Moses Splawn (c.1777-c.1828) of Rutherford County, North Carolina

It's been well established that Moses Splawn, who appears in the deeds and census records of Rutherford County, North Carolina from 1807 to 1824, was a son of John Splawn (c.1744-c.1794) and Sebara Helms (d.aft.1800) of Fairfield County, South Carolina. What has been less thoroughly documented online are Moses Splawn's own wife and children so that's what I'm setting out to do here with the best documentation available.

Moses evidently co-migrated from South Carolina to Rutherford County with his presumed brother James Splawn ( c.1765-aft.1830), who begins appearing there in the 1810 census and Peggy Splawn (d.1830s), evident widow of his brother John Splawn (c.1767-bef.1810), Peggy having bought property in the county in 1815.

Census records indicate that Moses was born some time between 1776 and 1784. He enters the historic record with a land purchase on Floyd's Creek on December 8, 1807. He appears in only a handful of deeds and two census records. He died sometime between June 6, 1824, when he witnessed the will of Larken Lee, and October 24, 1828 when Nancy Splawn, his presumed widow, bought land from Isham Cook in Rutherford County.

Nancy Splawn begins appearing as a head of household in the 1830 U.S. census and makes her final appearance in the household of Lathy Splawn near Floyd's Creek in 1850. At the time Nancy was enumerated as seventy years of age, born in North Carolina. She makes her final recorded appearance in a deed to her son James Splawn on February 9, 1853 where she seems to have unloaded her real estate.

There are several clues as to Nancy's children: the most obvious being the Lathy Splawn she lived with in 1850. Nancy also appeared on the same page as a Nathan Splawn in the 1840 census and sold her property to the above James Splawn. An 1860 deed shows Nathan Splawn sold land to "Lithia" Splawn. So right off the bat we have three obvious children identified.

Deed from Nathan Splawn to Litha Splawn, 1860.

So how many are missing? The 1820 census shows us that altogether Moses and Nancy had four sons and five daughters. Possibly more were born after 1820. So that leaves at least two more sons and four daughters to identify.

Despite this family's almost complete lack of wills or probate records, there is one incredible document that tells us basically what the rest of the family looked like: the October 1867 deed of sale from the "heirs at law" of Henry Splawn (c.1831-1863), eldest son of Nathan Splawn (c.1802-1860), to William Splawn (c.1820-aft.1881) of Rutherford County.

Henry Splawn was a childless, unmarried man when he died a prisoner of war in January 1863. Being an only child, he had inherited the entirety of his parents' estate following the death of his father in September 1860. With no siblings, parents or descendants to leave his estate to, it ended up in the hands of his "heirs at law" as named below:

Wow, that's a lot of heirs. They can't all be his aunts and uncles, right? As it turns out, they're not. More on this later.

There is an additional document: an estate account for Henry Splawn from March 1872 that states a few of the same names above and a few new ones:

Notice that everyone on this list is getting an equal portion of the estate. We know via Henry's parents' marriage bond in 1829 that his mother was Susannah McDaniel. So the first five on the list were his mother's relatives, the second five were his father's.

We can see from the settlement that William Splawn, who bought the above land from Henry's heirs at law was himself an heir; this places him as one of Henry's probable uncles. We can see the "Lathy Splawn" from the 1850 census -- clearly a daughter of Nancy -- signed in 1867 as "Lithia Splawn" and was listed in the settlement account as "Telitha Splawn" which was probably her full name. Between the two documents we can also identify James Splawn, Hosea Splawn, "Amila" Splawn and Anna Splawn.

But wait -- there's more information hiding in here. In 1867 we have signatures for what looks to be A. S. Green, W. P. Green, Manly Green, Pinkney Green and Artilda Green. Census records show these are children of Thomas Green (c.1808-1882) and Elizabeth Green (c.1807-aft.1860). Interestingly, in the 1860 census this couple had a tenant named Anna Splawn living in their household. Its clear that Elizabeth is another Splawn daughter, evidently not living as of 1867, so five of her children showed up in court to sell their share of the estate.

There's another interesting couple in there: William and Nancy Dills. There would have been no reason for Nancy to show up in court if her husband was the heir, so Nancy is clearly the relevant signatory. William and Nancy lived right next door to James Splawn in the 1860 census. The 1850 census indicates she was 23 years old and recently married, so she could fit as a last child for Moses and Nancy. 

So now we can take these inferences and assemble a list of the likey children of Moses and Nancy Splawn:

1. Nathan Splawn (c.1802 - Sep. 1860) married Susannah McDaniel in 1829.

2. Elizabeth Splawn (c.1806 - bef. Oct. 1867) m. Thomas Green c. 1827.

3. Artilda Splawn (c.1807 - aft. Dec. 28, 1888) m. William Martin by 1840.

4. James Splawn (c.1808 - aft. 1870) m. Artie M. Smith by 1846.

5. Amila Splawn (c.1810 - aft. Oct. 1867) not known to have married.

6. Telitha Splawn (c.1815 - aft. 1880) not known to have married.

7. William Splawn (c.1820 - aft. Dec. 6, 1881) married Jane Waldrop in 1840.

8. Hosea Splawn (c.1822 - aft. Dec. 6, 1878) married Mary Perry by 1854.

9. Anna Splawn (c.1825 - 1905) not known to have married.

10. Nancy Splawn (c.1827 - aft. 1880) married William Dills by 1847.

There may have been others, possibly children who died young and never made it into the historical record. But these are the children we can positively identify. You'll notice Artilda Splawn here -- I found her accidentally searching for Artilda Green. William and Artilda Martin appear in several deeds and census records in Rutherford County and the 1930 death certificate for their son, William gives his parents as William Martin and "Tillie Splawn."

NANCY SPLAWN (1780 - aft.1853)

Now that we've identified the children of Moses and Nancy Splawn, we can turn to Nancy's origins. From census records, we only know that she claimed to have been born in North Carolina in 1780 or thereabouts. Whoever her parents were, they must have been in Rutherford County by the time of her marriage around 1801.

After researching several neighboring families: McClure, McDaniel, Hinson, Robbins, Twitty, Owens, Briscoe and more, I've found only one family that fits: Watkins.

Interestingly, the first tract of land Moses Splawn bought in Rutherford County in 1807 was adjacent Ambrose Watkins. In an unusual move, the deed stated that Moses had Joel Watkins deliver the payment to the land owner in his stead. This shows a high level of trust in someone he must have been very close to, indicating a possible in-law relationship. Moses later witnessed a deed for Joel in 1811.

1807 deed to Moses Splawn, payment made by Joel Watkins for land near Ambrose Watkins

Joel Watkins, who married Elizabeth Dills, moved out of state a few years later and died in Christian County, Illinois in 1839. Census records indicate that Joel had a son named Nathan Watkins, named for his wife's step-father, Nathan Briscoe (d.1807). Moses and Nancy Splawn named their first son Nathan and we know the name didn't come from the Splawn side. Joel Watkins also had a daughter named Nancy and women named Nancy Watkins appear in marriage bonds in early 19th century Rutherford County, probably daughters of Ambrose Watkins Jr. and Isaiah Watkins, among possible others.

There's other inferential evidence as well: the two families stuck together like glue. In the 1830 census, Ambrose Watkins Jr. lived right next door to Nathan Splawn, eldest son of Moses and Nancy. In the 1850 census, J. J. Watkins lived next door to William Splawn, another of their sons. Since Watkins does not appear in the deed books of Rutherford County, he may have lived on William Splawn's land.

Nancy Splawn had two grandsons named Henry, despite the name not appearing anywhere else in the Splawn family. Oddly enough, her son Nathan named his only child Henry. Ambrose Watkins had a likely older brother named Henry Watkins (c.1748-1820s) who lived in Surry County, North Carolina and several nephews named Henry as well.

And finally, the rare given name "Telitha" looks like it might have come from the Watkins family as well, with Stephen Watkins, a cousin of the above Ambrose, having married a Telitha "Lithy" Stewman in 1809 according to their marriage bond, several years before Telitha Splawn was born.

The weight of the evidence suggests Nancy Splawn was likely a daughter of Ambrose Watkins (c.1754-aft.1824) and his wife Martha from Rowan County, North Carolina. While the name Ambrose didn't seem to make its way through many Watkins or Splawn lines, the name Martha appears in both. 

Its an inferential case, but its the best I have given the lack of will and probate records for both the Splawn and Watkins families.

 

Research by Jason M. Farrell

The Watkins Family of Surry, Wilkes, Rowan and Rutherford Counties, North Carolina

Suit of John Bedingfield v. David and Isaiah Watkins, 1771.

This was a tough nut, but I think I've finally cracked it. As it turns out, the name Watkins was very common in the early 19th century South. Many of these Watkins families crossed paths, lived in the same counties, had children with the same names and even appeared together in court and yet remain entirely unrelated. To make matters more challenging, the Watkins family that I've been researching had hardly a will or deed of gift among them to clarify family links so I've done my best with this family.

There are numerous Watkins men that appear in some of the northern Piedmont counties in North Carolina in the 1750s-1770s. There was a James Watkins who began appearing in records in Rowan County in 1754; Henry, George, Joseph and Ambrose Watkins who begin appearing in Surry County deeds in the 1770s. Later there's also Israel Watkins who appears to have come from Richmond County, North Carolina and a David Watkins who could be related to the above list of men... or a brother of Israel from Richmond with the same name (per their father's will).

To make matters even more complicated, these family members appear in records across several neighboring counties (mostly Surry, Rowan and Wilkes), making it even harder track them or distinguish who is related to who.

The genealogies presented below are a best-fit lineage with the imperfect evidence I have. I cannot claim they are all-encompassing and there may be several children (mostly women) missing. 

I believe most of these Watkins men are related and descend from the Quaker Watkins family of Henrico County, Virginia. John Watkins of Henrico County signed his will on July 28, 1743 naming children David Watkins, Isaiah Watkins, John Watkins, Nathaniel Watkins, Lucy Perkins, Constant Woodson, Elizabeth Watkins and Joyce Watkins.

It seems clear that David, Isaiah and Joyce Watkins (who married William Thomas) migrated out of Henrico County within a few years, with David and Isaiah appearing in the court records of Albemarle County, Virginia in 1746. By the 1760s, Isaiah had settled in Halifax County, Virginia, where he begins appearing in deeds in early 1764. Part of Halifax County was sectioned off to form Pittsylvania County in 1767 and Isaiah appears in the first tax list; Isaiah and David Watkins were jointly sued by John Bedingfield in Pittsylvania County court in 1771 and this seems to be the only record in which they appear together; David never again appears in the county. That same year, Isaiah Watkins sold William and Joyce Thomas property in the county, making it crystal clear that this is the family from Henrico.

In 1778, a court ordered the sheriff of Wilkes County, North Carolina to arrest Isaiah Watkins with the sheriff responding that Watkins lived in Pittsylvania County, Virginia and could not be retrieved. Whether Isaiah ever actually lived in North Carolina is unknown, but around this time several Watkins men started buying land in the adjoining counties of Surry and Rowan: Ambrose in 1778; George in 1778; Joseph in 1779; Henry in 1783. A David Watkins later described as "of Salisbury" (in Rowan County) bought land in Camden District, South Carolina in 1783. He also appears in Rowan County in the 1790 US census with another David Watkins, John Watkins and Ambrose Watkins. The same year, Joseph and George Watkins were enumerated in Surry County.

Wilkes, Surry and Rowan Counties as they were in 1780.

George, Henry, Joseph and James Watkins appear in records together and are clearly related; David Watkins, Isaiah Watkins and Thomas Watkins, who appear in later deeds are likely from the next generation of this family group. Ambrose and David Watkins are a second family group who lived in Rowan and whose children had some of the same names. It isn't clear that group one is related to group two just by looking at deeds and census records, but the name carryover among the different families suggests they probably are.

That said, here's how I've put this family together.

ISAIAH WATKINS (bef.1726-1797) and wife Alice of Pittsylvania County, Virginia had the following likely sons:

1. John Watkins (bef.1747-1799) of Pittsylvania County, Virginia; first deed in Halifax County dated 1767; took the oath of allegiance in 1777; appears in 1782 tax list; appeared in court as a witness for Stephen Watkins in 1784. Deed of 1799 names Mary Watkins "widow and administratrix of John Watkins."

2. Stephen Watkins (bef.1757-aft.1799) of Pittsylvania County, Virginia; took the oath of allegiance in 1777; appears in 1782 tax list and 1791 marriage bond of Nancy Watkins. Appears in court through at least 1799.

3. Benjamin Watkins (bef.1762-aft.1794) of Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Appears in 1782 tax list and was a witness with John Watkins for Daniel and Betsy Bates in a 1783 deed. Named son-in-law in the 1794 will of Henry Blanks, which also names Benjamin's wife as Sarah.

4. Willis Watkins (bef.1764-aft.1802) of Pittsylvania County, Virginia; named assignee of Isaiah Watkins in a grant dated 1784 and defendant in a suit against the Watkins family in 1797; Willis is found briefly in the deed books of Spartanburg County, South Carolina in 1788 but seems to have sold off his land quickly and disappeared; he was charged with forgery in Surry County, North Carolina in 1802 and seems to have disappeared thereafter. 

5. Lidwell Watkins (bef.1765-aft.1830) named in a 1797 suit in Pittsylvania County, Virginia with Willis and several other members of the Watkins family; moved to Burke County, North Carolina before 1800; appears in Rutherford County, North Carolina in the 1810 census and appears there through the 1830 census. Probable father of Stephen, Isaiah and Jane Watkins (who married Ephraim Cook in 1812), all of Rutherford County, North Carolina.

DAVID WATKINS (bef.1726-aft.1790) of Rowan County, North Carolina had the following likely sons:

1. Henry Watkins (c.1748-aft.1820) of Surry County, North Carolina, where he first appears in the 1771 tax list. Received a land grant adjacent Stephen Clayton in 1783. May be father of Henry Watkins who begins appearing in Stokes County, North Carolina in 1790 and James Watkins to whom he sold land in Surry County in 1804. Removed to Stokes County, North Carolina in 1803-1804 and a deed there from Henry Watkins to James Davis in 1809 mentions land adjacent Stephen Clayton. Last appears in 1820 US census of Stokes County.

2. Joseph Watkins (c.1750-1827) of Surry County, North Carolina, where he was first granted land in 1783. In an 1801 survey his chain carriers were David and Thomas Watkins. Joseph deeded land to Henry and James Watkins in 1804 before removing to Pendleton District, South Carolina. His will in 1827 names wife Frances and children Jane, Henry, Frances, Thomas, Cassie, Alcey and Esther Watkins.

3. George Watkins (c.1752-aft.1807) of Surry County, North Carolina where he first appears in the 1775 tax list; wife Mary named daughter of Thomas Wooten in his 1793 will. A chain carrier on his first survey in 1778 was Joseph Watkins. In 1798, David Watkins and Isaiah Watkins were chain carriers for another of George's surveys in Surry County; these are likely to be his sons. George and Isaiah jointly sold property to Richard Mendenhall in 1807. Isaiah later moved to Rowan County where he appears in deeds through 1832; David (b.1781) married Dorcas Silvey in 1808 and later moved to Putnam County, Indiana, where he appears in census records. Another probable son, Thomas (b.1788), appears in Putnam County with David.

4. Ambrose Watkins (c.1754-aft.1824) of Rowan County, North Carolina. Ambrose is found in the deed books of Rowan County (1778-1795), Surry County (1779-1786), briefly in Wilkes County (1792-1795), and Rutherford County, North Carolina (1800-1810). He moved to Warren County, Kentucky in 1810 and appears in court records through 1815 when he finally settled in Allen County, Kentucky where he seems to have spent his final years. Two Kentucky records indicate his wife was Martha. He died with no known will or recorded probate but North Carolina and Kentucky records show his likely children were Joel, Nancy, Ambrose, Connie, John, Andrew and James Watkins. Three other daughters remain unidentified. 

5. David Watkins (c.1762-1844) of Rowan County, (until at least 1790), later Wilkes County, North Carolina, where he spent the rest of his life. Described as "of Salisbury" in Rowan when he bought land in Camden District, South Carolina in 1783. A 1789 marriage bond shows he married Ruth Hendricks. His 1844 probate documents and census records show his likely children were Andrew, David, Willis, Joel, Ferebey and Jesse Watkins, all of Wilkes County. Joel was administrator of his estate, Willis and Andrew are also named. The fact that Ambrose and David Watkins, both of whom lived in Rowan in 1790, both had sons named Joel and Andrew suggests they are brothers.

There are other men in Surry, Rowan and Wilkes named Watkins who show no evidence of relation to this family: James Watkins, Beverly Watkins, Spencer Watkins, Leonard Watkins and beyond. In Rutherford, there's also Peter and David Watkins, who belong to a different family from Frederick County, Virginia. There's also Thomas Watkins and George Watkins and probably more in Pittsylvania County, Virginia who either aren't related or come from some other branch of the family. So I'll just leave it here.

A few great resources here:

https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~grizzard/genealogy/watkins188.htm

http://sites.rootsmagic.com/KaysAncestry/individual.php?p=17560

https://reynoldspatova.org/histories/Descendants%20of%20HENRY%20WATKINS,%20JR..pdf 

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Watkins-994

 

Research by Jason M. Farrell with contributions on Willis Watkins by Marianne Greer

Who Were the Parents of Polly Capshaw Splawn?

Death certificate of Margaret Elizabeth Splawn Ponder, 1914.

William Splawn (1806-1884) and Polly Capshaw of Rutherford County, North Carolina were named as the parents of Margaret Elizabeth Ponder (1831-1914) and Sarah Lithia Davis (1844-1914) in their respective death certificates. A Splawn family bible referenced online gives their mother's name as Mary Capshaw and her date of birth as January 4, 1806. For the sake of this post, we'll assume that date is correct.

Mary Capshaw's father is widely believed to be James Capshaw (c.1773-aft.1830) and his wife Margaret Tabor, but this is improbable. Rutherford County, North Carolina deeds show James Capshaw left the state in 1814 or 1815 and relocated to Tennessee, when Mary would have only been eight or nine years old. Because the 1810 and 1820 census show James Capshaw had the same number of daughters born after 1800, it isn't possible that he left a pre-teen daughter behind in North Carolina, which would be absurd anyway.

James Capshaw's brothers, Josiah, William W., David and Daniel Capshaw had also all left North Carolina by 1815. William W. can be eliminated entirely as a possible father because he had no daughters under age 10 in the 1810 US census. Josiah has 4 girls under age 10, but deeds and grant records show Josiah was already living in Warren County, Tennessee by November 1815. She cannot be a daughter of David Capshaw, who is said by a family account written in the 1880s to have had a daughter named Mary in 1823. And Daniel Capshaw was born in the 1790s according to the 1830 census and seems to be far too young to have had a daughter in 1806. Thomas Capshaw, whose father is unknown, was out of North Carolina by 1813; Essex Capshaw (bef.1748-1827), uncle of the above James, was gone by 1796. Records are clear that the entire Capshaw clan was out of the state of North Carolina by 1815.

This is confounding because we have reliable documentation that Mary was a Capshaw and we know she married in North Carolina around 1820 and lived there until her death, so there MUST have been a Capshaw to remain behind in North Carolina after 1815. To find him, we have to examine post-1815 deeds.

First, in 1822, the sheriff of Rutherford County, North Carolina seized land in the county owned by James Capshaw and sold it at auction to pay off debts Capshaw left when he moved to Tennessee. It is clear that James did not returned to the state for this event and his name never again appears in North Carolina records.

Second, on August 31, 1831, Alexander Capshaw was named in a Rutherford County survey order for Christopher Huntington and Jonathan Blackwell on the waters of White Oak Creek as an adjoining landowner along with Benjamin Edwards and Daniel Edwards.

This tract was referenced again in a deed of January 13, 1844 when Elizabeth Muster, relict of George Jones, bought 330 acres including a "mansion house on the south bank of the north fork of White Oak Creek... to Daniel Edwards corner... corner of John Webb's tract... to Neiles gap to a pine knot, also now William Splawn's corner... to Watson Abrams line... to the old... line of the Blackwell or Capshaw tract of 300 acres to their line..."

Note that both the 1844 deed and the 1831 survey order indicate that Daniel Edwards, Jonathan Blackwell and Alexander Capshaw are neighbors on White Oak Creek, but shows that William Splawn lives there as well. This leaves zero doubt that William Splawn lived in close proximity to Alexander Capshaw.

There are two further references to Capshaws in North Carolina records after 1815, one of which also involves the above William Splawn, husband of Mary Capshaw.

A North Carolina Supreme Court case dated November 11, 1850 records that a 278-acre tract in Rutherford (later Polk) County was "on both sides of the middle fork of White Oak Creek in two surveys joining the William Capshaw land" and "including the Jinkins improvement" and running to "Sharp's line" was claimed title to by William Splawn according to a notice sent to Splawn to enter himself as defendant in the ejectment suit of Fanny Blalock and others v. William Splawn.

So who was this William Capshaw? The above referenced tract, with the exact same metes and bounds, appears in a memorial from William Capshaw to Benjamin Jenkins written December 3, 1791 and recorded May 23, 1795 in Rutherford County, whereby Jenkins' heirs claimed the original deed dated June 1779 had never been recorded and was destroyed in a house fire in 1780.

Given the 1779 sale date, this William Capshaw referenced in 1850 can only be William Capshaw Sr. (c.1740-aft.1813), who was long dead by 1850. Mary Capshaw Splawn cannot be his daughter because the 1810 census shows his final daughters were born in the 1790s. Even assuming the Splawn family bible birth date was wrong, Mary Capshaw Splawn could not have been born that early if, as census records show, she had her last child in 1848.

There are no further references to Capshaws owning land in Rutherford County after 1815. So by process of elimination, Alexander Capshaw is the likeliest father of Polly Capshaw Splawn.

Alexander Capshaw seems to have only been documented in two records, the second being the above 1831 survey order. In fact, he may have only been recorded in the 1799 tax list of Christian County, Kentucky; it is possible he died a few years later, leaving his widow to return to Rutherford County, North Carolina so that her family could help raise her children. 

It would make sense then, that the Alexander Capshaw who appears in the 1831 survey order may have actually been a younger Alexander Capshaw (1804-aft.1860) who census records show was the last Capshaw in North Carolina, with his twin sons having been born there in 1832 and his daughter Sarah being born in Alabama in 1834, per the 1850 U.S. census. Being the last Capshaw in North Carolina, only two years older than Mary Capshaw Splawn and living nearly adjacent to William Splawn on White Oak Creek, its virtually certain that Alexander was her brother.

This theory could explain why one of Mary Capshaw Splawn's sons was named Alexander; this would be in honor of her likely father and brother.

It remains possible that her son Alexander was only named in honor of her brother Alexander, and that they are not the children of Alexander Capshaw of the 1799 tax list in Kentucky; the only other possible fathers in the entire Capshaw clan would be William Capshaw (bef.1776-aft.1825), who was adjudged insane by a Kentucky court in 1810 and left to the care of his father, Essex Capshaw Sr.; and Essex Capshaw Jr., who was last confirmed living in 1796 but may have been alive in Missouri as late as 1817. All other documented Capshaw men of this generation seem to have lived beyond 1830 and remained in Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri or Mississippi. As a final note, Polly cannot be a daughter of Essex Capshaw Sr. (d.1827) because he reported no daughters born after 1800 in the 1810 US census.

There seems to be no evidence that the insane William Capshaw mentioned above married or had children. He never appears in a census record and evidently lived with his parents his whole life. After his father became too infirm to take care of him in 1824, he was left in the charge of his brother-in-law, Peyton Tucker. Family lore written in the 1880s claims Essex Capshaw Jr. died shortly after his marriage. In both cases, there seems to be no contemporary or later census evidence that they had children. By elimination, the evidence points back to Alexander Capshaw as the father of Alexander and Mary "Polly" Capshaw.

So who was Alexander Capshaw? He had only two possible fathers. Family lore from the 19th century indicates that only two of the Capshaw men who migrated to North Carolina in the 1760s had children: William Capshaw (c.1740-aft.1813) and Essex Capshaw (bef.1748-1827). William Capshaw's children were listed by his grandson, Dr. Preston Capshaw, in his book Concerning the Origin of the Capshaw Family in America in the 1880s. There is no Alexander. Therefore, Alexander can only be the son of Essex Capshaw, whose children have never been fully documented.

Research by Jason M. Farrell

The Parents of William Splawn (1806-1884) of Rutherford County, North Carolina

William Splawn (May 27, 1806 - July 10, 1884) was a farmer in Rutherford and (after 1855) Polk County, North Carolina, where he lived on White Oak Creek. Marriage bonds show he married Jane Waldrop in December 1850, but census records show he had numerous children before then; death certificates of two of his older children show their mother was named Polly Capshaw.

William Splawn was granted a 125-acre tract in Rutherford County on June 20, 1829 on the head waters of Nancy Wilson's fork, adjoining an older woman, Margaret "Peggy" Splawn. Peggy had herself bought land in the county in November 1815. William and Peggy Splawn appeared in court together when they were sued for trespass along with an Anna Mase in July 1833. The close association and significant age difference suggests that Peggy was likely his mother.

Peggy appeared in Rutherford County the 1810 census and had one male in her household, a boy under 10 who was exactly the right age to be William. She is no longer a head of household in the 1830 census and is likely the woman in William Splawn's household who was born in the 1760s. Peggy Splawn appears to have died before the 1840 census.

So its clear that Peggy was William's mother, and we know she was widowed at some point before 1810. Knowing her origins can help us identify her late husband. Peggy came from Fairfield District, South Carolina, where she was named in a court case of 1791 as "Margaret Splawn" and was clearly related to the Splawn family there, as some of them are known to have co-migrated to Rutherford County and there is only one other Splawn family in the entire South at this time, that of Thomas Splawn who came from Prince William County, Virginia and shows no relation to North Carolina.

Peggy and William Splawn's deeds both name an adjoining neighbor as Aspasio Earle (1785-1874). Aspasio Earle's father, Baylis Earle (1734-1823) a prominent judge, was next door neighbor to John Splawn of Spartanburg District, South Carolina in the 1800 US census. Splawn also witnessed a deed for Earle in October 1800. John Splawn appears in no further records in either North or South Carolina and Peggy begins showing up as a head of household in the very next census. This shows sufficient connection to suggest that John Splawn of Spartanburg District who evidently died before 1810 was the father of William.

The 1800, 1810 and 1820 census shows John and Peggy seem to have had several daughters in the 1790s but only one son, evidently William Splawn of Rutherford County. William had children named John and Margaret but none named Moses, James, Stephen or others that would imply he was a son of one of the other sons of John Splawn Sr. (c.1740-1794) of Fairfield County, South Carolina. The evidence is circumstantial, but points firmly toward John and Margaret Splawn being his parents.

Note: The above photo of William Splawn's gravestone appears to show his birth date as May 27, 1800. However, the 1860, 1870 and 1880 census as well as his 1884 obituary all agree that he was born in 1806. I think its more likely that the gravestone was incorrectly carved than that every record from his lifetime was consistently wrong by six years, so I'll be referring to his birth date as May 27, 1806 in my blog posts.

 

Research by Jason M. Farrell

The Wyatts of Tryon County, North Carolina and Spartanburg County, South Carolina

In Tryon County, North Carolina during the 1760s, a small family of Wyatts first started appearing in records. James Wyatt Sr. was granted 392 acres on the Catawba River in October 1767; in April 1769 he sold part of that tract to Daniel Wyatt. In 1771, James Wyatt appeared in a Tryon County militia roll; by 1777, Edmund Wyatt and Vincent Wyatt began appearing in deeds. When Tryon was subsumed by the newly formed Lincoln County in 1779, the Wyatts began appearing in Lincoln county court and by 1784 migrated into South Carolina, where many of their descendants continued to appear in records for decades thereafter. Other names appearing in these first two generations in North Carolina were John, William, Jeremiah, Leonard, Abraham, Thomas, Elizabeth, Susannah, Rachel and Lillian Wyatt.

While it is widely known among genealogists that James Wyatt Sr. (c.1722-c.1795) and wife Bethlehem had migrated from Northumberland County, Virginia (where several of their oldest children were born and baptized in 1746-52), it seems no one as yet has been able to figure out who James's father was, or arrange a comprehensive theory of how the Wyatt clan was likely structured. A deep dive into the deed and order books of several counties in Virginia and North Carolina, as well as certain parish registers, sheds light on this family and its Virginia origins.

Both James Wyatt and Daniel Wyatt who appear in Tryon County, North Carolina in the 1760s first entered the historical record in Richmond County, Virginia. Daniel Wyatt witnessed a deed in Richmond County in 1740; James Wyatt first appeared in court in 1744. They also appeared in Northumberland County court records around the same time, Daniel Wyatt having witnessed a deed in Northumberland in 1744 and James Wyatt having children baptized there in 1746, 1749 and 1752. So its clear that their father might be found in either county.

The only Wyatts who appear in Northumberland County records who are old enough to be father to James or Daniel are Edward Wyatt of Gloucester County (c.1705-bef.1771), son-in-law and executor of John Keene's will in October 1740; and William Wyatt, who was named debtor to Mathew Quill in Northumberland court on Aug. 28, 1740. This is likely William Wyatt, mariner of Gloucester County (d. aft. June 2, 1747), brother to the above Edward Wyatt. William is not otherwise known to have lived in Northumberland and he is known by old family letters now in the British Archives to have married and raised children in Liverpool, England through at least the 1750s so he can be ruled out as father to James and Daniel. It seems neither Edward nor William ever lived in Northumberland, but only appeared in court as they had business. John Wyatt, merchant of Gloucester, mentioned having an estate in Northumberland in a letter of 1756, but he was a young man then and cannot be father of James Wyatt or his siblings.

It is known that Edward Wyatt was a son-in-law of John Keene (1671-1740) by the latter's 1740 will in Northumberland County. The will mentions his daughter Eleanor Wyatt and two of her children, John and Elizabeth Wyatt. John appeared in court in 1754 to sell the inherited land and disappears from county records. Decades later in Lincoln County, North Carolina, an Elizabeth Wyatt was deeded land by John Wyatt adjacent James Wyatt on June 21, 1783. This may be the same John and Elizabeth Wyatt named grandchildren in the will of John Keene; if so, this would affirm James and Daniel Wyatt sons of Edward Wyatt and Eleanor Keene. Of course, the names John and Elizabeth are two of the most common in the English-speaking world and appear across several Wyatt clans in this time period, so caution should be exercised.

The will, deed, order and account books of Northumberland show no other Wyatt families in these early years. Edward Wyatt appears in the will books to handle John Keene's estate in 1740-43; then John Wyatt witnessed a deed in 1744; James Wyatt's childrens' births were recorded 1746-52. John Wyatt, son of Edward, sold land given to him by John Keene in 1754. The Wyatts then vanish from Northumberland.

It is tempting to theorize that Edward Wyatt of Gloucester, a descendant of the wealthy Boxley Wyatts of Kent, is father to the Wyatts who immigrated to Tryon County, North Carolina in the 1760s. But this is problematic at best. 

First, Edward is documented to have married Eleanor Keene, daughter of John Keene, who we know by parish records was born September 29, 1710. It does not seem likely that she could have given birth to men who started having children and appearing in court in 1740. There also seems to be no evidence Edward was married twice. Second, Edward was a coastal merchant and spent much of his time overseas, in particular, in Barbados. It seems odd that all of his children would have moved inland to become farmers. Third, Edward is documented to have had children named Edward, John and Elizabeth but no others.

As previously noted, both James and Daniel Wyatt of North Carolina first appeared in court not in Northumberland, but in Richmond County, Virginia. Daniel and wife Susannah had a son named Edmund in 1740 (Overwharton Parish Register) and its worth noting an Edmund Wyatt appeared in records with them in North Carolina in the 1760s-1780s. Its probably not a coincidence then, that the only Wyatt who appears in Richmond County records before James and Daniel was an Edmund Wyatt who died intestate and whose widow Mary Wyatt appeared in court on July 4, 1737 to receive letters of administration on his estate. This Edmund Wyatt is known from other records to have come from Westmoreland County, the son of a senior Edmund Wyatt, and had documented siblings named Sarah, James and William. His brother William also had a documented son named Vincent Wyatt, which is unique a name we see being appearing in the 1770s in Tryon County, North Carolina.

Further association is shown in a court record of 1739, whereby Susannah Wyatt who we know by several other records to be the wife of Daniel Wyatt, was a witness for Mary Wyatt, administrator of Edmund Wyatt in Richmond County, Virginia. This shows a firm association between James and Daniel and the late Edmund Wyatt of Richmond County.

Because of these documents and the uniqueness of some of these names, the circumstantial evidence is strong that the Edmund Wyatt who died in 1737 was the father of the Wyatts who immigrated to Tryon County, North Carolina.

This is the case that I make in my latest e-book, The Descendants of Edmund Wyatt of Westmoreland County, Virginia, available for free at archive.org. You can access it now by clicking here.

 

Research by Jason M. Farrell

Identifying the Wives of James Wyatt Jr. of Spartanburg District, South Carolina

James Wyatt Jr. (1752-c.1818), a native of Northumberland County, Virginia, migrated with his documented parents, James (c.1726-c.1795) and Bethlehem Wyatt to Tryon County, North Carolina, where his father was granted 392 acres in October 1767. The family seems to have moved to Spartanburg District, South Carolina by 1788, when James Jr. appears in a juror list.

James Wyatt Jr.'s wife is called Mary or Molly in various deeds beginning in June 1790, with her final appearance in a September 1795 sale to Job Sosbree in Spartanburg District. She doesn't seem to appear in any wills and there don't seem to be any strong clues as to her parents.

Some genealogists believe her father was Thomas Massingale, who named a daughter Mary in a deed witnessed by James Wyatt on January 2, 1794 in Spartanburg District. While this is certainly possible, the evidence is thin. Just because James Wyatt witnessed the deed doesn't mean Massingale was his father-in-law. Massingale doesn't give last names for any of his children, so it isn't clear if his daughter Mary was Mary Wyatt. Furthermore, there are no Massingales in the deed books of Tryon and Lincoln County, North Carolina in the 1770s and 1780s, when the Wyatts and Massingales should have been acquainted.

Often overlooked is a marriage bond in Lincoln County, North Carolina between James Wyatt and Mary "Wyrim" (possibly Wyman), dated March 19, 1787. James Wyatt's wife isn't named in deeds prior to 1790 and there doesn't seem to be any other James Wyatt in this generation in either Lincoln County, North Carolina or Spartanburg District, South Carolina, so this is almost certainly the same James and Mary Wyatt.

Census records indicate however that James Wyatt Jr. married and had children long before 1787... and so he must have had a wife before Mary Wyrim.

Interestingly, the identity of this first wife may have been hinted at in a deed from James Wyatt Jr. to his son, dated March 29, 1815. James Wyatt "to son Elisha Jones Wyatt... for love and affection... give... at James death and not before...", 200 acres, border Peg's Old Field (in Lincoln County, NC).

That name "Elisha Jones Wyatt" is pretty specific. He was almost certainly named in honor of someone named Elisha Jones.

Fortunately, its no mystery who Elisha Jones (c.1765-aft.1830) was. He was constable of Lincoln County, North Carolina, where the Wyatts lived from 1779 (when the county was formed from old Tryon County) to 1788. He didn't migrated into South Carolina with the Wyatts, but remained in Lincoln County through at least the 1830 US census and likely died there.

While its possible Elisha Jones was simply a beloved family friend, there is a strong possibility that he was a younger brother of Mary Wyatt. The fact that the Wyatts left the state while Elisha Jones was still very young, possibly a teenager, and named a child after him years later strongly suggests he was a relative.

There is no question that the Wyatts knew him. In fact, James Wyatt and his son John Wyatt were buyers at the estate sale of Thomas Hawkins in Lincoln County, North Carolina in February 1793, which was administered by none other than Elisha Jones.

While it doesn't prove Jones was Wyatt's brother-in-law, it may be the best clue we have to the identity of his wife.

So who were Elisha Jones's parents? A thorough analysis of the Joneses of Tryon and Lincoln Counties don't reveal any relevant deeds or wills that might shed light on this question. But we do have a couple of decent clues:

1. Elisha Jones appears next door to a Charles Jones (born before 1755) in the 1800 US census of Lincoln County, North Carolina. Charles is at least a decade older than Elisha (who married in 1794, and was probably born in the late 1760s or early 1770s) and could be either his father or older brother.

2. Elisha Jones's papers for the estate of Thomas Hawkins reveal a note dated October 8, 1795 where Jones informs the court that he could not locate an important account book pertaining to a John Whiteford but noted he believed Benjamin Jones of Maryland also had the right of administration.

3. Zachariah Spencer granted security for Elisha Jones for the administration of the Hawkins estate.

Zachariah Spencer (1761-1835) of Lincoln County, North Carolina, was born in Baltimore County, Maryland, the son of a senior Zachariah Spencer (1732-1789), who also migrated to Lincoln County; this Zachariah was the son of another Zachariah Spencer (c.1705-c.1783) and his wife Christina Cobb of Maryland.

Christina Cobb was sister-in-law to Charles Jones of Baltimore County (1703-1767), who had sons Benjamin Jones (1728-1797), likely the Benjamin Jones mentioned in the above note; and Charles Jones (1731-aft.1752), who disappears from Maryland records after 1752, and is likely father of the Lincoln and Rutherford County Jones families, which may include Benjamin Jones (bef.1755-1809), Charles Jones Jr. (d. aft.1830), James Lee Jones (d.bef.1790) and Littleberry Jones (d. aft.1810), all of Rutherford County, North Carolina.

The Hawkins family likewise migrated with the Spencer and Jones families from Baltimore County, Maryland to North Carolina and the families show repeated intermarriages through the generations.

This makes Elisha Jones of North Carolina a second cousin of Zachariah Spencer, and a nephew of "Benjamin Jones of Maryland." 

Interestingly, "Zechariah Spencer of Delaware County, Maryland" was deeded land by James Wyatt Sr. in Tryon County, North Carolina in a deed dated December 26, 1772, showing another link between the Wyatts and this Jones-Spencer-Hawkins family group.

So if Elisha Jones was a younger son of Charles Jones and Hannah Nichols of Baltimore County, Maryland who married on December 26, 1752, it seems possible that James Wyatt's first wife was one of their older children, born c.1753-54.

Research and documentation by Jason M. Farrell

Identifying the Lost Suttons of Albemarle County, North Carolina, Part II

In Part I, I laid out the case that Samuel Sutton (c.1722-1764) of Perquimans County, North Carolina was an undocumented son of Nathaniel Sutton (1681-c.1743) by an unknown first wife. Samuel is one of four Sutton men of his generation who seem likely to be brothers. The other three are:

John Sutton (c.1702-aft.1741) appears in Bertie County 1723-1741, wife Mary;

James Sutton (c.1712-1770) married Anne Penrice (Perquimans, Granville & Bertie County 1753-1770);

Ephraim Sutton (c.1720-bef.1772) was a neighbor of James Sutton in Perquimans County.

There is further circumstantial evidence that these men are potentially brothers, and further evidence that James's descendants migrated west into what is now Rutherford County, North Carolina.

JOHN SUTTON (c.1702-aft.1741)

An unidentified John Sutton was the Clerk of Court in Bertie County, North Carolina from at least August 1723 and was a witness to about a third of the deed written over the next two decades. John was himself  recorded buying land in Bertie County in 1725, 1726 and 1739. A 1737 deed identifies his wife as Mary. 

Not much else is known about this John Sutton, who disappears from Bertie County after 1741. Given his status as a local clerk, it seems unlikely that he died around then with no mention in court records. It seems more likely that he simply moved away, though where to isn't clear.

He could be the John Sutton who appears in the records of Dobbs County, North Carolina in 1748 and died there in 1773. No wife was recorded, but he had three documented sons: Benjamin Sutton (born about 1752; died 1837); John Sutton, Jr. (born about 1758; died 1820-1830); and William Sutton (born about 1760; died 1813-1820). All three sons were born and lived in Bucklesberry, which is about 100 miles southwest of Perquimans County. 

There were four other possible sons living in the county as well: Thomas Sutton (born before 1758; death year unknown); James Sutton (born 1755-1767; death year unknown); Richard Sutton (born 1755-1773; died 1800-1810); and Simon Sutton (born 1765-1767; died before 1813). John likely had daughters, too, but no document evidence to date has emerged to identify their names.

Given the age difference between John Sutton of Bertie County and the children born to John Sutton of Dobbs, it is possible that John of Bertie was the father of John of Dobbs; or they may be unrelated. For further information on the Dobbs County John Sutton, see https://suttonancestry.com/john-sutton-first-in-bucklesberry/

JAMES SUTTON (c.1712-1770)

James was extensively documented in Perquimans County, beginning with a deed of 100 acres from Francis Penrice in April 1753.

The following year, James appears in tax list of Perquimans County, with just 1 tithable (himself). On this same list are Samuel Sutton (5), Joseph Sutton Esq., Joseph Sutton Jr. and Edward Penrice, indicating they lived in the same part of the county.

Sometime during that year, James seems to have moved to Granville County, North Carolina, being named along with a John Sutton in a muster roll of the Granville County militia in October 1754. The following year he appears in the Granville County tax rolls, again claiming only himself as tithable. James disappears from Granville County after 1755, but appears in Bertie County beginning in the tax census of 1757.

While these could be different men named James Sutton, the scarcity of the name in this Sutton clan suggest they are the same man. Also, Robert Allen appears with James Sutton in the Granville County 1755 tax census just 11 households away from Sutton. In the 1757 tax list of Bertie County, James Sutton shared a household with Robert Allen, indicating co-migration among these eastern counties.

James Sutton seems to appear in no further records until April 15, 1770, when his estate entered into probate in Perquimans County. Samuel Penrice, his brother-in-law, was administrator and a James Sutton was the only Sutton at his estate sale. This is his son. Evidently there was a will but it doesn't seem to have been recorded.

James Sutton Jr. appears in a 1771 deed clarifying some of the relationships in this family:

Oct. 21, 1771 - James Sutton to Benj Scarbrough - 15 pds for 30 acres - NW Yeopin Creek near bend of a swamp out of Franks Creek - sd land given by my grandfather Francis Penrice to my father James Sutton Sr and by his will to me. (Perquimans Co. NC deeds, Book H, #183)

And in a further deed he shows a relation to the late Ephraim Sutton, probable brother of James Sr.:

Feb. 6, 1772 - James Sutton to Joshua Skinner - 25 pds for 50 acres - NS Yeopim Creek adj to land belonging to orphans of Ephraim Sutton to a branch issuing out of Albemarle Sounty. Witnesses Samuel Penrice, Elizabeth Penrice. (Perquimans Co. NC deeds, Book H #198)

James Sutton and Ann Penrice (named daughter in the will of Francis Penrice of Perquimans County, in April 1756) had four likely sons who migrated into western North Carolina:

1. John Sutton (c.1734-1817), who appears in the Granville County militia rolls in 1754 and was noted "absent" in rolls of 1771. He appears in court in Granville County in 1755 and 1757. He is likely the same John Sutton who begins appearing in deeds in Anson County, North Carolina in 1768 and evidently married Eleanor Ashley, daughter of John Ashley of Anson County, who names a daughter "Elianer Sutton" in his 1759 will. In 1772, John Sutton was a witness for John Ashley (Jr., son of above John Ashley) in a deed in Tryon County, North Carolina; by 1779, he had been granted 50 acres on Floyd's Creek in Rutherford County, North Carolina, where he would remain the rest of his life. He sealed his will in March 1814 naming children Elizabeth Sutton, Robert Sutton, William Sutton, John Sutton, Sarah Sutton and James Sutton, among other legatees. His will was recorded July 6, 1817.

2. James Sutton (1751-aft.1834), a Revolutionary War veteran who self-reported being born in Granville County, North Carolina in April 1751 in his veteran's pension application. In 1771-1772, he sold off his father's property and (by his own account) removed to Halifax County, North Carolina where he lived until 1780, though contemporary records actually place him back in Granville County during this period, serving under Capt. William Gill during the Revolutionary War. James reported living in Rutherford County, North Carolina from 1780 to 1805, when he finally settled in Lincoln County, North Carolina. He reported being poor and illiterate and evidently wrote no will. No wife is known, but he seems to be father to James Sutton, William Sutton, Colby Sutton and others who later migrated from Rutherford County, North Carolina to Smith County, Tennessee. Colby was named legatee in the will of the above John Sutton.

3. Samuel Sutton (1750s-aft.1800), about whom little is known. In 1788 he appears with John Sutton in a suit against James Kincaid in Lincoln County, North Carolina. Samuel, who was likely named for Samuel Sutton (d.1764) of Perquimans County, North Carolina, appears in census records of Lincoln County through 1800. He may be the father of William and James Sutton who appear in Lincoln County marriage bonds in 1818 and 1832, respectively.

4. Dempsey Sutton (bef.1765-aft.1820), another brother about whom little is known. He does appear to have initially migrated with the other Suttons to Lincoln County, North Carolina where he appears as "Densy Sutton" in a suit by the state of North Carolina in January 1788. After being found guilty, he seems to have returned to Granville County where he was sold property near Low Ground Creek by David Blalock in 1801. He last appears in the 1820 census of Granville County. No name found for his wife. He may be the father of Edward Sutton, a War of 1812 veteran who also appears in Granville County in the 1820 census.

EPHRAIM SUTTON (c.1720-c.1772)

Ephraim Sutton is only mentioned in three deeds between 1757 and 1772, the earliest of these confirming he was more likely to be a brother than a son of James Sutton (c.1712-1770). In February 1757, Ephraim bought 100 acres in Perquimans County on Franks Creek, "adjacent James Sutton." In a final deed of October 1772 the "orphans of Ephraim Sutton" were mentioned, but there appears to be no record of their names. It is possible he is the father or grandfather of another Ephraim Sutton (1768-1819) who genealogists believe was from Chowan County, North Carolina.

Research and documentation by Jason M. Farrell