200 acres on Cedar Creek

Anyone who has followed my Blog knows I have a great interest in anything pertaining to the Morgan family who lived in what is now the Uwharrie and Eldorado areas of Montgomery County, North Carolina. Mainly because they are, and have been for many years, a genealogical mystery. This Morgan line has not been researched enough to fully understand where they came from and how all the allied family members connect to each other.

While browsing through North Carolina Land Survey files at Ancestry, I found a document that has given me pause about Hardy Morgan and I wonder again whose son he is. Before finding this land survey, I had uncovered several documents that might indicate Hardy was the son of Charles Morgan who migrated from Chatham County to Montgomery County about 1805. I still hold that belief because, based on what documents I have found to date, that seems the most logical option. However, I am not opposed to changing my mind if other documentation reveals itself.

In a land survey for Montgomery County is found one of the earliest mentions outside the 1810 Census on Hardy Morgan; he and Zachariah Morgan are performing the duties of Chain Carriers in 1811 for a tract of land for William Blaylock.

The 6th day of October 1811, Will Stone, the Entry Taker for the county of Montgomery, wrote, “To the surveyor of said county greeting you are hereby required to lay off and survey according to law a tract or parcel of land containing two hundred acres for William Blaylock on Cedar Creek joining his own line and Andrew Dennis line…”

On 19 September 1813, David Cochran, then county surveyor, “surveyed and laid down a plat representing 200 acres of land in Montgomery County on the south east side of Uhara (Uwharrie) River on Cedar Creek beginning at a red oak Andrew Dennis corner and ran to his own corner…”

Hardy Morgan and Zachariah Morgan Chain Carriers.

This is not the only time Hardy is found with Zachariah Morgan. In the Revolutionary War pension file of John Stewart, dated 1833, is found the deposition of Zachariah Morgan that was taken by Hardy Morgan. I know Hardy and Zachariah are related, I just do not know how.

I do know that Hardy is not Zachariah’s son because in the Revolutionary War file of John Stewart, Zachariah, in his deposition, states he was about 12 years of age at the close of the American Revolution and lived in Chatham County, North Carolina, which puts his birth year about 1771.

In Hardy Morgan’s War of 1812 file, his widow, Nancy Hearn Morgan, states that Hardy was born 1 Apr 1785 in Chatham County, North Carolina. Zachariah was 14 years old when Hardy was born so he cannot be Hardy’s father. Zachariah is either Hardy’s Uncle or his cousin.

Zachariah Morgan may be the son of Charles Morgan who died in Chatham County in 1787 and left a will naming his children as Joseph Morgan, Charles Morgan Jr, Edward (or Edmond) Morgan, John Morgan, Zachariah Morgan, William Morgan, Hannah West, Rachel Stewart.

Based on age, it is likely that Zachariah was born late in life to Charles Morgan. I do not think Zachariah is the grandson of Charles as the ages of Charles's children just cannot fit Zachariah in a timeline to be one of their children. There is only one grandchild mentioned in the will of Charles Morgan, his granddaughter, Jeane Stewart, obviously the daughter of John and Rachel Morgan Stewart. I know that Charles Morgan had other grandchildren at the time of his death though. His son Joseph had at least two young children born before 1787 and Charles Jr had at least two children born before his death in 1787, Hardy Morgan possibly being one of those children born in 1785, two years before Charles Sr died.

I am not sure why only one grandchild is mentioned in Charles Morgan’s will, but it is something that prevents me from declaring with certainty that I have the correct Morgan family.

Mentioned also in the William Blaylock survey is Andrew Dennis, who is my 4th great grandfather. I descend through his son, James Dennis and his wife Mary Morgan, whom MAY be the daughter of Zachariah Morgan. Some research suggests that Mary is the daughter of Joseph and Susannah Smart Morgan, but that cannot be as Susannah is too young to be Mary’s mother (she was only 6 when Mary was born) and there is no female, Mary’s age, ever found on the Census records in the household with Joseph and/or Susannah. I think it more realistic that James Dennis married the girl next door. If Mary is the daughter of Zachariah, then that makes Zachariah my 4th great grandfather.

Like the Morgan family, I have found discrepancies with the research previously done on Andrew Dennis. Researchers cannot agree on timeline dates for his life and when dates do not add up in an ancestor’s life that usually means there is a missing generation, or we have the wrong information.

Of interest, there was a James Dennis in Anson County, North Carolina who lived on Twelve Mile Creek in the year 1762. Land Grants show his neighbor as one William Givians. There is also a George Dennis and a Nathaniel Dennis shown in early Anson County deeds. Of interest, most researchers seem to agree that Andrew Dennis’s father was named Nathaniel Dennis, however, your guess is as good as mine as to how they came up with that name.

In 1778 or 79, Andrew Dennis signed a Petition to Governor, Council and Assembly from the inhabitants of the upper end of Anson (now Montgomery) county for a division to form Montgomery County, showing that Andrew Dennis was in the Anson County area prior to 1779 and that he was older than 21 years, the legal age to have signed a petition, meaning he was born prior to 1757. The 1800 Census concurs with this record showing Andrew Dennis was older than 45 years. The 1830 Census shows him to be between 90 and 99 years of age, making him born about 1735.

Montgomery county was formed by an act of the North Carolina General Assembly of 1778 in January 1779 from Anson County.

There are four land grants in the name of Andrew Dennis. Two of them are dated 11 Oct 1783. Grant number 121 is for 150 acres of land in Montgomery County on the North East side of the Yadkin River joining John Edwards, who had been granted land, 128 acres, on the North side of the Yadkin River joining his own corner and Humphrey Ballard’s, dated 11 Oct 1783.

More on John Edwards in another Blog. I am researching the Edwards family because I think they have ties back to Charles Morgan who died in 1787 in Chatham County. I also believe that a Y-DNA match from Tennessee descends from this Morgan / Edwards family.

Humphrey Ballard was granted 193 acres of land on the North East side of the Yadkin River beginning on the side of Gallon Creek and joining John Edwards and Mark Bennett, dated 11 Oct 1783. Mark Bennett had two land grants for Cedar Creek, both dated 11 Oct 1783.

It took me some time to find Gallon Creek as there is no mention of it on any map or old newspaper I could find. I had never heard of it before. I finally discovered an 1889 court case that states Gallon Creek is the same as Island Creek.

Bonaparte v. Carter Supreme Court of North Carolina Feb 1, 189011 S.E. 262 (N.C. 1890) was an action to recover land, tried at Fall Term, 1889, of MONTGOMERY Superior Court, before Merrimon, J

The defendants, in attempting to locate this grant, offered parol testimony for the purpose of showing that the beginning corner of the said Ballard grant started at a point 300 yards distant from Island Creek (which it is agreed by counsel is the same as Gallon Creek) https://casetext.com/case/bonaparte-v-carter or https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GGTW-P76?i=406&cc=1878751 for the entire case file which tells of how Nancy Bell once owned this land.

Grant number 207 for Andrew Dennis is also for 150 acres of land in Montgomery County on the East side of the Uhary (Uwharrie) River on Cedar Creek near the mouth and includes William Ballard’s improvements. No doubt, William Ballard is a relative of Humphrey Ballard.

In 1795 Andrew Dennis has another Grant for 50 acres on Cedar Creek joining Benjamin Bell, being the father-in-law of Nancy Bell who once owned the Ballard land, and John Walker.

In 1803, Andrew Dennis has a Grant for 50 acres of land on Cedar Creek joining the land of Thompson Clement, John Stewart, John Thompson, and Andrew Dennis. I think this Grant probably belongs to the son of Andrew Dennis but would not be surprised if it indeed belongs to Andrew Dennis Sr.

What is not in doubt is the location where Andrew Dennis lived. All researchers agree that Andrew Dennis lived on current day River Road in Montgomery County on Cedar Creek. The house of his descendants still stands. Some suggest that Andrew Dennis lived in this house, or at least on the foundation where the current house stands.

William Blaylock, the man whom the survey was for, is probably best known to researchers as the father of David Blaylock who married Martha Dennis, the daughter of Andrew Dennis and Frances Blaylock who married Jesse Dennis, the son of Andrew Dennis and brother of Martha.

From his War of 1812 pension file found at Fold3, David Blaylock, on the 11th day of Feb 1851, appeared before a Justice of the Peace in Stanly County, created from Montgomery County in 1841, and declared that he enlisted in the War of 1812 as a Private at Henderson, Montgomery County, about the 25th day of May 1812 for a term of two years. Two witnesses, Daniel and Martha Freeman, provided a sworn statement that they knew both David and his wife Martha before and at the time of their marriage and that Martha’s maiden name is Dennis. Frances also provides a statement and makes note that she is the sister of David and that she married the brother of Martha. So, again, and not surprising, we have a situation where neighbors marry.

Frances shows up in the 1850 Census living next door to James and Mary Morgan Dennis. Her husband Jesse Dennis, dying prior to 1840.

David and Martha show up in Stanly County in 1850 and noted as living with them is Martha Dennis, the wife of Andrew Dennis and mother of Martha. She is 94 years old, making her birth year 1756, and claims she was born in Virginia.

Was Martha the first and only wife of Andrew Dennis? Is it possible that he was born in the 1750s rather than the 1730s as indicated on the 1830 Census? It certainly makes more sense that this would be the case. Is a tick mark in the wrong column on the 1830 Census possible? The 1810 Census seems to agree with Martha’s age on the 1850 Census. Land grants issued, petitions signed, the births of known children, all seem to add up that Andrew Dennis was probably born in the 1750s. Hopefully, more documentation can be uncovered to answer some of these questions.

Alston Morgan - Update on Morgan Y-DNA Research

I have been working through my cousins Y-DNA matches and MAY have finally broken through a brick wall with one of the matches who descends from Alston Morgan (1803-1860). The Y-DNA match had claimed that the parents of Alston Morgan were William Morgan and Martha Reeder. However, after more than a year of researching William and Martha Reeder Morgan, I now think these two have been confused as the parents of Alston Morgan.

So, I started over with atDNA matches to see if I had missed anything. Going back through more than twenty family trees that listed Alston Morgan (most having his parents listed as William Morgan and Martha Reeder), I found one lone tree connected to an account of a DNA match for my cousin who had an Anderson Morgan born about 1783 in Chatham County, North Carolina in his tree and listed as Anderson's son was Alston Morgan. Listed as Alston Morgan's wife is Ann Edwards whose family is from Chatham County, North Carolina. Attached to this family tree I found the Alston Morgan Story written by a descendant of the Edwards family.

The Alston Morgan Story
This is the story of Alston Morgan. It begins in Chatham County, North Carolina where Alston was born in 1803. His father Anderson Morgan served in the North Carolina Milia during the War of 1812, and was awarded a land grant on Hurricane Creek in Wilson County, Tennessee. Anderson was present on his land grant in the 1820 census. It was noted that he lived among several Edwardses, some of whom were from Chatham County, and were likely old friends. Anderson disappeared from the records afer the 1820 census, and is assumed to have died. He was replaced at that location by Alston Morgan.
Some genealogists may have picked a different father for Alston. But Anderson Morgan was the only Morgan on Hurricane Creek in early Wilson County, and was at the correct location in the censuses to be Alston's father. Anderson Morgan is the only feasible Morgan for the father of Alston Morgan.

Alston has been confused with Moses A Morgan, of Bedford County. It is not known if the two are related.

Alston is a surname, and there were Alstons in Wilson County. A guess is that Anderson Morgan's wife was an Alston.

There is a Wilson County marriage record for Alston Morgan to Ann Edwards, in January 1820. The bondsman for the marriage was Eaton Edwards. Eaton was the son of John Edwards, formerly of Chatham County, NC. This marriage record is the only record in the lifetime of Ann Edwards. She was not even in the census enumerations for anyone. But Ann gave the gift of life to five children, and passed on her DNA. That DNA identified Ann as the daughter of Aaron Edwards, of Chatham County, NC and Hurricane Creek in Wilson County, TN. Ann and Alston were neighbors before they were married. Ann died in or about 1839, as indicated by Alston's remarriage to Julie Ann Abernathy in 1840. Ann and Alston had the following children:
unknown 1820-1828
Charles A Morgan 1828
William Newton Morgan 1829
Jasper R Morgan 1830
Robert W Morgan 1834
Marion Morgan 1836

Aaron Edwards, formerly of Chatham County, NC, sold his property in mid-1803 and moved to newly formed Wilson County, TN. He and his brothers John and Robert are listed as early settlers of Wilson County in Drakes Early History of Wilson County. At the time of his move, Aaron and his wife Elizabeth Hackney had two children. It is believed that Ann was born in Wilson County in about 1804.

Eaton Edwards, the bondsman for Ann's marriage, was her first cousin.
Alston Morgan's second wife, Julia Ann Abernathy, was also a neighbor before her marriage. Born in 1818, her father Charles Abernathy lived two doors over from Alston on Hurricane Creek. Julia Ann finished raising the five children of Ann, and had eight children of her own:
Alexander Morgan 1841
Martha Morgan 1842
Tennessee Morgan 1846
Susan Morgan 1848
James C Morgan 1851
Joseph Morgan 1852
Eliza Morgan 1854
Polly Morgan 1858

Julia Ann was in the 1850, 1860, and 1880 censuses. In the 1880 census at age 61, she was living with her sons Joseph and James, and James' wife and children.
There is no 1890 census, and a search of 1900 censuses failed to find Julia Ann. The 1880 census was the last record in her life.
Many Ancestry family trees have different names for Alston. The only name that ever appears in his historical records is Alston Morgan. The historically correct name is Alston Morgan.
Alston died after the birth of his last child in 1858. He resided on Hurricane Creek all of his adult life. Some of the his descendants still live in the Hurricane Creek area of Wilson County, from Gladeville to present day Norene. He may be buried in one of the cemeteries with his descendants.

Written by an Edwards descendant 11/4/2018

I was very excited to find Alston Morgan’s story as I now had a link back to Chatham County, North Carolina where it is believed my Morgan’s are from. I have been working off and on with this Edwards/Morgan descendant and learned he has done a great deal of DNA and traditional research on the Edwards family and has some good leads on the Morgan family that married into this line.

Ann Edwards's parents are Aaron Edwards and Elizabeth Hackney. Her maternal grandparents are Joseph Hackney and Nancy Stewart. The Edwards and Hackney families can be found in Chatham County land records along with the Morgan, Brewer and Stewart families in the late 1700s. The Brewer family has connections to the Stewart and Morgan families through John Stewart who married Rachel Morgan, the daughter of Charles Morgan II who died in 1787 in Chatham County, North Carolina. The Joseph Morgan listed in the Grantors section below is the son of Charles Morgan II (died in 1787) and the brother of Rachel Morgan who married John Stewart.

From there, things just began falling into place, at least with the Edwards family.

Connected to the Edwards family is the Brewer family. Two daughters of Oliver Brewer, Hannah and Rebecca, from Chatham County, married brothers, John Edwards and William Edwards. I am now researching if John and William's father is the Philip Edwards who is mentioned in the Revolutionary War pension file of John Edwards, who ended up in Jefferson County, Tennessee – the same place William Morgan and wife, Amelia Brewer (from Chatham County, North Carolina) ended up.

You may remember from a previous Blog post that Oliver Brewer is the father of Edward Brewer who migrated to Randolph County, North Carolina. In Edward Brewer's Revolutionary War pension file is found a statement from John Stewart and his two sisters, Barbara and Elizabeth, who married brothers John Russell and William Russell. I can't help but wonder if Nancy Stewart, who married Joseph Hackney, is a relation from a previous generation.

Philip Edwards had a land grant for 100 acres in Montgomery County, North Carolina on the waters of Uhary (Uwharrie) river beginning at ... a corner of his 50-acre tract granted to Andrew Dennis [can this mean that Andrew Dennis sold these 50 acres to Philip Edwards?] ... ran to Hardy Morgan’s line ... to John Stewarts line ... to Bunnel’s corner ... entered 16 Jul 1818 and issued 19 Dec 1820.

Philip Edwards is most likely from Chatham County, North Carolina and migrated to Montgomery County, North Carolina shortly before John Stewart and Charles Morgan came to Montgomery.

I think Andrew Dennis probably sold land to the Morgan's when they came to Montgomery County [based on the verbiage in the land grant above]. A Zachariah Morgan is noted in a Newspaper article as a neighbor of Andrew Dennis in 1813 when some of his land was sold for taxes. Zachariah Morgan provided a statement in John Stewart's Rev War file and I think Zachariah may be John's brother-in-law, sister to John's wife Rachel.

How does all this tie into my cousins Y-DNA matches?

I think it is very possible that Anderson Morgan is indeed the father of Alston Morgan and Anderson is probably the brother of my fourth great grandfather, Joseph Morgan. Anderson most likely married a daughter of one of the Edwards or Alston families, in Chatham County, North Carolina around 1800. When the Edwards’ family moved to Wilson County, Tennessee, Anderson Morgan and his wife went with them, especially since Anderson had a land grant for that place.

About the same time, Charles Morgan II sold his land in Chatham County and moved his family to Montgomery County, North Carolina where his sister Rachel Morgan Stewart was already living. Charles Morgan II is the father of Charles Morgan III who married a woman named Delilah. This couple, Charles and Delilah, are the parents of Willis Morgan who married Bethany Bailey Delamothe, the widow of Henry Delamothe Willis and Bethany migrated to Campbell County, Georgia in the 1840s. The first match listed below descends through Willis and Bethany. I think my fourth great grandfather, Joseph Morgan, may be the uncle of Willis Morgan.

I have one more match to solve. I have sent multiple emails to this match but have heard nothing back. He has Charles Morgan listed as his earliest known ancestor and I have my fingers crossed that this match is also a descendant of Charles Morgan I who died 1787 in Chatham County, North Carolina.

What Tales Can Pension Records Tell?

Destroyed records due to several county courthouse fires makes it challenging to research the first families of Montgomery County, North Carolina. I learned early on that Montgomery County is not one of those counties where the paper trail falls neatly into place because of plentiful records. No, Montgomery County requires one to roll up their sleeves and dig in their heels – and prepare for the hard work ahead. Research is a slow and arduous journey in counties like Montgomery where paper trails have huge gaps of time in them. On the flip side, because all these early families are so intertwined, you are sure to find, while browsing through what records are left, some tidbit of information on an ancestor – even if it is not the one you are specifically looking for.

And so, it is with Joseph Morgan, my fourth great grandfather. I must rely on others records where I might find some mention of him or at the very least, a mention of something that will help me understand the events of the day and add to my timeline for him. In other words, because he did not live long enough to accumulate a record trail, and even if he did, it was burned in the early courthouse fire, I must piece his life together based on the records of others.

Susannah Smart, my fourth great grandmother through daughter Priscilla Morgan, married twice. Her first marriage was to Joseph Morgan who died either in the War of 1812 or shortly thereafter. Regardless of what one sees in Ancestry trees or other online (or offline) family trees, message boards or printed material, only three children, and not four, were born to this marriage; Matthew (1810), Priscilla (1812) and Joseph (1814).

That fourth child I am talking about is Mary Morgan Dennis, the wife of James Dennis, who has been attached to Joseph and Susannah Smart Morgan by many researchers, but Mary Morgan Dennis is not the daughter of Joseph and Susannah. Some research I’ve read suggests that perhaps Joseph was married prior to Susannah and Mary is his daughter by a first wife, but if that is the case why is she missing on the 1810 Census with Joseph, Susannah and Matthew? And why is she missing on every Census with Susannah and her second husband, Joel Henderson? Most importantly, Mary Morgan Dennis was born about 1798; Susannah was born about 1792 and would have been 6 years old when Mary was born, so she cannot be Mary’s mother. Mary just does not fit.

Most researchers tend to think that Joseph died in the War of 1812 and I suppose, like many, he could have been exposed to any number of diseases that raged through a military camp. I tend to think, based on the available casualty list, that Joseph did not die in a battle or skirmish. The only US Service Member to die in the War of 1812 named Joseph Morgan was a Seaman (Navy) who died early in the war on 12 Dec 1812 and my Joseph Morgan was in the Militia (Army) and was home in Jan 1814, so he could not be dead in 1812.

I have tried to narrow down a death date for Joseph and the best I can come to is between Jan 1814 [after the conception of his third child] and Nov/Dec 1815 when his wife, Susannah remarried to Joel Henderson. I know Joseph was home with his wife in Jan 1814 because his son Joseph was conceived about that time and was born about ten months later in Nov 1814. I know Joseph Jr is the son of Joseph Sr because Y-DNA testing confirms this Morgan line. Yes, I know there are exceptions, I guess Joseph Jr could be the son of a brother of Joseph Sr, but I have no reason to believe that line of thinking. Autosomal DNA evidence for descendants of all three Morgan children leads me to believe that all three of the Morgan children belong to Joseph Sr because descendants of all three children sit very nicely in DNA centiMorgan ranges so let’s not create problems and complicate things by over thinking. If something makes sense and is logical, then we should just go with it unless or until evidence makes us change our minds.

A timeline of events for Joseph and Susannah is short and simple.

Timeline:
1809: Joseph and Susannah married
Aug 1810: Montgomery County, North Carolina Census conducted, one male 16-25, one female 16-25, one male child under 5. Obviously, this is Joseph, Susannah and their son, Matthew, born abt. 1810 per future Census records [no daughters listed]
Apr 1811: Priscilla conceived
Feb 1812: Priscilla born, daughter of Joseph and Susannah Morgan [date per her gravestone]
Jun 1812: War of 1812 declared
Aug 1813: Military Census shows Joseph enlisted in 7 Reg't NC Militia
Jan 1814: Conception of Joseph Morgan Jr
Nov 1814: Birth of Joseph Morgan Jr, son of Joseph and Susannah Smart Morgan [date per his gravestone]
Feb 1815: War of 1812 ends with Treaty of Ghent
May 1815: Pay voucher [claimed – by Joseph? Or Susannah? -> this is key to further narrowing down the time of death for Joseph]
Nov/Dec 1815: Possible marriage of Joel Henderson and Susannah Smart Morgan
Jan 1816: Conception of Nathaniel Henderson
Nov 1816: Birth of Nathaniel Henderson

The two records I found of Joseph’s service are a muster card showing his rank and the company he was attached to and his pay voucher. The company muster roll has a date of Aug 1813 and the pay voucher shows that Joseph was issued pay on 7 May 1815 and states he served in Capt. Elijah Haltom’s company. The pay voucher, which looks to have been paid by a warrant [land] was claimed, that is what the hole punched through it means. I have written the National Archives and asked if they have any records on when the Warrant was claimed and by whom. If Joseph claimed the warrant, then I will know he died after the date of that claim. But, if Susannah claimed the warrant, then I will know Joseph died before the date of the claim. I hope to hear back from the National Archives soon.

Some of the other men who served from Montgomery County lived long enough, or at least their spouses did, to claim a pension. Searching internet archives, I found a list of pay vouchers located at digital.ncdcr.gov for those who served from Montgomery County. I can cross reference these names at Fold3 to discover if any had pension files and if so, what was written in the files. All these men knew each other, they all lived at the same time, in the same county, worked together, attended church together and enlisted in the service together. Their lives are forever united by the War of 1812.

Hardy Morgan, whom I believe MAY be the brother of Joseph, served in the same company as Joseph, only for a few short weeks, per his widow’s pension file at Fold3. However, I found in the pension file of Abraham Cochran [see below] that Hardy served for a period of 6 months. Hardy and his wife, Nancy Hearne, migrated west to Pontotoc County, Mississippi and after Hardy’s death, Nancy migrated with the rest of her family to Lincoln County, Arkansas.

Two William Morgan’s from Montgomery County, North Carolina served in Capt. Elijah Haltom’s company. There may be a relation between the two, but it is not father and son.

One William Morgan [Jr] married a woman named Elizabeth; her maiden name is not known. This William is the father of Mary Polly Morgan who married William Hamilton. He served from 1 Feb 1814 to 15 Mar 1814 when, in his file, he is noted as dying in a camp in South Carolina from measles. Elizabeth remained his widow and raised Mary, the only heir of William Morgan [Jr], alone.

The other William Morgan [Sr] served from 1 Feb 1814 to 31 Jul 1814. He completed his tour and, along with his wife, Amelia Brewer Morgan, who was from Chatham County, North Carolina, migrated to Jefferson County, Tennessee where he lived the rest of his life. His file makes note that his first wife’s name is Nancy and she died in Montgomery County, North Carolina.

Abraham Cochran received his pay voucher on 7 May 1815, just as all the other men did. His file shows that he married Rebecca Luther in Montgomery County and this couple migrated to Georgia. My first cousin three times removed, Parsons Harris Morris, Register of Deeds in Troy at the time, responded to an inquiry about obtaining marriage records for Abraham Cochran and Hardy Morgan.

Abraham Cochran and Rebecca Luther were married in Montgomery County by Hardy Morgan, Justice of the Peace, in Dec 1817 at the house of Michael Luther, probably the father of Rebecca. Interesting note by a woman by the name of Rebecca Waters, she states that Hardy Morgan was gone for 6 months, contradicting Hardy’s own file at Fold3 that states he was gone for only 2 weeks.

David Blalock, on the 11th day of Feb 1851 appeared before a Justice of the Peace in Stanly County, created from Montgomery County in 1841, and declared that he enlisted in the War of 1812 as a Private at Henderson, Montgomery County, about the 25th day of May 1812 for a term of two years. Two witnesses, Daniel and Martha Freeman, provided a sworn statement that they knew both David and his wife Martha before and at the time of their marriage and that Martha’s maiden name is Dennis.

George W. Hearn made application for a military pension on 23 July 1853 in Weakly County, Tennessee. George claimed that he enlisted as a Private in the N.C. Militia on 1 Feb 1814 in Montgomery County, North Carolina. He served until 31 Jul 1814. He married Milla on 14 Jan 1813 in Montgomery County, North Carolina. This couple migrated to Tennessee.

Colonel William Washington [W. W.] Harris applied for his pension in Sep 1853 in Spartanburg District, South Carolina. In his statement he claimed he enlisted in the service in Montgomery County, North Carolina for the term of 6 months. He continued in service for his full term and was discharged at Salisbury, North Carolina about Aug 1814, afterwards he migrated to South Carolina.

Wiley Harris enlisted as a Private in Captain Joshua Craven’s Company and Colonel Pearson’s Regiment and served from Feb 1814 to Jul 1814. His wife, Nancy Hancock Harris, daughter of Rev. John Hancock, filed for a widow’s pension in Mar 1878, Wiley died in 1869. Most interesting in this file is the confusion between brother’s, Wiley and Willis. The War Department repeatedly asked for confirmation that Wiley and Willis were not the same person. In a letter dated Jan 1879, G. W. Harris, son of Wiley and Nancy, confirms that Willis Harris was a brother to Wiley and resided in Wilson County, Tennessee.

While researching pension files at Fold3, I came across Archibald Partain who claimed that he served in the War of 1812 under Captain Willis Harris, the brother of Wiley Harris. I found no payment voucher for him and his pension claim was rejected, however the genealogical treasure left in this file may have solved a mystery of what happened to Martha Harris, daughter of Charles Green Harris and Mary Hearne.

Archibald Partain states he married Martha Harris on 5 Dec 1824 in Montgomery County, North Carolina. This couple migrated to Tennessee and then to Kentucky. Of interest here is that Mary Hearne Harris had an Aunt named Dovey who married a Partin, his first name is not known, and this couple, along with brother George Hearne and Willis Harris, migrated to Wilson County, Tennessee.

There is certainly a connection here and more research is required.

These are just a few records that are available online that provide a wealth of information about the citizens who called Montgomery County, North Carolina home. While I did not find anything new on Joseph, I have found much on other ancestors and can now work to incorporate all this information into my family tree.

James Tucker and James Tucker

The Tucker family is an allied branch in my family tree that married into my Morgan line. Martha Jane Morgan, daughter of Matthew and Sarah Harris Morgan, married James Tucker (1832-1900), son of James (1803-1860) and Amelia (Milly) Tucker, around 1863 in Montgomery County. I do not know Milly’s maiden name, although I have some theories I am working on and are mentioned at the end of this post. The Tucker’s, like the Morgan’s, are a brick wall ancestor and I am working through DNA matches and traditional genealogy research in hopes of pushing these families back one more generation.

Y-DNA testing confirms that the James Tucker (1803-1860) Y-DNA line in Montgomery County connects to the George Tucker (1743-1804) Y-DNA line, known in DNA circles as the Cabarrus George Tucker line in Cabarrus County. Male descendants of this line who have Y-DNA tested are in the CABARRUS COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA GROUP (CNC) at FTDNA. Not many males from this line have tested, so, if you are a male descendant of Cabarrus George Tucker, please consider Y-DNA testing. You must be a male with the surname Tucker and a documented family tree showing descent from a son of George Tucker, or if you do not know who your Tucker ancestor is, test anyway and see which Tucker line you match to.

If you do decide to test, a note of caution, ALL genealogical sources, including DNA testing, have the potential to reveal unexpected relationships or the lack of an expected relationship. You, the tester, must anticipate these possibilities and consider the potential emotions and reactions of ALL involved. Be prepared for the unexpected.

Autosomal DNA also connects the Montgomery County James Tucker line to the descendants, both male and female, of Cabarrus George Tucker. These descendants’ ancestors show up repeatedly between Cabarrus and Stanly (then Montgomery) Counties.

One of the great things about DNA testing for genealogical purposes, is that it helps narrow down where your ancestor lived. DNA testing has proven that the Tucker line in Montgomery County is the same Tucker family that lived in Cabarrus County. I can focus my research around Cabarrus and Mecklenburg Counties, since George Tucker lived in that part of Mecklenburg that became Cabarrus in 1792, so I’ll want to research both counties.

Mecklenburg County was formed in 1762 from the western part of Anson County, George Tucker was born in 1743, he would have been 19 years old in 1762, his Tucker family may have lived in what was then Anson County at the time of his birth, or migrated there shortly after, thus, I will want to research Anson County for Tucker records as well. I will also want to investigate any DNA match who has Tucker’s in their family trees living in these counties during this time frame. I am looking for any record that shows a relationship to Cabarrus George Tucker.

Once I understand the Tucker’s who lived in these counties, I can begin to branch out into surrounding counties. But, be careful! There are Tucker families in Randolph and Rowan Counties as well. I know the Randolph County Tucker’s do not Y-DNA match the Cabarrus County Tucker’s, so these are two different Tucker families. Traditional research has shown that the Tucker family in Rowan County might be the same Cabarrus County Tucker family, but because I have not seen Y-DNA test results from a Rowan County Tucker male, I want to use caution about any conclusion I might come to. There was more than one George Tucker and I need to make sure that I have the right one.

I can pin James Tucker (1803-1860) to Cabarrus County through his son, James Tucker (1832-1900) through Civil War records. At Fold3 is found a record for James Tucker (1832-1900) showing he reported his birthplace to be Cabarrus County, North Carolina. He enlisted in the service in 1862 in Montgomery County, North Carolina at the age of 30 years, making him born about 1832. Logic would assume that if James Tucker was born in Cabarrus County in 1832, then his parents most likely lived there.

The 1830 Census for Cabarrus County is divided into 11 districts that are called Company’s and named after, I suppose, those men who oversaw each of these areas.

It was in Capt. Petre’s Company 11 that I found James Tucker Junior, age between 20 – 30 (born about 1805), his wife between ages 20 – 30 and one son under the age of 5. Based on the age of the child, this couple was probably married about 1828.

I also found James Tucker Senior listed between ages 30 – 40 (born about 1795), his wife between ages 30 – 40, one son under 5, one daughter under 5, two daughters 5 – 10, one daughter 10 – 15. Based on the age of the oldest child, this couple was probably married about 1817.

Now, I am no rocket scientist, but my best guess is that these two James Tucker’s are not brothers due to them both being named James. I know there are some caveats to this line of guessing. I have seen where two half-brothers are named the same. However, when I begin my research I always begin with the norms. Overthinking your research creates problems where problems may not exist. If the norm changes during research, adjust accordingly.

I also do not think James Tucker and James Tucker are father and son due to their ages being too close together, only about 10 years apart. So, the Census taker listed them Senior and Junior only to distinguish who was the elder and who was the younger. My guess is that there probably is a family relationship going on here, perhaps cousins or uncle/nephew, but there may not be any family relationship between the two, although I would find that hard to believe. It is a possibility to keep in mind as I journey through the lives of these two men.

What is clear is that there are two James Tucker’s in Cabarrus County, an elder and a younger. And there are two marriage licenses in Cabarrus County, one for James Tucker who married Jane Russell on 20 Oct 1817 and another for James Tucker who married Milly Hartsell on 17 Nov 1828.

From what I can tell, research was stunted and even halted on the James and Milly Hartsell Tucker line from as far back as 1958 when an article was published in The Monroe Enquirer stating that "James Tucker married first Jane Russell in 1817 and second, Milly Hartsell in 1828." Fast forward 62 years and internet research has further compounded this problem into a full-blown genealogical crisis by picking up on this statement and copied to nearly every family tree is James Tucker married Jane Russell AND Milly Hartsell.

But that cannot be the case…

Jane Russell was alive and well and living with her husband, James Tucker, in 1828. Now, I’ve read some crazy stories about men who married two women, running off with the one to another county or state. I’ve even read about a man who had a wife and his wife’s sister was his mistress and he had children by both women and they all were buried in the same graveyard like they were one big happy family, but those things happened few and far between, and there was usually a lot of talk about relationships like that, it eventually made the newspapers or at least a hefty court file with a divorce settlement, but it was not the NORM. I do not believe that James Tucker was married to two women at the same time. We have two very separate paper trails we can take advantage of here and while the details still need to be worked out, I think the marriage and Census records give us a good starting point.

While researching the Morgan and Tucker families of Montgomery County, I stumbled across a blog post at They Lived Along a Rocky River that opened a new door to my Tucker research. The blog was written about the history of Flat Rock Lutheran Church, located on Hwy 200 in present day Stanfield, North Carolina, and provided several records that show a James and Milly Tucker attended the church from at least 1834 - 1840. The records show church members and baptisms between these years.

Could this be the same James Tucker who married Milly Hartsell in 1828 and could this be the same couple who show up on the 1840 Census for Eldorado, Montgomery County?

The 1840 Census for Montgomery County is divided to show those living on the east and west side of the Pee Dee and Yadkin River. In the corner of the Census page, the Census taker wrote what side of the river he was on. James Tucker, age between 30 - 40, shows up on both sides of the river in 1840. The family members are the same ages. On the west side of the river James is living between Elisha Layton and John Miller. On the east side of the river he is living between John Kizer and George Thompson.

The 1840 Montgomery County Census was started on 1 Jun 1840 and ended on 19 Oct 1840. It was certified as complete on 30 Oct 1840. This could mean that James and Milly Tucker moved from West Pee Dee River to East Pee Dee River between 1 Jun 1840 and 19 Oct 1840 and were enumerated twice.

What is interesting is looking up land grants and deeds for those neighbors listed on the same page with James Tucker. That gives us a general location of the area where James Tucker lived. John Miller, listed directly below James Tucker on the west side of Pee Dee River, lived on Ryals (Riles) Creek on land that adjoined Henry Troutman. John Miller has a land grant dated Dec 1841, just a little over a year after the Census was completed.

Henry Troutman lived in the same area in 1831 and 1832. He had land grants for 400 acres on the Montgomery and Cabarrus county line on Curtail Creek adjoining Mathis Barringer and 14 acres on both sides of Big Long Creek adjoining George Miller.

I am not able to find land grants for John Kizer and George Thompson, but the Matthew Morgan listed is my fourth great uncle and the Morgan family lived in what is now the Eldorado community of Montgomery County, mainly around Barnes and Spencer Creeks. Morgan’s Ford and Morgan’s store was located near where the bridge on Hwy 109 crosses the Uwharrie River.

Jane Russell was born about 1800 in Cabarrus County to David Russell and Elizabeth Morrison. She married James Tucker in 1817, the bondsman was Samuel Holbrooks, who married Jane’s sister, Elizabeth, also in 1817. James and Samuel were bondsmen for each other.

Jane Russell Tucker’s father, David Russell, died in 1832, four years after James Tucker, his son in law, 'supposedly' married Milly Hartsell. Yet, in his will he bequeaths to his daughter, Jane Tucker, a tract of land where James Tucker now lives, on the waters of Muddy Creek. So, James and Jane Russell Tucker are alive and well and living together in 1832 when Jane’s father dies. Also mentioned in the will is Elizabeth Holbrooks, Jane’s sister who married Samuel Holbrooks in 1817.

James Tucker, the husband of Jane Russell, bought 87 acres of land on the waters of Muddy Creek and McDaniel’s Branch in Cabarrus County in Nov 1812 from Robert McMurry High Sheriff of Cabarrus County when the land was sold for taxes due for the year 1811. The land bounded his own land as well as neighbors McLellan, Sossaman, Newell, Wallace, Taylor, and others.

In Jan 1827, James Tucker sold at least part of the land to his father in law, David Russell, for $428. David Russell, in turn, in his will, left the land to his daughter Jane as well as a note of $200 on James Tucker and the interest and $75 in money to her and her heirs forever. So, it looks like the $428 was a loan from David to James and the land was the security. David Russell frees the couple from the debt in his will by leaving the land and the note to his daughter Jane and her heirs.

James Tucker and wife Jane Russell are found on the 1820 Census living among the neighbors, Sossaman, Taylor and Wallace, who are listed on the land deed for Muddy Creek and by 1840, James is still is the same area, as are the Taylor’s and the Wallace’s. David Russell Jr, brother of Jane, is living a few doors away.

1850 finds the James and Jane Russell Tucker family in Giles County, Tennessee. They, like many others, migrated west as land became available for settlement. Whether for adventure or a fresh start, many families from the Piedmont area of North Carolina hitched horses to wagons, loaded up supplies and family members, and set off to settle the new land.

By 1860, James and Jane had made their way to Arkansas where they spent the remainder of their lives. Jane Catharine Tucker, daughter of James and Jane, to my knowledge never married. She is found living with her parents on every Census through 1870.

Most researchers show that James and Jane died between 1870 and 1880 as neither are to be found on the 1880 Census. I am not able to find Catharine Jane Tucker on the 1880 Census either.

Of interest, I did find a James Tucker giving bond and taking out letters of Administration in 1877 on the estate of William Petray in Pope County, Arkansas. This certainly requires more research to confirm if this is James Tucker who married Jane Russell. If it is, then his date of death can be narrowed down to between 1877 and 1880.

The Petray’s are also from Cabarrus County, North Carolina. John Petray married Martha Love, daughter of Jonah Love and Mary Garmon, and ended up in Pope County, Arkansas with James and Jane Russell Tucker. Martha’s sister, Mary Jane Love, married Lewis Tucker, the son of George Tucker Jr and grandson of Cabarrus George Tucker, and migrated to Pope County, Arkansas as well. I believe there is a connection between James Tucker and William Petray, but more research is required to uncover it.

Now, let’s talk about the James Tucker who married Milly Hartsell. The bondsman for that marriage was Daniel Hartsell and the witness J.G. Spears. Daniel Hartsell is the accepted son of Leonard Hartsell and Barbara Sides. He was born about 1802. As Daniel and Milly have the same last name, my guess is that they are somehow related. Daniel Hartsell married Margaret Tucker in 1824. I do not yet know who Margaret is, but my best guess is that she is somehow related to the James Tucker who married Milly Hartsell. I am still working out these connections.

Now, take a second look at the records from Flat Rock Lutheran Church, you will see that Daniel and Margaret Hartsell attended the church at the same time James and Milly Tucker attended. This is more than coincidence. Here are four names that repeat themselves showing that these couples were close and kept in touch with each other.

Buried at Flat Rock Lutheran Church is Jacob Tucker, the son of Cabarrus George Tucker. Could Jacob be the father of James Tucker and Margaret Tucker Hartsell? You can see on the records of baptism, that James Tucker had 1 son baptized, Jacob Tucker had 3 children baptized and Daniel Hartsell had 1 child baptized. I believe the Jacob Tucker mentioned is Jacob Jr, the son of Jacob Sr who is buried at Flat Rock Lutheran Church. If James is the son of Jacob Sr, that would mean that Jacob Jr is his brother. If Margaret is the sister of Jacob, then she would also be the sister of James. The research continues in the lives of these Tucker's in hopes of uncovering who they are and how and if they are related.

In 1850 a James and Amelia Tucker can be found living across the river in Eldorado, Montgomery County. Their age and the ages of their children match what is shown in the two 1840 Census’s. A search of the Cabarrus and Stanly County Census record for 1850 and beyond find no listing for James and Milly. They have disappeared from the Cabarrus / Stanly area. Yet, Daniel and Margaret Tucker Hartsell and their children remained in the Furrs, Stanly, North Carolina area and are easily traced on the Census.

In 1860, we learn Milly’s full name, Sarah Amelia Tucker. She is living in Fork (Eldorado), Montgomery County with her children who are still at home. We know that James Tucker died between the 1850 and 1860 Census years as Milly is listed as a widow.

In 1869 Sarah Amelia Tucker sold for $40 to Jehu H. Davis 8 acres of land on McLean’s Creek joining the lands of Harris, beginning on the main road (current day Hwy 109) at Steel’s line, at the foot of Morris Mountain.

In 1870, Sarah Amelia Tucker is shown living in Eldorado, Montgomery County with her daughters, Sarah and Lavina. She is 60 years old.

1880 is the last Census that Sarah Amelia Tucker will be found on. She is listed as a widow, age 71, living with her are her daughter Sallie (Sarah) and her granddaughter, Dulcie Tucker.

Sarah Amelia Tucker died after 1880. She is not found on the 1900 Census (the 1890 Census being destroyed) nor can I find any other record of her after 1880. Her daughter, Sarah (Sallie) and granddaughter, Dulcie, who have always lived with her, are now found, in 1900 living with Junius A. Gamble, a widower, and listed as servants. Note: Ancestry has mistranslated his name as Simmons.

On 17 Dec 1910, Dulcie married the widow Junius Alphonso Gamble, called J. A. Gamble. By 1920, a daughter is born to this union and named Sarah Valley Gamble. The 1930 and 1940 Census's show Junius has died and Dulcie and Sarah Valley are living on their own in Troy.

Dulcie Tucker Gamble died in 1942, her death reported by her daughter, Valley Gamble. She is buried at Macedonia Church in Eldorado. I believe Valley may have married a Morse and died in Johnston County, North Carolina in 1998.

I am very interested in finding any living descendants of Valley who would be willing to DNA test, especially daughters, as they carry the mtDNA of Valley’s great grandmother, Sarah Amelia. mtDNA testing this specific mother-daughter line may provide the surname for Sarah Amelia’s mother. If Sarah Amelia is the Milly Hartsell who married James Tucker in 1828, Cabarrus County, and is the sister of the bondsman, Daniel Hartsell, then her parents are Leonard Hartsell and Barbara Sides. mtDNA testing could break through this brick wall and clear up the past errors made in this Tucker family research once and for all.