother of Neelin Hathcock, mentioned multiple times already. Green was a shingle maker and farmer. He married twice, but the first time was to Susannah Sanders ,(1825-1885). They named the second of their 4 sons Aaron.Neeland Hathcock, (1813-1882) was married to Brazilla Sanders (Abt 1825-bef 1860). One of Neeland and Brazilla's daughters, Mary A., married a William T. Cole before 1870. She may have been the Mary A Coley in the record.
Does anyone else see a pattern?
Aaron and Nancy were certainly old enough to be the parents of someone born in 1828 as Polly was born about 1824.
Name
Aaron Sanders
Residence Date
1840
Home in 1840 (City, County, State)
West Pee Dee River, Montgomery, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 14
1 Stephen J.
Free White Persons - Males - 40 thru 49
1 Aaron
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5
1 Nancy Elizabeth
Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9
1 Laura
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 14
2 Susannah and Patsy
Free White Persons - Females - 15 thru 19
1 Brazilla
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29
1 Polly
Free White Persons - Females - 30 thru 39
1 Nancy
Persons Employed in Agriculture
1
Persons Employed in Manufacture and Trade
1
No. White Persons over 20 Who Cannot Read and Write
1
Free White Persons - Under 20
6
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49
3
Total Free White Persons
9
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves
9
Looking back at the family in 1840, there was one son, which would have been Stephen. William Johnson Sanders wasn't born yet. Nancy was probably pregnant with him. Eliza wasn't born yet. There appears to have been 6 daughters, before counting Eliza: Polly, Patsy, Laura, Nancy Elizabeth and two more. Were Neelin and Green Lee Hathcock the sons-in-laws of Aaron Sanders? It fits.
Continuing on, back in May Sessions of Stanly County Court, Laura Sanders had been charged with bastardy. Like Eliza, she refused to name the father and was fined $5.00. This could have only applied to the oldest grandchild, Nancy Ann Sanders. Laura was also the mother of Franky Saunders. So, in the list of grandchildren that lived in the home of Aaron Sanders, it appears the following incomplete list.
Child Year Mother
Nancy Ann 1851 Laura
Frances Louise 1855 Laura
Martha 1859 Nancy Elizabeth and Joseph Morton
Mary 1863 Eliza (will see later)
Tiny 1865 Unknown
Robert 1867 Unknown
Josephine 1869 Nancy Ann and Benjamin Mauldin
Henrietta 1870/71 Eliza and Green Hathcock (possibly) -not yet born as of 1870.
Sometime soon after the 1870 census, the Sanders family left Stanly County. Only Dicy Morton Sanders and her children remained. It appears they first stopped in Warren County, where Henrietta was born to Eliza Sanders. They would end up in Raleigh, Wake County. There appears to have been multiple deaths in this decade, including the parents, Aaron and Nancy. As to their daughters Martha "Patsy" Sanders and Laura Sanders, it is unknown, but it does appear that Laura, at least, made it to Wake County.
These are the survivors of the move we find in Raleigh in 1880
The home is headed by oldest sister, Mary A "Polly" Sanders 56. With her lives sister Nancy E. Sanders, 43 and Eliza Sanders, 37, and nieces Mary E. 15 and H. R., aged 10. The sisters are dressmakers and niece Mary is a seamstress. Ten-year-old Henrietta is at school. I am not certain where the other two sisters are, except that they were no longer in Stanly County under their maiden names. They may have married, moved away, or passed away. It is also unknown what happened to the other grandchildren, except one.
In Raleigh, Wake County, NC on August 24, 1875, Francis L. "Frankie" Sanders of Wake County married Albert Lee of Catawba County. The bride was 20 years old, the daughter of father unknown and Mother Laura, deceased. The groom was 27 and son of Jesse and Nancy Lee, father deceased, mother living. The wedding took place at the Institution of the Deaf and Dumb. Frances was deaf.
Name
Francis L. Lee
Age
25
Birth Date
Abt 1855
Birthplace
North Carolina
Home in 1880
Mount Airy, Surry, North Carolina, USA
Street
Rockford Street
Dwelling Number
533
Race
White
Gender
Female
Relation to Head of House
Wife
Marital Status
Married
Spouse's Name
M. Albert Lee
Father's Birthplace
North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace
North Carolina
Occupation
Housekeeper
Deaf and Dumb
Y
Neighbors
View others on page
Household members
Name
Age
M. Albert Lee
30
Francis L. Lee
25
James B. Lee
3
Mary E. Lee
1
Frankie and Albert would raise their family in Surry County, NC. He supported them as a simple farm laborer and the children pitched in as they grew older. Francis was the mother of 5, with four living until adulthood: James B, Charlie C., Mary Ella and Minnie Ray. She lived to be 48 and died Mary 17, 1903 and was buried in Toast, no pun intended, literally Toast, Surry County, NC.
Mary "Polly" Sanders, the head of the sister clan, began getting temporary benefits from the County due to age and debility. She died March 15, 1891, at the age of 67.
Nancy Elizabeth Sanders died on Mary 17, 1894. She was 58 years old and is buried at the City Cemetery in Raleigh, NC.
The final fate of Eliza C. Sanders is yet unknown. She was the mother of the two young girls in the household in 1880. She may have lived with one of her daughters after marriage.
On June 27, 1881, Mary E. Sanders, claiming to be 18, but actually still 15, daughter of father unknown and Eliza Sanders, living, married Alfred F. Gorman, 23, son of Henry Gorman, deceased and Rachel Gorman, living. The wedding took place at the residence of the bride's mother. Witnesses were Henrietta Sanders, her little sister, written large and proud, as she was only eleven, Eliza Sanders and Lizzie Sanders, mother and aunt of the bride, I believe.
Name
Mrs. Mary Gorman
Gender
Female
Residence Year
1886
Street Address
402 s McDowell
Residence Place
Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Occupation
Seamstress
Publication Title
Raleigh, North Carolina, City Directory, 1886
In 1886, Mary, now married, was still working as a Seamstress and living at 402 S. McDowell St. in Raleigh.
In the same record, we find Eliza, Seamstress, living at the same address, as well as Elizabeth, a nurse, and Polly Ann, no occupation given. It seems the surviving daughters made a life for themselves running a dress shop and sewing business in the City of Raleigh after the death of their parents. Elizabeth was even able to transition to nursing.
402 South McDowell is still in existence and is now a Smoke and Vape Shop ran by the Ibrahim Brothers.
Mary E Sanders and Albert F. Gorman had three children together; Effie in 1881, Sarah O. 'Sadie' in 1885 and Alpha Mae in 1890. Alfred Gorman passed away and Mary Sanders Gorman then married Joseph Walton Williams on April 10, 1898.
In 1900, the family is living on South Cabarrus Street in Raleigh. Joseph is a painter and Mary is still a seamstress. The older two of her three daughters were working in a Cotton factory as teenagers. Mary and Joseph both died in 1914, within months of each other of TB.
Daughter Effie's future is unknown.
Sadie married Henry H Hardie and had three children, dying at 29 in 1915.
Alpha Mae Gorman married three times having a daughter with the last husband, A Daniels. She died in 1943 at 53.
Eliza C Sanders youngest daughter, Henrietta, married on July 19, 1885, at the age of 15. Eliza seemed hell- bent on marrying her daughters off early, most likely to prevent them from befalling her own fate on single motherhood.
She married Albert Sidney Renn, 23, of Wake County, but originally of Vance County. He would take his bride with him back to Vance. Albert was the son of Harmon and Nancy Strum Renn or Wrenn.
They settled on Montgomery Street in the town of Henderson, where Albert worked as a Tinner. Above, the family is shown in 1900, with their 5 children. The children of Albert and Henrietta were:
Priest Elmore Wrenn (1886-1967)
Maria Louise "Mimi" Wrenn Wilson (1889-1945)
Maude Lee Wrenn Grissom (1890-1987)
George Hughes Wrenn (1891-1951)
Margaret Elizabeth Wrenn Evans Croom (1900-1951)
They seem to lead a very normal, happy life in Henderson and by 1920, Albert is the Chief of Police.
Henrietta died in Richmond, Virginia on March 25, 1923, of Uterine Fibroids, or Cancer, at the age of 53. There is no case of any of the children or grandchildren of Aaron and Nancy Sanders living to a respectable old age.
The descendants of Aaron Saunders were scattered like dandelion seed in the wind. The fate of many of his daughter's illicit offspring is yet unknown. Some, like Tiny and Robert must have died as children. Others, like Nancy Ann and her daughter, Josephine, and Martha, who made it to eleven, I still believe are unsettled. Something tells me they lived past 1870, probably marrying and under a different name. Only the children of his son, Stephen J. Sanders remained in Stanly and surrounding counties. There are still Sanders or Saunders descended from Willaim Ezekial living here today.
There was Sodom, Gommorah and Big Lick. about his life, affairs and how he may have contributed to the immoral reputation of the little town of Big Lick in Western Stanly County.
Also, in The Heirs of George Cagle, I attempted to track down who the legal heirs, children and grandchildren, of George Cagle were.
A Rose by Any Other Name, traced the life, and variations of name, of one of his unmarried daughters, whose name was different in every record or account of her.
Finally, The Secrets of Adeline told the story of George's oldest daughter, Menece Adeline, who started me on the entire Cagle journey to start with. It will not end here either, oh no, George's legacy was quit widespread.
This is the story and recount of his passionate ending, his killer, and how karma existed in the end.
As a quick rehash, George Washington Cagle was a larger-than-life character. He was grandiose, lusty, opportunistic and a maverick. Born in 1813, the was the oldest son of Charles Robert Cagle, Sr and Maranda Springer Cagle, both the Cagle and Springers being steadfast and populous families in the Big Lick and Rocky River area. He was considered wealthy for the area and the times, possession hundreds of acres and invested in several businesses, including a sawmill, a grist mill and a tanning yard. He was not a slave holder and made his money the honest way, with hard work and investments. He owned homes on the farm and in the town. He also carried lots of debt, still, after all were paid, there was still some to divide among his large family from two wives, and his legacy spread even larger as he claimed at least two mistresses. It was because of one of these mistresses, and his attempts to protect her from an abusive husband, who came along in the years after their active relationship, that ended his life.
There are three main characters in this story, George W. Cagle, who I mentioned above, the ex-lover; Daniel Alexander Crisco, the abusive, jealous husband, and Mariah Myers Meggs, the wife/former mistress.
We'll begin in 1870.
In the above 1870 census record, we see the household of George Cagle, 58, his wife Nancy Hinson Speight Cagle, a second wife, Fannie, 13, a daughter by his first wife, Eli, 11, a son by another mistress, Maniza Huneycutt, who by the way was living in household number 118, the listing just above George, Mariah Myers, 26, the woman in this story who was at the center of the dispute, her fatherless daughter, Lisy, aged 7, and William Huneycutt, who was the son on George's deceased daughter, Elizabeth.
Two facts must be clarified before I step further into this lurid event. One, Mariah's name. Some have her as Marian, and in this document, it appears it could be, but having looked ahead into other versions of it, and also having made contact with a direct descendant some years ago, her name was Mariah. Her daughter's name, which looks somewhat like "Lucy" here, was Melissa, born about 1866. "Lisy" or "Lisy Ann" for short. George Cagle was not the father of this child. I will go into that more when I post of the story of Mariah herself. Mariah's father was Wilson Shepherd Myers, known by Shepherd. Her mother was Sarah Elizabeth Thomas. They were not married. Her mother would marry a man by the name of James Ransom Meggs, and Mariah, also known as 'Kizzy' as her middle name was Keziah, would later take on her stepfather's surname. She grew up in the northern part of Union County, south of the Rocky River and just across the river from George Cagle's place in Big Lick Township, Stanly County.
Enter Daniel Alexander Crisco, a paradigm of the depravity and immoral society that plagued the 19th century area of Big Lick. It began when a group of German immigrants landed in Randolph County, North Carolina. William Lewis Crisco was a first generation American, whose German name had been Anglicized and whose father, George William, had been born in Germany and died in North Carolina. William Lewis Crisco was born in Randolph County about 1788. He married Nancy Throgmorton, from a Virginian family of British stock, who had migrated to Montgomery County, North Carolina. Nancy was agonizingly young upon her marriage and would bear 14 children, the oldest, Mary, at age 15 and the youngest, David, at age 41. Among these was their 11th child, Rebecca Elizabeth Crisco, born about 1830.
Willilam Crisco is shown living on the West Side of the Pee Dee River in Montgomery County in the 1830 census, so Rebecca Elizabeth was likely born in Big Lick, where the family would settle.
Name
William Criscoe
Gender
Male
Race
White
Residence Age
62
Birth Date
abt 1788
Birthplace
North Carolina
Residence Date
1850
Home in 1850
Smiths, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Occupation
Farmer
Industry
Agriculture
Real Estate
187
Cannot Read, Write
Yes
Line Number
40
Dwelling Number
689
Family Number
694
Inferred Spouse
Nancy Criscoe
Inferred Child
Sarah Criscoe
Household members
Name
Age
William Criscoe
62
Nancy Criscoe
52
Sarah Criscoe
25
John Criscoe
21
Elizabeth Criscoe
20
Alfred Criscoe
16
Lucinda Criscoe
14
David Criscoe
11
In 1850, the family is shown in Smith's District, which would become Big Lick Township, with six of the youngest children. Rebecca Elizabeth was twenty years old.
Around the same time, another family had moved from Davidson County to the Rocky River in what would become Stanly County, the Scotch-Irish Kennedys. John C Kennedy (1794-1870) and wife, Mercy Winifred Daniel Kennedy (1974-1860) led a family of skilled-craftsmen, and innovative daughters that would settle near the Crisco family. The Kennedy's were a lusty, braggadocios family and there are many tales to tell concerning this family.
Name
John Kennedy
Gender
Male
Race
White
Residence Age
55
Birth Date
abt 1795
Birthplace
North Carolina
Residence Date
1850
Home in 1850
Smiths, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Occupation
Carriage Maker
Industry
Railroad and Miscellaneous Transportation Equipment
In 1850, Carriagemaker, John Kennedy is listed just a few houses up from the Crisco's, and Crisco son, Shelby, is living with them, working as a laborer. Missing from the household is Kennedy son, William G.
Name
Wm G Kennedy
Gender
Male
Race
White
Residence Age
25
Birth Date
abt 1825
Birthplace
North Carolina
Residence Date
1850
Home in 1850
Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Occupation
Carriage Maker
Industry
Railroad and Miscellaneous Transportation Equipment
Line Number
8
Dwelling Number
845
Family Number
850
Household members
Name
Age
Daniel Freeman
55
Martha Freeman
55
Martha Freeman
16
Lewis M Gilliam
25
John O Ross
25
Wm G Kennedy
25
William G. Kennedy, also a Carriage Maker and Blacksmith in the emulation of his father and brothers, was living in the small upstart village of Albemarle, the new counties, county seat. He was boarding with merchant and businessman, Daniel Freeman. William wasn't always in Albemarle. At some point he made the interdicted acquaintance of Rebecca Elizabeth Crisco. Around the fall of 1855, with cognizant admonition of antebellum mores, William G. Kennedy and Rebecca Elizabeth Crisco would commit the reprehensible act of conceiving the child that would become Daniel Alexander Crisco.
Always mindful that he was the boys father, William then did what Big Lick men in these situations seemed to do. When the object of his affections became pregnant without the benefit of marriage, they would turn around and marry a virgin, worthy of legality of relations, which is what William did by marrying his second wife, Eleanor Elizabeth Hooks, on December 10, 1856. His first wife was Hannah M. Hill of Rowan County, who he married on March 3, 1846 in Salisbury, and who passed away November 9th of that same year. The Kennedy's would have eight children, first settling in Albemarle, then relocating to Norwood, where William G. would be appointed Postmaster, before lastly, heading south to Fulton County, Georgia, where he would pass away in 1904.
In the meantime, his bastard son, Daniel Crisco would remain in Big Lick with his mother.
Name
Elizabeth Crisco
Age in 1870
38
Birth Date
abt 1832
Birthplace
North Carolina
Dwelling Number
211
Home in 1870
Big Lick, Stanly, North Carolina
Race
White
Gender
Female
Post Office
Albemarle
Occupation
Keeping House
Household members
Name
Age
Elizabeth Crisco
38
Lucinda Crisco
33
Daniel Crisco
15
Miranda Crisco
2
In 1870, Rebecca Elizabeth Crisco heads a household at age 38, her sister, Lucinda is living with her. As their father died in 1858, and their mother, Nancy, in 1867, just six years earlier, they may have been living in the old homestead, part of their mother's dower in Big Lick. Daniel Alexander Crisco is 15 years old here, and he was not an only child. Elizabeth would have a daughter, seen here as "Miranda", but whose name was or became, Amanda Francis Crisco (1867-1939). While Daniel would name William Kennedy on his two marriage licenses, as his father, there was no documentation as to the father of Amanda. Her marriage certificate to J. A. Taylor gives her mother as Elizabeth Crisco, and permission for her to marry underage was given by Daniel A. Crisco, named as her brother. In the blank space for father was written "unknown" and the same goes for her death certificate. Some attribute her existence to W. G. Kennedy, but that's unlikely, and not documented. There are no court records or bastardy bonds naming Elizabeth Crisco in them either, around the time Amanda was born, so her father remains a mystery.
So in 1870, in the Big Lick community, Mariah Myers-Meggs is a 26 year old woman with a young daughter, living in the home of George Cagle. Daniel Alexander Crisco is a 15 year old boy, living in the same community, with his mother, his aunt and his baby sister.
Just a few years later, on November 24, 1872, Daniel Alexander Crisco, now about 17 years old, married Mariah or Marion Keziah Megga, aged 28. The preceding article from the April 4, 1876 edition of The Concord Register, out of neighboring Cabarrus County, gives a little backstory to the sordid events to follow.
Daniel Crisco apparently rented a home from George Crisco and was a tenant farmer, helping the old man run his farm. At this point in 1876, Daniel was 22 years, Mariah was 32 and George Crisco was an aging man of 63. Prior to the confrontation, Daniel and his wife, who had been married about 4 years by this time, and had no children together, had gotten in a fight. Mariah was noted as having been a mistress of George Cagle before her marriage. It was common knowledge in the community. She was not well-respected. Neither was Daniel, as he had been born out-of-wedlock. During the fight, Daniel, who may have been an individual who held alot of anger inside, from his position as a pariah, ostracized only because of the status of his birth, beat his wife 'unmercifully' and made her leave the family home. Mariah was an abused woman.
The bruised and battered woman must have lingered around the Crisco farm during the night, taking refuge in a barn or other outbuilding. The next day, Daniel Crisco showed up for work as usual and he and George were in the field, a short distance from each other, working, when Mariah showed up nearby, and lingered on the edge of the field. Daniel screamed at her profanely, and instructed her to leave them alone and go back to the house. George, still having a fondness or protectiveness of the woman, or perhaps just a sense of propriety and civility, spoke up and told Daniel Crisco that he shouldn't treat his wife in such a cruel and violent manner. The intervention angered Daniel even more. He threatened George, taking the Lord's name in vain and challenged him to "take it up".
George must have said no more, and Mariah must have departed from the field, as the two men managed to complete their days work. Daniel Crisco retreated to his own abode, and not finding his wife at home, as he had ordered her to do, armed himself with a 'shoe-knife', a cobbler's tool designed for cutting leather. He set out to find her, angry, and with violence in mind. Returning to the Cagle house, where George lived with his wife, Nancy and unmarried daughter, Fanny, and his son Eli Cagle Huneycutt, and grandson, William Huneycutt, both about 16 or 17. There, he found Mariah, taking refuge among the Cagle's.
Daniel again ordered Mariah to return home. Fearing for her life, she refused. Angered, Daniel began berating her and beating her again, kicking her and hitting her, as she refused to obey him. George Cagle intervened and told Daniel to leave his house. He picked up a chair in defense at some point, and Daniel pulled out the shoe-knife, but retreated from the house, yelling and cursing as he went. George followed him step by step, ensuring he left.
In the yard, George reportedly picked up the hoop of a wagon cover, the part use to hold the cover on a covered wagon, and advanced toward Daniel with it. Daniel, in his own words, kept retreating and warned George to not come any closer to him. George did not listen, intent on chasing the young man from his property, armed with a sense of gallantry, continued to advance. Daniel picked up a rock and threw it at the old man, who in turn, swung the wooden wagon hoop at Daniel. With that provocation, Daniel charged at his employer, stabbing him with the shoe knife in the neck and chest. George backed up, grabbing his neck, and stating, "He has killed me". He took 23 steps and fell over dead. With that, Daniel Crisco took off and hid.
The newspapers reported the next stages of the event.
In Rockingham, Richmond County, it was reported that a $50 reward for the apprehension of the murderer, D. A. Crisco, not just for information that would lead to his arrest, but in 1876, barely a decade past the end of the Civil War, one was expected to catch him themselves and bring him to town and deliver to the Sherriff to get the award. Originally reported in the North Carolina Argus, out of Wadesboro, Anson County, a brief description of Daniel Crisco is given. He stood 5 feet, nine inches tall, pale in complexion with blue eyes. The event was said to have taken place on the 28th 'inst.', meaning March, as it was first reported on March 30th.
Crisco apparently stayed in jail in Stanly County throughout the summer months. He had eventually turned himself in, after getting in his mind a defense and an accounting of the events, that he was certain would sway jurors in his direction. He also had his trial switched to another county, where friends or relatives of George Cagle would less likely be called to serve on the jury. In October of 1876, the Stanly County newspapers reported that he had been taken to Monroe, in Union County, by Sheriff Eben Hearne to face trial.
The Pee Dee Herald
Wadesboro, North Carolina • Page 3
Daniel Crisco, it seems, eventually turned himself in to the Sherriff. In April, it had been reported that the trial would start in April, but it had actually been delayed until October. The reason for the murder, given by the Pee Dee Herald, was that George Cagle had 'interfered' with Daniel Crisco's wife. Interfered by trying to protect her from Crisco's cruel abuse.
Stanly County was involved in two murder trials at the same time, in seems. Although both trials were held in adjoining counties in order for the defendants to get an unbiased jury, both had occurred in Stanly. In 1865, Allen Carter had killed Bushrod Lilly, his neighbor, in a disagreement, and fled to Arkansas. In 1876, he was being returned to North Carolina for trial. Unusual that two murders, having happened 11 years apart, were being tried at the same tiem.
The Trial
The youth and good looks of Daniel Crisco seemed to sway the jury. The above report by the Concord papers gave an account of his attitude and his planned defense. He was described as a young man, only 22 years old with a "pleasant face". For some reason, Sheriff Hearne had taken him to Concord before heading to Monroe, which was out of the way for starting from the jail in Albemarle, not in a straight line. The paper gave a bit of Daniel's backstory, stating he married at 17 to 'Mary Meigs', which wasn't' her actual name, but close, and that his job was to work and care for the stock of George Cagle.
The date was now April 17, 1877, over a year since the horrific event had occurred. Daniel, and his attorneys, had been given a year to percolate their precise version of the circumstances, in which George Cagle was no longer alive to give his. They had decided to play upon the brusque and sottish reputation of George Cagle and bring up his habitude of lewd and adulterous behavior.
The loquacious and ebullient Daniel had much time to turn the ear of many a reporter, eager for a story to headline and catch the attention of readers. Newspapermen from counties all around had found an audience with him. His story was now that he had his wife quarreled. Gone was the fact that he had beaten her almost to death. He stated that she had left home and went to the Cagle house, not that she had been thrown out and went there for refuge. The article was without doubt influenced by Crisco's input, as it stated so politely, that he had "found her there and tried to persuade her to go home", without reporting that his form of persuasion involved brutality and threats. They extrapolated on the fact that he did attempt to force her to return when his gentle 'persuasion' had not worked, negating the abuse the woman had suffered at his hands.
This version of the events implied that that Cagle was still in a romantic relationship with Mariah, or 'too intimate', which may have been true, but was embellished with probable falsehoods, as in stating that the old man had interfered by trying to shoot young Daniel, a very pertinent fact that had been overlooked in the report of events immediately afterwards a year prior. This leads me to believe this fact was completely convoluted in order to make Daniel Crisco's case more palatable and sympathetic toward the killer. Another event that was told quite differently in 1877 than it had in 1876, was that Daniel claim he left the house pursued by not only George Cagle, but three other men in his employ. This would have been a big factor that had been completely omitted from the 1876 account, leading me to believe this too was fabricated by Daniel Crisco. He claimed that he had been attacked and beaten with sticks and stones, when in fact, it was he who had thrown a rock at George Cagle, and George had picked up a wooden hoop in self-defense, that is when young Daniel charged at George with the shoe knife that took his life.
Daniel Crisco portrayed himself as the victim in the confrontation, that he was beaten with sticks and stones and in self-defense, stabbed the much older, and slower, man. George's reputation of being a womanizer and an alcoholic, despite his wealth and many business connections in the community and having taken in the ill-begotten Crisco and giving him employment as a teen.
Sympathies were also with Daniel due to the illicit relationship known to be had between George Cagle and Mariah. In this continuance of the story, George Cagle became the bad guy in his own murder, instead of the valiant protector of a defenseless and abused woman, that it appears he attempted to be.
From the CONCORD SUN, Tuesday, April 10, 1877:
"THE FOLLOWING IS THE COURT DOCKET OF DANIEL A. CRISCO, CHARGED WITH MURDER 1876"
STANLY COURT
Monday morning brought a large crowd in attendance upon the Spring Term, 1876, of Stanly Superior Court, about 12 o'clock, a.m., his Honor R.P. Buxton arrived, having been detained at the river, which was very full. Court was called at 2 o'clock, p.m., and his honor delivered one of his brief, but grand charges to the grand jury, after which the court proceeded to the call of the docket. There was no cases of importance tried--some bastardy, assault and battery, larceny, and a number of misdemeanor cases were disposed of.
On Tuesday the case of State vs. Allen Carter for the murder of B.W. Lilly was taken up, the prisoner was arraigned and pleaded not guilty, and after considerable arguing the case on affidavit for continuance and removal, the case was at last removed to Montgomery County for trial at Fall Term, 1876. The prisoner is ably defended by Sol. W.J. Montgomery and Hon. W.S. Robins.
On Wednesday the civil side of the docket was taken up and disposed of. There was but little business transacted on the civil docket, it being very small, most of the cases were continued.
On Wednesday evening a parcel of men came into town with a young man by the name of DANIEL CRISCO, who had been arrested on a charge of murdering George Cagle in the western portion of this county, The prisoner was committed to jail and on Thursday morning the grand jury returned a true bill for murder, and the prisoner was brought to the bar and arraigned, and he also pleaded not guilty. The case was then, by consent, returned to Union County for trial two weeks hence. The prisoner, DANIEL CRISCO, is also defended by Sol. J.W. Montgomery.
We noticed in attendance upon the court, the following
attorneys, viz:W.J. Montgomery, Esq. from Concord, George B. Everette, Esq. from Concord, W.M. Smith, Esq. from Concord, M.S. Robins, Esq. from Asheboro, Gen. A.J. Dargen from Wadesboro, James T. Lockhart from Wadesboro,
Hon. Neill McKay from Harnett County, Allen Jordon from Troy, Stokes Andrews from Troy, J.W, Mauney from Salisbury, Samuel J. Pemberton, Solicitor from Albemarle ,J.T. Redwine from Albemarle,
Julian A. Turner from Albemarle
The trial drew a Who's Who of central North Carolina Jurists and Solicitors. The minutes of the Stanly County Superior Court would lay out step by step of Daniel Crisco's legal journey.
Stanly County NC Minute Docket, Superior Court, 1860-1876 (CR 089.301.2)
(Transcribed by Betsy Pittman, 23 April 1996
State v. Daniel Crisco Indictment: Murder
Page 522 - The said Daniel Crisco is brought to the bar of the court in his own proper person by W. H. Hearne high Sheriff of Stanly County, in whose custody he is, the indictment is read over to him, and forthwith it being demanded of him how he will acquit himself of the premises specified and charged upon him, he says he is not guilty thereof and therefore for good and for evil he puts himself upon the country. And Mr. Solicitor Pemberton does the like. Therefore, let a jury come of good and lawful men by whom the truth of the matter may be better known.
Attorney Samuel J. Pemberton was arguably known as the best prosecutor of the times in Stanly and surrounding counties.
"By consent of Solicitor and of the prisoner at the bar, it is ordered by the Court that this cause be removed to Union County for trial and is assigned for Wednesday of first week of Union Superior Court at Spring Term 1876."
Eli F. Cagle,Wm. A. Huneycutt,James Huneycutt and Calvin Huneycutt acknowledge themselves indebted to the State of North Carolina in the sum of $100 each to be void on Condition that they appear at Union Superior Court Spring Term 1876 and give evidence in the case of State vs. Dan'l Crisco and not depart the same without leave.
The men who gave bond as witnesses in the case against Daniel Crisco were Eli Franklin Cagle, son of George Cagle by Maniza Honeycutt; William Alfred Honeycutt, son of Elizabeth Cagle Honeycutt, George Cagle's daughter, who died young, as did her husband, John, leaving William A. Honeycutt to be raised by his grandfather, George Cagle; James Alfred Huneycutt, another son of Maniza Honeycutt, known to be George Cagles mistress, and mother of Eli F. Cagle. James is accepted as a son of George Cagle, but unlike Eli, there is no documentation of such; and lastly, Calvin Honeycutt, their cousin, a son of Frances Mary Honeycutt, Maniza's sister, and Joshua Christian Burris.
Page 523 -Eli F. Cagle, Wm. A. Huneycutt, James Huneycutt, Calvin Huneycutt and E. M. Brooks acknowledge themselves indebted to the State of North Carolina in the sum of $100 to be void on Condition that each of them appear at Union Superior Court Spring Term 1876 to give evidence in behalf of the Defendant, in case of the State vs. Daniel Crisco.
It is ordered by the court that the Sheriff of Stanly County deliver the prisoner to the Sheriff of Union County at Monroe on or before Tuesday of 1st week of Spring Term 1876 of Union Superior Court.
The parties and the interest in it were now moved south, to the town of Monroe, in Union County, NC. This was an advantage for Daniel Crisco, as he was able to use his youthful charm and persuasion on ears that did not know of the actual details in the case, and would hear Daniel and his attorney on their own merit, the jury not tainted by anyone who had been blessed by George Cagle's generosity, despite his love of liquor and women.
Union County, NC Minute Docket, Superior Court, 1866-1877
(Abstracted by Betsy Pittman, 23 April 1996)
Page 409 - #122 State vs. Daniel Crisco
Prisoner brought into Court and is committed to the custody of the Sheriff of Union County.
Page 433 (copied) - continued to Fall Term 1876; prisoner returned to Stanly County jail.
Pages 458-459 (copied) - Fall Term - Union County jail is insecure; therefore prisoner sent back to Stanly County.
Page 512 - 75 men summoned for jury
Pages 519-520 (copied) -Found NOT Guilty.
The Sun, out of Concord, reported the news and the jubilee of how a handsome young man, who went to the house of an old man protecting a woman they had both had a relationship with, and killed the man, had gotten by with the deed and was now a free man.
This reminds me of the Luigi Mangioni case of modern times, in a small way. Luigi was a young man, strong and healthy, who had women swooning over him, and some men, when holiday photos of the healthy and muscular youth were released to the press. Many who were of the opinion that insurance companies have hurt people purposely by denying lifesaving treatments, putting costs before health of the individual, and were angry at the entity, cheered the demise of the poor CEO who was just minding his own business on the way to work one day, and was shot mercilessly in the back. This was a savage act of premeditated murder, no matter what bone the perpetrator had to pick with the company or any of its representatives. This man was an employee of a company and had no personal assault against the person who murdered him. In Daniel Crisco's case, he used the reputation of George Cagle in his own favor, and his youth and good looks won him favoritism that led to him being found innocent and freed to fight again. "All were glad to hear of the young man's aquital", the paper proclaimed.
Life seemed to return to normal for Daniel Crisco after his release and acquittal. I assume he had to find a new job, or employer. He returned to court and divorced Mariah Meggs, which was a relief, I am sure, for the both of them.
Two years after the trial, he remarried, this time to Matilda Kimrey, or Kimmer. Matilda was a girl of good report, and close to Dan in age, just two years his junior. She had grown up in the Tyson Community of Stanly County, and unlike Daniel and Mariah, was from an intact home with married parents and a bounty of siblings. The daughter of Paul Nicholas Kimrey and Rebecca Minerva Mauldin Kimrey, Matilda gave birth to their first child before the wedding. Married on September 24, 1879, the couples first son, William Paul Crisco, had been born on March 14th of the same year.
The 1880 census of Big Lick Township, shows Mariah Meggs, 33 and divorced, living on what appears to have been what was left of the Cagle farm, probably in the tenant house she had shared with Daniel Crisco. Her 16 year old daughter, Melissa, is living with her. There was no mention of Melissa in the court case, and what the nature of her relationship with her stepfather, Daniel Crisco, may have been.
Next to Mariah is Adeline Cagle Hartsell, George Cagle's oldest child, and next to her, his only legitimate son, David S. Cagle. George's widow, Nancy, followed others of the family to Iredell County, NC.
While Daniel Crisco has settled in Tyson Township, where his recent bride is from. His occupation is given as Farmer, and other occupants of the household are his wife, Matilda, their infant son, William, his mother, Elizabeth and his little sister Amanda, 9.
Over the next few years, Daniel and Matilda added three more children that would grow to adulthood. That's a small family for the era. They were:
Shepherd Alexander Crisco (1883-1953)
Malinda N. Crisco Harness (1884-1917)
John Stanford Crisco (1891-1976)
Daniel's little sister, Amanda Frances Crisco, married at the age of 15, to Joseph Allen Taylor, aka 'Jesse', on February 1, 1883. Taylor was from Surry County, originally, and was 23 at the time of the wedding. Daniel Crisco 'Brother' of the bride, gave his permission for the marriage. I stress the relationship of brother, because some have him as her father, despite his only being 13 years her senior.
Things seemed otherwise quiet during the first thirty years after the trial for Crisco and his family.
1900
Daniel Crisco is now 51, and still farming in Tyson Township, with his wife, Matilda, and four children, aged 8 to 20. His Uncle, Shelby Crisco, in living with him now. It is revealed that Matilda had given birth to 6 children, with the four living.
His mother, Elizabeth, age 70, is still in Tyson Township, but living with a widowed lady, and working as her servant, or caretaker.
His sister, Amanda, is living in Big Lick and raising a very large family of Taylors. She has a very healthy pack of seven children, and had not lost a one.
Their mother, Rebecca Elizabeth Crisco, would last two more years, passing away at the age of 72, on October 1, 1902. She was buried at Rehoboth Church, near Aquadale.
Sometime after, Daniel Crisco would leave Tyson and move to Falls Road in what would become Badin. in 1910, he is found living with his wife, Matilda, and youngest son, John, now 18, as a farmer, renting, living next to his second son, Alex, who is a driller for a well machine company. Alex has been married 5 years to Rosie, and they have three sons themselves, Eddie, Louie and Freddy.
Oldest son, William P. Crisco had married Maebell Foreman, one of their Tyson neighbors in 1904, and remained in Tyson. Only daughter, Malinda N. Crisco, who went by Linda, married Arthur Kepping Hearne in 1909, and lived in Norwood, Center Township, before moving to Albemarle. His sister, Amanda, the Taylor family, remained in Big Lick.
In 1904, in the case of State vs Daniel Crisco, Daniel was sentenced to 18 months in prison for counterfeiting.
It is said a tiger doesn't change its stripes, and that was true in the case of Daniel Crisco. Having gotten by , literally, with murder, he seemed, on the outside, to have led a farily normal life afterwards, farming and raising a family. But everything inside of Daniel had not changed, emboldened by his escape from justice once, the grimy oil of violence seeped back up, on at least one noted occasion.
Daniel Crisco 's sordid life came to a violent end on February 8, 1914. Daniel Crisco was at the home of James Miller Sides, called 'Jim'.
Again, a woman was in it. Daniel Crisco has married Matilda Kimrey. Jim Sides was at the time married to Julia Ann Kimrey, the sister of Matilda Kimrey Crisco. There seems to have been disturbance between Julia Kimrey Sides and a daughter of Jim Sides.
The Players: Daniel Crisco was no longer young at this time. Only youngest son, John, may have still been at home, as he wouldn't marry for another four years. Matilda had died in 1912, at the age of 63. She had been buried at Saint Martin's Lutheran Church, despite the fact that they lived on the Badin Road. Natural causes are expected.
Julia Ann Kimrey was the youngest sister of Matilda and 17 years her junior. Their parents, Paul and Rebecca Minerva Mauldin Kimrey, or Kimmer, had passed away in 1870 and 1871, respectively, when Julia was but a small child of five and six.
Daniel Alexander Crisco had applied for the marriage license of his sister-in-law, Julia Kimmer (rey), aged 47, to James Sides, 47, both of Albemarle, all parents deceased, on October 16, 1913. They were married at the Congregational Church in Albemarle. James Sides was the son of George Sides and Ithama Cagle Sides. Cagle! Jim was a Cagle descendant, his mother, Ithama, who George W. Cagle, the man Daniel Crisco had previously killed, may have named his daughter of the same name after, or either they were both named for a common ancestor with this same, unusual name. James was a cousin of George W. Cagle, his mother, Ithama, the daughter of Benjamin F. Cagle, brother of George's father. This may have been personal.
We do not know the name of the daughter of James Sides who had gotten in the skirmish with his wife, but it was likely his youngest daughter, Arvy, born in 1897, who would have been about 17 years old at the time. James was the father of five daughters, total.
Ester Mozella (1882-1959) had married in 1879 to John Zebulon Little.
Zellie Victoria (1884-1957) had married in 1900 to Jesse Thomas Mills.
Ida Bellazorra (1886-1929) had married in 1901 to James Watson "Watt" Porter.
Annie Catherine (1887-1963) had married in 1905 to William Davidson "Will" Hinson.
Arvie, 1897-1952), the youngest, would marry in 1916 to Barney McKinley Morris, but in 1914, she was single and at home.
Daniel Crisco, with a small revolver, shot at the girl, but the bullet apparently missed its mark and hit Jim Sides, the father, instead. Jim must have been infuriated by the danger to his young daughter, and this old man (now 58) interfering in a disturbance among women. James had married as a young man to Cornelia Ann "Nealie" Efird, the mother of these girls, and had been widowed. After Nealie died in 1901, he had several brief marriages. He married Minnie Moore of Anson County in 1902, and she bore him the first son that would survive childhood, Cecil Leroy Sides, (1904-1944). Minnie would leave him again, a widower, in 1908.
On July 15, 1909, Jim would marry a third time to Mary Eliza Farrington Myers, of Yadkin County, a widow of John L. Myers, with three children. This union was brief, as she is seen only one year later, in the 1910 census, living without Jim, and going by Myers, with her three children, ages 12 to 17, on Poplar Street in Concord. All of them, even 12 year old Hattie, worked in the Cotton Mills. Eliza would divorce Jim, and as she was only 36 years old, remarry, to Ephraim Levi "Lee" Herrin, of Stanly County, on January 4, 1916, and this one would stick.
As for Jim Sides, he would marry Fannie A. Cannon Banks on April 27, 1912 in Cabarrus County. This one didn't work out either, and I don't have a clue what happened there, but on October 16, 1913, he was marrying Daniel Crisco's sister-in-law, Julia.
Daniel Crisco's pistol shot had missed Jim's daughter, and hit Jim in the side. He then grabbed a large, heavy stick and with full force, hit Daniel Aleander Crisco, killer of his cousin, George Cagle, and almost killer of his own child, over the head, crushing his scull. Jim Sides was a strong man. When the police arrived, they found Daniel Crisco in a pool of blood, near death. Jim Sides was in criticial condition and was not expected to live.
Jim Sides, did, however, live. Julia filed for divorce immediately and Jim's third divorce went through in 1915.
Daniel Crisco was buried beside Matilda at St. Martin's Lutheran Church. His estate was divided among his four children.
Jim Sides did not marry a sixth time. He first returned to Tyson Township and farmed until he could no longer work. He then ended up in Albemarle, in the County home for the aged by 1935., and appears there in 1940. His obitruary seems to suggest he went to live with one of his older daughters afterwards and died there at the age of 83 on November 18, 1941.
She married Albert Sidney Renn, 23, of Wake County, but originally of Vance County. He would take his bride with him back to Vance. Albert was the son of Harmon and Nancy Strum Renn or Wrenn. 
