Friday, March 22, 2024

The Widows of Wharf


Phillip Lynch appears only in one United States census, the very first, 1790, but he appears in that one twice, in Montgomery and in Anson. 


That must have been the year he crossed the river, that muddy, stone-filled, trifling- more-than- a- creek, steam known as 'The Rocky River', that forms a border between Stanly and Anson Counties. As seen in my previous post, Phillip is found first in Montgomery County, in the part that would become Stanly, and later in Anson, in the area that would become known as Wharf, for a time.

He bought land that bordered Green Roper, my Winfield relatives, Griffin Nash, and a Joshua Davis who had married Hannah Hogan, daughter of William Hogan. Then as soon as Joshua Davis dropped from sight, my ancestor, Job Davis appears. That's a fact that has piqued my interest in Phillip Lynch. 

NamePhillip Lynch
Home in 1790 (City, County, State)Montgomery, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 16 and over1
Free White Persons - Females2
Number of Household Members3

In his Anson and in his Montgomery appearance, he appears as head of a family of three, himself, a male over 16, and two females. One would be his wife, Elizabeth, and the other, unknown, but possibly a firstborn daughter, as we can't be quite sure when some of his daughters were born.


In the 1800 census, no Lynch or Linch is to be found, but Phillip and his family should have been living in the following neighborhood.

There's William Marshall, James Marshall and Isaac Ambercrombe, who were all living near him in deeds. On up the page is my ancestor, Peter Winfield, before he passed away in 1802, and his estate divided between his heirs, who were Phillips neighbors. Next to Peter is Richard Howell, his son-in-law, whose household would have included my 4th Great Grandmother, Sarah Winfield Howell Davis. Richard would also die not long after this census, but after Peter, and before Phillip Lynch. I can't help but wonder if the Phillip Smith, just before Abercrombie, was actually Phillip Lynch. 

The family structure fits, two sons, one daughter missing, but not all of his daughters were born before 1800. The oldest female besides his wife, Elizabeth, may not have been a daughter at all, which is what I am thinking. I can't find this Phillip Smith in the next census, or in any deeds in this area.



The above map is the section that would fit like a puzzle piece to the section in the above map that says "Wharf". It would sit north of the previous map, between Davis Ford and Crump Ford. This one is from the early 20th century and called "The Furr Map".

We really can't know when Philip Lynch was born, nor from whence he came. If someone knows, I'd like that information. So I can't say if he was an older father with a younger wife, or a young father who became sick. I would guess the former, because Elizabeth "Betsy" Lynch would outluve him by over four decades, and Philip had accumulated lots of property and possessions, too much for most younger men. 


He wrote his Will on November 15, 1807, and passed away, not long after. My translation is below, leaving out most of the "legalese" and metanoia. 

I Phillip Lynch being weak of body do make this my last Will and Testament....

Item: I lend into my wife Betsy.... 100 acres of land including where my dwelling house stands......I also lend her one.. woman Hannah and her increase...one bed and furniture...
Item:... daughter Sally Lynch.. woman...Eady and her increase... also one Sorrell mare...100 acres called the Sanders place...plus 18 acres adjoining the same.
Item: ...son Green Lynch..the upper part of my plantation.. adjoining the part I lent my wife and William Marshall.. also 40 acres purchased of Green Roper... also a Gray mare.. and a man.. Daniel....
I give to my daughter Nancy Lynch 250 acres on Jacobs Creek in Montgomery County.... woman... named Easter.. furniture... one Mare now in the possession of A. Abercrombie.
I give to my son John Lynch one tract called Hyde's Folly..100 acres adjoining Job Davis.. one boy... Elisha...colt folded (foaled) last spring... bed and furniture...
I give to my daughter Catey Lynch..200 acres on the waters of Mountain Creek...girl...Lucy... also $100...bed and furniture..
I give to my daughter Betsy Lynch...100 acres in Montgomery County on Long Creek.. 50 barrels of corn...girl Jude... one Gray horse, one Sorrell, 100 acres in Montgomery County called Bryan's old field.

Also wish..Bob and Doll (people) sold my sheep is for the use of... wife...one cow one calf... rest of Cattle, sows and pigs (sic) ...sold.. and at the death of my wife I will Hannah and her children be equally divided between all my children ... cotton... tobacco...

Wife executrix...
Witnesses: Griffin Nash, Solomon Cahoon, Amon Yarborough.
Dated 15th day of November 1807
Signed Phillip Lynch

So, we know Phillip had a wife, Betsy, short for Elizabeth, two sons, Green and John, and four daughters, Sally (Sarah), Catey (Catherine), Nancy and Betsy II, (Elizabeth). Most, if not all, of the children were minors at this time. The three whose years of birth I am aware of at this juncture, were John W. Lynch, 1799, Betsy, 1804, and Nancy, about 1807, so these three of the six, at least, were very young when his Will was written. 

Elizabeth appears as a widow in 1810. She's between 26 and 44. Only five of her children are still at home, meaning one daughter has married, and I believe that one to be Sarah, which we'll see why later. Her oldest son was between 16 and 25, which would have to be Green, or in full, Edmond Green Lynch. The younger son between 10 and 15, John W. Lynch would have been 11. One daughter would have been between 10 and 15, Catey, and two under 10, Betsy and Nancy.


Just for a quick reference, there is a deed recorded in Anson County, supposedly from Montgomery County, NC, dated August 21, 1810 "Jane Norwood to Phillip Lynches Heirs", in Book O, Page 375.



This brief document referred to an older deed dated April 12, 1800, where Thomas Norwood of Montgomery County sold to Phillip Lynch of Anson County, for 100 pounds, a tract of land on Indian Camp Branch bordering John Gibson. Witnesses were Whitmell Ryle and Hugh Ross, Hugh Ross, a large land trader himself, shown as a neighbor of Phillip Lynch. A decade later, Jane Norwood is renounciing her right of dower to the heirs of Philllip Lynch. I don't know where Indian Camp Branch is, I'd like to know. It has a very interesting name.


In July of 1815, the actual division of the property of Phillip Lynch began, although it was clear he had passed away beofre 1810. The delay may have had something to do with the age of most of the children. By 1815, most of them had reached a solid age. John W Lynch, for example, was 16, his brother Green would have been twenty or more. Isaac Abercrombie, Edward Winfield, C. Coppedge, John Grady and Josiah Allen were appointed as Commissioners to divide the estate of Phillip Lynch. It didn't seem to go as his Will had required, most likely due to debts of the family. 

Lot 1 went to Nancy Lynch, consisting of 50 acres valued at  $129,  adjoining Job Davis (my 4th Great Grandfather) and Thomas Avett, (his brother-in-law, they married sisters). Phillip Lynch had left Nancy 250 acres on Jacobs Creek in his will.

Lot 2 went to Sally "Cawton", 50 acres valued at 139, adjoining the properties of Griffin Nash and Thomas Avett, again, sons-in-law of Peter Winfield and brothers-in-law of Job Davis. This property was up against the old Winfield property that had been divided out to the four children of Peter Winfield.

Lot 3 went to Green Lynch, 250 acres valued at $180 that bordered the lands of Griffin Nash and "Varhine", referring to Everett Verhine, whose name comes up in other documents.

Lot 4 went to Catey Lynch, 100 acres vales at $260, bordered Isaac Abercrombe and was called 'Sanders Old field".  Phillip had willed Sanders Old Field to his daughter Sally, and Catey was to get 250 acres on Mountain Creek that belonged to her father. The Will was not being followed at all. 

Lot 5 went to John Lynch, only 36 acres, but valued at $190 and bordered William Marshall and the Rocky River. The value of the property may have been because it was riverfront property. John had been willed a tract of land called 'Hyde's Folly', that bordered the property of Job Davis. 

Lot 6 went to daughter, Betsy Lynch, a 48 acres tract valued at $194 and bordered the properties of her mother, Elizabeth and brother, John. This land was in Anson County and Betsy had been deeded 100 acres on Long Creek in Montgomery (Stanly) County. I wondered what had become of Phillips properties in Montgomery County?

The document was signed by the Commissioners, men who were neighbors and members of the "Wharf" area community; Isaac Abercrombie, Edward Winfield, the only son of Peter Winfield, whos property Phillip Lynch bordered; C. Coppedge, John Grady and Josiah Allen. 


One noticable thing was that one daughter, Sally, was no longer a Lynch. Other deeds would make it clear that Sally, or Sarah, had married a man named William Cawthon, Cathon, Cawthorn or Cawthorne. William was the only member of his family in Anson County, so he wasn't a local. I wonder if he came just to marry Sally. The Cawthons and the Lynches seem to have came from Granville County, and Mecklenburg County, Virginia prior to that.

NameWilliam Cawthon
Enumeration Date7 Aug 1820
Home in 1820 (City, County, State)Coppedge, Anson, North Carolina, USA
Free White Persons - Males - Under 103
Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 151
Free White Persons - Males - 26 thru 441
Free White Persons - Females - Under 102
Free White Persons - Females - 26 thru 441
Slaves - Males - Under 141
Slaves - Males - 14 thru 251
Slaves - Females - Under 142
Slaves - Females - 26 thru 441
Number of Persons - Engaged in Agriculture3
Free White Persons - Under 166
Free White Persons - Over 252
Total Free White Persons8
Total Slaves5
Total All Persons - White, Slaves, Colored, Other13


Above is William and Sally and family in 1820 Anson County. It shows both parents being between 26 and 44. If Sally was 26, she would have been born in 1794. They have a boy between 10 and 15 in the home and three under 10, and well as 2 girls under 10. That's 6 children by 1820, and they also had 5 slaves in the household. 
1820 was the census where the citizens were listed in alphabetical order, by district, or township. The Cawthons lived in 'Coppedge".

NameEdmond G Lynch
Enumeration Date7 Aug 1820
Home in 1820 (City, County, State)Coppedge, Anson, North Carolina, USA
Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 251 Edmond Gree Lynch
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 151 Unmarried daughter
Free White Persons - Females - 45 and over1 Elizabeth
Slaves - Males - Under 141
Slaves - Females - Under 141
Slaves - Females - 14 thru 251
Slaves - Females - 26 thru 441
Number of Persons - Engaged in Agriculture5
Free White Persons - Under 161
Free White Persons - Over 251
Total Free White Persons3
Total Slaves4
Total All Persons - White, Slaves, Colored, Other7

Elizabeth Lynch is not listed as a Head of Household in 1820, but son Edmund Green Lynch is, and it appears that Elizabeth is living with him. The younest daughter is now between 10 and 15, or a birth year of 1805-1810. John W. Lynch doesn't appear to be in the home. He may have been living with Tod Robinson, which will be seen later. 

Several interesting deeds give a little input into the missing children and the movement of the heirs of Phillip Lynch. 

April 3, 1821 Jordan Howell, John W Howell of Fayetteville NC and Levy Stancill & wife Charlotte,of Montgomery County, NC sold property to Peter Howell of Anson County, 140 acres for $300 beginning at a Mulberry onthe Riverbank (Rocky), beginning at Griffin Nash'es line and joins Lynch and Nashes corner. It was witnessed by Stephen Nash and Darling Allen. Book U Page 1.

This was an important document in my own family and in that of the Lynches. Jordan Howell, John W. Howell, Charlotte Howell Stancill and Peter Howell, were the four older children of my 4th Great Grandmother, Sarah Winfield Howell Davis. Their father, Richard Howell had passed away. Peter, the oldest, took over his father's plantation. Jordan and John W. Howell, the middle two children, became merchants and moved to the trading town of Fayetteville, where their stepfather, Job Davis, owned property on Haymount and a brick townhouse on Hay Street. They were members of Hay Street Methodist Episcopal Church. Charlotte, the youngest, married Methodist Minister Levi Stancill and they would move to Georgia. But what does this have to do with the Lynch family, besides being neighbors. Stephen Nash and Darling Allen ! Both married Lynch daughters. 

Stephen Nash was the son of Griffin Nash. He would marry Nancy Lynch. They would have one son, James W. Nash, whom Griffin would name in his will, as Stephen would die a young man. 

Darling Allen Jr. would marry Catherine "Catey" or Katie Lynch. The above would be Darling Jr. because his father, Darling Allen Sr., was deceased by this time. They would have a number of children, whom I haven't nailed down completely yet, but the oldest son was named Edmund. Darling would outlive Catey and remarry to Eliza Harrison, and have more children, so which child belongs to which mother is still elusive. 



Also in 1821, a deed found in Book T, Page 311 Anson County, Elizabeth Lynch sells to Oliver Coppedge, for $275, a little 10 year old girl named "Chain" , guaranteed to be sound. This wasn't a random exchange. Oliver H. Coppedge was also a son-in-law. Witness was C. Coppedge, probably Charles.



Conestoga Wagon 1883 by Newbald Hough Trotter.

The mid to late 1820's was a time of upheavel and movement in piedmont North Carolina. Partially because of land opening up for settlement, and also due to allotments from service in the War of 1812. It was rare for a person or family to leave alone. For support, and for safety, they usually traveled in groups. When you see a family who migrated in a particular spot and then notice people with familiar names around them, it could be that they had all traveled together.

In Anson County Deeds, Book V, page 386, we see that in October of 1826, John W. Lynch, a young man of about 27, of the town of Washington, Alabama, sells to Thomas Waddill of Anson County, for $325, 36 acres on the West Side of the Rocky River that joined the Coppedge lands, his brother-in-law, Oliver, and sister Betsy. The deed states "being land allotted to me from land of Phillip Lynch deceased & known on division plat as lot #5." Signed by John W. Lynch and witnessed by Clement Marshall. Other deeds show John W. Lynch involved with Toddy Robinson, Tod Robinson served as a clerk in Anson County for quite awhile, but had his own land dealings and family interactions. It was his family that John W. Lynch migrated to Alabama with. 

On this same page, similar interactions were taking place, same book, V, same page, 386, William and Nancy Smith are selling to Dolly Lanier land belonging to the estate of Darling Allen, deceased. Witnessed by R N. Allen and Edward Winfield. This was the father and siblings of Darling Allen , Jr. who married Catherine "Catey" Lynch. These were all the Viriginians who had migrated from Southside Virginia and had built plantations along the Rocky River. The Allens were Baptists and the Winfields were Methodist Episcopal.

Newpaper Clipping of the Murder of Darling Allen, Raleigh, NC Dec 21, 1802



Darling Allen Sr. had been murdered in 1802 by Moses Allen , a slave of Darling Allen, who was afraid of being sold. Moses was hanged. Darling was about 40 at this time and his children were young. Little Darling Jr. was only 6. This is probably why the land transactions took so long to take place. 

The next page, Book V, page 388 involves a transaction between John Thompson, Sr. of Montgomery County. and Thomas Tomlinson of the same and mentions land on the southwest side of the Rocky River, in Anson, granted by the "King" in 1763 to Walter Gibson sold by deed two years later, 1765, to Shadrack Hogan, in 1771 to James Hogan and in 1777 to James Roper & William Colson and willed by James Roper to William Roper, who sold it to John Thompson. The land was 'immediately below Roper's Ford,  and witnesses by Clement Marshall and Thomas Waddill. It was this connection between the Ropers and the Hogans, and to Joshua Davis that piqued my interest in Phillip Lynch, as he became a neighbor and had land adjoining these, and also my Davis-Winfield family.

“A Cotton Plantation on the Mississippi,” Currier & Ives, 1884.

Photo credit: Yale University Art Gallery



I wonder where Roper's Ford was? Was it one of the Ford's nearly a century later that would be called Carpenter's Ford, or Crumps Ford? I know from a very old map, predating 1800, that what would be known as Davis Ford, was originally known as Winfields Ford, before Peter Winfields property that lie on that part of the river would be transferred to his daughter Sarah, who took Job Davis as her second husband. 


In August of 1828, on the 12th, we find this very informative deed in Book X Page 41:

"Oliver Coppedge and wife Elizabeth of Henderson County, Tennesee to Thomas Waddill (same dude who bought the property of John W. Lynch)". They sold the 45 acres for $250 that Elizabeth Lynch Jr. was allotted in 1815 of her father, Phillip Lynch's property. It lie on the Rocky River, beginning at a hickory, just above a spring branch and joined the properties of William Marshall, her mother Elizabeth Lynch, a hill, the river, and the lower edge mouth of a gut. It "being part of the land in Anson County North Carolina left to Elizabeth Lynch, now Elizabeth Coppedge, by her father Phillip Lynch in his will.'

It was witnessed by John Waddill and Wyatt Temple and signed by Oliver and Elizabeth Coppedge. It was also signed by John A. Wilson, clerk, of Henderson County, Tennesee. In a Pleas and Quarters Session in Henderson County, John C. Walker, chairman, verfied Mr. Wilson's credentials. 

Samuel Temple and William Cawthorn, Esquires ordered to obtain dower renouncement from Elizabeth Coppedge, William Cawthorn/Cawthon being her brother-in-law, having married oldest daughter, Sarah "Sally"Lynch. The dower was renounced on August 13, 1828 at the home of Oliver Coppedge before Samuel Temple and William Cawthorn in Nashville, Tennesee. December 8th of that year, Govenor Sam Houston certified John A. Wilson was a clerk of Henderson County. Signed by Sam Houston and Daniel Graham, Secretery of State and filed in Anson County, NC in July of 1829.

Sam Houston, circa 1850, Wikipedia



This was indeed THE Sam Houston. He was the sixth Governor of Tennesee and the 7th Govenor of Texas.His signature alone, makes this a very important document.


1830 

Elizabeth Lynch, widow of Phillip, is now Head of House again. Her oldest son Edmund Green Lynch, is seen in other deeds as getting himself into a bit of debt. She is living still in Anson County.

NameElizabeth Lynch
Home in 1830 (City, County, State)Anson, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 30 thru 392 Green & John ? or ?
Free White Persons - Females - 50 thru 591 Elizabeth 
Slaves - Males - 10 thru 231
Slaves - Females - Under 103
Slaves - Females - 24 thru 351
Slaves - Females - 36 thru 541
Free White Persons - 20 thru 492
Total Free White Persons3
Total Slaves6
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored)9

The 1830 census tells us that Elizabeth is between 50 and 59 years of age, giving her a year of birth of between 1771 and 1780. She has two males in their 30's living with her. One of them would be Green Lynch. John was supposedly in Alabama. Did he come back home for awhile? She was stilll a lady of substance and property. She had six slaves. Her neighbors were Joseph B. Ingram, Ann Allen, Wilson Burns, Elizabeth Billingsley and James Turner. 

John W. Lynch is not found in the 1830 census, so maybe he was in Anson at the time.

Sarah Lynch Cawthorn/ Cawthon was in Henderson County, Tennesee with her husband William.

NameWilliam Cawthon
Home in 1830 (City, County, State)Lexington, Henderson, Tennessee
Free White Persons - Males - Under 52
Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 92
Free White Persons - Males - 15 thru 191
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 291
Free White Persons - Males - 50 thru 591
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 142
Free White Persons - Females - 40 thru 491
Slaves - Males - Under 102
Slaves - Males - 10 thru 231
Slaves - Males - 24 thru 351
Slaves - Females - Under 101
Slaves - Females - 10 thru 232
Slaves - Females - 24 thru 351
Free White Persons - Under 207
Free White Persons - 20 thru 492
Total Free White Persons10
Total Slaves8
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored)18

The had what appeared to be 8 children and 8 slaves. William was in his 50's and Sarah in her 40's, probably on the lower end, as her mother was in her 50's. Guessing Sarah 40 and Elizabeth 58 or 59? There were two daughters between 10 and 14.




Catherine "Catey" Lynch Allen, and her husband, Darling Allen, Jr. were still in Anson County in 1850.


NameDarlius Allen
Home in 1830 (City, County, State)Anson, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 92 Edmund & John Allen
Free White Persons - Males - 30 thru 391 Darling
Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 91 Ann 
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 292 Catey
Slaves - Females - 10 thru 231
Free White Persons - Under 203
Free White Persons - 20 thru 493
Total Free White Persons6
Total Slaves1
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored)7

Catey was a younger child, still in her 20's. Her husband was in his 30's and they had one slave, a teenaged girl, likely , and three young children, a girl and two boys. There was a woman Catey's age living with her. I wonder if it was her sister, Nancy.


NameOliver Coppage
Home in 1830 (City, County, State)Henderson, Tennessee
Free White Persons - Males - Under 51
Free White Persons - Males - 30 thru 391
Free White Persons - Females - Under 51
Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 91
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 291
Free White Persons - Under 203
Free White Persons - 20 thru 492
Total Free White Persons5
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored)5



Betsey and her husband, Oliver Coppedge were also living in Henderson County, Tennessee. Oliver was in his 30's and Betsy in her 20's. They had two daughters under 9 and one son under 5, from the appearance of the census.

John W. Lynch and Nancy Lynch Nash do not appear in the 1830 census. As mentioned, they may have been living with relatives, and not heads of household. The last time Stephen Nash appears in land records is 1825, while Nancy appears as late as 1842. She may be the Nancy found as late as 1860, but that is another post.



John W. Lynch

John was the first child of Phillip and Elizabeth Lynch to pass away.

NameJohn W. Lynch
Birth Date8 Feb 1799
Death Date28 Feb 1833
CemeteryDoster Family Cemetery
Burial or Cremation PlacePrattville, Autauga County, Alabama, United States of America


He was buried in the Doster Family Cemetery in Prattville, Autauga County, Alabama, 20 days before turning 34.
NameJohn W Lynch
Record TypeAdmin
Probate Date3 Oct 1833
Probate PlaceAutauga, Alabama, USA
Inferred Death Year1833
Inferred Death PlaceAlabama, USA
Item Number1
CommentsNon-Packet
Item DescriptionBonds, Vol 1, 1830-1842


His estate was settled in October of the same year.

Tod Robinson, as the administrator of John W. Lynch's estate is eye-catching. John W. Lynch witnessed several deeds for Tod "Toddy" Robinson in Anson County as he distributed properties before leaving. I wonder what their relationship was, as John Lynch never married, so not a son-in-law. Perhaps he was an employee. Tod was a wealthy man. 

May 6, 1834, back in Anson County, Thomas Waddell, Jr. of Montgomery County sold to Clement Marshall of Anson for $400, two tracts of land. The first was 36 acres on the west side of the Rocky River joining the Coppedge property and the Rocky River "being land sold by John W Lynch and Oliver Coppedge and wife Elizabeth to Thomas Waddill Jr. "
The second tract was the one that started at a hickory on that spring branch, joined a hillside & lower edge of the mouth of a gut, "being land left by Phillip Lynch to his daughter Elizabeth, now Elizabeth Coppedge, who sold with Oliver Coppedge, her husband to Thomas Waddill Jr.". 
It was witnessed by Edmond Green Lynch, who had stayed behind with his mother, and R. M. Lanier. Proved with oath in July, 1843 by Edmond G Lynch. Book 11, Page 162.






The next year, in the Christmas season,  December 23, 1835, Elizabeth Lynch of Anson County, in a bill of sale, deeded two children, Jane, aged 8 and Edward, aged 4, to her son, Edmund Green Lynch, for $600. I think of my own 8 year old granddaugther and 4 year old grandson, and I can't imagine such a horrific thing. Still, it is there, in Book 10, Page 112. I have tried to find what became of these children with no success.

The deed was witnesses by James W. Nash, Elizbeth's grandson. He would have been about 17. It was then proven by the oath of James W. Nash in July of 1840 and ordered to be registered by N. Boggan.


1840

Elizabeth Lynch is still living in Anson County, and by the names of her neighbors, it appears she was in an entirley different area than before. There were alot of female headed homesteads around her, Elizabeth Lloyd, Sarah  Smith, Charlotte Hair, Peggy Teal, Mary Lockhart, Mary Pilcher, Nancy Williams. Were these the widows of Wharf?


NameElizabeth Lynch
Home in 1840 (City, County, State)Anson, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 291 James W. Nash
Free White Persons - Males - 40 thru 491 Edmund Green Lynch
Free White Persons - Females - 70 thru 791 Elizabeth Lynch
Slaves - Males - Under 102 Edward & ?
Slaves - Females - Under 101 Jane
Slaves - Females - 10 thru 231
Slaves - Females - 55 thru 991 Hannah 
No. White Persons over 20 Who Cannot Read and Write1
Free White Persons - 20 thru 492
Total Free White Persons3
Total Slaves5
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves8


She would have been the woman aged 70 to 79, giving her a date of birth between 1761 and 1770. In 1830, she had been given an age bracket of 50 to 59, or a date of birth between 1771 and 1780, So 1770 would be a good estimate of her general year of birth. In 1820, she had been "over 45", meaning born before 1785 and in 1810, between 26 and 44, or between 1766 and 1784, which both fit. 

The 40 year old man was probably son Edward Green Lynch, giving him a birthdate of between 1790 and 1800. In 1830, he was in his 30's, same decade, and in 1820, he was between 16 and 25, or 1795 to 1804, so that narrows his years of bitrht range to 1795 to 1800. He was just a few years older than John W. Lynch, born in 1799. The man in his 20's was probably James W. Nash, grandson, as he had witnessed the Christmas deed. 

All of the other children, and grandchildren, had already migrated away to Tennesee, Mississippi and Alabama. I will look at them separately. 


There were two more deeds pertinent to this story.  On October 4, 1842, Griffin Nash, husband of Jemima Winfield, father of Stephen Nash, father-in-law of Nancy Lynch Nash and Grandfather of James W. Nash, of Anson County, sold to John Spillman Kendall, the Whale of Wharf., for $105, 54 and a half acres of land beginning at Kendalls corner and joining Howell (this would have been Peter Howell, son of Griffin's sister-in-law, Sarah Winfield Howell Davis). The Lot "being laid off to Nancy Nash in division of the land of Phillip Lynch deceased".  It was witnessed by  Allen Carpenter and James T. Kendall and listed in Book 11 Page 84 of the Anson County deeds. 

James W. Nash of Madison County, Mississippi on May 23, 1842 to Griffin Nash of Anson County, NC, gave Power of Attorney to his grandfather to sell his property in Anson County, known as the land on which the late Stephen Nash, his father, lived on before he died. He gave Griffin permission to 'sell the land to anyone'. He sold it to J. S. Kendall. Book 11 Page 69.

Griffins other sons, Peter Winfield Nash and Wilson Griffin Nash were in Madison,Mississsippi. James would marry Mary Nash, daugther of Wilson in 1846. Also in 1846, Griffin Nash, a man of many years, would pass away.


Sometime during this time, Elizabeth Lynch would migrate to Henderson County, Tennesee, where some of her daughters had settled. It is unknown if Green went with her, but he probably did, I can't imagine a woman of her age traveling alone in those days. 


Elizabeth's estate would be settled in Henderson County, Tennesee in 1849, suggesting she died sometime in late 1848. She would have been about 78. There is no mention of Edmund Green Lynch. She appears to have outlived all of her children except one, but she had lots of grandchilren, and therein is another tale. 
























Monday, March 11, 2024

The Drifter

 




The generation who came along on the coattails of the Civil War, born into or after the ashes had fallen and mass changes had come about, into a society where people were learning to do things differently, have always been a very interesting generation to me. Many of them lived far into the 20th century and during the time span of their existence experienced mass changes. Imagine being born in 1866, the year after the War was over, into a community where things were pretty much devastated and a great number of the male population had been killed, maimed or had abandoned the area. Into a time of horse and buggy and very little educational opportunities, of water from wells and fields plowed by mules and oxen or sheer manpower. Then imagine watching the parade of changes in society from 1866 until your death in 1953, the invention of inside plumbing, telephones, car, planes and electrical appliances. What a ride! Robert Arthur Lee did just that.

Why did this one man catch my atttention as I was constructing a descention chart of his grandfather, my 4th Great Grandfather, Calvin Lee? Others lived more usual lives, many shorter, yes, but not just that. Robert Arthur called out to be found and acknowledged. Some stories of these times come to you like the tray being handed over the counter by a lunch lady in an elementary school cafeteria. But not Robert's, no not Roberts. He, like some others, demanded crawling over a forest floor with a spy glass, sifting through dust and debri with a basting brush, much like an archealogist, to find out small details of his life. The moves kept dodging detection, the surprises kept coming, the children kept piling up. Who was that mentioned as sibling in one son's obituary, then another, then what happened to that one, now, who is that?

Some lives were just more...interesting. That's how I found Robert.




Robert Arthur Lee was born on February 7, 1866, in the aftermath of the Civil War. His father, Robert Benjamin Lee, had served as a Private in Company K, 42nd North Carolina Infantry of the Confederate Army. It is what it is. Men who lived in the Southern States were expected to served in the Confederate Army. They were often imprisoned, beaten or killed, if they didn't. This act or status did not imply they were eager to serve or were fighting in defense of a putrid institution. Robert Benjamin did not seem particularly happy about it.He enlisted on May 15, 1862, originally, with Capt. James E. Howell, in Salisbury, at age 23. He was diagnosised with debilititis in 1863, at the Wilmington Hospital, his hometown was noted as Norwood.  He was sick quite often, in quarters. R. B. was discharged in March of the next year, reason unknown. He deserted on April 25, 1863. They sent him back.  He deserted on July 9, 1864. Again, he returned, either on his own or by force, it isn't stated. Finally, in 1865 he was free to return home and immediately, the life of Robert Arthur Lee was put into action.




Robert Arthur Lee's mother was Martha Jane Watkins. She was he daughter of Arnold G. Watkins and wife, Marina Wilkerson. Both families were very active in the Norwood and Rocky River area. He was the third child and second son in a family of 7 children, an average-sized brood for the place and time.



Norwood had originated as "Center", as it was sort of a Crossroads between Cottonville, a thriving community of cotton plantations, as the name implies, that grew a world reknowned quality strand of the product; and Allenton, a Revolutionary War area town, a port along the PeeDee River just above the forks with the Rocky River, and an old trade town, as product was brought to load on boats down the river, South Carolina bound. Camp Meetings were held there, and in time, brothers John and William Norwood would have the foresight and fortitude to build a store, or trading post, in the spot that would in time, give the town a name as families removed from the 'unhealthy' areas closer to the water, after breakouts of Thyphoid Fever and other plagues.


NameRobert Lee
Age in 18704
Birth Dateabt 1866
BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Dwelling Number24
Home in 1870Center, Stanly, North Carolina
RaceWhite
GenderMale
Post OfficeAlbemarle
OccupationAt Home
Inferred FatherRobert Lee
Inferred MotherMartha J Lee
Household members
NameAge
Robert Lee30
Martha J Lee31
Willis Lee8
Elizabeth Lee6
Robert Lee4

In 1870, the family is shown in Center, Robert B, 30, Martha 31 and their three children, Willis 8, Elizabeth 6 and Robert A., 4.


NameRobert A. Lee
Age14
Birth DateAbt 1866
BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Home in 1880Center, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number3
RaceWhite
GenderMale
Relation to Head of HouseSon
Marital StatusSingle
Father's NameRobert B. Lee
Father's BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Mother's NameJane Lee
Mother's BirthplaceNorth Carolina
OccupationWork On Farm
NeighborsView others on page
Household members
NameAge
Robert B. Lee40
Jane Lee41
Willie H. Lee19
Robert A. Lee14
Joseph D. Lee9
Miseta Lee6
Thomous F. Lee2



Robert grew up, as many did, a farm boy, and in 1880, is shown as a teenager, helping work his father's farm.


NameRobrt Lee
GenderMale
Marriage Date14 May 1885
Marriage PlaceStanly, North Carolina, USA
SpouseMary S Hathcock
Spouse GenderFemale
Event TypeMarriage


Not long after that, at the young age of 18, an ambitious and lusty teenaged Robert would marry a local girl, Mary Lou Hathcock.




Mary Lou gave her mother's name as Ann Hathcock, but listed no father. The wedding was officiated by Baptist Minister, Rev. E. P. Harrington, in Albemarle. Witnesses were G. F. Hathcock, brother of the bride, and Janey E. Harrington. So who was Mary Lou?

NameM A Hathcock
Age in 187033
Birth Dateabt 1837
BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Dwelling Number191
Home in 1870Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina
RaceWhite
GenderFemale
Post OfficeAlbemarle
OccupationFarmer
Cannot ReadYes
Cannot WriteYes
Personal Estate Value50
Real Estate Value135
Inferred ChildrenG W Hathcock; Mary Hathcock
Household members
NameAge
M A Hathcock33
G W Hathcock13
Mary Hathcock5


Mary Lou also first shows up in the 1870 census, and like Robert, she was a child born in the aftermath of the Civil War. Here, she is shown with her mother, Martha Ann Hill Hathcock and older brother, George W Franklin "Frank" Hathcock.




There was a third child, an older sister, Martha Jane, who at 10, is shown living with neighbor J. P. Tolbert for unknown reasons. You can see Ann Hill Hathcock and her other two children next door. 



NameM. A. Hathcock
Age42
Birth DateAbt 1838
BirthplaceSouth Carolina
Home in 1880Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
House Number3
Dwelling Number253
RaceWhite
GenderFemale
Relation to Head of HouseSelf (Head)
Marital StatusWidowed
Father's BirthplaceSouth Carolina
Mother's BirthplaceSouth Carolina
OccupationKeeping House
Cannot ReadYes
Cannot WriteYes
NeighborsView others on page
Household members
NameAge
M. A. Hathcock42
Martha J. Hathcock18
Mary Lou Hathcock15

Ten years later, George has started his own family and Martha Ann Hill Hathcock and her two daughters, Martha Jane and Mary Lou, are living in Albemarle. Thankfully for us, Mary Lou's siblings, George and Martha grew up, and lived long enough lives to give us some records, and clues, as to who their father was.


Frank, as he was called, married Mary Ann Rummage in 1878, had a sizeable family and lived in Albemarle working various odd jobs, digging wells, as a carpenter, wood sawyer and general laborer.


Not without his own drama, which is another story, Frank died in Darlington, South Carolina, while visiting a son there.



His death certificate named his father as George Oscar Hathcock. 


George Franklin 'Frank' Hathcock

George Oscar Hathcock was already in my family tree. Born about 1834, he was the son of Benjamin Franklin Hathcock and Nancy Burris Hathcock, my Fifth Great Grandparents and a brother to Obedience "Beedy" Hathock who married Gideon Greene Burris, my fourth Great Grandparents. George Hathcock and Martha Ann Hill married on July 1, 1855. Unfortunately, in 1855, the marriage licenses in Stanly County had not begun to include the names of parents yet. 


NameGeorge Heathtock
Age25
Birth Yearabt 1835
GenderMale
RaceWhite
Home in 1860Stanly, North Carolina
Post OfficeAlbemarle
Dwelling Number776
Family Number788
OccupationDay Laborer
Personal Estate Value40
Cannot Read, WriteY
Inferred SpouseMartha Heathtock
Household members
NameAge
George Heathtock25
Martha Heathtock25
George F Heathtock3
Eliza Hill6
Susan Hill5

George and Martha are found in the 1860 census, with their first child, George Franklin, aged 3, but he was not the only child in the household. There was Eliza Hill, 6 and Susan Hill, 5. Was Martha Ann Hill a widow who had two daughters already? Things began to get more complicated.






In the same 1860 census, Eliza and Susan Hill appear in another household. They are also in the Household of Betsy Hill, a 60 year old woman, who has Dollie 17, Eliza and Susan. They are living next to a Harriett Hill, 21, with two small children, Walter F., aged 3 and Mary E., 4 months old. Who were these Hills? I am a descendant of Julius Hill of the Rocky River, and these Hills I had no information on. Interestingly enough, they lived near Henry Marshall. Was Betsy Hill Martha's mother or mother-in-law? Where did they come from and where did they go? This was a mystery that set me on a journey, but that's a tale for another time. 

George Oscar Hathcock and Martha Ann Hill Hathcock would have their second child, Martha Jane Hathcock on April 1, 1861. She claimed to have been born in South Carolina. Martha Jane would grow up to marry John F. Coley, but not before having 3 daughters who were - Hathcocks.


NameMartha J Coley
Age38
Birth DateMar 1862
BirthplaceNorth Carolina, USA
Home in 1900Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina
Sheet Number12
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation193
Family Number198
RaceWhite
GenderFemale
Relation to Head of HouseWife
Marital StatusMarried
Spouse's NameJohn F Coley
Marriage Year1900
Years Married0
Father's BirthplaceNorth Carolina, USA
Mother's BirthplaceNorth Carolina, USA
Mother: number of living children3
Mother: How many children4
Can ReadN
Can WriteN
Can Speak EnglishY
Neighbors
Household Members (Name)AgeRelationship
John F Coley45Head
Martha J Coley38Wife
Lucy E Coley4Daughter
Christine Coley70Mother
Mary L Hathcock15Stepdaughter (Step Daughter)
Dora S Hathcock10Stepdaughter (Step Daughter)
Ada L Hathcock2Stepdaughter (Step Daughter)


Martha Jr. and her family actually lived for several decades in Chesterfield County, South Carolina and she died in 1935 in Lilesville in Anson County. After 1861, everyone knows of the event that occurred that left no life in North Carolina untouched - The Civil War. George Oscar Hathcock was among the men who were swept up in the War, and he, like many others, did not survive it. 



NameGeorge W Hathcock
Enlistment Age26
Birth Dateabt 1835
Enlistment Date7 Sep 1861
Enlistment PlaceStanly County, North Carolina
Enlistment RankPrivate
Muster Date7 Sep 1861
Muster PlaceNorth Carolina
Muster CompanyK
Muster Regiment28th Infantry
Muster Regiment TypeInfantry
Muster InformationEnlisted
Rank Change Date30 Mar 1862
Rank Change RankMusician
Rank Change InformationEstimated day
Imprisonment Date27 May 1862
Imprisonment PlaceHanover Court House, Virginia
Muster Out Date3 Sep 1863
Muster Out PlaceSalisbury, North Carolina
Muster Out Informationdied disease
Side of WarConfederacy
Survived War?No
Residence PlaceStanly County, North Carolina
Notes1862-05-31 Confined, (Fort Monroe, VA); 1862-06-15 Transferred, (Fort Columbus, NY); 1862-07-12 Paroled, (Fort Columbus, NY); 1862-07-12 Transferred, (Aiken's Landing, VA); 1862-08-05 Exchanged, (Aiken's Landing, VA); 1863-01-01 Returned
TitleNorth Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster


George Oscar Hathcock died of chronic diarhea on September 3, 1863. Interestingly enough, he was a muscian. 

Back in Stanly County, Martha Ann Hill Hathcock gave birth to another daughter, Mary Lula Hathcock, who would marry Robert Arthur Lee. Whether or not Mary Lou or Lula was the daughter of George Hathcock is hard to say. In some records, she appears to have been born as late as 1866, which would mean she was not. Other records suggest she may have been born in 1863, which would mean it was possible. 

The marriage of Robert Arthur Lee and Mary Lula Hathcock was a brief one. 


The 1900 census shows the couple boarding with an Efird family and Robert working as a house carpenter. He had applied the year before, 1899, for a marriage license for his sister in-law, Martha, to John F. Coley. Mary Lou was the mother of two children with two living, and indeed, the couple had two daughters, Ella and Hattie, but where were they?



Ella had married the year before, 1899, to John C Carter, and delivered a baby boy, Ray, the same year. The young couple were living with Hettie Carter, and John was called her son, but he was actually her grandson. 


On her marriage certificate to John Carter, who gave his mother as L. S. Carter, (Leah Susan) and his father as 'Unknown' , Ella Lee listed her mother as Lou Lee and her father as 'Unknown' as well. What about Robert A. Lee? She used his last name, although it appears she was born before Robert and Mary Lou's 1884 wedding. John F. Carter was probably the son of Frank Blalock, due to court papers, as Mary Lula Hathcock May have been the daughter of J.P. Tolbert. 

Ella Lee's birth date from later documents is given as June 5, 1883. This would put her at 16 when she married John Carter, not 20. They were all living in Palestine, in Stanly County, NC, at this time, a village, or community in a less populated area of hills located between Albemarle and Badin.



The marriage of Ella to John Carter didn't last long either. They did have two sons, Ray Lee and then Claude Purdue Carter in 1902. Ella remarried on February 7, 1906 to Thomas O. Deaton, this time in Cabarrus County.  It's unknown if she was widowed or divorced. I believe she was divorced, as her name was given as Ella Lee and not Ella Carter. This time she listed her father as Robert Lee and her mother as Mary Lee, but with her mother as living and her father as deceased. Robert Arthur Lee was not dead, not by a long shot, so why the listing that he was?

The groom's residence was given as Mecklenburg County and the bride's as Concord. The wedding was at her residence. The Deatons would have three children, bringing Ella's total to five. In 1910, they were living in Concord, and indicated that they had been married four years, his first marriage, her second and she was the mother of 3 children, all living. They would move to Leaksville, Rockingham County, then to Lexington in Davidson County, where Ella lived until her death in 1967. 


On her death certificate, her father was given as Robert Lee and her mother as Mary Lee. 

Second daughter, Hattie M. Lee, was born squarely into the marriage in 1887. 


In 1900, Hattie, only 13, was living with a Turner couple, Jake and Sallie, and working as a servant. One wonders why she wasn't living at home.


The move proved a measure of fate as the next door neighbors, the Kearnes, included a young man named Charlie. It must have been love, as they would marry for life, have four children, and move to Davidson County, living and working in Erlanger, a textile mill neighborhood in Lexington, and later in Thomasville.





Around 1902 was when Robert Arthur Lee got a wild hair and became a rollling stone. He even remarried to another woman. But what about Mary Lou? Had she died?

In fact, she had not! In 1910, she was living with her oldest daughter, Ellla Lee Deaton and her family in Concord. She listed herself as a widow and a 'Houseworker', but also a wage earner, so she was a paid housekeeper. But as she was fully alive, so was Robert A. Lee, so she was not a widow. I have not found a record of divorce for the two, that doesn't mean that it didn't exist, however, I get the feeling that he disappeared and that Mary Lou and the girls assumed him dead, as the daughters listed their father as deceased on their marriage certificates.



On February 20, 1919, at the age of 53, Mary Lou remarried in Concord, Cabarrus County, to Charles Stoppel Overcash. This gave her a birth year of 1866. She gave her name as Mary Lula Lee and her residence as Concord. Her parents were listed as George Hathcock, deceased and Martha Hathcock, living, of Norwood, NC.  Charles was 59, and also a resident of Concord. His parents, both deceased, were Christopher and Jemimia Overcash. They were married by J. W. Strider, Pastor of "Kerr Street Church", and this would be a great clue to Mary Lou's past, in a future post. Witnesses were C. M. Maxwell and Mac Overcash. 

Charlie, as he was called, and Mary Lou, are found living happily together in 1920, in Leaksville, Rockingham County, where her daughter, Ella, happened to be living. 

 They had a good ten years together, and then Charlie passes away in 1929 at the age of 69. In 1930, Mary Lou is found living in back in Cabarrus County, in Kannapolis, with Charlie's daughter, Bertha Overcash Frieze, and her family.  In 1940, she is found in Lexington, Davidson County, NC, back to living with her daughter, Ella and her family. 

NameMary Lula Overcash
Maiden NameHathcock
Birth Date11 Mar 1865
Birth PlaceStanly County, North Carolina, United States of America
Death Date8 Apr 1941
Death PlaceLexington, Davidson County, North Carolina, United States of America
CemeteryEbenezer Memorial Cemetery
Burial or Cremation PlaceLexington, Davidson County, North Carolina, United States of America
Has Bio?N
SpouseCharles Stopel Overcash

Mary Lula Hathcock Lee Overcash passed away on April 8, 1941, at the age of  78. She was buried in Ebenezer Memorial Cemetery in Lexington. Her death certificate and her tombstone give her birthdate as March 11, 1865, two full years after George Hathcock had died in the Civil War. Her parents name were given as George Hathcock and Martha Ann Hill and her birthplace as Stanly County, N.C. The informant was her daughter, Ella. Did Mary Lou and her daughters ever find out that Robert Lee was not dead, at least when they suspected he was?

Davie County


NameRobert A Lee
GenderMale
RaceWhite
Age37
Birth Yearabt 1865
Marriage Date26 May 1902
Marriage PlaceDavie, North Carolina, USA
SpouseAnnie Jordan
Spouse GenderFemale
Spouse RaceWhite
Spouse Age20
Event TypeMarriage

On May 26, 1902, Robert A. Lee was in Davie County, on the far side of Rowan, from Stanly County, 60 miles from Norwood. He married Mrs. Annie Lee Lineberry Jordan, of Rowan County, who had been married to Henry Thomas Jordan, a much married man from Stanly County, who married his first wife, Annie Dennis, in Davie County. He would marry twice after his split from Annie Lee Lineberry (also seen as Linebarrier). She had been three years older than her oldest stepdaughter.

NameAnnie L Jordan
Age19
Birth DateMay 1881
BirthplaceNorth Carolina, USA
Home in 1900Salisbury, Rowan, North Carolina
House Number2
Sheet Number13
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation215
Family Number229
RaceWhite
GenderFemale
Relation to Head of HouseWife
Marital StatusMarried
Spouse's NameHenry Jordan
Marriage Year1900
Years Married0
Father's BirthplaceNorth Carolina, USA
Mother's BirthplaceNorth Carolina, USA
Mother: number of living children0
Mother: How many children0
Can ReadY
Can WriteN
Can Speak EnglishY
NeighborsView others on page
Household members
NameAge
Henry Jordan39
Annie L Jordan19
Junie Jordan16
James Jordan14
Floyd Jordan10
Dottie Jordan8
Daisey Jordan6




Had Annie Lee actually divorced, or had she also just ran off from an unhappy marriage?

Now we track Robert Lee's moves through the births of his children.

1903 Mecklenburg County, NC 

First child, Bessie Maude Lee is born on March 16, 1903.




Also in 1903, the newspapers reported a case of State vs. R.A. Lee in Stanly County. Did he show up? I don't know, or what the charges were. 


The Charlotte News

Charlotte, North Carolina • 




He had entered a 'Guessing contest' in Mecklenburg in 1901.


1906 Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina.

Son Marion Edward Lee was born March 20, 1906, in Wadesboro, Anson County, NC.

1907 Stanly County, North Carolina.

They were back in Stanly County on May 9, 1907, for the birth of their third child and second son, David Lorenza Lee. 

1910 Abbott's Creek, Forsyth County, North Carolina

NameRobert A Lee
Age in 191049
Birth Date1861
BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Home in 1910Abbotts Creek, Forsyth, North Carolina, USA
Sheet Number4b
StreetBunker Hill Road
RaceWhite
GenderMale
Relation to Head of HouseHead
Marital StatusMarried
Spouse's NameAnnie L Lee
Father's BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Mother's BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Native TongueEnglish
OccupationCarpenter
IndustryHouse
Employer, Employee or OtherWage Earner
Home Owned or RentedRent
Farm or HouseHouse
Able to readY
Able to WriteY
Enumeration District Number0047
Years Married8
Out of WorkN
Number of Weeks Out of Work32
Enumerated Year1910
NeighborsView others on page
Household members
NameAge
Robert A Lee49
Annie L Lee27
Bessie M Lee7
Marion E Lee4
David L Lee1

The family is enumeratied in Abbott's Creek on April 20, 1910, with their three young children. Annie is expecting her fourth. Robert is working as a Carpenter.

August of 1910, Stanly County, North Carolina.

By August 4th of the same year, the family is back in Stanly County for the birth of daughter, Laura.

1911 Norwood, Stanly County, NC, The family is still in Stanly County on May 14, 1911, for the birth of sixth child, son Lenzie Jerome Lee. 

1914 Richmond County, North Carolina

The couple was in Richmond County in the summer of 1914, for the birth, and later death, of their son Robert Benson Lee, who was born on June 28, 1914.




In a tragic turn, little Robert died just short of a month later of a septic condition due to malnutrition. One wonders what conditions led to that sad state. He died on July 25, 1914 and was buried on July 26, in Hoffman, Richmond County, NC. 

1917 Montgomery County, North Carolina.

The family was in Montgomery County, NC for the birth of their 8th child, June Clifton Lee, on June 25, 1917.

1920 Roxboro, Person County, North Carolina


NameRobert Lee
Age51
Birth Yearabt 1869
BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Home in 1920Roxboro, Person, North Carolina
StreetMill Hill
Residence Date1920
RaceWhite
GenderMale
Relation to Head of HouseBoarder
Marital StatusMarried
Father's BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Mother's BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Able to Speak EnglishYes
OccupationSweeps
IndustryCotton Mill
Employment FieldWage or Salary
Able to readYes
Able to WriteYes
NeighborsView others on page
Household members
NameAge
James D Seamster64
Mary Seamster46
Minnie Seamster21
Thomas Seamster18
Ahhrt Seamster16
Ruby Seamster13
Rosa Seamster17
Elwood Seamster1
Osca Jordan57
Robert Lee51


In the 1920 census, Robert is boarding and working as a Sweeper in the Cotton Mill. This was one of the lowest paid postitions and usually delegated to a woman or girl. He was listed as married, but his family was not with him.


1922 Richmond County, North Carolina 

Youngest and last child, Margaret Louise Lee was born August 22, 1922 in Richmond County, NC. Robert was 56 and Annie Lee was 40. Their oldest daughter together, Bessie was 19. I don't know if this set of children ever met their older sisters.


The Fiasco 

Some scrupplous men, finding the uneducated and vunerable maintenance man, Robert Lee, and intrigued by his name came up with a plot based on Southern people's reverence for their military leader, Robert E Lee, and posed Robert A. Lee, or some Robert A. Lee, as a descendant of Robert E. Lee.


Was this the same Robert? I can't be sure, but his status as a janitor at the time and his personality sure fit the bill.


Which ever Robert it was he went to prison for his role in the scam.

1930 Wadesboro, Anson County,  North Carolina 


NameRobert A Lee
Birth Yearabt 1865
GenderMale
RaceWhite
Age in 193065
BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Marital StatusMarried
Relation to Head of HouseConvict (Prisoner)
Home in 1930Wadesboro, Anson, North Carolina, USA
Map of HomeWadesboro,Anson,North Carolina
Street AddressStem Back Ferry Road
Dwelling Number312
Family Number334
Age at First Marriage20
Attended SchoolNo
Able to Read and WriteYes
Father's BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Mother's BirthplaceIllinois
Able to Speak EnglishYes
OccupationChain
IndustryGang
Class of WorkerWage or salary worker
NeighborsView others on page

In the 1930 census, Robert Arthur Lee is found in prison in Wadesboro, on the Stanback Ferry Road,at 65 years old on the Chain Gang. It seems a bit humerous that it was recorded as Occupation; Chain,  Industry: Gang.

But where was his family?

Annie Lee was living in Roanoke Rapids, Halifax County, North Carolina with her oldest daughter, Bessie and her husband, Walter C. Whitley and their 4 children. With her were her youngest two, June C. Lee, 12, and Margaret Louise, 7. Oldest grandson, Ralph, was only a year younger  than Margaret.

Roanoke Rapids, Halifax County, North Carolina

NameAnnie L Lee
Birth Yearabt 1882
GenderFemale
RaceWhite
Age in 193048
BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Marital StatusMarried
Relation to Head of HouseMother-in-law
Home in 1930Roanoke Rapids, Halifax, North Carolina, USA
Map of HomeRoanoke Rapids,Halifax,North Carolina
Street AddressCedar Street
House Number905
Dwelling Number392
Family Number474
Age at First Marriage20
Attended SchoolNo
Able to Read and WriteNo
Father's BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Mother's BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Able to Speak EnglishYes
NeighborsView others on page
Household members
NameAge
Walker C Whitley34
Bessie M Whitley27
Ralph C Whitley6
Herman E Whitley4
Vernon E Whitley4
Helen B Whitley2
Annie L Lee48
Jim C Lee12
Margurite L Lee7

The rest of the children were making their own way in life, some at very early ages.

1930, Tangipahoa, Louisiana

NameMarion Ed Lee
Birth Yearabt 1906
GenderMale
RaceWhite
Age in 193024
BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Marital StatusMarried
Relation to Head of HouseHead
Home in 1930Police Jury Ward 6, Tangipahoa, Louisiana, USA
Map of HomePolice Jury Ward 6,Tangipahoa,Louisiana
Dwelling Number168
Family Number210
Home Owned or RentedRented
Home Value10.00
Radio SetNo
Lives on FarmNo
Age at First Marriage20
Attended SchoolNo
Able to Read and WriteYes
Father's BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Mother's BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Able to Speak EnglishYes
OccupationCarpenter
IndustryBuilding
Class of WorkerWage or salary worker
EmploymentYes
NeighborsView others on page
Household members
NameAge
Marion Ed Lee24
Annie D Lee24
Dorris L Lee3
Marion Hilda Lee0
David Lee22


Oldest brothers, Marion and David had stuck together, and moved to Tangipahoa, Louisiana, a swampish area north of New Orleans.




Marion had married Annie Doris Story and had two daughters, Doris, named for her mother, and Marion Hilda, named for her father. David was boarding with them and the two brothers were working as Carpenters, a trade the two boys had proabably learned from their father. On their WWII draft cards, Marion is described as five foot 9 1/2 inches tall, 165 lbs and Ruddy, with brown hair and brown eyes.




David is described as 5 foot 10 1/2 inches tall, 170 lbs with a fair complexion, Blue eyes and Blonde hair.




By this time, he had married to Wilda Martens. I wonder which parent the opposite brothers had taken after? Marion's birthplace of Wadesboro, Anson County, had bee misspelled as 'Wadesborrow, Anderson County, NC'. There is no Anderson County, by the way. David's birthplace of Stanly County, had been spelled, 'Standley'.

NameLaura Lee
Birth Yearabt 1910
GenderFemale
RaceWhite
Age in 193020
BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Marital StatusSingle
Relation to Head of HouseBoarder
Home in 1930Roanoke Rapids, Halifax, North Carolina, USA
Map of HomeRoanoke Rapids,Halifax,North Carolina
Dwelling Number3
Family Number4
Attended SchoolNo
Able to Read and WriteYes
Father's BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Mother's BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Able to Speak EnglishYes
OccupationWorker
IndustryCotton Mill
Class of WorkerWage or salary worker
EmploymentNo
NeighborsView others on page
Household members
NameAge
Johen L Barkley69
Maggie Barkley48
Clyde Barkley30
Lillie Pulley26
Laura Lee20
Luciele Pulley6

Second daughter, Laura Lee, was now 20, not yet married, and was living in Roanoke Rapids where her mother and older sister were, but boarding with another family, and working in a Cotton Mill. At this time in North Carolina history, Cotton Mills provided employment for a large number of the population.


NameLenzy J Lee
GenderMale
RaceWhite
BirthplaceUnited States
Relation to Head of HouseLodger
Home in 1930San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
Map of HomeSan Francisco,San Francisco,California
Street AddressLafayette Hotel Hyde St
Block213
House Number240
Dwelling Number45
Family Number4
Attended SchoolNo
Able to Read and WriteYes
Father's BirthplaceUnited States
Mother's BirthplaceUnited States
Class of WorkerWage or salary worker
NeighborsView others on page


Household members
NameAge
Samuel T Bond28
Charlotte A Bond28
Ralph A Colby22
Charles L Colby26
Charles O Rove27
Carl Kirlin30
Max Rosenstein44
Moe Shulman32
M Cunningham35
Jackson
Beal
Berlin
C A Butts
Ahleger
W A Reihle
Robin A Haggerty24
Viola Greenwood
W Conway
Harry Howard27
Michael T Dickeson39
Lenzie J Lee19
Hayden Smith25
Bessie Pance
C E Coleman
J Nolan

Lenzie Jerome Lee Stands out from his siblings in more ways than one. He took off for the bright lights and big cities at a very young age. He seems to have enveloped his father's wonderlust and knack for trouble. He would eventually join the Air Force. In 1930, 19 year old Lenzie was boarding at the Lafayette Hotel in San Francisco, and working as a Soda Dispenser at a 'Sweet Shop'. Modern times had arrived.





Lenzie's WWII Draft card described him as 6 feet tall, 170 lbs., Light complected with Blonde hair and Grey eyes. He gave his sister, Bessie, of Roanoke Rapids, NC, aka "Mrs. Walter C. Whitley" , as his next of kin. He was living at this time at the Yellowstone Hotel in Ogden, Weber County, Utah.


1938 Stanly County, North Carolina 

Robert A. Lee seems to have been released from prison and shown up in Stanly County, visiting various friends and silbings. It's quite likely that his past troubles were kept secret from his old associates. People were very private in those days.


He visited Red cross and... 






Aquadale.



1940 Roanoke Rapids, Halifax County, North Carolina

Meanwhile, Annie Lee was still in HalifaxCounty with her daughters. Her marital status is divorced. She is staying in the home of oldest daughter, Bessie Whitley, still.


NameAnnie Lee Marbley
Age58
Estimated Birth Yearabt 1882
GenderFemale
RaceWhite
BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Marital StatusDivorced
Relation to Head of HouseMother
Home in 1940Suburban Roanoke Rapids, Halifax, North Carolina
Suburban Roanoke Rapids,Halifax,North Carolina
Inferred Residence in 1935Suburban Roanoke Rapids, Halifax, North Carolina
Residence in 1935Suburban Roanoke Rapids
Resident on farm in 1935No
Sheet Number16A
Attended School or CollegeNo
Highest Grade CompletedNone
NeighborsView others on page
Household members
NameAge
Walter Whitley45
Bessie Whitley32
Ralph C Whitley16
Herman Whitley14
Vernard Whitley14
Vivian Whitley12
Carpold Whitley7
Cecil Marbley29
Laura Marbley30
Annie Lee Marbley58


Laura is now married to Cecil Mabrey. The surname was incorrectly transcribed as " Marbley" and Annie Lee was incorrectly given that surname as well, when the actual document just shows "Annie Lee".

1940 Leasburg, Caswell County, North Carolina

A divorced Robert Lee,  incorrectly transcribed as "Lea", is boarding in Caswell County. He is 74 years old.


NameRobert Lea
Age74
Estimated Birth Yearabt 1866
GenderMale
RaceWhite
BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Marital StatusDivorced
Relation to Head of HouseLodger
Home in 1940Leasburg, Caswell, North Carolina
Leasburg,Caswell,North Carolina
Inferred Residence in 1935Rural, Person, North Carolina
Residence in 1935Rural, Person, North Carolina
Sheet Number12B
OccupationFarmer
Attended School or CollegeNo
Hours Worked Week Prior to Census50
Class of WorkerWage or salary worker in private work
Weeks Worked in 193940
Income35
Income Other SourcesNo
NeighborsView others on page
Household members
NameAge
Grew D Briggs56
Mary Briggs31
Robert Lea74
James W Poths52
Catherine Briggs8

The censu reveals that in 1935, he had returned to Person County, where he had lived previously.


1940, The Rest of the Children.

Marion and his family are still in Tangipahoa, LA. He and  Doris, not Daria, anre raising their two daughters. Marion has advanced to a Foreman's position, and owns his own home.

NameMarian Lee
Age34
Estimated Birth Yearabt 1906
GenderMale
RaceWhite
BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Marital StatusMarried
Relation to Head of HouseHead
Home in 1940Tangipahoa, Louisiana
Tangipahoa,Louisiana
FarmYes
Inferred Residence in 1935Rural, Tangipahoa, Louisiana
Residence in 1935Rural, Tangipahoa, Louisiana
Resident on farm in 1935No
Sheet Number24B
Number of Household in Order of Visitation546
OccupationForeman
House Owned or RentedOwned
200
Attended School or CollegeNo
Highest Grade CompletedElementary school, 6th grade
Hours Worked Week Prior to Census42
Class of WorkerWage or salary worker in private work
Weeks Worked in 193950
Income2500
Income Other SourcesNo
NeighborsView others on page
Household members
NameAge
Marian Lee34
Daria Lee34
Louise Lee15
Marian Lee10


David was now married to Wilda, and now in is own home, still in the same place as his older brother, Tangipahoa, and still working as a carpenter. They had no children.


NameLenzie J Lee
Age28
Estimated Birth Yearabt 1912
GenderMale
RaceWhite
BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Marital StatusSingle
Relation to Head of HouseLodger
Home in 1940Green River, Sweetwater, Wyoming
Green River,Sweetwater,Wyoming
Inferred Residence in 1935San Francisco, California
Residence in 1935San Francisco, California
Sheet Number82A
OccupationLaborer
Attended School or CollegeNo
Highest Grade CompletedElementary school, 5th grade
Duration of Unemployment3
Class of WorkerWage or salary worker in private work
Weeks Worked in 193940
Income1000

Lenzie, like his father, was still drifting, but on a much wider scale. In 1940, he was living with a large group of men only, in the Union Pacific Hotel in Green River, Sweetwater, Wyoming. His occupation was a laborer. For that, he had made $1000 a year. He had been in Green River for 3 years and indicated that in 1935, he had resided in San Fracisco. The government was tracking the new mobile populatin due to trains and automobiles.

The two youngest were now adults. On June Clifton Lee's WWII Draft Card, he seemed to be a combination of Marion and Lenzie. He was 6 feet tall and 170 lbs like Lenzie. He was ruddy, like Marion with brown hair like Marion and gray eyes like Lenzie.



He was living in Washington DC in 1940, according to the card, and gave his sister Bessie as his contact. He was 23 and working for A and W Hot Shops.

Margaret, the youngest daughter, had married to the much older James Allen, and like her mother's first marriage, she was stepmother, at 18, to members of her own generation.They were living in Northampton County. She had been in Halifax in 1935.


NameMargaret L Allen
Age18
Estimated Birth Yearabt 1922
GenderFemale
RaceWhite
BirthplaceNorth Carolina
Marital StatusMarried
Relation to Head of HouseWife
Home in 1940Gaston, Northampton, North Carolina
Gaston,Northampton,North Carolina
Inferred Residence in 1935Weldon, Halifax, North Carolina
Residence in 1935Weldon, Halifax, North Carolina
Resident on farm in 1935No
Sheet Number9B
Attended School or CollegeNo
Highest Grade CompletedElementary school, 6th grade
Weeks Worked in 19390
Income0
Income Other SourcesNo
NeighborsView others on page
Household members
NameAge
John P Allen42
Margaret L Allen18
John Allen16
Marion Louise Allen15
Elsie Lee Allen12
Mary Kathleen Allen9
William Willard Allen20
Dorothy Allen20

The Ends of the Lee Family.

Surprisngly, although she was nearly two decades younger, Annie Lee Lineberry Lee passed away before Robert. She died in Roanoke Rapids on May 2, 1949. Her obituary seemed to suggest that the divorced couple had rebonded and made amends. 




She was buried in the Cedarwood Cemetery. Her obituary was posted both in Greensboro and the Raleigh Observer, as shown above. She had been living with one of her daughters. Walter and Bessie, at this time, were in Mexico City, Mexico. His name was misspelled as Whitby. It was Whitley. Marion and David stuck together like glue and we're both in Hammond, Louisiana. Lenzy was in San Diego, back in California and June C 'James' Lee was in Rockingham, Richmond County.

Halifax County, NC 1950


NameRobert W Lee
Age87
Birth Dateabt 1863
GenderMale
RaceWhite
Birth PlaceNorth Carolina
Marital StatusWidowed
Relation to Head of HouseFather
Residence Date1950
Home in 1950Halifax, North Carolina, USA
Street NameHarrison Spring Road.
Apartment NumberDg
Dwelling Number323
FarmNo
AcresNo
Occupation CategoryUnable to Work
Household members
NameAge
Walter C Whitley54
Bessie M Whitley47
Caroline A Whitley17
Robert W Lee87

Robert, at 87, was living with oldest daughter, Bessie, at her home on Harrison Spring Road in Halifax in 1950. Bessie was obviously the family caretaker, named by all her younger brothers as their next of kin. Mexico City appears to have been just a vaction destination, as they had returned to their long time home.


NameRobert Arthur Lee
Birth Date7 Feb 1866
Death Date15 Dec 1953
CemeteryCedarwood Cemetery
Burial or Cremation PlaceRoanoke Rapids, Halifax County, North Carolina, United States of America
Has Bio?N

Robert Arthur Lee, the Carolina Drifter, would pass away three years later, just before Christmas, on December 16, 1953. He was quietly laid beside his longest married wife, Annie Lee, in the Cedarwood Cemetery. There was no obituary. 



Youngest son, June Clifton Lee, was the next to go, the next year, in 1954. He was only 36 years old. June had seemed to have a hard life. He had served in WWII in the air force. 

NameJune C Lee
Age32
Birth Dateabt 1918
GenderMale
RaceWhite
Birth PlaceTexas
Marital StatusDivorced
Residence Date1950
Home in 1950Rockingham, Richmond, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number27v52
Inferred Previous Residence PlaceRockingham, Richmond, North Carolina
OccupationBricklayer
IndustryBldg
Father Birth PlaceUSA
Mother Birth PlaceUSA
Same HouseYes
Previously on FarmYes
Same CountyNo
School CompletedO
Grade CompletedYes
Institution NameState Prison Camp #706
Household members
NameAge
June C Lee32

His location in Richmond County, in 1949, according to his mother's obituary, seems to be because he was in prison for unknown reasons, as he was there in the 1950 census. He had been married twice and had 3 children. I don't know why he died so young, but I feel like it was tragic. His widow and children were living in Roanoke Rapids, as were his older two sisters, Bessie and Louise. Marion and David were still in Hammond, LA and Lenzie had now moved to Los Vegas, Nevada, where he would remain. Margaret Lee Allen was still in Gaston.


June's troubles seemed to start after he got out of the service and was the result of drugs and alcohol.  In 1948, he was in an accident in Valdese. He gave his residence as Texas, where he had a brother at the time.



There were drugs in the car and June was charged with being under the influence of narcotics and larceny of the car. He suffered injuries in the accident, cuts, a concussion and chest injuries. Perhaps there were internal injuries that would prove fatal in the long run.

June was held in Atlanta for awhile, but returned to Durham, NC for tiral in October of 1949.


June became an honor grade inmate and was allowed a two day parole in December of 1949 to attend his mother's funeral. He didn't reutrn on time,  and had a month added to his sentence. By 1951, June had been released from prison, but was rearrested a number of times. He was arrested in Charlotte in September of 1951 for carrying a concealed weapon. Still in Charlotte, he was arrested for drunkeness in Janurary of 1952. He was arrested again for drunkeness in August of 1953. It had become a pattern, serve a short sentence, get out, get in trouble, rinse and repeat. Then in June of 1954, he was dead at 36.

1960's

The 60's took the three oldest daughters of Robert Arthur Lee.

  • Hattie Lee Kearns died on May 27 1965 in Greensboro, Guilford County, NC. She had four children: Clarence, Daisy, Pearl and Theodore.
  • Ella Louise Lee Carter Deaton was next and passed away on February 22, 1967 in Lexington, Guilford County, NC. She had five children in total, two sons, Ray and Claude by her 1st husband and Carl, Etta and Helen by her second.
Bessie Maude Lee Whitley died May 29, 1969 in Roanoke Rapids, Halifax, NC. She was the mother of 5 children; Ralph, Herman, Vernon, Helen and Caroline.

1970's

The wild and wooly 70's took the two older sons.

  • Marion Edward Lee died on September 20, 1974 in Hammond, Tangipahoa, Louisiana. He and his wife, Anna Doris Story Lee were the parents of two daughters, Doris Louise and Marion Hilda Lee.
  • David Lorenza Lee died on August 2, 1977. He and his wife, Wilda Martens Lee had no children.
1980's

The 1980's took the last of the Lee children.

  • Middle daughter Laura Lee Mabrey Spence died March 20, 1983 in Tarrant County, Texas. Her body was returned to Roanoke Rapids, NC for burial She and her first husband, Cecil, had one daughter, Argie Daphine. Her second husband was Thomas W. "Bill" Spence. Laura was also a bit of a rolling stone. After leaving Roanoke Rapids, she moved to Durham, NC in 1944, was in Hurst, Tarrent County, Texas in 1949, when her mother passed. She was in Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey in 1950, She was in Storrs, Toland, Connecticutt in 1969 and in Fort Worth for 10 years prior to her death.
  • Youngest daughter, Margaret Louise Lee died on March 26, 1987 in Roanoke Rapids, Halifax , NC. She and her husband, John Peebles Allen had two daughters, Judith and Loretta.
  • Lenzie Jerome Lee was the last remaining child of Robert Arthur Lee, when he passed away in Los Vegas on August 12, 1988. He left a widow, Doris. Lenzie, also a rolling stone, had finally settled down and married a beautiful widow, with a daughter, in Los Vegas. Doris Bane was born in Illinois, moved with her first husband, George Ince to Ohio and after her death, moved to Michigan, Washington State adn eventually Los Vegas where she met Lenzie.
Lenzie had a very interesting life, too. He served in the Air Force and seemed to like California afterwards. 

NameLenzie Lee
Birth Dateabt 1911
Birth PlaceNorth Carolina
Record Date17 Jun 1935
Place of CrimeSan Francisco, California, USA
Institution PlaceSan Quentin, Marin, California, USA
Age24
Prisoner Number57793

He had gotten in serious trouble in San Francisco and served time in San Quentin in the 30's.






He also spent time in Alcatraz. His record stated his crime as Grand Theft, and his occupation as a Blacksmith.
Lenzie also had some interesting tatoos, a star, Steer's head with the word 'Arizona', a Cowgirl, one that said 'Hard Luck', and the name "Kathleen" with "True Love" and a Rooster. I wonder who Kathleen was.

After his troubled years, Lenzie took his blacksmith talents to the more rural areas, living in Wyoming and Utah. By the late 40's he was back in California, San Francisco in 1945 and North Hollywood in 1948. If discovered, both Lenzie and Doris could have been stars. They had the looks. By 1957, Lenzie had settled in Vegas, and there he remained until his death. He had no children of his own. He was the last Lee. The last Drifter.