1850s

The estate of Asael Barnes Farmer (1856).

Asael Barnes Farmer, who lived between present-day Wilson and Elm City, held people in slavery for most of his life, claiming three in the 1800 census (when he was about 22 years old), six in 1810, and 13 in 1820. Farmer died about 1856 possessed of two dozen or more enslaved people. An account of the hire of these people — mostly to Farmer’s relatives — for 1856 included Spencer, Sampson, Belford, David, Moses, Jarmon, Daniel, Benjamin, Howard, Blount, Berry, Washington, Joshua, Patsey and her children, Clark and Titus, Della, Jane, Mar, Ellen and her children, Clarkey, and Delila.

Much of Farmer’s estate file concerns State v. Dave, an enslaved man accused of breaking into a white woman’s house and stealing clothes. In connection with that case, in December 1863, the court issued jury summons to 25 “good and lawful men being slave holders.”

——

How many of Asael Farmer’s enslaved can we trace forward?

  • Spencer

Perhaps: on 12 January 1869, Watson Farmer, son of Aaron Barnes and Cherry Barnes, married Martha Barnes, daughter of Spencer Taylor and Cherry Taylor, at Pattie Farmer’s in Wilson County.

On 4 January 1870, Daniel Farmer, son of Spencer Farmer and Cherry Farmer, married Axa Cherry, daughter of Joseph Forbs and Judy Barnes, in Wilson County.

On 24 April 1870, Hardy Farmer, son of Spencer Farmer and Cherry Farmer, married Silvey Hooks at Hardy Farmer’s home in Wilson County.

  • Sampson

Perhaps: on 25 August 1866, Sampson Farmer and Lucy Stephens registered their 12-year marriage with a Wilson County justice of the peace.

in the 1870 census of Joyners township, Wilson County: Samson Farmer, 55, farm laborer, and wife Lucy, 47.

In the 1880 census of Joyners township, Wilson County: farmer Samson Farmer, 60, and wife Lucy A., 54.

Or: on 23 August 1866, Sampson Farmer and Phillis Jordan registered their 18(?)-year marriage with a Wilson County justice of the peace.

In the 1870 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: Samson Farmer, 57; wife Phillis, 25; son Warren, 12; and Rebecca Taylor, 31.

in the 1880 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: Sampson Farmer, 59, farm laborer; wife Phillis, 29; son Warren, 26; and Amos Simms, 62.

Hannah Barnes died 25 May 1920 in Elm City, Toisnot township, Wilson County. Per her death certificate, she was born 1841 in Wilson County to Samson Farmer and Annie Barnes; was married to Robert Barnes; and was buried in Elm City. Julius Barnes was informant.

  • Belford

On 22 September 1870, Belford Farmer, son of Ben and Ellen Farmer, married Peggy Flowers, daughter of Henry and Annie Flowers, in Wilson County.

In the 1870 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: Bellford Farmer, 46, farmer; wife Peggy, 36; children Morning, 17, Benj’n, 10, Alice, 13, Moses, 8, Anna, 5, and Ida, 1; and Allen Battle, 21.

In the 1880 census of Wilson, Wilson County: widowed laundress Peggy Farmer, 43, and children Mourning, 23, Alice, 21, Annie, 13, Moses, 16, Ida, 10, Belford, 7, and Mary, 5, and grandsons Willie, 3, and Henry, 1.

  • David

This was the Dave of State v. Dave.

  • Moses

In 1866, Moses Farmer and Emla Farmer registered their 15-year marriage with a Wilson County justice of the peace.

In the 1870 census of Gardners township, Wilson County: Moses Farmer, 43, farm laborer; wife Emily, 38; Adeline Farmer, 20; Agnes Farmer, 65; Paton Farmer; 8; and John Farmer, 7.

In the 1880 census of Wilson, Wilson County: on Spring Street, farm worker Moses Farmer, 54, and wife Emily, 45.

  • Jarmon

In the 1870 census of Joyners township, Wilson County: farmer Jarman Farmer, 34; wife Virginia, 30; and children Jackson, 17, Green, 13, Rose, 15, Jane, 10, Julia, 8, Ella, 6, and Maggie, 4.

On 8 February 1877, Rose Farmer, 21, married Dennis Batts, 22, at Jarman Farmer’s house in Wilson County.

In the 1880 census of Toisnot township, Wilson County: Jarman Farmer, 52; wife Jennie, 45; children Greene, 22, Julia A., 15, Mary E., 13, Jarman, 4, and Isaac, 3; and brother Blount Farmer, 45.

In the 1900 census of Gardners township, Wilson County: Jarman Farmer, 75; wife Jennie, 68; sons Jarman, 25, and Isaac, 22; and grandsons Walter, 19, and Sam Faulklin, 22.

On 9 January 1901, Jarman Farmer Jr., 26, son of Jarman Farmer, married Maud Sessoms, 23, daughter of Claude Sessoms, at Dock Thomas‘ in Toisnot township, Wilson County.

Julia Farmer died 27 July 1943 in Toisnot township, Wilson County. Per her death certificate, she was born 1 April 1880 [actually, more like 1865] in Wilson County to Jarman Farmer and Jennie Farmer; was the widow of Bennie Farmer; and was buried in Elm City Cemetery. Jennie Armstrong was informant.

Jarman Farmer died 17 December 1954 in Richmond, Virginia. Per his death certificate, he was 77 years old; was born in Wilson County, N.C., to Jarman Farmer and Jennie Farmer; lived at 619 North 26th Street, Richmond; was the widower of Maude Farmer; worked as a laborer; and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery. Lessie Farmer was informant.

  • Daniel

In 1866, Daniel Farmer and Cherry Barefoot registered their three-year marriage with a Wilson County justice of the peace.

On 4 January 1870, Daniel Farmer, son of Spencer Farmer and Cherry Farmer, married Axa Cherry, daughter of Joseph Forbs and Judy Barnes, in Wilson County. [Is this is same Daniel as above?]

In the 1870 census of Taylor township, Wilson County: farm laborer Daniel Farmer, 37; wife Axele, 36; and children Rosa, 14, Cherry, 12, Hardy, 7, and Elbert, 3.

In the 1880 census of Taylor township, Wilson County: farmer Daniel Farmer, 46; wife Axel, 40; children Hardy, 16, Lou, 12, Aaron, 10, Spencer, 8, and Elitia, 4.

Aaron Lumford Farmer died 25 April 1933 in Bull Head township, Wilson County. Per his death certificate, he was born 15 June 1870 in Elm City, Wilson County, to Dan Farmer and Axey Barnes; was married to the “daughter of Marcus Shepherd”; and was a farmer. Aaron Farmer Jr. was informant.

  • Benjamin

On 19 December 1868, Isaac Wells, son of Cain and Milly Wells, married Clarkey Farmer, daughter of Ben and Ellen Dowly, in Wilson County. See Clarkey and Titus, below.

On 22 September 1870, Belford Farmer, son of Ben and Ellen Farmer, married Peggy Flowers, daughter of Henry and Annie Flowers, in Wilson County.

  • Haywood
  • Blount

In the 1880 census of Toisnot township, Wilson County: Jarman Farmer, 52; wife Jennie, 45; children Greene, 22, Julia A., 15, Mary E., 13, Jarman, 4, and Isaac, 3; and brother Blount Farmer, 45.

  • Berry

Perhaps, on 22 August 1866, Berry Farmer and Hester Viverette registered their 12-year marriage with a Wilson County justice of the peace.

In the 1870 census of Joyners township, Wilson County: farm laborer Berry Farmer, 45; wife Hester, 44; children Jane, 13, Cherry, 11, Leah, 8, Rose, 6, and Georgiana, 1; and farm laborer Harriss Parker, 20; Miller Ricks, 10, and Ellie Vines, 19.

In the 1880 census of Toisnot township, Wilson County: farm laborer Berry Farmer, 40, and Cherry, 23, Rose, 15, Anna, 12, and Addie, 7.

Or: on 25 August 1866, Berry Farmer and Harrett Farmer registered their ten-year marriage with a Wilson County justice of the peace.

In the 1870 census of Joyners township, Wilson County: farm laborer Berry Farmer, 32; wife Harriet, 38; and Andrew, 7.

In the 1880 census of Toisnot township, Wilson County: farmer Berry Farmer, 50, and wife Harriet, 45.

  • Washington

Perhaps, Washington Farmer, whose wife Waity Harris and children were enslaved by a different owner, but see here.

  • Joshua
  • Patsey and her children

Is this the Martha, above, who married Watson Farmer on 12 January 1869 in Wilson County? (Patsey was a nickname for Martha.)

  • Clark and Titus

On 19 December 1868, Isaac Wells, son of Cain and Milly Wells, married Clarkey Farmer, daughter of Ben and Ellen Dowly, in Wilson County.

In the 1870 census of Joyners township, Wilson County: Isaac Wells, 28, farm laborer, and wife Clarkey, 34.

In the 1870 census of Joyners township, Wilson County: Morriss Barnes, 27, farm laborer; wife Della, 27; children Benjamin, 10, Dilly, 6, Robert, 4, Wesley, 3, and Harriett, 1; and Titus Farmer, 18.

In the 1880 census of Toisnot township, Wilson County: farm laborer Isaac Wells, 39; wife Clarke, 45; stepson Titus Farmer, 26, farm laborer; and James Chisel, 17, farm laborer.

Clarkie Wells died 1 February 1924 at the County Home, Wilson township, Wilson County. Per her death certificate, she was 90 years old and a widow.

  • Della
  • Jane
  • Mar
  • Ellen and her children

On 19 December 1868, Isaac Wells, son of Cain and Milly Wells, married Clarkey Farmer, daughter of Ben and Ellen Dowly, in Wilson County.

On 22 September 1870, Belford Farmer, son of Ben and Ellen Farmer, married Peggy Flowers, daughter of Henry and Annie Flowers, in Wilson County.

Possibly: in the 1870 census of Joyners township, Wilson County: Nellie Farmer, 62; Mary Farmer, 47; and Joshua Farmer, 22. [“Nellie” was a nickname for Ellen. Next door, Berry and Harriet Farmer. Joshua was too young to have been the Joshua listed among Asael Farmer’s slaves.]

In the 1880 census of Toisnot township, Wilson County: Nellie Farmer, 75; grandsons George, 20, Drewey, 17, and Berry Farmer, 17; and great-granddaughter Martha A. Parker, 8.

  • Clarkey
  • Delila

These records establish three nuclear families among the group — (1) Spencer and Cherry and their children Daniel, Hardy, and possibly Patsey; (2) Ben and Ellen and their children Belford and Clarkey (as well as Clarkey’s son Titus); and brothers Blount and Jarman.

Asael Farmer Estate (1856), Edgecombe County, North Carolina Estate Files 1663-1979, http://www.familysearch.org.

The estate of Theophilus Bass (1857).

At October Term 1857, Wilson County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions ordered the division of a group of eight enslaved people belonging to the estate of Theophilus Bass — Charles, Mary, Easter, Warren, Eliza, Martin, Sarah, and Howell.

As we saw here, Bass had inherited Charles, Mary and Easter (Esther) from his uncle James A. Barnes after the death of Barnes’ widow Sarah Daniel Barnes. Warren, Eliza, Martin, and possibly Sarah were Easter’s children. Their father Howell was also owned by James A. Barnes, but passed to McKinley Darden, and the Howell listed above may have been Howell and Easter’s child.

A ninth enslaved person, Mason, was ordered sold at public auction in Wilson County.

Sarah, valued at $250, was allotted to Winnefred Bass.

——

We traced Charles, Mary, and Easter forward here.

  • Warren

In the 1870 census of Black Creek township, Wilson County: Howard Darden, 47, farm laborer; wife Esther, 38; and children Warren, 20, Eliza, 18, Martin, 17, Toby, 12, and Crawford, 1.

Warren Darden, 24, married Louisa Dew, 18, on 1 May 1873 in Wilson, before witnesses Amos Dew and Raiford Dew.

In the 1880 census of Black Creek township, Wilson County: farmer Warren Darden, 30, wife Louisa, 25, children Warren, 3, and an unnamed infant, and farmhand Wilie Lee, 14.

In the 1900 census of Black Creek township, Wilson County: farmer Warren Darden, 50; wife Lou, 45; and children Warren Jr., 23, Mary L., 18, Lizzie, 12, Sallie, 6, and Minnie, 2.

Minnie Darden died 7 May 1925 in Black Creek township, Wilson County. Per her death certificate, she was born 27 August 1898 in Wilson County to Warren Darden and Louisa Darden. Grant Farmer was informant.

Sallie Farmer Eddie died 9 December 1945 in Black Creek township, Wilson County. Per her death certificate, she was born 2 March 1891 in Wilson County to Warren Darden and Louisa Dew; was married to John Eddie; and was buried in Newsom Cemetery near Lucama, N.C. George W. Dew was informant.

  • Eliza

On 29 December 1892, Henry Dortch, 52, of Wilson, son of Isaac Thorne and Bedie Artis, married Eliza Darden, 42, at Crawford Darden‘s in Wilson County. Free Will Baptist minister Daniel Blount performed, and Frank Woodard, Warren Darden, and Isom Sutton witnessed the ceremony.

  • Martin

On 22 December 1871, Martin Darden, son of Howell Darden and Esther Jordan, married Jane Dew, daughter of Haywood and Jane Dew, at H. Dew’s in Wilson County.

In the 1880 census of Black Creek township, Wilson County: farmer Martin Darden, 27; wife 25; and daughters Esther, 5, Ellen, 5, and Nellie, 3.

On 25 December 1888, Lawrence Mitchell, 21, of Crossroads township, Wilson County, son of Primus Mitchell, married Ester Darden, 18, of Crossroads township, daughter of Martin and Jane Darden, at Primus Mitchell’s.

In the 1900 census of Great Swamp township, Wayne County: farmer Martin Darden, 48; Jane, 50; and children Tinsey, 17, Howard, 14, Jineva, 11, and Silvey, 9.

In the 1910 census of Glissons township, Duplin County, N.C.: farmer Martin Darden, 58; wife Jane, 59; and daughter Silva, 18.

On 27 January 1915, Clint Smith, 28, of Duplin County, son of Dudly and Priscilla Smith, married Silva Darden, 23, of Duplin County, daughter of Martin and Jane Darden, at Martin Darden’s in Glissons township.

Easter Mitchell died 16 November 1918 in Crossroads township, Wilson County. Per his death certificate, she was 40 years old; was born in Wilson County to Martin Darden and an unknown mother; and was buried in Ricks graveyard.

In the 1920 census of Glissons township, Duplin County, N.C.: farm laborer Martin Darden, 68, and Jane, 69.

Martin Darden died 22 December 1926 in Kenansville township, Duplin County. Per his death certificate, he was 74 years old; was married to Jane Darden; was born in Wilson County to Howard and Easter Darden; and worked as a farmer and blacksmith. Howard Darden of Fremont was informant.

Janie Darden died 21 February 1936 in Kenansville, Duplin County. Per her death certificate, she was 72 years old; was born in Wilson County; was the widow of Martin Darden; and did farm and housework. Clint Smith was informant.

  • Sarah
  • Howell
  • Mason

On 12 May 1866, Mason Bass and Kate Edmundson registered their four-year marriage with a Wilson County justice of the peace.

In the 1870 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: Mason Bass, 32; wife Katy, 33; children Spicy, 7, Bettie, 6, Riley, 1, and Nathaniel, 2 months; Mary, 53, Eliza, 28, and Sarah Bass, 16; and Ruffin Barnes, 18.

In the 1880 census of Black Creek township, Wilson County: Mason Bass, 43; wife Kate, 45; and children Isicy, 17, Bettie, 16, Amanuel, 2, and Mattie, 10 months.

In the 1900 census of Coahoma County, Mississippi: North Carolina-born Mason Bass, 63; wife Katie, 65; children Emanuel, 22, and Amelia, 18; and granddaughter Conelus, 1. Next door: Olie Henry, 45; wife Spicie, 37; and their children Amie, 14, William, 5, and Nathan, 3.

Estate File of Theophilus Bass (1857), Edgecombe County, North Carolina Estate Files 1663-1979, http://www.familysearch.org

The estate of Elizabeth Hinnant (1855).

When Elizabeth Hinnant made out her will on 10 April 1854, she left to Alvin H. Atkinson “one negroe boy named Joe,” the sole person she enslaved.

At the time she dictated her will, Hinnant lived in Johnston County, but by her death Wilson County had been formed. Loverd Atkinson filed in Wilson County court the inventory of Hinnant’s property shown below. First on the list, ahead of a sorrel mare, a bay horse, and three head of cattle, was Joe.

Atkinson hired Joe out to unnamed persons for 18 days, and then until the following January.

——

On 31 August 1866, Joseph Hinnant and Roda Godwin registered their six-year marriage with a Wilson County justice of the peace.

In the 1870 census of Springhill township, Wilson County: Joseph Hinniard, 30; wife Rodah, 27; and children Vandier, 8, Zadok, 6, Roxy, 4, and James, 1.

In the 1880 census of Springhill township, Wilson County: farmer Joseph Hinnant, 45; wife Rhoda, 43; and children Vandorne, 18, Dock, 16, Rocksey, 14, James T., 12, Toby, 10, Josiah, 8, Leviser, 6, John E., 4, and Martha, 1.

In the 1900 census of Springhill township, Wilson County: James T. Hinnant, 31; mother Rhoda, 59; father Joseph, 70; and sisters Lovisa, 25, Martha, 21, and Mary, 18.

James A. Barnes’ enslaved community.

We saw here the last will and testament of James A. Barnes, who died childless and dispersed 20 enslaved people among an array of relatives. What do we know of the 20? Not much.

  • Tom (to wife Sarah Barnes for her lifetime, then to choose his owner)
  • Mary (to wife Sarah Barnes, then to nephew Theophilus Bass)
  • Esther (to wife Sarah Barnes, then to nephew Theophilus Bass)

On 11 August 1866, Howell Darden and Easter Bass registered their cohabitation with a county justice of the peace and thereby legalized their 18-year marriage.

In the 1870 census of Black Creek township, Wilson County: Howard Darden, 47, farm laborer; wife Esther, 38; and children Warren, 20, Eliza, 18, Martin, 17, Toby, 12, and Crawford, 1.

On 22 December 1871, Martin Darden, son of Howell Darden and Esther Jordan, married Jane Dew, daughter of Haywood and Jane Dew, at H. Dew’s in Wilson County.

On 29 December 1892, Henry Dortch, 52, of Wilson, son of Isaac Thorne and Bedie Artis, married Eliza Darden, 42, at Crawford Darden‘s in Wilson County. Free Will Baptist minister Daniel Blount performed, and Frank Woodard, Warren Darden, and Isom Sutton witnessed the ceremony.

Martin Darden died 22 December 1926 in Kenansville township, Duplin County. Per his death certificate, he was 74 years old; was married to Jane Darden; was born in Wilson County to Howard and Easter Darden; and worked as a farmer and blacksmith. Howard Darden of Fremont was informant.

  • Charles (to wife Sarah Barnes, then to nephew Theophilus Bass)

In the 1870 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: farm laborer Charles Bass, 41.

On 16 January 1880, Charles Bass, 51, married Rhoda A. Jordan, 23, at C. Bass’ [probably Charles Bass] residence. Justice of the Peace David G.W. Ward performed the ceremony.

In the 1880 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: farmer Charles Bass, 51; wife Rhoda, 23; and an unnamed four month-old infant daughter. [This child was Cornelia Bass Reddick.]

In the 1900 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: farm laborer Charles Bass, 71, widower, and son James, 10.

  • Amos (to wife Sarah Barnes)
  • Bob (to wife Sarah Barnes)
  • Silvia (to wife Sarah Barnes)
  • Ransom (to wife Sarah Barnes)
  • Rose (to wife Sarah Barnes)
  • Dinah (to Martha Tomberlin)
  • Jack (to McKinley Darden’s daughter Tresy Darden)

Perhaps, on 19 January 1869, Jack Darden married Vina Artist in Wayne County, N.C.

  • Howell (to McKinley Darden)

On 11 August 1866, Howell Darden and Easter Bass registered their cohabitation with a county justice of the peace and thereby legalized their 18-year marriage.

In the 1870 census of Black Creek township, Wilson County: Howard Darden, 47, farm laborer; wife Esther, 38; and children Warren, 20, Eliza, 18, Martin, 17, Toby, 12, and Crawford, 1.

On 22 December 1871, Martin Darden, son of Howell Darden and Esther Jordan, married Jane Dew, daughter of Haywood and Jane Dew, at H. Dew’s in Wilson County.

Martin Darden died 22 December 1926 in Kenansville township, Duplin County. Per his death certificate, he was 74 years old; was married to Jane Darden; was born in Wilson County to Howard and Easter Darden; and worked as a farmer and blacksmith. Howard Darden of Fremont was informant.

  • Irvin (to sister Beedy Woodard in Georgia)

Obedience Barnes Woodard appears in the 1850 census of Dooly County, Georgia, as Obedience Woodard, a 65 year-old head of household in the 1850 census of Dooly County, Georgia. I have found no trace of Irvin.

  • Jordan (to Eliza Bass, widow of James Bass)

In the 1870 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: farm laborer Jordan Bass, 68; Rodah, 39; George, 24; Amos, 23; Etheldred, 17; and Frederick, 12.

  • Rindy (jointly to George Washington Bass, Thomas Warren Bass, and Jesse Jackson Bass, the sons of Theophilus Bass, deceased)
  • Abraham (jointly to George Washington Bass, Thomas Warren Bass, and Jesse Jackson Bass, the sons of Theophilus Bass, deceased; to James B. Bass, then to George W. Bass)
  • Rhody (jointly to George Washington Bass, Thomas Warren Bass, and Jesse Jackson Bass, the sons of Theophilus Bass, deceased; to James B. Bass, then to Jesse Bass)
  • Alexander (jointly to George Washington Bass, Thomas Warren Bass, and Jesse Jackson Bass, the sons of Theophilus Bass, deceased)
  • Bob (jointly to George Washington Bass, Thomas Warren Bass, and Jesse Jackson Bass, the sons of Theophilus Bass, deceased; to James B. Bass, then to Jesse Bass)
  • Gatsey (sold)

The hire of Blunt and Miles for perilous work.

On 12 December 1851, Lewis J. Dortch and John T. Barnes arranged with James F. Jenkins, guardian of the minor heirs of Willie Atkinson, for the hire of two enslaved men, Blunt and Miles. Dortch and Barnes were partners in a turpentine and lumber business in South Carolina; presumably, Dortch and Barnes intended to send the men south to perform this grueling, dangerous work.

Dortch and Barnes promised to pay Jenkins $250 and to provide Blunt and Miles with three shirts, three pairs of pants, one hat, one blanket, one “round” jacket, one pair of woolen socks, and two pair of double-soled shoes. All the clothes were to be made from new cloth, and one “suit” was to made of wool. (A round jacket was a short jacket of heavy cloth with wide lapels and two rows of close-set buttons.)

Finally, in a chillingly frank acknowledgment of risk, Dortch and Barnes promised “to return said negros Blunt & Miles if living” on 1 January 1853. 

Dortch, Barnes, and witness John Wilkinson lived in and around Stantonsburg, in what would become Wilson County in 1855. Atkinson, whose wife Sallie was related to Wilkinson, appears to live northeast, just below Town Creek, in a section that remained in Edgecombe County. More about Atkinson’s enslaved community, including Miles and Blount, soon.

L.J. Dortch Estate Record (1854), Wilson County, North Carolina Estate Files 1663-1979, http://www.familysearch.org

The estate of William Felts (1854).

William Felts (Phelps?) made out his will in Greene County in 1853 and died early the following year in Edgecombe County. Jonathan Ellis was appointed guardian of Felts’ minor children and in that capacity handled the estate the children inherited . For the next few years, Ellis filed with the county court (first Edgecombe County, then Wilson after its founding) accounts of the moneys received for the lease and sale of Felts’ property. When Ellis died in December 1856, Ellis’ administrator Reuben Bynum carried out his duties to the Felts’ heirs.

On 23 March 1854, the account showed that Garry P. Felts hired from the estate a man named Frank, a boy named Joe, and a girl named Allie, and was credited for taking care of a woman named Elvy and her two young children. (Though this document is titled “an account of sale,” the prices of both the land and the enslaved people establish these were prorated annual lease prices.)

On 1 January 1855, Ellis hired out Elvira and her three children, Joe, Alley, and Ben to [Garry] Patrick “Felphs.” Frank was not mentioned. Ben’s hire rate suggests that he was very young, but able to be of some use.

On 1 January 1856, Ellis rented out a girl and two boys, whom he did not bother to mention by name.

On 1 January 1857, the estate paid Garry P. Felts $28 to keep Elva and her four children, and Felts in turn paid the estate $91 to hire Ben, Allie, and Joe. (Notice that Elvy was giving birth to a child every year during this period.)

On 7 March 1857, Ellis (Bynum?) held another sale — or, judging by the rates — rehire. William Felts’ son-in-law Richard Edmundson picked up the leases of the children.

I have not been able to trace forward Frank, Elvira, or her children Ben and Allie.

However, in the 1880 census of Speights Bridge township, Greene County: Joseph Phelps, 48, farmer; wife Yeaster, 30; and children Lou, 12, Patrick, 10, McDallis, 4, and George W., 3.

On 24 May 1890, Joseph Phelps, 55, of Speights Bridge township, married Margaret Speight, 35, daughter of Penny Speight, at Joseph Phelps’ house near W.A. Darden’s in Greene County.

On 16 June 1891, Patrick Phelps, 20, and Mandy Burney, 18, applied for a marriage license in Greene County, but did not return it.

In the 1900 census of Speights Bridge township, Greene County: farmer Joe Phelps, 60; wife Margaret, 30; and sons Patrick, 30, ditcher, and Mack, 25, and George, 20, farm laborers.

On 16 January 1901, Mack Phelps, 24, married Mary Woodard, 22, in Greene County.

Lula Edwards died 12 November 1929 in Gardners township, Wilson County. Per her death certificate, she was 66 years old; was born in Greene County to Joe Phelps of Edgecombe County and Easter Speight of Greene County; was the widow of Ben Edwards; worked in farming; and was buried in Herrings Cemetery. Lacy Edwards was informant.

On 11 March 1930, Mack Phelps, 54, of Greene County, son of Joseph and Easter Phelps, married Monora Ruff, 39, of Greene County, daughter of David and Litha Smith, in Snow Hill township, Greene County.

George Phelps died 13 December 1937 in Bull Head township, Greene County. Per his death certificate, he was 56 years old; was born in Greene County to Joe Phelps; was the widower of Alice Strawberry Phelps; and was a farmer.

Mack Phelps died 27 February 1964 at Mercy Hospital, Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was born 5 October 1889 in Greene County to Joe Phelps and Easter Speight; lived at 1510 Atlantic Street Extension; was a widower; and was buried in Rest Haven Cemetery. True Miller Artis, Wilson, was informant.

——

William Felts Estate Records (1854), Wilson County, North Carolina Estate Files 1663-1979, http://www.familysearch.org

The estate of Dr. Lewis J. Dortch (1854).

Tarborough Southerner, 4 November 1854.

The death of a slaveholder generally portended devastating disruption for the enslaved. The 650-page estate of Dr. Lewis J. Dortch provides more chilling evidence.

Nash County-born, University of Pennsylvania-trained Dortch married Nancy Jane Adams in Tarboro, Edgecombe County, in 1844. The couple settled in Stantonsburg, and Jane Dortch gave birth to three children — Sarah, Isaac, and Mary — before dying of tuberculosis in 1849. The children went to live with their maternal uncle, merchant Jesse H. Adams,   and his family, who were listed between Dr. Dortch and slave trader Wyatt Moye in the 1850 Edgecombe County census.

Dortch married Martha Forbes in 1853, but died intestate in October 1854. Lawyer and politician William T. Dortch of Goldsboro, North Carolina, his close kinsman, was appointed administrator of his estate, which was heavily in debt. Shortly after, Robert S. Adams — also a slave trader and Dortch’s brother-in-law — was appointed the Dortch children’s guardian and moved them to Aberdeen, Monroe County, Mississippi. (When the children petitioned for their share of their father’s 2200 acres in Wilson County, the court asked for assurances that their guardian had sufficient assets to secure the estate. Testimony established that Adams was worth a modest $30,000, but was backed by Wyatt Moye, whose estimated net worth was no less than $250,000, and W.R. Cunningham, worth no less than $100,000.)

William Dortch’s first inventory report on 11 November 1854 revealed both the complexity of L.J. Dortch’s slaveholdings and the movement of his enslaved people into short-term hires in Stantonsburg and over the county line in Nahunta district, Wayne County.

  • Boy John was hired till 1 January 1855 to W.J. Exum [of northwest Wayne County] for $4.55
  • Rody and child Rosa were hired to Jno. Wilkinson [of Stantonsburg] for the same period for $2.25
  • Sarah was hired to W.J. Exum for the same period for $2.75
  • Frank and Allen to Jesse H. Adams “to keep” for $5.45
  • “in addition to the above slaves the deceased owned the following, viz.: Wash, Beedy, Warren, George, Ned, Tom, Anderson, Gray, Primus
  • “and one half of nine slaves in the possession of Wm. T. Dortch, & owned jointly by them — whose names are Diza, Jinney, Louisa, Jim, Mary, Charles, Fanny, Nancy & Josephine.” [This appears to be the nine enslaved children and grandchildren of Wayne County free man of color Adam Winn, who were sold at auction in March 1852 to satisfy Winn’s creditors. A contemporary news account cites “Dr. Dortch” of Stantonsburg as the purchaser.]
  • “The deceased has an unsettled partnership between himself & John T. Barnes, in South Carolina, in the turpentine business — the firm own the following slaves, viz. Dance, Mintus, George and Anthony

Further inventories reflected the first sales of enslaved people, as well as the instability created by movement each year pursuant to new hire agreements:

  • “Received for equality of division in wife’s negroes on the 29th day of January 1856, one hundred & fifty-six dollars 25/100 — the following negroes formerly belonging to intestate’s wife, & received in division viz., Pompey, Fox & Judah & two children, in Jany 1856″ [Martha Forbes Dortch had been a minor when her father Alfred Forbes died in Pitt County, N.C., and only 20 years old when she married Dr. Dortch.]
  • The hires from 1 January 1855 to 29 April 1855 of Sarah to Ollin C. Sasser for $8; Beedy and child Rosetta to Orpha Applewhite for $6; George to Jonathan Bullock for $7.50; Frank and Allen to Jesse H. Adams for $2.62; and Rody and Rosa to John Wilkinson for $6 [Sasser lived in or near Goldsboro, Wayne County; Applewhite and Wilkinson in Stantonsburg; and Bullock further north in Edgecombe County.]
  • An account of the 2 April 1855 sale of 14 enslaved people: John to Drue Daniel for $1000; Frank to Ollin Coor for $390; Warren to Robert Bynum for $705; Rody to John Wilkinson for $211; Rosa to Washington Barnes for $380; Beedy and child Rosetta to Orpha Applewhite for $535; Sarah to Drue Daniel for $841; Diza to John B. Griswold for $900; Jinney, Jim, Charles, and Mary to William B. Fields for $1507; George to Josiah Howell for $491 [I have not identified Drue Daniel. Wayne County sheriff Ollin Coor lived in Goldsboro, as did John B. Griswold, William B. Fields, and Josiah Howell. (As estate administrator, William T. Dortch likely steered hires toward his Goldsboro associates.) Washington Barnes lived in Saratoga district of what is now Wilson County, and Robert Bynum in what is now Gardners township.]
  • The hire of Wash to W.K. Lane from 1 January 1855 to 1 January 1856 for $202 [Lane lived in Nahunta district, Wayne County.]
  • The hires of Ned, Primus, Tom, Anderson and Gray to John T. Barnes for that period for $1050 [John T. Barnes was soon to be sheriff of Wilson County.]
  • The sale of Primus on 1 January 1856 to John T. Barnes for $1250.25
  • On 29 January 1856, the sales of Pompey to Stephen Page for $700; Fox to Joshua Barnes for $400; and Judah and two children to Redding Moore for $1200 [Probably Stephenton Page, who was a slave trader with Robert S. Adams and Wyatt Moye; Joshua Barnes of Wilson, who dabbled in the trade. Redding Moore’s identity is not clear.]
  • The hires from 1 January 1856 to 1 January 1857 of Wash, Ned, Tom, Anderson, and Gray to George W. Barefoot for $950 and Allen to William T. Dortch for $36.50 [George and A.J. Barefoot promised to provide each with two new suits of clothes, two pairs of shoes, a hat, and a blanket, feed them well, and return them to Goldsboro at the end of the term.]
  • The hires from 1 January 1857 to 1 January 1858 of Wash, Ned, Tom, Anderson, and Gray to B.F. Arrington for $950 and Allen to William T. Dortch for $30 [Arrington was a Goldsboro dentist.]
  • The hires from 1 January 1858 to 1 January 1859 of Wash, Ned, Tom, Anderson, and Gray to S.D. Barnhill & Company for $950 and Allen to William T. Dortch for $30 [Pitt County native Stanley D. Barnhill migrated to Horry County, South Carolina, about 1850 and established S.D. Barnhill & Company, a turpentine, rosin, and timber firm. Per E.S. Barnhill, The Beatys of Kingston (1923), the company heavily supplemented its own enslaved labor with hired slaves.]
  • The hires from 1 January 1859 to 1 January 1860 of Wash, Ned, Tom, and Anderson to B.F. Arrington for $800; Allen to William T. Dortch for $30; and Gray (“badly shot, & disabled”) to Dortch for $0 [Shot?? What happened to Gray down in South Carolina?]
  • The sale on 2 January 1860 of Wash to W.T. Dortch for $1750; Tom to S.D. Barnhill for $1725; Anderson to E.S. Valentine for $1000; Allen to J.H. Adams for $1166; Ned to S.D. Barnhill for $795; and Gray (disabled) to W.T. Dortch for $265 disposed of the last of Dr. Dortch’s 34 enslaved people — except the four in South Carolina in the Barnes turpentine partnership. [I have not identified Valentine.]

Receipt for advertisement of “Adrmr’s sale of Dr. Dortch’s Negroes, (twice)”

The file contains innumerable promissory notes from Dr. Dortch’s patients such as this consolidated bill for care for Vincent Artis and his daughter, who were members of small interrelated community of free people of color in what is now the Eureka area of Wayne County:

And this one for John Artis, Vincent Artis’ neighbor and kinsman:

And a bill to William Barnes for care of an enslaved man named Napoleon:

Probate dragged on for years as the minor heirs grew up. Not uncommonly for wealthy landowners, Dr. Dortch was entangled in a web of promissory notes, and more than William T. Dortch fought more than 30 lawsuits for and against the estate, even as parties charged that he was too busy with his other affairs to handle it effectively.

——

There were no African-American Dortches in Wilson County in 1870, but I have been able to trace forward a handful of the people Lewis J. Dortch held in bondage:

  • John (sold to Drue Daniel)
  • Rhoda and daughter Rosa (the mother sold to John Wilkinson, the daughter to Washington Barnes)
  • Sarah (sold to Drue Daniel)
  • Frank (sold to Ollin Coor)
  • Allen (sold to Jesse H. Adams)
  • Wash, born about 1830 (sold to William T. Dortch)

Probably: Washington Dortch married Winnifred Barron on 15 April 1866 in Edgecombe County.

In the 1870 census of Upper Town Creek township, Edgecombe County: cooper Washington Dortch, 39; wife Winifred, 23; children Marsilla, 5, Hetty, 2, and Charley, 5 months; and Briney Barnes, 28.

In the 1880 census of Upper Town Creek township, Edgecombe County: laborer Washington Dortch, 50; wife Winifred, 35; children Frances, 15, Hettie, 13, Charles, 10, and Bill, 7.

In the 1900 census of Toisnot township, Wilson County: farmer Washington Dortch, 68; wife Winiford, 51; children Edward, 20, Luckey T., 17, Lucresy, 15, and Andrew G., 9; and granddaughter Emma, 16.

Tom Dortch died 7 November 1939 in Yale, Sussex County, Virginia. Per his death certificate, he was born 16 September 1882 in Wilson County, N.C., to Washington Dortch and Winifred [maiden name not known]; was married to Clara Dortch; and worked as a farmer. He was buried in Sharpsburg, N.C.

  • Beedy, born about 1830, and child Rosetta, born about 1852 (sold to Orpha Applewhite)

Orpha Pike Applewhite was the recent widow of Henry Applewhite. I have found no record of her ownership of Beedy or Rosetta. However, a Bedie is recorded in the estate of her brother-in-law Council Applewhite. This Bedie, who was born about 1807, was the mother of grown children who were also enslaved by Council Applewhite. She was alive as late as 1880, when she appears in her son’s household in Goldsboro, Wayne County, as Obedience Applewhite.

However, on 31 August 1866, Wilson Hagans and Obedience Applewhite (who was not the same woman as above) registered their 19-year marriage with a Wilson County register of deeds. Wilson Hagans, who was a free man of color, was also known as Wilson Artis, and Obedience took that surname.

On 21 September 1869, Henry Peacock, son of Haywood Edmundson and Ulrsa Peacock, married Rosetta Artice, daughter of Wilson Artice and Bidy Artice, in Wilson County.

In the 1870 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: farm laborer Henry Peacock, 18; wife Rosetta, 18; and children Henry, 2, and John W., 2 months.

In the 1870 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: Obedience Artis, 40, and daughter Sarah J., 9.

In the 1880 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: Bety Artis, 60; daughter Sarah, 20; and grandchildren Willie, 2, and Mamie Hall, 6.

On 29 December 1892, Henry Dortch, 52, of Wilson, son of Isaac Thorne and Bedie Artis, married Eliza Darden, 42, at Crawford Darden‘s in Wilson County. Free Will Baptist minister Daniel Blount performed, and Frank Woodard, Warren Darden, and Isom Sutton witnessed the ceremony.

In the 1900 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: Sarah J. Artis, 39; children Mamie Hall, 20; Tommie, 16, Emma, 14, Henry, 12, Hallie, 11, Eddie, 9, Mary S., 5, and Nursie E. Artis, 4 months; and mother Bedie Artis, 77.

Sarah Jane Artis died 23 April 1930 in Stantonsburg township, Wilson County. Per her death certificate, she was born 23 December 1872 in Wilson County to Wilson Artis and Beedie Artis, both of Wilson County; she was single; and she was buried in Stantonsburg township.

  • Warren, born about 1840 (sold to Robert Bynum)

Probably: on 11 March 1869, Warren Bynum, son of Dick Rogers and Mary Rogers, married Elizabeth Applewhite, daughter of Theophilus Applewhite and Rancy Applewhite, in California township, Pitt County.

In the 1870 census of California township, Pitt County: farmhand Warren Bynum, 30; wife Bettie, 29; daughter Fanie, 1; and [mother] Raney, 60.

In the 1880 census of Farmville township, Pitt County: Warren Bynum, 38, farmer; wife Betsy, 32; and daughters Mary, 10, Fancy, 8, Marenda, 7, and Nellie, 5.

In the 1900 census of Speights Bridge township, Greene County: farmer Warren Bynum, 55; wife Sarah, 35; and daughters Elsie, 12, and Lizzie, 8.

On 7 October 1908, Warren Bynum, 65, of Greene County, married Ellen Bynum, 55, of Saratoga township, Wilson County, in Saratoga township, Wilson County.

In the 1910 census of Saratoga township, Wilson County: farmer Warren Bynum, 66; wife Ellen, 55; and niece Appie, 38. (Warren reported having been married four times.)

Warren Bynum died 16 February 1918 in Saratoga township, Wilson County. Per his death certificate, he was born in 1854 to Dick Rodgers and Mary Ellis and worked as a farmer. George Bynum was informant.

Marenda Barrett died 18 July 1919 in Farmville, Pitt County. Per her death certificate, she was born 2 July 1873 in Pitt County to Warren Bynum and Betsy Ward and worked in farming. Garfield Shirley was informant.

Mary J. Shirley died 14 September 1931 in Farmville, Pitt County. Per her death certificate, she was born 25 May 1870 in Pitt County to Warren Bynum of Wilson County and Mynie Bynum of Wilson County and was married to Buck Shirley.

  • George (sold to Josiah Howell)
  • Ned, born about 1810 (sold to Stanley T. Barnhill)

Perhaps: in the 1870 census of Conway township, Horry County, S.C.: day laborer Edward Dorch, 60, and wife Mary, 58.

  • Tom (sold to Stanley T. Barnhill)
  • Anderson (sold to E.S. Valentine)
  • Gray (sold to William T. Dortch)
  • Primus (sold to John T. Barnes)
  • Diza (sold to John B. Griswold)
  • Jinney (sold to William B. Fields)
  • Louisa, born about 1850 (remained with William T. Dortch)

Perhaps: in the 1870 census of Goldsboro, Wayne County: Louiza Dortch, 20, “h. servant,” in the household of W.T. Dortch, 46 year-old lawyer.

On 18 July 1878, Louisa Dortch married Needham Smith in Wayne County.

In the 1880 census of Little Washington, Goldsboro, Wayne County: Needham Smith, 63; wife Louisa, 30; children Henry, 9, Hattie, 6, and Julia, 4; and stepchildren Lizzie, 11, and Adam Dortch, 9.

  • Jim (sold to William B. Fields)
  • Mary (sold to William B. Fields)
  • Charles (sold to William B. Fields)
  • Fanny (remained with William T. Dortch)

Perhaps: on 17 January 1867, Fannie Dortch married Grandison Dawson in Wayne County.

  • Nancy, born about 1852 (remained with William T. Dortch)

Perhaps: on 28 March 1874, Nancy Dortch married Joseph Adams in Wayne County.

In the 1880 census of Little Washington, Goldsboro, Wayne County: cook Nancy Adams, 28, and children Georgianna, 11, David, 8, Edward, 4, and Rowena, 2.

In the 1900 census of Goldsboro, Wayne County: widow Nancy Adams, 48, and children Roena, 22, Fannie, 19, Woodley, 16, drayman, and Elijah, 13, day laborer.

Nancy Adams died 27 November 1911 in Goldsboro, Wayne County. Per her death certificate, she was 57 years old [born circa 1854]; was born in N.C. to [no first name] Dortch and Lula Winn; was married; and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery. Elijah Adams was informant.

  • Josephine (remained with William T. Dortch)
  • Dance
  • Mintus
  • George
  • Anthony
  • Pompey (sold to Stephenton Page)
  • Fox (sold to Joshua Barnes)
  • Judah and two children (sold to Redding Moore)

L.J. Dortch Estate Record (1854), Wilson County, North Carolina Estate Files 1663-1979, http://www.familysearch.org

They were sold for their father’s debts.

Tarborough Southerner, 13 March 1852.

——

There are levels of terribleness to this report of the sale of nine enslaved people at a Wayne County, N.C., auction.

The nine people sold were the grown or nearly grown children of an enslaved woman and a free man of color, plus four grandchildren of that couple. They were purchased by enslavers in three different counties, including Dr. Lewis J. Dortch, who lived in Stantonsburg, in what is now Wilson County but was then Edgecombe. I have not been able to discover the names of the woman and children Dr. Dortch bought.

Adam Winn was born about 1805 into a large free family of color, most likely in Duplin County, North Carolina. He was a prosperous farmer who was also a slaveowner — with devastating consequences. Wynn, who never legally married, took two white women and an enslaved African-American woman as common-law wives. His children by the former were free, but his children by the latter were, like their mother, enslaved. He lived openly with his children and, in the 1850 census of North Division, Duplin County, Adam Winn, 45, is listed with William, 13, Marshal, 11, John, 9, Woodard, 7, and Woodley Winn, 5, as well as Moses Simmons, 18. The Winn boys were his sons and, despite their census appearance, were not free.

Adam Winn was land-rich, but cash-poor, and mortgaged his property heavily. In April 1849, for example, he borrowed money from a neighbor named Benjamin Oliver and put up enslaved people Bethana, Martha, and Oliver as security, along with 133 acres of land. In the early 1850s, his financial affairs crashed down around his head, and he lost not only the nine people whose sale was reported above, but several others. Winn had mortgaged six enslaved people to secure debt to Furnifold Jernigan (who purchased a 22 year-old man at the sale above) and, after Jernigan’s death, Winn’s fight to regain them reached the North Carolina Supreme Court in William K. Lane v. Jane Bennett et al., 56 N.C. 371 (1858).

By valid will, Furnifold Jernigan had made several provisions for the disposal of his slaves.  To his wife Jane Jernigan (who later married Thomas Bennett), he left 13 people, including Bill Winn, John Winn, Simpson, and Anne. To his daughter Mary Anne Kelly, he left eight people, including Olive. He also provided for the liberation of “negroes, Dave, Tom, Morris, Lila and Mary” and their transport to a free state and directed that ten additional enslaved people be sold. John A. Green and William K. Lane were named executors.

Before Jernigan’s legacies were distributed, Adam Winn filed suit to recover John Winn, Bill Winn, Simpson, Anne, Olive, and Dave, claiming that (1) he had mortgaged the slaves to Jernigan to secure payment of money Jernigan loaned him, and (2) he had a judgment attesting that he had repaid the money, and the slaves had been reconveyed to him.

The executors filed a “bill” with the court seeking guidance on the will’s provisions.  Jane Bennett and Mary Anne Kelly claimed the full value of the slaves bequeathed to them or, in the alternative, the amount paid by Winn to redeem them.  The court found that each was entitled to the amount of the redemption. (And Dave, having been redeemed by Winn and returned to slavery, lost the freedom Jernigan  intended for him.)

[Do not mistake Jernigan for a benevolent man. In 1834, Furnifold Jernigan and David Cole were charged in Wayne County Superior Court with taking Kilby O’Quinn, a free boy of color, from Wayne to Bladen County for “their own use.” In 1837, Jernigan was indicted for selling Betsy Dinkins, the free “colored” daughter of a white woman. In the three years between, Jernigan and at least four co-defendants appeared on the Wayne County docket ten times on charges of selling free negroes, but never vent to trial. Despite Jernigan’s notoriety (he had fourteen other unrelated court appearances in the same period,) the state’s solicitor in the Dinkins case was compelled to complain to the judge that “the defendant by the influence of several men of standing … has … so many of the Court yard, in his favor, that it would be a mere mockery to enter upon this trial in Wayne.” The case was ordered removed to Greene County, but never appeared on the docket there. In 1850, Jernigan, still living in Wayne County, owned $5000 in farmland and 43 slaves.]

——

In the 1850 census of Edgecombe County, N.C.: Dr. L.J. Dortch, 32, physician, and L.H. Moye, 32.

In the 1850 slave schedule of Edgecombe County, L.J. Dortch is listed with 8 enslaved people — women and girls aged 35, 32, 29, 11, and 1 month, and boys aged 11, 6, and 4.

Lewis Jackson Dortch died 28 October 1854 in Stantonsburg. More about him later.

Deed Book 21, page 215, Duplin County Register of Deeds; Minutes of the Superior Court of Wayne County, Spring Term, 1834, and Minutes of the Superior Court of Wayne County, Spring Term, 1837, Records of Wayne County, North Carolina State Archives; State Docket, Superior Court of Wayne County, vol. 1, 1834-1843, Records of Wayne County, NCSA;Petition from Edward Banly to Superior Court, April 6, 1837, Box 4, Records Concerning Slaves and Free Persons of Color, Records of Wayne County, NCSA.

Stephen Woodard’s enslaved, part 3.

When Stephen Woodard Sr. executed his last will and testament in 1858, he determined the fates of 72 enslaved African-Americans.

In Item 11th, daughter Elizabeth Woodard Newsome received 15 enslaved people. Stephen Woodard died in 1864, and all were likely freed before his estate was distributed. Though they presumably were in Wilson County at Emancipation, I’m able to trace forward relatively few people.

  • Alfred

In 1866, Harriet Woodard and Alfred Woodard registered their ten-year cohabitation with a Wilson County justice of the peace.

In the 1870 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: farm laborer Alfred Woodard, 40; wife Harriet, 28; and children Ned, 14, Rosa, 15, Zilly, 4, London, 3, and Minny, 2 months. Harriet died before 13 February 1873, when Alfred married her widowed sister Sarah Woodard Rountree. [Harriet and Sarah Woodard were daughters of London and Venus Woodard and had been enslaved by James B. Woodard.]

In the 1880 census of Taylors township, Wilson County: farmer Alfred Woodard, 50; wife Sarah, 45; children Florence, 28, Mary, 22, Howell, 18, Sarah E., 16, Zilly A., 17, Lundon, 13, Minnie, 12, Willie, 10, Josephine, 7, and Evvy, 4; and grandchildren Elizabeth, 7, Robt. B., 5, and John H. Bynum, 4.

  • Washington

Perhaps: in the 1880 census of New Hope township, Wayne County: farmer Washington Woodard, 54; wife Harriet, 24; and servant Esteller Pitt, 20.

In the 1900 census of New Hope township, Wayne County: farmer Washington Woodard, 65; wife Harrett, 55; and boarders Malissie, 23, and Henry A., 8.

  • Sherard
  • Ned
  • Wright
  • Frank

Frank Woodard and Appa Thompson were married in Wilson County on 15 October 1866.

In the 1870 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: Frank Woodard, 25, farm laborer; wife Appie, 23; son Frank Jr., 1; and Samuel Woodard, 20, farm laborer.

In the 1880 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: Frank Woodard, 37, farmer; wife Appie, 32; and sons Frank, 11, and Romulus, 9.

  • Auston

On 1 January 1870, Austin Woodard, son of Cooper Woodard and Chacey Woodard, married Easter Newsome, daughter of Cezar Newsome and Jane Simms, in Wilson County.

In the 1870 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: farm laborer Cooper Woodard, 56; wife Candiss, 56; and Austin, 21, Jonas, 24, Handy, 17, and Esther Woodard, 21. Cooper claimed $225 in personal property. [Candis was the stepmother of Austin, Jonas, and Handy. Esther was Austin’s wife.]

In the 1880 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: farmer Austin Woodard, 29; wife Easter, 30; and children Foy, 10, Marion, 5, George, 3, John, 2, and Chasey, 1.

  • Etney and her three children Jane, Hugh, and Oliver

Perhaps: Oliver Woodard died 14 May 1929 in Saulston township, Wayne County. Per his death certificate, he was about 75 years old; his marital status was unknown; and he was a farmer.

  • Jincy and her child Chany
  • Hester
  • Lucy

Stephen Woodard’s enslaved, part 2.

When Stephen Woodard Sr. executed his last will and testament in 1858, he determined the fates of 72 enslaved African-Americans.

In Item 8th, son Willie Woodard received 11 enslaved people. Woodard died in 1864, and all were likely freed before his estate was distributed. Though they presumably were in Wilson County at Emancipation, I’m able to trace forward relatively few people.

  • Barden

In the 1870 census of Snow Hill township, Greene County, North Carolina: farm laborer Badan Woodard, 49; wife Serenia, 40; and children Jesse, 16, Smithy, 14, Amos, 18, Mitchel, 13, Ollin, 10, May, 3, Mike, 6, and John, 1.

On 6 December 1877, Jesse Woodard, 20, of Greene County, son of Barden and Seney Woodard, married Lucy Swinson, 17, of Greene County, daughter of John and Hannah Swinson, in Bull Doze township, Greene County.

In the 1880 census of Bull Head township, Greene County: farmer Barton Woodard, 59; wife Smithy, 54; children Rena, 30, Amos, 25, Marshal, 17, Zacharias, 15, and Sarah, 12; and grandchildren Amos Jr., 10, Mary, 6, and Charles, 5.

On 20 March 1884, Robert Manuel, 24, of Greene County, married Smitha Woodard, 30 of Greene County, daughter of Barden and Seney Woodard, at Barden Woodard’s in Snow Hill.

On 20 May 1905, Oliver Woodard, 43, of Greene County, son of Barton and Sena Woodard, married Annie Sutton, 45, of Wayne County, in Wayne County.

Martha Woodard died 8 November 1927 in Bull Head township, Greene County, North Carolina. Per her death certificate, she was 69 years old; was born in Wilson County to Barden Woodard and Silva Woodard; was single; and was buried in Lindell. Charley Woodard was informant.

Jessie Woodard died 12 February 1930 in Goldsboro, Wayne County. Per his death certificate, he was 63 years old; was the son of Bardan Woodard and Senie Woodard; was married; worked as a laborer; and was buried in Greene County. Jessie Woodard Jr. was informant.

  •  Sy

Perhaps: Simon Woodard, who  registered his 12-year marriage to Charity Woodard with a Wilson County justice of the peace in 1866.

  • Reddic
  • Jonas

On 17 November 1866, Jonas Woodard and Lucy Daniel were married in Wilson County.

In the 1870 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: farm laborer Cooper Woodard, 56; wife Candiss, 56; and Austin, 21, Jonas, 24, Handy, 17, and Esther Woodard, 21. Cooper claimed $225 in personal property. [Austin and Handy, and perhaps Jonas, were Cooper Woodard’s sons by previous relationships, and Esther was Austin’s wife.]

  • Sena and her four children Smithy, Amos, Jesse, and Michel

Sena was the first wife of Barden Woodard, above. She apparently died between 1870 and 1880.

On 5 October 1886, Amos Woodard, 38, of Greene County, son of Borden and Conia Woodard, married Venus Lynch, 30, of Greene County, daughter of Peter and Hannah Dawson, at Bull Head township, Greene County.

Amos Woodard died 15 January 1916 in Speights Bridge township, Greene County. Per his death certificate, he was born about 1850 in Wilson County to Bart Woodard and Senie Woodard; was married; worked in farming; and was buried on the Edmundson Place.

  • Maram and her child Bedy