The Howard Family
by Robert A. Ivey
ALEXANDER HOWARD, son of THOMAS and MARGARET WILLOUGHBY HOWARD, was born in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, in 1700. JOHANNA TRIPPLES, daughter of PETER and ELIZABETH JOHNSON TRIBBLES was born circa 1707, in Virginia. On November 27, 1727, ALEXANDER married JOHANNA in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
ALEXANDER HOWARD purchased 400 acres of land in Spotsylvania County on June 26, 1731. The land was “in the great fork of the Rappahannock River on the south side of a branch of Freshman’s Run.”
By 1742, ALEXANDER had moved his family to Amelia County, Virginia, where he purchased one hundred ninety six acres on Sweet House Creek. He paid 40 shillings for the land, and in 1758, his wife and son, Alexander Jr., sold this land for 60 pounds.
ALEXANDER HOWARD SR. owned land below Deep Creek in Raleigh parish that was on Abraham Cook’s list. Alexander Howard Jr. was still with his father and mother at the time of his father’s death in 1752.
A court order dated May 28, 1752, gave JOHANNA HOWARD administrative powers over the estate of her deceased husband. On February 14, 1764, JOHANNA HOWARD brought a suit against Mary Howard (widow of Alexander Jr.). JOHANNA recovered against the executor for damages by reason of not “performing a certain covenant in his lifetime” with the said JOHANNA HOWARD.
Records state that JOHANNA HOWARD was buried beside her husband in Amelia County, Virginia, circa 1764. Apparently, JOHANNA never left Amelia County.
ALEXANDER and JOHANNA had the following children: JOHN, Alexander, Peter, James, Rennie and Thomas. JOHN was the oldest child and was born in 1728, in Spotsylvania County. It is impossible to completely establish dates of births for all of ALEXANDER HOWARD SR.’S children.
The family moved to Granville County, North Carolina, after the death of ALEXANDER SR. in 1752. On March 6, 1758, Alexander Howard Jr. purchased a tract of land (400 acres) on the side of Sandy Creek in Granville County, North Carolina.
He died in 1759, and left one hundred acres to his wife, Mary, and the remaining 300 acres to his brothers, JOHN and Peter. JOHN and Peter sold this land on May 14, 1768.
JOHN, Peter and James left Granville County, North Carolina, in 1753, for what they believed was the lower part of North Carolina. Their grants received were later proved to be a part of South Carolina.
The brothers possibly received information on granting of land there from Zachariah Bullock or the Henderson family in Granville, N. C. These families also received grants in this area.
Apparently, JOHN HOWARD, went back to Granville County, North Carolina, perhaps during his brother, Alexander Jr.’s illness. He married AVIS ? circa 1759. She was born circa 1745.
On their return trip: “They were attacked by Indians and many of the settlers were killed. AVIS was scalped, but the Indian, in pulling on her long hair, cut only the hair and the skin of the scalp, and did not break the skull. She lived, but always had a bald spot on the top of her head, which she covered with a cap.”
On March 16, 1751, John Clark was granted 800 acres on the south side of Broad River on both sides of Pacolet River. He moved to this grant and married his third wife, Martha Pickens, widow of John Pickens, in 1755. John Pickens was the brother of the future General Andrew Pickens.
John Clark constructed a Grist Mill on a nearby creek that flowed into the Pacolet River. For many years the creek was called Clark’s Mill Creek. Today it is just called Mill Creek.
John and Martha had one son, Gibson Clark, born in 1760. He went to live with his half brother, Elijah Clark, and his wife, Hannah Harrington Clark, when his father died in 1764. Elijah Clark was John’s son by his second wife, Mary Gibson, and was born in 1733.
After his father’s death, Elijah Clark inherited the Pacolet River lands and lived there for a couple of years in the early 1770s. He then moved his family to Georgia in a wagon train carrying with him Benjamin and Nancy Hart, who lived nearby, and William Jasper who lived with his brothers, Abraham and Nicholas, on Pacolet River lands near the Portmans.
Nancy Jasper, William’s sister, married James (High Key) Moseley and lived near the Sandy Run area of what is now Union County, S. C.
On April 1, 1752, Richard Carroll was granted 600 acres, “On the south side of Broad River on a great creek including a place where a cabbin was built on the south side of Pacolet River.”
John Clark purchased this property from Richard Carroll on November 16, 1752. The shoals was called “Carroll Shoals” for twenty one years.
John Grindal received a grant of 150 acres on both sides of Pacolet River between the Swift Shoals and Carroll Shoals on April 25, 1767, from William Tryon. At the same time Grindal received another grant from William Tryon for 250 acres on both sides of the Pacolet River, adjacent to James Heweths at Carroll Shoals.
The name of Carroll Shoals was changed to Grindal Shoals in 1773.
JOHN HOWARD received a 300 acre tract on a Branch of Broad River called Thicketty Creek on May 11, 1753. This area was called Anson County, North Carolina, at the time.
JOHN HOWARD built a cabin on his grant, where five of his children were born: Nathan, born circa 1760; Elizabeth born 1762; Susannah, born 1764; Edward, born 1765; and John, born 1767. He was still listed as owner of the above grant on October 26, 1767.
This land, in the Carroll Shoals area, was listed as a part of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, in 1767. It was changed from North Carolina to South Carolina in 1772.
Honas Balm received a grant of 400 acres May 11, 1753, on the south side of Broad River on Thicketty Creek in Anson County, North Carolina, next to the JOHN HOWARD grant. John Clark, father of General Elijah Clark, surveyed the Balm grant in 1752.
David Robertson, father of the famous James “Horseshoe” Robertson, purchased the Balm property from Jacob Widner on October 25, 1770. He also purchased the John Clark Grist Mill from Joab Mitchell.
JOHN HOWARD’S brothers, James and Peter Howard, received a grant of 800 acres on the North Fork of Golden Grove River next to and above the Mackilwain property on December 2, 1753. Samuel Young was the Deputy Surveyor.
The writer has been unable to identify the river called Golden Grove. This land was first a part of Anson County, North Carolina. There was a Golden Grove area in what later became Greenville District, S. C.
Rennie Howard, sister of JOHN, Peter and James Howard, probably did not travel with her brothers to what became South Carolina. She possibly remained in Granville, North Carolina, and married Peter James Swafford circa 1759. Their son, Jacob, was born in Ninety-Six District, October 10, 1762, so they were living near her brothers at this time.
As she and her husband moved near her brothers, they may have established the Swofford Camp on Thicketty. Peter Howard could have given a portion of his lands for a homestead to Rennie and her husband for there was a close relationship between these families. There are no recorded plats of land to the Swaffords in the Ninety Six District of South Carolina.
There are numerous birth-dates given for Rennie Howard, but the 1742 date seems more realistic. They had nine sons: Jacob Swafford (1762-1840); Paul Swafford (1764-unknown); James Swafford (1765-1840); Abraham Swafford (1772-1842); Isaac Swafford (1774-1860); Aaron Swafford (1774-1824); William Swafford (1776-1853); John C. Swafford (1776-unknown); Thomas Younger Swafford (1783-1856).
Some researchers state that Peter and his wife, Ann, were parents of Rennie Howard, but the writer has serious doubts about such a conclusion. Note the intermarriage of Peter and Rennie’s children.
Peter Howard and John Portman Sr. were chain bearers for a plat on both sides of the Thicketty Creek, surveyed for Hugh Moore on April 17, 1767.
Peter Howard had a plat of 200 acres (March 15, 1766), surveyed for himself on Island Creek, on April 28, 1768, then in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Patrick Moore and Peter Howard were chain bearers.
James Howard received a plat of 250 acres (June 10, 1767) on the North Fork of Pacolet River, joining and between the lines of Elizabeth Clark and Alexander Kilpatrick. The property was then in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and was surveyed on October 26, 1767, by William Dickson, Surveyor, and John Moore and Jo. Dickson, chain bearers.
The listing of James Howard’s birth-date as 1730, is probably incorrect. His wife was, Sarah ? . According to research records she was born in 1735, and died in 1824. The following children are mentioned in Ancestry.com: Leanoro Amanda Howard, Rebecca Ann Howard, Caroline Howard, and John James Howard.
James, his wife, and children were listed in the 1800 and 1820 Federal censuses of Union District, S. C. His death date was listed as 1837. Some researchers state that he was buried in the Putman Baptist Church cemetery in Union District, S. C., but his grave is not marked so it is impossible to verify the above statement.
There was a Thomas Howard born circa 1735, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, who died in Rowan County, North Carolina, after 1810. The writer cannot be certain, but it is possible that this may be the Thomas Howard who was the brother of JOHN, Peter and James Howard.
JOHN HOWARD received a plat of 350 acres of land on July 2, 1768, in Craven County. The land was on a branch of the Enoree River called Duncan Creek. This plat became a part of Laurens District, South Carolina. His property was on the south side of the Enoree and within a few miles of the site, where the Revolutionary War Battle of Musgrove’s Mill was fought.
JOHN appears to have moved his family to the above property, where his son, Stephen Howard, was born in 1769. JOHN probably knew Edward Musgrove and his daughter, Mary, while living near the Enoree River.
JOHN HOWARD’S other children: Thomas, born 1771; SAMUEL H., born 1775; William P. M., born 1778; Sarah, born 1781; Joseph Newland, born, 1783; and Avis, born 1785, were also born in Laurens District, S. C.
Avis, JOHN’S daughter, had a disability and his wife, AVIS, was to “maintain his daughter, Avis, and after her death the responsibility was to go to his son, Joseph”. In the 1850 Greenville, S. C. census Avis was living with Henry Young Stokes and his wife, Wiley Howard Stokes. Wiley was the daughter of JOHN’S son, Joseph Newland Howard. Avis died January 12, 1855.
John Portman, Sr. may have had a first wife named Sarah Cook. The writer cannot be certain of this. Several researchers indicate that he was first married to Sarah. John Portman Sr., son of Richard and Elinour Rice Portman, married Hannah Sheffield Portman, daughter of William and Margaret Powell Portman, in January of 1727.
He was born in 1699, in Bromyard, Herefordshire, England. His parents were married October 30, 1688, in Kington, Herefordshire, England, and had five sons and three daughters.
Hannah Sheffield was born in 1706, in Stoke Lacey, Herefordshire, England. John and Hannah may have settled on Pacolet River lands during the 1750s.
John Portman Sr. received a plat for 200 acres on both sides of Pacolet River “including his own improvements” September 3, 1765. It was surveyed on October 30, 1765, by William Dickson, Surveyor: James Byers and John Moore, were chain bearers. He had been living on this land for several years.
John Portman Sr. served in the Cherokee Expedition in 1759 and 1760. His son, John, and his son-in-law, Lieutenant William Grant Jr., fought with the South Carolina Militia during the Revolutionary War.
John Portman Sr. and Hannah’s children were: Hanna Anna Portman born 1728; Margaret Portman born 1729; Elizabeth Portman born 1733; John Portman born 1737 (died early); William Portman born 1741; Sarah born circa 1742; James Portman born 1744; Susannah Portman born 1747; Samuel Portman born 1749; and John Portman born 1750.
Hannah Sheffield Portman died in 1761, on their Pacolet River farm.
John Portman Sr. had a plat for 200 acres on Island Creek issued to him on October 26, 1767, with no survey. This land was listed as a part of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, at the time.
Peter Howard married John Portman Sr.’s daughter, Ann, circa 1759. She was born in 1728, and Peter was born in 1728. He and Ann had one son, Thomas, born in 1760. Ann died in 1764, in what later became Union District, S. C.
Apparently, Peter had an out-of-wedlock child, Nancy, born circa 1765, while he lived in Carroll Shoals, S. C. His second wife, Sarah Portman, probably helped to raise Nancy, and she moved with Peter and Sarah to Glassy Mountain in Greenville District, S. C.
Nancy married Tobias Pruitt, son of the Rev. Michael and Elizabeth Bright Pruitt, in 1787, while they lived on Glassy Mountain.
“Tobias and his brother, Eli Pruitt, likely came down with his father from Halifax, Virginia, to Glassy Mountain (Greenville District) in the early part of 1784. They cleared land, planted a crop, slept on the ground or in a tent, and built a cabin by winter time in order to stake a homestead land grant. The grant was received in 1785.
Tobias witnessed transactions between Peter Howard and John Portman on May 20, 1788, and in 1791. His brother, Eli, witnessed a transaction on February 14, 1791.”
Nancy died circa 1800, and Tobias died circa 1803, in Glassy Mountain. They had two children: Elizabeth and Peter.
Peter Howard next married Sarah Portman, circa 1772. She was born circa 1742, and was another daughter of John Portman Sr. and Hannah Sheffield Portman.
Their children were: Jane Howard, born 1774; Portman Howard, born 1775; Nancy Howard, born 1778; Lucinda Howard, born 1780 and Matilda Howard, born 1785.
Eleanor Brevard McWhorter, widow of John McWhorter, had a plat for 300 acres on both sides of the Pacolet River “including her own improvement…” made on September 3, 1765. It was issued to her on September 26, 1766. John Portman Sr. and George McWhorter were chain bearers. Eleanor and John Portman Sr.’s lands joined.
Eleanor Brevard, born in 1720, in Albermarle County, Virginia, was the daughter of Jean (John) and Mary Katherine McKnitt Brevard. She married John McWhorter circa 1735, in Albermarle County, Virginia.
John was born April 28, 1720, in Ireland. He was baptized in the Presbyterian Cathedral at Armagh, Ireland, in 1724, and his father was listed as George.
On May 14, 1747, John McWhorter Sr. purchased from James McCanne 120 acres of land in Albemarle County, Virginia (now Nelson County). The land was adjacent to the Presbyterian Church of Rockfish founded in 1746. John sold the 120 acres to John Patton on February 11, 1752, with the exception of one acre that was set aside for building the Presbyterian Church.
A few months after selling 170 acres to Alexander Patton for 90 pounds, John McWhorter bought 237 acres from Alexander Henderson for 70 pounds, apparently pocketing 20 pounds. When Eleanor sold the Henderson property eleven years later in 1763, she only got 70 pounds.
John McWhorter Sr. died November 10, 1757, in Albermarle County, Virginia. The last record relating to John McWhorter
Sr. of Albemarle County, Virginia, was on October 28, 1758, when Eleanor McWhorter and James McWhorter sold the 237 acres purchased by John in 1752.
John and Eleanor had four sons and two daughters. She was still living in Albemarle County, Virginia, when her unmarried son, James, died in 1763.
Eleanor Brevard McWhorter, widow of John McWhorter Sr., moved to her 300 acre grant near Carroll Shoals in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, in 1766. This land later became a part of South Carolina in 1772. Eleanor died in Union District, S. C., on August 28, 1786.
After much research, the writer has reached the conclusion that Nicholas Jasper, his brothers, Abraham and William and his sisters, Elizabeth, Mary and Rachel moved either to Widow McWhorter’s grant of 300 acres or John Portman Sr.’s grant of 200 acres, sometime in the 1760s.
Peter Howard received a plat of 200 acres on both sides of Little Sandy Run on November 7, 1769, surveyed on November 25, 1769, by Deputy Surveyor, Zachariah Bullock, and chain bearers, William Grant and William Williams. This land was regarded as a part of Tryon County, North Carolina, at the time.
Vardry McBee had 300 acres on Thicketty Creek, including Swofford’s Camp, surveyed for himself on November 25, 1771. The land was a part of Tryon County, N. C., at this time. Vardry McBee was a Patriot officer during the War for Independence.
This is the only time the Swafford’s name is mentioned, and it is known that Rennie Howard, JOHN HOWARD’S sister, married Peter Swafford, and may have lived for a period of time near her brothers, JOHN, James and Peter.
Peter Howard owned another tract of land on the north side of the Pacolet River, which he sold to Alexander Chesney before the beginning of the Revolutionary War. No dates are given. Chesney was a Loyalist, and Thomas Cook obtained a judgment against this land on February 1, 1790.
The Howard brothers lived in Carroll (Grindal) Shoals among some of the most interesting settlers in those days. Such settlers as John Clark (Elijah’s father), Nicholas and William Jasper, James (High Key) Moseley, John Portman Sr., William Henderson, William Hodge Sr., John Beckham, Eleanor McWhorter, Adam Potter, Joab Mitchell (killed by Indians in Tennessee) and Zachariah Bullock.
Peter Howard’s brother-in-law, John Portman Jr., married Sarah Margaret McWhorter, daughter of John and Eleanor Brevard McWhorter, in 1766, in what later became Union District, S. C. John was born circa 1746, and Margaret was born in 1750.
John Portman Jr. had a 200 acre grant on both sides of the Pacolet River issued to him on April 27, 1767. The land was adjacent to Widow Eleanor McWhorter’s property.
Margaret’s brother, Robert, born in 1740, in Albemarle County, Virginia, was a private in the French and Indian War. He received a Land Bounty Certificate for lands in Albemarle County, Virginia. Such certificates were issued to soldiers of Virginia, who fought in the French and Indian Wars of 1753-58.
Name of Robert’s wife was Sarah ? . His son, Robert James McWhorter, was born on Rockfish Creek, in Albemarle County, Virginia, in 1760. His father carried him to what became Union District, S. C., in 1768.
Robert McWhorter Sr. received two land grants in the Grindal Shoals area of Craven County, S. C. He received a 500 acre grant bounded by lands belonging to Angelica Mitchell and the Pacolet River on April 23, 1773, and a grant for 150 acres bounded by lands belonging to John Portman Sr. and Pacolet River on December 23, 1774.
He died before June 14, 1783, in what later became Union District, S. C.
Robert McWhorter Sr.’s son, Robert James (Robin) McWhorter, was a Patriot soldier during the American Revolutionary War.
“He served under Captain John Thomson, Col. James Steen, Capt. Nicholas Jasper, Major Benjamin Jolly and General Thomas Sumter. He was in the Battle of Blackstock’s Plantation and during 1782, served as a sergeant under Col. William Farr in the Indian Nation.”
James first married Winifred Hames, daughter of Charles and Catherine Krugg Hames, in 1779. She was born April 9, 1762. They had three sons and one daughter. She died April 3, 1828, and James married the widow of Robert Coleman, Elizabeth Treasy Smith Coleman, in 1828. Treasy died July 15, 1838.
James and his wives were members of the Gilead Baptist Church near Grindal Shoals, S. C. James died October 23, 1842, and his funeral service was held on January 7, 1843, at the Gilead Baptist Church. The Reverend Elijah Ray preached the funeral sermon “to a large collection of people”.
Nicholas Jasper was a Patriot soldier and served as a sergeant, lieutenant and captain in the militia under Col. Thomas Brandon before and after the fall of Charleston, S. C.
His brother, William, enlisted in the Second Regiment on July 7, 1775, under Capt. Bernard Elliott. He recovered the flag at Fort Sullivan on June 18, 1775, and while attempting to plant the American Flag on the parapet of Spring Hill redoubt at the storming of Savannah on October 9, 1779, was killed.
On January 21, 1785, Governor Benjamin Guerard granted Nicholas Jasper 200 acres on both sides of South Tyger River for his services in the Revolutionary War, and Nicholas sold the land to Peter Howard before leaving for Kentucky in 1796. In 1801, Peter sold 50 acres of the above grant to his son, Thomas.
Margaret McWhorter Portman’s brother, John, served as a Patriot soldier in the American Revolutionary War. “After volunteering during 1778, while residing in what later became Union District, S. C., he served under Captain Robert Thomson and Cols. William Farr and Thomas Brandon.
He was in the Snow Campaign, Bush River Campaign, the Battle at Bacon’s Bridge, Siege of Ninety Six under General Nathanael Greene, Wofford’s Iron Works and the Cherokee Fort on Reedy River.” He received a pension and later his wife, Elizabeth, received a widow’s pension.
The Patriots had defeated the British and Loyalists and availability of new lands in Kentucky was appealing to some of the settlers in Grindal Shoals, S. C.
Nicholas Jasper and his wife, Elizabeth Wyatt Jasper, along with their six sons and four daughters were a part of the wagon train to Kentucky, settling in Pulaski County in 1796. He received 200 acres of land in Pulaski County, Kentucky, for his services during the War for Independence.
His daughter, Elizabeth Jasper, and her husband, John Chesney, Jr. with their young children: Nancy, Elizabeth and John, were a part of the Pulaski County settlers in 1796. John Chesney’s uncle, William, had served in the militia under Col. Thomas Brandon and lost a horse on the Cherokee Expedition.
John McWhorter, son of Eleanor, first married, Mary Jasper, daughter of John and Mary Herrington Jasper, and she died in 1783.
His second marriage was to Elizabeth McClure on April 14, 1784. His mother, Eleanor, gave to her son, John, 100 acres of her original grant just before she died in 1786.
Elizabeth went with John to Kentucky in 1796, along with his three sons by Mary and his four sons and two daughters by Elizabeth. They settled in Casey County, Kentucky. John died in Casey County June 7, 1833, and his wife, Elizabeth, died in Ray County, Missouri, December 2, 1841.
George McWhorter, son of Eleanor, possibly his wife, Elizabeth, and two sons and two daughters were also a part of the 1796 wagon train. He first settled in Pulaski County, Kentucky.
George McWhorter took with him a slave, named Frank. He and his slave, Juda, were Frank’s parents. Frank was born in what is now Union County, South Carolina, in 1777 (Grindal Shoals). Frank and the McWhorters settled in Pulaski County, Kentucky.
“Frank worked George McWhorter’s farm and was allowed to establish his own saltpeter business. He earned enough money to purchase a farm, his wife’s freedom, his freedom and that of an older son. Once free, Frank took the name Free Frank. In 1830, he and the free members of his family moved to Pike County, Illinois, where he accumulated land.
Frank eventually established the town of New Philadelphia, continuing to purchase the freedom of his children and grandchildren still in Pulaski County, Kentucky. While in Illinois, Frank officially changed his name to Frank McWorter (without the ‘h’).
Three years after his death, portions of the New Philadelphia property were sold to purchase the freedom of the remaining family members in Kentucky.”
There is an intersting book, FREE FRANK, by Juliet E. K. Walker that tells the story of Frank. George McWhorter died in Lincoln County, Tennessee, August 10, 1815.
John Portman Sr.’s wife, Hannah Sheffield, died in 1761. He traveled with the wagon train to Kentucky in 1796. He was 97 years old when he arrived in Kentucky and died there in 1799, in Christian County, aged about 100 years.
John Portman Jr., with his family, was living in Pendleton, S. C. when the 1790 federal census was taken. Mary Portman, John and Margaret’s daughter, was born in 1765, and had married William Grant, son of William and Keturah Barrett Grant, in 1784.
On March 27, 1787, William Grant Sr. and his wife, Kitturah Barrett Grant, of Ninety-Six District sold a tract of land on the middle fork of Brown’s Creek to John Palmer. The land had been granted to William Grant on June 5, 1786.
During the Revolutionary War, the Grants, father and son, were officers in the Patriot army. They must have once lived near the Sandy Run Creek area of Carroll Shoals for on November 7, 1769, William Grant Sr. was a chain bearer for a 200 acre plot of land, on the sides of Little Sandy Run, granted to Peter Howard. This land was later in Union District, S. C.
William Grant Sr. served in the French and Indian War as a member of a Virginia Regiment. William Grant Sr. served as a captain in the Spartan Regiment and also as captain under Col. Thomas Brandon. He served from 1778-1782.
Some of the battles Capt. Grant fought in were: Stono Ferry, Siege of Savannah, Kings Mountain, Blackstocks, Cowpens, Siege of Ninety-Six and Eutaw Springs.
William Grant Jr. entered the army early and rose to the rank of lieutenant. He was in the battles at Kings Mountain, Blackstock’s Plantation and piloted General Daniel Morgan from the encampment at Grindal Shoals to Cowpens and fought in that battle. He also was in the battles of Guilford’s Courthouse and Eutaw Springs.
The Grants were also living in Pendleton, S. C., by or before 1790.
Mary Portman Grant died in Pickens, S. C., in 1803, and William Grant Jr. married Mary Burchfield on October 5, 1803.
William Grant Jr. had five children by Mary Portman Grant and seven children by Mary Burchfield. “He became prosperous after the war and was sometimes a moneylender. He was a rough old fellow who owned a two-story house near the Anderson-Oconee County line and loved to go bear-footed.
He was well loved by all his family and his relatives wanted him to be buried in their respective counties so Grant ordered that his grave be located on the county line with an unobstructed view of his house, where he could watch his wife sell corn to passing travelers.” He died in 1851, at Townville, Anderson County, S. C., and his grave lies half in each county.
John Portman Jr. served as a horseman in the militia under Col. John Thomas Jr. from November 1, 1780, to September of 1781. He may have been in the Battle of King’s Mountain.
On May 20, 1788, John Portman Jr., planter (96 Dist.), sold to
Abraham Chastain, planter (Greenville District), for 30 pounds sterling 100 acres that bordered John Portman, a branch and land owned by (Tobias) Pruitt.
John Portman Jr. and his wife, Sarah Margaret McWhorter, traveled with the caravan to Kentucky in 1796, and took with them three of their four children: George, John and Margaret.
John Portman Jr. and his wife, Sarah Margaret McWhorter Portman, had a son, John Portman III, who traveled with them to Kentucky in 1796. He was born in 1767, and was not as researchers and his tombstone suggests, “a soldier in the Revolutionary War”.
George McWhorter Portman, another son of John and Margaret, born in 1772, in Carroll Shoals, also went with them to Kentucky.
George married Martha (Patsy) Coffey in 1803, in Lincoln County, Kentucky, and they had a son, the Reverend Jesse Coffey Portman, “who was one of the most popular and efficient Southern Baptist preachers that ever labored in his part of the state.”
John George was born July 1, 1734, possibly in Lancaster County, Virginia. Researchers state that he was first married to Frances ? . She died after several years, and he married Elizabeth Jasper in 1767. Elizabeth was born June 7, 1752.
John and Elizabeth had three children: two sons and a daughter. John was a Patriot soldier in the Revolutionary War. He enlisted in the Sixth Regiment on May 15, 1776. He served with James (Horseshoe) Robertson, David George, his brother, and Major William Henderson. He later was a sergeant in a calvary unit.
He purchased land from John McWhorter, his brother-in-law, and land from William Gault. Most of the land was on the north side of the Pacolet River and included a part of the Eleanor McWhorter grant and part of John Portman Sr.’s land.
John died in Union District, S. C., September 15, 1791, and Elizabeth died in Union District between 1791 and 1799.
Benjamin Crownover, son of John and Lydia Pridmore Crownover, was born in Monmouth, New Jersey, in 1750. He married Rachel Jasper, daughter of John and Mary Herrington Jasper, in 1771, in Carroll Shoals, S. C., then in North Carolina. She was born in 1754.
They went to Kentucky in 1796, and first settled in Hardin County, Kentucky. They had five sons and four daughters and soon moved to St. Claire, Illinois. He was a private in the Rangers during the War of 1812-1815. Rachel died in Illinois in 1814, and Benjamin died there in 1815.
JOHN HOWARD, son of ALEXANDER and JOHANNAH TRIPPLES HOWARD, enlisted in the militia during August of 1775, in the Charleston Volunteer Militia under Capt. Charles Drayton. He was on the Roster of Fort Sullivan and fought under Col. William Moultrie in that victorious battle against the British ships on June 28, 1776. He watched Sergeant William Jasper plant the flag upon the ramparts.
JOHN HOWARD was a private in Lt. Hugh McCullough’s Company in the South Carolina Militia. He was also in Col. Archibald McDonald’s Light Dragoons and fought 75 days in the Siege of Charleston, S. C. (March 29th through May 12, 1780).
Thomas Howard, son of Peter Howard and his wife, Ann Portman, also served with the Patriot soldiers during the War of Independence, after the fall of Charleston, under Cols. Thomas Brandon and Benjamin Roebuck. He was probably not the Captain who befriended Skyuka.
It appears that Peter and JOHN had moved into the Greenville District of South Carolina in the 1780s. Records state that Peter was the first to move. He and his son, Thomas, lived on Glassy Mountain. Thomas died there in 1838.
Peter’s sister, Rennie, and her husband, Peter James Swafford, moved to Greenville, S. C., after her brother, Peter, removed to that area. Rennie had nine sons. Her husband, Peter James Swafford, died in Greenville District, S. C., on August 4, 1800, and she died there in 1810.
JOHN HOWARD lived for several years on his Laurens District lands before moving to Greenville District, S. C. He received a land grant in Greenville District in 1785.
Both JOHN and Peter were living in Greenville District when the 1790 and 1800 censuses were taken. Peter James Swafford and Rennie Howard Swafford were listed in the 1800 census of Greenville District, S. C.
Early records do not refer to JOHN as JOHN MILTON HOWARD. JOHN HOWARD is the only name mentioned in a majority of the records.
John Portman Jr. was granted 490 acres June 5, 1786, by Gov. William Moultrie for his services as a Patriot soldier. The land was on the branches of the South Fork of Tyger River, and the grant was bordered by property owned by William Grant and Tobias Pruitt.
The transaction was witnessed by Peter Howard and George Hayns on August 18, 1788. John Portman Jr. was the brother-in-law of Peter Howard, and had previously moved to Pendleton, S. C.
On February 14, 1789, Peter Howard sold 50 acres on the North Side of South Tyger River to John Lucas for 10 pounds. It was part of the lands that he purchased from Nicholas Jasper.
After 1800, Peter Howard moved to Kentucky and was living in Wayne County, Kentucky, when the 1810 census was taken. This census listed Jacob Swafford, Peter Howard, Portman Howard and Abraham Swafford as living next to each other at this time. William Swafford lived nearby. Jacob, William and Abraham Swafford were brothers.
Peter, his second wife, Sarah Portman, and his son, Portman Howard, were all listed in the 1820 census of Wayne County, Kentucky.
Portman Howard was born circa 1774, before his father left the Grindal Shoals area in what later became Union District, S. C. While living in Wayne County, he was in military service (War of 1812). He was a member of Captain Taul’s Company.
Abraham Swafford married Jane Howard, Peter Howard’s daughter. Peter James Swafford and Rennie Howard Swafford’s son, Aaron, married Lucinda Howard, and their son, Thomas Swofford, married Matilda Howard, daughters of Peter Howard. They were first cousins. This seems to negate the idea that Peter Howard was the father of Rennie Howard.
Peter Howard moved to White County, Tennessee, and died there in 1825, at the age of 95. He was born in 1730. Peter’s second wife, Sarah, died after 1815. Her son, Portman Howard, died in Overton, Tennessee, in 1840.
The John Howard, who was ordained to the gospel ministry by the Saluda River Baptist Church in 1793, was probably not the JOHN HOWARD of Simpsonville, S. C. This JOHN HOWARD was born in 1728, and would have been 65 years old at this time.
JOHN HOWARD was living in the Simpsonville (Plains) area of Greenville District, S. C., by 1790 or before. He received a land grant for 100 acres in Simpsonville, S. C., in 1793.
JOHN HOWARD, living in Greenville District, S. C., in 1798, sold 75 acres on a branch of Durbin Creek, waters of the Enoree River, Laurens County, S. C., to William Collins. It was part of a tract granted to John Novill and conveyed to JOHN HOWARD SR. and was probably, where JOHN was living when he moved to Greenville District, S. C.
JOHN and AVIS were on the roll of Brushy Creek Baptist Church in Greenville District in 1800. In 1804, they were on the roll of the Clear Spring Baptist Church in Greenville District.
JOHN and AVIS had eight sons and four daughters. JOHN died in Simpsonville, S. C., on December 13, 1818, and AVIS ? died in Simpsonville, S. C., on October 29, 1819. Both are buried in the Howard Plantation Cemetery.
JOHN, in his will, left his plantation, its lands and household effects to his wife, AVIS. After her death it was to be given to his son, Joseph. He also left a tract of land to his son, Joseph.
He made provision for the care of his daughter, Avis. To each of his children he left 5 shillings each. His will was probated on October 29, 1819, and William Thackston Sr. was one of the witnesses to his will.
Their sons, Stephen, William and SAMUEL were buried in the HOWARD PLANTATION CEMETERY and possibly their wives.
DIRECTIONS TO THE HOWARD CEMETERY: “Take I-385 to the Georgia Road / Simpsonville Exit. Head east on Curtis Street, crossing over Main Street, to Fowler Road and turn right. Turn right again on Sunshine Drive. Continue down Sunshine Drive to the end of the street and make a hairpin left turn onto a dirt driveway.
The cemetery is in a thicket of woods a few feet up and to the left. The only grave marker that can be easily read now is the Revolutionary War stone of JOHN HOWARD. The owners of the property live in the last house on the left side of the street at 147 Sunshine Drive.” Dedication of JOHN HOWARD’S government marker was on May 30, 1976.
Five of JOHN and AVIS’ children were born in the 1760s, probably at their Thicketty Creek cabin (Grindal Shoals). This land grant later became a part of Union District, S. C. JOHN probably moved his family to his Craven County grant of 350 acres, which later became a part of Laurens District in South Carolina.
JOHN and AVIS had a son, William P. M. Howard, who was born in 1778, in what later became Laurens District, S. C. He married Elizabeth Garrett, daughter of Silas Garrett Sr. (1730-1804) and Nancy Ann Young Garrett (1734-1804) in 1796. They had eight sons and one daughter.
The 1830 census states that William owned thirteen slaves. “He was for a great many years a zealous man, member of the Baptist Church, and a regularly ordained minister.” He was ordained to the gospel ministry by the Clear Spring Baptist Church in 1836.
The Reverend William Howard died on March 8, 1841, in Laurens District, S. C. “He had long been afflicted with the consumption.”
Researchers state that his son, William, was also a Baptist minister. This son was born February 20, 1814, in Tennessee, and died in Alabama, on July 4, 1891. His wife was Lucinda Goss.
JOHN’S and AVIS’ son, SAMUEL H. HOWARD, was born February 28, 1775, before his father, JOHN, enlisted as a Patriot soldier in the Charleston Volunteer Militia in August of 1775.
The writer’s connection to JOHN HOWARD SR. is through his son, SAMUEL HOWARD. SAMUEL H. HOWARD was born February 28, 1775, in what later became Laurens District, S. C. He married MARY POLLY JONES on October 12, 1801, in Greenville District, S. C.
MARY POLLY JONES was born on December 10, 1783, in Caswell County, North Carolina, to WILLIAM AND MARY WHITLOCK JONES.
POLLY’S father was born in Alderbury, Shropshire, England on October 31, 1735, to JOHN WILLIAM JONES and SARAH WOODWARD JONES. He first settled near the Rappahannock River in the state of Virginia.
In Virginia, WILLIAM met and married MARY WHITLOCK in 1765. She was born in Albermarle County, Virginia, on March 15, 1741, to JAMES WHITLOCK III and AGNES CHRISTMAS WHITLOCK.
WILLIAM JONES was a Patriot soldier in the American Revolutionary War and served 68 days of regular military duty between May 7 and August 28, 1781, as a private, while serving in Moses Continental Line in North Carolina.
Their first seven children were born in Virginia, and the last three were born in Caswell County, N. C.
In October of 1793, WILLIAM moved from Caswell County, N. C. to South Carolina, and settled on Durbin Creek in Laurens District, near the Greenville District line. Later, he moved to his permanent home just over the Greenville District line some 2 to 2 ½ miles northeast of Fountain Inn, S. C.
WILLIAM JONES died near Simpsonville, S. C. on September 1, 1823, and MARY WHITLOCK JONES died September 21, 1825, near Simpsonville, S. C.
SAMUEL H. and MARY POLLY JONES HOWARD were the parents of seven sons and five daughters. SAMUEL HOWARD joined the Clear Spring Baptist Church in 1833. SAMUEL died January 9, 1853, and his wife, MARY POLLY, died June 30, 1858, near Simpsonville, S. C. They were both buried in the HOWARD PLANTATION CEMETERY.
Their children were: Elizabeth Howard (1802-1853); Moses Howard (1804-1864); William J. Howard (1806-1886); Abner H. Howard (1809-1900); Amelia Howard (1811-1902); Samuel Stewart Howard (1813-1911); Thomas Allen Howard (1816-1849); HARRIET G. HOWARD (1818-1900); John Manning Howard (1821-1896); Avis Howard (1822-unknown); Presley Ed. Augustus Howard (1823-1891); and Mary Anna Jones Howard (1825-1906).
SAMUEL willed the tract of land on which he lived to his wife, POLLY HOWARD, “which included 250 acres, plantation utensils, farming tools, blacksmith tools, household and kitchen furniture, four of his mules, one horse, seven or eight head of cattle, ten head of sheep, as many hogs as she may want to keep, and slaves: Ben, Sophia, Sam, Nelle and Wilson. Also, he willed to his wife, the Road Wagon, Carriage and Harness for each.”
At the death of his wife, the Durbin Creek land was to be divided between his two sons: John M. Howard and P. E. A. Howard. They were to pay to his son, Abner H. Howard, the valuation of 50 acres of land. His slave, Ben, was to be sold with his wife.
John M. Howard and P. E. A. Howard were to take care of their mother and their father’s sister, Avis. His desk, bookcase, family library and Bible were given to his son, P. E. A. Howard.
The rest of the estate was to be divided in eleven equal parts. HARRIET HOWARD’S four children were to receive her eleventh part when they came of age.
(A). SAMUEL’S daughter, HARRIET G. HOWARD, was the writer’s great, great grandmother. She was born in the Simpsonville, S. C., area on November 18, 1818. She was first married to WILLIAM JESSE TURNER THACKSTON, son of WILLIAM and NANCY COOK THACKSTON. He was born circa 1812.
WILLIAM THACKSTON and HARRIET G. HOWARD were married on February 6, 1835, by Brasher Henderson, Esq.
They had three children: 1. MARY LOU THACKSTON, born February 7, 1836; 2. William S. Thackston, born May 16, 1838; and 3. Thomas M. Thackston, born March 30, 1840, in Dekalb County, Georgia.
They were living in DeKalb County, Georgia, when WILLIAM JESSE TURNER THACKSTON died on April 11, 1840. He was buried in Georgia. His wife returned to Simpsonville, S. C.
(1). HARRIET G. HOWARD THACKSTON and WILLIAM JESSE TURNER THACKSTON’S oldest child was MARY LOU THACKSTON who was living with her grandparents, SAMUEL and MARY POLLY JONES HOWARD in 1850. She married NICHOLAS WOOD from the Simpsonville, S. C. area. He was the son of JOSEPH and MARY POLLY GARRETT WOOD.
JOSEPH WOOD served as a private in Capt. James Wood’s Company in the 3rd Regiment of the South Carolina Militia commanded by Joseph Alston during the War of 1812.
“He was a substitute for John Edwards and entered service in Laurens District, South Carolina, on or about the first day of November 1814, for the term of six months and continued in actual service for the same length of time and was honorably discharged at Georgetown, South Carolina, on or about the first day of March of 1815.”
He applied for Bounty Land in 1855, and stated that he had lost his discharge.
JOSEPH WOOD was the son of PENUEL WOOD JR. (1764-1850) and MARTHA ELIZABETH (BETSY) KILGORE WOOD (1779-1850). He was born October 12, 1795, and died April 7, 1864. JOSEPH’S grandparents were: the REV. PENUEL WOOD SR. and CONSTANCE.
JOSEPH WOOD’S father, PENUEL WOOD JR.’S brother, was the Reverend Henry Wood, a Patriot soldier during the Revolutionary War and a Methodist minister.
JOSEPH’S wife was MARY POLLY GARRETT WOOD, daughter of NICHOLAS WARE GARRETT (1765-1846) and SARAH BRAMLETT GARRETT (1769-1851). They were married in Greenville District, South Carolina, in May of 1817.
Their children were: Martha C. Wood (1818-1893); William G. Wood (1819-1901); Joseph Jackson Wood (1824-1895); Partheny Emma Wood (1821-1858); NICHOLAS JOSEPH WOOD (1825-1895); Mary E. Wood (1828-1895); Isaac E. Wood (1830-1910); Kiziah L. Wood (1832-1898); Rebecca Amanda Wood (1834-1900); Thomas C. Wood (1836-1906); Rosa Jane Wood (1840-1908).
MARY WOOD, wife of JOSEPH, was born November 24, 1797, and died October 8, 1880. JOSEPH and MARY GARRETT WOOD were buried in the Wood Family Cemetery on Dillard Road off McKinney Road in Simpsonville, S. C. Her tombstone reads: “Left 11 children, 80 grandchildren and 40 great-grandchildren.”
NICHOLAS JOSEPH WOOD was born December 14, 1825, and His wife, MARY LOU THACKSTON WOOD, daughter of WILLIAM JESSE TURNER THACKSTON and HARRIET G. HOWARD THACKSTON, was born February 7, 1836. They were the writers’ great-grandparents.
NICHOLAS JOSEPH WOOD, served in Company I of the Sixteenth South Carolina Regiment in the Confederate Army. He was a Second Lieutenant and was wounded in the Battles around Atlanta at Macon, Georgia, on August 29, 1863.
NICHOLAS and MARY had eight children: MARTHA ROWENDA WOOD (1857-1936); Mary Maude Wood (1859-1937); Lula Agnes Wood (1861-1930); Walter W. Wood (1867-1949); Joseph J. Wood (1869-1898); Nicholas Lester Wood (1872-1917); Leland H. Wood (1876-1959); Early C. Wood (1878-1946).
JOSEPH NICHOLAS WOOD died September 23, 1895, aged 69, and his wife, MARY LOU THACKSTON WOOD, died February 28, 1907, aged 71. They were buried in the Bellview Baptist Church cemetery near Woodruff, S. C., with separate markers.
NICHOLAS and MARY’S oldest child, MARTHA ROWENDA WOOD, was born March 14, 1857, near Atlanta, Georgia.
She married OSBORNE COLUMBUS GODFREY, son of WILLIAM GODFREY IV and NANCY COLE, on September 21, 1877.
WILLIAM GODFREY IV, O. C. GODFREY’S father, was the son of WILLIAM GODFREY III and ELIZABETH LEAMAN GODFREY.
OSBORNE COLUMBUS GODFREY was born March 28, 1857. He joined the Green Pond Baptist Church by experience on September 9, 1871, and was baptized by the Reverend C. P. Mayfield.
MARTHA WOOD was living in Austin Township, Greenville County, S. C. in 1870, near Simpsonville, S. C. NICHOLAS WOOD, her father, moved his family to the Green Pond community in Spartanburg County in the early 1870s.
MARTHA joined the Green Pond Baptist Church by experience on July 3, 1874, and was baptized by the Reverend C. P. Mayfield.
After her marriage at the age of 20, MARTHA WOOD and her husband, O. C. GODFREY, lived in the Green Pond community near Woodruff, S. C., for several years. Six of their children were born, while they lived here.
WILLIAM GODFREY IV was a private in Company E of the Holcombe Legion during the War Between The States. He fought in the Battle of Second Manassas, the Battle of Boonsboro and the Battle of Kinston, North Carolina. As a result of a wound to his left leg at Kinston, the leg was eventually amputated below the knee.
NANCY COLE, OSBORNE COLUMBUS GODFREY’S mother, was the daughter of OSBORNE COLE and NANCY PEARSON COLE, and the granddaughter of HENRY and SUSANNAH GILLIAM COLE.
HENRY COLE Cole was a Patriot soldier in the Revolutionary War and fought in the Battle of Fort Sullivan. He was pensioned at the rate of $8.00 per month beginning February 15, 1819, for services in the North Carolina Line.
NANCY COLE GODFREY had two children, Osborne Columbus and Kittura Texanna Godfrey. She died in 1862, while her husband, WILLIAM, was on the field of battle. After the war, WILLIAM GODFREY IV, married Mary Ann Pearson Arnold, widow of James Arnold. They had seven children, four sons and three daughters.
MARTHA WOOD GODFREY and O. C. GODFREY moved their church letters from the Green Pond Baptist Church to the Antioch Baptist Church on March 2, 1889. Seven of their children were born, while they lived in the house below Antioch Baptist Church.
MARTHA and O. C. GODFREY were dismissed by letters from the Antioch Baptist Church on May 10, 1913, and joined the First Baptist Church of Woodruff, S. C., June 8, 1913.
- C. GODFREY, and his wife, MARTHA, had thirteen children, but only twelve survived to adulthood. Their children were:
(a). William Nicholas Godfrey (1878-1933); (b). Mary Melissa Godfrey (1880-1942); (c). Robert Lee Godfrey (1882-1948); (d). Allison Wright Godfrey (1884-1935); (e). Infant Son (1886); (f). Grover Cleveland Godfrey (1887-1955); (g). Mabel Clara Godfrey (1889-1939);
(h). Mattie Susanna Godfrey (1891-1971); (i). Samuel Columbus Godfrey (1893-1955); (j). Hattie Stacy Godfrey (1895-1973); (k). Nannie Bryan Godfrey (1896-1982); (l). George Dewey Godfrey (1898-1968); (m). FANNIE VESTA GODFREY (1900-1987).
- C. GODFREY was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, serving as Noble Grand. He was also a member of the Masonic Order, with membership in the Bethel Lodge No. 112, serving as Tiler.
For many years O. C. GODFREY carried a bell shaped watch fob, a souvenir of Niagara Falls, which he probably secured on one of his trips with a fraternal order. Date on the fob is 1889. It is now in possession of Robert A. Ivey, his grandson.
OSBORNE COLUMBUS GODFREY died in Young’s Township, Laurens County, S. C., on November 19, 1919. Cause of death was listed as lobar pneumonia. Attending physician was Dr. O. H. McCord of Woodruff, S. C.
His funeral was conducted at First Baptist Church, Woodruff, S. C., by Dr. J. H. Boldridge. Names of assisting ministers have not been preserved. He was buried in the newer Bethel Cemetery, Woodruff, S. C., on November 20, 1919. E. A. Beason was the undertaker. William Nicholas Godfrey was listed as informant on the death certificate.
MARTHA ROWENDA WOOD died at her home in Young’s Township, Laurens County, S. C., on July 27, 1936, at 6:30 p. m. after a week’s illness of mitral regurgitation (heart disease). Dr. B. J. Workman of Woodruff, S. C., was the attending physician.
She was survived by eight daughters, four sons, 52 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and three brothers.
Her funeral was conducted on Wednesday, July 29, 1936, at 4 p. m. at the First Baptist Church of Woodruff, S.C., with the Reverends J. H. Simpson, C. L. Boyter and D. M. Winn officiating.
She was buried on July 29, 1936, in the newer Bethel Cemetery, Woodruff, S. C. Lanford-Boyter and Company was the undertaker. Mrs. Wright Godfrey was listed as the informant on the certificate of death.
ALLISON Wright Godfrey was named for his mother’s grandmother, HARRIET HOWARD ALLISON. HARRIET HOWARD had married her third husband in 1859, just two years after the birth of MARTHA ROWENDA WOOD, so she only knew her grandmother’s name as HARRIET ALLISON.
FANNIE GODFREY, daughter of O. C. and MARTHA GODFREY, was born November 11, 1900, in the Antioch Baptist Church community. She joined the First Baptist Church in Woodruff, S. C., by experience on May 4, 1913, and was baptized by the Reverend H. M. Fallow.
She married ROY SIMPSON IVEY, son of WILLIAM MATHIS IVEY and ELIZABETH MAY THOMAS IVEY, on December 17, 1921. The Reverend Charles L. Boyter performed the marriage ceremony.
ROY SIMPSON IVEY joined the Cedar Grove Baptist Church by experience on September 2, 1917, and was baptized in the Enoree River by the Reverend C. E. Vermillion. FANNIE GODFREY IVEY joined the Cedar Grove Baptist Church by letter from First Baptist Church in Woodruff, S. C., on August 23, 1925.
Their first and only child, ROBERT ALLISON IVEY, was born January 5, 1933, at their residence on 19 Chamblin Street, Woodruff, S. C. Dr. O. H. McCord was the attending physician.
FANNIE and ROY received their church letters from the Cedar Grove Baptist Church in August of 1934, and placed them in the First Baptist Church of Woodruff, S. C.
FANNIE GODFREY IVEY’S son, ROBERT, was named for his mother and father’s brothers (Robert Godfrey & Robert Paul Ivey). His middle name, ALLISON, was taken from the name of FANNIE’S great-grandmother, HARRIET ALLISON.
ROBERT ALLISON IVEY married KATHRYN ELIZABETH IVEY, daughter of CHARLES LESTER REEVES JR. and MARY LOUISE BAILEY REEVES on June 2, 1956. The Reverend W. J. Bradley performed the ceremony.
ROBERT IVEY was ordained to the Gospel Ministry by the First Baptist Church of Woodruff, S. C., on April 18, 1954, and was a Southern Baptist pastor in South Carolina and Virginia, for 43 years before his retirement on August 1, 1996.
His wife, Elizabeth, served as a teacher and administrator in South Carolina and Virginia for 46 years. She was a Minister of Music for 36 years. They are both graduates of Furman University. They have three children: Reeves, Brent and Mary Beth.
ROY IVEY DIED January 24, 1986, at Spartanburg General Hospital with kidney failure. His funeral service was conducted at First Baptist Church, Woodruff, S. C., on January 26, 1986, by the Reverend Robert Deaton, pastor of the church.
FANNIE VESTA GODFREY IVEY died at Brookview House in Gaffney, S. C., on November 15, 1987. Her funeral service was conducted on November 17, 1987, at First Baptist Church, Woodruff, S. C., by the Reverend Robert Deaton.
FANNIE and ROY were buried in the Greenhaven Memorial Gardens near Woodruff, S. C. The Stribling Mortuary of Woodruff, S. C., was in charge of their funeral arrangements.
(2). HARRIET G. HOWARD THACKSTON AND WILLIAM JESSE TURNER THACKSTON’S second child was, William S. Thackston. He lived with Stokes and Jane Thackston for several years after his father died. He married Margaret Garrett, daughter of Ambrose and Nancy Delong Garrett in 1860.
Ambrose Garrett was born February 22, 1798, and his wife, Nancy DeLong, was born January 2, 1799, in Laurens District, S. C. They were married in 1816.
Ambrose Garrett was the son of NICHOLAS WARE GARRETT and his wife, SARAH BRAMLETT. Nancy DeLong was the daughter of Daniel and Martha Strong Stroud DeLong.
William S. Thackston was born May 16, 1838, and Margaret DeLong Garrett was born January 27, 1839.
William S. Thackston was enlisted at Camp Hampton on January 24, 1862, by Capt. Rodgers. He served as a private until July 30, 1862, when he was promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant. He was a member of Company I, 16th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry. On the muster roll of November and December 1862, he was listed as at home on furlough.
In January & February he was absent because he was on a recruiting mission. The muster roll of March & April reported him as absent on sick leave.
He had such a persistent problem with dyspepsia that he had to resign his commission on October 12, 1863. The resignation was recommended by William H. Cooper, Senior Surgeon, for the CSA. His company troops were bivouacked at Chickamauga, Tennessee, when he resigned. He was wounded at the Battle of Franklin in 1864.
William and Margaret had the following children: Mary Louise Thackston (1861-1937); William Thomas Thackston (1864-1934); Jess Turner Thackston (1867-1935); Samuel Augustus Thackston (1869-1940); Tett Oscar Thackston (1871-1943); Benjamin Abner Thackston (1873-1939); Thaddeus Stewart Thackston (1876-1953); Zebulon E. Thackston (1878-1947); Zaida E. Thackston (1881-1955).
HARRIET HOWARD ALLISON lived with William and Margaret after her husband, A. J. Allison, died in 1873.
Margaret Garrett Thackston died August 16, 1907, and William S. Thackston lived with his daughter, Lula Hipps, after his wife’s death. He died June 16, 1910.
He and his wife were buried next to his mother, HARRIET, in the Clear Spring Baptist Church cemetery.
(3). HARRIET G. HOWARD THACKSTON and WILLIAM JESSE TURNER THACKSTON’S youngest child, Thomas M. Thackston, was born on March 30, 1840, in DeKalb County, Georgia. He was living with his mother HARRIET, and step-father, Richard Baldwin, in 1850.
He married Maria Angeline Thomason, daughter of Frank and ? Smith Thomason, circa 1858. She was born January 17, 1838.
Thomas and Maria had only one child, a son, Turner Bartlett Thackston, born October 15, 1859. Thomas and Maria lived and died in Spartanburg County, S. C.
Thomas M. Thackston was enlisted at Adams Run, South Carolina, in the Confederate Army as a Private in Company I, 16th
Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, on March 15, 1863. He was admitted to the CSA Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi, on July 13, 1863, and from there was transferred to the General Hospital. There is no further information in his files.
He died April 9, 1896, in Spartanburg County, S. C., and his wife, Maria, died June 13, 1913, in Spartanburg County, S. C.
Turner Bartlett Thackston, their son, married Margaret “Maggie” Moffat King, daughter of Capt. John Estill King (1832-1885) and Emma Lucy Mauzy (1840-1887) on September 1, 1897. Margaret was born January 21, 1863, in Waynesboro, Augusta County, Virginia.
This couple was living in Spartanburg, S. C., on Pine Street when the 1900 Federal Census was taken.
Margaret was a teacher in the Cedar Springs School for the Deaf and Blind, and Turner was an Industrial Agent for the Railway Company. They had three children: Virginia E. Thackston (1899-1962); Turner Bartlett Jr. (1903-1981); and Moffat (Monk) King Thackston (1905-1970).
Moffat (Monk) King Thackston was a graduate of Wofford College in 1923. He was a good baseball player, playing with Beaumont in August of 1934. He was their center fielder, batting third, and had two hits including a triple against the Drayton team. He also played with Arcadia, the Eastern Carolina League champions (26-13).
Moffat married Carolyn Gore, daughter of Tom Howard and Helen Hall Gore in the 1930s. He and his wife lost infant twin sons in 1939. He was a salesman. He died in 1970, and his wife died in 1987. They were buried in the West Oakwood cemetery in Spartanburg, S. C. The writer has a knife that belonged to Monk.
Turner and Margaret were living in Cedar Springs, S. C. near Spartanburg, S. C. Turner Bartlett Thackston died April 11, 1919, and Margaret King Thackston died May 19, 1944. They were buried in West Oakwood cemetery, and their graves are marked.
(B). HARRIET HOWARD’S second marriage was to Richard Baldwin, son of John and Cynthia Amelia ? Baldwin, circa 1843.
He was born in 1808, in Greenville District, S. C. Harriet (Hattie) Elizabeth Baldwin, born October 11, 1844, was their only child. Richard died circa 1853, in Greenville County, S. C.
Harriet Elizabeth Baldwin married John Salathiel Martin Jr., son of William Salathiel Sr. and Mary Elizabeth Sheriff Martin, and grandson of Asa and Sarah ? Martin. William Salathiel Martin Sr. was born May 22, 1812, and died April 6, 1888. Mary Elizabeth Sheriff Martin was born November 9, 1813, and died June 12, 1856.
John Salathiel Martin Jr. was enlisted as a Confederate soldier on January 8, 1862, by Col. C. J. Elford at Camp Moore in Charleston, South Carolina. He served as a private in Company A, 16th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Greenville).
On the July & August 1862 muster roll he was listed as absent and on sick leave from August 15 to September 14, 1862. He was transferred to Company F, Hampton Legion, South Carolina Volunteers, in exchange for E. Gridley.
He was admitted to the Jackson Hospital, Richmond, Virginia, with acute diarrhea on August 24, 1864. He was admitted to the Wayside Hospital or General Hospital No. 9 in Richmond, Virginia, on August 25, 1864.
He was returned to duty on September 11, 1864. Shortly after this he was permitted to go to his home in Greenville District on furlough. He served as private in Capt. W. B. Charles’ Company F, Hampton Legion. He was six feet tall, fair complexioned, with blue eyes and dark hair.
John and Hattie had a daughter, Mary Martha Etta Martin, born April 24, 1863.
Due to his wife’s declining health, they moved to Pickens District, S. C. The writer has copies of several letters that Hattie Martin wrote to her mother.
In these letters Hattie tells of her mother sending a picture of herself. She speaks of her mother’s new house and refers to the poor mountain country folks in her area. She speaks of her new shoes that cost $3.00.
Apparently, her husband, John, was working for a Mr. Mitchell. She states that she was keeping the books and was put in charge of all the hands assisting in the farming operation. They had 20 head of cows, 6 horses, 25 hogs, and 14 sheep.
She wanted her mother to come and stay with them for awhile until “lay-by time”. She suggested to her mother that she could secure a buggy that could be sent to pick her up. She stated that she liked living in the mountains better than in Greenville, S. C.
Hattie Baldwin Martin died in the mountains of Pickens, S. C., circa 1867.
John S. Martin next married Margaret Edwards, daughter of Jonah M. and Clarinda Knight Edwards, after the death of Hattie, and had four children by her, two daughters and two sons: Dara S. Martin; William Mauldin Martin; Lilby Martin; and Patrick Martin. Margaret died February 20, 1905, and John S. Martin died December 27, 1914, in Greenville County, S. C.
Mary Martha Etta Martin, daughter of John and Hattie Martin, married John Willis White, Jr., son of John Willis White Sr. and Mary Cooper, on November 16, 1883. John Jr. was born September 22, 1863.
John Willis White Sr. “In his early manhood made a profession of faith in Christ and in October of 1856, connected himself with the Baptist Church at Cedar Springs, where he was an accepted and exemplary member.” He and Mary Cooper, daughter of James William and Lucy King Cooper, were married February 19, 1857. She was born in 1827, and died in 1887.
John Willis White Sr. was a Confederate soldier. He first served as Lieutenant in A. K. Smith’s Company and then in the 13th South Carolina Infantry Regiment, under Col. Edwards. He later joined the 20th South Carolina Regiment at Sullivan’s Island on March 1, 1863. He died on Morris Island, S. C., in Charleston Harbor, on July 21, 1863, three days after a massive Union attack on their position at Fort Wagner.
John Willis White Jr. and his wife, Mary Martha Etta Martin, lived in the Spartanburg, S. C. area, where he operated a grocery store on 132 South Liberty Street. They had four sons and three daughters: Warren M. White (1883-1960); Albert Broadus White (1886-1964); Mable F. White (1888-1914); John Howard White (1891-unknown); Ruth Margaret White (1894-1975); Robert King White (1897-1942); and Pearle Elizabeth White (1901-1940).
Mary Etta died on January 22, 1929, and John died December 8, 1937. They were buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Spartanburg, S. C.
(C). HARRIET HOWARD’S third marriage was to Andrew Jackson Allison, circa 1859, in Greenville County, S. C. He was listed as a hatter, and she was listed as a seamstress in the 1860 Federal Census of Greenville County, S. C. A. J. Allison was born March 10, 1828, in Pennsylvania.
Andrew Jackson Allison was a private in Company I of the 16th South Carolina Regiment of the Confederate Army and was captured at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 16, 1864, under forces commanded by Maj. General Thomas and forwarded to Capt. S. E. Jones. He was moved to the Military Prison in Louisville, Kentucky, on December 19, 1864. They had no children.
At the close of the War Between the States, some of General Sherman’s troops came to HARRIET’S house near Simpsonville, S. C., looking for valuables. They poured out milk and water from her pitchers, split feather beds etc., but did not find any treasures. Before they left, they stole her horse, leaving a badly battered one in its place.
Her two sons, son-in-law and husband all fought in the Confederate Army, and then HARRIET suffered the indignity of General Sherman’s troops vandalizing her property.
Andrew Jackson Allison, her third husband, died October 10, 1873, and HARRIET died in the Simpsonville area on August 16, 1900. She and her husband, A. J. Allison, were buried side by side in the Clear Spring Baptist Church cemetery, and their graves are marked.