2007 1.pdfDAVIE DOSSIER January 2007
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Davie Dossier
Issued by
Davie County Historical and Genealogical Society
Mocksville, North Carolina
January 2007 Issue
HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWS
The Davie County Historical and Genealogical Society meet on the fourth Tuesday every month,
unless otherwise notified, in the History Room of the Davie County Public Library. Please keep this in
mind when you are filling out your calendars.
At the September 28, 2006, meeting, Bill Urdanick presented a program, displayed his “Land
Grant” map, and helped to locate areas where members now live. A review of the Society’s participation
in the Daniel-Rebecca Boone Wedding celebration was held and there is talk of another celebration in
2007.Elizabeth Martin suggested we consider a life-time membership in the Society and after discussion
it was agreed to make this option available for anyone who would like to do so for a one-time donation of
$100.
On October 24, Priscilla McCullough made a presentation about “Revolutionary Women” and
their lives during that period of history. Linda Leonard had a display of Davie County Historical points
of interest and shared details about them.
At the November 28th meeting, Linda Leonard made a beautiful Power Point presentation of
Davie County History to the group. Included were the 1804 Olive Branch Cemetery and the Mocksville
Town Square War Memorial which lists 346 names of Davie County citizens who have been killed in past
wars.
At the January 23, 2007, meeting, Diane Webb told of arrangements for the group to tour a 1797
home in Huntsville called the “White House” which in now owned by Ross & Batty Morton. It was
announced that the “Daniel Boone” celebration will be held on August 24-25 in Mocksville and the
Society is making plans to participate in the historical presentation and tour.
Please note the address label on the front of the Dossier to find the expiration date of your
membership in the Society (the year is noted after your name). On the last page of the Dossier is an
application blank for use in renewing your membership.
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CLEMENT PLANTATION HOUSE
The Clement Plantation House, C. 1828, a two-story regional Federal home is on the National
Register of Historic places and has been completely restored. It is decorated with antiques and period
colors and retains the seven original fireplaces, flooring, woodwork and pegged doors.
By legend, Jesse Clement threw barrels of water and corn into the dirt for the pigs to rout and mix
into mud for the bricks, which were handmade by his servants to build the house.
This home sits on 13 serene wooded acres in the heart of Mocksville, within easy walking
distance of the downtown historic area and is now open as a bed and breakfast. For more information,
contact Mike and Margaret Cevasco, 290 East Maple Drive, Mocksville, NC 27028 or phone 336-751-
2335.
MARTIN-WALL HISTORY ROOM
Gleanings from The Davie Record, published 1899-1957; editors: E.H. Morris and Frank
Stroud, Sr. These items are from the spring of 1908:
BANK of DAVIE
County and State Depository
Paid in Capital $20.000
W. A. Bailey, President
T. R. Bailey, Vice-President
Jas. McGuire, Jr. –Vice-President
T. J. Byerly, Cashier
E. L. Gaither, Auditor
We offer every accommodation possible in harmony with safe banking. Interest paid on
time deposits. Special attention given to collections. Money to loan on approved security. Give
us your account. We sell American Banker’s money orders.
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Mrs. Helen Tucker and her niece, Miss Marly Stroud, took dinner with Mrs. C. D.
Crouch’s family Sunday.
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Elsewhere will be found an account of the death of Capt. Chas. G. McCulloh, taken from a
Missouri paper. Mr. McCulloh was a native of Davie, and settled in Missouri over 50 years ago. He was
a brother of the late Jas. McCulloh of this county, and was an uncle of Messrs. Chas. Goshen and D. F.
McCulloh of Davie. We extend our sympathy to these relatives. Peace to his ashes.
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Donations to Famine Relief Fund
H. F. Tutterow 1.00
F. P. Potts .50
F.. A. Foster .50
J. A. Current .50
W. F. Stonestreet .50
H. C. Merony .50
E. H. Morris 1.00
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Some of those opposed to the graded school are grossly misrepresenting things. We will not call
any names, but the guilty conscience needs no accuser.
Mr. O. B. Eaton, formerly of Davie County, was nominated for Mayor of Winston last week for
the fourth time. As a general thing, a Democrat has to leave Davie to get elected.
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Mr. E. L. Gaither spent a portion of last week at Greensboro, assisting in the trial of Mrs. Estella
Hanes against the Southern Railroad. Mrs. Hanes got judgment of $7,000.
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It’s too bad to see people who go from day to day suffering from physical weakness, when
Hollister’s Rocky Mountain Tea would make them well. The greatest tonic known. 35 cents. Tea or
Tablets. C. C. Sanford
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In the Democratic municipal primary held here last evening the following ticket was nominated.
For Mayor, A. M. McGlamery; Commissioners, J. T. Baity, V. E. Swaim, G. E. Horn, R. P. Anderson,
and J. E. Johnstone.An election has been ordered by the board of aldermen for May 7th for the purpose of
voting on a $5,000 bond issue and a special tax for the establishment of a graded school, provided for by a
special act of the last legislature.
The above appeared in Monday’s Charlotte Observer. We wonder “who writ it”.
NEVER HEARD OF A MUNICIPAL PRIMARY in Mocksville until we read the above. There are
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something like 80 or more Democrats in the town of Mocksville, and there were 17 votes cast for Mayor
in the courtroom Saturday evening.
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FORT DOBBS
Fort Dobbs special events and living history weekends are made possible by the generous
support of the Friends of Fort Dobbs whose mission is to serve the missions of Fort Dobbs State
Historic Site which is “Preserve and interpret North Carolina’s only French and Indian War fort
site to all citizens and visitors.” More information can be found at www.fortdobbs.org
Some of the schedule for 2007 :
March 3-4: Scouting the Frontier
April 21-22: War for Empire 1737
May 12-13: Fortifying the Post
August 11-12: Guarding the Frontier
October 26-28: Trade Faire
November 10-11: Food at the Fort
December 8-9: Wintering in Wartime
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The Bryan Family
From the History Room Files
Dr. John K. Bryan, of Scotia, New York, is one of the foremost authorities of Bryan
genealogy, having spent decades collecting material. He has visited the Davie County Public
Library many times, contributing information to the library’s Bryan collection. A few weeks
ago, he was in Davie County to promote a project to erect a highway marker designating the site
of the Morgan Bryan homesite. Morgan Bryan was the grandfather of Rebecca Bryan, wife of
Daniel Boone. One result of Dr. Bryan’s search is that he found so many descendants with the
name ‘John Bryan’. He wrote a whimsical comment which reads as follows:
WHY THE BRYANS CRAMMED 50 MEN INTO 7 NAMES
I have been forced to conclude that they did it on purpose. They were not ignorant or
unimaginative.Traditionalism doesn’t adequately explain it. Some 50 Bryan men of three or
four generations lived in the same area for 35 years. Their sole purpose in sharing ju st seven
names was to confound their descendents and hopelessly confuse would-be genealogists.
What a grand joke it has been. The ghostly guffaws of those who were in on it can still
be heard. I have personally detected distant horselaughs and muffled giggles when absorbed in
attempts to correlate mismatched court records, deeds, dates, historic events, family tradition,
and the opinio ns of prior researchers. Those bemused Bryans delight in my frustration. They’re
laughing at me across 200 years.
Old Morgan Bryan arrived in the Forks of the Yadkin from the Shenandoah Valley in the
winter of 1747-48. With him were five of his boys and son-in-law, William Linville. Married
sons Joseph and Morgan Jr. came south to Carolina to rejo in the clan a year or two later. By the
mid-1750’s, all seven Bryan boys were married. Some already had several children. At about
that time, patriarch Morgan must have convened his sons at his Mansion House on Deep Creek
in the present Yadkin County.
“Boys, “ he said, “We’re agoin’ to fix ‘em.” And he outlined his plan.
l. Each of the seven would be allowed to name one son in honor of a close family friend or the
father-in-law.
2. The other sons were to be named for papa or a fraternal uncle.
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3. The seven brothers would continue to live within 50 miles of each other.
4. As third generation sons married, they would establish homes within the same area.
5. Every effort would be made to extend the above conditions to the fourth generation.
“The idea,” old Morgan explained, “is to get as many Bryans as possible with the same given
name into the same neighborhood at the same time.”
“Our descendents will go crazy trying to sort everybody out!” chortled Joseph Bryan.
“The Rowan County clerk will go nuts,” laughed Samuel.
“And the Court Recorder,” chuckled Morgan Jr.
“And militia paymasters,” cackled John.
“And our creditors,” howled James.
“And our wives,” giggled William.
“And we’ll save a bundle on monogrammed shirts,” Thomas said. Tommy was a little strange.
“Done!” shouted old Morgan. They spilled out of the cabin, tears streaming, holding their sides.
“Fetch the jug!” the patriarch ordered and they headed for the barn to consecrate the agreement.
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US CENSUS FOR DAVIE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
Townships as listed by www.ancestry.com
Contributed by Marie Roth
1790 Davie was part of Rowan County
Townships not listed on census
1800 Davie was part of Rowan County
Carolina
Lexington
Not Stated
Salisbury
1820 Davie was part of Rowan County
Battalion 1 or Salisbury Side
Battalion 3 or Forks of Yadkin
Battalions 2 & 4 or Lexington Side
Salisbury
1830 Davie was part of Rowan County
Townships not listed on census
1840 Davie County Townships
Townships not listed on census
1850 Davie County Townships
Townships not listed on census
1860 Davie County Townships
Chinquapin
Farmington
Fulton
Hunting Creek
Liberty
Mocksville
Shady Grove
Smith Grove
1870 Davie County Townships
Calahaln
Clarksville
Farmington
Fulton
Jerusalem
Mocksville
1880 Davie County Townships
Calahan
Clarksville
Farmington
Fulton
Jerusalem
Mocksville
Smith Grove
1900 Davie County Townships
Calahaln
Clarksville
Farmington
Fulton
Jerusalem
Mocksville
Shady Grove
1910 Davie County Townships
Calahaln
Clarksville
Farmington
Fulton
Jerusalem
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Mocksville
Shady Grove
1920 Davie County Townships
Calahaln
Clarksville
Farmington
Fulton
Jerusalem
Mocksville
Shady Grove
1930 Davie County Townships
Advance
Calahaln
Clarksville
Farmington
Fulton
Jerusalem
Mocksville
Shady Grove
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FROM ITALY TO MOCKSVILLE
Excerpt from article by Jane McAllister
Published in the Davie County Enterprise, September 28, 2006
Sisters, Daughters of Renowned Sculptor, moved here in 1914.
Imagine growing up in Florence, Italy and moving to Mocksville in your later years.
That is just what sisters Anna Barker Gibson Powers (Nan) and Ellen Elizabeth Powers Lemmi
did in 1914, along with Ellen’s grown daughter Josephine, who worked as a bookkeeper for C.C.
Sanford & Sons.
Their father, Hiram Powers, took his family to Florence to pursue his art in 1837 where
he lived until his death in 1873. He was a renowned American sculptor –his most famous
statue Greek Slave (1844) was exhibited in London’s Crystal Palace and subsequently
purchased by the Smithsonian and now rests in the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Family squabbles and lawsuits arose in 1880 over the rights to Hiram Powers’ works and
name. Ellen married to help ensure some financial support for Nan and herself. The ‘Villa
Powers’in Florence passed to the two sisters upon their mother’s death in 1894, but finding the
property too costly to maintain, they elected to return to the US.A family friend, charged with
finding an inexpensive place to live for the sisters, knew James McGuire, Jr. of Mocksville and
the girls moved here in 1914. Ellen was a widow who had a grown son and daughter.
The Rev. and Mrs. E.P. Bradley were next-door neighbors to the Powers sisters and her
reminiscences were shared with Mary and Jane McGuire in a letter. Apparently, on their voyage
from Italy to the US, the sisters traveled in steerage to care for their cats. They lived for awhile
in the Grant Daniel home (corner of S. Main & Water Sts.) then to the Meroney house, and
finally the old Brown house. At the Brown house, they erected a building in the back yard to
house the cats, with a runway to the second story of the house for the cats’ convenience.
Long accustomed to living in an Italian villa surrounded by high walls, the sisters feared
the local traffic. They would stay up until the wee hours of the morning until the car and
pedestrian traffic died down and then sleep until noon. They generally dined outside under a
grape arbor. Mrs. Lemmi shared stories of visits in their childhood home by such famous literary
luminaries as Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Annie Powers died in 1919 and was buried in Joppa Cemetery. Josephine Lemmi moved
her mother Ellen to Rutherfordton in 1932 where she died at age 80 and was cremated in
Washington. Ellen’s son, Charles Lemmi, was a professor at Goucher College in Baltimore,
MD. He died in 1943. Josephine never married and died in 1955.
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DAVIE DOSSIER January 2007
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DANIEL W. SMITH BIBLE RECORD
Copied from a Family Bible belonging to Daniel W. Smith of Smith Grove,Route #5,
Mocksville,Davie County, N.C. Mr. Smith is a great-grandson of Samuel and Hannah Smith
through their son Thomas, born 1784, and his son Jonathan, born 1817.
Samuel and Hannah Smith’s children were:
Jane Smith born April 2, 1770
John Smith born March 10, 1774
William Smith born May 3, 1777
Samuel Smith born November 14, 1779
James Smith born January 26, 1782
Thomas Smith born August 16, 1784
Levi K. Smith born December 7, 1786
Sarah Smith born December 17, 1789
Perry Smith born September 1, 1792
Deaths:
Thomas Smith died December 14, 1858
Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Davie County, NC
August Term 1840 Book I, pp. 200 and 209.
Levi Smith appointed Administrator on Estate of Samuel Smith, Sr., deceased. Bond
fixed at 100.00
Levi Smith died November 24, 1840. See tombstone in Bethlehem Cemetery, Davie
County. He had evidently declined to qualify, probably on account of ill health, so his will is
dated October 27, 1840.
Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Book I, pp. 224, 328
William Smith was appointed Administrator on Estate of Samuel Smith, Sr., deceased;
gave Bond for $100.00 and qualified.
Record Book 2, Settlement of Estates, p. 46.
Among buyers at sale of Sam Smith’s property on October 31, 1840, is John Smith, Sr.
who bought a Bible for 50 cents. Total sales of personal property amounted to $52.47 … .
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HUMOR
Thanks to: C. Fields. who writes:
While searching for our great-great-grandfather we found a family whose
11th and final child was named Enough FIELDS.
Looks like they meant it.
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Thanks to: Juli Risener Morgan
While researching Lunenburg County, Virginia records, I came across a
death register at:
http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/va/lunenburg/vitals/dea6566.txt
There I found a Joe PHILLIPS, who died 30 January 1867 at age 65.
Cause of death is listed as "worn out."
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D C H G S 2007 OFFICERS
President:Aubrey Wensil
Vice-President:Linda Leonard
Secretary-Treasurer:Frances Beck
Board of Directors:Dale McCullough
Diane Webb
Bill Urdanick
Dossier Editors:Nancy Murphy
Doris Frye
ITEMS FOR SALE
Postage and handling included in price
Davie County...A Brief History (Wall) Paperback 7.50
The Daniel, Squire, and John Boone Families in Davie County
(Wall, Boone, & Martin)5.00
Davie County Marriages 1836-1900, by Nancy K. Murphy 25.00
Davie County Marriages 1901-1959, by Nancy K. Murphy 25.00
Davie County Cemeteries, a two-volume set 55.00
by D.C. Historical & Genealogical Society
1860 Federal Census-Davie County, by Murphy & Sain 17.00
1870 Federal Census-Davie County, by Murphy & Sain 17.00
1880 Federal Census-Davie County, by Murphy & Sain 22.50
Maps -Lagle Land Grant 6.50
-Hughes Historical 6.50
-1887 Alderman 2.50
Postcards (set of 8 )2.50
Davie County Heritage Book 24.00
These items can be ordered from the Davie County Historical and Genealogical Society
Office. North Carolina residents need to add 7% sales tax to the total.
Membership for Calendar year 2007 is still just $5.00/year. The number following your
name on the address label indicates the year through which your dues are paid. Below is a
registration form for your use; checks are to be made payable to the Society.
DAVIE COUNTY HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
Frances Atkinson Beck
1131 Wagner Road
Mocksville, North Carolina 27028
NAME _____________________________________________________________
ADDRESS ____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
EMAIL ADDRESS _______________________________________________________