A Closer Look at George Washington Booth: The Players Part 7

A Concise History of Itawamba County, Mississippi from the Itawamba County Historical Society.


By 1850 Fulton had developed to become the center of commerce in Itawamba County. Fulton boasted several businesses during 1850 including: Francis Jones Carriage Maker, Abel Warren Merchantile, B.J. Morris Saddlemaker, Zachariah Phillips Blacksmith Shop, Tannahill Merchantile, Garrett Christopher Grocery, Joseph & Andrew Brown Grocery, James C. Wright Tailor, John G. Kohlheim Merchantile, Joshua Barnard Brick Mason, James Basham Shoemaker, Mayburn Allen Carpentry, Josiah Harrison Merchantile, Thomas Rhea Merchant and Gaither Merchantile, James Duggar Shoemaker, and The Fulton Hearald Newspaper owned by John Massinger. The bustling village also included five attorneys: Arthur B. Bullard, Jeptha Robins, Robert O. Maupin, John W. Downs, and Benjamin Owen. The village was served by four physicians inlcuding John Fletcher Booth, Samuel Vernon, John Moore, and George W. Booth. Fulton boasted two private schools, the Fulton Female Academy run by Louisa Maupin (located at present-day corner of Beene and North Cummings St.) and the Fulton Male Academy (located on the present-day Fulton Cemetery lot). Fulton was served by two inns run by Reubin Wiygul (present-day corner of Wiygul and Clifton streets) and Albert James. The mayor of Fulton during 1850 was William Beachum who served the village's 200 citizens. 

The above excerpt from an Itawamba County Historical Society Journal menitons that Dr. George Washington Booth and his brother, Dr. John Fletcher Booth, had practiced medicine in the young village of Fulton in Itawamba County, Mississippi. 

In the 19 page Chancery Suit of Lawrence County, Alabama, Mariah Booth, wife and cousin of Dr. G. W. Booth accuses him of having 'ran off', to avoid being served a summons in the suit. Some of the pages are written in a blurred scrawl with certain words hard to read, however, enough words can be pulled out of it to gather what Mariah was accusing her husband of. 

"inter???? Ardent Spirits from time to time his cruelty towards your Orator Maria increased and ?????
 proportion increase his love for liquor til at ????? became sottish.......your Orator with savage cruelty laying violent hands.......and threatening to kill her often and your orator......(several lines smeared)..ought to have children......further upon......humiliation.....Orator Mary Ann with great unkindness.....further states that they have left the home of said defendant, George W Booth......believes that he will be as good as his word for he seems to be restrained  l???  P????ly of religion or morality....of that property which she  ??? of former husband and father provided per this???....times exhibit...original deed...to South Carolina for...."



After pulling some damaging words from this document, I wanted to see if I could find out more about Dr. George Washington Booth. It was clear where he had "ran off" to...Mississippi. I discovered the below information on his brother Dr. John Fletcher Booth, and the family of Harper Booth in a book with the arduous title "Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Mississippi Volume One: Embracing and Authentic and Comprehensive account of the Chief events in the History of the State and a record of the lives of many of the most Worthy and Illustrious Families and Indivduals".

The above pages from the book give a brief account of the Booth family. A fortunate piece of information was the fact that Dr. George Washington Booth was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and that he had a strong influence on his younger brother.  Dr. G. W. Booth was 17 years older than his baby brother Fletcher. He must have taken the young man under his wing. He also must have been a beloved brother, as Fletcher Booth named his oldest son "George Washington", undoubtedly for his uncle. 

So who was the real Dr. George Washington Booth? The besotted, abusive, drunken husband of Mariah? The educated, influential, and beloved brother of Dr. John Fletcher Booth? Or the country doctor, who made his way around in the vitual wilderness of mid-nineteenth century Mississippi, helping and aiding the folks of Lee, Itawamba, Tishamungo and Pontotoc  counties?

Dr. Booth was a man who got around and left some footprints in the dirt. I'm sure I will be able to discover more information on him as the records arrive. 

Sunday Black Sheep: The Abashing Story of Marion Hudson and his Aunt Polly

Stanly County Landscape courtesy of Joshua D. Lowder of Albemarle, Photographer

Marion Morrison Hudson was the only son of Burwell Hudson and his first wife Sarah Lee, of the Tyson Community in southern Stanly County, North Carolina. He was born in September, either in 1853, 1854 or 1855. Different documents have recorded different years. His tombstone gives the year of his birth as 1854. His death certificate gives the year of his birth as 1853.

Marion, likely named for South Carolina Revolutionary War Hero, Francis Marion, aka The Swamp Fox, was just a small boy when his mother Sarah died, and his father then remarried Sarah Arrena McSwain, who gave Marion two more sisters, Sarah Ann and Ella. He already had an older sister, Nancy Caroline, and a younger sister, Emma Francis, known as Fanny. Caroline was my Great, Great Grandmother.

Marion was only about 7 or so, when his father Burwell died, on December 7, 1862, in Richmond, Virginia, of pneumonia, during service in the Civil War.

On December 15, 1874, at the age of 19, Marion married Margaret Mary Rummage, daughter of Thomas Alexander Rummage and Nancy Ross in Albemarle, Stanly County, North Carolina.

Soon, the young couple had started a family. Hammit Jefferson Hudson arrived on September 6, 1877 ,followed quickly by sister Nancy Lee 'Nanny' Hudson, named for her grandmother Sarah Lee and aunt, Nancy Caroline on June 15, 1878, and another sister, Harriett or 'Hattie', about 1879.

Something must have soured in the marriage after the birth of Hattie, or maybe there was an illicit relationship all along, but soon, an event occured which branded old Uncle Marion a member of the Black Sheep Club.

The five documents above declare that on August 9, 1881, Mary Hudson, known as Polly, gave birth to a son, and that the father of that son was Marion Hudson.

Having a child with another woman, while still married to his wife, would probably be enough to qualify Marion for the Black Sheep Club, but the grime becomes thicker.

As stated earlier in this post, Marion M. Hudson was the son of Burwell Hudson. Burwell Hudson was the son of William Joshua Hudson, 1796 - 1896, known far and wide for his longevity and proclivity. Joshua Hudson left hundreds of descendants in counties all around, and states afar, by the time of his death. Burwell was one of the sons born to Ol' Joshua by his first and most fruitful marriage to Elizabeth "Betsy" Smith.

Joshua, Marion Hudson's grandfather, had a daughter Mary. aka 'Polly', in 1862. This was the  year that Marion's father, Burwell, died. Marion was several years older than his aunt, or half-aunt as the matter may be.

This Polly, his 'younger-in- age' Aunt, was the Polly Hudson spoken of in the above documents. In 1881, she would have been about 19 and Marion about 25 or 26,  who was also married, with 3 children.

Sometime after this event, Marion would pack up his family and move out of Stanly County.  By 1900, they would be found in Scotland County, North Carolina, by 1910 in Wolf Pit, Richmond County, known for its Cotton Mills, and by 1920 in the community of PeeDee in Chesterfield County, South Carolina. Marion would die on August 24, 1921 in Cheraw, Chesterfield County, South Carolina.

He and his wife Margaret would have 4 more sons after the birth of his 'baseborn child' with his young Aunt Polly.

James Calvin in 1884
Walter Cannon in 1886
John Henry in 1889
and as a final note

Alfred Douglas in 1893.


The son born to Polly Hudson and her nephew Marion was called John Franklin Hudson.

I have not yet located with whom he spent his childhood, but on March 12, 1899, 17 year old Franklin Hudson, son of  Marion and Polly Hudson, married Minty Whitaker, who was also an illegitimate child, daughter of William Whitaker and Lizzie Hendley, age 22. Having the shadow of shame on them may have brought the two unwanted chidren together. William Whitaker is a leaf off of my Murray family tree, having descent from Sophia Murray Whitaker and husband Nelson Samuel Whitaker.

Polly Hudson lived her years unwed and scorned, taking up residence with the James H Nichols family in Center, Stanly County, North Carolina, where she is listed as a cousin in one census and a sister-in-law in the other.



James Franklin Hudson and Araminta Laura Whitaker Hudson would have 6 children. They would first take up residence in the Tyson Community where their heritage lie, but would later relocate across the Pee Dee river in Montgomery County, where they would settle on Cheek's Creek to raise their family.

Minty would pass away at the age of 60 of heart failure and be buried in Mt. Gilead, North Carolina.

Frank would remarry, to a lady named Mary and survive to the ripe old age of  69, still farming, and would fall and fracture his hip. He was admitted to the hospital in Wadesboro, Anson County, and died on July 18, 1850 of a Cerebral Hemorrhage and Cardio-Vascular disease after 13 days of being in the hospital due to his fall, which had occurred at home according to the informant, his son Winston.

He was survived by his widow Mary and the children of himself and Minty.

In the Permanent Voters Record of Stanly County, Frank Hudson is listed as descendant of Burwell Hudson.

His family knew of his sordid beginnings and did not hide them. On his death certificate, son Winston listed his fathers father as Marion Hudson and his father's mother as Polly Hudson.

Rebecca Elliotts Will

Rebecca Booth Elliott is not mentioned in the 19 page document that is the divorce of Mariah Booth Winfield Moffatt Booth and Dr. George Washington Booth, but her will and the execution of it is very important in the deciphering of the characters who played a part in this drama.

In the Will of Thomas Booth of Mecklenburg County, Virginia, Thomas mentions his daughter, Rebecca Booth.

Wil l of Thomas Booth 

In the name of God Amen, I Thomas Booth of Mecklenburg County and State ofVirginia being sick and weak in body, but of perfect mind and memory do make and ordain this to be my last will and Testament in manner and form as following-  Imprimis? my desire is that all the perishable part of my estate shall besold by my Executors in discharge of my Just Debts (except whats hereafter divised) 

Item-I give and bequeath unto my loving Daughter, Mary M Winkfield the following Negroes she has now possission, to wit, Hannah, Daniel, Henry,Evelina, Jacob, Junney, also two beds and furniture and one Set of China &Silver Tea Spoons which she has now in her possession to her and her heirsforever. 

Item-I give and bequeath to my beloved daughter Rebecca Booth the following Negroes, to wit, one Negro woman by the name of Milly and Girl the name of Mariah, also one by the name of Clary, and one boy by the name of Joshua,also two boys by the name of Heartwell & Woodlief, also two beds and furniture, one set of China and half Dozen Silver Tea Spoons to her and her heirs forever. 

Item- I give and bequeath to my son, Harper Booth the land & plantation whereon he now lives, also three Negroes, to wit, Jack, Lissie and Tom, one Sorrell mare, four head of Cattle, one bed and furniture which he has now in possession to him and his heirs forever. 

Item-I give and bequeath to my son Thomas Booth three negroes to wit, Joe,Stephen and Betty, one bed and furniture, four head of Cattle, one dark baymare which property he has now is possession except Negro Betty to him and his heirs forever.

  Item  I give and bequeath to my daughter, Judith Booth, six Negroes to wit,Pattey, a woman, also Wilson and Nelson her Children, Edy , Gooding and Billy, two beds and furniture, one Set of China ware, 1/2 dozen Silver teaSpoons to her and her heirs forever. 

Item-  I give and bequeath to my son Reuben Booth three Negroes to wit, Sam,Allen and Nancy black one sorrell horse, also the lands and plantation wheron he now lives to take possession of the land at the death of my beloved wife, Saving and reserving one half of my dwelling House to my threedaughters, Rebecca, Judith and Salley Booth until they shall marry, also one bed and furniture, two Cows &Calves two Sows and pigs, pott & Oven, one set Caininau? Cups & Saucers, one set Knives & forks, one Set Caininau? TableSpoons to him and his heirs forever. 

Item-I give and bequeath to my daughter, Massey? Jones six Negroes to wit,Amy, Cressy, Bob, Jinsey, Emmanuel, Metilda, two beds and furniture, yoke of Steers, one Set China ware, half dozen Silver Tea Spoons which she has now in possession to her and her heirs forever. 

Item-  I give and bequeath unto my daughter Salley Booth six Negroes, towit, Celar, Jane, Ned, Edmund, Peterson, and Amy, two beds and furniture,one Set China ware, half dozen Silver tea Spoons to her and her hiers forever. 

Item-  I lend to my beloved wife the land & plantation whereon I now live during her natural life and all the rest of my estate both real and personal not before devised, and at her death, my desire is that my twogranddaughters, Betsy W Harper and Judith Gilliam Harper shall divideequally with my legatees of all the Negroes and other perishable estateabove lent.  

I do Constitute and appoint my son Reuben Booth and Harper Booth and Charles Cordle my lawfull Executors to this my last will andTestament.  In Witness  whereof I have hereto for set my hand and affixed my seal this twelveth day of April one thousand eight hundred and three.   

Thomas Booth Senr  (LS)Signed, 

  sealed in the presence of Martha Jones Malone Isaac WilliamsThomas C Singleton 

At a court held for Mecklenburg County the 12th day of September 1803 This will was proved by the Oaths of Isaac Williams and Thomas C Singleton,Witnesses thereto and ordered to be recorded and On the motion of Reuben Booth one of the executors therein named who made oath there and together with Joshua Winckfield, Thomas C Singleton and William Darnwright his securities entered into and acknowledged their hand in the penalty of fifty thousand dollars Conditioned as the law directs.  Certificate was granted him for obtaining a probate thereof in due form-liberty being reserved for the other executors therein named to join in the probate when they shall think fit.                            TesteWilliam Baskerville CC  Submitted by Gayle Austin   

Rebecca Booth married William Elliott in Mecklenburg County, Virginia in 1809. Shortly afterwards, the Booth siblings would migrate south, many of them to Alabama.

Rebecca Boothe
Gender:	Female
Spouse Name:	William Elliott
Spouse Gender:	Male
Marriage Date:	20 Dec 1809
County:	Mecklenburg
State:	Virginia

The Elliotts were in Franklin County, Alabama by the mid - 1820's and in Lawrence County, Alabama for the 1830 census. William and Rebecca apparently did not have any children together, as none are mentioned in her will. William may have had some by a prior marriage. There is a James Elliott showing up in records about the same time as William. They may have been brothers.

By 1840, William has passed away and so has Rebecca. I am still waiting on the original will as it was drawn while she was alive. However, the probated copy will work just fine for now.



Beautiful old Planters House like the ones the Booths favored.

The State of Alabama
Lawrence County

County Court in Vacations debate
Term 1837  Present the Honorable James Gallagher  Judge of said Court

This day being the 22 day of February in the year of our Lord  one thousand eight hundred and thirty seven..... an instrument of writing purporting to be the last will and testament of Rebecca Elliott late of said County deceased and It appearing  to the satisfaction of the Court that legal notice has been given to Harper Jones   Judith Jones    and Sarah Noel who are near of kin to said Rebecca Elliott deceased of the application  for the probate of said instrument....( The Name Harper Jones appears to be an error. According to excerpts from the original will, the name mentioned was that of her brother, Harper Booth. Judith Jones was her sister Judith Booth Jones and Sarah Noel was her sister, Sarah Booth Norvel Noel.)

....here to the court shown to be her last will and testament in his presence and at her request and in her presence he this deponent further deposeth that he is well acquainted with the handwriting of  Turner Sanders and Lyle B Fawcett the other subscribing witnesses to said instrument......deponent further desposeth and saith that said Rebecca Elliott at the time of the execution and  attestation of said Instrument of writing was of sound mind and desposing memory..... And thereupon came Francis H. Jones the person named in the said Last Will and Testament of Rebecca Elliott deceased as executor thereof and he having entered into bond with Francis Jones and Rebecca A C Simmons as his securities.....In the name of God Amen, I , Rebecca Elliott of the County of Lawrence and State of Alabama do make this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following to wit:
Item 1st: It is my will that my Exec. pay all my just debts. 
Item 2nd: I give and bequeath unto my nephew William Elliott Jones the sum of five hundred dollars to him and his heirs forever. 
Item 3: In consideration of my affection for him and in further consideration of his services as Exec. to  my estate and as trustee for his sister Rebecca, I give unto my nephew Francis Harwood  Jones the sum of five hundred dollars to him and his heirs forever. 
Item 4: All the rest and residue of my estate of every kind including my land my personal estate and whatever I may be entitled to receive from  Hills estate of Virginia I put into the hands of Francis Harwood Jones (above named) as Trustee for the use and benefit of my niece Rebecca Ann Charlotte Simmons during her natural life and then I give it to be equally divided among all her children, to them & their heirs forever. And I do hereby invest the above , s, d, Trustee Francis H Jones with power to manage the above said Legacy in any way that his own discretion may suggest for the use and benefit of my aforesaid niece Rebecca that is to say he may loan her the land and negroes and suffer them to remain (the word remain is repeated here, I have omitted the second remain) in her possession as long as he may thing the property safe and judiciously managed) and no longer. And in the event of his resuming it, to rent out the land and hire out the  negroes, to humane persons, at private hire, taking bond and good security. the proceeds of which are the be applied to the use and support of my sd niece Rebecca, in whatever way my said Trustee .......and the money which may arise from the perishable part of my estate and whatever cash may be obtained from Hills estate in Virginia in virtue of my title to be loaned out at Interest into safe hands with good and sufficient security......

Item 5: In case Rebecca's children should all die before they become of age or marry in that case I give to my nephew Thomas B Jones & William E Jones five hundred dollars each to be taken ofet (sic) of said Legacy- The residue thereof I bive to be equally divided among the children of Martha Kernachan, Manerva Harris & Maria Susan Booth to them and their heirs forever. Lastly, I constitute and appoint my aforesaid nephew Francis H Jones the Exec.  to this my last will and testament hereby revoking all others. In testimony where of I have hereunto set my hand & seal this 16th February 1832 signed sealed and presence of

 Tm Sanders
John J McMahon
Lyle B Fawcett


Rebecca Elliott (seal)

The Players Continued: William H Moffett

Old Wagon in Fayetteville, North Carolina

I have been fortunate in my Family Search to find the most delectable bits of information concerning certain individuals in my family tree. The entire family that contributed to my DNA did not leave as deep of footprints as the Davis and Winfield lines and associated families did. Job Davis and his in-laws were movers and shakers. The more I search, the more I discover. Most of what I know of Dr. William H Moffatt, or Moffett, or Moffitt, or Maffett, as whomever at the time spelled it, I have discovered from the journals of his nephew, John Newland Maffett, a naval officer during the Civil War, of some renown, whom the good doctor adopted.  
The Doctor Maffett was so beloved and trusted, that Mariah Booth Winfield, when marrying his brother, Dr. James Maffett, wished William to be the trustee of her substantial estate, and to safeguard her interests, as she lost all rights when she married.
http://www.jobschildren.com/2013/03/imagining-mariah.html


John Newland Maffett revealed that his Uncle, Dr. William H. Maffett lived at Ellerslie. Dr. Maffett's daughter, Eliza, would marry Thomas L Hybart, from Canada. Roads named for the estates that were there show the approximate location of where the Maffet's and the Hybarts resided.

Ellerslie, Cumberland County, North Carolina , Photos of Ellerslie Courtesy of North Carolina State University

Interior Fireplace, Ellerslie

The Fayetteville Observer gave small glimpses into this small Fayetteville family.

October 14, 1824

Died on Tuesday last, at the summer residence of Dr. William Maffet near this town, Mrs. Janet Mumford

August 9, 1826

In this vicinity, on Monday last, John Adam Maffitt, infant of Dr. William H Maffitt.

Thursday 16 Aug 1827

At the residence of Dr. William H Maffitt, in the vicinity of this place, on Tuesday morning last, Jane Henrietta Goodwin, aged 14 months infant daughter of  Robert T. Goodwin. (Robert T Goodwin was a relative of John Goodwin whom Dr. James Maffitt and Mariah hired to build their home. The individuals dying at Dr. William H. Maffitt's home were likely patients). 

March 29, 1828

Died in this vicinity on Monday, Mrs. Margaret Maffitt, wife of Dr. William H. Maffitt.

December 11, 1839

Died in this vicinity yesterday morning, Dr. William H. Maffitt.

February 22, 1843

Married in this town, Thursday last, Thomas L. Hybart, Attorney-at-law, to Eliza Maffitt, only daughter of the late Dr. William H. Maffitt

January 5, 1847

In this vicinity, Friday last, Thomas L. Hybart, more than 20 Years a member of the Bar of this place, recently County Solicitor, former member of the legislature.

Wed., August 18, 1852 

Married: In Charleston on the 3rd August at St. Paul's Church by Dr. Hanckell, Lieut. John N. Maffit, of the US Navy to Mrs. Caroline Laurens Read. 

Mon. March 21, 1859

Died on March 3rd, Caroline Laurens, wife of Lieut. John N Maffit, of the US Navy, and daughter of the late Hon. John Laurens, of Charleston, SC. 

This family suffered a great deal of loss and short marriages due to death. 

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Carolyn Shank Carolynshank@msn.com December 7, 2007, 9:41 am

Wed. May  2 ,   1827 North Carolina Journal April 11, 1827
                       TRUST SALE
   By virtue, and in pursuance of a Deed of Trust, to us executed by DR. 
WILLIAM H. MAFFITT, dated 3rd March, 1827, and Registered in the Registrar's 
office of the County of Cumberland, we shall upon the 4th day of May next, at 
the Town House, in Fayetteville, proceed to sell the interest which the said 
WILLIAM H. MAFFITT had, and has for certain purposes conveyed in the following 
property, to wit:
   The life estate of the said WILLIAM MAFFITT, in that parcel or tract of 
land, known as the "Beaver Creek Mills" situate about five miles from Town, 
and containing 179 acres adjoining, for and during the above, with the 
privilege of cutting saw-mill timber on three other tracts. Also adjoining, 
for and during the natural life of the said WILLIAM H. MAFFITT -- also his 
life estate in a tract or parcel of land containing 187-1/2 acres being that 
tracy of land upon which he now lives -- also, the like interest in two other 
lots adjoining the last mentioned, the one containing 120-1/2, the other 54-
1/2, known by the name of WILLIAMS Tract. Also, his life estate on three 
tenements or stores on the North side of Hay-street, now in the occupancy of 
C. & P. MALLETT, JOSEPH AREY, C. P. & S. W. TILLINGHAST, subject, however, to 
an unexpired lease in the aforesaid tenants, for the term of one year from the 
1st day of Sept. 1826 -- also his interest, being an absolute estate, in a 
negro man named DUBLIN, about 30 years of age, one wagon and team, and all the 
stock and farming utensils on the sand hill plantation, which are too numerous 
to particularize. Terms made known on day of sale.
                          ROBERT T. GOODWIN
                          WM. F. STRANGE, Trustees
                          L. FITZHARRIS, Auctioneer
Fayetteville, April 11, 1827

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/cumberland/newspapers/trustsal391nw.txt

Old Bluff Presbyterian Church, Cumberland County, North Carolina

The Maffits were from Scotland and were Presbyterians. 

The following excerpts are from: 

Collection Number: 01761 

Collection Title: John Newland Maffitt Papers, 1833-1911, 1976

John Newland Maffitt (1819-1886) was a United States Navy officer, Confederate Navy officer, blockade runner, and author. Maffitt was born in Connecticut; grew up in Fayetteville, N.C.; and retired to Wilmington, N.C. The collection includes family, personal, business and official correspondence of John Newland Maffitt concerning his early career in the U.S. Navy; his Confederate service (for which there is also a journal) on both combat and blockade running vessels, particularly the C.S.S. Florida; service as captain of a British vessel after the war; retirement to Wilmington, N.C., and literary activities; and the controversy over the alleged negligence of Commander George Henry Preble, U.S.N., for allowing the C.S.S. Florida to enter Mobile Bay in 1862. Also included are papers of Maffitt's daughter, Florie, and his third wife, Emma Martin Maffitt, who published a book on her husband in 1906; scrapbooks; genealogical materials; photographs, including a snapshot of Amelia Earhart; and a manuscript novel and speeches by Maffitt.

John Newland Maffitt (1819-1886) was the son of Ann Carnic and the Reverend John Newland Maffitt, a Methodist minister. Young Maffitt lived in Connecticut until, at age five, he was adopted by his uncle, Dr. William Maffitt of Ellerslie near Fayetteville, N.C. In 1832, at the age of 13, Maffitt was commissioned a midshipman in the United States Navy. Following a cruise on the sloop-of-war St. Louis, he spent three years in the Mediterranean aboard the Constitution, a frigate, about which he later wrote a novel, Nautilus; or, Cruising under Canvas (1871). In 1838, Maffitt was promoted to passed midshipman, and, three years later, he became acting master of the frigate Macedonian.

Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar Statue

The Reverend John Newland Maffitt was another brother of James and William H. Dr. James Maffett is recorded as providing the escort for the Marquis Du Lafayette on his 1825 tour of the South from his namesake town of Fayetteville, North Carolina, to Cheraw, in South Carolina, where he attended a ball. . James would marry Mariah the next year in 1826. Perhaps it was at this ball that the young  Physician would meet the beguiling Mariah Booth Winfield, and begin a courtship that would lead to marriage and a daughter.





Link to Information on William Newland Moffett/Maffitt, father of the Maffett brothers


The following excerpt from "Naval Officers, Their heredity and development" by  Charles Benedict Davenport, mentions William H. Maffett and a few of his siblings, nieces and nephews. 

Maffitt was highly intelligent, as evinced by his employment on the coast 
survey. In blockade-running he was full of resources, devices, and deceptions to 
escape capture. He came of intellectual stock, especially on the paternal side. 
His father, Rev. John Newland Maffitt (born at Dublin in 1794; died at Mobile, 
Alabama, in 1850), was a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, of wealthy parents, 
and a "born preacher"; he traveled in Ireland as a missionary, and occupied the 
highest place in popular esteem. Coming to New England, he was an itinerant 
Methodist preacher there (1822-1830); he then went to Nashville, Tennessee, 
and issued there the first number of the Western Methodist, now the Christian 
Advocate. In 1841 he was elected chaplain to the lower house of Congress. 

His father's sister Emily had a mind that sparkled with wit and intelligence; 
she married into the nobility of England. """Her brother William was a physician, 
who also came to the United States. """"

Of Maffitt's sibs, Eliza was celebrated for her intellectuality as well as for her 
beauty; living in Texas, she was called the "Belle of the Brazos." Another sister, 
Matilda, married a Texas judge and is reputed to have written some of her hus- 
band's speeches. A third sister, Henrietta, married General Mirabeau Lamar, 
the second president of Texas. 
FAMILY HISTORY OF JOHN N. MAFFITT. 
Dr. William Maffitt, who came to Fayetteville, North Carolina. 

Mary Florence Maffitt Wright

Mary Florence, shown above was the daughter of Lieut. John N. Maffitt and niece of Dr. William H. Maffitt and Dr. James Maffitt, husband of Mariah.


The following is from "Dressed in Sunlight" Eleanor Wright Beane as told to Susan Taylor Brock.


Mary Florence Maffitt Wright, Eleanor Beane's grandmother, was born in 1842. She was the daughter of Confederate Naval Captain John Newland Maffitt. Florie, who ran the blockade with her father, in 1862, was “reckoned among the rare beauties of her day. I saw her for the last time in Wilmington, in March 1883,” wrote author Henry E. Shepherd. She died in September 1883, at the age of 41. (Wright-Beane Collection)

Lieut. John Newland Maffitt, Jr. 

Henrietta Maffit Lamar


The above is the Burgwin-Wright House and Henrietta Maffit Lamar.

The daughters and sisters of the Maffitt brothers were known for their charm and natural beauty.











John N Maffitt in later days.

There are so many interesting things to discover concerning this family, that I am sure my research and fascination will continue a long time. 

The Players Part Two: The Moffetts, James

Dr. James Moffett was the first husband of Mariah Booth Winfield.

A document that is on file in 3 different states, their marriage contract, gives Dr. William H. Moffett trusteeship of Mariah's considerable estate. She had received an inheritance from her father Joel Winfield in 1805, and another from her grandfather, Joshua Winfield in Virginia in 1818. Her father had named a son, Joel, in his will, but Joel was not named in the 1818 will of Joshua Winfield.

The following excepts all come from various issues of The Fayetteville Observer.

January 13 1831

In Marlborough District, the 25th ult (meaning Christmas Day...how tragic), Dr. James Moffit, aged 37 years. A native of Sligo, Ireland and for many years an eminent Practitioner of Physic. He left a wife and daughter. 

The wife was Mariah. The daughter Mary Ann Moffett.

The name Moffett can be found spelled a dozen different ways: Moffett, Moffitt, Maffet, Mafit, Mofat, etc.

The above excerpt gave us Dr. Moffett's place of birth, his date of death, his approximate year of birth, his profession and reputation and noted that he and Mariah had had a child.



Vol IX Wednesday, 12 April 1826

By the Rev. George W Hathaway, in Cheraw, Thursday afternoon Dr. James Moffett of Fayetteville, to Maria Winfield, of Marlborough District. 

A document from Lawrence County, Alabama, that I have not yet recieved a copy of, but is on order, names James as being from Cheraw, South Carolina and William H as being from Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Surname	Name	S	T	R	Notes	Book	Page
Moffett	Hamilton				Witness	OC Deed Book M	298
Moffett	James				Of Cheraw SC Marriage Contract	OC Deed Book H	039
Moffett	William H				Of Fayetteville NC	OC Deed Book H	039

Notice that the Deed and Page are the same for both James and William H. meaning this is the same document. Hamilton Moffett seems to be of no direct relation and arrived in the county at a different time and is not a child of either Dr. Moffett.


In my post Morsels, I mentioned having found that Dr. James Moffett of Fayetteville d a member of the Philanthropic Society of  the University of North Carolina circa 1819.
http://www.jobschildren.com/2013/04/morsels.html

Name:	James Moffit
Home in 1830 (City, County, State):	Marlboro, South Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 30 thru 39:	2
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5:	1
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29:	1
Slaves - Males - Under 10:	5
Slaves - Males - 10 thru 23:	4
Slaves - Males - 24 thru 35:	4
Slaves - Males - 55 thru 99:	1
Slaves - Females - Under 10:	5
Slaves - Females - 10 thru 23:	4
Slaves - Females - 24 thru 35:	4
Free White Persons - Under 20:	1
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:	3
Total Free White Persons:	4
Total Slaves:	27
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored):	31

In the 1830 census, James is shown with Mariah and Mary Ann being enumerated by only a dash, and with 27 slaves in the household. Most of these had came with Mariah.

Mariah and James hired a contractor to build a home for them at Level Green, Marlboro County, her father's plantation. Level Green was located about halfway between Bennettsville and Society Hill.

In 1820, in Fayetteville, James had one person listed as a slave living with him. He was a Physician, and not a farmer.

Both Dr. Moffetts were listed as Physcians in the early records of Cumberland County and in a book on the History of Fayetteville.

The Alabama document might link James Moffett with the Moffetts of Cheraw. He most definately had a close relationship with Dr. William H. Moffett.

My next missive will be concerning Dr. William H. Moffett. I believe them to have been brothers, due to their ages and lateral relationships, but have not yet found proof. Yet.