John Deloss Brown, One More Death Notice, 1914

  ©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

While reviewing this year's posts, I took another look at John Deloss Brown's obituaries that were published in the area of Weldon, Illinois in 1914. Since he died in the Springfield, Missouri area, it occurred to me that I should check for a death notice or obituary in Missouri newspapers. 

This one turned up and adds a bit more to what is now known about John Deloss Brown. He actually died in Stewartsville, which must be near Springfield, Missouri. Also, he died from uraemic poisoning and had been sick for a brief period of time. Additionally, this tells me that his granddaughter Edith (Manlove) Flanders was living in Cameron, Missouri. 

C W Owens, Grandson of Nathaniel Holcomb, 1939

 ©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

Cyrus W. Owens was the son of Phebe A (Holcomb) and James A Owens. Cyrus Owens was born in California in 1865, fifteen years after his grandfather Nathaniel Holcomb left Missouri and settled around Soquel, California.

In 1939, C. W. Owens of San Francisco, California wrote a letter to the editor of The Sentinel in Santa Cruz, California in which he related the arrival of Nathaniel Holcomb in California in 1850 and Nathaniel's adventures in South America in 1866. We also learn about the fate of Nathaniel Holcomb and his son Alfred O. Holcomb.

Cyrus also relates a tidbit about his uncle Isaac Holcomb. This is yet another indication that Isaac was, indeed, a son of Nathaniel Holcomb's. 

It is significant to note that this letter was written long after the time period in which I would expect to read information about the early Holcomb's in a newspaper, so it is not always advantageous to limit a search with a narrow date bracket. Having done as much whole family research as possible, I realized that C. W. Owens was a grandson of my ancestor's Azariah Holcomb's brother, Nathaniel. 

Isaac Weaver, 1875

    ©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

Isaac Weaver was the second husband of Mahala, who was the second wife of my ancestor Solomon Reese. She had two or three children with Solomon Reese. After her remarriage to Isaac Weaver, they moved to Missouri, where their last know residence was in Barry County. It appears that the older Reese children, who were her step-children, did not relocate to Missouri. 

Isaac and Mahala Weaver settled first in Carrol County, Arkansas before 1850. Sometime between 1850 and 1860, they removed to Barry County, Missouri settling in the Shoal Creek township. They were still there in 1870. Then they seem to disappear. Their dates of death and burial places are unknown. 

Isaac Weaver makes one significant appearance in the newspaper in 1875, so he died at some point after that.

From this article, we learn that Isaac Weaver was literate. He was in good health despite his lifetime hardships. Additionally, he was a veteran of the War of 1812 and a pensioner. That means that there is an application for him. In addition to his service record, that file might include information about his place of birth, his wives, his children, his residences, his property, and his death. If Mahala survived him, then there will be additional information about her. It will also contain depositions from people who knew him and perhaps served with him. 

The other tidbit is that the original information was published in the Valley Press, which only ran for a few years and for which there do not seem to be any surviving copies. 

Possible Stafford Connections for Azariah Holcomb's Wife Susan

   ©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

Family tradition holds that Azariah Holcomb's wife Susan was a Stafford. However, to date, no primary documentation has been found to support that.

According to the Holcomb bible, Azariah Holcomb married Susan on 20 April 1819. At that point, Azariah Holcomb was probably living in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, and likely married Susan there. 

Many researchers claim without documentation that Susan was the daughter of William Stafford who married Leah Westervelt or Westerfield. Leah (Westerfield) Stafford died in Scott County, Kentucky in 1817. William Stafford died in Kentucky in 1820. It would seem that they did not migrate to Missouri during their lifetimes. If Susan was a daughter of William and Leah Stafford, she would have needed to travel to Missouri with a sibling or other relative, but none of the children attributed to William Stafford seem to have gone to Missouri. I find it difficult to believe that a young woman would have struck out for Missouri on her own in that time period. I think it would be much more beneficial to research Staffords who were in closer proximity to Azariah Holcomb. 

While the household of Azariah Holcomb is not on the 1818 Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri census, the household of Benajah Brown is. Brown had presumably married Hannah Holcomb, widow of Nathaniel Holcomb by 1818 when son James Brown was born. The older, unmarried Holcomb children were likely still living at home in 1818. The household of Noah Stafford was near Benajah Brown in 1818. He had married Sarah Blackwell in Roane County, Tennessee on 5 November 1806. Noah Stafford eventually removed to Crawford County, Missouri. He was born in South Carolina in about 1782, which would make him fourteen years older than Azariah's wife Susan, who was born in 1796 in Kentucky. 

At fourteen years older than Susan, Noah might have been her older brother. Alternately, he could have been a cousin or a young uncle. There were no other Stafford households in Ste Genevieve, but Noah could have been surrounded by married sisters and/or a remarried mother. 

It is not inconceivable that Noah Stafford was born in South Carolina and that his family moved to Kentucky where Susan was born. Then as a young adult, Noah removed to Tenessee before his final move to Missouri. The question is if he had a younger sister with him or a remarried mother, moving in tandem with him. 

The obituary of Noah Stafford's son, Richard Stafford places the Stafford family in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri as early as 1815 when Richard was born there.

The obituary of Noah Stafford's son Samuel Ellison Stafford indicates that the family was still in Ste Genevieve County, Missouri in 1824 when Samuel was born there. It also indicates that they did not relocate to Crawford County, Missouri until about 1833. 

An additional obituary for Samuel Ellison Stafford names Noah Stafford as his father.

The eldest child that I have found attributed to Noah and Sarah (Blackwell) Stafford is Elizabeth Stafford who was born in Missouri in 1807 or 1808. This would mean that Noah Stafford removed to Missouri almost immediately after his 1806 marriage to Sarah Blackwell. 

Another Stafford married in Roane County, Tennessee, near the time that Noah Stafford married. Thomas Stafford married Rosey Baskin on 22 November 1803 in Roane County, Tennessee. I have not found any additional information on this Thomas Stafford. 

Noah Stafford signed a petition from the [Louisiana] Territory on 9 September 1811 asking for the rights of citizens, essentially, statehood. This was the area of the Missouri Territory. Notable among the other signatures were the names of a John Stafford and Titus Strickland. So far, I have not found any additional information on John Stafford.

To date, I have not been able to make a connection between Noah Stafford and Azariah Holcomb other than proximity. 

Caroline (Jamison) McNeil Death Notice, 1906

  ©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

By the time Caroline (Jamison) O'Neil died in 1906, her nephew R.W. McMullin had been deceased for three years. However, because of that connection, the Jefferson Democrat published this death notice for her:

R W McMullin Goes West, 1894

 ©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

My suspicions about R.W. McMullin and his connection to his extended family in California have been born out. In 1894 he traveled to California to visit aunts and uncles there, and published his experience in his paper.

This begins with the second installment. I will have to look for the first part later.

We left San Francisco Friday, the 16th, at nine o'clock, and crossed the bay at Oakland ferry, a boat ride of six miles. The train left Oakland at ten. The road runs along by the bay for over thirty-five miles and then branches to the right up the San Joaquin valley. The distance from San Francisco to Fresno is 210 miles, and the road traverses one of the finest agricultural portions of the state. It is a good deal like riding through Illinois praries, finely cultivated farms all the way. The towns along the way all look prosperous, but one does not have to make inquiries to learn that the people are thinking anything but prosperous. Hard times are felt here everywhere much more so than they are in Missouri. Fresno is one of the fruit centers of the state and there are several large packing houses. Packing house here means a place for grapes, oranges, etc., are packed for shipment. There are enormous vineyards around the city and the raisin business is one of the big industries. This is one of the points we started out for as it is the house of our Aunt Margaret Pool, while Aunt Caroline McNeil and Uncle Jasper Jameson out in the country near by. These relatives we have not seen for over forty-eight years, and it was the desire to see them which brought us hither. Here we met our daughter, Laura, who has been on a visit to our relatives.

Our introduction to the City of Fresno was not very pleasant. A high wind has prevailed for two days, and the clouds of dust and sand are so dense that sometimes one can not see an object a hundred yards distant. Everybody prophecies a change by to-morrow and we may yet get to see something of the city and the surrounding orchards and vineyards.

March 17, 1894

After spending four days visiting relatives in this vicinity we have almost forgotten what we have written home, but are sure we omitted mentioning one peculiarity of the City of San Francisco. The business portion on the bay, is laid out on the plan of a crazy work patch quilt, and is unlike any place we have ever seen. Wedge shaped blocks are the rule rather than the exception and the short streets run in every direction. Fresno is quite a respectable city, laid out in well shaped squares. The streets running north and south are named for the counties of the state, while the cross streets are named for the letters of the alphabet. It has some good buildings, business blocks, churches, schoolhouses, residences, etc., but the majority are small wooden cottages. It is one of the fruit centres of the state and the citizens here think it one of the best. Of this we are not able to judge yet, but it is certainly a grand view to ride through the immense vineyards and orchards. Seedless grapes and seedless oranges are a specialty here, but wine grapes and common oranges are also plentiful, as are apricots, prunes, apples, peaches, pears, figs, etc.

Our uncles, W. McNeil and Jasper Jameson, live up on the San Joaquin river, fifteen miles from Fresno. We went out there Sunday morning and staid with them till Tuesday morning, when Uncle Jasper brought us back to town. He is an old bachelor, and we found in a 120 acre field "summer fallowing." He uses a team or six horses and a gang plow which turns a yard of ground each time and leaves it pulverized like a garden spot. Uncle McNeil has his fruit ranch rented out. He spends his time attending to his chickens, while Aunt Carrie is generally busy with her flowers.

Fresno, Cal., March 20, 1894.

After thoroughly taking in Fresno and visiting all the relatives there and at Reedley and Selma, we left Fresno at half past one this morning and came to Los Angeles to see our brother, Os, and his wife. When daylight came this morning we were traversing a beautiful country, similar to that we had been seeing for the past few days, but at 8 o'clock we struck the Mojave desert and for three hours the view was about as dismal as one could imagine. Sage brush and cacti are the only vegetation to be seen in the desert and the cactus is a peculiar species we had not met with before. It resembles sawed off pine trees more than anything else we can think of. The stems appear to be about a foot in diameter and average twelve feet in height, and tops and branches are all of the stubby or sawed off looks and with long, plue-shaped leaves in branches at the end. The route across the desert, judging from the time it took, is about sixty or seventy miles. It is mostly a level plain bordered by ugly, barren hills. We judged the plain to be about twenty miles wide on the average, but by California estimates it may be all the way from fifty to five hundred miles. In the midst of this desert stands the little town of Mojave, not a spear of vegetation near, and here we partook of the finest meal we ever saw served at a railroad hotel. They have a fine, large dining room, handsomely decorated with evergreens, and the tables were filled with meats, fruits, vegetables, etc., and the guests are given twenty-five minutes in which to eat. By each plate was a goblet of Muscatel wine, one of the brag sweet sines of California. They charge seventy-five cents for meals, but this is not an unusual price, and anyone who crosses the Mojave desert without taking a meal at the Mojave hotel misses one of the big features of the trip. We are well pleased with the little view we have had of Los Angeles and will see more of it before we leave.

Los Angeles, Cal., March 22, 1894.

Notes of our trip will doubtless appear very rambling and unsatisfactory but we can not take time to even frame an apology. Too many things to see and too little time in which to see them. We find the people here much like the people at home;  names familiar, such as Wilsons, Williams', Sheltons, etc., and habits just about the same. Coming over from Fresno our car was one of twelve crowded coaches. There was room for a toilet room for ladies in one end, but no convenience of that sort for gents, and as there was no chance for us to wash and comb we had time to be amused at the efforts of the ladies to get the dust from their faces and their hair done up, not that we could see them at work, but at watching them waiting for turn. Each lady acted as if she were the only one on the train, and when she got into the toilet room took her time in getting out. We timed a couple of them. One occupied thirty-six minutes and the other forty-five, so it is not surprising that when we reached the eating station at nine o'clock some of them had to appear at the table with faces as dirty as mens. Telegraph service is about as rapid here as at home. One afternoon at Selma we had occasion to send a telegram to Fresno, sixteen miles distant. Half an hour later we hired a rig and drove into Fresno and only beat the telegram one hour. We were pleased with the grand orchards and immense vineyards of Fresno and Tulare counties, and surprised to see ranchmen feeding raisins to their horses. We also admired the miles of growing grain, wheat, barley, etc., but we will have to vote Los Angeles the boss place after all. No other place that we have seen yet can be compared to it. Trees loaded down with oranges can be seen everywhere, and there are various other trees which bear tropical fruits, such as lemons, figs, olives, dates, English walnuts, almonds, etc., which are not now fruiting; while the flower, on trees, vines, shrubs and plants, are beyond description. Flowers abound everywhere, and every variety of them can be grown here in great profusion and at little expense, has to be protected, but a little protection from the cold March winds helps very materially.  Editor

Los Angles, Cal., March 23, 1894.

Fatima C. (Jameson) England's Missouri Death Notice

 ©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

My hunch is paying off. R.W. McMullin, the editor of the Jefferson Democrat in Hillsboro, Missouri, was publishing tidbits about his extended family.

This death notice is for his aunt Fatima Charlotte (Jameson) England who died in San Benito County, California. This makes me wonder to what extent family correspondence was taking place and where that correspondence is now.

Nathaniel Holcomb Explores the Amazon, 1872

  ©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

Well, be still my heart. Continued poking around has turned up another letter written by Nathaniel Holcomb in 1872, detailing his trip to the Amazon and the conditions there. It was picked up and republished in the Jefferson Democrat of Hillsboro, Missouri, on 21 February 1873 because someone associated with the paper was a relative of Nathaniel's. The question, of course, is who. A quick check of the editorial page reveals that the editor at that time was R.W. McMullin. He was Richard Watson McMullin, the son of John T. and Elizabeth Mariah (Jamison) McMullin. His mother was the daughter of Esther (Holcomb) Jamison, and a niece of the letter writer, Nathaniel Holcomb. It is, of course, convenient for me that R.W. McMullin edited a newspaper. Maybe more family information will come to the surface through that source. 

What I find important about the publication of Nathaniel Holcomb's letter in this Missouri newspaper, is that it reveals that editor R.W. McMullin knew who his relations were and took an interest in them. The letter itself reveals that Nathaniel Holcomb was well educated for his generation. That hints at the educational level of his parents and the possibility that he attended school. 

It is a long letter, so I am going to just clip the beginning and end of it, and then transcribe it below.

October 10th, 1872

Dear Sir: This is the first opportunity I have had of fulfilling my promise.

I left San Francisco the twenty-sixth of December, 1866, and landed in Callao, March 27th, 1867; thence I went to Tacna, from Tacna to Cochambamba. I arrived at Cochambamba the 16th of June, 1867. I have examined the country from the town of Oruro to Pelechuco--distance about 120 leagues. This is a mineral country; gold, silver, copper and other metals abound.

I entered upon the headwaters of the Tipuany, the last of August 1867. We prospected all the way to its mouth--distance 40 leagues. We found gold at every place, (it is on this river where so much mining has been done). The Tipuany, Chiana and Coereco flow into the Mapiri, within half a league of Each-other, and the town of Guany is situated on the Mapiri at the mouth of the Tipuany. Wherever they have succeeded in getting to the ledge they have always found it very rich and mostly coarse. It is about the same in the Chyena and also in the Coereco. It is in these rivers and the mountains drained by them, where so much mining has been done, and are known as the Surata mines.

The Surata mountains rise in the neighborhood of Bochambamba and extend north to the Amazon. They are gold-bearing for the entire distance, and it has been found in many places immensely rich. They also contain much silver and copper, as well as other metals.

I remained in this vicinity from the 13th of September, 1867, till the 15th of August, 1869. I examined the country, the timber, the soil, the products, the rivers, the climate, the health of the people, the capacity of the rivers for navigation. The Tipuany, the Chyana, and the Coereco can be navigated with boats of six to twelve tons, for a distance of eight to twelve leagues. The Mapiri is sufficient for steamboats, from 80 to 100 tons. The mountains drained by these rivers contain gold, and in many places are very rich. When these mines are worked as they work the California mines, immense fortunes will be realized.

On the 15th of August, 1869, we had our canoe ready and started down the Mapiri. We examined it to its confluence with the Urigus--distance about forty leagues. There is but one place in that stream boats cannot pass, that place is called Petarna. This obstruction consists of five large boulders, that have broken from a precipice just above and fallen into the river, and there is not room for a steamboat to pass between them, but small boats can. From the confluence of these rivers we passed down to the town of San Buenaventuro, at which place we arrived September 5th, 1869. This place is situated in the great valley of the Beni, just at the foot of the mountain, where the river passes through a deep canon. The valley of the Beni is about two hundred miles in width and the length is not known. It is an immense plain, covered with an immense forest of the finest timber that is to be found upon the whole earth. It is interspersed with prairies. The climate is generally healthy, the thermometer ranging from 60 to 90. The lands of the Beni and its tributaries are the most fertile of any country I have ever seen; its timber of the best quality, suitable for any purpose that man requires; its products are the richest and of the most value, to-wit: coffee, sugar, cotton, rice, tobacco, chocolate, all kinds of fruits, corn, wheat, barley and oats, vegetables, potatoes, cabbage, onions, beans, peas, melons; in fact, I know of nothing that is useful to man, either for food or raiment, but what can be produced in the valley of the Beni and its tributaries, in luxuriant abundance, and of the best quality, and I am perfectly astonished to see such country as this, situated in the centre of the commercial world, an uninhabited wilderness, for that is just what it is, as the present incumbents are a perfect nuisance. That is the only word that can be used to describe them correctly.

This country will be settled, and I think the time is not far distant with an industrious, energetic and a scientific people, and they will soon make it the garden spot of the world--the paradise of the earth. And why not come to it? I know of no reason why men should not avail themselves of the present advantage.

The best and surest way to get into the country is to come up the Amazon and thence up the Madeira, the end of the railroad is now in construction; thence make their way to the mouth of the Beni, and if there is no steamboat on the Beni, they can soon build small boats and make their way into the country and bring all their baggage. Colonel Church assures us that the company will render the immigration all the assistance their circumstances will allow, to facilitate their progress.

Yours truly, as ever,

Nathaniel Holcomb

Azariah Holcomb and Benjah Brown, 1826

 ©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

And now I have a brand new mystery. In the miscellaneous court records of Ste Genevieve County, Missouri is this 1826 record for Azariah Holcomb and Benajah Brown:

This document links Azariah Holcomb and Benjah Brown and strengthens my theory that Hannah, the widow of Nathaniel Holcomb had married Brown by about 1816. However, this leaves lots of questions unanswered. Samuel Bower had sued Azariah Holcomb and Benjah Brown. Why? Is Azariah acting with Benjah Brown because Brown is his step-father or his step-mother's new husband? 

Nathaniel Holcomb Died 1814

 ©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

I have been able to determine that Thomas Maddin of Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri did file a lawsuit against Nathaniel Holcomb and his wife Hannah in 1814. That suit, however, was not about land as I had previously guessed.

Thomas Maddin charged Nathaniel and Hannah Holcomb with trespassing onto his land on 13 January 1814 and destroying his sugar camp. He claimed that they destroyed two kettles and one pot, and then set fire to his trees. He requested that Enoch Holcomb and Robert Jameson testify on his behalf. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a record of their depositions. It is still impossible to be sure if Enoch Holcomb was Nathaniel's son Enoch or another Enoch Holcomb.

A quick google search reveals that early settlers were engaged in making sugar from sugar trees in the Ste. Genevieve, Missouri area.

 During the course of the suit, Nathaniel Holcomb died, so Maddin filed against Hannah, holding her responsible for the damages to the tune of about $30. Titus Strickland acted as attorney on her behalf. At one point Hannah claimed that she should not be held solely responsible for Nathaniel's actions and refused to participate in the process. She possibly lost the suit by default.

Later in the year, Thomas Maddin brought suit against Robert Jameson for trespassing, destroying his sugar trees, and stealing lumber earlier in the year. The suit against Robert Jameson reveals that Maddin's land was on the Saline River. 

All of these records can be found on Family Search in the Justice of the Peace Loose Papers, 1810 - 1820.

This is one of the key documents from this lawsuit:

In executing a subpoena on the Holcombs, it was found that Nathaniel Holcomb was found to be dead on 31 March 1814. 

This document indicates that Nathaniel Holcomb had died shortly before 31 March 1814 if not on 31 March and that Hannah was his wife. 

"Lost Friends" and Browning Duncan

   ©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

One of the disadvantages of being willing to jump from one family to another at a moment's notice is that nothing gets "finished," but in genealogy, nothing is ever finished anyway. The advantage of doing a little leaping from project to project is a bonanza of information that seems to be never-ending, so there is that. 

Yesterday, I took a break from laundry and going through the Harding/Dabbs Collection to read the novel The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate. Like many novels, there is a dual storyline that converges as the novel progresses. The Book of Lost Friends takes its title from the "Lost Friends" column of advertisements that appeared in the form of letters from freed slaves searching for family members and appeared in the Southwestern from 1879 until at least 1900. Facsimiles of their letters appear throughout the novel between storylines. 

As I was taking a break from reading, I wondered if there was really a "Lost Friends" column and if it might be accessible through an online database. The answer is yes and yes. That's all it took. I was off and researching like you do when you are receptive to shifting gears at a moment's notice. So far, I've only found one advertisement that pertains to my family.

This advertisement mentions my great-great-great-grandfather, Browning Duncan. After only a moment of puzzling, I realized that the "Peters" family members that Ned and Lucy Boyd were searching for were actually named Pettus. The name Pettus, especially when it is spelled Pettes, might be misinterpreted as Peters. 

This letter is especially difficult to decode, but here is what I have figured out so far based on what I know of Browning Duncan and the Pettus family. Browning Duncan, a native of Madison County, Kentucky, married Rebecca W. Pettus on 25 December 1823 in York County, South Carolina. She was the daughter of William W. Pettus, who died in 1818, leaving a widow, Mary Pettus. One of Rebecca's sisters was Mariah Pettus who married Stephen Partlow Sutton. Additionally, Rebecca had brothers Samuel Knox Pettus, William Watkins Pettus, and Thomas Newton Pettus. 

Here's how I have interpreted the "Lost Friends" letter above. Enslaved persons Ned Sutton and Lucy Peters [Pettus], who was owned by the widow Polly [Mary] Peters [Pettus] of York County, South Carolina were the parents of Martha Peters [Pettus]. Manda and Peters [Pettus] went off with Browning Duncan at the same time. Does this mean Manda and Martha Pettus left with Browning Duncan? When?

By 1827, Browning Duncan and wife were in Madison County, Kentucky, when Mary Pettus deeded a slave man named Frank to her daughter Rebecca (Pettus) Duncan. By 1850 Browning Duncan and his wife were living in Dyer County, Tennesse near the Gibson County, Tennessee border where Rebecca's brother Samuel K Pettus lived. Additionally, brother William Watkins Pettus lived near the Duncan's in Dyer County. Brother Thomas Newton Pettus remained in York County as did their sister Mariah Pettus who had married Stephen Partlow Sutton. 

Then we learn through the letter that Manda was the daughter of James Greer and Liberty Peters [Pettus] who belonged to the widow Polly [Mary] Peters [Pettus]. The reference to Mary Pettus being a widow encompasses the timeframe from 1818 to her death in 1855. 

Then it looks like Emeline Peters [Pettus] was a cousin to Manda and Lucy Peters [Pettus]. Is Emeline a mother to Peggie, Annie, and Lucy? Then Watkins Peters [Pettus] moved to Tennessee, taking Annie and Fannie with him. All the indexers of this letter have Watkins Peters [Pettus] as an enslaved person. However, that's not how I read this. Rebecca W. (Pettus) Duncan brother William Watkins Pettus had removed to Dyer County, Tennessee by 1850. Browning and Rebecca Duncan can be found there in the same year. From Dyer County, the two families removed to Sebastian County, Arkansas by 1860. 

The William Peters [Pettus] who was in Nashville, Tennessee in 1880, is most likely to be a relative of Ned and Lucy's. 

It makes sense to me that the Sutton who sold Ned and Lucy to Louis M. Boyd was Stephen Partlow Sutton who administered William and Mary Pettus's estate for many years. 

One way to begin untangling this is to look at the Pettus estate papers. One document, in particular, was created in 1855 when Mary "Polly" Pettus died and is indexed as being her husband William Pettus's estate.

Among the inventories and appraisements of William Pettus's estate is a list of enslaved people, their ages, and who they were sold to. Those names coincide with most of the names in the letter above.

A girl Amanda age 15 sold to S K Pettus

A girl Martha age 11 sold to S K Pettus

A woman Peg age 35 sold to C L Clawson

A woman Lucy age 28 sold to T N Pettus

A woman Ann and two children sold to S P Sutton

A girl Emmeline age 14 sold to B Dunkin 

You can see from the estate records of the sale of these people how closely the name Pettus looks like Peters:

This sale was held in December 1855 at the home of S P Sutton, so that is the point at which some of these enslaved people were taken away from York County, South Carolina.

My takeaway from the letter in the "Lost Friends" column, combined with the William Pettus estate records, is that in the turmoil and trauma of separating these enslave families there was some resulting confusion over where people went and with whom they went. This combined with the fact that the Pettus name appears erroneously as Peters in the newspaper, that Browning Duncan and wife and been deceased since the 1860s, that S P Sutton is named only by his surname, that Ned and Lucy have been using the Boyd surname unbeknownst to their surviving Pettus family who had been carried off, and I believe it would have been next to impossible for Ned and Lucy Boyd formerly, known as Ned Sutton and Lucy Pettus, to be successfully reunited with their family.

In all likelihood, they invested 50 cents in having their advertisement placed in the Southwestern only to have the information become so garbled as to make it useless. Neither Ned nor Lucy could read. They would not have known that the names were published incorrectly until someone read the newspaper to them. The 50 cents they invested in this effort would be equivalent to nearly $13 today. Since it only appeared once, it is evident that the newspaper did not run a correction, and they could not afford to make a second effort. 

Manda and Martha Pettus were most likely taken to the Samuel Knox Pettus home in Gibson County, Tennessee. It is possible that S K Pettus did not attend the sale in 1855 and that Browning Duncan transported these girls to Tennesse for his brother-in-law. That would be why Lucy believed they were taken away by Browning Duncan. Instead, Browning Duncan purchased Emeline Pettus and would have transported her to Dyer County, Tennessee as well. At age 14, she seems unlikely to have had more than one child. That sentence in the letter about her relationship to Manda and Lucy is still confusing to me. 

In 1880, Lucy Boyd, wife of Ned, was aged 55 on the Kemper County, Mississippi census, and had been born in South Carolina. She was the same age as the Lucy who was listed in the William Pettus estate and sold to T N Pettus. Evidently, at some point after 1855, she must have been sold to S P Sutton, who later sold Lucy and Ned to Louis M Boyd. 

It is possible that additional information might be found in deed records, but anyone seeking the extended family of Ned and Lucy Boyd should be looking for the Pettus family not the Peters family. 

 

Unidentified Photograph

  ©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

This is an unidentified photograph found in the Harding/Dabbs Collection. 

My best guess is that it is a photograph of Rev. Thomas Treadwell Eaton, who was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 1845. This photograph was taken in Lexington, Virginia by M. Miley. Michael Miley had a photography studio in Lexington, Virginia by 1872.

Thomas Treadwell Eaton attended Washington College in Lexington, Virginia in 1866 - 1867. I think, though, that this unidentified picture was not taken then for two reasons: the M. Miley studio was not open yet and he looks older than 21 - 22 years old.

By 1867, Eaton was back in the Murfreesboro area and was a professor at Union University. 

In September of 1875, he returned to Virginia to pastor a church in Petersburg. He remained there until March of 1881 when he penned his tribute to Lavinia B. (Murfree) Burton. I think this photograph was made of him at some time during that nearly six-year period from 1875 to 1881 when he would have been 30 to 36 years old. It seems reasonable that he would have had friends in Lexington along with having other reasons to visit there and have his photograph made. 

That means this photograph was probably sent to either Lavinia B. (Murfree) Burton while she was living or given to her daughter Lavinia Emily "Lily" (Burton) Selph - possibly as Rev. T. T. Eaton traveled from Petersburg, Virginia to his new appointment in Louisville, Kentucky in 1881.

Here is an identified photograph of an older Rev. Thomas T. Eaton for comparison:

Tribute to Lavinia B (Murfree) Burton

 ©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

One of the exciting items in the Harding/Dabbs Collection is this period tribute written to honor Lavinia B (Murfree) Burton, who died 24 January 1881 and is buried in Old City Cemetery in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This tribute was written two months later on 23 March 1881 in Petersburg, Virginia. It seems reasonable to attribute the initials "tte" to baptist minister Rev. Thomas Treadwell Eaton, son of Dr. Joseph H. Eaton who ordained Lavinia Burton's son-in-law Rev. Duncan H. Selph. 

My guess is that Lillye Harding, daughter of Priscilla (Selph), copied this from its original source, and it was then copied by her nephew Hardy Dabbs in 1953 since it was folded together with other items from that date that were typed on the same type of paper, using the same typewriter. At this time, I don't know if it was copied from private papers or a newspaper clipping.

It reveals information that was gathered by one who obviously knew Lavinia (Murfree) Burton and provides some insight into her relationships with her children.

Transcript:

BURTON - Mrs. Lavinia B. Burton was born in Murfreesboro, N.C., April 3, 1795, and died at Smithfield, Ky., Jan. 24, 1881. Her father was Col. Hardy Murfree, who gave his name to her native town. When seven years old she lost her mother and was carried by her father to Salem, N.C., to be educated. After leaving school she made her home with Col. Hilliard, near Halifax, N.C., her father having died. On Feb. 23, 1814, she was married to Col. F.N.W. Burton, of Granville Co., N.C., and in 1823 they removed to Murfreesboro, Tennessee. They both there professed faith in Christ, and joined the Presbyterian church. But Mrs. Burton was a Baptist in sentiment, and so soon as a Baptist church was organized in the town she joined it. Along with four of her children she was baptised by Dr. R. B.C. Howell. 

Col. Burton died before the writer's recollection, but there are no more pleasant memories connected with his childhood, than those which cluster around that home of which Mrs. Burton was the soul and center. For years my father was her nearest neighbor, and one of the chief delights of his children was to go over to see "Auntie Burton," as she kindly allowed us to call her. It was a bright and gladsome home. She was fond of flowers and they grew in her yard as they grew nowhere else in town. She was never too busy to fill little hands with joy by filling little hands with flowers. And as we grew older and learned to appreciate other things than flowers and cakes, t at home lost none of its attractiveness to us. Everything about it was delightful. In its atmosphere the best in us expanded, care dropped away and friends enjoyed life to the utmost.

Affliction came often to that bright home. Mrs. Burton reared ten children to manhood and womanhood and there was not one mediocre mind among them all. They seemed to inherit the unusual ability of their gifted mother, but they did not all inherit her vigorous physical constitution; and she was often called to mourn over her early death. Her eldest son, named for his grandfather, after achieving most brilliant success as a lawyer, died at the early age of 32 years, in the island of St. Thomas, where he had been sent as United States consul. Scarcely had she recovered from that blow, when her oldest daughter, Mrs. Goodwin, died, leaving a family of small children to mourn her loss. Then passed away another daughter, Mrs. Dodson, so bright, so beautiful, and for so short a time a bride that the hearts of the whole community ached as they followed to the grave. Afterwards Mrs. Burton was called to mourn the loss of still another daughter, Mrs. Crosthwait, who died in her childhood's home after long and terrible suffering. But God had yet a heavier stroke in store for the child of his, when he was fitting for Heaven. The youngest daughter, Finie, was her earthly idol. Her other daughters were married and gone, some to distant homes, some awaiting her on the further shore, but her youngest, Benjamin, was with her mother. Miss Finie might well have been her mother's idol, with a man's clear brain and a child's sunny heart. She was a lovely woman and it seemed her mother's heart would break when the fell disease attacked her young life. In her affliction, Mrs. Burton drew nearer to the hand that smote her. She was a Christian before God took her idol, but from that h our she lived a deeper spiritual life, and a holier. For months after Miss Finie's death, it was feared that her mother would not survive the stroke; but she lived nearer and nearer to God for eighteen years longer, till she came to say of this severest of her trials, "O! that God's people could receive his stripes in her spirit!" Her mind retained its vigor unimpaired till within a year of her death. And while she enjoyed life and never murmured at her long pilgrimage, she yet often said on retiring at night, "How glad I would be to awake in heaven!"

Few mothers have been so loved by their children as was Mrs. Burton. As an illustration of this, when her husband died, one of her sons, a boy of sixteen, slept in the hall by her chamber door every night, and if she stirred, he was instantly by her side to see if he could do anything for her - trying to shield her as far as he could do, from the loneliness of her widowed life. Through boyhood, manhood, and middle-age her sons have loved her with a chivalrous devotion which proved exceptional qualities in a mother who could win and hold such love. She has awaked in Heaven at last, and none of the hearts that loved her can sorrow, as they think what that awaking was to the aged saint to whom God has given rest, after her long and faithful service. 

Petersburg, Va., March 23, 1881.                                            tte. 

Selph Cemetery Card

 ©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

This is one of the more curious items from the Harding/Dabbs Collection, a cemetery burial card.

It appears to be written in ball-point pen sometime after 1956, so it is not period to the lot's purchase in perhaps 1888.

From it, we learn that Mrs. L.E. Selph was the owner. That would be Lavinia Emily Selph, wife of Rev. Duncan Hyder Selph. It encompassed ten grave plots in lot no. 73 in Section A of Evergreen Cemetery in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Included is the notation that it is deed number 117. 

Then there is a record of each burial in the plot with the year of burial and relationship to the plot owner:

1. Selph, Frank B 1892 Son

2. Selph, Lily 1899 Owner

3. Selph, Wash B 1888 Son

4. Selph, Hardy B 1918 Son

5. Selph, Anna M 1940 [relationship not noted but she was son Hardy's wife]

6. no burial?

7. Selph, Asa 9-1956 Grandson

8. Harding, Dee Selph 1921 Daughter

9. Sallie Selph McLain 1925 Daughter

10. McLain, Dr. Joe M. 1906 Son-in-law

The last piece of information is that they had a certificate of perpetual care. 

I can't help but wonder who space 6 might have been intended for. Perhaps, it was meant for no one in particular. 

Rev. Duncan Hyder Selph Sr. From the Harding/Dabbs Collection

©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

For the Selph family, this photograph is the crown jewel of the Harding/Dabb collection. It appears to be a duplicate of a photograph of Rev. Duncan Hyder Selph Sr. that was made when he was younger.

 

The back of the photograph is from Wybrant's Photographic Studio, 418 West Market St., in Louisville, KY. It bears the notation that Wybrant's was a Medal Award winner at the Southern Exposition in 1883, so the image is from 1883 or later. Frank Wybrant's photography studio was located at 418 West Market Street from 1886 to 1889. The hand that wrote on the back of the card is sure, and although D.H. Selph was deceased by 1874, I don't doubt that the identification is correct. It reads "Rev. Duncan Hyder Selph Baptist Minister & President of Union University Murfreesboro, Tenn." It further identifies his wife as "(Lily) Lavinia Bemburg Selph." Lily was a Burton and to my knowledge, Bemberg was not her middle name, which is identified in other documents as Emily. However, her mother was Lavinia Bembury (Murfree) Burton. This leads me to believe that Lily did not write this. It was likely inscribed by one of her children.

This picture of Duncan Hyder-Selph shows a resemblance to a photograph that was made at a later date with his wife, Lavinia:

 

Ophelia and Lilyann Selph From the Harding/Dabbs Collection

 ©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

Ophelia and Lilyann Selph were the daughters of John Williams and Annie Walker (Hardin) Selph. 

The inscription on this photograph dates it to November 18, 1897. In that year Lilyann was three years old and her older sister Ophelia was five. In the photograph, Lilyann is standing. Her baby cheeks reveal her to be younger than her slim faced sister who is seated. On this photograph like many of the others, the penciled inscription has been inked over. It was inscribed to "Big Mamy." Based on other pieces of information in the collection, Big Mamy or Big Mammy was the nickname for Lavinia "Lilly" Emily (Burton) Selph, the girls' grandmother, who was still living in 1897.

Ophelia is clutching a bouquet of flowers.

John Williams Selph From the Harding/Dabbs Collection

 ©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

Among the many items in the Harding/Dabbs collection was this photograph of John Williams Burton, a son of Rev. Duncan Hyder and Lavinia "Lilly" Emily (Burton) Selph. 

This photograph is dated 2/15/88, which would have been February 15, 1888, to Sister from Jack. The same shaky hand that traced over the writing on Iley N. Selph's photograph traced over this one and added the notation that sister was Auntie Mrs. McLean. That auntie would be Sarah (Selph) McClain or McLean, who was a sister to John Williams Selph and Iley Nunn Selph. 

The Doerr photography studio was located at 12th and Market Sts. in Louisville County, Kentucky. Notice that duplicates can be made at any time. 

In 1888, John Williams Selph would have been 23 years old. 

lley N Selph From the Harding/Dabb Collection

 ©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

About two weeks ago, I was contacted by Shelley Ledbetter, who posted a comment on Priscilla Dickinson "Dee" (Selph) Harding, telling me that she had seen a lot of letters and photos that had belonged to Sarah (Harding) Dabbs at an antique shop in West Plains, Missouri.  As a member of the DAR, she was moved to look for anyone connected to the Hardings because of a DAR certificate among the items. She put me in touch with the Old Time Flea Market and Antique Mall, and I was assured that there were many items in the group associated with the Selph family. I am pleased to say that I am now the custodian of the collection. 

This begins a series of posts that will showcase the "new" material found in the collection and that will be tagged "From the Harding/Dabb Collection." 

The first item is a photograph of my husband's grandfather Iley N. Selph as a teenager. 

Several things about this photograph stand out. First, it is inscribed to W. Buton Selph from Peter (Eily N Selph). Along the side, someone with a shaky hand traced over the penciled writing. That reads Eiley N Selph. Then in pencil is I.N. Selph and E.N. Selph. The spelling of Eily and Eiley for Iley is odd given that Iley evidently wrote it. Although I have seen his name spelled several ways in records, this makes me think that he was experimenting with the spelling of his name. Maybe he wanted to distinguish himself from his Uncle Iley N. Selph, for whom he was obviously named. Then there is the indication that Iley's nickname was "Peter." Why Peter? True, his grandfather was Peter Self, and he had an uncle named Peter Selph, but I am under the impression that the elder Selphs were not necessarily on good terms, so it seems odd that he would have been nicknamed Peter. Was there something about him that reminded his older family members of either his grandfather or his uncle? 

Peter Self Sr. died in about 1858, six years after his son Rev. Duncan Hyder Selph married Lavinia "Lilly" Emily Burton. Duncan Hyder Selph died in 1874 when his son Iley was just a toddler. The elder Selph children would have been too young to remember Peter Self Sr. and were probably not well acquainted with Peter Selph Jr. Was "Peter" a nickname that Duncan Hyder Selph gave his little son? And why? Was there something about his appearance or his temperament that reminded him of his father or brother?

Then there is the question of which brother Iley gave this photograph to. Was it John Williams Burton Selph or Washington B. Selph? Washington B. Selph died in 1888, so it is possible that he was the recipient. If John Williams Burton Selph was the recipient, I would expect the inscription to be for J.W. Burton Selph rather than just W. Burton Selph. Plus, there are the initials WBS written several times on the front of the photograph in pencil. 

Dating this photograph is not as straightforward as I hoped it would be. Clearly, Iley was a teen at this time. The photography studio of Louis Bergman was located at 204 to 208 West Market Street in Louisville, Kentucky between 1882 and 1883. It continued at simply 204 West Market Street until 1885. In this photograph, Iley appears to be older than eleven, which would have been his age in 1883. To me, he looks like he is at least fourteen, maybe fifteen. I think it is likely that Bergman would have used all of his available cardstock as long as he was still at 204 W. Market, so this may be older cardstock used at a later date. 

Lodowick Thompson of Lancaster and Kershaw Counties, SC

©  Kathy Duncan, 2020

For many years, I questioned whether the Lodowick Thompson who married Delilah Womack in Greenville County, Virginia could be my ancestor Lodowick Thompson who was married to Priscilla Reeves and lived in Lancaster County and Kershaw County, South Carolina.

I dug into this question a year or so ago, and still have questions, but believe that they were the same man.

There are no surviving 1790 census schedules for Virginia because they are believed to have been destroyed during the British attack on Washington during the War of 1812. However, a personal tax list for 1789 in Virginia does exist and can be used as a census reconstruction. 1789 found Lodowick Thompson in Southampton Co., Virginia.

On the 1790 Southampton Co., Virginia tax list:

Loderick Thomson with Willie Turner

A research question: Why is Lodowick Thompson listed with Willie Turner? Is Turner a step-father? Grandfather? Uncle? Older step-brother? Or is there no family connection at all?? There was a Willie Turner who died in Southampton County in 1794 and left his property to his mother Lucy Turner. If she died that property was to go to John Wesley Turner, and if he died while underage, it was to go to Lucy and John Little. 

Lodowick Thompson married Delilah Womack on 18 March 1793 in Greensville County, Virginia with Richard Gilliam as security.

[Source: "Greensville County, Virginia Marriages,” Virginia Marriage Records: From the Virginia Magazine of History by Elizabeth Petty Bently]

More research questions: Who was Richard Gilliam? Why was Lodowick and Delilah's marriage record filed in Greenville County instead of Southampton County? 

Delilah’s father Thomas Womack died in 1795, leaving a will dated 26 January 1794 in Southampton County, Virginia that left a small bequest to Harris Thompson, son of Lodowick Thomson. Evidently, Delilah had died, probably in childbirth. Harris Thompson probably would have been born within nine to ten months after his parents’ marriage. The fact that Thomas Womack left nothing to Delilah suggests that she was deceased. 

There are no surviving 1800 census schedules for Virginia; however, there are surviving schedules for Kershaw and Lancaster Counties, South Carolina. Since Lodowick Thompson cannot be found in South Carolina on the 1800 census, that may be an indication that he was still in Virginia in 1800.

Lodowick was in Lancaster District, South Carolina by 12 November 1800 when he purchased land:

12 November 1800, James Douglass of Lancaster Dist., for 30 pounds sterling to Lodawick Thompson, 200 acres adj. George Correy, near to where Solomon Smith raise a house, part of a grant to sd. Douglass, 986 acres, 1787…James Douglass (seal), Wit.: James Anderson, George Vickery (T). Proved by James Anderson, 3 April 1804.

Deed Bk F, p. 240

[Source: Lancaster County, South Carolina Deed Abstracts 1787-1811 by Brent H. Holcomb]

By 1806, Lodowick was selling the same piece of land:

Lodwick Thompson of Lancaster Dist., for $150 to Andrew McIlwean of same, 200 acres at the Waggon Road near Mary Watson, adj. George Currey, near to where Solomon Smith raised a house, along the road known by McDonalds Road, part of a grant to James Duglas, 966 acres, 1787…26 Sept. 1807. Wt: Wm Ross, Elias Caston.    Loddwick Thompson (L) (LS)

Proves by Wm Ross, 10 Nov 1806 before Jno. Crowder, J.P.

Deed Bk G, p. 112-113

[Source: Lancaster County, South Carolina Deed Abstracts 1787-1811 by Brent H. Holcomb]

Lodewick Thomson of Lancaster Dist., for $355 to Andrew McIlwain, two bay mares, beds & furnature, hogs, etc… 9 April 1808.

Wit.: Robert McIlwain. Proved by Robert McIlwain, 15 March 1808, before Jno Simpson, J.Q.

[Source: Lancaster County, South Carolina Deed Abstracts 1787-1811 by Brent H. Holcomb]

By 1810, Lodowick Thompson had moved from Lancaster County, South Carolina to Kershaw County, South Carolina.

1810 Kershaw Co., SC:

Lodrick Thomson 31001-21001

                3 males under 10 = Lodowick b. 1806, Lewis B. b. 1805, Solomon R. Thompson b.c. 1804

                1 male 10-16 = Harris Thompson

                1 male 45+ = Lodowick Thompson

                2 females under 10 = Abigail b. 1807, unknown female

                1 female 10-16 = unknown female

                1 female 45+ = Priscilla (Reeves) Thompson

1820 Kershaw Co., SC:

Thompson, Lodowick 311301-1121    6

                3 males under 10 = James, Sterling b. 1810, unknown male

                1 male 10-16 = Lodowick P. Thompson

                1 male 16-18 = Lewis B. Thompson

                3 males 16-26 = Solomon Thompson, two unknown males

                1 male 45+ = Lodowick Thompson

                1 female under 10 = unknown female

                1 female 10-16 = Abigail Thompson

                2 females 16-26 = two unknown females

                1 female 26-45 = Priscilla (Reeves) Thompson

Thompson, Harris 0001-201

                1 male 16-26 = Harris Thompson

                2 females under 10 =

                1 female 16 – 18 =

1820 Kershaw County, South Carolina

                

1830 Kershaw Dist., SC:

Thomson, Lodowick 11111001-1202001

                1 male under 5 = unknown male

                1 male 5-10 = unknown male

                1 male 10-15 =  James Thompson?

                1 male 15-20 = Sterling J. Thompson

                1 male 20-30 =

                1 male 50-60 = Lodowick Thomson

                1 female under 5 =

                2 females 5-10 =

                2 females 15-20 =

                1 female 40-50 = Priscilla Thomson

Lodowick Thompson was deceased before 1840.

1840, Kershaw Co., SC census:

Mrs. Thompson 00101-01112111

                1 male 10-14 = unknown male

                1 male 20-29 = Starling J. Thompson 

                1 female 5-9 = unknown female

                1 female 10-14 =

                1 female 15-19 =

                2 females 20-29 =

                1 female 30-39 =

                1 female 40-59 =

                1 female 50-69 = Priscilla Thompson

Will of Priscilla Thompson, legacies:

Son Starling Thompson

Starling’s son Jesse Thompson

James Thompson

Mary Ann Thompson

Lewis L Thompson

Harriet Amanda Thompson

Rebecca Fisher Thompson

Will mentions:

Lodowick Thompson Jr’s land

Solomon R. Thompson

10 Nov 1843, James P Dickinson swore that he saw Priscilla Thompson sign with her mark.

Priscilla (Reeves) Thompson left a special legacy for her grandson Jesse Thompson. She had other grandchildren by this point, so what made Jesse so special? Is there a clue in his name? Was there a Jesse Reeves who she was related to? Was there a Solomon Reeves? 

Children of Lodowick and Delilah (Womack) Thompson:

 1. Harris Thompson

Children of Lodowick and Priscilla (Reeves) Thompson. Birth order unknown:

2. Solomon Reeves Thompson

3. Lewis B. Thompson

4. Lodowick Pinkney Thompson

5. Abigail Thompson m. Scarborough

6. Sterling/Starling J. Thompson

7. Harriet Amanda Thompson

8. James Thompson

9. Mary Ann Thompson

10. Rebecca Fisher Thompson