2007 2.pdfDavie Dossier
Issued by
Davie County Historical and Genealogical Society
Mocksville, North Carolina
April 2007 Issue
SOCIETY NEWS
The Historical Society met February 27, in the History Room of the Davie County Public
Library. The group was invited to the Clement plantation house by Mike and Margaret Cervous
who recently bought the home. Current plans are to operate a Bed and Breakfast in this beautiful
and well-appointed home.
President Aubrey Wensil made notice of the Fort Dobbs events to be held in April and
Pat Reilly made a presentation about the Fort. Alice Brown and Pat Reilly also reported about a
recent trip to Jamestown with the local Senior Citizens group where they toured the Mendenhall
Plantation. There they were told about these Quaker people who helped slaves using the
Underground Railroad and viewed the false-bottomed wagon they traveled in. Other articles
were displayed from that same period.
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Diane Webb presented the Society meeting on March 27, about the life of George
Washington. Several wonderful points were made about his determination to create a free
country and the formation of the United States.
Everyone was reminded to watch for the movie, “National Treasures”, coming soon on
TV. Linda Leonard is working with the Daniel Boone committee where plans are formulated for
the August event. Diane Webb and Ina Beaver’s committee will be making lists of items people
will be willing to share for the “Daniel Boone” Museum show at the festival.
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The April meeting of the Society was held in the History Room of the Library where Fred
Roth presented the program about the early history of our nation.
An invitation was made to the Society by Russ and Betty Morton to visit their home, The
White House, in Huntsville on June 23. All interested in attending should be at the Library
parking lot at 1:30 p.m. on that day so we may travel together.
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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.
DAVIE DOSSIER April 2007
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MARTIN-WALL HISTORY ROOM
Gleanings from The Davie Record, published 1899-1957; editors: E. H. Morris and Frank
Stroud, Sr. These items are from June-July 1907:
Arrival of Trains
Mail Train
Ar. at Mocksville 9:48 a.m.
`Ar. at “ 6:04 p.m.
Local Freight
Ar at Mocksville 9:28 a.m.
Through Train
(Daily and Sunday)
Ar at Mocksville 1:13 p.m.
Ar at “ 3:38 p.m.
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Dr. W. H. Wakefield, of Charlotte, will be at the hotel in Cooleemee on Thursday, July
4th, for the purpose of treating diseases of eye, ear, nose and throat, and fitting glasses. On this
visit the doctor’s fees for testing eyes for glasses will be reduced one-half.
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Mocksville and Clarksville townships show a gain of $150,000 in the value of real and
personal property. If the remaining townships show a like gain, Davie’s taxable property will
reach over three million dollars.
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Question: “I thought the Democratic party of North Carolina favored helping the old soldier and
stood for temperance.”
Answer: Well, they do claim to be, but there are exceptions, for instance the mayor and town
commissioners of Mocksville.
The above was handed us by a Democrat with request to publish. What Democracy
stands for is an unanswerable problem. They are lightning artists.
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BANK OF COOLEEMEE
Cooleemee, N.C.
J. B. Mason, President, J. N. Ledford, V. President J.H.L. Rice, Cashier
DIRECTORS:
J. B. Mason –Cashier National Bank, Durham, N.C.
J. F. Wily –Cashier the Fidelity Bank, Durham, N.C.
B. N. Duke –Director American Tobacco Co. and Capitalist
F. L. Fuller –Attorney at Law
W. R. Hartness –Agent Southern Railway Company
H. J. Forsyth –Supt. Cooleemee Cotton Mills
T. V. Terrell –Treas. Cooleemee Cotton Mills
J. W. Zachary –Bookkeeper Cooleemee Cotton Mills
J. H. L. Rice –with Cooleemee Cotton Mills
W. A. Erwin –President Cooleemee Cotton Mills and Capitalist
J. N. Ledford –Treas. And Mgr.,the J. N. Ledford Co.
With the strongest financial backing of any Bank in this section of the State, we invite Merchants,
Farmers, Individuals, Firms and Corporations that have not already done so, to open an account with us.
We extend to our patrons every accommodation consistent with good banking.Interest paid on
all money left in our Savings Department for four months or longer. Give us your banking business.
J.H.L. Rice, Cashier
DAVIE DOSSIER April 2007
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Miss Eliza Douthit, who has been visiting her sister, Mrs. E. H. Morris, for several weeks,
returned home Tuesday morning, accompanied by master Cecil Morris.
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Miss Grace Coley and Mr. Edwin H. Bost will be united in marriage June 19th , at 5 o’clock, in
the Methodist church at Cooleemee. Miss Coley is a daughter of Jas. H. Coley, Esq., and was for a
number of years a resident of Mocksville. Mr. Bost holds a position in a cotton mill at Mooresville. We
extend in advance our congratulations and best wishes.
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Mr. W. L. Crews and Miss Mattie Lippard were united in marriage the past week, at the home of
Mr. A. C. Cornatzer, F.M. Williams, Esq., officiating.
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Mr. W. C. P. Etchison, who has for 20 years or more looked after Mocksville’s streets, and for
most of the time was its policeman, was rudely awakened by a notice Monday evening that his services
were no longer needed. We are not on the inside of the deals going on, but hope that town improvements
will not suffer by the change. We regret to see Mr. Etchison lose his position, without notice, for he has
been at this kind of work so long that he may find it hard to get a position at which he can make a living.
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SOCIAL SECURITY DEATH INDEX TIPS
(from the NGS NewsMagazine)
Tips to get better results with the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) if initial search
fails.
Search by last name only, use the Soundex feature, and add one or more field, such as SSN issue
state or year of birth.
Search by first name only and add one or two more fields.
If you do not know the name of the spouse of an individual, search for anyone with the same last
name and Zip code for the death of the other spouse. This trick often works!
Social Security numbers are sometimes reversed for husband and wife. Both persons may be in
the index under each other’s number or with the same number.
Search with first or last name only, plus state and county of last known residence.
If the surname is more than twelve characters or the given name is more than ten characters, and
the index reports there are no entries with that name, reduce the name to twelve or ten characters.
Do not assume that someone is deceased if he or she is more than one hundred years old. There
are presently about seventy thousand centenarians in the United States.
Sometimes the reason you are not finding someone in the SSDI is because he or she is in the
index with only an initial instead of complete first name, or the first or last name was entered
incorrectly by the clerk, i.e., a typo was made. Remember, too, that the SSDI does not include all
persons who died or received benefits, but rather only deaths that were reported to the Social
Security Administration.
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THE ROWAN REGISTER
The Rowan Register was published by Mrs. Linn from February 1986 through November
2001. Part of the material included information from what is now Davie County. Some excerpts
from Vol. # 1, Feb. 1986 follow:
Rowan County Wills:
G:11. SAMUEL (X) MERRELL, n.d., prb. Feb. 1803. Wife, Susannah, Son Azariah to have the
300 A home plantation. Son Smith Merrell to have the 170 A plantation on which he now lives
and the land adjoining it. Daus: Jemimah Yarbrough and Sarah. Exrs: sons Benjamin S. and
Azariah. Wit: William Strange, Silas Baggett.
DAVIE DOSSIER April 2007
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(Ed note: Rowan County Deed Book 23:295 shows that on 25 Jan 1814 Thomas Yarbrough, Sr.
and wife Jemima sold Peter Owens, Jr., 10A on the east side of the Yadkin River on both sides of
the Muddy Run near it s head adj. John Claver, Henry Kepley, John Berkhart, and Azariah
Merrell, the deed being proved by John Goss. This land was willed Thomas Yarbrough by the
decd Samuel Merrell. Samuel Merell was the son of Benjamin Merrill and his wife Jemima
Smith who migrated to Rowan County from Hopewell, NJ, in the 1760’s)
G:16. JACOB WISEMAN. 24 Dec 1807. prb. 2 Aug 1808. Planter, sick and weak. Wife
Elizabeth to have home planta. with reversion to son Josiah. Sons Isaac, Jacob, and John
Wiseman to have lands now in their possession. Son Jonathan to have $150 extra and $100 for a
piece of land and my cooper tools. Daus: Mary Green, Martha Willis, Elender Line, and Jane
Line. Exrs: wf Elizabeth and son Josiah Wiseman. Wit: Robert Wilson, John Wilson, Andrew
Wilson.
(Ed Note: Rowan County Marriage Bonds show Eleanor Wiseman to William Line 13 Dec 1787
with Isaac Wiseman as bondsman and Jean Wiseman to Joab Line 31 Oct 1791 with Isaac
Wiseman as bondsman, also Jeremiah Green to Mary Wiseman 21 Oct 1775 with John Ford
bondsman. Family tradition has it that Jacob Wiseman, the testator, married Elizabeth
Henderson who was born in Currituck Co., NC. Jacob Wiseman appears on the 1768 tax list in
Rowan County and had a McCulloh grant in 1772 for 200 A on Swearing Creek, as recorded in
Rowan County Deed Book 8:262. DAR has accepted the lineage of Jacob Wiseman, a private
from NC, and wife Elizabeth Henderson although no North Carolina marriage bond is extant.)
G:55, BENJAMIN GAITHER, 21 May 1808, prb. 1803. Weak.Wife, Elizabeth. Son Brice to
have 103 A bought from John Little and Willm Patrick and 100A bought from Willm Parker.
Son Thomas to have 100 A on S side of homeplace. Son Johnsey to have 100 A of homeplace.
Son Beal to have the house and remainder of homeplace except 10 A which is to go to my son
Basil with 108 adj A. 3 oldest daus: Margaret Howard, Eleoner Parker, Aria Parker. 2 youngest
daus: Harriet Howard and Sally Gaither. Exrs: son Thomas Gaither and brother Burgess
Gaither. Wit: John Little, Gassaw(ay) Gaither, James Reed.
G:61. BASIL GAITHER. 8 Nov. 1802, prb. 1803. Wife Margaret to have “uninterrupted use of
my dwelling plantation and mill and negro man Barker and mullatter women Judey, Jacob,
Salomon and Minty,” and personalty. Son Walter to have 220 A from Austons line to C.
Hunters. Son Gassaway to have 200 A adj Walter’s. Son Nathan to have 220 A willed to his
mother and the turner’s shops now standing in my yard. Son Basil to have my 180 A state grant
and 70 A more. Dau. Betsey Gaither to have negroes Solomon and Minty when she marries.
Dau. Neley Jones to have $100.00 and all the property put with her since the death of her
husband. Grandsons: Thomas C. Jones, Basil G. Jones, Abraham R. Jones, Isaac D. Jones, and
Walter G. Jones. Grandaus: Margaret W. Jones and Mary C. Jones. Grandchildren to have
jointly the negro man Sam and negro woman Sall and “a tract conveyed by deed to Isaac Jones
from Ralph Van Cleave and from sd Jones to me, quantity not ascertained but supposed to be
200 acres reserving specially the use & benefit of the above land to Neley Jones during her
natural life.” My executors are to sell the tract where Neley Jones lives adj the county line at the
head of Dutchman’s Crk. “If my son Gassaway will give $200.00 for my half the Stud horse, he
may have him & in case he will not give it, either of my other sons may take him at that price.”
Exrs: sons Walter and Basil Gaither. Wit: Wm. Moore, Joseph Dial, Vachell Ijams.
(Ed. Note: The Rowan County marriage bond of Isaac Jones to Nelley Gaither is date 2 Apr.
1787 with Basil Gaither bondsman.)
DAVIE DOSSIER April 2007
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Rowan County Deeds
11:8. 14 Aug 1786. Isaac Eaton, farmer to William Clark, farmer, for L20, 162 A on Great
Dutchmans Crk in the forks of the Yadkin, being part of a tract where Eaton now lives, adj
Michael Clifford near Charles Westerman’s planta. Isaac Jones, James (X) Simpson, Joseph
Eaton. Prvd May Court 1787 by Jones.
11:14. 6 Sept 1786. Morgan Bryan to George Bryan for L100, 212 A on Dutchmans Crk adj
John Bryan and Hunt. Lazarus Whitehead, Joseph Bryan, Prvd by Whitehead at May Court 1787
11:16. 18 Sept 1786. Morgan Bryan to Joseph Bryan for L40, 101 A. Lazarus Whitehead,
George Bryan, Prvd by Whitehead at May Court 1787
11:18. 11 Apr 1783. Michael Clifford, Sr., to Richard Hains for 25 shillings, 50 A in the forks
of the Yadkin on Dutchmans Crk adj Charles Westmor. Basil Gaither, Jacob Clifford. Elizabeth
(+) Clifford makes her mark. Prvd by Gaither at May Court 1787.
11:24. 10 Oct 1783. State Grant #631 to William Butler @ 50 shillings the 100 A, 200 A on the
long branch of Hunting Crk adj his other survey, Isaac Holman, and John Maidens.
11:25, 10 Oct 1783. State Grant #349 to William Butler @ 50 shillings the 100 A, 200 A on the
branches of Hunting Crk adj Archibald McConnel.
Divisions of Estates
pp. 49-50. EBENEZER EATON –16 Feb 1810. Samuel Smith, Joseph Deal, James Smith,
John Cheshier, and R. Powell divide a grant from Michael Clifford. Eight lots of 17A and 30
rods are allotted to Catharine Eaton, Peter Eaton, Benjamin Garner, Lydia Eaton, John Eaton,
Elizabeth Eaton, James Eaton, and Cynthia Eaton.
Salisbury District Superior Court Minutes
William McMahan, William Sheppard & Andrew Bailey under bond to King, McMahan for
L100 and others for L50 to appear at Nov. Court.
Jeremiah Bailey & Mary his wife came into Court and acknowledged themselves indebted to the
King in the sum of L20 & to appear next Court & give evidence against Elias Brock. John
Clayton to do same.
Elias Brock, Peter Arrand & Richard Crunk under L100 and L50 bonds to appear at next Court.
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THE APPERSON FAMILY
Notes from the History Room Family Files
The will of William Apperson, Surry County, NC, Book 3, page 172. October 8, 1825:
To son William, part of plantation adjoining Valentine Martin’s, etc. valued at $250.00
To son Thomas, balance of Plantation at price $400.00
To wife Elizabeth, all negroes, half of all stock, etc.
To daughter, Elizabeth Sprinkle
To son George Apperson, to live with his mother and be raised as the others had been.
Son Thomas Apperson, executor.
DAVIE DOSSIER April 2007
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The following records are taken from records of Mrs. J. Emory Cox of Winston-Salem:
William Apperson, born March 22, 1757, married Elizabeth Carr, born Dec. 23, 1763.
They both came from Virginia.
Children:
John March 8, 1783
Peter March 23, 1784
Frances May 9, 1785
Richard Sept. 6, 1786
William Aug. 25, 17888
Thomas May 25, 1790
Doctor Alexander March 28, 1792
Bennet Feb. 5, 1798
Elizabeth
George June 16, 1801
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The following are copied from Mrs. Lucy Poindexter Cundiff’s mother’s Family Bible:
Births:Thomas Apperson May 25, 1790
Luvitha Apperson, his wife May 14, 1808
Children:
Elizabeth J.July 8, 1825
William H.October 13, 1826
Richard Isham May 4, 1828
Nancy R.February 10, 1830
Mary P.November 8, 1831
Frances M.September 19, 1833
Sarah Ann Feb. 25, 1835
Luvitha July 3, 1837
Thomas V.April 16, 1830
Peter A.Feb 15, 1842
John A.July 27, 1844
Julina P.July 26, 1847
Deaths:
Sarah Ann June 24, 1836
Richard Isham September 1, 1849
Julina P.December 23, 1847
Thomas Senior March 14, 1854
Marriages:
Thomas & Luvitha Apperson October 22, 1824
Elizabeth J. Apperson to John Randleman Jan 29, 1846
Nancy R. Apperson to John Norman Jan. 29, 1850
Mary P. Apperson to Anderson Poindexter Nov. 29,
William H. Apperson to Julina Randleman Feb 10, 1853
Frances M. Apperson to Aaron Martin August 30, 1855
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Thanks to: Juli Risener Morgan
While researching Lunenburg County, Virginia records, I came across a death register:
There I found a Joe PHILLIPS, who died 30 January 1867 at age 65.
Cause of death is listed as "worn out."
DAVIE DOSSIER April 2007
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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 _______________________________________________________