m

fo-rpie£of^>^ii^tfMCdUgtfi^

'Y^LE«¥Mn¥IEI^Sflir¥"

B^a^¦w!wgg^^^!wwa»Mi

7907

IIuN. B. R. \Y[NHORNE,
January, I'.IOl.

THE=

Colonial and State Political History
of Hertford County, N. C.

BY Benj, B. Winborne.
M URFREESBORO, N. C.
AUTHOR OF "the WINBORNE FAMILY." ANO "THE HrSTORICAL BRIEF OF
POLITICAL ECONOMY."

¦ God bless our native land !
Firm may she ever stand
Through storm and night ;
When the wild tempests rave,
Ruler of wind and wave,
Do thou our country save
By thy great might!"

A. D. 1906.

PRINTED FOE THE AUTHOE BY EDWAEDS ,(t BEOUGHTON.

COLONIAL AND POLITICAL HISTORY
OF
HERTFORD COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

ERRATA.
Page 12. 1777, should be 1677.
Page 24. "CoUegue," in 8th line from bottom, should be "colleague."
Page 47. Joseph Garrett, should be James Garrett.
Page 96. Andrew Scott, should be Thomas M. Scott.
Page 97. "Momoiselle," should be "Homoiselle."
Page 97. Wm. H. Hutehings, should be John Wm. Hutchings.
Page 122. "France," in fourth line from bottom, should be "Spain," and
"that year" at bottom, should be "the year 1845."
Page 12:}. Katy Sharp, instead of Patsy Sharp.
Page 126. "Bembury" in bottom line should read "Granbury."
Page 127. Mrs. Sue Frank, should be Mrs. Sue Funk.
Page l.S.5. "Gravier," should read "Fraser" and Annie Sharp Askew,
insert Mary for Annie.
Page 137. Origin of Charles II, should be "reign of Charles II."
Page 143. John Wheeler, refers to Jno. H. Wheeler.
Page 1.53 "Homarselle," should be "Homoiselle."
Page 156. Roscius P Thomas instead of "Kascius."
Page 165. Add after "House" in 21st hne, "in 1840."
Page 166. Mary Olivia Wise, in lieu of GUvia O. Wise.
Page 167. "Son" should be "Grandson."
Page 188. Read Edmond F. Dunston, in place of "Edward."
Page 190. After "and," end of fourth hne from top, insert "uncle."
Page 243. 9th line E. D. Lewis in place of Watson Lewis Jr., and
"Cousin," in place of "Aunt" in same hne.
Page 245. "Niece" instead of "Sister" in olh line from bottom.
Page 219. D. W. Lewis survives with W. P. Shaw.
Page 27.J. J. T. WiUiams' marriage was in 1878.
Page 299. "Awaking," in nmth line, should read "awakening."
Page 315. 1864, should read 1865.
There may be other typographical errors not noticed.

COPYRIGHTED 1906 BY BENJ. B. WINBORNE

DEDICATION.
/ DEDICATE THIS BOOK TO THE MEMORY OF THE
DEPARTED WORTHIES OF HERTFORD COUNTY, AND THE
DESCENDANTS OF THOSE NOBLE PEOPLE.
BENJ. BRODIE WINBORNE.
May, 1906.

K w S)H¦^
O taO
oo aaHKjo oa SI

INTRODUCTION,
Jlertf.iixl Connty is rich in the character of her families,
aiicl m the aet.s and deeds of her sons, in war and in peace,
but poor in her record*.
On the night "f Angu^T 22, ls30. the entire records of the
county were destroyed by fire. One AVright Allen was in-
dictrd in our Superior Court for forging the name of Tim
othy Eidley, of Maney's Xeck, and thinking- that the note
was in the court-house, and that by burning the same he
could, destroy the evidence of his guilt, he touched the torch
X'.' the building, and quickly the court-house and all the
record- of the county, from its foundatirm, were con^umed
by the flames. The records of seventv years of the county's
histiiry were within a few hours blotted from human eyes.
Again on February 20, 1^<]2, the records of this splendid
county, together with the eourt-h'iuse. were ruthlessly burned
by the Union sijldiers during the cruel war between the
American .States. The date of this fire is hard to deter
mine. I find reliable authorities fixing it February 20,
March 20. and May 20. It is, however, immaterial. The
will books since IS-SO, and a few of the old record books of
the Court of Pleas and Quarter Se-sions, which happened to
be in Murfreesboro, where the Clerk resided, were saved.
Hence appears the reason why I have undertaken the Hercu
lean task of trying to reproduce some of the past history of
the county. I have been practicing law in the county since
187.5, and I have so often felt the dire need for these lost
records. I beg that my imperfect hi-tory may be read with sym
pathy for it- author, iluch of my information I secured

6 Inteoduction.
from old deeds among my father's papers. His deeds carry
me back to 1812, and one as far back as 1762, and gives the
name of the first Clerk of the County Court. The deeds
and old wills and copies of records of- other families, which
have been kindly furnished me, have enabled me, with the
old Colonial and State Records of North Carolina, to bring
together this imperfect history of a noble people.
Benj. B. Winboeite.
May, A, D, 1906.

TKe Colonial and State Political History
of Hertford Count/, N. C.

PUBLIC PEIDE.
For centuries and ages, nations and sub-divisions of na
tions, and governments, have honored their heroic and noble
dead. Monuments, statues, histories, and other records
have been resorted to as far back as recorded time to com
memorate and perpetuate the deeds, the acts, the successes
and the mistakes of prominent and leading characters. ITot
only that those in the future may live and profit by the noble
deeds of the past, and shun the ignoble deeds and mistakes
of a preceding generation, but to gratify and perpetuate their
pride of their great dead.
We have been unable to find in recorded history of the
civilized world any nation, any government, any state, any
county, or any political division of a territory, that was not
proud of its noble men and women; and in some way were
willing to hand dovm to future generations the history of the
proud deeds of its subjects and its sublime characters.
Such is the histoTy of religion, of the science of govern
ments, of literature, of philosophy, of the science of war,
and everything else. What we know and enjoy to-day is due
to our knowledge of the past. Our Christianity, our civili
zation is, to-day, the acme of our knowledge of the past.
We are all the time building on the past, without which we
could not obtain a solid foundation, but would be building on
a sandy foundation. What would we know 'about our Savior
and the sufl^erings of Jesus of Nazareth on the cross, and the
beauties and attractions of Heaven, but for the recorded
words in the Holy Bible? What would we know of the
world, and its great men, its inventions, its advancements in
civilization, and the progress of mankind in everything, were
it not for the histories, the monuments, statues and other

History of Heetfoed County, IST. C

pyramids, written and erected for the guidance of those to
come afterwards ?
A nation, a country, a state, a county that has not pride of
its noble dead, is composed of a mankind fit only for "trea-.
son, strategem, and spoils," and for the habitation of Hell.
We have been often asked why we should be interested in
writing a history of the l)y-gonc days of Hertford County.
Why, tliey are the most glorious days of our life ! All the
sunshine, all the hnpos, and all the beauties of life are in
those days. Ancestors, ])arents, friends, and other noble
men and women, help to make the grand history of this old
]>iditioal subdivision of the State. We are proud of its his
tory; proud of its dead. We love to sing the songs of its
praises. A being who has no love for his county and the
imble deeds "f its dead has no soul. He is like the "lean
and hungry Cassius" — dangerous. Let us remember — let us
love until the end of time.
When wc think of the true ancl devoted sons of the Colo
nial days, of the brave 'and loyal sons of the Revolutionary
times, (if the determined and self-sacrificing sons of the
infant days of the State and Re])ublic, and the gallant and
C(.(urageous soldiers of the county whenever the liberties,
rijilits and freedom of the people of the States were involved,
and the ])art its great men took in shaping the laws of the
country and in the perpetuation of its institutions, we feel
like exclaiming, "0, fortunate country, who had such sons to
be the herald of thy fame!'' ajikeica.
To know well the child wo should know its parents.
Columbus discovered America — the Now World — the un-
knuwu land — in the year 1492. It was a beautiful part of
Nature's landscape. Its coasts, its le\'id lands, its bills and
valleys, its maiiiiificent forests, and its grand aud placid
streams of water filled the hearts aud souls of (Vdumbus
and his comjianions with untold and indescribable joy. It

HisTOEY OF Heetfoed Cousty, N. C. 9
was uninhabited, except by wild beasts and savage tribes of
Indians. Where the Indians came from we do not know.
They seemed to be indigenous to the soil. The Great God
of Nature created and placed them here, as he did the beasts
of the forest. Columbus returned to the Old World, his
native land, and told of the New World he had discovered.
He told them of its beauties and its attractions. The popu
lar mind soon became emblazoned ^vith imaginary pictures
and pent-up glories and blessings of this fairy land beyond
the broad and deep waters. The whole of Europe became
excited. Soon, voyages began to be made, in crude crafts,
acrcfss the billows of the mighty oceans to reach the new land
of flowers and take possession of it and make it the home of
the free, and the asylum of the oppressed. Old England
quickly proceeded to profit by the discovery of Columbus
and take possession of this new and far-off land, about which
the Old World had become so much arou.sed by the reports
of Columbus, a native of Italy, the land of valor and
beauty. Bancroft's History of the United States is the most de
lightful treatise on the early and jDrimeval clays of the West
ern Continent the reader can obtain. Of the discoveries of
the lands along the musical and poetic borders of the Rio
Grande and of the mighty Mississippi Valley, the wide-
spreading laii of- the Western Continent, the reader can find
no more pleasing and fascinating accounts than Prescott's
Histories of Mexico and Peru. Ridpath's recent History
of the United States is, also, written in a most interesting
style. Its rhetoric is ornate and easy.
The early settlers of the New World experienced great
troubles with the native Indians, and many of them were
murdered by these wild, barbaric natives. The New World
w^as called America in honor of Amerigo Vespucci, which
was an undeserved honor.

10 History of Hertford County, N. C.
caeolina,
On the 25th day of March, 1584, Queen Elizabeth of
England granted to Sir Walter Raleigh a charter authorizing
him tO' take possession of an extensive territory of land in
America, extending from the 33'd to the 40th parallel of
north latitude, and to people it, and organize a state, to be
governed by Raleigh, as lord-proprietor. This territory
was called Carolina. The granting of this charter was the
first step in the work of English colonization in America.
Five voyages were made under it, but without success in
establishing a permanent settlement. Raleigh's vessels land
ed at Roanoke Island, where he landed his colonists and
attempted to effect a settlement, but the hostility of the
Indians was too great. One of his colonies left on the
island, consisting of 108, were lost, and no account of them
has ever been given. It is known as the "lost colony." The
Indians evidently destroyed them. On the 18th day of
August, 1585, Virginia Dare was bom on this island. She
was the first English white child ever born in the New
M^orld. Raleigh finally abandoned his efforts.
Again, on the 20th day of March, 1663, King Charles, the
Second, granted a charter for Carolina to Edward, Earl of
Clarendon, George, Duke of Albemarle, William, Lord Cra
ven, John, Lord Berkley, Anthony, Lord Ashley, Sir George
Carteret, Sir William Berkley, and Sir John Colleton, to be
known as the Lords Proprietors of Carolina. Thev were
granted all the land extending from the north end of the
island called Lucke Island, in the southern Virginia seas,
and with six and tliirty degrees of the north latitude, and to
the west as far as the South Seas, and southerly as far as
St. Matthias River, on the coast of Florida. The territory
of country was not named Carolina in honor of Charles IL,
as some writers have it, but it was named "Carolina" hj
John Ribault, a French navigator, as early as 1562.

History' of Heetfoed County, N. C. 11
The Lords Proprietors were invested with power to set up
a form of government of their own, to make laws for the
government of the people, to hold courts, and do all acts
and exercise all other powers desired to gratify their lord
ships. The first permanent settlement in Carolina is stated by
Bancroft to have been made immediately after the expulsion
of the Quakers from Virginia in 1662.
On July 30, 1665, King Charles II. granted the same
Lords Proprietors a second grant, extending the boundaries of
Carolina north and eastward as far as the north end of
Currituck River, upon a straight westerly line to Wyanoke
Creek and so on.
The area of Carolina, under this charter, was a million of
square miles, and included a large part of Mexico, all of
Texas, all our territory south of 36 deg. 30 min. and west
of Arkansas, and the lands now embraced in the States of
North and South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas,
Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana. But the grantees only
had possession of a small part of the territory.
In 1669, John Lock, of England, wrote the first constitu
tion for the Propxietary government of Carolina. Ashley
Cooper, one of the Lords Proprietors, afterwards wrote an
amendment to it. But the framework of the whole fabric
was too impracticable and metaphysical, and it was never
fully put in operation. It was finally abrogated, in 1693, by
the Lords Proprietors.
On September 8th, 1663, Sir William Berkley, Governor
of Virginia, and one of the Lords Proprietors of the Prov
ince of Carolina, was directed to visit the settlement on
Albemarle, and organize a regular government. He did so.
George Drummond was appointed Governor, and a council
of six was also appointed, and thus was formed the infant
colony thereafter known as the County of Albemarle.

12 History of Hertford County, N. C.
north carolina.
In the year 1(197 that portion of Carolina tying north of
the Santee River became known and recognized as North
Carolina, and the southern portion as South Carolina. The
County of Albemarle was in NTorth Carolina. Later this
colony became subdivided into three counties,
Hertford County was not one of the original subdivisions
of the territory of the colony of North Carolina. At the
close of the Indian War of 1711, North Carolina was di-
-^'ided into three counties — Albemarle, Bath, and Clarendon.
These counties were subdivi(le<l into precincts. Albemarle
was divided into Currituck, Pasquotaidv, Perquimans, Cho
wan, Bertie, and Tyrrell 23recinets. Bath was divided into
Beaufort, Hyde, Craven, and Carteret precincts. Clarendon
(^ll^lty had only one precinct, ?v!ew Hanover. Bertie pre
cinct was carved out of Albemarle County territory in 1722.
Northamjiton County was formed in 1741 from a portion
of the territory of Bertie.
GiA'Elv.XOIiS OF THE CUINTY' OF ALBE.MARLE.
Geo. Drummond, appointed in fall 1663.
Samuel Stevens, appointed in October, 1667; died early
in 1674.
Si]- Geo. Cartwright, President of the Council, l(i74. He
returned to England in 107(i.
Thomas Aliller, a])})(iintcd, to fill vacancy, in 1677
Culpepper's ]!Ebblli()a-.
In 1\0Y., 1777, Sir Geo. Kastclmrch was appointed Gov
ernor lif the County of Albemarle, and left England, but when
he reached the West Indies he fcdl in love willi a beautiful airl
o
and lingered there. After making known his devotion they
were married. He then renewed liis journey to North (^ar(v
lina. When he n^ached the shores of the new countrv he
found that one Cul]ie])]ier had, in Docember, 1677, usurped
tlie government and ]U'o(daiuied himself governor. East-

FIisTORY OF Heetfoed County, N. C. 13
church tried to> suppress Culpepper's usurpation, and secured
the aid of the Governor of Virginia, but failed, and thereby
by the simple act of a lover, lost his govermnent, and also
his life, as he was killed in his effort to assert his authority.
Lovers should not neglect their business, as they may lose
all, is the lesson here taught.
John Harvey was appointed President of Council in 1680.
John Jenkins, appointed Governor, June, 1680, and died
December, 1681.
Llenry Wilkinson, appointed Governor February, 1681,
Seth Sothel, appointed Governor 1683. This man, Seth
Sothel, was a great rascal. He was expelled as Governor of
the County of Albemarle shortly after his appointment. He
then went to Charleston, in South Carolina, and, in 1690,
was elected Governor of that county, and was there impeached
and expelled. An honest public servant is a prize to any
people. No mean, insincere, selfish, and untrue man ought
ever to be allowed to hold any ofiice or place of trust.
Philip Ludwell, appointed Governor 1689,
Alexander Lillington, a]3pointed 'deputy Governor 1693.
Thomas Harvey, appointed deputy Governor 1693.
From April, 1693, to 1712, North and South Carolina
had the same governors.
Philip Ludwell, appointed 1693.
Thomas Smith, appointed 1693.
Joseph Blake, appointed 1694.
John Archdale, appointed 1695.
Joseph Blake, appointed 1696.
James Moore, appointed 1700.
Nath'l Johnson, appointed 1703.
Edward Tynte, appointed 1706.
Robert Gibbes, appointed 1710.

14 Histoey of Hertford County, N. C.
the goveenoes of noeth caeolina undee the peopeie-
taey goveenment from 1699 to 1729,
They took the oath of office as follows :
Henderson Walker, President of the Council, 1699,
Robert Daniel, Deputy Governor, 1704.
Thos. Carey, Deputy Governor, 1705.
William Glover, President of the Council, May, 1709.
Edward Hyde, President of the Council, August, 1710.
Edward Hyde, appointed Governor January 24, 1712.
Thomas Pollock, President of Council, September 12, 1712.
Charles Eden, appointed Governor May 28, 1714, and
died March 26, 1722.
Thomas Pollock, President of Council IMarch 30, 1722, and
died August 30, 1722.
William Reed, President of Council, September 7, 1722.
George Burrington, Governor, ¦ January 15, 1724.
Sir Richard Everard, Governor, July 17, 1725.
Governor Everard remained in office until the Lords Pro
prietors (excepting John Lord Carteret) sold their interests
in the soil and the rights acquired under the charters from
King Charles II, to the Crown of England, and thus ended
the Proprietary Govermnent of the Carolinas,
THE BRITISH GOVERNORS OF NOETH CAEOLINA FEOM 1731 TO
THE FEEEDOM OF THE COLONIES IN 1776,
The dates refer to the time they took the oath of office.
George Burrington, February 25, 1731.
Nathaniel Rice, April 17, 1734.
Gabriel Johnson, November 2, 1734.
Nathaniel Rice, February 1, 1752.
Matthew Roman, February 1, 1753.
Arthur Dobbs, November 1, 1754.
William Tryon, October 27, 1764.
James Hassel, July 1, 1771.
Josiah Martin, August, 1771.

History- of Heetfoed County', N. C. 15
All the g'overnors since Governor Martin have held their
offices under the Constitutions of the State of North Carolina.
PRELUDE TO HEETFOED.
The histories of Bertie and Northampton counties consti
tute a part of the primeval history of Hertford County. So,
to truly understand the history of Hertford, we must under
stand the histories of its mother counties. We want to know
the men, the families, who controlled and shaped the destinies
and affairs of these mother counties. Many of our ancestors
occupied official positions in those counties. We speak of
counties. There were only three counties in North Carolina,
until 1738. The other sub-divisions of the territory were
called precincts. In 1738 the precincts were dignified by
the names of counties. BEETIE PEECINCT.
In 1722, Bertie Precinct was carved out of Albemarle
County by the Lords Proprietors under their charters from
King Charles the Second. The boundaries were as follows:
"That part of Albemarle County lying on the west side of
Chowan River, being a part of Chowan Precinct. Bounded
to the northward by the line dividing the government from
Virginia, and to the southward by the Albemarle Sound and
Moratuck River, as far up as Welsh's Creek, and then in
cluding both sides of said river and the branches thereof, and
as far as the limits of the government, be, and the same is
hereby declared to be erected into a precinct by the name of
Bertie Precinct, in Albemarle County."
Later, in 1729, the boundaries of Bertie Precinct were
fixed as follows: The Roanoke on the south and west, the
State line between Virginia and North Carolina on the
north, the Chowan River and Albemarle Sound on the east.
During the governorship of old Gabriel Johnson, some
writers put it in 1741 and some in 1743, another act of the
Royal General Assembly was passed, establishing out of the
territory of Bertie County, the county of Northampton.

16 Hlstoey of Heetfoed County, N. C,
The representatives of Bertie County in the Colonial As
sembly from the ending of the Proprietary Government in
1729 to the formation of Hertford County in December,
17."i9, were as follows:
1731-2. Arthur AVilliams, James Castellow, Col. Thos.
Pollock, Isaac Hill, (-apt. George AVynns.
17:53. The same members, except AVilliam Kinchen in
])lace of Col. Thomas Pollock.
1734. Castellow, AVilliams, Capt. G. AVynns, John Law-
son, and .lohii Harrell.
1735-6. The same as above, except John Hodgson and
John Harrell represented one vote.
1737-8. Thomas Bryant, John Dawson, John Hodgson,
Benj. Hill, James Castellow and Arthur AA'illiams.
1739-40. Benj. Hill, James Castellow, Thos. Bryant,
.John Dawson and .lohn Browne.
1741-2. Not given.
Xorthampton is now formed, and Bertie given three mem
bers and Northampton two.
beetie's REPKESE.XTATIVE.s.
1743. Benj. Hill, James Castellow, and Thos. Bryant.
1744. Benj. Hill, James Castellow, and Thos. Barker.
1745. Benj. Hill, James Castellow, and Thos. Barker.
1746. John AVynns,  ,  .
Here the colonial records show that there was a breach
between Gov. Gabriel Johnson, which had been brewing for
sometime, when some of the northeastern counties — Chowan,
Perquimans, Tyrrell, Bertie, and others in the east — refused
to send ni(nd:)ers to the Assembly, or rather their members
elect would not attend, and the Governor could not get a
quorum to transact business. Gov. Gabriel Johnson was an
arbitrary and un])opular rulei-. Mis I rouble with his eastern
counties was that hv wanted to deprive them id" their proper
representation, lie met with the same rebellions si)irit as
did later King Geoi'nv llie Third, when he and his aristocracy

History- of Hertfoed County, N. C. 17
tried tO' crush the American colonies and deprive them of
proper representation. This deplorable condition continued
about ten years. In 1746, John AVynns was the only member
of Bertie who appeared. The Govemor issued his mandates
that the members must attend the sessions and represent the
freeholders. But they defied the commands.
The next time we find Bertie and the other indignant coun
ties being represented in full was in 1754.
Bertie sends in 1754-5-6-7-S-9, John Campbell, Thomas
AA'^hitnel, and Benj. Wynns.
John Campbell was Speaker of the House for two or more
years. He did not attend in 1756 on account of sickness.
He lived at Coleraine in Bertie County, and was one of the
most distinguished men in the State in his day.
In 1760, after Hertford County was formed, Bertie's
members were William Williams and John Hill.
The justices of the peace appointed for Bertie in 1739
were Benj. Hill, Esq., Needham Bryan, Wm. Cathcart, Wil
liam Kinchen, Peter West, Thos. Bryan, Thos. Handsford,
Rowland Williams, Thos. Whitnel, John Prat, James Cas
tellow, John Dawson, and John Edwards.
In 1746, the list of justices of the peace of Bertie County
was revised, and George Gould, Wm. Cathcart, James Castel
low, Benj. Hill, John Harrell, Needham Bryant, George
Lockliart, John Brown, Samuel Scally, Samuel Ormes, George
Patterson, Robert Hunter, and Edward Bryan were ap
pointed. In May, 1759, the list was again revised, and Robert Sum
ner, Lillington Lockhart, Peter AA''est, Thos. Slater, and
James ]Moore were added to the list.
Thos. Barker, Needham Bryant, Thos. Whitnel, Edward
Bryan, and Thos. Turner had become citizens of Northamp
ton County, and could not serve. John Harrell, Jr., had
died, and John Harrell, Sr., Robert Hunter, Robert Sumner,
William Wynns, Jacob Blount, Robert Hardy, and Peter

18 History of Heetfoed County, N. C.
West had been cut off into Hertford County, an'd were
dropped from the list.
Benj. Wynns, Clerk of the Court, was also cut off into
Hertford County, and his place was declared vacant. In
1754 the Clerk of the Court of Bertie County was Samuel
Ormes. John Prat was Sheriff in 1739.
CHOWAN county's EEPEESENTATIVES in THE ASSEMBLY.
1744-5. James Anderson, Henry Baker, and Dempsey
Sumner. 1746-7. Peter Payne, Joseph Blount, James Anderson,
and John Benbury.
1757-9. Dempsey Sumner, Joseph Blount, Timothy Wal
ton, Joseph Heron and Edwin Vail.
1754-9. Thomas Barker, for Edenton.
1760. Thomas Child, Thomas Barker, Francis Corbin,
Samuel Johnston, and Edwin VaiL
.JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.
1746. John Montgomery, Esq., James Anderson, Thomas
Garrett, Henry Baker, John Sumner, Dempsey Sumner, and
William Hunter. GLEEK OF COUET.
1754. AA'illiam Halsey.
NORTHAMPTON COUNTY.
This county was carved out of Bertie County in 1741-3,
and for about twenty years a portion of Hertford County
was within her borders, hence we are interested in her politi
cal history during that period when we were nursing partly
at her breast. Northampton County's first representation
in the Colonial Assembly began, so far as we can find from
the record, in 1744. Her members being as follows (she was
entitled to two) :
1744. Samuel Taylor and John Dawson.
1745. John Dawson and James AA'ashington.
1746. Benj. Hill and James McDowell.

HiSTOEY OF Heetfoed County, N. C. 19
1747. John Dawson and James Washington.
1748. John Dawson and James Washington.
1749. John Dawson and James Washington.
The same interregnum in the legislative branch of the gov
ernment was participated in by this county, as in the other
cotmties heretofore mentioned.
Gov. Gabriel Johnson had made himself extremely offen
sive to the people in the east and their representatives. He
was an arbitrary and bad man. In 1754 James Washington
and Robert Jones, Jr., were the representatives.
1755. James Washington and Robert Jones, Jr.
1756. James Washington and Robert Jones, Jr.
1757. Janies Washington and Robert Jones, Jr.
1758. William Murfree and Robert Jones, Jr.
1759. William Murfree and Robert Jones, Jr.
After the passage of the bill creating Hertford County,
the county was represented in 1760 by James Washington
and Robert Jones, Jr.
The justices of the peace in Northampton County during
the twenty years next preceding the establishing of Hertford
County were: William Cathcart, AVilliam Kinchen, John
Dawson, Roland Williams, James Washington, James Maney,
William Short, John DeBerry, John Moore, John Drew,
Nathan Williams, John Duke, John Gilliam, Osborn Jeffries,
John Lamon, William Battle, and Arthur Harris.
SHERIFFS.
1741-52. John Jones.
1752-3. John Luke.
1754-5. Nathan Williams.
1755-60. John Jones. CLEEKS OF COUET.
1741-4. John Edwards.
1744-6. Robert Foster.
1746-8. John Hooker.
1748-65. John Edwards.

20 LIisTOEY OF Heetfoed County, N. C.
PUBLIC EEGISTER.
James Dancy.
Northampton County was known as the Northwest Parish.
But on account of its great length it was, in 1758, divided,
by virtue of an act of the Colonial Assembly, into two
parishes, namely. Northwest and St. George.
The following vestrymen were named for the Northwest
Parish: AA^illiam Murfree:, James Washington, James Tur
ner, Samuel Thomas, Joseph Sykes, Charles Skinner, Wil
liam Battle, Joseph Smith, Benj. DeBerry, Robert AA'arren,
James Maney, and John Figures.
The vestrymen of St. George were: William Cathcart^
John Jones, William Allen, Harwood Jones, Thomas Barrett,
William Winborne, Green Hill, John Dukes, William Pace,
Thomas Winborne, and William Short. — State Rec. of N. C,
vol. 23 — Jk99.
This new county included all that part of Bertie County
bounded as follows : "All that part of Bertie lying north
and west of Sandy Run and a direct line from the head of
said Run to the head of Beaver Dam. Swamp and Meherrin
Creek and River." This included the Menola section of St.
John's Township, the most of Murfreesboro Township, and
the whole of Maney's Neck Township, now in Hertford
County, in the boundaries of the new county of Northampton.
HEETFOED COUNTY.
On the 12th day of December, 1758, John Campbell, a
member from Bertie in the Colonial General Assembly of
North Carolina, presented a petition asking for the erection
of Hertford County from the territory of Chowan, Bertie,
and NoTthampton. On the ISth day of December, 1759,
Benj. AVynns, one of the members from Bertie, Avas ordered
to prepare and bring in a bill pusuant to the prayer of the
petition, which he did, and the same was presented and
passed and sent to the Council. On December 19, 1759, it
was endorsed and sent to the upper house, where it was first

Histoey of Heetfoed County-, N. C. 21
read and passed. The bill was finally passed December 29,
1759, and the county given two members in the General
Assembly. The boundary being as follows:
Beginning in Bertie Co'unty at the first high land on the
northwest side of Mare Branch on Chowan River Pocosin,
running thence by a direct line to Thos. Outlaw's plantation,
near Stony Creek, thence by a direct line to Northampton
County line at the plantation whereon James Rutland form
erly lived, then along Northampton County line to the head
of Beaver Dam Swamp, then by a line direct to the eastern
most part of Kirby Creek, thence do'^^m the creek to the Me
herrin River ; then up the Meherrin River to the Virginia
line; then easterly along the Virginia line to Bennett's
Creek ; then down Bennett's Creek to Chowan River ; then
across the river to the mouth of the said Mare Branch; and
up the branch to the beginning, and all of said territory shall
be known as Hertford County, and parish of St. Barnabas,
In 1764 the line between Hertford and Northampton was
changed, as follows:
"Beginning on Kirby's Creek, where the dividing line
joins said creek, running thence up the creek to the fork
thereof (which is in the fork of the Vaughan Mill Pond),
then up Turkey Creek to Maple Fork ; then by a direct south
course till it intersects the present dividing line."

DECADE I.
1760-1770.
Having traced the history of the discovery of America, the
settlement of Carolina, the division of Carolina into North
and South Carolina, the subdivision of North Carolina into
counties and precincts, then precincts into counties, and the
establishment of Hertford County, which received its name
in honor of Francis Seymour, Marquis of Hertford, a great
friend of liberty and of the American Colonies, and who
introduced in the House of Lords in 1765 a bill to repeal the
infamous Stamp Act; we will now proceed to briefiy notice
the prominent events in the history of this little but illus
trious county of Hertford, and its people who figured in
shaping its destiny and perpetuating its fame. This is not
to be a general history of the State, but purely a county his
tory. The reader must read other works for general histori
cal information. For convenience, the writer will divide
his writings into Decades instead of Chapters.
Arthur Dobbs was made Governor of the Province of
North Carolina November 1, 1754, and remained in office
until October, 1764, when he was succeeded by William
Tryon, October 27, 1764, and who remained in office until he
was appointed Governor of New York, June 1, 1771.
The citizenship of the county was of a high type, many of
its men had been educated in the schools and universites of
the old countries. Its women were beautiful and atti-active.
Its early settlers were French, Irish, Scotch, and Scotch-
Irish principally. Col. James Jones, of Hertford County,
was a member of Governor Dobbs' Council and one of the
leading men of the Province. He aided greatly in securing
the establishment of the loyal and graceful little county of
Hertford. On May 9, 1760, au order for an election of members to
represent Hertford County in the General Assembly was

Decade L— 1760-1770. 23
issued by the Clerk of the Crown. Notwithstanding the
writ of election was issued in May, 1760, we find no record
showing any representation from Hertford County in the
General Assembly until 1762.
The list of the members elected to first represent Hertford
County in the General Assembly is given on page 801, vol. 6,
Col. Rec, by Col. Wm. L. Saunders, the compiler, as being
Messrs. Benj. AA^ynns and William Murfree ; but this is a mis
take. The records do not show that Benj. Wynns was ever
sworn in or ever took part in the deliberations of the body.
Benj. Wynns was during this time Clerk of the Court. The
records do show that William Murfree and Henry Winborne
presented certificates of election from Hertford County, and
they were sworn in and seated as the first members in the
Colonial General Assembly of North Carolina from Hertford
County. Col. Rec, vol. 6, pages 810 and 916. When the
county was formed, Benj. Wynns lived in Winton and was
one of the representatives from Bertie, and William Murfree
lived near the present site of Murfreesboro, and was one of
the members from Northampton. Both of these distinguished
gentlemen were cut off from their respective counties and
embraced in the territory of Hertford.
The laws of the Colony were enacted by an Assembly com
posed of freeholders, elected in the several counties. The
member was required to be the owner of at least one hundred
acres of land, and the voter was required to own in fee at
least fifty acres of land, and the King's Council, which was
referred to as the Upper House or Council. The Council-
men were appointed by the King, generally upon the recom
mendation of the royal governor of the Province, and the
Council was presided over by the Governor, and sometimes
by the Chief Justice.
Hertford County was represented in the Council for some
years in the person of Col. James Jones. The colonial mem
bers of the Assembly or House were:
1762-63. Henry Winborne, William Murfree.

24 IlisTOEY- OF Hertford County', N. C.
1764-65. Benj. AVynns, Robert Sumner.
1766-68. Benj. AVynns, Matthias Brickie.
1768-70, Peter AAVnns, Edward Hare.
1770-72. Benj. Wynns, Edward Hare.
1772-74. Benj. Wynns, Sr,, Benj, AVynns, Jr.
1775. AVm. Murfree, George Wynns.
The Assembly was dissolved, or prorogued, . at the will of
the Governor. The bills, after passing the House, were sent
generally by two members of the House, appointed by the
Speaker, to the Upper House or Council. Bills after passing
both branches, if of any political importance, were still sub
ject to the approval or disapproval of the King, speaking
through his Governor. We will speak briefiy now of these
representative citizens.
AA^m, I\Iurfree was a, former citizen of Northampton Coun
ty, living in that part of Northampton where the present
town of Murfreesboro is located, when Hertford County was
formed. He first appeared in the Assembly from North-
am]3ton as the successor of James Washington, resigned, in
1757, and continued as a member of that body until Hertford
was formed, when he became a citizen of Hertford County.
Being a man of ability and experience, his new county made
no mistake in returning him to the Assembly. He married
Mnry Aloore, of Northampton, and they were the parents of
tho great warrior and patriot, Col. Hardy ilurfree, of Hert
ford County. He was the second colonial sheriff of this
county, and served several years after his return from the
Assembly. Henry AA^inborne, a substantial planter, living in the
central part of the county, was his collegue in the
House. Winborne came to the county from Nansemond
County, Va., in 1742, with his companion, Bryan Hare,
from the same county. They bought from Daniel Hough,
of Bertie, 400 acres of land on Meherrin (now Potecasi)
Creek, December 8, 3 742. A certified copy of the old deed
is now in the possession of the author. He was the great
grandfather of the late l\laj. S. D. AA^inborne, of this county.

Decade L— 1760-1770. 25
This was his first entrance in political life. He was a man
with a strong and vigorous intellect and was an active and
useful member of the House. He was one of the colonial
justices of the peace of the county, and served his county well
as the presiding member of the Court of Pleas and Quarter
Sessions, which was the chief court of the people in those
days. He married Sarah Hare, a Quaker lady of Nansemond
County, A"a, She died about 1759, and they left, as is
known, two sons, AA'illiam and Thomas, and one daughter,
Sarah. There may have been other children.
Henry AA'inborne's daughter, Sarah, married the first
Starkey Sharp, and they had two daughters, Sarah and
Elizabeth, and one son, Jacob. Sarah married Thos. E.
Hare, Elizabeth married Nathan Harrell, and Jacob married
a Miss Hunter of Gates County. His son William Win
borne and his wife Judith were the parents of the late John
AA'inborne, who lived below Harrellsville. His son Thomas
married Sarah Copeland, aunt of James Copeland, who rep
resented the county in the House and Senate in the seventh
decade, and they were the parents of Elisha Winborne and
Sarah A. Winborne. Elisha married Martha Warren, of
Southampton County, Va., and they were the grandparents
of the author. Sarah married John Gurley, and their de
scendants are now li^dng in Mississippi. The author's book,
"The AA'inborne Family," published in 1905, gives a full his
tory of all the old Winborne families in North Carolina.
Henry had a brother by the name of Thomas, and probably
others, in Northampton County.
Henry Winborne was one of the first two representatives
in the legislature from the new county, and his direct de
scendant, Robert AA^arren AA'inborne, was the first Democrat
elected in the county, in 1884, to the legislature, after the
days of reconstruction and the enfranchisement of the negro
in 1868. Another of his direct descendants, B. B. Winborne,
the author of this book, represented the chivalrous little
county of Hertford in the legislature in 1895 and again in

26 History of Hertford County, N. C.
1905. The first and last stand 143 years apart on th© roll.
He still has younger descendants in North Carolina and
Virginia, bearing his family name to do him honor. Mica-
jah T. AA^inbome of Alabama, the late Maj. S. D. Winborne
of this county. Dr. Robert H. Winborne of Chowan County,.
Mrs. Britton Moore late of Murfreesboro, and Richard Win
borne late of Tennessee, were his great-grandchildren. The
old representative and chairman of the county court owned
about 1,200 acres of land in the central part of the county,.
in and around the present town of Union.
Benj. AA^ynns was a member of the Assembly in 1759 from
Bertie, when Hertford was formed. He lived where the
town of Winton is now located, and had been a member of
the House of Commons from. Bertie constantly since 17 54^
and was a man of gi'eat wealth, long experience as a public
officer and legislator. He drew the bill to create Hertford
County, and was also the author of the bill to incorporate
the town of Winton. Before Hertford was formed Mr.
AVynns, in 1754, introduced a bill to locate and incorporate
a town on his land at Barfields. That failed, and ten year&
later, while a member from the new county of Hertford, he,
in 1764, introduced a bill to establish a town on his land,.
where the town of Winton is located. The bill passed ia
1768, and he donated 150 acres of land for the town, which
was najned AA'inton in his honor. Henry Hill, AVm. Murfree,
John Baker, Matthias Brickie, Joseph Dickinson, Henry
King, and Benj. AA'ynns were appointed commissioners in
the act, to have the town laid off, the streets named, lots num
bered, and a map made of the town. Fifty acres were to be
set apart for town commons. Godwin Cotton suiweyed and
plotted the town. This was the first incorporated town in
the county, and stood alone in its glory for twentv -s'ears. It
soon l)ecame the centre and the Mecca of Hertford's dio-ni-
taries, Benj, AVynns owned all the land and river front
from Folly Branch to Hare's mill-race, besides other large
bodies of land in the county. He was the first Clerk of the

MICAJAH T. WIN-BORXE,
Great Grandson of Henry Winborne.
Died in 18)3 in Mobile, Ala., of Yellow Fever, aged 2.'i years

Decade 1.— 1760-1770. 2T
Court in the county, from 1760-1764, as appears from old
deeds found among the papers of the late Maj. S. D. Win
borne, and of Oris Parker, Esq., the grandson of the first
Peter Parker. John A. Wynns, of Winton, was also very
probably the son of Benj. Wynns, Jr.
Benj. Wynns and John Wynns were men of prominence in
Bertie Precinct as far back as 1735. They were deputy sur
veyors under the S'Urveyor-General of the Crown in 1844,
and their depositions were taken on behalf of the Crown to
prove charges of corruption against Gov. Gabriel Johnson,
for violating the land-grant laws. The offices held by Benj.
and Jo'hn Wynns were of great importance in those days, and
only worthy and efficient men were selected to fill them. Both
of them were freeholders and on the jury list of Bertie in
1740. John Wynns was Deputy Clerk of the Court of that
county in 1741, aged 39. Coh Rec, vol. 4, p. 1117. George
AA'ynns, who was still older, was prominent in Bertie as far
back as 1719.
At the General Court for Chowan Precinct, held at Queen
Anne's Creek, (Edenton), July 28, 1719, Geo. Winns was a
member of the grand jury. In 1723 he was a witness in a
land suit tried in court, held at A-hot-sky (Ahoskie). April 9,
1724, Winns was appointed a justice of the peace for Bertie
Precinct. Was Clerk of the Court of his county, and in 1728
is mentioned in the Colonial Records as captain in the militia.
He represented Bertie Precinct, after the Lords Proprietors
surrendered their charter rights to the Crown, in the Assem
bly of the Province in 1731-2-3-4-5-6. John Wynns was in
the Assembly from Bertie in 1746. William Wynns was a
justice of the peace in Bertie six years prior to the formation
of Hertford, and was also a justice in Hertford. George
Wynns, Jr., was made Major in the colonial militia in 1764,
and entered the Continental Army in 1777. In 1780 he
was captured by the British and carried to London and held
Note.— Geo. Winn.s and wife Rose conveyed 1.50 acres of land on
Wiccacon Creek to John Early, July 14, 1714.

28 Hi.sToRY" OF Heetford County, N. C.
as a prisoner of war until the close of hostilities, Avhen he
returned to his native county of Hertford. He was a mem
ber from his county in the convention of the State in 1788,
to consider the ratification of the United States constitution.
The Americanized Encyclopsedia Britannica has it that Gen.
Thomas Wynns was the prisoner. That is a mistake. The
General was never a prisoner.
The AV^ynnses lived in and around AVinton, except George
AA^ynns, who lived on the farm on which Dr. R. P. Thomas
now resides. Benjamin, John, William and George, Jr.
(¦who was made major in 1764), must have been sons of
George Wynns, Sr. Benj. AA^ynns had a son of the same
name, who was Public Register of the county from 1760-64,
and Clerk of the Court from 1764-72, and again in 1802,
and a member of the Assembly in 1773-74. AA"e do not find
John AA'ynns mentioned in public life after 1746. Peter
AVymis was in the Assembly in 1769-70, but after this we
lose trace of him.
Benj. AA^ynns, Jr., left four sons — Benjamin, George, Wil
liam, and Thomas, The latter was the youngest, and was
born about 1758 or 1759, according to the notice of his death,
published in the Baleigh Register in 1825. His age was
given in the Register at his death as being about 66 years.
Benj. AA'ynns III., left four
sons — Benjamin IA'., Thomas,
James Dean, and AA'illiam B.
Wynns. The U. S. Census of
1790 shows that at that time
John A. AA'ymis, Matthew
AA^'uns, ^laj. George AA'ynns,
andGen. Tin is. AA'ynus., and AVm.
AA^ynns were ' li-\-ing in this
county and wore heads of fami-
MN.I. wvNN-s ^'f'- ^'^^"^^ "'^'^^^"^ ^^^^ c^ied pre-
The Tiiird. vious to that date, except Benj,
II, The \Vyhns families were amoiiii- tlie oldest and most

Decade I.— 1760-1770. 29
prominent in the oounty in those days. The official record of
the county indicates how they were regarded by their fellow-
citizens. The name is printed in various ways in the old colo
nial and State records. We find it spelt Winn, Wynn, and
AA'ynns. But the old members spelt it Wynns, as shown by
their signatures seen by the writer. The name is spelt in the
charter of A'irginia of 1609, Wynne. Capt. Thom'as AVynne,
Capt. Peter AA'ynne, and Ca,pt. Edmond Wynne are there men
tioned in the list of gramteesi in the charter fro'm King Charles
II. Of this illustrious family, Col. Janies M. Wynns, of Mur
freesboro, the only surviving son of William B. Wymis, is
the only survivor of the older Wynns. He and his brother,
the late Thomas P. Wynns, have children living in this
county and. in Virginia. Col, J. M, AVynns' uncle, Benja
min, has descendants in Florida.
Robert Sumner was a wealthy old bachelor, who lived and
enjoyed life at St. John's, where courts in olden times were
held. He dressed well, drove fine horses, drank the finest
liquors, enjoyed the standard literature of the times, as well
as the current news, and was fond of entertaining his friends.
He had figured much in public life and was regarded as prob
ably the strongest and ablest of his compeers in Hertford.
He was the grand-old-man on all public occasions. Moses
and Josiah Sumner, also, lived in that part of the county,
and each served as Sheriff of the county at a later period.
He was in the first list of justices of the peace for the county,
and the presiding officer at one time of the old court of the
county. In the next decade the reader will learn more of
this lofty old gentleman.
Matthias Brickie lived at the old Daniel Valentine place,
near AA'inton, which is sometimes called Oak Villa. He was
one of Hertford's most worthy and valued citizens. He came
to the county before its formation. He vied with Col. Rob
ert Sumner for the mastery in the county. He had a liberal
education as well as Sumner, He had the advantage of Sum
ner, however, in that he was the head of a most interesting

30 History of Heetfoed County, N. C.
and intelligent family of sons and daughters. His father,
Rev. Matthias Brickie, of Bertie, was the first resident
preacher west of the Cho'wan River. He entered upon his
mission about 1730, and preached with great power at old
St, John's and at old St, Luke's chapels. The latter chapel
was near the present church Buckhorn. Rev. Brickie died
about 1758, and Rev. Wm. Gurley succeeded him in his
grand work. His son. Col. Matthias Brickie, first married,
on November 6, 1748, Rachel Noailles, of a French Huguenot
family. By this marriage he reared several children : Sally,
who became the wife of Col. Hardy Murfree; James Noailles
Brickie, who became a notable physician and a distinguished
soldier and legislator. The latter died in Tennessee and was
buried by the side of his brother-in-law. Colonel Murfree.
William and Matthias Brickie, Jr., were also sons of this
marriage. He had several other daughters by this marriage.
One of whom married Maj. John Brown, a retired British
navy officer, whO' had located in this county near old St.
John's, long prior to the war of 1776. The late James L.
Anderson owned the place where Major Brown lived and
died. William and Matthias both rose to prominence and
distinction in the county and State. Colonel Brickie was
the first High Sheriff of the county up to 1766, preceding in
that office his worthy contemporary, William Murfree, who
was in the office from 1766-1771. Colonel Brickie's wife,
Rachel, died February 17, 1770, and some time after that he
married Mrs. Nannie Jones, the widow of the second James
Jones, of Pitch Landing, and reared several children from
this marriage. One of his daughters by his first marriage,
married Dr, Bryant Bembury, a celebrated physician, who
emigrated to America in 1783, from Clonmel County, Ire
land, and located in Hertford County, where his father and
his family had preceded him, Dr, Bembury died in Mur
freesboro, October 15, 1809, and is buried in Winton in the
family burying-ground, between the court-house square and
the river. Dr. -Tohn Brickie, a noted physician in Edenton,

Decade L— 1760-1770. 31
a ripe scholar, a philosopher, and an historian, was uncle
to Colonel Brickie. Miss Levinia Bembury Brickie, a grand
daughter of Colonel Brickie, died in Murfreesboro, July 27,
1799, and was buried in AVinton. Godwin Cotton, of Hert
ford, married Sarah Brown, the daughter of Maj. Jno.
Brown, and granddaughter of Colonel Brickie, Maj. John
Brown and his wife, Sarah, were also the grandparents
of the late John A. Anderson, of Winton, Eliza Brown, wife
of the late James M, Trader, of Murfreesboro, Mrs. Polly
Everett, who lived near old St. John's, and Dr. Godwin C.
Moore. Col. Alatthias Brickie died October 17, 1788.
Capt. Arthur Cotton, son of John Cotton of Bertie, whose
will was probated in 1727, married Elizabeth Rutland, daugh
ter of James Rutland, who built the house where the bound
ary lines of Hertford and Northampton corner, and they
were the parents of Godwin Cotton, who married Sarah
Brown. Godwin Cotton, by his marriage with Miss Bro%vn,
reared several children. Their daughter Betsey married
Col. John Johnson, once prominent in Bertie, but moved to
Hertford County before his death, and died at Mulberry
Grove in 1807, near St. John's. They left two children — ¦
Rev, Dr. Samuel Iredell Johnson, and Sally Johnson, who
afterwards married James D, Wynns, of Hertford County,
and uncle to our Col, James M. Wynns. Their other
daughter married James AVright Moore, and they were the
parents of the late Dr. Godwin C. Moore, the late Mrs. Sallie
AI, Westray, of Nash County, and the late Airs, Emeline Le
A^ert, wife of Dr, Henry B. Le Vert, of Mobile, Ala. It
was this distinguished physician. Dr. Le Vert, and his good
¦\vife who administered to the comfort of young Mica jah T.
Winborne, uncle of the writer, during his last illness in 1843,
in Mobile, away from his loved ones. He was buried in
their private burying ground, and a beautiful monument was
erected at his grave by this noble lady and his other friends
in his distant home. The goodness in our fellow-man excites
admiration. It makes us love to say :

32 History of Heetfoed County, N. C.
" There is so much bad in the best of us,
And so much good in the worst of us,
That it hardly behooves any of us
To talk about the rest of us."
Edward Hare, one of the representatives from the county
from 1768-72, lived iu Alaney's Neck, where the late J. W.
Barnes resided, and belonged to the prominent Hare family
of the county. He and Aloses Hare lived in Chowan County
in 1740, and afterwards moved to Hertford. Jesse Hare,
his brother, was one of the colonial magistrates of the county.
Moses Hare lived in the county prior to the Revolution of
1776, and was the father of Jamima Hare, the second wife of
Starkey Sharp, the first, (1743-1791). Since writing "The
AA^inborne Family," a further investigation enables the writer
to give more information of the Hare family. It is there
stated that Thos. E, Hare, son of Edward Hare, who
married Henry AA'inborne's granddaughter, Sarah Sharp,
left no children. This was a mistake. They left several
sons — John, Jacob, and Starkey S. Hare. John lived in
Alurfreesboro and often served as an election officer. He
married Elizabeth R,, the daughter of Lewis Meredith, and
left several children — Thomas, John, Emma, Francis, and
Eliza E. Hare, Jacob married a Aiiss Ware, and served the
county in the Senate in 1830, Starkey S. Hare first married
Alary A. Askew, sister to the late John 0. Askew, and after
her death he married Alary E. Askew, sister to the late Dr.
A, J, Askew, of Bertie. They left two sons — Starkey S.
Hare, Jr., and Thomas E. Hare. The former married Susan
Brown. These families emigrated to Fayette County, Tenn.
The old colonial law-maker, Wm. Hav^vood, of Edgecombe
County, N. C, married Charity Hare, of this county, daugh
ter of Moses Hare. In 1790, Aloses Hare, Sr., and Moses
Hare, Jr, resided in that part, of Gates County which was
formerly a part of Hertford.

¦nr °'™'"T "'^'"'^ Hare's will dated May Ki, 1771'. Brvan Hare, Beni.
Wynns, Jr., Isaac Pipkui, and many others, are mentioned. He was
the son of Edward Hare of Chowan and wife Mary Soott

Decade I. — 1760-1770, 33
Col. AA'illiam Haywood was a colonel in the AVar of 1776,
and married Charity Hare, of Hertford County, in March,
1754. John Haywood (1755-1827), who was State Treas
urer for forty years; Sherwood Haywood (1762-1829), U. S.
Commissioner of Loans; AA^m. H. Haywood (1770-1857),
Clerk U. S, District Court, and father of the U. S. Senator,
Win, H, Haywood, Jr.; and Stephen Haywood (1772-1824),
planter and State Senator, were sons of this marriage.
PUBLIC landings.
The King's public landings and places of inspection of
fiax seed, pork, beef, rice, fiour, indigo, butter, tar, pitch and
turpentine, staves, headings, lumber, shingles, and other
commodities, for sale or export, in the county, were, at the
large "warehouses" on Chowan River. Vanpelt's, on Wyca-
con Creek, and Catharine Creek; Hill's Ferry and Murfree's
Landing, on the Meherrin River ; Maney's Landing, on Cho
wan River ; Rennet's Creek Bridge ; at Mt. Sion, and at Win
ton, on the Chowan. There were warehouses at each of the
above places and an inspector appointed and kept at each
place. This was kept up for many years after the War of
1776, The inspectors were appointed annually by the old
County Courts up to a short time prior to the Civil War
of 1861-'5. COUET OF PLEAS AND QUAETEE SESSIONS.
This Court was abolished in North Carolina by the Canby
Constitution in 1868. It existed in Elngland, it was the
principal court of the people in Colonial times, and was con
tinued by the State. It was presided over by the justices of
the peace of the county. When Hertford County was estab
lished in 1759 the act provided that this court should be
held by the justices of the Peace on the fourth Tuesdays of
May, August, November and February of each year, at Cot
ton's Ferry, on Chowan River, which is now known as Bar-

34 History of Heetfoed County, N. C.
field. Under the colonial laws, it had jurisdiction to try
and determine all criminal offenses, not punishable with
death, and to try and determine all civil actions not involving
the title to land, and where the amount involved did not
exceed forty shillings, proclamation money, all matters per
taining to the settlement of estates, the proof of conveyances,
wills and the like, JUSTICES OF THE PEACE,
The colonial justices of the peace appointed for Hertford
County after its formation were: Scarbrook Wilson, Henry
King, Jesse Hare, John Brown, John Baker, Henry Hill,
John Brickie, Robert Sumner, Henry AA^inborne, Peter West,
and Robert Llardy,
They were appointed by the General Assembly for life or
during good behavior, as were all justices of the peace in
North Carolina prior to 186S. Whenever any important
county business was to be transacted, such as levying taxes,
electing county officers, and accepting their bonds, making
contracts for the county, and the like, a majority of the
justices were required to be present and preside. But other
business could be transacted by three justices.
The office of justice of the peace has its origin in ancient
times, and has always been regarded as a dignified, honorable
and imt)ortant position. Peace is the very end and founda
tion of civil society, as Blackstone writes, and the common
law of England, as well as the American law, has ever had a
special care and regard for the preservation of the peace of
society. This officer has been found necessary, through the
ages, and is to-day, an indispensable officer in the administra
tion of justice and the orderly enforcement of the laws of
society. It is a position of great honor 'and importance, and
every man should feel highly honored when clothed with the
dignified and important powers and authority of a justice of
the peace. .1/ ronvmon law a juslicc of the peace had the
povrr. vhen ii felony or a breach of the peace had been com
mitted in his ]>reseiirr. to p('i:<:oiin]h/ arrcsl the offender, or

Decade L— 1760-1770. 35
command others to do so, and had the same power to prevent
a breach of the peace, which was about to take place in his
presence. If, however, the crime was not committed in the
presence of the justice, he could not arrest or order an arrest,
except by his written warrant, based upon oath or affirmation.
Such is still the law wherever this office exists. The Consti
tution of the United States directs that "no warrant shall
issue but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirma
tion." The justice or magistrate was the king's main reliance for
the preservation of order, and in America he has been the
principal officer in the administration of the laws of organ
ized society. CONSTABLES.
The office of constable is anotlier important office, finding
its origin in the remote days of antiquity. The constable
has always been the ministerial officer of the justice's court.
He must act whenever commanded by the justice, when act
ing within his jurisdiction.
In North Carolina, prior to 1868, the counties were divided
into military districts, called captain's districts, and in each
district was a militia captain, and a constable, appointed by
the justices of the peace of the county.
It has been impossible to ascertain the names of any of- the
constables during this decade. But the other county officers
may be found in the "List of Officers" in the back part of
this book. SOME INTEEESTING FACTS.
During the colonial times the Assembly selected a list of
persons, in each county, qualified for jury service, and only
freeholders were selected. In 1740 the following persons
were selected for Bertie, some of whom were cut off in 1759
into Hertford, and became ancestors of many of our citizens,
viz. : Thomas Jenkins, John Worrell, Benj. Hill, Daniel
Dickinson, Edw. Harrell, Abner Harrell, William Hines,

36 History of Hertford County, N. C.
Thomas Barfield, John Taylor, Nich. Tyner, Jr.,', John
Brown, Samuel Harrell, Patrick Carter, Isaac Parker, Edw.
Harrell, Jr., William Barfield, John Bird, Edward Bird,
William Rosberry, William Jordan, William Boon, James
Rutland, Sr., Peter West, Thomas Hayes, James Barfield,
Benj. AVynne, Richard Barfield, Thomas Banks, John Grif
fin, John Beverly, Henry Jones, James Maney, Joserph
Bridgers, Nathan Joyner, John Vanpelt, Daniel Vanpelt,
Robert Lawrence, James Jones, Benj. Bridges, William
Whitley, James Dukes, Josiah Liverman, David Legatt,
John Harrell, Sr., and John Harrell, Jr. In Chowan Coun
ty there were on the jury list of same date, John Vann, Wil
liam Vann, Edw. Hare, Moses Hare, Henry Baker, and
Michael Slaughter. The last four became citizens of Hert
ford County. Alost of these names are familiar names in
Hertford County to-day. COLONIAL ministers.
Rev. Matthias Brickie, Rev. Wm. Gurley, and Rev. John
Alexander, of whom King George II. wrote, "He is a curious
and eccentric genious, but true to his church."
militia in heetfoed.
In 1766, there were in Hertford County 1,393 white men
over 18 years of age, capable of bearing arms. At the gen
eral muster of the Hertford Reg. of Alilitia, May 28, 1772,
Col. Benj. Wynns made the following report:
"Since last muster day, Lt.-Col. Henry Hill, Capt. Alichael
Ward, and Capt. Emelius Deming have died. Capt. Sam.
Cryer has removed from the county. Commissioned officers
in the regiment are: Benj, AVynns, Col; John Baker,
Maj, ; James Boon, Capt, ; John Harrell, Lt, ; Benj, AVynns,
Jr., Ens. ; Edw. Hare, Capt, ; Henry King, Lt. ; Isaac Pipkin,
Ens,; Robert Sumner, Capt; John Speight, Lt, ; James
Hooker, Etns, ; Moses Sumner, Capt.; Willis Nichols^ Lt, ;
Gilstrap Williams, Ens. ; Benj. Brown, Lt, ; George Wynns'

Decade I. — 1760-1770. 37
Ens. ; Jeremiah Brown, Capt. ; Ely Eley, Lt. ; Abram Jones,
Ens. ; James Riddick, Capt. ; John Benton, Lt. ; Demsey
Parker, Ens. ; Lawrence Baker, Capt. ; Jethro Harrell, Lt. ;
Jesse Harrell, Ens. ; Jesse Williams, Lt. ; Hardy Murfree,
Ens. ; Ro'bert Carr, Lt. ; Wm. Stephen, Ens. Officers recom
mended to vacancies : John Baker, Lt.-Col. ; Matthias Bric
kie, Alaj. ; Benj. Brown, Capt.; George Wynns, Lt. ; Benj.
Brovyn, Jr., Ens. ; Jesse Williams, Capt. ; Hardy Murfree,
Lt. ; James Aloore, Ens. ; Robert Carr, Capt. ; William Ste
vens, Lt. ; William Battle, Ens. Non-commissioned officers :
30 sergeants, 30 corporals, 10 drummers, 621 privates, 10
companies."

DECADE II.
1770-1780.
From 1770 to l775 the Province was in a state of the
greatest excitement. The colonists felt that the mother coun
try was cruel and oppressive. Governor Tryon had been a
most tyrannical ruler. His previous cruelty to the Cherokee
Indians won for him the appellation of the "Great Wolf of
North Carolina." The colonists began to entertain the same
notion of him. When the English Parliament insisted upon
enforcing the Stamp Act in the colonies, and refused to
listen to the eloquent appeals of AVilliam Pitt (Lord Chat
ham) in behalf of the colonies, who were being taxed with
out their consent, and when it became known in North Caro
lina, the Assembly was in session. The excitement among
the members became intense and threatening. Governor
Tryon, recognizing the fury ahead, prorogued the Assembly
at once. The act was finally repealed, but the feeling be
tween the mother country, the Governor and the colony was
such that war was inevitable. The King and Parliament
continued their cruelty and refused to listen to the just ap
peals of the colonies. They began to prepare for war. In
1773, John Harvey, Speaker of the House of Commons, laid
before the House resolutions from Virginia and several other
Provinces, asking that a committee be appointed to inquire
into the encroachments upon the rights and liberties of the
colonies by the British Government. The Assembly did so.
In August, 1774, Governor ilartin protested against these
meetings. But the people refused to listen to tyrants, and
on August 25, 1774, the first Congress of the people, inde
pendent of the King, met at New Bern, composed of dele
gates from most of the counties. Hertford did not send
delegates to this congress. AVhen the delegates assembled,
they recognized His Aiajesty, George III., as the lawful
King of Great Britain, and declared their true and faithful

b

Decade IL— 1770-1780. 39
allegiance to him as their sovereign. But protested in twenty-
seven resolutions adopted against their treatment by the
mother country, and proclaimed that the very essence of the
British constitution was that no subject should be taxed but
by his o^wn consent, freely given by himself in person or by
his legal representative. The work of this convention was a
profound warning to the British Govermnent, that the Ameri
can colonies, while they claimed no more rights than other
Englishmen, yet those rights they intended to enjoy. The
resolutions were sent to the King, who paid no attention to
them. The colonies seeing that British tyranny would con
tinue, councils of safety were at once provided for the whole
Province, and for the several districts. Gen. Lawrence
Baker and Day Ridley, of Hertford County, were appointed
on the Committee of Safety for the Edenton District. The
preparations and preliminaries for a bloody and determined
war at once began on both sides. For the resolutions, the
reader is referred to vol. 9, Col. Rec, pp. 1043 et seq. Edge
combe, Guilford, Surry and Wake counties, and the towns of
Hillsboro, Brunswick and Campbelton (now Fayetteville),
also, failed to send delegates to this congress or convention.
The next congress or convention of delegates of the people
was held at Hillsboro, August 21, 1775. Hertford sent to
this convention an able and patriotic delegation, who were,
Wm. Alurfree, Lawrence Baker, Alatthias Brickie, Day Rid
ley, and George Wynns. Active preparations for war were
made. Alaurice Aloore, AA'illiam Hooper, Richard Caswell,
Joseph Hewes, and Robert Howe were appointed a committee
to prepare an address to the inhabitants of the Province, call
ing upon them to unite in defence of American liberty, and
take up arms and assume control of the militia. Col. Rec,
vol. 10, p. 164. On September, 1775, the following persons
were appointed by this congress, officers from Hertford
County: Benjamin Wynns, Colonel; Alatthias Brickie, Lt.-
Col. ; Lawrence Baker, 1st Maj. ; George Little, 2d Maj. ;
Hardy Alurfree, Capt. During the war, Alajor Baker was

40 History of Heetfoed County, N. C.
promoted to the rank of general, and Captain Murfree pro
moted to the rank of major and later to colonel.
The Provincial Congress next met in the town of Halifax,
on April 4, 1776. In that body Hertford was represented
by Robert Sumner, Col. Matthias Brickie, Maj. Lawrence
Baker, William Murfree, and Day Ridley. Col. Rec, vol.
10, p. 523. A^ast preparations were made by this body for
the war, and members were pledged to secrecy as to the acts
and discussions in congress, under penalty of being expelled
and considered an enemy to America. The officers appointed
in the provincial militia by the congress of August, 1775,
were re-appointed by this congress with same rank. This
congress called upon the people to elect delegates to a congress
to meet November 12, 1776, to prepare a Bill of Rights and a
constitution for the independent and sovereign State of North
Carolina. Hertford County sent to this congress Maj. Lawrence
Baker, AA^illiam Murfree, Robert Sunmer, Day Ridley, and
James AA^right. Col. Rec, vol. 10, p. 913. A committee to
draft the Bill of Rights and a constitution reported, and the
same was adopted by the congress, and it is a lasting monu
ment to the wisdom, patriotism, and ability of the patriots
of North Carolina in those trying and exciting days. Col.
Rec, vol. 10, p. 1006.
The war was against tyranny and for liberty, and had been
raging for over a year. The first battle was fought at Lex
ington, Mass., April 18, 1775, which was won by the British,
and they moved on to Concord. The country was wild with
excitement. Americans were determined and loyal to the
cause of liberty. Disloyalty was promptly crushed. The
patriotic call to arms was sounded throughout the borders of
the colonies, and the patriotic hosts of America responded
with all the courage and determination of true lovers of lib-

NoTE.— Col. Day Ridley's will dated March 9, 1777, and recorded in
Jl^denton He speaks of his wife and two sons, Timothy Sharp Ridley
and ISathamel Ridley. Timothy Sharp and Richard Taylor were his
executors.

Decade IL— 1770-1780, 41
erty. Little Hertford was not asleep. She furnished her
quota of as brave soldiers as ever followed the fiag of liberty.
Who wrote the Constitution of North Carolina which
was adopted by the congress of November, 1776, has been an
unsettled question. On the 6th day of December, 1776,
Thomas Jones, of Chowan, reported that the form of the con
stitution was ready. Air. AVheeler, in his history of the
State, says : "It was believed to be the production of Thomas
Jones, Thomas Burke, and Richard Caswell. But this is dis
puted by Hardy Murfree Banks, of the Murfree family. He
sternly claims that it was written by AVilliam Murfree, one of
the members from Hertford County, although he was not a
member of the committee of the congress to draw a constitu
tion. The Provincial Congress of the State assembled at
Halifax in April, 1776, appointed a committee to prepare a
civil constitution, and an election was ordered to be held
October 15, 1776, to elect delegates to a congress to meet
November 12, 1776, at Halifax, to adopt a constitution and
form of government. It was during this interval, it is
claimed, that William Murfree prepared his form of a consti
tution. Others did the same. All of them were submitted
to the congress when it met. It is claimed by this distin
guished gentleman that all the forins_ submitted were re
jected except the one drawn by William Murfree, and that
one was finally adopted by the congress.
SOilE OF THE HEETFOED COUNTY OFFICEES AND SOLDIEES IN
THE WAE FOE INDEPENDENCE IN ADDITION TO THOSE
ALEEADY NAMED.
Godwin Cotton, aide-de-camp of Col. Howe, of Chowan;
Col. Thomas Wynns, Alaj. George Wynns; Maj. George Lit
tle; Capt. Abner Perry, of St. John's; Capt. Joseph Walker,
of Murfreesboro; Capt. Isaac Carter; Capt. Thomas Cole
man, of Maney's Neck; Capt. Thomas Brickie, of Winton;
Capt. James Jones, of Pitch Landing; Capt. Samuel Jones,
of St. John's ; Capt. Harry Hill, of Alaney's Neck ; Lt. John

42 History' of Heetfoed County, N. C.
Winborne, of AVinton; Lt. John Baker, of Harrellsville;
Henry AVinborne, of Winton ; Joseph Dickinson, of Winton ;
Lt. AVm. Murray, Capt. John McGlaughon, Lt. John Harrell.
There were other officers from the county. Some were
killed, and others advanced in rank. Some who entered as
privates were promoted. It is impossible to give the names
of all of Hertford's sons, as the old records do not name the
counties from which the soldiers enlisted.
The following are a few additional names, contained in
one of Col. Llardy Alurfree's reports: Matthias Brickie,
Ens. ; John Burton, Adjt. ; Benj. Baker, David Boon, Wil
liam Butler, Giles Carter, Caasar Chavis, John Duke, Thomas
Davidson, Boble Gay, Thomas Green, James Hall, Kinchen
HoUomon, Richard Johnson, Barnaby Johnson, Jesse Knight,
AA^illiam Knott, Thomas Lassiter, Jacob Lassiter, Dr. Wil
liam Lewis, Lewis Lilly, John Alorgan, Aloses Alanley, Alich
ael AIcKeel, Nottingham Alonk, Southam Manley, Marma-
duke Aloore, James Alorgan, Thomas Pierce, Exum Powell,
.James Pierce, Stephen Ray.
Hertford County furnished ten companies of true soldiers
to the war. The county should seek to have a complete roster
of her troops.
The American people were true and loyal subjects to the
mother country. They loved the old land, its traditions, its
history, and its families. But they could not supinely sub
mit to the wrongs and exactions of a bigoted aristocracy.
The colonies took up arms against the old country because
they were forced to do so. The American people did not
belong to a servile race. They breathed the spirit of liberty
and of freedom. The courage, bravery, valor, suffering, and
love of freedom of the Continental soldiers have never been
surpassed in the history of the world. They were the true
sons of liberty. Patrick Henry, of A'irginia — the immortal
Patrick ! — when he exclaimed just before the battle of Lex
ington, Alass., which was the first battle of the war, that "the
war is inevitable and let it come. The next gale that sweeps

Decade IL— 1770-1780. 43
from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding
arms," etc, — met with a hearty echo and re-echo in the hearts
of the American people. These patriots looked to God for
help. And while the ways of God are mysterious, yet when
they attack, they are like a thunderbolt. Quoting from
Ridpath: "The love of freedom was intense, and hostility to
tyranny a universal passion" with North Carolinians. In
the time of Sothel, it was said of the North Carolinians
"that they would not pay tribute eveii to Csesar."
The soldiers in the AA''ar of 1776-1782 from Hertford made
a proud record. There were Tories within our borders, as in
other counties, but her true sons won laurels on the fields of
battle, in the war for freedom from the British yoke of op
pression. AA^illiam Alurfree, of whom we have written, was a gentle
man of great prominence and experience in governmental
affairs during the colonial days, leading up to the war, and
a patriot. He furnished to his county, his State, and to the
American army, a son, who made a record that will perpetu
ate the fame of Hertford County until the end of historic
time. This son was Col, Hardy Alurfree, who entered the
Continental Army as captain, afterwards promoted to the
rank of major, and later to colonel, on account of the most
gallant service to his country. The revolutionary history of
North Carolina, yea, of America, would be incomplete with
out the sublime military record of this great man. He was
in command of the North Carolina troops in some of the
most bloody and decisive battles of the war. He was in
command of the troops in the campaigns in .Pennsylvania
and New York in 1778 and 1779, After the Americans had
been defeated in the first engagement at Stony Point on the
Hudson, in New York, General AA^ayne determined to make
an effort to retake it from the enemy. It looked like a hope
less task, and to attempt it would be like walking in the mouth
of hell. The fort was thoroughly fortified and garrisoned,
and with a full-armed force on the inside. General Wayne

44 HisTOEY' OF Heetfoed County, N. C.
called for Col. Hardy Murfree, with his North Carolina
band of patriots to make the assault. Col. Hardy Murfree
agreed to lead in the forlorn hope of attacking the fort in
the dark hours of the night. General Wayne was about a
mile off. M'ajor Alurfree, with forty brave and undaunted
North Carolinians, advanced along the deadly causeway and
hillside to reach the side of the fort where the enemy were
not on the lookout. Shortly before midnight, with unloaded
guns and fixed bayonets, through a storm of caimon shot and
musketry, the gallant band of continentals, with Murfree in
the lead, without firing a gun, scaled the heights of the fort
and quietly entered the fort and captured every British sol
dier who had not been bayonetted in the assault. General
Wayne and the body of his army was about 'a mile off, and he
received a wound in the head. Some few of Alurfree's brave
band were also wounded. This was one of the most brilliant
feats of arms during the whole war, and filled both armies
and the two countries with wonder and admiration. Major
Murfree's heroic conduct, gallantry, and soldierly daring on
this occasion is referred to by General Wayne in a letter to
Jolin Jay, with great appreciation. Major Murfree and his
brave and fearless soldiers were like the Saxons, of whom
Sidonius, the Bishop of Clermont, wrote as follows: "They
overcome all who have the courage to oppose them. They
surprise all who are so imprudent as not to be prepared for
their attack. When they pursue, tliey inevitably overtake:
when they are pursued, their escape is certain. They despise
danger. Tempests, which to others are dreadful, to them are
subjects of joy."
Alurfree was commissioned lieutenant-colonel, April 1,
1778. Lt. John Winborne, of Hertford County, who was
under the command of Colonel Murfree and was one of the
brave forty continentals, died from a wound received in this
* Note. — Some writers fix the number at 80. While Maj. jMurfree was
moving in the rear Oen. Wayne and Col. DeFleury assaulted the Fort
from other directions. The British lost in the engagement 63 killed and
.')4,S captured. The Americans lost 15 killed and Sl-i wounded.

Decade IL— 1770-1780. 45
miraculous feat of daring soldiers. Henry Winborne, of the
same county, the oldest known North Carolina Winborne, and
the great-grandfather of Maj. S. D. AA'inborne, and who en
listed in the Continental Army in Capt. Jos. Walker's com
pany, Alay 24, 1777, was also one of the immortal forty,
who was willing to throw himself in the jaws of death to save
the honor of his country. He came out, with his leader, Col
onel Alurfree, unhurt. AA^e imagine that we can see this
strong, courageous and patriotic old private, climbing the
heights of the fort, and with his bayonet-spiked rifle, weeding
his way through the enemy.
Colonel Murfree, who lived in Murfreesboro, married, Feb
ruary 17, 1780, S'arah, the accomplished daughter of Col.
Alatthias Brickie, of Hertford County, and reared three chil
dren — one daughter, who married a Mr. Burton, and two
sons, Matthias Brickie Murfree and William Hardy Murfree.
Airs. Burton and her husband, and Matthias B. Murfree,
moved to Tennessee, where they settled. William H. Mur
free married Elizabeth Al. Alaney, of Murfreesboro', his
native town, remained in Alurfreesboro until about 1823,
when he moved to Tennessee.
Alaj. John Brown, of St. John's, a retired British navy
officer, immigrated to America some years before the war,
and settled in the St. John's section in Hertford County,
and married before the war another of the daughters of Col.
Alatthias Brickie. He was an uncompromising Tory. He
was too old to enter the war, but had several sons. His son
John Brown, Jr., did not share his father's sentiments, but
was a loyal and patriotic continental. His father was so
bitter in his opposition to his son's sympathies, that the latter
went to A^irginia and joined a Virginia company, and fought
under the command of Gen. La Fayette. When the war was
over he returned to his father's home, but the old gentleman
was so unforgiving and so unreconstructed, that young John
Brown left and made his home in Georgia, and is the ancestor
of some of Georgia's most distinguished people.

46 History of Heetfoed County, N. C.
During the earlier days of the war. Col. Benj. Wynns, of
Hertford County, the great-grandfather of our Col. James
M. Wynns, was in command of the continental troops at
Norfolk, A^a., and there met Governor Dunmore, the former
British governor of Virginia, who was in command of the
British forces. In a conflict between the two armies. Colonel
AA^ynns succeeded in driving Dunmore back in a speedy re
treat. After the victorious campaign of Colonel AVynns'
forces around Norfolk, he returned through the Albemarle
section, which had been in a great state of excitement on
account of the threatened invasion of that section by the
unscrupulous Dunmore and his army, and he (Colonel
AVynns) was met with great rejoicing among the people and
was rewarded with the unbounded praises of the Americans
along his route. Our Hertford County soldiers fought for
the cause of liberty, not only on the soil of Pennsylvania,
New AA'ork, and Virginia, but also on the soil of South Caro
lina, on her own soil, ancl finally at Yorktown, when Corn
wallis surrendered his arms.
The war ended in 1782. But the British were still mad.
God was with the oiDpressed, and it seems that He has touched
the Stars 'and Stripes with His holy hand.
The war between the British Government and the Ameri
can colonies for liberation of the colonies from the British
Crown was the most important war and produced grander
results than all the previous wars of recorded time. It was
the Greater Magna Charter of the world.
The Americans were taught to beware of the Englishmen.
Eternal vigilance became the watchword of the American
people. A strong militia was kept organized, and the best
navy that the government was able to support was kept
equipped, for action against the old enemy. It -^vas during
this period when the American victories were being closely
guarded, that some of her younger sons were advanced in
her well-organized militia and State troops, and received
their military titles.

Decade IL — 1770-1780. 47
AA'hile the war was raging, the State of North Carolina
kept up the legislative branch of its government. Richard
Caswell was elected Governor of the State by the convention
of November, 1776, and continued in office until 1779. Hert
ford was represented in the Senate in 1777, 1778 and 1779
by her grand old bachelor of St, John's, Robert Sumner.
And in tlie House of Commons in 1777 by Joseph Dickinson,
an Irishman, who came among us in 1740, and the father of
the late eminent son of the county, Gen. Joseph F. Dickinson,
and by Joseph Garrett, who lived on the north side of Chowan
River, and who represented Gates County in the House in
1780, In 1778, by William Baker, a brother of Gen, Law
rence Baker, and James Alaney, the second, of Alaney's Neck.
And in 1779 by AA'illiam AA'ynns, a great-uncle of James AI.
AVynns. William Wynns lived west of Winton, at the James
•Jordan place, the parental home of ]Mrs, A. I. Parker, of
AVinton, and by Nathan Cotton, who also lived near Winton.
These sessions of the General Assembly were held under the
new Bill of Rights and new Constitution, adopted in Novem
ber, 1776. The Constitution provided for a General Assem
bly, to be composed of a Senate and a House of Commons.
It will not be amiss to copy a few sections of this famous
document. "1. That the legislative authority shall be vested in two
distinct branches, both dependent on the people, to-wit, a
Senate and a House of Co'mmons.
"2, That the Senate shall be composed of representatives,
annually chosen by ballot, one from each county in the State.
"3, That the House of Commons shall be composed of rep
resentatives annually chosen by ballot, two from each county,
and one for each of the towns of Edenton, New Bern, Wil
mington, Salisbury, Hillsborough, and Halifax."
A senator was required to have usually resided in the
county for at least one year immediately preceding his elec
tion, and the owner of 300 acres of land in fee.
Note, — William Wynns married Zilpha Blanchard January 2, 1752.

48 HisTOEY OF Heetfoed County, N. C.
A member of the House was required to have usually re
sided in the county for at least one year preceding his election,
and have possessed 100 acres of land in fee for at least six
months prior to_his election.
Only freeholders, 21 years of age, owning 50 acres of land,
and who had been citizens of the county for twelve months
immediately preceding the day of election, were allowed to
vote for a senator. All freemen, 21 years of age, who had
resided in tlie county 12 months immediately preceding elec
tion day, and who had paid his taxes were allowed to vote for
a member of the House of Commons.
The General Assembly elected the Governor and other
State officers, and appointed the Justices of the Peace for
the counties, who held their offices for life or during good
behavior. In 1779 the county of Gates was formed out of
Hertford, Chowan and Perquimans. All that part of Hert
ford County bounded by Bennett's Creek, the southern boun
dary of Virginia, and the Chowan River was made a part of
Gates, and all of Chowan and Perquimans counties lying
north of Catharine and Warwick Creeks was, also, placed in
the new county of Gates.
By this use of the political knife, Hertford County lost
some of her most valued citizens. For the county officers
during this period, see List of Officers of the county, in the
back of the volume. justices of the peace.
After North Carolina became a sovereign State the Gen
eral Assembly, on December 28, 1778, appointed the foUovsr-
ing justices of the peace for Hertford County: Col. Mat
thias Brickie, Alaj. George Little, Gen. Lawrence Baker,
James Wright, AVilliam Murfree, James Boone, John Har
rell, John Northcott, James Riddick, Edward Hare, Josiah
Sumner, and Benj, Brown, Esquires,

RICHARD winborne.
Youngest Son of Elisha Winborne, and Grandson of Thomas Winborne,
and great grandson of Henry Winborne,
Died in 1862 in LaGrange, Tenn, aged 33.

Decade IL— 1770-1780. 49
GATES COUNTY.
In the year 1779 the county of Gates was carved out of
Hertford, Chowan and Perquimans counties, taking from
Hertford all that part of her territory lying north of Chowan
River, and between said river, the southern boundary of
A'irginia, and Bennett's Creek. This took from Hertford
County some of her distinguished men, such as Gen. Lawrence
Baker, John B. Baker, James Garrett, and many others of
her most distinguished families, and men who had given lus
ter to her history. Thereafter AA-'illiam AA^ynns and Henry
AA'inborne were added to the list of the justices for Hertford
County. AA^ynns resigned in 1783, and Thomas Winborne,
the son of Henry AA^inborne, was appointed. In 1789, tienry
Winborne and his son, Thomas AA^inborne, were among the
justices selected to hold the county courts. Henry was then
in his 69th year and Thom'as in his 32d year.
COURTS OF GENEEAL JUEISDICTION.
In 1774, the colonial assembly established in the Province
a Court of Oyer and Terminer, to be presided over by the
Chief Justice and twO' other justices of the Province. This
court was given general jurisdiction to try all matters and to
hear appeals from other courts. The terms of this court for
Chowan, Perquimans, Pasquotank, Currituck, Bertie, Tyr
rell, Hertford, and Martin counties, were held in Edenton on
the first days of July and January of each year. Hon. John
Alontgomery, of Tyrrell, who was for a long while Attorney-
General in the Province, was appointed Chief Justice by the
King to succeed Chief Justice Wm. Smith in 1740, who had
returned to England. Alontgomery was succeeded as Attor
ney-General by Jos. Anderson, Esq., of Chowan, and as
Chief Justice by Geo. Berry. The latter in 1767 was suc
ceeded by Martin Howard. Chief Justice Maurice Moore
and Richard Henderson as Associate Justice presided at the
sessions of the new court. This court was superseded, in
1806, by the Superior Court, two terms of which were re-
4

50 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
quired to be held annually 'at the court-house in each county.
The first term of the Superior Court ever held in Hertford
County, was held in AA^inton in September, 1806, and pre
sided over by Judge David Stone, of Bertie County. Prior
to the establishment in 1774 of the Court of Oyer and Termi
ner, there was no court of gc^neral jurisdiction in the Prov
ince. The former Superior Court was abolished in 1773,
on account of trouble between Governor Josiah Martin and
the Assembly. The Superior Court for each county still ex
ists in North Carolina, presided over by a district judge, and
the criminal docket prosecuted on behalf of the State by a
district solicitor, except that the attorney-general of the State
was required to perform the duties of solicitor in the third
district, in which AA^ake County was located, up to 1868.
After that date a solicitor was required to be elected in each
district. AA''. N. H. Smith, of Hertford County, succeeded
David Outlaw, of Bertie County, as Solicitor of the district
in 1847, and Smith was succeeded in 1857 by Elias C. Hines
of Chowan. Hines was succeeded in 1863 by Jesse J. Yeates,
of Hertford, and Yeates was succeeded in 1867 by Alills L.
Eure, of Gates. The judges and solicitors, prior to 1868,
were elected by the General Assembly; since that date they
have been elected by the people. The Superior Court judges
have always been required in North Carolina to rotate and
hold the courts of a different district each spring and fall,
except the period between July, 1868, and 1876. Since
1868, Hertford County has uot been allowed to remain in
any judicial district long enough for any of her sons to aspire
to judicial honors in the district.
From 1773 until after the Revolutionary AA''ar, there were
but little court facilities for the people. The country was in
a state of chaos and uncertainty, as it was during the Civil
War between the States, from 1861-1866, that trials of civil
matters between citizens were almost absolutely suspended,
and only matters iiertaining to the public welfare occupied
the attention of the people.

Decade IL— 1770-1780,

51

GEX. L.4URENCB S. BAKKE.
1861-5.

GEN. LAWRENCE BAICEE.
In the colonial and Revolu
tionary times of the American
colonies, Hertford County's
sons ranked with the best of
the land. If sp'ace would per
mit it would afford the author
wonderful pride to write the
biography of each of her great
men. He has read so much
about these patriots, that he
feels that he lived with them
and saw them in all their
grandeur. But we are compelled to content ourselves with
a brief notice of them.
Among that galaxy of patriots and high-born gentlemen,
none stood out more prominent than Gen. Lawrence Baker,
whose principal home and plantation was located in thai
part of Hertford County lying north of Chowan River, at
Buckland, not far from the present town of Gatesville.
Gen. Lawrence Baker sprang from a long line of noble an
cestors. In 1644, Lawrence Baker came from the old coun
try and settled in Surry County, Va. He served in the
House of Burgesses from 1660-1676, and died in 1681, leav
ing a son, Henry, who settled in Isle of Wight County, Va.,
and there died in 1712, leaving also a son, Henry, who lived
at Buckland, in Chowan County, N. C, but which was cut
off into Hertford County when it was established in 1759.
His wife was Aliss Angelico Bray. At his death in 1739,
his son Henry became the owner of Buckland. This Henry
married Katliarine Booth, of Southampton County, Va., and
also lived and died, in 1770, at the old Buckland homestead,
leaving surviving four sons — ^AA^illiam, Henry, Bray, and
Lawrence. Henry and Bray died young without ever marry
ing, so far as we can learn. AA^illiam, under the old law of

52 HisTOEY' OF Heetfoed County, N. C.
primogeniture, inherited the old home, Buckland, and mar
ried Judith Norfieet, the daughter of our oldest Marmaduke
Norfleet. They left children. La-wrence Baker became the
owner of "Cole's TLill" plantation, not far from Buckland,
then in Hertford County, and married Anne Jones, daugh
ter of Capt. Albrighton Jones, of Southampton County, A'^a.
Captain Jones came from AA'ales and married the daughter
of Col. Charles Simmons, of England. Gen, Lawrence
Baker left one son by this marriage. Dr. Simmons J. Baker,
who afterwards became distinguished in this State as Senator
from Martin County, and two daughters — Elizabeth and
Agatha. His first wife having died, he married Maria Bur
gess, a daughter of Rev. Thomas Burgess, an Englishman,
who lived in this country at different times, in Southampton
and Nansemond Counties, A"a,, and in Halifax County, N. C.
General Baker left by this marriage one son. Dr. John Bur
gess Baker, and one daughter, Alartha Susanna Baker. While
the General's plantation and home was at "Cole's Hill," he
spent much of his time around Alurfree's Landing. After
he was cut off into Gates County in 1779, he continued his
visits to the old place of his many joys in the palmy days
of his useful manhood.
Buckland was first claimed by Nansemond or Upper Nor
folk County, A^a,, but the survey of the boundary line be
tween the Provinces of A^irginia and North Carolina in 1727
threw it in Chowan Precinct, N. C. In 1759 it was in Hert
ford, and in 1779 it was included in "the boundaries of Gates
County, General Baker was one of Hertford's delegates to the Hills
boro Convention of August 21, 1775, and he and Day Ridley,
of Hertford, were appointed on the Cominittee of Safety in
the Edenton District, Lie was also one of her delegates to
the Halifax Congress of April 4, 1776, and by that body
appointed First ]\Iajor in the Continental Army, and was
again a delegate from his c(Uinty in the Congress of Novem
ber 12, 1776, that framed and adopted the first Bill of

Decade IL— 1770-1780. 53
Rights and first Constitution of the State. In all of these
important patriotic bodies his wise counsel was of the great
est value. During the session of the Congress of November,
1776, he was excused from further service, that he might
engage in the active duties of an officer on the battle fields.
In 1778 he, with other such men, was named by the Assem
bly of his State as one of the Justices of the Peace of his
county. The best men in these days filled these places. He
much regretted being cut off from his native county. He
loved the name of Hertford.
After the war he was made General in the State Troops,
which office he held for some years. The last office he filled
was Clerk of the Court in Gates County, which office he was
filling when he died, about 1806, During the same time
Gen, Isaac Pipkin, of Gates, was Public Register, He still
has a granddaughter, Mrs. Susan J. Myrick, living in Mur
freesboro, and grandsons. Dr. Richard Baker, of Hickory,
N. C, and Gen. Lawrence S. Baker, of Suffolk, Va., whose
likeness appears above. The latter was one of the famous
generals of the late Confederate States Army, and a grand
daughter. Airs, Edw. Neal, now of AA^ashington, N. C. ; all of
whom are over 84 years of age and yet are active and in full
possession of all of their faculties. His grandson, William J.
Baker, late of Norfolk, A^a., has children living in that city.
Dr. Simmons J. Baker resided in Martin County, N. C.
He was educated in Scotland, and was an eminent physician
and a wise and intelligent legislator from that county. He
was in the House of Commons from Martin County in 1814
and 1815, and in the Senate in 1816, 1817 and 1818.
Dr. John B. Baker married Mary Wynns Gregory, and
resided 'at his father's place in Gates County, and repre
sented that county in the House of Commons in 1811 and in
the Senate in 1818, 1820 and 1822.

DECADE III.
1780-1790.
The war is still raging. General Cornwallis, with his
army in South Carolina, is winning victories over the Con
tinentals, under the command of General Gates. Cruel
Tarleton is murdering prisoners. The American nation is
almost bankrupted; the Continental soldiers are poorly clad
and fed, and they are gloomy. General Greene is put in
cominand of the Continentals in the South, in place of Gen
eral Gates. South Carolina and Georgia are in possession
of the British, who are cruel ancl oppressive to the people.
The British next invade North Carolina. The first battle
occurs October 7, 1780, on King's Alountain, and Colonel
Campbell, with his Continentals, wins a great victory. This
encouraged the Americans. Active war then ceased for two
or three months. The Continentals rested and became ready
to renew the confiict. Benedict Arnold, who had been made
Major-General by Congress in 1777, after the battles of
"Bemis' Heights," turned traitor, was court-martialed, con
victed and severely reprimanded by General AVashington.
Afterwards he was allowed to command the American troops
at West Point. He soon again traitorously arranged with
Sir Henry Clinton to surrender AA^est Point, its garrisons
ancl stores, to the British, in consideration of 10,000 pounds
and a promise of being made a Brigadier-General in the
British Army. His plans were frustrated, but he made his
escape on the Vulture, an English war vessel. Great Brit
ain was not only involved in trouble with the Colonies, but
was in disfavor with France, and also became involved in
trouble with the Dutch government. General Greene, after
the battle of King's ]\Tountain, and after resting his men and
recruiting his army, divided it into two divisions : the AA^st-
ern Division was placed under the cominand of General Alor-

Decade III.— 1780-1790. 55
gan, who proceeded to pursue Cornwallis and Colonel Tarle
ton in South Carolina, and the British met inglorious defeat
in every engagement. The twoi armies next encountered at
Guilford Court-house, and the Americans again won.
Cornwallis becoming disheartened, leaves for A^irginia soil.
The Continentals continue the pursuit and struggle until
Cornwallis, on October 18, 1781, surrendered to the trium
phant Continental Army. On the next day the terms of
surrender were signed, ancl General Cornwallis led the whole
British Army out of the trenches around Yorktown into an
open field, "where, in the presence of the allied ranks of
France and America, 7,247 English and Hessian soldiers and
840 sailors laid down their arms, delivered their standard
and became prisoners of war." The British still have con
trol of South Carolina and Georgia. The King's army evac
uated Savannah July 11, 1782, and Charleston December
14, 1782. Thus ended the great war for liberty.
Preliminary Articles of Peace between Great Britain and
the United States were executed November 30, 1782, at
Paris. On September 3, 1783, a final treaty of peace was
entered into at Paris between all the warring nations. In
"The Treaty of 1783" the American States were recognized
as independent sovereign States. Great Britain re-ceded
Florida to Spain, and all the remaining territory east of the
Alississippi River and south of the Great Lakes was sur
rendered to the United States. The boundaries of the Caro
linas extended from the Atlantic to the Mississippi River.
The thirteen original States covered all of this territory.
This territory of land has been subdivided into States, until
we now have embraced within the borders of the first thirteen
States the following additional States: Tennessee, Missis
sippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan,
Ohio, Indiana, AA^est A^irginia, Averment and Maine. The
State of Florida was ceded to> the United States by Spain
in 1819.

56 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
-After the Treaty of Peace there arose the momentous ques
tions with the victorious Americans of securing and retain
ing the results of their struggles, and of forming a general
government between the States for their mutual protection.
Liberty, like the Goddess of Justice, needs to be guarded.
Eternal vigilance is to be the watchword of the God-favored
Americans. The property of the Tories and traitors is to be
seized to help pay the great war debt with which the coun
try was burdened. The wisest statesmanship was needed.
The old Articles of Confederation between the States were
too loosely drawn in 1776 to afford the protection needed
by the States. The sovereign States were willing to join in
a close compact, but were jealous of the plans of some of the
leaders. They had been once pinioned to the British gov
ernment, and they were careful how they pledged their rights.
The Congress of the United States, which was holding its
sessions under the Articles of Confederation, drew up a
Declaration of Rights and a Constitution for the thirteen
American States, and submitted it to the States for adop
tion. As before stated, this is not intended to be a general his
tory, so the reader should refer to some general history for a
more accurate detail of the movements of the country during
this period.
North Carolina called a convention to meet in Hillsbor
ough on the 21st day of July, 1788, to consider the Bill of
Rights and Constitution, dra^vn for the American States to
adopt and ratify. This convention was composed of 288
members. Hertford County sent as her delegates Alaj.
George AA^^lns, Gen. Thomas AA^ynns, Rev. Lemuel Burkitt,
Alaj. William Little and ilaj. Samuel Harrell. After an
exciting session, the Convention refused to adopt the Bill
of Rights and the Constitution, and adjourned, members
returning home to consult their constituents.
The State in 17^9 called another convention to meet in
Fayetteville, on tlie 2d day of November, 1789, to again

Decade IIL— 1780-1790. 57
consider whether North Carolina would join the Union.
The delegates met. Alany of the objections that existed to
the Bill of Rights and Constitution, submitted in 1788, had
been removed by amendments, and this Convention ratified
and adopted the same, and North Carolina became a devoted
member of the Union. Hertford County sent to this Con
vention some of her ablest statesmen — Gen. Thomas AA'^ynns,
Robert Montgomery, Esq., Col. Hardy Alurfree, Henry Hill,
Esq., and Henry Baker, Esq, North Carolina was next to
the last of the thirteen original States to join the Union.
Gov. Samuel Johnson, of Chowan County, was president of
both conventions. Alaj. George AA^ynns and Gen. Thomas
AA'ynns were brothers, and also brothers of Benjamin Wynns,
Jr., and William AA-'ynns. Thomas was the youngest of the
four brothers, and was colonel in the latter part of the War
of 1776-'82. He was made general in the State troops after
the ^^'ar, George was first made Major in 1764, in the Colo
nial militia.
Rev, Lemuel Burkitt was a profound and eloquent Kehukee
Baptist divine, and was one of the ablest men in the Conven
tion, He was well versed in the history of the long strug
gles of the Baptists and Quakers for Higher Liberty and free
dom of conscience, and he pointed out the dangers that might
follow by an adoption of the Bill of Rights and Constitu
tion as then submitted. This grand old man lived near old
St, John's. Some of his writings on the Old Testament are
at this day referred to as among the clearest explanations of
that Great Book, AA^e are unable to give his ancestry. We
find, however, in 1720 and 1721 and later, the names of
John Burkitt, Sr,, and John Burkitt, Jr,, mentioned among
the inhabitants of the Albemarle section.
Alaj. Samuel Llarrell was on the jury list in Bertie in
1740, and had often served his county in the capacity as
Clerk of the Court, and was made major in the State troops
after the war, and resigned the office in 1783. The old vet
eran private soldier, Henry Winborne, who was one of the

58 History of Heetfoed County, N. C,

immortal forty that climbed the walls of the fort at Stony
Point, was appointed major to succeed Samuel HarrelL Wil
liam Little was brother of Maj. George Little, of Maney's
Neck. Of this family we write in the 5th Decade. A new
delegation was sent to the second Convention in 1789, except
Gen. Thomas AA^ynns.
Robert Alontgomery lived near Montgomery's Alill, in this
county, ancl was the owner of that mill. He and his wife
are buried there at his old homestead. He was a lawyer
of splendid ability. He was a descendant of John Alontgom
ery, of Tyrrell County, and afterwards of Edenton. John
Alontgomery was Attorney-General under the King for a
number of years, and succeeded AA^illiam Smith as Chief
Justice about 1740,
Col. Hardy Alurfree was the hero of Stony Point, and a
great man. He had served his country gallantly in war.
He served his State as Commissioner of Confiscated Property
in the Edenton District for ten or more years after the war,
and was holding this office when he was in the Convention.
This was his first civil office. He was an able member of
the Convention, and was said to be one of the handsomest
men of his day, and was regarded by his State as one of its
greatest soldiers, statesmen, and patriots. He was appointed
also by the Legislature of 1784 as one of the commissioners
to have the Albemarle Sound cleaned out to lessen the dan
gers of commerce. He lived on the hill in Alurfreesboro,
near the river. In 1790 he was the largest slave-holder in
the county, and his friend, "Alaj. Henry AA'inborne, was the
second (See Census of 1790), For some years they worked
their slaves together in subduing the forest and cultivating
the soil, and making and selling tar, pitch, turjientine, and
tobacco, which were the most ju-ofitable enterprises in those
primeval days of American Statehood, Colonel ]\[urfree,
who had received grants of large bodies of land in the terri
tory, which afterwards were embraced in the State of Ten
nessee, moved to that State from Murfreesboro, in Hertford

Decade IIL— 1780-1790. 59
County, in 1807, and settled on Alurfree's Fork of AVest
Harpeth River, near the town of Franklin, Tenn. His wife
died five years before he left Hertford County, and he only
lived about two j-ears after reaching Tennessee. He died in
1809, and was buried in his adopted soil with great Alasonic
and military form ancl ceremony.
On this occasion Gov, Felix Gundy, of Kentucky, delivered
a most eloquent oration on the life, character, and public ser
vices of this great American, The Nashville papers, in
speaking of the occasion, saicl: "The surrounding hills were
covered with vast numbers of people, and the awful silence
which pervaded such an immense crowd evinced the feelings
of the spectators for the memory and virtues of the deceased.
Colonel Alurfree was said to be really the last survivor who
commanded a regiment during the Revolutionary War."
He was the eldest child of AVilliam Alurfree and wife,
Mary Alurfree, nee Moore. Colonel Murfree's eldest son,
AA'illiam Hardy Alurfree, remained in Murfreesboro, N. C,
and married Aliss Elizabeth AI. Maney. To this distin
guished man we may again make reference,
Henry Hill lived at his father's old home at Hill's Ferry,
on the Meherrin River. His and his father's names, the
author has found, were sometimes spelt Harry Hill. His
grandfather was Harry Hill. He owned a large landed
estate reaching far down the river, taking in the farm of
Aliss Sallie AA^arren. He had served his people before and
after this time in places of public trust. He had only one
child, a daughter, who married a lawyer, Harry W. Long,
who were the maternal grandparents of our George Cowper,
Esq., of Winton.
Henry Baker was a brother of John Baker, and they were
sons of AA^illiam Baker, of Buckland, nephews of Gen. Law
rence Baker, and lived in Winton. Both were strong and
able men, and ranked with the best. The Bakers of the lower
part of our county are descendants of these men.

60 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
Pleasant Jordan, who represented the county in the Sen
ate in 1780, lived near AA^inton, and was the father of Abner
Jordan and David Jordan, and the grandfather of the later
Col. Pleasant Jordan, of Winton. One of his daughters
married Capt. Abner Perry, of revolutionary fame, and an
other one married Capt. James Frazier, the Tory, of Fra-
zier's Cross Roads, and father of John Hamilton Frazier.
Abner Jordan by his marriage left two sons, William and
Janies. David Jordan married a Aliss Kinsey, and they left
two sons, Kinsey Jordan and Pleasant Jordan, and one
daughter, Matilda. Kinsey Jordan was for a long time a
justice of the peace in the county. He was a large and
portly old bachelor, and greatly enjoyed entertaining his gen
tlemen friends. Pleasant Jordan, the second, married the
daughter of Thomas Weston, of Northampton County. They
were the parents of the late Dr. Joseph Perry Jordan, Airs.
Geo. R. Branch, of Northampton County, and Airs. Etta P.
Deloatch, of Northampton, widow of the late James I. De-
loatch. James Jordan married Aliss Alary AA'illiams, and
they left four sons — Joseph J. Jordan, the late Sheriff of the
county ; Richard Jordan, who died in Florida ; John Jordan,
who was killed some years ago by the falling of a tree, and
AA^illiam Jordan, of AA' inton, and two daughters — Pattie, the
wife of A. I. Parker, Esq., of AA'inton, one of the County
Commissioners, a justice of the peace, president of the Far
mers and Alerchants Bank of AA'inton, and the pleasant and
accommodating hotelist at the county seat. This hotel has
had for its proprietors Joseph F. Dickinson, James Cope
land, AA'. F. Bynuni, Pleasant Jordan, and Joseph J. Jordan.
James Jordan's other daughter. Alary, married AA'ade H.
Garriss, of ifurfreesboro. They are both dead, but have two
daughters living — Airs. Susan R. Deloatch, of Jackson, N.
C, and Airs. John P. Mitchell, of AVinton, the parents of
James R. Alitcbell, Esq., a young attorney in the county.
David Jordan's daughter Alatilda married AA^illiam Shaw,
who moved from Bertie (^untv to Hertford about 1830 and

Decade 111,-1780-1790.

61

f. SHAW, ESQ.

settled near Bethlehem Church, They are dead, but have
two sons living in the county — John S. Shaw and William P.
Shaw, merchants in AA'inton, AA'^. P. Shaw, Esq., is one of
our most prominent citizens,
and has been for a number of
years a leading and useful
man in the' county. He was
born October 13, 1842, His
parents were not able to give
him the educational advantages
they desired, but he made good
use of his opportunities. He
attended the public schools in
his neighborhood, and the Un
ion Alale Academy at Harrellsville, in his native county, a
school of high standing, and for years presided over by Prof.
Edwin Everts, a cultured and scholarly gentleman from New
Hampshire as principal, and Prof. C. F, Lyon as assistant.
Shaw was a gallant Confederate soldier for three years and
lieutenant in Capt. AA^illiam Sharp's Co. D, Fourth North
Carolina Cavalry. He was with his company in the Army
of Northern A^irginia in many of the bloody engagements of
the war, 1861-'65, and remained in the thickest of the fight
until his great leader, the immortal R, E. Lee, surrendered
at Appomattox. When he returned in 1865 from the war
he located in Coleraine, in Bertie County, where he was en
gaged in the mercantile business for four years. In Sep
tember, 1869, he married Alary R, Askew, daughter of John
O. and Sarah A. Askew, at Pitch Landing, in his native
county, and returned to Hertford County and located in
Winton, where he and his brother John have since been en
gaged in the mercantile pursuits. Lieutenant Shaw has three
children — ^W. P. Shaw, Jr., Mrs. D. R, Britton, and John A.
Shaw, by his marriage. In politics Lieutenant Shaw has
always been an unwavering Democrat. He was Mayor of his

62 History of Heetfoed County, N. C.
to-wn from 1873 to 1877, when he resigned to accept the
position of one of the presiding officers of the Inferior Court
of his county — a court of limited criminal jurisdiction —
which position he held with much credit to himself and his
county until 1886, He was one of the two Senators in the
General Assembly of the State from the First Senatorial
District from 1886 to 1890, where he seiwed on a number of
the most important committees and as chairman of the Com
mittee on Education. He was one of the promoters of the
State Normal College at Greensboro, and for several years
was one of its directors. As chairman of the Board of Edu
cation of his county for several years and as one of the trus
tees of the Chowan Baptist Female Institute, he has suc
ceeded in making himself a recognized leader in his county.
Mr. Shaw after the war began the study of law, but aban
doned it without obtaining license. He is a refined and
courteous gentleman. STATE OF FEANKLAND.
Not long after the close of the War of Independence,
North Carolina found herself involved in a serious rebellious
trouble with some of her own citizens. I have heretofore
spoken of the three political divisions of the State, one of
which was Clarendon, with only one precinct. New Hanover.
This county of Clarendon embraced the whole western part
of North Carolina, and the present State of Tennessee to the
Alississippi River. A great portion of the land was unknown
and was only inhabited by savages and wild beasts. At the
close of the Revolutionary AA'ar the United States found
themselves burdened with a heavy debt, and their creditors
were somewhat impatient. So .Congress called on the States
to surrender to Congress their unoccupied lands, that they
inight be sold to settlers and granted to creditors, in pay
ment of their debts. North Carolina responded to this pa
triotic call.

Decade IIL— 1780-1790, 63
In xipril, 1784, the General Assembly at Hillsborough
passed an act authorizing her delegates in Congress to offer
a deed for North Carolina's western territory, to help dis
charge these obligations. Some of her citizens objected, and
in August 23, 17 84, a convention of the discontents met in
Jonesboro to take some action about the matter. John Se
vier was chosen president, and Langdon Coster was clerk of
the Convention. This body promptly dispatched a messen
ger to Congress to get it to accept the offer of the State and
to make an independent State of the territory.
The General Assembly met in October, 1784, and repealed
the offer to Congress, This exasperated Sevier and his fol
lowers, so they met again at Jonesboro December 14, 1784.
They formed a resolution seceding from North Carolina, and
forming the State of Frankland, at once adopted a Constitu
tion, had at once a General Assembly organized, declared
themselves independent, and defied North Carolina, John
Sevier was made Governor, and Judges and other State of
ficers elected, and the like,
Govemor Caswell, in April, 1785, issued his proclamation
"against this lawless thirst for power," and went vigorously
at work to crush out the rebellion. After about two years
the State of Frankland was conquered, the conspirators cap
tured, and its rise and fall became a matter of history. And,
strange to say, this same man Sevier was forgiven and was
in Congress afterwards from the State. North Carolina
granted to her soldiers lands in this territory for services in
the late war. Alany of her people went out there to live, and
when the State of Tennessee was organized and admitted
into the Union "in 1796, it was controlled by former North
Carolinians. Hertford County furnished her part of the
best citizenship of the new State.
John Brickie, who' was in the Senp.te from the county in
1782, and Thomas Brickie, who was one of the members in
the House in 1781, 1782, 1783, 1784 and 1786, were broth
ers, and sons of John Brickie, to whom Henry Winborne

64 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
conveyed, OctO'ber 15, 1754, 200 acres of land on Meherrin
Creek. These Brickies were the ancestors of the Brickies of
Hertford in recent years,
AA-'illiam Hill, one of the members in the House in 1784
and 1786, was the elder brother of Henry Hill, who was in
the House in 1788,. and for several years following. They
were the sons of Capt. Harry Hill, of Alaney's Neck, an
officer in the Revolutionary AA'ar. William died in Fayette
ville in December, 1786, while a member of the House.
James Alaney, one of the members in the House in 1785,
was a member of the Alaney family, whose first settlement in
this county was at Alaney's Ferry on the Chowan River. A
sketch of this gentleman and his family and his ancestors is
to be found in Decade A^I.
Col. Hardy Alurfree, on his return from the war, was hon
ored with a grand ball at the hou.se of Capt. Lewis Meredith
in Murfreesboro. He had won lasting laurels in the war. He
was spoken of and written about as a most gallant military
officer, patriot, ancl a great man. The Legislature of 1784
passed an act directing the Commissioners of Confiscated
Lands to proceed to sell the same. Colonel Alurfree, the
Commissioner in the Edenton District, showed great wisdom
and wonderful discrimination in these cases. The Legisla
tures conferred and consulted with him about these matters
in the State. He moulded public thought throughout the
State on the many complicated questions growing out of the
changed conditions of things.
vVbout December 1, 1790, Sarah Long, of Hertford County,
widow of the then late Nehemiah Long, of the same county,
appealed to the Legislature for relief, and through the great
magnanimity of this great man, Colonel Alurfree, she ob
tained her relief. The author wonders if they were the par
ents of the old attorney, Harry AA'. Long ?
In 1787 the Legislature enacted many important laws.
Among them were acts against gambling; trading with slaves;
for correcting and collating the statutes and laws, by Judge

Decade IIL— 1780-1790. 65
Iredell ; for recording deeds for lands, and so on ; for improv
ing the navigation of Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds by
opening Nag's Head Inlet, and to cut the Raleigh Canal in
Tyrrell County. The commissioners for this purpose were
Governor Johnson, of Chowan ; Whitmel Hill, John Skinner,
Josiah Collins, Demsey Connor, Col. Llardy Murfree and
Gen. Lawrence Baker, of Hertford County, Charles John
son, Gen. Isaac Gregory, and others.
The latter part of this decade records some interesting
events. AA'inton, the colonial to-wn and the capital of the
count}', situated on the beautiful Chowan River, about two
miles below the mouth of the historic Meherrin, which had
enjoyed the distinction of being the only incorporated town
in the county for twenty years, was destined to lose much of
its importance, wealth, and many of its prominent citizens
by the establishing of the new town of Alurfreesborough, at
Murfree's Landing on the Meherrin River. Restless nature
in the formation .of the earth's crust, prepared at the latter
place a most beautiful and ideal elevated plateau of land for
a town, -with natural drains and pure water. This beautiful
spot on nature's landscape was the home of William Mur
free, a legislator of State reputation and renown. Near
him resided many others. It was a thickly-settled neighbor
hood of a high order of citizenship. Mr. Murfree donated
97 acres of land for a town at Murfree's Landing, and the
General Assembly of the State, on January 6, 1787, passed
an act incorporating the to-wn of Murfreesborough on said
land. In the act William Murfree, Patrick Brown, Red
mond Hackett, William Vaughan and John Parker were
appointed Commissioners and Trustees of said tO'Wn, and
they were empowered to have the same laid off, sell the lots,
and apply the money in the improvement of the streets and
the like. Soon the flag of the new and young rival of Win
ton floated triumphantly, as the leading town in the East.
It drew heavily from the population of Winton. The county
5

66 History of Heetford County, N. C.
capital soon lost its Wheelers, Gurleys, Brickies, Browns,
Dickinsons, Bemburys, Morgans, and other families, who
made their homes in the new town on the high hills. Its
attractions were soon heralded throughout the Northem
States, and its population was being constantly increased
by wealthy and educated people from Virginia and the
more Northern States, who were seeking their abode in a
place where the climate ancl hygienic conditions were attrac
tive. It was soon made the centre of education and excel
lent schools, and churches. From its infancy to the present
time it has been noted for its schools and refined and intel
ligent citizenship. Even in this age of religio-politico — com
mercial and money-loving statesmanship, the to-wn retains its
divine reverence and many of its older charms and attrac
tions. The beginning of its charter is as follows:
"An Act for establishing a town on the lands of William
Murfree on Aleherrin River, in the Coimty of Hertford."
"AVhereas, it has been represented to the General Assem
bly that on the lands of AA^^illiam Alurfree, at Alurfree's Land
ing on the Aleherrin River, there is a very proper situation
for a to-wn ; that the place is remarkably healthy and con
venient to a country which produces large supplies of tobacco,
naval stores, corn, pork, and lumber, for exportation, and
that the convenience for shipping produce at this landing is
greatly superior to what is generally found at other land
ings ; and ;
"AAHiereas, a great number of citizens of this State, inhabi
tants of the counties of Hertford, Northampton, Halifax,
AA'arren, Edgecombe, Bertie, Gates, and Chowan, have prayed
that a town may be erected at this place, and William Alur
free, the proprietor of the soil, hath consented that ninety-
seven acres of the land adjoining to the river, which has been
surveyed and laid off, shall be appropriated to this use:
"Be it therefore enacted bv the General Assemblv of the

Decade IIL — 1780-1790. 67
State of North Carolina, and it is hereby enacted by the
authority of the same, that the said ninety-seven acres of
land shall be laid out in lots of half an acre, with convenient
streets, and the same are hereby constituted and established
a town, and shall be called by the name of Alurfreesborough,
"Ratified the 6th day of January, 1787." (Acts 1787,
page 166.)
The General Assembly of the State, on the same day it
incorporated Alurfreesborough, also incorporated the town
of Princeton, on the lands of Alatthew Figures, in North
ampton Coimty, about four or five miles up the river from
Alurfreesborough. The act appointed Howell Edmunds,
James A'aughan, Alatthew Figures, Nehemiah Long, Nicho
las Edmonds, Henry DeBerry and Benjamin Cokeley, Com
missioners and Trustees for designing and keeping up of said
tr»wn. The Commissioners were all infiuential and promi
nent men. Janies A^'aughan was a captain in the Revolu
tionary AA'ar, and won distinction as a soldier, and after the
war he and Howell Edmonds became leaders as legislators
from Northampton.
The new town was established and soon became the home
of several families of prominence. Col. James AVashington,
the old colonial legislator of Northampton, became a resident ;
Capt. Janies Vaughan, Howell Peebles, Capt Robt. Peebles,
Benj. AA'illiamson, and others, took up their abode in the new
town. But Princeton did not flourish long. The dreams of
its promoters were not realized. Its rival on the hills a few
miles below on the Aleherrin possessed too many advantages.
Finally the charter was surrendered, the buildings taken
down and removed, its inhabitants became denizens of other
Note. — Bartholomew Figures Moore, the great North Carolina lawyer
was the grandson of Bartholomew Figures, of Northampton County,
N. C., and grand nephew of Matthew Figures of that county, and of Wil
liam Figures of Hertford County. B. F. Moore was born January 29, 1801 ,
and w.as related to William Law Murfree, of Tennessee, whose great-
grandmother, wife of William Murfree, was Mary Moore, of Northamp
ton County, N. C. Nathaniel and Thomas Figures were younger mem
bers of this family.

68 History' of Heetfoed County, N. 0.
places, and its beautiful streets and decorated and handsome
residences and lots became parts of a magnificent plantation,
which still bears the name of Princeton, and is now o-wned by
T. J. and Uriah Vaughan, of Murfreesborough, the great-
grandsons of William Vaughan, one of the original commis
sioners of ]Murfreesborough.
Alurfreesborough, from its establishment, has been the
home of a -wealthy and high class of citizenship, and mem
bers of its old families are scattered throughout the States.
George Ganey's patent in 1713 embraced all the lands in
and around the town on the hill. The stream of water from
the E, C, AA'orrell grist-mill, just east of the to-wn, to the
river, was in olden times known as Ganey's Creek.
During this decade Col. Benjamin Wynns, Col. Robert
Sumner, Col. Alathias Brickies, Edward Hare, Nathan Cot
ton, AA'illiam AA'inborne. and many others, fall in the arms of
death. The Hillsboro Convention of 1788, by ordinance, located
the Capital of the State and fixed the seat of the State gov
ernment on the land of Joel Lane, in Wake County, and
there established the present city of Raleigh. The capitol
was located in Union Square, situate in the centre of the
land purchased from Lane. The capitol and other State
buildings were erected on this land. In 1831 the first capi
tol -svas destroyed by fire, and the present capitol was built
soon thereafter, at a cost of $520,000. This building is
found at the present time insufficient to meet the demands
of the State, and it is now being mooted and advocated that
the capitol building be enlarged at a cost of about $400,000.
In 1789 the University of North Carolina was established
by the General Assembly, and in 1792 the institution was
located at Chapel Hill. In October, 1793, the corner-stone
was laid, and in 1795 the school was opened for students. It
has made for the State a proud record.

DECADE IV.
1790—1800.
AA'e will begin the Fourth Decade with the first census of
the L'nited States, that we may see what families lived in
the county in 1790, and the number of males and females in
each family, and the number of slaves in the county, and by
whom o-wned.
The -writer is struck with the great similarity of the names
of families then and now, in the historic county of Hertford.
Its citizenship has certainly maintained its purity through
the ages.
As far back as 1725 we find James Howard, a land-owner
on Ahoskie Eidge. Hisi descendants still inhabit that section.
So Jonathan Sears, who was a land-o-wner in November,
1715, on the Meherrin River and Creek. The Searses of
to-day are still land-owners in that same territory. The de
scendants of William, Henry and John Willoughby, of the
17th Century, and of Gov. John Jenkins, are still to be found
in our midst.
The first column contains the heads of families, the sec
ond the number of free white males over 16 years, including
the heads of families., the third the number of free white
males under 16 years, the fourth the number of free white
females, including heads of families, the fifth the number
of free negroes, and the sixth the number of slaves o-wned by
the several families:
1 2 3 4 5 6
Askew, James  2 2 1 6
Askew, Aaron  2 4 .. 8
Askew, Cullen  1 1 4 .. 1
Archer, Armstrong  . . . . 4
Archer, Evans  . . . . 3
Archer, Jacob  . . . . 8
Archer, Wm  . . 1 . . 5
Archer, Peggy  . . . . 2
Archer, Caleb  . . . . . . . 5
Askew, Wm  1 1 2 .. 3
Askew, Mary  1 1 2 .. 1

iO

Hi.sTOEY' OF Heetfoed County, N. C,

1 2
Askew, Zack 
Askew, Priscilla 
Askew, Shadraek 
Archer, Thomas 
Alexander, Tibbs 
Askew, Charnady 
Andrews, Richard 
Askew, James 
Brickie, Aaron 
Benthall, Joseph 
Brown, James 
Battle, John 
Battle, Martha 
Bolton, Thomas 
Bell, James 
Banner, Williain 
Boone, Arthur 
Bailey, Wm 
Beaman, Cullin 
Brown, Francis 
Beaman, John 
Beaman, Manning 
Brown, Jeremiah 
Best, Wm 
Brown, Thomas 
Brown, John 
Batton, John 
Bishop, John 
Bishop, Jesse 
Bolton, Jane  2
Brickie, John, dc'd by Jordan
Pearce 
Bell, Francis  1
Brown, Samuel  2
Boutwell, Adam  1
Bird, Mary 
Bacon, James  1
Boroughs, Hardy  1
Boroughs, Sarah  3
Baker, Benj  2
Boroughs, Sam  1
Byram, Jno  2
Byram, Thos  1
Brown, Lewis  \
Brown, Lewis  1
Benberry, Bryan  1

6 2
17

6
29 9

3 1 1
23

10 3 4
11

5
4

5 6
11

Decade IA\— 1790-1800.

71

1 2
Brown, Patrick  1
Bowser, Thomas 
Brown, Stephen  1
Britton, Benj  1
Brown, Sophia 
Bayer, John  2
Blanchard, ililes  1
Baker, Zadoe  1
Brown, Benj  3
Belch, Elisha  1
Banks, Benj  1
Banks, Alexr  3
Benson, Ezekel  1
Blake, Ellis Gray  1
Brewer, Jesse  1
Baley, Wm  2
Boone, Allen  1
Britt, Thomas  2
Britt, Joseph  4
Basset, Eliz 
Best, Thomas  1
Best, Henry  1
Best, Mary 
Benthall, Daniel  2
Bass, Willis 
Best, David R  1
Bridger, Joseph  3
Brown, Rhoderick  1
Bizell, Solo 
Boone, Mary  1
Barrow, John  2
Barnes, Randolph  3
Britt, James  1
Britt, Abram  1
Britt, Benj  1
Britt, Martin  1
Boone, Nicholas  1
Barden, Wm  2
Barden, James  1
Britt, Silas  1
Britt, Arthur  1
Brown, Elizabeth  2
Bruse, Abram  1
Bruse, Bennet  1
Burton, John  1
Brickie, Thos, N  1

2
11

2 7 3
10 9
11 3

10 1

12 1 1

72

Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.

Blake, Eliz 
Brickie, Matthias  2
Brickie, Wm  1
Baker, Blake  2
Brantley, Benj  2
Brown, Fred 
Brickie, Jonathan 
Bird, Robert 
Brown, Lewis 
Brown, Richard 
Brown, Sarah 
Call, Jeremiah 
Cornelius, Martha 
Cretchilor, Providence 
Carr, Robert  3
Carr, Matthew  3
Carr, Lawrence  2
Calf, James 
Christia, James 
Cook, Charles 
Cooke, Benj 
Chritenton, Eliz 
Carter, Lewis 
Carter, Isaac 
Canidy, John 
Cotton, Godwin 
Cotton, Wm 
Cherry, James 
Cotton, Sam 
Cotton, Noah 
Cruger, James 
Christia, David 
Cross, Stephens 
Cotton, .James 
Cotton, Thomas  2
Carter, Isaac  3
Copeland, Mary  3
Copeland, Thomas 
Copeland, John 
Copeland, Hollowell 
Copeland, Eli 
Clark, Stephen 
Clarke, Kerney 
Coleman, Thomas 
Clarke, Wm 
Copeland, Thos 

4 3
3 2
742 1
232
2 1
25 4
42 3 1
2 1
5
4 1
46 3
2 3

6
11 835 3

14
11 4 7

10 6
28

3
23 4 11
2 1 1
7

Decade IV.— 1790-1800.

78

1 2
Copeland, James  2
Copeland, Stephen  1
Cook, Daniel  2
Carter, Martha  1
Carter, James  1
Crow, Eliz 
Daughtry, Eliz  2
Darden, Willis  1
Darden, John  2
Darden, Elisha  1
Darden, David  4
Dilday, Joseph  1
Darden, Elisha  1
Darden, Allen  1
Darden, Henry  1
Driver, Sam  1
Drew, Richard  1
Davis, Luke  1
Dunn, George  1
Dunning, Sam  1
Driver, Martha  1
Driver, John  2
Denton, Polly 
Downing, Wm  2
Deanes, Daniel  3
Duer, Ann  1
Dennis, Littleton  2
Darden, Jethro  1
Darden, Jet  1
Deanes, James  1
Deanes, Wm  1
Davis, Mary 
Daughtie, James  1
Daughtie, Wm  1
Daughtie, Jethro  2
Daniel, Joseph  3
Deanes, Thomas  1
Denton, James  3
Davis, Sam  2
Dickerson, John  1
Davis, Blake  1
Evans, Benj  3
Evans, Cornelius  2
Evans, Wm  2
Eley, Michael  1
Eley, Edward  1

3

4

5

6 3

1

1

2

1

3

2
2
3
3 1
1
2
10
3
3
5
3
2
2
5
1
4
4
1
8
4
4
3
6
9
1
2
1
1
22
88
2
12
2
1
1
1
7
3
3
13
1
1
2
3
3
3
2
4 1
7
1
1
11
1
7
1
3
7
2
1
4
1
2 24 1
••
2
2
1
4
3
3
2
5
10
2
6
1
2
1
3
5
5
2
3
3
1
3
3
4
9
1
1
13
i-

Histoey of Heetfoed County-, N. C.

1 2
Evans, Peter  1
Evans, Robert  2
Everett, James  1
Evans, Wm  1
Ezell, Benj  2
Evans, Francis  2
Evans, Thomas  1
Edes, Stephen  1
Freeman, Josiah  1
Foster, James  1
Felton, Elisha  2
Figures, Thomas  1
Figures, Wm  1
Figures, Thomas  1
'''airless, Robert  1
Fells, Edw  2
Fairless, Wm  2
Fauney, Wm  1
Fawn, Ann  1
Fairlen, Zadoe  1
Flower, Eand  2
Goodman, David  2
Ganes, Anthony 
Gatling, .James  1
Garvey, Patrick  5
Grantham, James  2
Graham, Chancey  1
Gay, Janies  1
Griffith, Jno  1
Green, Joseph  2
Gay, John  1
Godwin, Barney  1
Godwin, John  1
Gliston, Daniel  2
Gatling, Arthur  2
Gatling, Edw  1
Gatling, Wm  ,. . 1
Griffith, Bunnell  1
Griffith, Hartwell  1
Gatling, Rachel 
Gatling, David  2
Catling, Haidy  1
fjodwiii. Kerney  3
Godwin, Barney  3
Gatling, .Jethro  2
Glover, Wm  2

65 3

1616
19

1
10 3
9

Decade IA"^, — 1790-1800.

75

1 2 3
Harrell, Mary  1 i
Harrell, Wm  1
Hill, Charles  1 i
Hobbs, Elisha 
Holloman, Hanche  2 1
Hobbs, Wm  1
Hobbs, Jacob  2 2
Hill, Henry  2
Hayes, Joseph  1 4
Hobbs, Abram  1 1
Hutchins, Wm  2 1
Hart, John  1
Hutchins,   2 1
Howard, Luke  2 3
Handcock, Nehemiah  1 3
Howard, Moses  2
Horton, Hugh  2 6
Humphry, Wm  2 3
Howard, Elisha  1 2
Harrell, Elijah  3
Horton, Matthew  3
Hipton, Wm  1 5
Horton, Eliz 
Hutchins, Aaron  1
Hayes, Marmaduke  2
Horton, Williford  2
Harrison, James  ; . . 1
Holland, Thos  1
Holloman, Malichi  1
Holloman, Samuel  2
Holloman, Silvia  2
Holloman, Aaron  3
Holloman, David  1 4
Hill, John  1
Hill, Hardy  1 4
Hill, Michael  2
Hare, John  1 3
Hayes, Ezekel  1
Harrison, Thos  1 3
Hitchborne, John  4
Holloman, Christopher  2 2
Hill, Whitmell  1 1
Holloman, John  1 2
Harrell, Jesse  1 3
Haine, Benj  1 1
Holloman, Cornelius  1 1

6
11 7
4

2
23

543
21

1
13

17 1

76

Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.

1 2
Haine, Jesse  ' 
Hobbs, Sarah 
Harrison, Wm 
Horton, Wm 
Howell, John 
Hill, Joseph 
Hayes, Wm 
Hall, Mary 
Harrell, Nathan 
Holland, Hezekiah 
Hale, Pereby 
Jackson, Lon 
Jordan, Wm 
Ives, Sam 
Ireland, Grofton 
Jones, Wm 
Jiggitts, Edw 
Jackson, Isaac 
Jones, Sarah 
Jones, James 
Jones, Amilescent 
Jernigan, Needham 
Jiggitts, Wm 
Joyner, Charles 
Jernigan, John 
Jenkins, Charles 
•Jenkins, Webb 
Johnson, Anna 
.Jenkins, Wm 
Jenkins, Dempsey 
.Jenkins, Samuel 
Jenkins, Winborne 
.Jenkins, Henry 
Jenkins, Benj 
.Jordan, Eliz 
Kelley, Delphia 
Knight, Wm 
Knight, Dempsey 
Keene, Jacob 
Knox, James 
King, .Jesse 
Keele, Jacob 
Long, .Jno 
Lee, .Tames 
Lewis, Edw  2
Luton, Sam  2
Luton, Thos  2

10

92 1
4
2 5
17 3
15

Decade IA". — 1790-1800.

77

1 2
Langston, Luke 
Little, George 
Lewis, Luke 
La wed, Margaret 
Lassiter, Jason 
Lintal, Joseph 
Langston, John 
Langston, Martha 
Lawrence, Exum 
Liverman, Edmond 
Lassiter, Zadoe 
Lassiter, Wm 
Land, Bird 
McFarlane, Walter 
Mooie, James 
Moore, James 
Mullen, Wm 
Mullen, James 
Magget, John 
Mullen, Jno 
Matthews, Farmer 
Mayne, Robert 
Morgan, Jacob 
Marsh, Geo 
Moore, Willis 
Moore, Aaron 
McGlauhon, Elisha 
McGlaughon, Geo 
McGlaughon, James 
Modlin, Dempsey 
Morgan, Willis 
Manley, Gabriel 
Mashborn, Wm 
Mitchell, Wm 
Masongill, Daniel  3
Miller, Jno  2
Murfree, Wm  2
Murfree, Hardy  5
Maney, James  1
Maney, Peggy 
Morgan, Eliz 
Moore, Wm  , 1
Morgan, Hardy  1
Moore, Lawrence  2
Macon, Wm  3
Mashborn, Matt  1

44 32
2 1
3 3
32
52
.1 53
2 1
11
1
2

6 2
30 3

2
12 4
34
'l8 9
39
23 10 7
17 1

13 1
2

3 1
20 4539 7
17
10 1

78

Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.

1 2
Matthews, Edmond  1
Moore, Edward  1
Matthews, Giles  1
Mashborn, Charity 
Morgan, James  2
Montgomery, Robert  1
Montgomery, Elinder 
Moore, Wm  1
Morgan, Janies  1
Meredith, Lewis  3
Nichols, Wm  1
Nichols, Jno  2
Newsoni, Joel  1
Newsom, Charles  1
NeAVSom, Hosea  4
Newsom, John  1
Northcott, John  1
Northcott, John  2
Nickins, Malichi 
Nowell, Dempsey  2
Norvell, Benj  1
Norvell, Mary  1
Northcott, Anthony  1
Nichols, Nat  1
Nickins, James 
Outlaw, Wm  3
Outlaw, Thomas  1
Outlaw, Lewis  1
Overton, James  1
Overton, Nath'l  1
Odom, Jacob  1
Orange, Henry 
Perry, Abner  -  1
Porter, Abram  1
Paiten, Hubbon  ]
Parten, Henry  1
Powell, Shadriek  2
Perry Simeon  2
Perry, Ezekel  2
Powell, Anna 
Powell, Dempsey  1
Pruet, IMary 
Peal, Edw  2
Peal, Dempsey  1
Peal, Ann 
PeaJ, Thomas  1

3

4

5 6

2

3

3

21

4

2

4

3

3
2
2
5
17
1
2
1
2
2
2
1
2
19
3
2
3
4
4
3
2
7
14
1
2
1
4
2
3
5
2
1
3
1
2
1
1
4
3
4
3
19
3
5
4
1
2
1
2
3
.5
2
1
4
10
4
3
18
3
2
1
1
5
3
4
8
1
3
10
1
1
2
1
6
4
4
4
3
3
4
1
3
2
3
3
1
Decade IA".— 1790-1800,

79

1 2 3
Pinner, Rachel  1 1
Pearce, Daniel  1 7
Porter, Wm  1 2
Porter, Jno  1
Pinner, Milbry  1
Perry, Wm  1
Peal, Daniel  1
Perry, James  1
Parker, Sam  2
Pearce, Job  1
Perry, Celia  1
Parker, Abigail 
Powell, Charles  3
Pender, Jethro  1
Parker, Wm  1
Parker, Wm  2
Parker, Jno  1
Parker, Silas  2
Parker, Peter  3
Parker, Ephraim  1
Parker, Daniel  1
Panter, Edw 
Perry, Elisha  1
Phelps, Dempsey  1
Perry, Wm  1
Pearce, Jordan  1
Quemby, Jesse  2 3
Eeynolds, Thomas  1
Read, Hamilton  2 1
Eawles, Wm  1 2
Eaby, Joel  1 3
Ehoads, Abram  3 1
Rasberry, Wm  1
Rawls, Mariah  1
Eeynolds, .Jesse 
Rasberry, Margaret  2 2
Russell, Thomas  1
Rooks, Dempsey  1 2
Rooks, Joseph  1 1
Eea, Wm  1
Eoberts, Wm  1 2
Eidley, Thomas  2
Rindal, -Joseph  1 1
Riley, Benj  1 1
Rea, Wm  2
Eutland, Wm  1 2

-2

1

3

2

.7

3

1

3

1

2

1

3

1

2

1

1

4

4

3

2

6

4

5

1

3

1

3

3

4

1

1

.->

0

11

6 1
7
10 4 1
4 1

2120 538 11
1
2 1

3
12

11
5
11 1
2

80

History- of Heetfoed County-, N. C.

1 2
Riley, Wm  1
Rascoe, Alex  1
Rawles, Absalom  2
Eoads, Wm  1
Eogers, Jonathan  1
Eevel, Matthews  2
Revel, Silas  1
Rider, Nancy 
Rogers, James  2
Rawles, Jesse  1
Rayner, Amos  3
Starkey, John  2
Sanderford, James  1
Story, John  1
Sanderford, Nancy  1
Sanderford, John  1
Sanders, John. P  1
Smith, James 
Smith, Abram  1
Smith, John  1
Sumner, Mary  1
Spires, Elisha  1
Spires, Absalom  2
Scull, Edw  1
Sessoms, Ann  2
Sumner, Moses  2
Sanders, Nathan  1
Spicey^, Daniel  1
Simons, Joshua  2
Sewell, Dempsey  1
Scull, John  1
Sharp, Gemona  1
Sessoms, Rachel  2
Scull, Elisha  1
Shepherd, Providence  1
Skinner, James  1
Strickland, Drew  1
Shewinaft, Wm 
Sears, John  1
Spikes, Thomas  3
Sanders, David  1
Saunders, Wm  l
Sumner, Eliz  1
Stephens, Ann 
Sewell, Wm  3
Simons, Obediah  1

3

4

1

1

1

1

2

4

2

3

2

3

1

1

3

2

7

5

4

2

4

2

1

1

4

1

.5

1

5

3

3

1

3

1

2

4

8

2

1

2

3

3

2

5

4

3
2
1
1
3
1
1
6
1
4
2
4
O
5
2
3
4
8
1
3
1
o
2
.1
2
5
o
1
4
3
6
15
1.5 1
14
28
13 o 3
16 6
11
35 1
Decade W.— 1790-1800.

81

Sorrell, James . . .
Sewell, Richard . .
Sharp, Isaac 
Sharp, Starkey . . ,
Scott. John 
Sorrell, Wm 
Smith, Thomas . . .
Tyler, Hellen . . . .
Tifton, John B 
Thomas, Isaac . . .
Thomas, Josiah . .
Thomas, Benj. . . .
Tiley, John 
Tritt, Thos 
Trader, Rachel . .
Tennessee, John .
Tyler, Samuel . . . ,
Thomson, Eliz. . .
Taylor, Miles . . .
Taylor, Williford
Taylor, Boaz ....
Vassar, Robert . .
Vassar, Jesse . . . .
Vinson, Wm 
Vaughan, Wm. . .
Vinson, James . .
Vinson, Peter . . .
Vanpelt, John . . .
Vinson, Shad. . . .
Vanpelt, Sarah . .
Vinson, Elisha . .
Vaughan, John . .
Valentine, Isaac .
Valentine, David
Valentine, Alex. .
Williford, ,John ..
Winborne, Josiah
Winborne, James
Winborne, John .

 3
 1
 1
 1
Winborne, Henry  2
Winborne, Thomas  1
Wilkins, James  1
Williams, Charles  3
Weaks, Arthur  ; . 1

3

6

5

2

1

3

1

1

1

1

2

1

1

3

8

4
2
4
4
1
1
1
1
2
2
3
4
1
5
2
2
3
2
5
o
18
14 7
1
13 2 11
2 1
83 1
5
43 24
82

HisTOEY' OF Heetfoed County-, N. C.

1 2
Willey, James  2
Williams, Richard  2
Weaks, Wm  1
Whitley, Ann  1
Wilkins, Wm  1
Wilkins, Eichard  1
Wiggins, Wm  1
Weaks, Julian  2
Whitley, James  3
Williams, William  1
Williams, Warner  1
Worrell, Eichard  1
White, Henderson  4
Williams, Nathan  1
-Williams, Gilstrap  1
Weaver, Ned 
Webb, Benj  3
Weston, Jordan  1
Weston, Jesse  2
Wiggins, Sarah 
Ward, Isaac Hill  1
Williams, Ben  1
Williams, Geo  1
Williams, Whit  2
Watson, Micajah  1
Warren, Obediah  1
West, James  1
Worrell, Ehoda 
Wilson, Matthew  2
Wiggins, Wright  2
West, John  1
Williams, Sarah  3
Worthington, Arcada 
Worthington, Sarah  2
Willoughby, John  3
Wiggins, Sarah 
Wiggins, .Joshua  2
Warren, Jordan  1
Williams, Constant 
Wright, Jane  1
Worthington, Mary  1
Williams, Eliz 
Walker, Patsy 
Wright, Henry  1
White, Alex  1
Wynns, Jno. A  1

3

4

2

4

1

1

1

1

3

4

2

1

4

i

3

2

3

3

2

2

1

1

2

1

3

6 2

1
12 2

1
1
21

14 2
2
11
11 1
11

Decade IA^— 1790-1800. 83

1 2 3 4 5 6

^^'ynns, Matthew
Wynns, George . .
Wynns, Thomas .
Wynns, William
Wiles, Joshua . .
Yeates, Sarah . . .
Yeates, Jesse . . .
Yealloby, Geo. . .

2

3

4

1

1

3

1

4

1

1

o

1

5

1

3 1

1

1

4

1

3

4

1
34
33
2926 6

Josiah and James Winborne came to this county from Northampton,
and emigrated to Edgecombe County about 1798. John Winborne was,
also, of the Northampton family.
Gen. George Washington is still serving his first term as
President of the United States. He is the idol of his coun
try. The large majority of the people of Hertford County
are Federalist in politics, -which was the political faith of
AVashington. During this decade the country is tranquil in
peace and the people happy and seeking out the pleasant
places for homes. The young village of Murfreesborough
becomes an attractive place to the home-seekers, and many
find an abiding place -yvithin her borders. It soon becomes
the centre of refinement, of education and of -wealth.
The able, wealthy and benevolent Gen. Thomas AVynns,
who -was a member of the House of Commons of 1787, and
of the Convention of 1789, begins his protracted service as
State Senator from the county from 1790 to 1800, inclusive.
He -^vas the youngest of the four sons of Benjamin AA-'ynns,
and lived below AA'inton, at the place -where the late Jackson
B. Hare resided, and he built the house that no-w stands on
the old hill. He also owned the Hare grist-mill. His -wife
¦was Susanna Maney, the daughter of James Maney II, of
Maney's Neck. He -was elected as Presidential Elector in
1801, and voted in the electoral college for Thomas Jeffer
son for President of the United States. Elected to Congress
to succeed Charles Johnson, deceased, of Edenton, in 1802,
and again elected to the Eighth and Ninth Congresses, end-
ine: ]\rarcli 4, 1807. He declined a further nomination for

84 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
Congress. Again elected by his countrymen a member of the
State Senate, where he continued to serve his county until
1817, when he retired to private life. He vsras extremely
fond of his nephe-ws, Benjamin, Thomas, James D. and AVil
liam B, AA'ynns, He had no children. His wife died in
January, 1822, and he died in June, 1825, Both are buried
on the old jManey plantation, near the present wharf at Rid-
dicksville, in this county. He was made Major-General in
the State Troops in the Eirst Division, which position he
held a number of years until he resigned to go to the Legis
lature in 1813, He was a great advocate of education, and
-was one of the first trustees of the State University, The
Raleigh Register of 1825 speaks of him as a splendid and
noble character and as one of the first men of the State, The
paper also states that he had been frequently solicited to
accept the nomination for Governor, but he invariably de
clined, although his nomination would have resulted in his
election. He Avas a member of the electoral college in 1809,
and voted for James ]\Iadison for President.
Robert Montgomery was another of the county's represent
ative men. He was a laA\'5'er of great ability, and took a
leading part in shaping the legislation of the State. He
was a direct descendant of John Montgomery, of Tyrrell
County, -who was for a long time Attorney-General in the
Province, and succeeded AA^illiam Smith as Chief Justice
of the Province, about 1740. John Montgomery settled in
Edenton -while he was in ofiice. Robert Montgomery married
Mary Meredith, of ^lurfreesborougli, and left several chil
dren, of whom wc -^vill \\u-ite in Decade Seven. He died in
Raleigh in 180S, wdiile a member of the State Senate.
llciu'y Hill, a member of the House in 1788 to 1793, and
ai;<iin in 1795, lived in TMurfreesborouc'h, but o-wned a large
landed estate in ^fancy's Neck, ou the ^[ehcrrin River. He
was the sou of Ca]it, Harry (Henry) Hill, of Revolutionary
fame, and wbd lived at Hill's Ferry, in 'Alanev's Neck.

Decvde IV.— 1790-1800. 85
Henry Hill, Jr., was a lawyer and a man of ability. He
married Sally Maget. His daughter married lawyer Harry
AA". Long, of this county.
James Jones, who represented, in part, the county in the
House for twelve years, was the son of Col. James Jones, of
Pitch Landing, and inherited a large estate from his father.
He lived on his plantation near Pitch Landing. He was
born in 1765 and died in 1816. He married Anne AValton,
sister of Col. Isaac AA'alton and Timothy AValton. His
widow and several children survived him. His sons were
Dr. AA^illiam Jones, James Sidney Jones, and Howell Joiief.
His granddaughter was the wife of Maj. John AA^. JMoore.
No county in the State was abler represented in 1791 than
the patriotic little county of Hertford.
In 1793 Capt. Jethro Darden, of j\laney's Neck, appeared
for the first time in the House of Commons from Hertford.
He served four terms, and was a man of intelligence' and of
large information, and was soon recognized as a leader, and
refiected much credit on his county. He acquired his mili
tary title as captain in the militia service. On account of
failing eyesight he was compelled to abandon public life, and
finally, before his death in 1834, he became totally blind.
He left several children — Edward R., John A., Penelope,
wife of James Majette, Samuel A., Jethro R., and Sarah E.
Darden. There was another citizen in the county during
this decade by the name of Jet. Darden.
Nathan Harrell, -n-ho had been prominent in the county
during the last decade, was still serving the people as Clerk
of the Court during most of this decade. He married Eliza
beth Sharp, daughter of Starkey Sharp and granddaughter
of ilaj. Henry AVinborne. She was born in 1768 and died
in 1840. He reared several children. Their daughter
Nancy married Dr. AA^illiam L. Smith, who had settled in the
county from Connecticut, and AVilliam Nathan Harrell
Smith, the late Chief Justice of the State, was the product
of this marriage. Nathan Harrell died in 1802, leaving his

86 Histoey- of Heetfoed County, N. C.
widow and other children surviving him — Starkey Sharp
Harrell and Sally Harrell. His widow married widower
George Gordon, who afterwards became Public Register of
the county, and then succeeding General Dickinson as Clerk
of the Court. They left one child, Barsha Gordon. Dr.
AVilliam L, Smith died in 1813, and his widow afterwards
married James M. Yancey, formerly of Raleigh, but was
later a citizen of Murfreesboro. They left one son, Antonio
P. Yancey, Starkey S. Harrell, 1786-1830, married Eliza
beth Simmons, 1788-1861, who were the parents of Mary,
the -wife of Lemuel R. Jernigan; of Nancy, the wife of
Thomias Blount Sharp, and Starkey S. Hariell, Jr. Nathan
Harrell's daughter, Sally, married G. H. Bond.
The grave robs the county, during this decade, of Henry
AVinborne, AA^illiam Murfree, iSiaj. George AVynns, Starkey
Sharp, the former Sheriff and Public Register, Maj. Samuel
Harrell, the old Clerk of the Court, and many others.
In 1794 the General Assembly incorporated the Hertford
Academy, which was located in the to-wn of Murfreesboro.
This was the first incorporated school in the county, though
there had for a number of years existed schools in different
parts of the county. Rev. Jonathan Otis Freeman was the
first principal of the Academy, and he was aided by an able
corps of assistants. The late Edmond B. Freeman, Clerk of
the Supreme Court of North Carolina, was the son of Rev.
J, O, Freeman. Rev. Freeman, as principal of the Acad
emy in 1819, was succeeded by Thomas O'Brady, an im
petuous and belligerent Irisliman, who was a believer in the
rod in the school-room. It is said of him that he was so
pugnacious that he went on the street one day and engaged in
a fight with fme Drew Vinson, a brag fighter from the Canada
section, and A^inson whipped him goo(h This so humiliated
the Irish bully that he soon resigned and left the to-wn.
O'Brady was succeeded as principal in 1822 by Rev.
•lames Douglas, a Presbyterian divine, and a good man. Rev.
Doiigliis was instrumental in e.'^tablishing the old Presbyte-

Decade lA^,— 1790-1800. 87
rian church in town, and O'D-wyer, in his diary of 1824,
often speaks of his able discourses on the Bible. Douglas
was . principal of the department for boys and young men,
and Miss Harriet Sketchly, afterwards Mrs. James Banks,
was in charge of the female department of the school. In
1822 Mrs. James Banks purchased the Academy lot from
John Wheeler, and for years conducted a flourishing high
school for girls. The Male Academy was conducted after
1822 in another building. Rev, Douglas was succeeded sev
eral years thereafter as principal of the Male School by Rev.
John Lamb Pritchard, and the latter was succeeded by A. T.
Ackerman, a young man from New England, who later
studied law and settled in Georgia to practice his profession.
Ackerman became a distinguished lawyer and was appointed
Attorney-General of the United States by President U. S.
Grant during his first administration. This school was kept
up until about twenty years ago, with able educators at its
head.

DECADE V.
1800—1810.
The beginning of this decade found the county in great
excitement. The Presidential election was to be held in No
vember, 1800. There -svas great bitterness between the two
political parties, the Federal and the Republican, and also
factional divisions in each party. The Federalist candidates
were John Adams, of Massachusetts, and C. C. Pinckney, of
South Carolina ; and the Republican candidates were Thomas
Jefferson, of A'irginia, and Aaron Burr, of New York. The
electoral college failed to elect. Jefferson and Burr received
73 votes each, Adams 65, Pinckney 64, and Chief Justice
Jay 1. Congress had to elect, and after a long and bitter
fight in Congress, Jefferson was finally elected President
and Burr Vice-President. Gen. Thomas AA'ynns was in the
electoral college and voted for Jefferson for President and
Burr for Vice-President.
The names of the old political parties in the L'nited States
did not represent the principles of the political parties bear
ing the same names to-day. The AVhig party was the oldest
jjolitical party in this country after the Revolution of 1776-
'82. In the formation of the Union and the adoption of the
Constitution of the United States in 1787 the American peo
ple became divided into two opposing political parties — Fed
eralists and anti-Federalists. The Federalist was also com
posed of two elements — ^the extreme Federalists, as Alexander
Hamilton, who favored a strong govermnent, a national gov
ermnent wdth an aristocratic Upper House and Presidency,
while the conservative Federalists, as George Washington,
favored a Federal Constitution and gfivernment of the States
without any aristocratic features. The extreme anti-Fed
eralists, as Thomas Jefferson, wanted no Federal government
of any kind, but favored simply a league like the old Articles
of Confederntiou between the thirteen independent repub
lics ; aud the great mass of the party oppiosed the adoption

Decide A\— 1800-1810, 89
of the new Constitution submitted to the States in 1787.
They divided, lioweA-er, and the minority element joined the
conservative Federalists in adopting the new Constitution,
hoping that proper amendments would be adopted. And
finally the -whole anti-Federalists after a few years accepted
the new Constitution and became the strict Constructionist
party, confining the powders of the Federal goverament to the
letter of the Constitution, whose principles have been the
fundamental tenets of the Democratic party ; while the prin
ciples contended for by the opposing party, known as the
Loose Constructionists, the advocates of a national govern
ment and the subordination of State rights to the powers of
the national government, with centralized tendencies, are
now and have been since the battle of Appomattox in 1865,
represented by the Republican party. The anti-Federalist
party became known as the Strict Constructionists, and after
the French Revolution they became kno-wn as the Democratic-
Republican party, which has always been the official party
name of the Democratic jDarty up' to the Civil AVar. It was
in olden days spoken of as the Republican party. The old
Federalist and Loose Constructionist became metamorphosed
into the old AA^hig party, with many of its extreme notions
eliminated, until the creation of the Republican party, of
which Abraham Lincoln, AA'. H. Seward and others were the
exponents. That is, the Republican party of to-day is the
successor of the extreme Federalists and Loose Construction
ists. The conservative AA^higs and conservative Democrats
after 1868 foxmed the present Democratic party, the modern
representative of the Democratic-Republican party and Strict
Constructionists. GABEIEL^S INSUEEECTION.
While the slave negroes of the South were kindly treated by
their masters, who placed much value on them as profitable
property, yet the savage treachery of their natures occasion
ally caused them to be guilty of brutality of the worst kind.

90 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
In August, 1800, Gabriel Prosser, a slave owned by a far
mer near Richmond, Va., planned an "uprising" of the ne
groes to assassinate the whites, take charge of Richmond,
and plunder the place. He armed his horde of bandits and
set out on his wicked mission. But he was thwarted in his
nefarious enterprise by a heavy storm of rainfall, which so
swelled a creek in his pathway that he could not reach the
city, and before he could surmount this difficulty his scheme
was discovered, and he and his followers disbanded and took
to the woods. They w'ere finally captured and executed.
Gabriel was hanged October 7, 1800. These occasional out
breaks of the negroes were invariably caused by some -^-icious
negro who had been much favored by his white master and
granted many liberties and privileges'. They were generally
negro preachers.
In 1801 William Hardy Murfree, of Murfreesboro, the
son of Col. Hardy Murfree, the hero of Stony Point, gradu
ated at the State University at Chapel Hill, and began the
study of the law at Edenton, and was soon to begin to win
laurels for himself and heap greater honors on his family,
his county, his district and his State. After obtaining his
law license he returned to 'his native town of Murfreesboro
and opened his la-w office in the brick building between the
Peter Williams lot and the ravine, on William street. He
soon gave evidence of a great man. In 1805 he and James
Jones represented the county in the House of Commons.
Again in 1812 he was a member of the House, and then for
four years a member of Congress from the Edenton District.
Robert Montgomery in 1801 begins to seiwe his county in
the State Senate for seven terms, as successor of General
Wynns. James Jones continues to serve in the House until
1807. 'In 1801 Capt. Abner Perry, of Revolutionary fame, ap
pears for the first time as a member of the House, and serves
nine years. His gallant services iu the AVar of the Revolu
tion, and his estimable qualities as a man, made him a favor-

Decade V.— 1800-1810. 91
ite with the people and an influential and useful member of
the House. He lived near old St. John's, and married the
daughter of Pleasant Jordan, who was in the Senate in 1780.
He died in 1810 and left three sons — ^Abner J. Perry, An
drew T. Perry and John B. Perry. His daughter. Patsy,
married John Dickinson, of Winton.
Thomas Deanes, who lived near Murfreesboro, serves the
county as High Sheriff. In 1802 Joseph F. Dickinson be
gins to serve a long term of twenty years as Clerk of the
County Court, and Mills Jernigan enters upon the duties of
Public Register from 1800 to 1813. He was a county officer
in the Third Decade.
In 1802 Gen. Thomas Wynns is elected to Congress, w^here
he continues to serve his country for five years, and then
returns in 1808 to his old place in the State Senate, where
he continued until 1817.
Lewis Walters, of Winton, in 1807 makes his first appear
ance in public life as a member in the House. He served
two terms, and was then defeated by Gen. Boone Felton.
The year of 1803 found the condition of the country in
peace and prosperity, good-will pTevailing among the people,
in place of sectionalism and party strife. Murfreesboro was
still the favorite place in the county. It was fast becoming
the Mecca of the east. Over on the hill across the ravine
leading to the river -was the residence of Capt. Lewis Mere
dith. He was a man much valued in his day. He left no
son, but several daughters. One of his daughters married
James Maney, the mother of Judge Thomas Maney, and one
married William Co-wper, who was the mother of Lewis Mere
dith Co-wper and Richard Greene Cowper and AVilliam Cow
per, of Gates County, Mrs. Redmond R. Parker and Mrs.
Weed. Another one of his daughters married Dr. Lewis
Meredith Jiggetts, a physician of eminence, and a member of
the House in 1822.
Col. Hardy Murfree was living at the late residence of
his father, Wm. Murfree, on the hill on the opposite side of

92 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
said ravine from Captain ileredith. AA'm. H. Murfree had
just opened his law office. Patrick Bro-^vn, of whom Major
iloore spealis as being "a sihrewd, honest and long-headed
Scotchman," erected his home near the old Indian Queen
Tavern, on the street now known as Broad street. He was
an old bachelor and a merchant and a great writer. Dr.
Thomas O'Dwwer, from Clonnel in Ireland, was also a bach
elor, and lived on the same street near Bro-^vn. They were
great cronies and succeeded in accumulating large estates by
trading and note shaving. O'Dwyer died in 1834 in his
57th year, and was buried in Murfreesboro. He kept a
diary which was a valuable document on account of the store
of information it contained, but no copy can now be found
excejDt for the year 1824. ]\laiiy other families settled in
the town about this time from the Northern States, and
afterwards became leading and eminent citizens in the county
and State. Dr, O'Dwyer, -while a speculator, was an honor
able man, an eminent physician, a great philanthropist, an
omniferous reader, and a believer in the religion of Christ,
although not a communicant of any church. No one can
read his Avritings without forming an exalted idea of the
man. His frequent references to his mother and sister who
were living in Edinburg in 1824, and to his native land,
are sublime. He longs for home in the land of the sham
rock. " O the shamrock, the green, immortal shamrock I
Chosen leaf, of bard and chief.
Old Erin's native shamrock."
But little is known of AA' alters.
General Felton was a man uf considerable ability and
courage. He descended from a nol>le and intellectual an
cestry. He was a recognized leader in the House and Sen
ate. He served six terms in the House aud one in the Senate.
He married the daughter of AVilliam AVhite, of Raleigh, wdio
was the sister of Governor S-wain's wife, and granddaughter
of Gov. Richard Caswell. General Felton died in Winton,

Decade A'.— 1800-1810. 93
October 4, 1821, as appears from the Raleigh Register of
November 2, 1821. He had been elected the second time to
the Senate, just prior to his death. He owned what is
known in the county as the "Cofield Land." Lewis AA'alters
is returned to the House in 1810.
In 1805, Col. Hardy Murfree emigrated to Tennessee,
where he owned a large landed estate, and died in 1809. AA'e
find on the death roll during tliis decade, Robert Montgomery,
the able legislator ; Nathan Harrell, Capt. Lewis Meredith,
Thomas AA'inborne, the late chairman of the County Court,
who left his widow and two minor children — Sarah Agatha
and Elisha AVinborne — surviving him. His -widow married
a Mr. Roberson, and they had one daughter who died in
Mississippi in 1887 without marrying; his daughter, Sarah
A., married John Gurley, of Murfreesboro. Their descend
ants live in Tennessee and Mississippi. Mrs. Rebecca Cow
per, -wife of Wm. Co-wper, and Emily M. Highborn, of Mur
freesboro, and others. In 1809, Murfreesboro gained some
valuable additions to her population ; aniong them was Dr.
Thomas Borland. John Scott, who lived near Harrellsville,
was made general in the militia during this epoch.
DE. THOMAS BOELAND.
This high-minded citizen lived in Murfreesboro, on the lot
now owned by James D. Babb. He was profound as a
scholar, eminent as a physician, haughty and chivalrous in
manner, strong in his love of country, and greatly respected
by his neighbors. He was thoroughly familiar with all the
classics and could read Greek and Latin fluently, and through
life he enjoyed reading his Greek books. For a long while
prior to his death, in 1830 or 1831, he was one of the wealthy
and aristocratic justices of the county, and was often seen
presiding over the court. Dr. Borland married Harriet God
win and moved from Suffolk, Va., to Murfreesboro about
1809. They left the following sons: Euclid, Solon, and
Roscius Cicero. Dr, Euclid Borland first married Eliza-

94 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
beth R. Moore. She died in January, 1850. A few years
thereafter he married Lucy Wilkinson, daughter of Commo
dore Wilkinson of the U. S. Navy. He spent much of his
time in j\Ii&sissippi and Xouisiana, where he owmed large
plantations, but his home was in Murfreesboro, until about
1856. For some years p'rior to his death, in April, 1881,
this delightful and chivalrous old gentleman and his wife,
Lucy, boarded at the Atlantic Hotel in Norfolk, Virginia.
Like his father, he was fond of the classics, and especially of
the Greek language and Greek characters. His son. General
Euclid Borland, lived in New Orleans, La., and died Septem
ber 26, 1896, in Norfolk, Va., at the age of 52, while on a
visit to his relations.
Solon Borland emigrated from this county about 1842, to
Arkansas, and became a United States Senator from that
State, April, 1848, to April, 1853, and afterwards was Min
ister to Nicaragua, 1853 to 1854; General in the Confederate
Army, and died in Te'xas, January 31, 1864.
We have written of Roscius Cicero Borland on other pages.
The Borlands were all brave, true, honorable and chival
rous people. Hertford for some reason never insisted upon
the advancement of her noble and able sons for governmental
honors. They were, however, always appreciated in their
adopted homes.
Most of the Borlands and the members of their families
are buried near Murfreesboro on the Ramsey fann, o-wned
by the wife of the author,
Augustus Moore, who married Martha A, Bell, nee Ram
sey, the widow of Samuel Bell, was born in 1784, near
Murfree's Landing, in Hertford County, and died in Mis
sissippi in 1843, where he was buried. Some years there
after his body Avas exhumed to bring to the burying-ground
near Murfreesboro. AAHien taken up the body was found to
be petrified and as hard as a rock. It was in this condition
when it was reinterred at Ramsev.

Decade A".— 1800-1810. 95
Phogion A. Borland, son of Euclid, the first, by his first
marriage, was a brave and daring soldier in the army of the
Confederacy, and died August the 15th, 1863, from a wound
received on the field of battle.
In addition to what we have said of the gentleman, the
lawyer, and the chivalric Roscius C. Borland, we have learned
that he stopped the practice of the law and left Hertford
County to visit his brother Euclid in Mississippi on account
of failing health. It is said that he was taken with measles
while on this visit and died from it before returning, but
this is contradicted by some, and the other account is that he
returned to ]\Iurfreesboro from Mississippi and resided for
a short while on the lot now occupied by E. C. Worrell, with
his family, and there died. He died in 1847. But we find
nothing to indicate that he was buried in the old family
burying-ground, which is strong proof that he probably died
in the South and was there buried. He married Miss Tem
perance Ramsey, of Hertford Oounty, April 25, 1837, and
left sur^dving him a daughter, Miss Harriott Godwin Bor
land, named for his mother, and a son Thomas Roscius Bor
land, named for his father and himself. His daughter mar
ried Mr. Thomas Smith, of Suffolk, Virginia, and his son
was a prominent lawyer in Norfolk, Virginia, and U. S.
District Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and
died while filling that office or shortly afterwards. The
children of Roscius -were born in Murfreesboro. He has a
grandson, Armstead Borland, now living in Norfolk, A^ir-
ginia, who is the last one of that name. Gen. Euclid Borland
has two married daughters living in Louisiana.
GENEEAL SCOTT.
John Scott appears in the census of Hertford County
taken in 1790, as the head of a family of seven, and as the
o-wner of eighteen slaves. In the early years of the nine
teenth century, he was a militia general. He married a Miss
Brett, the aunt of the late Elisha D. Brett, of Maney's Neck,

96 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
and died January 30, 1812, leaving three sons, AA'illiam,
James and George. William lived in Maney's Neck, where
AA'. H. Henderson now lives, near Riddicksville, when the
author was a boy. He was the father of several children,
one of whom now resides in the county, AA'^infield Scott.
James, another son, married Martha Ann Rea, of Murfrees
boro, and lived and died in Baltimore, ]\iaryland. They
were the parents of the late Mrs. H. ,T. Lassiter, of Mur
freesboro, and of Mrs. A^irginia Yeates, late wife of the Hon.
Jesse J. Yeates. Another son, George, lived and died in
Petersburg, Virginia, AA'illiam had a son, Andrew, who was
a general in the army of the Confederate States of America,
from Florida.
AA^^illiani Little belonged to a family long famous for its
virtues and patriotism in North Carolina. He was the son
of AA'illiam Little, of Chowan County, and who was Attorney-
General and also Chief Justice under the government of the
Lords Proprietors, and was also one of the commissioners for
the Province of North Carolina in 1727 to settle the dividing^
line between the Provinces of A^irginia and North Carolina.
The mother of William .Little, Jr., was the daughter of Chief
Justice Gale. On November 4, 1790, Nathaniel Macon, a
member of the House of Commons from Warren County,
presented to the House of Commons the petition of William
Little, of Hertford County, protesting against the election of
Henry Hill of that county for the reason that his election
was irregular and void. The petition was referred to a com
mittee, whose re]-)ort was adverse to Hill, and a new election
was ordered. Hill and Little were again candidates, and
Hill was duly elected. Both of the rival candidates were
from Maney's Neck. This -^vas the first contest from the
noble little county of Hertford. His brother, George Little,
of Hertford County, -^vas a major in the militia during tlie
Revolutionary AVar,
AA'illiam Little, Jr,, married l\[iss ]Mary Ann Pei-^on, sister
of the famous Gen. Thomas Person, of Granville County.

Decade A'.— 1800-1810. 97
and left one son, AA'illiam Person Little, who moved to Gran
ville County and became a man of much prominence in the
State. His daughter, Penelope, married Sharp Blount, a
lawyer living in AA'inton.
AA'm. P. Little married Ann Hawkins, the daughter of
Philemon Hawkins, Jr., of AA'arren County. Their children
were the late Col. George Little, of Raleigh, aide-de-camp to
Governor A" ance during the late Civil War; Thos. Person
Little, of Hertford County, who was once chairman of the
old County Court, Wm. P. Little, Jr., and Mrs. Dr. Charles
Skinner, of AA'arren County. The daughter of Dr. Skinner
married AA'illiam Hutchings, of Hertford County, who re
sided where the Rev. H. B. Parker now resides, near Buck-
horn. They were the parents of the late distinguished and
gifted physician of Murfreesboro, Dr. Wm. H. Hutchings.
Thos. P. Little never married. He lived in Maney's Neck
on the farm kno-wn as Old Towm, and was passionately fond
of the sport of deer and fox hunting. In the correspondence
between the Winborne brothers we frequently find a refer
ence to the strong friendship of Thos. P. Little for the late
Maj. S, D. Winborne. Wm. P. Little, 'Jr., died without
leaving any male representative to perpetuate the family
name. George Little, his brother, left two sons, William
and George. The former was a distinguished surgeon in the
late Confederate Army, and died in Raleigh in 1879. George
Little, Jr., married Miss Momoiselle S. Vann, daughter of
the late Tilman D. Vann, of Hertford County, and died in
1880. His widow and several daughters still survive him.
Anaong some of the prominent merohants in the county
at the beginning of the last century were Daniel, William
and Joseph G. Rea, of Murfreesboro, and James Rea, of
Winton. They came from the North to this county, and for
a number of years were among the leading business men in
th© county, and the descendants and connections of these peo
ple are large and extensive. The oldest of which we have

98 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
any information was Daniel Rea, who lived North and mar
ried in 1764 Rachel Johnson, of New York, and their chil
dren, Daniel, Jr., AVilliam, Sally, James, Joseph G., Martha,
and Sampson, all of whom became citizens of this county.
Daniel Rea, Jr., married Sally,'daughter of Alexander Banks,
of this town. William Rea was married four times. His
first wife was Margaret Wynns, of the old Wynns family of
the county. She lived but a short time, when in 1797 he
married .Mary Wynns of the same family. His third wife
was Mary Peck, a Northern lady, and his fourth wife was
Julia, Blackwell, of BlackYvell's Island, N. Y. Mr, Rea lived
on the lot where H. T, Lassiter now resides, and did business
in the large brick building on the corner of Fourth and Wil
liam streets. The late Col. U. A''aughan received his first les
sons as clerk in Mr. Rea's store. He was a man of industry
and great executive ability aud business sagacity. He ac
cumulated a large estate, and died in New York. No one
was permitted to remain idle about him. AVhen his clerks
were not otherwise engaged, he made them empty nail kegs
and count the nails, or rub hardware in the store, and the
like. His brother and partner, Joseph G. Rea, married
Nancy Canless in 1813, -^vho was the aunt of Mrs. Lewis M.
Cowper, who was .Annis Collins, of Portsmouth, A^irginia.
He committed suicide by hanging himself in his garden. He
lived at the place now o-^vned by Lloyd J. Lawrence, He left
no children. His wddow long sur-\'ived him. The vrriter, in
1888, qualified as administrator dc bonis non on her estate,
and made during the same year a final settlement. Their
home was beautifully furnished -witli the most costly furni
ture and paintings. After his death, Lewis ]M. Cowper sold
his place to Thomas N. ]\[yrick, which is now o-^vned by
TTi-iah A^'auglian, and moved with his family across the street
to live with the widow, and that became the home of L. M.
Cowper's family until their death.

Decade V.— 1800-1810.

99

JAMES KEA.

James Rea married Mourn
ing Norfleet, of Gates County,
in 1808, and was a prominent
merchant in Winton. He died
October 24, 1824, and his vrife
died M'arch 24, 1842. They
left one child, Hannah Peck
Rea, who was the sole heir of
his estate. She was greatly
admired and much courted by
the beaux of her day. She was
greatly admired by AA^. D. Pru-
den, Sr., and his family, and they visited ]ier up to her old
age. Her father, James Rea, was born in Boston, Mass.,
October 9, 1779. Miss Rea married, in December, 1836, Jno.
A'^. Lawrence, son of Elisha
Lawrence of this county
and his wife Polly Vaughan,
a prominent and successful
merchant in Murfreesboro.
They reared eight children:
Capt. L. C. La-wi-enoe, who
married, in 1867, Sue E.
Southall, daughter of Jno. W.
Southall; Mattie A., who mar-
joHN V. LAWEENCE. rlod, iu 1869, S. F. Pearce,
of Cam'den County ; James N. Lawrence, who married
Bettie Pruden, in 1870, of Nansemond County, Virginia,
and who are the parents of Llo'yd J. Lawrence, Esq., one
of the county's lawyers; Dr. John C. Lawrence, who mar
ried Tibbie Joynes in 1875, from Eastern Shore, Virginia.
The Doctor was a very successful and reliable physician
in his native to-wn; he died in 1885, and his widow a
few years thereafter married Judge Hance, of Baltimore
City. The Doctor left no child. Charles A. Lawrence, mar
ried Anna Weirsdotz, of Norfolk, Virginia, in 1885, where

100

HisTOEY' OF Heetford County, N. C.

.MRS. DR. WALTER EEID.
?t(-e EMILY LAWHENCE.

they now live. Annie married, in 1872, her cousin, John N.
A^aughan, a successful commission merchant of Norfolk, Va.
Emily B. married, in 1876,
Dr. AValter Reid, a celebrated
physician in the U. S. Army.
Dr. Reid died in 1904, leaving
his -wife and one daughter sur
viving him. Their oldest
daughter, Ellen 0., married
the late Col. J. N. Harrell, No-
veonber 5, 1863. Mr. Law
rence was for a long time an
icctive justice of the peace in
the county, and attended the
terms of the County Court regularly. He was a man of
strong character and was greatly esteemed in the county.
For a number of years he and Col. Uriah Vaughan carried
on a mercantile business as Lawrence & Vaughan, and met
with much success. His children and grandchildren follow
nearly all the avocations of life, and are well scattered. He
died in 1870, and his wife died in 1904.
AA'illiam Rea, son of Sampson, married Nancy Bro-wn in
1818, and was the father of Margaret, the wife of the late
B. T. Spiers, of Buckhorn, and of the late Sampson Rea,
of Illinois. He died in 1825 and is buried in this to-wn.
His daughter Mary Ann married, in 1822, Col. Benj. B.
Camp, of Murfreesboro, who was one of the old magistrates.
Colonel Camp died October 9, 1833, and left one son, Wil
liam, who went AA'est and became a Methodist preacher. His
widow married Jos. T. Liles and died in 1838. Williain
Rea, Jr., married, in 1824, Nancy Cross, of tliis county. He
soon died, and his widow married Garrison Smith in 1825.
Smith also died early, and she married, in 1828, AA^illiam
T. Bynum, late of INFauey's Neck, and was the mother of
Bynum's daughters ]\Iary and Annie. Bynum was married
three times. One of his wives -n^as a Stallings, of Gates, and

Deo.u)e v.— 1800-1810. 101
the last was the daughter of the late Jethro W. Barnes.
AA'illiam Rea's daughter Fannie married King Parker, the
father of Rev. H. B. Parker and brotlier of Capt. Samuel
Moore's wife, of Buckhorn. EETEOSPECT 1810.
At the end of the first fifty years of the county's existence,
we find the United States on the verge of another war with
Great Britain. Let us look back and see what we have done
and the changes that have taken place since the birth of the
county. The Province has been transformed into an inde
pendent and sovereign State. The yoke of British authority
had been thrown off. AA'e bow no longer at the altar of kings
and royal governors, nor suffer under arbitrary laws, but live
under a constitution adopted by our people, and governed by
officers of our choice. A compact had been entered into by
the thirteen original States for their mutual protection
against their common foes. A constitution for the govern
ment of the United States has been framed and adopted.
The number of States by this time had been increased to
seventeen. Schools had been established throughout the
States. The University of North Carolina had been estab
lished. The academy for boys and girls had been incorpor
ated and established in Murfreesboro in 1794, and presided
over by able educators. The population of the county had
greatly increased by a highly educated Christian people, its
towns had become inhabited by a wealthy and energetic class
of business men and traders, while many of the old worthies
of the county had filled honorable graves, the living were
taking their places and rapidly advancing to places of great
honor and public trust in the State and country. Her sons
were widely known for their high character, patriotism and
eminent ability. Her daughters were the product of a lofty
and noble Christian civilization. Churches were dotted
throughout her borders and their pulpits filled by ministers
equal to those of the present day. Her profound Lemuel

102 HisTOEY' OF Heetfoed County', N. C.
Burkitt had been pleading for the Master and for Higher
Liberty with burning eloquence and with great success.
AVliile her Samuel AA'ells, a follo-n'er of the Wesleys, had by
his logic and wonderful discourses, fastened the AA^esleyan
Methodism in the hearts of many of her people and estab
lished the first Methodist church in Murfreesboro in 1806.
With a high civilization and with her gifted sons and noble
daughters, the county moved onward with beatific dreams
for her future goal.
The thirteen original States were Delaware, Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, ]\Iassachusetts, Maryland,
South Carolina, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New
York, Virginia, and Rhode Island. These States first con
stituted the United States. A'ermont was admitted to the
Union in 1791, Kentucky admitted in 1792, Tennessee in
1796, and Ohio in 1802. From the tenutory west of the
Mississippi, purchased by the United States from France in
1803, the following States have been admitted to the Union:
Louisiana in 1812, Missouri in 1821, Arkansas in 1836,
Iowa in 1846, Minnesota in 1858, Kansas in 1861, Nebraska
in 1867, North and South Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming
in 1890, and Oklahoma and Indian Territorv in 1906.

DECADE VI.
1810—1820.
AA'ar clouds are forming. Soon the call to arms will be
heard. The county's representative in the Senate is not
changed until 1818, when Gen. Boone Felton succeeds Gen
eral AA^ynns, and the former is succeeded in 1819 by his
cousin, John H. Frazier, and the latter is supplanted by the
old Sheriff, Thomas Deanes. There are some changes in the
county's representatives in th© House. Hertford was prolific
in her able men. General Felton is again seen in the House
in 1811, 1813, 1814 and 1817. Capt. Jethro Darden de
feats AA'illiam Jones and returns to his old place in 1812.
General Felton is defeated in 1812 by the scholarly, chival
rous and able lawyer, AA'illiam H. Murfree, of Murfreesboro.
This was a strong team. No county in the State was better
represented. Mr. Murfree was on© of the ablest lawyers in
the State. In the spring of 1813 he was elected to Congress
from the Edenton district over Gen. Joseph Riddick, of Gates,
Lemuel Sawyer, of Pasquotank, and Hinton, of Chowan, by
a majority of 603 votes over his strongest competitor. This
we get from the issue of May 13, 1813, of the Hornet's Nest.
Sawyer was then a member of Congress. Murfree was again
elected in 1815, serving four years, 1813-1817. He de
clined a third nomination. In Congress he was an able and
strong defender of the dignity of the United States in its war
-with Great Britain. He married Elizabeth Meredith Maney,
daughter of James Maney IV., of Murfreesboro, and they
had a son, William Law Murfree, who was born in Murfrees
boro, N. C. In 1823, Hon. William H. Murfree moved,
with his family, to Tennessee to look after his large interests
there which he inherited from his father, Col. Hardy Mur
free, and died in 1827. His son, Wm. Law Murfree, was
afforded the best advantages for the highest education. Nat
urally very bright, he became a profound scholar and lawyer.
He graduated at the head of his class at the University of

104 Histoey- of Heetfoed County, N. C.
Nashville, Tennessee. He also inherited a large estate from
his father and o-wned large cotton plantations in Mississippi
and Tennessee. He married Fannie Priscilla Dickinson,
daughter of David Dickinson, and reared three children.
Miss Fanny N. D. Murfree, who is the authoress of a success
ful novel entitled "Felicia" ; and Miss Mary Noailles Mur
free, who is also an authoress of nineteen volumes of fiction,
published under the non de plume of "Charles Egbert Crad
dock." She now resides in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, a city
established by her great-grandfather. Col. Hardy Murfree;
and William Law Murfree, Jr., who married Miss Louise
Knostman, William Law Murfree, Sr., was himself an able
writer. In 1881 he moved from Murfreesboro, Tennessee,
to St, Louis, where he edited the Central Law Journal for
three years, 1886, 1887 and 1888. Many of the legal profes
sion in this State remember well the able articles from his
pen, which were freely copied from in the law periodicals of
London and Dublin, and in Canada and Australia. While
in St. Louis he wrote three law books, viz., "On Sheriffs,"
on "Official Bonds," and "The Justice of the Peace." He
was also an able contributor to the literary magazines, the
Century, Scribner, and others. He returned to Murfrees
boro, Tennessee, in 1890, and died in August, 1892. The
Hardy ]\Iurfree who graduated at Chapel Hill, N. C, in
1848, w^as a son of Matthias B. Murfree. There is a to-wn
by the name of Murfreesljoro in Pike County, Arkansas.
The Murfrees and M-aneys intermarried. Hon. John Bell,
of Tennessee, who was one of the candidates for President of
the United States in 1860, married Louisa, the elder daugh
ter of David Dickinson and sister to the wife of Wm. Law
Murfree. In 1811, Col. AA'illiam Jones first appears as one of the
county's representatives in the House. He is the younger

Note.— Mrs. J. H. Hillman of Pittsburg, Penn,, was Miss Sarah Mur
free l<raser, the daughter of Henrv Fraser of Tennessee and wife Eliza
beth Murfree, daughter of Wm. Law Murfree of Murfreesboro, Tenn

Decade A'L— 1810-1820, 105
brother of James Jones, who retired from public life in 1806.
Ee lived and died on the farm later o-wned by the late Daniel
A'^anpelt Sessoms. He served in the house for five terms.
In 1812, the United States became involved in war with
England. James Madison was President of the United
States. George III. was still King of England. His malig
nant heart had not relented. He cherished malice against
the former colonies, England had a strong navy, and they
began in many ways to interfere with American commerce,
by sending its warships to hover around American ports and
prevent free traffic between Americans and other countries,
and in that way injure our commerce and humiliate the
States. War was declared in June, 1812. Most of the
fighting was near the Canadian borders, yet much fighting
occurred along the Atlantic coast as far down as Norfolk,
A^irginia, and in the Virginia waters, and around Charleston,
S, C. Joseph F. Dickinson, of Murfreesboro, entered the
war from Hertford, as Brigadier-General, and was put in
command of the American troops around Norfolk, Va., a
position assigned to Col. Benj. Wynns, of Hertford County,
in the War of 1776-1782. The war ended in March, 1814,
as a result of the capturing of the British "Penguin" off the
coast of Brazil, by the American Hornet. A treaty of peace
between the two countries was arranged and ratified to meet
in the summer of 1814, at Ghent, in Belgium. The com
missioners on the part of the United States were John Adams,
James A. Bayard, Henry Clay, Jonathan Russell and Albert
Gallatin, The treaty which was agreed upon, was simply to
stop the war and both countries behave themselves in the
future. It was "much ado about nothing."
Hertford County furnished to this war, in addition to Gen
eral Dickinson, the following soldiers:
Irwin Jenkins, Capt. ; Everett Garrett, Lt. ; Benjamin Hill,
Ensign; Andrew Oliver, Cadet; James Spiers, Cadet; Wm.
Walton, 1st Sergt. ; Hardy Banks, 2d Sergt, ; Josiah Battle,
3d Sergt. ; John Scott, 4th Sergt. ; Arthur Booth, 1st Corp. ;

106 HisTOEY' OF Heetfoed County-, N. C.
Elisha Hoilon, 2d CV)rp, ; Charles Jenkins, 3d Corp. ; J.
AA^itherington, 4th Corp. ; John Manning, drummer ; Wiley
Brown, fifer ; James Early, Lemuel Holloman, James Hayes,.
Thomas Britton, Luke McGlaughon, Nathan Baker, Corne
lius H. Go'dwin, Anthony Brown, Anthony Williams, Noah
Evans, Jacob Sewell, Jethro Sewell, Jacob Hare, John Baker,.
John Scull, Thomas Holland, Henry DeBerry Jenkins, John
Curl, John Denton, William Ballester, Thomas Clark, Josiah
I. Atkins, Lewis Carter, Jonas Atkins, Henry Brantley,
William Williams, Henry AA'iggins, Miles Hobbs, John Ever
ett, Alexander Booth, Thomas Thorne, Zachariah Bro-wn,.
Edward Crump, Anthony B. Lee, John Benthall, Robert
Brantiley, Thomas Neal, Alexander Smith, AA'^m. Bro-wn,
Isaac Pearce, George Askew, Edward Brantley, Henry Eure,
Joseph G. Rea, William Wynns, Thomas Weston, Allen L.
Ramsay, Elisha Mints, James Parker, Benj. Ezell, Britton
Sikes, AA'illiam Andrews, Isaac Foster, John C. Montgomery,.
Reuben Clark, Lewis Boone, Josiah Robbins, Elijah Archer,,
Ephraim King, Samuel Boone, Mathuel Archer, James Ral
eigh, John Weaver, James B. Jones, Hardy Davis, Mills
AA^alters, Abram Boone, AA^est Boone, John Bizzett.
Muster roll of the detached militia organized in August,
1814; 1st regiment, composed of Chowan, Currituck, Cam
den, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Gates, Hertford, Bertie,
Northampton, Halifax, Warren and Nash.
heetfoed's list.
Irvin Jenkins, Captain; Benj. Hill, Lieut.; Henry G.
Darden, Ensign; Benj. Brown, Drummer; Silas Shewcroft,
Fifer ; AVilliam Brown, James Johnston, AVillie AVilloughby,
Luke Hare', John Brown, Burwell Eure, Jacob Overton, Eli
sha Overton, Jeremiah Aikin, Williain AA'ynns, Wm. W.
Whitfield, Jeremiah D. Aikin, James Rasberry, Jr., Allen
Moore, AA'm. Downing, James Barnes, AVillie CuUon, Jesse
Harrison, AVm. Sessoms, Geo. Holloman, Jr., Justin Hollo
man, Samuel Britton, Jethro Sewell, Aaron Hare, Isaac

Decade AH. — 1810-1820. 107
Baker, David AA'elch, Jr., AA'illiam Sewell, Thomas Elerton,,
Benj. Hocal, Geo. H. Bond, Isaac Taylor, Wm. Purnell, Wm.
Yeates, Samuel Parker, William Toaster, Benj. AA'ynns, Sam
uel Ely, Eli Harrell, Boan Driver, John Dickinson, Thomas
Early, John P. Hare, Stephen Howell, John A. Anderson,
Benj. Blare, Sterling Francis, Arthur Vick, Georg© Whitley,,
Jno. Seall, David AVilliams, James Skinner, Henry Brantley,
Daniel AA'illiams, Janies Worrell, Thomas Faircloth, Benj.
Williams, Lemuel Sanders, Gray Mahone, John Vinson,
John A'aughan, Jonas Clifton, William Rogers, Nelson Joy
ner, AA'm. Andrews, Robert Montgomery, William Parker,
Mathias Cook, Hilary Vaughan, Joel Grizzafd, Hardy M.
Banks, Wm. A. Payne. Walter B. Myrick was in the war
from Southampton County, A'irginia.
Below we -will give a few names of some of the brave and
patriotic sons of other counties in North Carolina, who faced
the British on the field of battle, when she was attempting to
defeat the American independence and govermnent, viz. :
Capt. Sampson Glenn and Mark Glenn, of Person County ;
Benj. Glenn, of Surry County, and Benj. H. Wortham, of
Granville; John I. Cunningham, Cunningham Sharp, Lan
caster Cunningham, and Samuel Wellbome, of Mecklenburg ;
Duncan Cunningham anid Alex. Cunningham, of Richmond,
and Benj. Scarborough, of Greene, and Jesse Scarborough,
of New Hanover; Peter Wynns, of Terrell; Da-vid Wynns,
Henry Wynns, and George Wynns, of Martin County.
noethampton county.
Capt. James C. Harrison, Stephen Winborne, Lemuel Win
borne, Winborne Futrell, David Boone, William Boone, Ar
thur Tyner, Micajah Futrell, Lemuel Vaughan, Goodwin
Daniel, James Vaughan, Benj. Vaughan, Nehemiah Vinson,
Jiles Lewter, Benj. Griffin, Gilbert Griffin, James Grifiui,
Brittain Lassiter, John Jenkins, Benj. Jenkins, Benj. Law
rence, Nathan Pope, Samuel Warren, Edwin Liles.

108 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.

BEETIE COUNTY.
Benj. AA^inbome, Lodswick Pruden, Thomas Hoggard,
Tristram Capehart, Thos. S. West, Wm. Castellow.
HALIFAX COUNTY.
Lt. John Peebles, Wm. R. Daniel.
GATES COUNTY.
Hardy Williams, Robert Parker, Wm. Pyland, Lt. Isaac
K. Hunter. HOENETS NEST.
On September 3, 1812, the publication of the Hornets
Nest, a newspaper, in Murfreesboro, was begun. The editor
was Bryant Bramble, Esq., and published by Rea & Hunting
ton, of Murfreesboro. Mr. L. J. Lawrence, the law-partner
of the author, has several copies of it, and we have had access
to its newsy columns. It was spirited and spicy, and a newsy
paper. It was correctly named. It contains news not only
throughout North Carolina., but throughout Europe, New
England, and all the States of the tJnion. It was thoroughly
American in sentiment, and for war.
AA'e culled from these issues of this noted paper some in
formation about the town of J\Iurfreesboro and its people.
The "Hertford Academy" was located here, and the General
Assembly of the State passed a law authorizing George Gor
don, AA^illiam P. Morgan (who lived on the lot where the
author now resides), Patrick Browm and Ephraim Wheeler,
of Murfreesboro, to conduct a lottery for the benefit of the
Academy. Tickets -were regularly sold for prizes, which
amounted to $8,000.00.
From this paper we find the names of Alexander Banks,
John AA^heeler, AA'illiam Rea and Joseph Ren, John Dawley,
Abner AVilliams, and others of irurfreesboro's business men.
We learn of Jabez AVheeler, of AVinton. And of Elisha Fel
ton, Lewis Walters, Jno, Vann aud Josepli F, Dickinson, com
missioners appointed by the County Court to have the county

Decade VI.— 1810-1820. 109
court-house and jail repaired. AA'e also learn from it that
Joseph F. Dickinson, in February, 1813, owned the hotel lot
and the other lots between that and the Chowan River, now
o-wned by Jordan and Parker, and also the Winton Ferry,
and the swamp land across the river in Gates County, and
he offers the whole for sale, as he intends to move to Mur
freesboro to live. He was then Clerk of the Court. He en
tered the army in the AVar of 1812-1814. He was promoted
to the ranlv of Brigadier-General. His deputy performed
the duties of the office until his return.
Thomas Deanes made his debut as a legislator in 1815.
He had served for a number of years as Sheriff of th© county,
and was well known and belonged to a large and influential
family. He was the son of Daniel Deanes, who lived near
where Oris Parker, Esq., now resides. Our Clerk of Court,
Thomas Deanes Boone, is a descendant of him ; so was Gen.
AA''illiam Deanes Barnes, of Florida.
The elegant Thomas Maney, another of Hertfords' gifted
lawyers, enters the House in 1817. He was a descendant of
Maj. James Maney, who died in Maney's Neck in 1754. He
won honors in his profession before leaving the county and
State. In 1825 he moved with his family to Tennessee, and
became a great judge in that State.
The Maneys were among Hertford's most prominent peo-
P'l© during the first fifty years of the Republic. James
Maney, the first, a French Huguenot, when he first came to
America, early in the 18th century, settled on Long Island.
Afterwards he moved to Virginia, and thence tO' North
Carolina, and located on the Chowan River in Hertford
County, near the present Maney's Ferry. He soon became
the owner of a large body of land bounded by Chowan River,
Buckhorn Swamp, and reaching up as high as Como, taking
in the land of the late Abram Riddick, Capt. J. H. Picot,
Capt. Samuel Moore, and the lands in the Bartonville sec
tion. He established Maney's Ferry, which is mentioned in
Colonial Records as one of the King's places for landing his

110 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N, C,
army stores. Prior to the formation of Hertford County
these lands were in Northampton. He was Major in His
Majesty's militia in Northampton County, and also a justice
of the peace as far back as 1744, and died in th© year 1754.
AA'illiam Short was made major to succeed him. Col. Rec,
vol. 5, p. 163: He left a son, James, who married Miss
Susanna Ballard. James Maney, the second, was a vestry
man in Northwest Parish in Northampton County in 1758,
and one of Hertford's representatives in the General Assem
bly in 1778. He left only one son, James IIL, who married
Elizabeth Baker, the daughter of Gen. Lawrence Baker.
They left four children — James, Henry, Susanna, and Pris
cilla. Susanna married Gen. Thomas Wynns. Henry died
while young.
Priscilla married a Mr. Burgess, and James married Miss
Mary Roberts, of Murfreesboro, James alone left children.
Mrs. Marj' ]Maney, the wife of James, the fourth, died Feb
ruary 13, 1815, aged 46 years and 26 days, and Mrs. Susanna
Wynns, wife of General Wynns, died January 5, 1822, aged
56 years and 5 months. Both are buried with their hus
bands on the Abram Riddick farm, which was the old Maney
homestead. James IV. left six children — James, Elizabeth Meredith,
Thomas, Mary, Henry, and William.' James ]\Ianey, the
fifth, was a distinguished doctor in Murfreesboro. He mar
ried Miss Sallie H. Murfree, and William married IMiss
Martha Murfree, daughters of Col. Hardy Murfree, of Mur
freesboro, N. C, in this county. Elizabeth M. married Hon.
Wm. H. Murfree. Henry married ]\[iss ]\Iary Bro-^vn, of
Murfreesboro, N. C, daughter of Samuel Brmvn. Thomas,
who was a prominent and leading lawyer in Hertford County
and Eastern North Carolina, lived in ihirfreesboro, and
married Miss Annie R. Southall of that tomi, sister of the
late John W. Southall.
In 1790, as appears from the U. S. Census, James ]\raney
and Mrs. Peggy Maney resided in Hertford. Thomas Ma-

.lUDRE THOMAS M.iNEY.

Decade A^L— 1810-1820. Ill
ney represented Hertford County in the General Assembly
in 1817. The name is spelt in th© State histories "Manney."
But on investigation of the old records of Northampton and
the old Colonial Records of the State, I found that the oldest
as well as the younger members, spelt the nam© Maney,
which is correct. I foolishly spelt it Manney in the history
of "The AA'inbome Family" for th© first time in all my pro
fessional life. I fell in the ©rror by seeing it spelt in the
old histories of the State, M'anney.
The four Maney brothers — James, Henry, Thomas, and
AA'illiam — emigrated from Hertford County, N. C, to Ten
nessee about the year 1825. Dr. James and Henry Maney
settled near Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Thomas and William
at Franklin in that State.
Henry Maney and family left Tennessee early in the fifties
and moved to Texas, where his children now reside.
None of these brothers were in public life except Thomas
Maney, who -svas elected Circuit Court Judge about 1839 or
1840, and was re-elected for some sixteen or eighteen years,
and before his last term ©xpir©d he resigned and enjoyed
private life until his death, April 10, 1864. After his elec
tion to the judgeship he moved from Franklin to Nashville,
so as to be in the center of his circuit, which was composed
of AA'illiamson, Davidson, and Sumner counties.
None of the Maneys entered political life in Tennessee
except David Maney, son of Dr. James Maney, who repre
sented his county in the legislature some few years before
his death, some five or six years since. Henry Maney, the
third living son of Judge Thomas Maney, was in early man
hood editor of the Nashville Gazette, and was also ©lected to
the legislature, as fioater, of his flotorial district, and who
died soon after in 1859. Gen. George Maney, th© oldest
living son of Judge Maney, was a lieutenant in the First
Tennessee Regiment in th© Mexican War, and entered politi
cal life soon after the close of that war and was elected to
the legislature. AVhen our Civil War commenced, he was

112 HisTOEY' OF Hertfoed County, N. C

made Colonel of the First Tennessee Regiment, C. S. A., and
was soon mad© Brigadier-General, and so served throughout
the war, but during the latter part was incapacitated for
much active service on account of wounds.
Returning home after the war, he was made president of
the Tennessee and Pacific Railroad, and became a Republican
in politics, and was elected to the Senate in the Tennessee
legislature. He had unlimited influence over Govemor Sen-
ter during the carpet-bag period, and it was greatly to that
influence that the government was restored to the Confeder
ates, and the Negro and carpet-bag regime was overthro-wn,
and the State was then governed by the Confederate Demo
crats. He represented th© United States as minister to
Columbia for four years and afterwards as minister to
Uragua and Paragua for four more.
General Maney died in AA^ashington City on February 9,
1901. James D. Maney, second living son of Thomas
Maney, was living in Petersburg, Va., at the beginning of
our war, and was captain of a A^'irginia company; was later
promoted to major and transferred to the Army of Ten
nessee. After the war he returned to Nashville and entered
the railroad business 'and was for many years comptroller of
th© N. C. and St. Louis Railroad. His health giving away
he resigned and is now living a very private life.
Frank Maney, the youngest son of Judge Maney, was at
West Point Military Academy when the Italian revolution,
under Garibaldi, commenced. He left West Point and
joined the revolutionists, serving on the staff of General
Avenzaza. At the close of the Italian revolution he re
turned to the United States and entered the Confederate Army
as captain of a battery of artillery, and was captured when
Fort Donelson fell. On his way to prison he escaped in
Ohio, and made his way through Maryland to Richmond,
then back tO' the Army of Tennessee, when he was made
major of a battalion of sharivshooters. He was killed soon
after the war, in New Orleans.

Decade VI.— 1810-1820. 113
Thomas Maney had two daughters. The oldest, Bettie
Maney, married John Kimberly, Professor of Chemistry in
the University of North Carolina, and after the Civil War
was a resident of Asheville, N. C. They both have been
dead many years, and most of their children are residents of
Asheville. The youngest, Annie, married Major John L. Sehon, a
prominent young lawyer of Nashville, just at the beginning
of the Civil W'ar. On th© retreat of our army she accom
panied her husband South, and died in Augusta, Ga., in
1864. Major Sehon died a few years after the close of the
war. Dr. James Maney, the oldest of the four brothers, had four
children, three sons and one daughter, all of w^hom are now
dead. Henry Maney, who moved to Texas in the fifties, had
two sons and three daughters ; the eldest son, Henry Man©y,
became a judge of on© of the courts of Western Texas. Wil
liam Maney raised a large family of five sons and seven
daughters, all of whom made goO'd and substantial citizens,
but non© entered public life. Maney's Ferry, and lihat beau
tiful section of th© county, "Maney's Neck," took its name
from this family, though it is often spelled "Manney's
Neck."
"FUDGE."
a eemaeicable ceiminal trial.
About the year 1818 Joseph T. Liles, Thomas Faircloth,
James Spiers and William Rogers, four citizens of Mur
freesboro of good standing, were arrested 'and brought before
a justice of the peace for a hearing, upon the charge of hav
ing, the night before, forcibly entered th© dwelling-house of
Jethro Pender, who lived at th© old Weaver place, on the
hill between Murfreesboro and Maple Fork Branch, and beat
Pender until he was nearly dead, and robbed his house of a
trunk, which was carried out, and $300 and other valuables,
taken and carried off.
8

114 Histoey' of Heetfoed County'.
Liles, Faircloth and Rog©rs -were soldiers in the War of
1812. At tlie trial the granddaughter of Pender, who alone
lived -with him, testified that she was in the house with her
grandfather when three of the men broke into th© house, and
one remained on the outside. They were disguised. She
begged them not to kill her grandfather; they beat him
badly and took out the trunlc. That she heard them talking
to each other, and she heard them call the names of Jo. Liles,
Jim Spiers, Bill Rogers, and Tom Faircloth. Upon this
evidence these men were put in jail to await a trial in the
Superior Court for their lives. They knew they were not
guilty, but their lives were in great jeopardy. Under the
law at that time they were not allowed to testify. The friends
of each tried to get him to turn State's witness against the
other three and receive amnesty from the State. Liles,
Spiers and Faircloth declared their innocence, and said they
would die before they -would swear to a lie to take the lives
of their neighbors. Rogers yielded to the pressure and con
fessed his guilt, and testified, implicating the others. They
were convicted, and Liles, Spiers and Faircloth were sen
tenced to be hanged.
A few days before they were to be executed a message
came to the sheriff of the county from a negi*o in jail in Suf
folk, Va., under sentence of death. The sheriff went to
Suffolk and saw the negrO'. H© told the sheriff that the men
in Winton jail under sentence of death for robbing Jethro
Pender, were innocent. That they knew nothing of the
robbery. He confessed his guilt and stated to the sheriff all
the circumstances of the crime and the names of the other
three negroes who were with him. That they disguised
themselves, and that they called themselves Jo. Liles, Jim
Spiers, Bill Rogers and Tom Faircloth to mislead Pender
and his gi-anddaughter. His companions were Willis Fudge,
Harvey Fudge and Aaron Wynns. He informed the sheriff
how they divided the money, and where h© could find the
hair tmnlv. That they took from the trmik, besides $300
in money, a piece of black velvet goods, and Aaron Wynns

Decade A'I,— 1810-1820. 115
had a jacket made of the goods. That Harvey Fudge bought
a white horse with his part of the money. The sheriff re
turned and found th© trunk in the plac© where he was told to
look, and other facts just as related to him. by the Suffolk
criminal. Steps were promptly tal?;en to secure the pardon and re^
leas© of Lil©s, Spiers and Faircloth. Spiers surviv©d the
ordeal but a short time. Liles and Faircloth lived several
years and when the end cam© their bodies were placed to rest
by kind, sympathetic and appreciative friends, in the burial
ground on the river hill.
Thomas Faircloth was an old ancestor of the late Chief
Justice W. T. Faircloth, of Goldsboro, N. C.
No person charged with crime could testify in his o-wn
behalf in North Carolina, as in many other States, until
1881, nor could one testify in his own interest in civil suits
unfil March 12, 1866. There is no doubt but that unnum
bered wrongs have been infiicted under th© laws as handed
down to us by our English ancestors.
The facts of the above trial wer© published in a pamphlet
entitled "Fudge."
During this decade the county received many valuable
additions to her population. Among them were Seth South-
all and Rev. Daniel Southall, who immigrated from Amelia
County, A-^a., and settled in Murfreesboro in 1815.
Daniel was born August 9, 1768. Prior thereto, in 1806,
Rev. Samuel Wells became a citizen of th© tovra, and by his
zealous efforts the first Methodist church was established in
the town. H© lived at the Willis Warren place, and was the
grandfather of the wife of the late James W. Hill, of Mur
freesboro. Rev. Southall was a man of great energy and
success in both spiritual and temporal things. H© was a
Methodist and preached witli great power and pathos. Dr.
O'Dwyer often speaks of his powerful and persuasive ser
mons. By his wonderful discourses on the Gospel he soon
established a large membership for the Methodist church and
gave it the ascendency in th© town. He was twice married.

116 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
His first wife was a niece of Gen. Joseph Riddick, of Gates ;
his second wife was the sister of Gov. John Branch, of North
Carolina. Rev. Southall was also a large and successful
merchant. He died in AVashington City while there on a
visit, and was buried in that city about 1835. He lived in
the house formeriy occupied by Dr. R. H. Worthington, the
first compounder and patentee of the famous "Worthington
Cholera Compoimd." Rev. Southall's eldest son,
John W. Southall, was bom
July 28, 1797, and resided in
Murfreesboro up to his death,
July 3, 1873. Like his father,
h© was married ^-wice. He
first married Julia, daughter
of Richard and Martha John
son, of New York, at Buck
horn Chapel, November 1,
1825. Their daughter, Julia,
JOHN w. SOUTHALL. married Thomas N. Myrick,
December 19, 1847. After the death of his Johnson wife
he married, March 4, 1842, Mrs. Mary Wynns, widow of
the late Wm. B, Wynns, and acquired by this marriage a
large estate. By this marri'age he had two daughters, the
present Mrs. Capt. L, C, Lawrence and Mary W., who died
young John AA'. Southall was a great Methodist, and spent his
money freely to advance th© cause of his church, and was a
devoted friend to the upbuilding of the Wesleyan Female
College of his town. He took an active interest in the affairs
of the county, and served as a magistrate for a number of
years prior to the Civil AA^ar, His fine horses were often
commented upon and he took great pride in showing them.
His last wife died March 22, 1900, in her 89th year.
His brother, James H. Southall, married June 7, 1837,
Sarah G, the daughter of John and Sarah Wheeler, and
later moved to Columbus, Miss.

Decade AH.— 1810-1820.

117

Rev, Southall had two daughters. His elder daughter,
Annie R., married Judge Thomas Maney prior to his re
moval to Tennessee in 1825. His second daughter married
Tristram Capehart, who lived w^here the late Col. J. N, Har
rell resided, Mr. Capehart's daughter, Caroline, married
Prof. John Kimberly, the old school-teacher at Buckhorn,
and later professor in the University at Chapel Hill. Prof.
Kimberly moved to the county from the North when he was
a young man, and bought the Titus Darden place at Buck
horn and settled there. His daughter. Miss Rebecca Kim
berly, uo-^v lives in Asheville, N. C.
Another valuable addition was Robert Warren, of Vir
ginia, who in 1818 settled in Maney's Neck. He was the
great-uncle of the -writer. While he never married, he was
a model citizen, and his example as a noble man and chari
table neighbor was of untold value. He was the son of Col.
Etheldred AA'arren, an officer in the Revolutionary War, from
A^irginia, and a grandson of Samuel Warren, of Virginia.
Dr, Richard B, Baker, of Hickory, N, C, brother of Mrs.
Sue J. Myrick, of Murfreesboro, and a former citizen of this
county, and a grandson of General Baker, writes that he
knew Robert and his brother Etheldred Warren well, and
that no nobler men ever lived. This grand old man died
in 1846, The writers grandmother,
Martha Winborne, often told
him that her brother, Robert
AA'arren, was said to resemble
George Washington, He was
aristocratic in his dress and
bearing, and was fond of the
music of the chase, and placed
great value on his well-trained
pack of fox hounds. He per
sistently declined to accept any
office, preferring the liberties

EOBEET WARREN .

118 Histoey op Heetfoed County, N. 0.
of private life. His home was known as "Cedar Hill." Dr.
Baker speaks in his letter of December, 1905, of Robert's
brother, Etheldred Wai-ren, as the "old Saxon." Th© latter
was a soldier in the AVar of 1812 from his native State A^'ir-
ginia; and their father was Col. Etheldred Warren, of revo
lutionary fame, from Virginia. He Avas bom January 16,
1749, and married Margaret R. Darden, October 15, 1775.
Colonel Warren was the son of Samuel AVarren, of Virginia.
Titus Darden, on December 10, 1819, purchased from
Wm. H. Murfree the tract of land where Capt. J. H. Picot
now resides at Buckhorn, it being lot No. 3 in the division
of th© lands of James Maney III. Titus Darden was the
brother of Jethro Darden, and died in 1834, leaving- a wiU
in which he mentioned his children, William H., Harriet T.,
James C, and Elizabeth J. Darden. He made Thomas P.
Little and John Waddill his executors. AVilliam H. Darden
married Elizabeth Brett, sister of William and Alills Brett,
and lived near Union. They were the parents of our James
H. Darden, the leading merchant at Union. (See Decade 8).
Maj. John AA^. Moore, in his History of the State, speaks of
a fashionable wedding in Hertford County in 1803, which
was witnessed by many of the celebrities of the county, and
the handsome beaux and the gay and beautiful belles of the
county made brilliant th© occasion; and when under the
strains of the eloquent music of the negro fiddlers, the vener
able Gen. Thomas Wynns and Robert Montgomeiw partici
pated enthusiastically in the dancing.
We will present you with the likeness of a bride of Mur
freesboro about fifteen years later — ^Mrs. Frank Jeggitts,

Decade A"L — 1810-1820.

119

MRS, FRANK JEGGITTS.

The Jeggitts family was one
of the old and fashionable
families of the Borough. They
were of French-Huguenot de
scent. The name was origi
nally spelled Jegitts. Dr,
Lewis M. Jeggitts was in the
House from the county in
1822. His brother David
moved to Mecklenburg Coun
ty, \^a. They wer© the sons
of William Jeggitts. John
Jegitts married wddow Barshaba Hill, and left two daugh
ters, Barshaba and Sallie, who are remembered by many of
our people of to-day, Edw. K. Jeggitts, the old sheriff who
died in 1846, has a daughter living in town now — ^Miss Mag
gie Jeggitts, a faithful friend and companion of Mrs. Susan
J. Myrick, th© granddaughter of General Baker.
Sheriff Jeggitts first lived near Mt. Tabor Church, but
later at the old William Rea place, now owned by H. T.
Lassiter. Frank Jeggitts was the son of Edw. R. Jeggitts,
and they lived in to-wn where the Rev. C. W. Scarborough
now resides. Frank was extremely fond of dress, and always
looked like he was dressed for a wedding occasion. Mrs.
Jeggitts, whose likeness is seen above, was his second wife.
She was regarded as one of the most beautiful women of her
day. They moved to Tennessee.
The spirit of education continues. In 1820, Samuel Nich
olson, of Maney's Neck, established a high school near the
present site of Buckhorn Academy, and for years conducted
a successful school at that place. Many of our old ancestors
in the Neck received their early ©ducation at this ancient seat
of leaming. Nicholson married the wealthy widow, Sallie
Hill, and died in the 8th decade in New York City. After
his marriage to the rich widow he gave up the school and was
succeeded by a Mr. Durbar, and th© latter by a Mr. Warner,

120 Histoey of Hertfoed County, N. C,
of Connecticut, and AVarner was succeeded by Mr. Bogart,
the father of the late John H. Bogart, of Franklin, Va.
Mr. Bogart was a Northern gentleman and a fine instruc
tor, but he did not remain long, when he was succeeded by
Prof, John Kimberly, of Brooklyn, N. Y., a gentleman of
culture and refinement, a ripe scholar and a splendid in
structor. A few of his students at Buckhorn are still living
and they enjoy relating their experiences at this ancient and
classic school. Our father was one of the Kimberly boys,
and before his death he delighted his family in recalling the
fate of some of th© boys. Professor Kimberly gave the school
a State reputation as a first-class academy, for the thorough
training and instruction of young men. Professor Kimberly
while teaching this school married Caroline, the daughter of
Tristram Capehart, of Alurfreesboro, by his first wife Emma,
the daughter of Rev. Daniel Southall. His second -wife was
Bettie, the daughter of Judge Thomas Maney and -wife,
Rebecca Southall. Miss Rebecca Maney Kimberly, of Ashe
ville, N. C, is th© daughter of Professor Kimberly by his
last wife. In the early part of the Ninth Decade, Professor
Kimberly was elected a professor in the University at Chapel
Hill and moved to that place. He o-wned and lived, while
in the county, at the present home of Prof. J. H. Picot at
Buckhorn. Buckhorn Academy was incoiiDorated by th© Gen
eral Assembly on January 9, 1847. Under the act the land
cannot be sold and can be used only for school purposes.
The trustees cannot in any way dispose of it.
Prof. Geo. AV. Neal, of Murfreesboro, who married the
daughter of John Hart and wiie, Betsy, of the same town,
succeeded Prof. Kimberly at the Buckhorn Academy. Pro
fessor Neal -\\'as a scholarly and able teacher. Our Judge

Note.— Prof. Neal ^vas a member of the facultv of the Weslevan Fe
male College in Murfreesboro for several vears after leaving Buckhorn.
At the beginning of the Civil War he w-as the Principal of the Male
Academy m the same town. From here he moved to Franklinton, N. C,
where he conducted a high school for bovs. From there he moved to
New Bern, N. C, where he resided up to h'is death

Decade \H.— 1810-1820.

121

AA'alter H. Neal, of Scotland County, N. C, is the learned
son of the professor. After several years of successful teach
ing at the Academy he was succeeded by that elegant, schol
arly and Christian gentleman, George A. Brett, of that sec
tion of the county. Mr. Brett was a graduate of Chapel
Hill, and was one of Professor Kimberly's Buckhorn boys.
He first taught at Williamston, Martin County, where he
married Miss Slade of that county. About 1857 he was
succeeded by our venerable Julian H. Picot, another of the
Kimberly boys, and who delights to-day to talk of those mem
orable days. Professor Picot has presided over the destinies
of that classic school with splendid success and commensurate
ability from 1857 to the present time, excepting the period
he was serving in the Civil War, training and educating the
minds and hearts of the young men, and is still, in his old
age, its principal, teaching the young idea how to shoot. He
has prepared for college over 2,000 young men, and they can
be found in all the busy walks of life.
Professor Picot was bom
May 20, 1832, in Plymouth,
N. C, and was the son of
Peter 0. Picot and his wife
Marietta, the daughter of Ed
mond Blount of that to-wn.
Professor Picot was a Confed
erate captain in the late Civil
AA^ar, and served throughout
the struggle. He was pre
pared for college at Buckhorn
by Professor Kimberly. His
father graduated at Chapel
Hill in 1818 in the class with James K. Polk. Professor
Pieot's grandfather was an eminent surgeon in France and
a close friend of Louis XVI. He came to this country and
settled in Plymouth, N. C, where he died in advanced age in
1847, where he and his nephew, Louis Picot, who came to

CAPT. J. H. PICOT.

122 HisTOEY' OF Heetfoed County, N. 0.
this country in 1836, are buried side by side. His tomb has
the foUo-wing inscription: "Here lies the exiles of France."
Captain Picot married Antoinette, th© eldest daughter of T.
D. A'ann, who lived near Buckhorn, in 1852, and moved to the
county in 1855 and bought th© home of Professor Kimberly,
which was the third lot in the division of James Maney's.
lands, and wdiere he still lives, enjoying a happy old age.
His children will be mentioned later.
Captain Picot, after being prepared for college under the
tutorship of Professor Kimberly, and then after two years at
AA-^illiam Bingham's Military Academy, entered ColumbiaiL
College, in the District of Columbia, where he prosecuted
his studies with marked success, always ranking among the
first in his classes. He completed his collegiate studies at
Union University, N. Y., where h© received his degree of
A.M. in 1852. He is one of the finest and most polished.
linguists in the State.
France cedes to th© United States, as the result of Gen..
Andrew Jackson's great victory at th© Battle of New Or
leans, the territory of Florida in 1819, which was ia that
year admitted as a State in the Union.

DECADE VII.
1820—1830.
• This decade in the history of the county shows many
changes. Gen. Josoph F. Dickinson, who had served the
oount3' for about twenty years as Clerk of the County Court,
and as Brigadier-General in the War of 1812-1814, passes
away on the 6th day of June, 1822, in his 47th year. He
was the son of Joseph Dickinson, Jr., who was born in
England, December 7, 1740, and aiTived in America in
1762 and died in AA''inton in 1784. General Dickinson's
grandfather, Joseph Dickinson, Sr., was born in England,
February 25, 1712, arrived in America in July, 1774, and
died in Winton, July 23, 1776. The Generial married the
beautiful and charming Peggy Gregory, and lived in Win
ton until 1813, when he moved to Murfreesboro and resided
wh©r© Col. J. M. Wynns now resides. Mrs, Dickinson's
brother, Thomas Gregory, has descendants to-day in Salis
bury. N. C, The General was v©ry -wealthy. He left
no ohildren. In his will he devised most of his large
estate to his wife, -w^ho some years after his death married
Dr. Isaac Pipkin, of Murfreesboro. He made Gen. Thomas
Wynns and John Wheeler his executors. Dr. Pipkin by his
marriage with the widow Dickinson reared twO' daughters,
Anne Maria and Mary EUenor. The former died shortly after
reaching womanhood, and the latter married Capt. Wm. B.
Muse, of the U. S. Navy.
George Gordon succeeded him as clerk. Gordon's first
¦wife was Patsy Sharp, daughter of th© first Starkey Sharp,
by his second wife Jemima Hare. John Hare Gordon was
the son of this marriage. He succeeded his father as Public
Register for a short while. Father and son soon died.
George Gordon's daughter, Barsha Gordon, by his marriage
with the widow Harrell, married Dr. Lawrence O'Bryan, of
Murfreesboro.

124 Histoey of Heetfoed County,
Janies AA^right Moore has passed away, and in 1825 his
widow. Ester Cotton, married Capt. John Jones, of Virginia.
Rev, Daniol Southall on June 5, 1825, preached the funeral
sermon of Gen, Thomas Wynns.
Andre-^v A-^. Duer begins a term of usefulness as Public
Register, Lewis M. Cowper throws on the toga of Clerk of
the County Court, which he wears for about forty years.
He married Miss Collins, daughter of William Collins, of
Portsmouth, Va., and reared two sons, the late Pulaski
Cowper, of Raleigh, and Dr. R. L. Cowper, of Murfreesboro.
R. G. Cowper, th© brother of the clerk, takes charge of the
office of High Sheriff for twenty years, excepting on© term
secured by Edw. K, Jeggitts. The office had just been va
cated by th© death of Jesse Deanes.
W. H. Murfree and Thomas Maney leave for Tennessee.
Capt. James Frazier succumbs to the ravages of ripe old age.
Rev. Daniel Southall continues to preach the gospel truths
to the people with great power and pathos, and increases the
membership of the Methodist society, and Jacob Hare and
AA'illiam Morgan are among the number to join. Rev. James
Douglas thunders away at the Presbyterian church, and young
Rev. AVilliam H. Jordan eloquently pleads for Higher Lib
erty and close communion, and Mrs. John Wheeler, Mrs.
AV. B. AA'ise, Miss Darden and Mrs. Perry Carter enroll their
names as members of Parker's Baptist church, near jMur-
freesboro, and Elisha Winborne and wife and Mrs. H. D.
Jenkins joined at Mt. Tabor.
In the summer of 1824 Jesse Deanes and Jacob Hare are
candidates before the County Court for the office of High
Sheriff of the county. Deanes received 18 votes and Hare
2. Peter Butts succeeds John LI. Gordon as Public Reds-
ter, but who is overthrown by Andrew V. Duer in 1825.
On the night of March 19, 1824, Dr. Thomas O'D^y^-er, in
his diary, states that Prince Murat arri^-ed in ]\[urfreesboro
on the stage and puts up at the Indian Queen Hotel, and
placed himself under the care of good old :\[oses Clements,
tlie clever and genial proprietor. He remained in town a

Decade VIL— 1820-1830.

125

day or so, and then continued his journey to Florida, where
he afterwards died. The Prince was the son of Joachim
Murat, King of Naples, and a celebrated French cavalry
leader, who was court-martialed and shot in 1815. It
seems that a man had better shoot himself than to be a brave
officer in the army of some countries. The Prince was ban
ished from his country on account of his claims to the throne
of Naples. He died an exile in Florida in 1847. His
mother was the sister of Napoleon Bonaparte.
James Copeland, who represented the county in the House
in 1821 and 1823, and in the Senate in 1824 and 1825, was
the son of John Copeland and lived in Winton and kept the
hotel formerly owned by Gen. Jos. F. Dickinson, located on
the lot on which now stands the hotel of Jordan & Parker,
He was not a man of collegiate education, but he possessed
a strong native intellect, which he had so improved that he
became one of the leading men of his county. He died July
11, 1826, at his home in Winton, and the Raleigh Register
of July 25, 1826, speaks in high terms of this useful citizen.
He left a wife and seven young children to battle wdth the
world. His wife was a Miss Kilbus. James D. Wynns, who serv
ed with Copeland in the
House in 1821, was the young
est son of Benjamin Wynns,
of revolutionary history, and
the uncle of our present
Col, James Wynns. Mr.
Wynns served long as one of
leading justices of the peace,
and as one of the Special
Court of the county for sev
eral years prior to his removal
to Bertie County. He married Sallie Johnson, daughter of
Col. John Johnson, of Bertie, a nephew of Gov. Samuel
Johnson, of Edenton.

JAMES D. WYNNS.

126 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. 0.
Mr. Wynns, after his marriage, moved to his wife's plan
tation below Coleraine, in Bertie, and later moved to Eden
ton, where he resided until his death during the Civil War.
He was a gentleman of refinement and education, polished
in his manners and generous and kind to his neighbors.
When young he was a favorite with his uncle. Gen. Thomas
AA'ynns. John Hamilton Frazier, one of the county's representa
tives in the House in 1818, and her Senator in 1819, was of
an aristocratic Tory family in the county. His father was
Capt. James Frazier, who o-wned a large body of land around
Frazier's Cross Roads, from whom the name of the place
is taken. Captain Frazier was a main of great wealth and
w^hen the colonies seceded from the British govemment he
declined to take sides "with the sons of liberty, and com
manded a company of Tories and fought on the side of the
British in the War of 1776-'82. He was a man of polished
and attractive manners and had many strong friends in the
county who deplored his stand in the mighty struggle for
freedom. His large estate was confiscated. After the war
h© returned to the county, acknowledged his defeat and be
gan to ingratiate himself in the esteem of his former friends.
He was an honest man. He was loyal to th© old country —
the home of his ancestors. He now agrees to pay fealty to
the American cause. His friends forgive him and he is re
stored in the confidence of his old friends.
Through the efforts of that great man, Hai-dy ]\rurfree, he
succeeds in purchasing his former estate which had been
confiscated. His young son, John H., as he grew to man
hood became a great favorite w-ith the people of his county.
Like his father, he was polished in manners, brilliant and
highly educated, and he soon won a i-)lace in the hearts of the
people. Unfortunately, how^ever, he and his cousin, Gen,
Boon Felton, became engaged in some trouble wdiich soon
ended the useful lives of these two men. The nam© is
spelled by some Fraser, but the better authority seems to be
that it is Frazier. The old magistrate of St.' John's, John
Bemburv, married Jaue, daujj^ter of Captain Frazier.

Decade VIL— 1820-1830. 127
Gen. Bridger J. Montgomery represented the county in the
House and Senate frequently from 1818 to 1832, and served
as Clerk and Master in Equity a short time between the
terms of office of Howell Jones and William M. Montgomery,
He was a militia general and a gentleman of splendid phys
ique, popular with the people, and possessed many of the
strong intellectual traits of his father, Robert Montgomery.
He married Mary Cowper and died about 1835. His father
Robert Montgomery was born February 23, 1757, married
Mary Jones, and died October 31, 1808, leaving surviving
him four sons — Bridger J., Dr. John C. Montgomery, Col.
Kerr Montgomery, and George W. Montgomery. Th© latter
married Martha Pipkin, sister of Dr. Isaac Pipkin, and
represented the county in the Senate in 1834 and 1836, and
died in Raleigh while a member of the Senate, leaving sur
viving him his wife and two daughters, the late Mrs. Isaac
Pipkin and Mrs. Su© Frank, of Murfroesboro. His widow
married the late John W. Harrell, of Murfreesboro. Kerr
Montgomery never held any office except th© military office
of colonel in the militia.
Williain Meredith Montgomery, the old Clerk and Master
in Equity from 1833 to his death about 1864, was the son
of Gen. Bridger J. Montgomery. He married Amanda C.
Harrell, sister of the late John W. Harrell and Col. Jarrett
N. Harrell, of Murfreesboro. He lived at Frazier's Cross
Roads and left surviving him several sons and daughters,
among them were the late William Preston Montgomery and
Robert Montgomery, of Norfolk, Va. Mrs. Maggie Mat
thews, of Winton, Mrs. Kate Blanchard, of the to-wn of Hert
ford, N. C, and several others of his daughters married in
the county.
Nancy C. Montgomery, daughter of Robert Montgomery,
Sr., married Bembury Walton, a brother of Wm. Walton, who
married Celia, daughter of James Jones III, his first cousin.
William AValton died July, 1825. The Raleigh Register of
July 26, 1825, contained a notice of the death of this leading
citizen of Pitoh Landing, in Hertford County.

128 Histoey of Hertford County, N. 0.
Col. James Brickl© and his -wife ar© numbered among the
dead during this decade. Colonel Brickie was the last of
th© illustrious family of that name, which had played such
an honorable part in the early history of the county and
State. In February, 1824, Dr. O'Dv^yer says in 'his diary, that
Dr. Thomas Borland, Moses Clements and Capt. James M.
Yancey qualified as magistrates. Abner Harrell qualified
in 1825.
David E. Sumner represented the county in the Senate in
1822 and 1823. He represented Gates County in the House
in 1819 and then moved to Hertford. He inherited from his
great uncle. Gen. Luke Sumner, of Chowan County, a large
.estate, and also inherited a large estate from his great uncle,
Robert Sumner, of St. John's. He was also the gTandnephew
of Gen. Jethro Sumner. Liis wife was Margaret, the daugh
ter of Chief Justice John Lewis Taylor, of this State, and
niece of Judge William Gaston. After th© death of Chief
Justice Taylor in 1829 his widow resided in this county
with her son-in-lajw, David E. Sumner. Sumner was dissi
pated, and, like a majority of young men who inherit large
fortunes, spent it freely. Before many years he had lost the
major part of his patrimony. His widow, after his death,
decided to emigrate with her slaves to Mississippi. The
mode of travel in those days was by private conveyances.
Before reaching her new home she died on the way, it is said,
in a log cabin, alone with her young children and slave ser
vants. Some time after the death of Chief Justice Taylor, his
son, of th© same name of his father, resided in Hertford
County and practiced law. He also was very dissipated.
This young man fell on th© steps of th© Wiaton Hotel
vp-hile beastly intoxicated and died in liiat position. W. T.
Bynum qualified as his administrator in Hertford Oountv

i?lHm7°''t^^ ''"**'°'' ^''^''°'' "^"^"''ed .Tane (-iaston, sister of Judge

William Gaston

Decade VIL— 1820-1830. 129
about 1854. In 1855 Bynum, as administrator of Taylor,
obtained an order from the County Court of Hertford
to sell some lots in Raleigh belonging to his estate. The
sale was confirmed November 27, 1855, by the Court. In
1849 Taylor was li-ving at th© old Jerre D. Askew place,
where Dr. W. H. Sears now resides at Union.
heetfoed county man ass.aulted in gates.
The Elizabeth City Star of May, 1824, gives an account
of a deadly assault in Gates County by six negro outlaws on
a white citizen of Hertford County. Th© Western Card-
linian, of Salisbury, N. C, in its issue of May 18, 1824,
refers to the occurrence as an "alarming affair!" A slave
¦ holder was passing through Gates County on his way home,
when a gang of six negro outlaws, armed with guns, rushed
from a thicket into th© road to assault and rob the white
man. Being unarmed he dashed into the woods and made
his escape. No names are given. The paper further states
that this lawless and desperate gang had for some time be©n
prowling about in th© woods and swamps of Gates and other
counties, committing acts of violence and plunder. Our old
fathers had their troubles and dangers as well as those of the
present day.
" Who breathes must suffer; who thinks must mourn;
He alone is blessed who never was born."
DEATHS OF FINNEY AND EAMSAY.
W. H. Finney, the owner of "Finney's High Hills" and
"Lover's Leap," on th© romantic banks of the Meherrin
River, north of the Borough to-wn, on the farm now ovyned
by the sons of Job R. Hall and wife, Sarah M. Hall, nee
Harrell, died in 1825, and devised his property to his nephew
Thomias S. Fimiey, and Mary, and Elizabeth Banks, daugh
ters of Hardy M. Banks.
Henry Ramsay, the owmer of th© Indian and Queen Hotel,
died in 1827, and devised his property to Henry W. Bell,
and granddaughter Elizabeth R. Moore, and her daughter
Elizabeth Hare.
9

130 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
We leam from O'Dwyer's diary for 1824 that Professor
Peltier, a Frenchman, lived in Murfreesiboro and conducted
a dancing school, and that the young people patronized him
liberally. Also, that the people of the town during those
days were not unlike those of the present day. They were
fond of going to the gallery of Mr. Charles Winesdale and
having their likeness taken. He says he went dovm. one day
and had his likeness taken, and when it cam© the ladies said
it was not a good likeness of him. On one occasion when
he called at Winesd'ale's he found Mrs Rea having her like
ness taken.
The society of the town was gay and festive. He tells us
of the annual dance at the Indian Queen Hotel on the night
of July 4, 1824. He says he went do-wn to the dance and
was surprised to see so few there ; that there were only about
fifty couples on the floor dancing, when at the last annual
dance there were 100.
U. S. Senator Branch was a frequent visitor to th© town
in those days. We have been told by some of the -wise people
that pictures were not taken in thos© days. They are mis
taken. Art and poetry are as old as nations. Sculpture and
painting go back beyond the memory of man. The prin
ciples of photography were practiced by Schule, the Swedish
chemist, as far back as the middle of the 17th century, and
the utilization of Scliule's observation on chloride of silver
in the production of photographic likenesses in England be
gan in th© 18th century and was improved by Joseph Nice-
phore Niepee in th© beginning of the 1911l cenitury. The
photographers and likeness-takers followed the early emi
grants to the Colonies, ¦w'her© the art has reached gi'eat per
fection. One should not think that because the present pro
cess of taking photographs did not exist beyond a certain
period, that no other process existed.
Dr. O'Dwyer tells of many amusing characters in the town.
There were many Irish families living here, and he was a
man who was greatly respected and a prominent citizen.

Decade VIL— 1820-1830. 131
He was proud that he was an Irishman, and he hated to see
his Irish neighbors act ugly. B'amey Ush©r often received a
lecture from him. Usher would get drunk in spite of every
thing. He came one day to O'D-wyer to borrow some money
for his wife to visit Norfolk. The doctor loaned it to his
wife and recorded in his diary, "B. Usher called to borrow
money for his wife to visit Norfolk. He wants to get his
wife away that he may enjoy his rum. He should be
ashamed of himself. His wife is entirely too good for him."
She remained away for two weeks, and Barney could not
hear from her and he became very much distressed for fear
she would not return. H© called to see O'D-wyer and got
his severe reprimand, and sobered up. She returned, and
the old fellow was happy. education.
There exists a mistaken idea as to the education and intel
ligence of our early forefathers in America. Some of the
present day think that we have reached a degree of leaming
and intellectuality far superior to our forefathers of 1776
and of the early days of our republic. For vigorous intel
lect, clearness of judgment, plainness and purity of language,
logical arguments, and the study of man, they were certainly
our equals, if not our superiors.
Bancroft and Wheeler in their historical works, referring
to the days of the Revolution, wrote that "when reading
the resolves of the Provincial Congress, th© Provincial Coun
cils, the District Committees of Safety, and the addresses
which they published to the country, the purity of the lan
guage, the simplicity of style, the cogency of argument, are
so remarkable that they cannot be surpassed by the most
polished productions of the present age. Even in the hand
writing of the men of 1775, as exhibited in th© Journals, vrill
bear a fair comparison with those of the present day, and
perhaps surpass them in ease and plainness."
The same is true of the ages preceding. Such shows that
our forefathers had not been inattentive to the objects of

132 Histoey of Hertford County, N. C.
practical ©ducation. The first Constitution of North Caro
lina written and adopted by her sons in December, 1776,
and th© Constitution of the United States, prepared by the
immortal Thomas Jefferson, th© messages of George Wash
ington to Congress, and his farewell address to the American
people, the State papers and speeches of the early patriots,
are lasting monume'uts to the wisdom and intellectuality of
the olden times, and they stand out to-day in bold compari
son with th© productions of modem times.
In the N. C, Constitution of 1776 it is declared that "all
useful learning shall be duly encouraged and promoted in
on© or more universities" ; and in 1789 the University of the
State at Chapel Hill was established. We find th© question
of education in tli© Province of North. Carolina considered by
the government as far back as 1736. Ther© were, even
then, schools in the country where young men were educated,
and many were sent to the old countries, where they received
the highest university ©ducation and returned to the Prov
ince to aid in guiding th© d©stinie8 of the race. And, fur
ther, the population was being constantly increased from the
earliest day of the country's history by learned and scholarly
men and women from the old countries. History repeats
itself, and th© progress of mankind in the present day in
many of the sciences, inventions, discoveries, and the like,
have not reached the perfection and grandeur of remot© an
tiquity, as disclosed by the exhumation of the buried cities
of the old countries.
In 1825 the county was honored by a visit from Gilbert
Montier, Marquis de La Fayette, the young French General
in th© American Army for freedom. He reached the town
of Murfreesboro from Suffollf, Va., February 26, 1825. The
news of the coming of General La Fayette -«-as made known
throughout the county and the noble sons and daughters of
the county were on hand to greet and honor the distinguished
guest. Maj. John W. Moore tells in his history that a meeting
was held in the town several days prior to the arrival of the

Decade VIL— 1820-1830. 133
great Revolutionary Hero, to arrange for his reception.
"Dr. Thomas Borland presided and WiUiam Rea was Sec
retary. A committee consisting of Col. James Brickie, Dr.
O'Bryan, Lewis M. Cowper and John W. Southall was ap
pointed to meet th© General at Somerton, Va., and escort him
to the to-wn. He stopped at the Indian Queen Hotel, then
o\vned by Henry A. Ramsay. The brilliant young la-wyer,
Thomas Maney, in a speech of welcome, greeted the distin
guished visitor, who graciously replied." The parlors of
the grand old hotel were beautifully decorated with the
national colors and patriotic banners. Th© brass band filled
the hearts and s'O'uls of the assembled multitude -with patri
otic music, the noble and beautiful women of the town and
county on that occasion would have done honor to a presi
dential inaugural ball at the present day. A most dignified
and elite reception was held, when all were given an oppor
tunity to shake hands -with th© general. At 11 o'clock p. m.
they sat down to supper. The people came in from all parts
of the surrounding country the next day to see and shake
hand^ with the great general and join in the great rejoicings.
On Monday following he was escorted to Jackson, where
Chief Justice John Lewis Taylor was holding court.
Leonard Martin, one of Hertford's members in the House
in 1826, had only been a resident of th© county for two or
three years. He was a lawyer and moved here from Pasquo
tank County, which county he had represented in the House
in 1816, and again in 1819 and up to 1822, inclusive. He
died shortly after his return fro'm the session. General
Montgomery and M'artin were conspicuous in that body for
their ability and devotion to the duties of their trust. Elisha
Hunter Sharp was elected to the Senate to succeed James
Copeland, deceased, but only served one term. Senator
Sharp was the eldest son of Maj. Jacob Sharp and the grand
son of Starkey Sharp and his -wife, Sarah Winborne. His
mother was a Nancy Hunter, of Gates County. He mar
ried Sallie Carter, daughter of Major Isaac Carter, and

134 History- of Heetford County, N. C.
reared two sons and a daughter. His son, Jacob H. Sharp,
was a brave Confederate soldier from Mississippi, and was
promoted before the end of th© conflict to the rank of Briga
dier General, and is now living in Columbus, Mississippi.
His second son, Thos, L. Sharp, was also a gallant Confeder
ate soldier from his native county. He entered th© army
as Captain, and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant
Colonel, and was killed in battle at Atlanta, Ga., in 1864.
E. H. Sharp had several brothers and one sister. In 1827
Mr. Sharp was defeated for the Senate by David O. Askew,
of Pitch Landing, who was the grandson of Thomas Outlaw,
of Stony Creek, in Bertie County, whose farm is mentioned
in the boundary of Hertford County, and a nephew of the
old legislator and Moderator of the Chowan Baptist Associa
tion, George Outlaw, of Bertie. Mr. Ask©w was in the Sen
ate again in 1828. Shortly after his return from the Senate
he emigrated to Mississippi, where he still has a number of
descendants. His brother. Dr. Georg© O. Askew, was in the
Senate from Bertie in 1827, and remained a member of that
body for six years. The eminent physician. Dr. A. J. Askew,
of Bertie, who married Miss Ward, of Norfolk, Va., was also
a brother of the Senator. David O. Askew married Martha
Etheridge. Their cousin, John O. Askew, of Piteh Landing.
was the son of George Askew and wife Annie, th© daugh'
ter of George Outlaw, the old
Moderator, and he was the
cousin to the old Congressman,
David Outlaw. Th© Askews
and Outlavsrs wer© people of
wealth and prominence in the
eastern part of th© State.
John 0. Askew married Sarah
A., the daughter of Abner
Harrell, of Harrells-ville, a de
scendant of Abner Harrell,
JOHN o. ASKEW. who was a freeholder and one

¦b>

Decide A^IL— 1820-1830.

135

of the jurors drawn for Bertie in 1740. The Harrells played a
prominent part in the early history of th© county. John 0.
Askew was a man of wealth and high character, and was
born October 11, 1813, and died in 1878, leaving surviving
him three sons, Dr. Abner H. Askew, John O. Askew, Jr.,
W. S. Askew, and two daughters, Mary R., the wife of W. P.
Shaw, Esq., and Pattie E., who married her cousin, W. D.
Askew, of Mississippi, where h© now resides. Sh© died
several years ago.

JOHN O. ASKEW, JR.

MRS. PATTIE B. ASKEW,
Daughter of J. 0. Askew.

David O. Askew had three sons, George, Joseph, and W.
D. Askew, who moved to Mississippi -with their father when
young. Joseph Askew entered th© Conf©d©rate Army and
took a courageous part in behalf of the "Lost Cause," He
receiv©d a severe wound, which resulted in the amputation of
on© of his legs. After the war he served his State as a mem
ber of the Legislature, and as Railroad Commissioner. He
married Willie, the daughter of Gen. Jacob H. Sharp, of
Columbus, Miss,, and died about 1895. His daughter, Miss
Annie Sharp Askew, of Columbus, Miss., and Miss Sarah
Gravier, of Chattanooga, Tenn,, were the maids of honor at
the annual reunion of the Confederate Veterans at New Or
leans, in the spring of 1906. Th© newspapers commenting
on these maids of honor, said: "These two young ladies can
boast of Confederate ancestry equal to any in th© South."

136 Histoey- of Heetfoed County, N. C.
Gen. Jacob H. Sharp is a Hertford County boy. He is
the son of E, Hunter Sharp and wife Sally Sharp, nee Car
ter, as before stated. E. H. Sharp and wife had three
children, Thomas L., Caroline, and Jacob H. Sharp. Thomas
L. was in the Mississippi Senate in 1857 and was a Colonel
in the Confederate army, and killed at Atlanta, Ga., in 1864.
Caroline married Hunter Walker, of her father's adopted
State, and Jacob H. Sharp . entered th© Confederate army,
and -was ranked as follows: Major, Lieutenant-Colonel, Col
onel, and in 1864 was promoted to Brigadier-General. He
married Miss Harris, of Mississippi, the daughter of Judge
Harris of that State. Since the war he has served as State
Senator and at one time was mentioned in connection with
the nomination for the United States Senate. He still lives
in Columbus. He is first cousin to our H. C. Sharp, and
of Capt, William and Col. Thos. H. Sharp.
The little county of Hertford continued to send her ablest
men to th© Legislature, While th© county was sm'all, her
representatives ranked with the ablest. They were not
windy and noisy members, for that was not the character of
her people. In 1827 she returned Gen, Bridger J. Mont
gomery and sent with him her gifted young son John Hill
Wheeler, of Murfreesboro, who had just graduated with, great
distinction at Columbian College, in the District of Colum
bia, in 1826, obtained his law license in 1827. It was soon
discovered that the future had in store greater honors for
young AAHieelor, In 1830 when in his twenty-fourth year he
was nominated by th© Democrats in tlie Edenton district for
CongTess, but he was defeated by the AVhig candidate, Hon.
William Biddle Shepherd. He served in the House of Com
mons for four years. In 1831 he w^as appointed by the
President of the United States Clerk of the Board of Com
missioners under the Convention ^vith France. In 1837 he
was appointed by th© President Superintendent of the U. S.
Mint at Charlotte, whieh office he held until 1841. In 1842

I l\ II ILELEE,
The Hisrorian.

Decade VII. — 1820-1830. 137
he was tendered the nomination for the House of Commons
by the Democrats of Mecklenburg County, but he declined
it. In 1842 he was elected Treasurer of tlie State. He
was married twice; his first wife was Mary Bro-wn, daugh
ter of Rev. 0. B. Brown, of Washington City, and his sec
ond wife w-as Ellen, the daughter of Thomas Stilly, of Phil
adelphia. The -writer remembers well when he made his
graduating speech in Lincoln Hall, in Washington City, at
the end of his course of study at Columbian University in
1874, this old gentleman was in the audience, and sent the
author a congratulatory note on the rostrum and requested
him to remain ; that he wished to talk with him at the close
of the exercises. His kind and gentle words were greatly
appreciated. Colonel Wheeler prepared and had published
in 1857 a most valuable history of the Stat© of North Caro
lina. The AVheeler family are able to trace their lineage
back to the origin of Charles II. The first one of the name
to settle in America was Joseph Wheeler, the son of Sir
Francis Wheeler, an admiral in the English navy during
the reign of King Charles II. Col. Wh©©ler's father was
John Wheeler, who was born June 23, 1771, in New Jersey,
and moved to Murfreesboro about the beginning of th© 18th
century and resided here until his death, August 7, 1832,
leaving surviving him his widow Sarah, who died July 15,
1833, and several sons and daughters — Col. J. H. W'heeler,
Dr. Samuel J. Wheeler, the old postmaster of his native tovni,
and Col. Junius B. AVheeler, Professor of Engineering at
West Point. His daughter Julia married Dr. Godwin C.
Moore. The old merchants at Winton first — ^later at Mur
freesboro — Ephraim AVheeler and Jabez AVheeler — ^were
brothers of John Wheeler.
Elisha A. Chamblee lived near Pitch Landing, and served
in the House in 1829 and 1831. He was a man of means,
but with little experience in public matters. He was a quiet,
but true member. He has representatives in the county
to-day.

138

Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. 0.

ELISHA WINBORNE.

On the 20th of July, 1829,
Elisha Winborne, who lived
near Winton, and one of the
county's justices of the peace,
and late chairman of the
County Court, died in his 37th
year. A good man and a use
ful and honorable citizen. He
and his ancestors had been de
voted sons of th© county for a
long while. April 1, 1819,
lie married one of the noblest
women of her day, Martha Warren, of Southampton County,
Va., and the daughter of Col. Etheldred Warren, an officer
in the Revolutionary AVar of 1776-'82. He left his -widow
with five small children, all under ten years of age, to battle
with the world. His children wer© the late Micajah T.
Winborne, of Mobile, Ala. ; Maj. S. D. Winborne, of this
county ; Dr. R. H. Winborne, of Chowan ; Caroline, wife of
the late Britton S, Moore, of Murfreesboro, and Richard
Winborne, of Tennessee, After the death of the father, his
family was taken to the home of Robert Warren, th© bachelor
brother of the widow, in Maney's Neck, wh©r© they were
cared for and the children educated by that noble man.
Elisha left a fair estate, which Mr. Warren took charge of
and managed for their good. He was the son of Thomas
Winborne and wife, Sarah Copeland, and the grandson of
Maj, Henry Winborne and wife, Sarah Hare.

DECADE VIII.
1830—1840.
The decade from 1830 to 1840 was one of th© most his
torical epochs in the affairs of the county between the War of
1812-1814, and th© stormy times preceding the Civil War
of 1861-1865. During the last decade th© county had lost
by death and removal some of its most distinguished citizens.
Gen. Joseph F. Dickinson, long th© Clerk of the County
Court, a man of great wealth, a brigadier-general in the
War of 1812-'14, a man of decided ability and of great use
fulness, had gone to eternal rest. George Gordon, th© Pub
lic Register of th© county for many years and Clerk of the
County Court for a short time, as General Dickinson's suc
cessor, was taken from the roll. Hon. Wm. H. Murfree, the
lawyer, patriot and statesman, emigrated in 1823 to Ten
nessee. Th© brilliant Thomas Maney also emigrated to Ten
nessee in 1825. Many other such losses the county sustained
during these ten years.
At the May Term, 18307 of the County Court, the follow
ing justices of the peace were present: Thomas Duer, Silas
Parker, Abner Harrell, James D. Wynns, William B. Wynns,
Elisha H. Sharp, Thomas Daniel, Elisha A. Chamblee,
Abraham Thomas, Thomas Borland, John Vann, Lewis M.
Jeggitts, Jacob Hare, Jerry D. Askew, John Granbury, Carr
Darden, Daniel V. Sessoms, Wm. P. Morgan, Kinsey Jordan,
Watson Le-wis, Wm. Nowell, Jacob Sharp, John Winborne,
Elisha Sessoms, Sipha Smith, Bridger J. Montgomery.
This was a grand occasion in th© county, as were all the
May terms of court. Now was the time for the ©lection of
all county officers. All the grand Moguls of the county wer©
present. It was a grand display of splendid citizenship.
The following officers were elected:
John Vann Esq., Chairman of the Court.
Louis M. Cowper, re-elected Clerk of the Court,
Richard Green Cowper, re-elected High Sheriff.

140 Histoey- of Heetford County, N. 0.
James Sidney Jones re-elected County Attorney.
Andrew V. Duer re-elected Public Register.
AA'alter Myrick made Foreman of Grand Jury.
L. R. Jernigan made Officer of Grand Jury.
John A. Anderson elected County Trustee.
Thomas Griffith elected Coroner.
Riddick Cross, Treasurer of Public Buildings.
Miles H. Jernigan elected Entry Taker.
Perry Carter elected County Ranger.
Abner Langston elected County Processioner.
L. R, Jernigan, David C. Cross, Abner Harrell, Edward
K. Jeggitts, Thomas Winborne, Samuel Moore, Starkey
Sharp, Wm, N, Peri-y, Ebenezer P. Alineman and Edward
Moore were elected Constables of the several captains' dis
tricts. THE APPOINTMENT OF INSPECTORS OF CREEKS AND RIVERS.
Isaac Taylor, of Simmons' Mill-race to Bertie line ; Hardy
M, Banks, at Murfreesboro; Michael Britton, at Pitch Land
ing; James S, Scull, from Pitch Landing to Sharp's Mill.
Under our State laws for many years past there were op-
pointed by the County Court one conductor of ©lections for
each election precinct, and two judges or poll-holders for
each ballot-box. The Court at this term appointed the fol
lowing election officers:
Pitch Landing — Abner Harrell, Conductor; John Win
borne and E. B. Noi-fleet, Judges for Senate box ; Thomas B.
Shai-p and W. W. Sessoms, Judges for Commons box ; W. R.
Doughti© and W. P. Britton, Judges for CongTess box.
St. John's — John Granbury, Conductor; D. Carter and
R, Burns, Judges of Senate box ; M, E, Newsom and Stephen
AA^ashington, Judges of House box ; E. H. N©wson and Geo.
AVilliams, -Judges of Congress box.
Murfreesboro — ^Hardy M. Banks, Conductor; Jas. Banks
and Jno. AA^ Southall, Judges for Senate box ; Tristram Cape
hart and Benjamin B. Camp, Judges for Commons box; J. A.
Brown and E. D. Britt, Judges for Congress box.

Decade VIIL— 1830-1840. 141
Winton — James D. AA'ynns, Conductor; J. A. Anderson
and G. W. Montgomery, Judges for Senate box ; Edw. Shaw
and Pleasant Jordan, Judges for Commons box; R. Cross
and James Jordan, Judges for Congress box.
Deeds were proved and ordered registered ; wills probated ;
overseers of roads, overseers of creeks, guardians for orphan
children, administrators of deceased persons; committees ap
pointed to examine accounts of executors, administrators,
guardians, and report to Court; th© poor looked after and
patrols were appointed; county finances looked after. In
fact, everything' of interest to the county was looked after.
John W. Southall, James Banks, Capt. Benjamin B. Camp,
Lemuel A^'^alentine, Tristram Capehart, were among the fore
men of the grand jury. John Winborne, William Nowell,
David O. Askew, Abram Thomas and Watson Le-wis were ap
pointed a committee to audit the account of Matthias Baker,
administrator of James Banks. And Timothy Ridley, H. L.
Williams, Walter B. Myrick and Tilman D. Vann appointed
a like committee to audit the account of S. D. Clark, adminis
trator of John Whitey.
The above gives you some idea of the old County Court, its
workings, and the dignity of th© office of a justice of the
peace in the olden times. Th© best and most competent men
were in those days selected to perform all public duties.
This system was kept up until abolished in 1868. All of
our honorable fathers served in all th© positions mentioned
above. It was a great honor to be a justice of the peace and
preside in the old county courts of ancient origin. They
were the courts of the people, and were of greater advantage
and interest to the people than any other courts they had.
It was an honor to be selected as foreman of the grand jury,
or its officer, or to be elected a constable in a captain's dis
trict. The best men were always selected for all these posi
tions. They were grand days.
We may mention a few other terms of this histo'ric old
court to show th© new men whb wer© brought forward in

142 History of Hertford County, N. C.
public life. It was no easy task to be mad© a justice of the
peace in those halcyon yet dignified days. When a man's
name appeared on the roll of the justices of the peace in Hert
ford County it was th© strongest evidence that he was a man
of character, of influence, and a worthy citizen of his county.
During the next few years we find added to the list of the
justices the names of Thomas V. Roberts, John G. Wilson
and James Wells, of Murfreesboro; God-win C. Moore and
Edw. H. Newsom, of St. John's; Demsey Vinson and Geo.
W. Montgomery, of Winton district; Thomas B, Sharp and
Kenneth Rayner, of Harrellsville district; Abraham Rid
dick and Samuel G. Darden, of Maney's Neck.
In 1831 L. R. Jernigan was appointed Public Register, to
succeed Andrew V. Duer, deceased. And in 1836 Edw. K.
Jeggitts dislodged the efficient and popular R. G. Cowper
from the office of Sheriff for one term, when the old and
skilful politician recaptured the much-coveted office of High
Sheriff of the county. SOUTHAMPTON MASSACEE.
Hertford Co'unty, on August 22, 1830, sustained an irre
parable loss in th© d©struetion of her records for seventy
years, by the incendiary -act of one Wright AUen, a degen
erate citizen of Northampton County, who lived about five
miles from Murfreesboro, on the road to Conway.
On the 21st of August, 1831, the "Nat Turner Insurrec
tion." or "Southampton Massacre," began in Southampton
County, Virginia, not far from Hertford's northern bound
ary. Nat Turner, a negro slave preacher, then belonging
to Joseph Travis, of Southampton County, was bom October
2, 1800, as th© proporty of Benjamin Turner, of that county,
and was a black, flat-nosed, thick-lip and heavy-jawed
negro. For months preceding the butchery of th© whites Nat had
quietly and secretly organized the negroes in his neighbor
hood to join him, on August 21st, armed with guns, scythes,

Decade VIIL— 1830-1840. 143
axes, loiives, clubs and the like, and to proceed to kill all
the white people — men, women and children — they could
find. They started on their bloody and brutal mission Au
gust 21st, and the first victims were his master, Joseph
Travis, his wife and three children. They continued rap
idly from place to place to add to the number of th© victims
of their brutish natures, until they slaughtered fifty-five, if
not more, whites, before they were checked and captured.
The whole surrounding country was thrown into a great
consternation. Women and children were sent to the vil
lages and towns for protection. A large number refugeed
for safety to Murfreesboro. John Wheeler, of Murfreesboro!,
raised a company of troops and marched quickly to the scene
of trouble and rendered valuable assistance in quelling the
treacherous and bloodthirsty negroes.
Twenty-four of the devils were tried, convicted and exe
cuted. One of the suspects was shot tand killed in th© cam
pus of the C. B. F. Institute in Murfreesboro, and there
buried. His mission being to organize the negroes there to
join in the bloodshed. Nat Turner was captured October
31st and executed November 11, 1831.
A complete and illustrated history of "The Southampton
Insurrection," by Wm. S. Drewry, was published by The
Neal Company, Washington, D. C, in 1900, and should be
read by ©very person desiring to know of some of the trials
and troubles of the Southem people. Southern lif© had its
thoms and thistles as well as its flowers.
" Pleasures are like poppies spread,
You seize the flower, its bloom is shed."
Note. — John Wheeler's Company was composed of 100 men, and a
Company of 75 went from Winton.

144

History- of Heetfoed County, N. C.

DR. GODWIN C. MOORE.

There ar© several on the
¦oil of honor who mad© their
debut as legislators from this
county during this decade.
Dr. Godwin Cotton Moore, of
St. John's, a strong Democrat,
was for the first time ©l©cted, in
1831, over M'aj. Isaac Carter,
to the House of Commons. Dr.
]\Ioore was a highly educated
and polished gentleman. He
was a direct descendant of the
old, the wealthy, and of the leading families — ^the Cottons,
Browns and ]\Ioores of the county. His ancestry ranked
high and was ancient. He married Julia Wheeler, the
daughter of John AA'heeler, of Murfreesboro, and the sister
of the historian John Hill Wheeler, of the same to-wn. Hert
ford was a Whig county, although a Democrat sometimes suc
ceeded in being elected. Dr. Moore was a Baptist, and a
great favorite with the members of that denomination, as
well as with his Democratic friends. He was moderator of
the Chowan Baptist Association for 37 years. Ha-ving grad
uated in the collegiate department of one of the leading uni
versities in our country, he then studied medicine at the
University of Pennsylvania, where he received his diploma
as a graduate in the science of medicine (if you call it a
science), and began the practice of medicine in his native
county and met with great success and reached the highest
standard of a general practitioner in his chosen profession.
His exalted character, his polished manners and his leam
ing well equipped him for any honors in the gift of his peo.
pie. He was in the Senate in 1842 and again in the House
from 1866-1868. He served for a number of years as one
of tbe Special Court in the county, and just before th© Civil
War was Chairman of the County Court. He was a candi
date of the Democratic party several times for Congress and

Decade VIIL— 1830-1840. 145
Presidential Elector, but, belonging to the minority party,
was defeat©d. His daughter Esther married Dr, R. T.
Weaver, of Northampton County. He left several sons,
among them being William Moore and J, G. Moore, of Wash
ington City ; Thomas Moore, of New York, and the historian,
Maj. John AA'. Moore. AA^e have -written of his ancestry in
the first decade.
In 1830 Jacob Hare, of Maney's Neck, defeated Gen.
Bridger J. Montgomery for the Seraate. Hare was the
nephew of Col. Starkey Sharp© II. H© was noted for his
amiable temper and good conduct 'as a citizen. Soon after
his retirement fro^m the Legislature he movo'd South.
In 1830 Maj. Isaac Carter was ©lected to the House with
John H, Wheeler. Carter was said to' be a wily politician,
but Dr. G. C. Moore defeated him in 1831. He, however,
recovered and was re-elected in 1832, 1833 and 1834. He
was the son of Maj. Isaac Carter, who died in Hertford
County July 8, 1792, and who was a captain in the Revolu
tionary War of 1776. Isaac Carter, Sr., left a will in which
he appointed his son, Lazarus Carter, his executor. His
daughter Parthenia married Shadraek Rutland, November
12, 1775. Isaac Carter, Jr., was a major in the militia, and
once Sheriff of the county.
Dr. O'Dwyer says in his diary that a judgment was re
covered against Carter in 1824 for $1,000, growing out of
some act of his while Sheriff. Major Carter had a good
estate and o-wned fifty or more slaves before his death.
John A^ann was in the Senate in 1833.
Sipha Smith, who was in the House in 1833 and 1834, was
one of the old justices of the county, and for a long time, in
the early years of the State, County Surveyor. He lived in
Mill Neck.

Note, — Thos. E. Hare, a prominent lawyer, in Vanndale, Ark,, and
his sister Mrs, J, M. Vann, of the same town, are grand children of
Jacob Hare.

10

146 History- of Heetfoed County, N. C.
Thomas V. Roberts served in 1832. He was from Mur-
fr©esboro, an'd lived on the same lot where th© late Uriah
Vaughan resided. He and the Esums wer© connected. He
was the unci© of th© wife of the late Gen. Matt. W. Ransom,
of Northampton. It is told of him that h© could care for and
manage successfully the money of O'thers, but could not man
age his own. He died in Northampton very poor and almost
friendless. He was an old bachelor, which probably accounts
for his misfortunes. The love, attention and advice of some
good woman would probably have changed his fate. Before
losing his estate h© was very popular and was active and
prominent in county affairs. He was often seen presiding
in the old county courts, and was spoken of as being a good
man, a kind neighbor and a true citizen.
" When sorrows come, they come not as single spies,
But in battalions."
In 1834 George W. Montgomery succe©d©d John Vann as
Senator, and died in Raleigh in 1834 during the session of
the Legislature, and was succeeded by John Vann in 1835.
As we have said, on the night of the 22 d day of August,
1830, one Wright Allen set fir© to the dourt-house in Winton
and in a few hours the building and all the records and me
morials of the county from its origin were reduced to ashes.
It was the greatest calamity that ©ver befell the county. The
records contained the proud history of a nobl© people.
Allen was indicted in court for forging the name of Tim
othy Ridley to a note, and h© thought the note was in the
court-house, and his purpose in burning th© court-house 'was
to destroy the evidence of his guilt. But h© was mistaken.
The note was in the possession of Lewis M. Co-wper, Clerk
of the Court in Murfreesboro. Allen was convicted and
whipped at the whipping-post. No punishment, however,
of the offender, nor any amount of money could or can ever
repair this great public calamity and wrong.

Ho.v. KE.NNETH EAY.S'EE.

Decade VIIL— 1830-1840. 147
constitutional convention of 1835.
The gro-^vth of the State and increase of its population
demanded a change in the organic law of th© State. A Con
stitutional Convention met in Raleigh, June 4, 1835, com
posed of delegates from the counties of the State.
Th© aristocratic Dr. Isaac Pipkin, th© polished and re
served Dr. Godwin C. Moore, and young Kenneth Rayner
were th© candidates in Hertford. The contest was warm and
energetic. It was Rayner's first appearance as a candidate for
political honors. He was young, bright, aggressive, a splendid
debater, and quite an orator. Lie Was elected as the delegate
to th© Convention, and as a member of that body he won lau
rels that stamped him as one of th© foremost young men in the
State. He was also elected to the Legislature that same
year after returning from the Convention.
This was the beginning of a long, brilliant and useful
public life. He soon became th© ideal of the Whig party,
of which he was a member. He served in the Legislature
again in 1836, then a justice of the peace in his county, when
in 1839 he was elected from the Edenton District as a mem
ber of Congress, w-here he s©rv©d continuously until 1845.
He declined a further nomination at th© hands of his party,
and in 1846 again entered the Legislature of his State and
was a member of the House from 1846 to 1852, and in the
Senate in 1854. The Whig party in 1848 tendered him the
nomination for govemor, but he declined it. Charles Manly
was noininat©d and elected. The last political ser-vice he
performed for his county and State was as a member of the
Convention of 1861 that passed th© Ordinanc© of Secession,
After the war h© moved to Mississippi and became a Repub
lican in politics, and was for som© years, prior to Cleveland's
first administration as President of the United States, Solici
tor-General of the U. S. Treasury in Washington, D. C.
He was the son of Rev. Amos Rayner, who lived in Harrells
ville Township where his son was born, and in his palmy

148 History of Heetfoed County, N. C.
days before the war was one of the national leaders of the
Whig party.
Mr. Rayner married Miss Polk, daughter of Col. William
Polk, of Mecklenburg County, and sister of Gen. Leonidas
Polk. His -widow is now living in El Paso, Texas. J. J.
Scull's first wife was Mr. Rayner's sister.
The young but gallant and high-strung Roscius C. Borland,
of Murfreesboro, appeared at the August Term, 1830, of
the Court, as a young lawyer, -with his license -written on
parchment and signed by the great jurists Leonard Hender
son, C. J., and John Hall and Thomas Ruffin, Associate
Justices, and took the oath of an attorney.
In 1835 Borland had won the confidence and respect of
his people and was elected County Attorney to succeed James
S. Jones, Esq., who was then preparing to make his home
in the State of Georgia. Borland was also during this year
elected with Rayner to seiwe his county in the House of
Commons. John Vann was in the Senate. No county in
the State was more ably represented in th© General Assem
bly. Borlanid, on his return from Raleigh, devoted himself
strictly to his profession until 1845, when he moved with
his family to Mississippi. He married Temperance Ram
say, daughter of Henry Ramsay. He was the father of the
lat© Thomas R. Borland, of Norfolk, Va., who was born in
Murfreesboro'. Mr. Borland was one of th© sons of Dr.
Thomas Borland. His health failed and h© went South to
visit his brothers and was taken sick and died in 1847.
On the death roll during this decade we find the names
of Andrew V. Duer, the Public Register for about eight
years just prior to 1831 ; John Benthall, one of the ancient
justices; Elisha Lawrence, the father of the late John V.
Lawrence; John AVheeler and his wife Sarah; Elizabeth
Meredith, relict of the late jolly Capt. L©wis M. Meredith;
Titus Darde'U ; th© blind Capt. Jethro Darden, th© old legis
lator ; Col. Starkey Sharpe II ; Gen. Bridger J. ]\Iontgomery ;
Col. Kerr Montgomery; Isaac Taylor, the grandfather of

Decade VIIL— 1830-1840. 149
W. P. Taylor, of AA'inton; George AA^ Montgomery; Capt.
Benjamin B. Camp; Joseph R,, Julia E., and Leonidas
Camp; Allen Moore; Starkey S. Harrell, Sr., the uncle of
the late Chief Justice Smith; Carr Darden; Charles Gay;
AViUiam H. Finney ; John Moore ; Stephen Graham ; Josiah
Bridgei-, the father of Sheriff John P. Bridger; Jonathan
Jordan; Seth Southall; Rev. Daniel Southall; the old Sheriff
Thomas Deanes; Godwin Cotton; John Hamilton Frazier
and others.
In 1824 Rev. James Delk© moved from Surry County,
\^a., and settled in Murfreesboro, where he ©nter©d upon his
great mission of preaching the gospel with great power and
success. He was an able and eloquent Baptist di-vin©.. No
town in the east had abler pr©ach©rs during this period
than Murfreesboro. Rev. Southall, a Methodist, and Rev.
Delke, the Baptist, turned on the light of true Christianity
with wond©rful effect. In 1830 Rev. Delke, as th© result of
one of his protracted meetings at Meherrin Meeting House,
baptized one hundred and fifty persons. He was twice mar
ried. His first wife, and mother of his children, was widow
Susan Bats Kerr, nee Holloway, by whom he had and reared
one son, James A. Delke, and one daughter, Susan.
His second wife was the -wealthy widow of James Ward,
who died in 1843 — the daughter of James Jones III and
sister of the lawyer, .lames S. Jones, and the mother of Ann
J. Ward, the wife of Maj. John AA'. Moore, and who was the
first graduate at the G. B. F. Institute in July, 1853.
Rev. Delke, after his second marriage, drove around in a
fine carriage, with his blooded horses, his driver dressed in
livery. But this kingly style furnished him by his wealthy
wife did not abate his piety or impair his usefulness. He
died December 4, 1862. His daughter married Francis
NoUey, a tailor in Murfreesboro, and brother of Rev. Geo.
AA'. Nolley, a distinguished Methodist divine in the Virginia
Conference. Their children wer© Marcellus Nolley, the sob
dier and scholarly .salesman of Baltimore ; Emmett W. Nolley,

150 Histoey of Hertford County, N. C.
who married Miss Julia Tolar, of South Carolina, and now
an honored citizen of Fayetteville, N. C. Their daughter
Fannie married a Mr. Oatis, of South Carolina,, and he died
a few years ago. Susan, their youngest child, was a beauti
ful young lady, and married in 1878 Samuel J. Pearce, of
Chowan County. The author and Miss NeUie H. Vaughan,
who afterwards became his wife, were among the waiters at
the wedding, which took place at th© residence of th© bride
in Murfreesboroi. It is now the home of David A. Day and
wife, Ruth R. McDoweU, th© second daughter of Rev. A.
McDowell. Reverend Delke's son, James A., never married, but de
voted his life to teaching and becam© a gr©at educator in Mur
freesboro in this State, and in Murfreesboro in Tennessee.
Leaving Tennessee h© return©d to his native to-wn, and for
over twenty years was a professor in the C. B. F. Institute.
He was a rip© scholar and a most excellent man.
JOHN .VANN.
This distinguished personage came to Hertford County
about 1800 from Gates County, when about 33 years of age.
He appears on the census of Gates County in 1790 as the
head of a family of five males and twoi females, with two
slaves. In 1810 he first appears on the census of Hertford
as the head of a family of seven, and owner of eight slaves.
He was prominent in Hertford County affairs from about
1812 to 1850, when in September of th© last-named year he
died in his eighty-third year. He served in the county as
one of its justices of the peace for about forty years. At the
May Term, 1830, he was elected Chairman of th© Court of
Pleas and Quarter Sessions of the county. He represented
his adopted county in the House of Commons in 1823, 1824
and 1825, and in the Senate in 1833 and 1835, and was a
man of exalted character and fine ability. He remained
Chairman of the Court until his death.
At the November Term, 1850, Thomas Bragg, Esq., after-

Decade VIIL— 1830-1840. 151
wards Governor Bragg, who attended th© courts of this
county, presented to the justices p'residing the following reso
lution :
"Resolved, That w© have heard with the d©6p©st regret of
the death, since th© last term of this Court, of John Vann,
Esq., the late, and for many years pre-vious. Chairman of the
County Court of Hertford — a man venerable for his years,
estimable for his private and public virtues, and we take this
occasion to pay som© tribute to his momory."
The resolution was unanimously adopted by the Court, and
ordered spread upon th© minutes of the Court. This action
of the Justices of the Court and th© Bar is a monument to
his worth, and shows how he lived in the hearts of his coun
trymen. Mr. Vann left several sons to p©rp©tuate the name, and
the fame of this grand old citizen — Tilman D., Jesse B.,
Albert G., John A., Rensselear, and Cordie. The latter died
when young. Rensselear moved South and married and
reared an interesting family. Jesse B. Vann married the
daughter of Luke McGlaughon of his county, and died about
the close of the War of 1865. He represented his county in
the Legislature from 1862 to 1864. He left two sons —
Thomas J. Vann, of Aulander, N. C, and the late J. J.
Vann, Esq., a prominent lawyer of Monroe, N. C.
Albert G, Vann married Harriet Boyette, of Gates County,
the aunt of Gen, W. P. Roberts, and served his county for a
number of years after the late Ci-vil War as a justice of the
peace and County Commissioner. The greatest service he
ever did for his county was in the noble children he be
queathed to his county. He furnished th© county with five
sons and several daughters, all of whom any county would
feel proud. His sons were William, John, Thaddeus E.,
Albert C, and Richard T. Vann.
Richard T., who had the misfortune when a boy to have
both hands crushed off in a cane-mill on his father's farm,

152

Hist(^ey of Hertford County, N. C.

is an eminent Baptist divine and the President of the Baptist
University for Ladies, at Raleigh, N. C.
AA'illiam -was also a Baptist preacher. H© and John died
in the army during the struggle between th© States. Thad
deus E. is one of our leading citizens in Maney's Neck,
having served, soon afte'r his majority, as County Sur
veyor, justice of the jieaee and later as County Commissioner.
He is still one of our magistrates. He married Miss Au-
quilla Brett, daughter of Henry Brett and his wife Amanda,
wdio resided wdiero Mr. Vann and his happy family now
reside. She was the granddaughter of Henry L. Williams,
one of the old justices.
Albert C. lives at his father's old home, and married first
Annie Ne-wsome, the daughter of Joseph Newsome by his
first marriage ; and after her death he married the half-sister
of his first wife. He has often served his county in official
positions. Jcilin A. A^ann, the son of
the old chairman, was much
loved by his people and was
often called to serve them in
some capacity. We first find
him in the office of Constable
in 1840, then Sheriff, next
Clerk of the Superior Court,
in the Legislature from 1864
to 1866, then Clerk and Mas
ter in Equity, next Treasurer
of the county, and finally a
justice of tlie peace aud County Commissioner. In 1875 he
was tlie Democratic candidate in th© county as a delegate to
the Consfitutional Convention, but was defeated by J. J.
Llorton, a Republican, Tlie author's first political speeches
were made in that campaign, advocating the election of Mr.
A ann. He died full of honors, and leavinjr surviving him
three sous and se\-cral daughters. His sons are Henry B.,

JOHN A. VANN.

J J

Decade VIII, — 1830-1840.

153

the late Tr©asur©r of the county; Charles Spurgeon Vann,
Esq., of Edenton, a lawyer of ability, and who represented
th© First S©natorial District in th© General Assembly of
1901, 1903 and 1905, and John E'. Vann, of Winton, who
is one of the county's leading lawyers. He has sensed in his
county as Superintendent of Public Schools, Solicitor of the
Criminal Court, County Attorney and as member of the
Legislature in 1903. He married Miss Graves, of Selma,
N. C, and has honored the county with a still younger John
A''ann. The wife of John A. A'ann was the sister of th© late Dr.
J. E. Newsome and daughter of Michael E. Newsome.
Tilman D. A'''ann, th© oldest son of John Vann, Esq., the
old chairman, lived in !Maney's Neck, a section of the county
which has been noted for a great number of years for its ©le-
gant population. He married Miss Sarah S'hepherd, daugh
ter of Solomon Shepherd, who lived first where J. G. Majette
now resides, but Capt. J. H. Picot says he was living at the
Tilman A^ann place when he died. She was a most excellent
woman. They left no son, but sev
eral handsome and attractive
daughters. One of his daugh
ters, Rowena, married Rev.
R, R. Savage, and they reared
several sons and daughters.
Antoinette married Prof. J.
H. Picot, the veteran school
teacher at Buckhorn Academy,
wdio are th© par©nts of th© emi
nent physician. Dr. L. J.
Picot, of Littleton, N. C, and
of our countyman Guy C, Picot,
Homarselle S. A^ann married Georg© Little, of AA'arren
County, a direct descendant of Maj. Georg© Little of revolu
tionary fame from this county, and of William Little of colo-

MISS ROWENA VANN.

154 History of Heetfoed County, N. C.
nial fame. Willie, another daughter, married Capt. Thomas
D. Boone, a brave soldier in the Confederate Army, and for
years th© efficient Clerk of our Superior Court, which office
he now holds.
Mr. Tilman D. Vann, unlike his brothers, never held an
office except justice of the peace, but he built a monument
to the fame of his county in his children. Among his grand
children ar© Dr. Louis J. Picot, of Littleton, N. C. ; Rev.
Wm, V. Savage, an eloquent Baptist divin© of Churchland,
Va. ; Mrs. James L. Camp, of Franklin, Va. ; Toy D. Sav
age, an attorney at law in Norfolk, Va. ; Guy C. Picot, at
Como, and others.
The Vann family originally belonged to Chowan County,
and John has always been a favorite name in th© family.
In 1756 we find John Vann of Chowan signing the official
bond of Thomas Jones, as Clerk of th© Cro-wn's Court in
Chowan (Col. Rec, vol. 5, p. 611). In November, 1758, the
Committee of Public Claims met at John Vann's house in
Edenton and selected John Starkey as chairman of the com
mittee and Andrew Knox as clerk (Vol. 5, p. 975). On
page 983 he is again mentioned. It seems that in the forma
tion of Gates County in 1779 from parts of Hertford, Per
quimans and Chowan counties, the Vanns were cut off into
Gates. In the U. S. Census of 1790 we find mentioned in
Gates County John Vann, Rachel Vann, Darius Vann and
Thomas Vann. Th© family has been from its ©arli©st his
tory people of strong character and of fair ability. Several
of them have attained to considerable prominence and dis
played great ability. The official record of this county dis
closes how they stand and have stood with the people of Hert
ford for nearly a hundred years. In 1740 John Vann and
William Vann were freeholders in Chowan County and were
on th© jury list of that county.
Col. Charles A^ann of the county was of a different family.
He, after the death of his first wdfe, man-ied Miss Benthall,

Note.— Jno. Vann, of Chowan, married Feb. 25, 1752, .Mrs. Ann Peterson.

Decade VIIL— 1830-1840.

155

sister of our Jack Benthall, and lived near Benthall's Bridge
at th© hom© of our Abner A. Carter, and was in his younger
manhood a man of considerable wealth au'd influence, but
his great kindness in signing bondsi and other money obliga
tions with his friends caused him to spend his latter days
poor and dependent upon the charity of his friends. His
son Jesse Thomas Vann, by his first marriage, died January
5, IS 56, while a bright student at the University of Vir
ginia. Colonel Vann died about 1880. His first wife was
Miss Britt, the aunt of Dr. Thomas P. Britt and Geo. P.
Britt, of Maney's Neck. His sister married William Britt,
who lived near Union, and they were the parents of Unio'u's
chief justice, James E. Britt, and of the mother of Union's
leading merchant, James H. Darden. John Taylor, of Ma
ney's Neck, married Elizabeth Britt, the sister of William
and Mills Britt. Th©y are the parents of Richard J. Taylor
and the late William T. Taylor, of Maney's Neck. William
and Mills Britt both married sisters of Col. Charles Vann.
John Vann, th© Chairman of the County Court, had some
true and faithful assistants in the management of the affairs
of the county. Abraham
Thomas, on© of the Special
Court, was always at his post
of duty. Mr. Thomas was not
only a faithful public servant,
but a man of unblemished
private character, and respect
ed and admired by all who
knew him. It is said of him
that during the period of
twenty-five years he served his
ABRAHAM THOMAS. chuTch at Bethlehem as clerk,
he was only absent on three occasions. Such fidelity to duty
characterized the man's whole life. His parents were James
Thomas and -wife, Elizabeth Pruden. James was a private
in the Revolutionary War, entering the army in May, 1781,

156

HisTOEY' OF Heetfoed County, N. C.

s©rving until its close. Mr. Abraham Thomas married Miss
Nancy Mitchell, of Bertie, the daughter of John Mitehell
and AA^innifred Saunders and sister of James S. Mitehell,
who represented Bertie in the Senate in 1842. The latter
was the father of the Rev. John Mitchell.
Mr. Thomas died April 13, 1879. He had eleven chil
dren, but only four arrived at full age. His daughter Mary-
was the wife of Howell M. Jones, son of Howell Jones, the
old Clerk and Master in Equity in the county. Mr. Jones'
father once lived in Murfreesboro and built the house now
owned by Miss Ella Jester. His daughter Marth'a married
Rev. AA'. P, Britton, His son John Q, emigrated tO' Arkan
sas wdien young, but returned at the beginning of hostilities
in 1861 and entered the war as a private in th© 17th N. 0.
Regiment; was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and sur
rendered with General Lee at Appomattox. He returned
to Arkansas and married Miss Josephine Robertson, of Mem
phis, T'enn,, and is now a wealthy merchant at Vanndal©,
Ark, The youngest son. Dr. Rascius P. Thomas, is a model
citizen of his native county. He is an alumnus of Wake
Forest College, University of Virginia, and the Medical
University of New York ; was moderator of the West Chowan
Baptist Association from 1883 to 1896, and has been presi
dent of the Board of Trustees of the C. B. F. Institute since
1887. While an eminent and
successful physician, h© aban
doned the practice of medicine
several years ago and has en
ergetically, intelligently and
successfully applied his atten
tion to tlie cultivation of the
soil. He married Miss Mary
Green Mitchell, of Franklin
County, in this State,
In 1822 the county gained
a ^'aluable citizen in the per-

DE. R. P. THOMAS.

Decade VIIL— 1830-1840. 157
son of Walter B. Myrick, of Virginia, who married Ann 0.
Neal, of Southampton County, Va. He was a man of sterl
ing character and belonged to that class of men who by their
unbending honesty and frankness makes a country rich. He
bought and built on the land, where he resided up to his
death, February 19, 1871, in Maney's N©ck, and where his
two sons, James L. and W. B. Myrick, now live, and who are
chips of the old block. His first wife died in 1834, leaving
fiv© children, Thomas N., John D., Elizabeth, who became
the "wif© of Dr. Wm. Massenburg, of Sk>uthampton County,
A'^a. Lucy A., who became the -wife of Kader Biggs, late of
Norfolk, Va., and McClure Myrick, who died young. In
1835 he married Mary Barrett, of his native county, and by
her he left two daughters, A^rginia and Helen, and three sons,
David, James L., and Walter B., Jr. Th© father was often
called upon to serve his county in different capacities, as jus-
tic© of the peace, commissioner in the di-vision of lands,
allotting dower, foreman of grand jury. On account of his
great honesty his services were frequently deananded. He
served bravely in the War of 1812 as a private in a Virginia
Company. CONSTITUTION AMENDED.
Under the Constitution as amended by th© Convention of
1835, the State is divided into senatorial districts, and the
number of Senators fixed at 50. The number of members of
the House of Commons fixed at 120. Senators were required
to be possessed in fee of 300 acres of land and only white
persons owming 50 acres of land were allowed to vote for
Senators, and only whit© persons w©r© allowed to vote for
members of th© House.
The Govemor is now elected by the people instead of by
the General Assembly. Infidels and atheists not allowed to
hold office or any place of trust under the laws of the State.
There were other minor changes in th© Constitution of 1776.

158 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
Hertford always boasted of
her fair and beautiful women,
and the chivalry of her sons.
Miss Fanni© Southall was the
daughter of John W. Southall,
of Murfreesboro, by his first
marriage to Miss Johnson.
This picture was taken in
184'8. She was regarded as
one of the prettiest and most
fascinating women in her day.
Miss FANNIE SOUTHALL. A peerless beauty, exalted and
beautiful character, a universal favorite and admired by the
noble and chivalric beaux of h©r day.' She died September
30, 1852, and her death threw a pall of sadness ov©r th© com
munity. H©r beautiful sister, Julia R., married Dr. Thomas
N. Myrick in December, 1847. They lived in Murfreesboro
until just before th© Civil War, when they moved to Florida.
Mrs. Myrick died in th© State of their adoption in 1859, and
her body was brought home and interred in th© family grave
yard in MurfreesborO' by the side of her sister. She l©ft two
sons, John S., now of Texas, and Charles E. Myrick, now of
New York. Her husband. Dr. Thomas N. Myrick, died
July, 1867. In 1860 Dr. Myrick wedded Miss Susan J.
Baker, of Murfreesboro, a most accomplished and elegant
woman, and for a number of years since his death she had
charge, as principal, of the musical department of the C. B.
F. Institute. They reared three children, Walter D. Myrick,
of Texas; Lawrence Baker Myrick, of Norfolk, Va., and one
daughter, Fannie, who died soon after she entered matured
womanhood. Miss Baker was the second daughter of Dr.
John B. Baker, of Gates, the son of Gen. Lawrence Baker,

Decade VIIL— 1830-1840.

159

PERRY C. GREGOHV.

and whose wife was Mary
AA''ynns Gregory. P. C. Greg
ory of Tillery, N. C, one of
the leading merchants in Hali
fax County, is a direct de
scendant from this same Greg
ory family. He is the son of
Casper W. Gregory and wife,
Mary A. Randolph. Gen. Jos
eph F. Dickerson's wife, Peggy
Gregory, was a great aunt of
P. C, Gregory. The Gregorys
of Salisbury, N, C, and of Camden are of the same family.
The mother- of Mary Wynns Gregory was Mary Wynns, a
sister of Benjamin, Major Georg© and G©n. Thomas Wynns,
and she married a Gregory. William Rea, Sr., married
Margaret Wynns, and after her death he married Mary
Wynns. They were daughters of Maj. George Wynns.
The United States is still expanding its territorial posses
sions and increasing the number of States in the Union. In
1845 the "Lon© Star," th© republic of Texas, joins the United
States and b©com©s a State in the Union, and adds another
star on the flag of the Stars and Stripes.
In 1846 England yields her claims to the Astoria settle
ment and the Oregon Territory, and the following new States
have been carved out of that territory: Oregon in 1859,
Washington in 1889, and Idaho in 1890.
From th© territory cedod by M©xico to the United States in
1848, th© following States have been admitted into the
Union: California in 1850, Nevada in 1864, Colorado in
1876, and Utah in 1896, and Arizona Territory includes part
of the territory ceded by Mexico, and the Gadsden's purchase
in 1853. This territory and the Territory of New Mexico,
the Indian Territory, and th© t©rritory of Oklahoma, are
now knocking at the door of Congress, asking to be recognized

160 Histoey- of Heetfoed County, N. C.
and admitted into the galaxy of States in the Union, and
may be admitted during th© year of 1906.
Alaska Territory was ceded to the United States by Russia
in 1867. At the present time there are 45 States in the
Union.

Note.— Since writing the above, Indian Territory and Olilahoma have
been admitted as one State named Oklahoma, and the other two terri
tories are admitted as one State, Arizona, if ratitied by the voters in the
two Territories.

DECADE IX.
1840—1850.
Th© period between 1840 and 1850 is not marked wilii
any great ©vents in the county. Th© loss of many of its
valuabl© citizens was a sad chapter in its history. But while
she received her losses, at the same time she had her r©in-
forcements to heal her wounds. We find added to the list of
Justices of the Peace during liiese ten years James A. Moore,
Abner J. Perry, Wm. N. Perry, W. W. Mitchell, John A.
Anderson, John V. Lawrence, Daniel Valentine, John W.
Harrell, James Barnes, Jethro R. Darden, Wm. M. Mont
gomery, Benj. Bryant, Capt. Samuel Moore, Dr. Edward
Neal, W. D. Pruden, Henry L. Williams, Dr. George W.
Peete, Wm. B. Wise, Thomas P. Little.
This long list of new Justices shows what havoc death and
removals had played with th© s©l©ct men of the county, who
figured in its affairs during the last decade. For the princi
pal county officers during these years see the list of officers in
th© back of th© book. At the February T©rm, 1843, John A.
Anderson r©signed as County Trustee. Elisha D. Brett, of
Maney's Neck, was elected for the unexpired term. At the
May Term, 1843, L. R. J©migan resigned the office of Public
Register, and defeated Brett for Trustee. Patrick Perry was
elected Public Register. James Banks, Tilman D. Vann,
Samuel Moore, Edward F. Dunston, and Thomas J. Deanes
are among th© foremen of the grand jury during this period.
The health of the chivalric and high-strung R. C. Borland,
failed, and he resigned as County Attorney, and leaves for
Mississippi in 1845. W. N. H. Smith was elected at the
November Term, 1845, to succeed Borland. Euclid and
Solon Borland, Micajah T. and Richard Winborne, William
J. and Richard Jordan Gatling, and others, leave the county
to make their homes in th© far west.
W. B. Wynns, th© old High Sheriff of th© county, and
another of the faithful assistants of Chairman Vann, on Feb-
11

162 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
ruary 4, 1840, in the 44th year of his age, passed away,
while in Marianna, Fla., looking after his large interests in
that State. He left an estate valued at about $200,000. He
was the grandson of Benj. Wynns, and nephew of Gen.
Thomas Wynns. He married Martha A. Pipkin, sister of
Dr. Isaac Pipkin, who sur-vived him with two sons, the late
Thomas P. Wynns, son-in-law of R. G. Cowper, and our Col.
James M'adison Wynns, of Murfroesboro. Sheriff Wynns
had three brothers, Benjamin, Thomas, and James Dean
Wynns. Their parents died when they were young, and
Benjamin and Thomas went to th© Island of Bermuda to
their Dean relatives, to be cared for, while Wm. B. and
James D. were taken by their uncle. Gen. Thomas Wynns.
After the boys grew to manhood they engaged in an extensive
trad© between the United States and foreign ports. Thomas
rem-ained on the island, Benjamin was Captain of the Flo
tilla, on© of their vessels, and Wm. B. looked after th© busi
ness at the ports on th© Chowan and Meh©rrin Riv©rs. They
amassed large fortunes. After the English Government abol
ished slavery in 1838, Thomas left th© island and came to
Jamaica, wh©re he remained a short time, then settied in
Brooklyn, N. Y., where he died. Capt. Benj. Wynns mar
ried Miss Baker, a granddaughter of Gen. La-wrenc© Baker,
and in 1824 bought the home of Howell Jones in Murfrees
boro, and on February 12, 1824, settled in that town. He
continued, for several years thereafter, his voyages on the
water. About 1834 h© m'oved to Florida, where h© and his
brother, William B. Wynns, began to purchase lands in the
land of fiowers. By his marriage with Miss Baker h© had
two children, a daughter who died young, and a son, William
Baker Wynns, who was in his day one of th© most promi
nent mon of his State, filling many places of public trust.
Mr. W. B, Wynn, Jr., was married twice. He had no issue
by his first marriage. He had the letter s eliminated from
his surname by an act of the Florida Legislature. His sec
ond wife was Susan Clarke, of Huntsville, Ala,, the daughter

Decade IX.— 1840-1850.

163

COL. JAMES M. WYNNS.

of William Clarke and wife
Susan, of Virginia descent.
He was a brave Confederate
soldier and died in prison
in Elmira, New York, in
1864. He left two sons. Judge
Calvert Wynn, of Florida, and
AVm. B. Wynn, of Marianna,
in the same State. Thomas
P. Wynns, son of Sheriff
Wynns, married the daughter
of R. G. Cowper, and di©d
several years ago in this county. The Sheriff's son, James
M. Wynns, still resides in Murfreesboro. He has served his
people in important positions. In the 10th decad© he served
as Justice of the Peace, and as a member of the Special Court
of the county, entered the Confederate 'army as Captain,
afterwards promoted to th© rank of Colon©l. Whil© in the
army h© was elected to serve his oounty in th© Senate in
1864 and 1865, and for years serv©d as a member of the
Board of Education in the county. He loaned his county
$4,000 in gold to aid in equip
ping its soldiors for th© war of
1861-5, which he lost, as all
the counties wer© forbidden by
law to pay any debt contracted
in aid of the so-called rebel
lion. He lost heavily by the
war, but is still in comfortable
circumstances. In 1865 he
married Miss Jennie Bro-wn,
daughter of S. J. S. Brown, of
MISS JENNIE BROWN. j^j^^g Gcorgo Couuty, Va. Mr.
Brown was the Clerk of the Court of his county for nearly
a lifetime.

164 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
Col. Wynns and his wife still live in Murfreesboro at the
beautiful old home of Gen. Jos. F. Dickinson, -with their in
teresting family of three sons and four girls. Col. Wynns is
the only living ex-representative from th© county in the Gen
eral Assembly of th© State who served prior to 1868.
In 1842 the people of Harrellsville, then kno-wn. as Bethel,
as we are informed by Major Moore, but later named for
Abner Harrell, a most estimable citizen of that place, estab
lished, in place of th© former private schools of that place,
th© Union Academy, a school of high grade. Ed-win Evarts,
of Vermont, a well equipped instructor, was called to preside
over its destiny, assisted at on© tim© by th© late Jess© J.
Yeates, and later by Prof. C. F. Lyon. At -this school a
large number of Hertford's young men received their edu
cation, which so well prepared th©m for useful citizenship.
And in the west end of th© oounty, at Elm Grove, about
four miles from the Bo'ro, Alfred W. Darden had conducted,
at his beautiful country home, a high school for young ladies,
with Rev. A. J. Battle as Principal, and several competent
lady teachers as assistants. For years this was a flourishing
and well patronized school. Mr. Darden was himseK a
scholarly man, and his children inherited many of his traits
of character. His wif© was the daughter of John Moore, the
father of Allen, Alfred, and Samuel Moore. Mr. Darden
and his brother, William S. Darden, of Hertford, were sons
of Rev. Jacob Darden, a Kehuke© Baptist preacher in South
ampton County, Va., and for a long time the pastor of Old
Southquay church in that county. A. W. Darden reared
several children. His eldest daughter, Virginia, married
William E. Bond, of Edenton, who wer© th© parents of law
yer W. M. Bond, of that to-wn. W. Carey Parker, late of
Wake Forest, married his daughter, Sarah Quinton. John
D. Gatling, of the oounty, married Lilly, ano'ther of his
daughters. His daughter. Miss Indiana Darden, is a highly
cultured woman and has devoted her life to teaching. When

Decade IX.— 1840-1850. 165
young she was a frequent contributor to the literary maga
zines of the South. His son, Alfred M., served as a gal
lant soldier throughout th© Civil War. After his return
from the battlefield he married Bettie, the daughter of Wil
liam J. HoUey, of Chowan, and reared several children. He
died in the 14th decade. His wife still survives him. His
brother, A. C. Darden, also served in the latter part of the
war. He resides in Murfreesboro Towmship, on a tract of
land owned by his grandfather, and which has been in his
family 100 years. He has married twice. His first wife
was Bettie Dunford, and his second was Maggie, the daughter
of Thomas Overby, tbe loyal pilot of the blockade at Maney's
Ferry during the Civil AVar. His brother Paul di©d while
a soldier in the army.
In 1840 B. T. Spiers, of Maney's Neck, was elected to the
Senate. The amended Constitution of 1835 reduced Hertford's
representation in the House to one member, and the young
lawyer, W. N. H. Smith, who in 1834 return©d" to the
county as a graduate of Yale College, was elected to
the Ho'use. He cam© to the bar in 1839 after elaborate
preparation. He was studious and possessed a great dis
criminating and admirably balanced mind; he soon became
recognized as one of North Carolina's greatest men. After
the adjournment of th© Legislature he returned and devoted
himself strictly to his profession. In 1845 he was ©lected at
torney of the County Court, and remained in office until
August, 1848, when h© r©signed. Elected to the State Senate
in 1848, and by the General Assembly in 1848 elected So
licitor of the First Judicial District, which offic© he held for
nine years. Elias C. Hin©s, of Edento.n, defeated him for
Solicitor in 1857. Hines received 76 votes and Smith 35.
Elected to the House in 1858. Elected to Congress in 1859,
where he s©rved until th© Civil War. In th© long and m©mor-
able contest for Sp©ak©r in th© 36th Congress he was placed

166 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
in nomination, and on one ballot received a majority of the
votes cast for Speaker, but before th© result was announced
several members changed their votes, and he was defeated on
the next ballot. Served as a member of the Conf©d©rate
Congress from th© beginning to the do-wnfall of that govern
ment. Appointed by Governor Vane© Chief Justice, Jan
uary 10, 1878, which offic© he held until his death, November
14, 1889. Lie was a great an'd good man. No greater
eulogy can b© written of any man. His opinions, -written
while Chief Justice, will be compared throughout time -with
thos© of the ablest judges in this country. He was bom in
Murfreesboro September 24, 1812, and resided here until
1869, He, however, never lost his love for his native county
and made his annual visits to his old home throughout life.
He lived in the hearts of his people. His father was Dr.
Wm. L. Smitli, who came to the county from Connecticut and
married Nancy Harrell, the daughter of Nathan Harrell and
granddaughter of the first Starey Sharp, 1741-1791, and
wife Sarah Winborne. Chief Justice Smith married Oli-via
0. Wise, the daughter of Wm. Bartell© Wise, a wealthy mer
chant and leader of Murfreesboro. Thomas Blount Sharp,
who was in th© House in 1838, Starkey Sharp IIL, 1809-
1867, who was in th© Hous© in 1842, and Jacob Sharp, 1814-
1882, who was a member of th© House in 1844, were sons of
Jacob Sharp, Sr., and wife Nancy Hunter, and grandsons of
Starkey Sharp I. and wife Sarah. Col. Starkey Sharp II,
1785-1833, was the son of Starkey Sharp I by his second mar
riage with Jamima Hare. He was the uncle of Starkey III,
Elisha H., Thos. B., J. B,, and Jacob Sharp. He was
Colonel in the militia, and never married. In his will he
gave $1,000 to th© poor of th© county and provided for its
distribution. Col, S. Sharp III was thrice married. His
first wif© was Mrs. Sallie Simons, widow of John Simons and
daughter of Watson L©wis, Sr. His second -wife was Eleanor
Hardy, daughter of LIumphrey Hardy, of Bertie. His third

Chief Justice W. N. H. SMITH.

Decade IX. — 1840-1850. 167
W'if© was Jane Lewis, sister of his first wif©. His daughter
Nannie, by his second marriage, first married James Walton.
The latter died leaving his wife and two daughters surviv
ing. E. D. Scull later married the widow Walton and left
children. Col. Sharp by his last marriage left twoi sons,
Starkey IV. and Hunter, and two daughters, the present Mrs.
Dr. John T. Shubrick, of Rocky M'Ount, N. C, and grandson
of Commodore Wm. B. Shubrick (1790-1874), of U. S.
Navy, and who performed distinguished service in the War
of 1812, and also in th© Mexican AVar. Fannie, who became
the wif© of Hon. Thomas R. Jomigan. Starkey Sharp IV.
married Annie, the very attractive daughter of th© late emi
nent physician, Andrew J. Askew, of Berti©. J. Bembury
Sharp also m'arried a Miss Simons, and they were the parents
of the late -John, James and Charles L. Sharp. John Sharp
was Public Register of the county from 1857-1866, and was
Sheriff from 1878-1880.
Jacob Sharp, another brother, married Elizabeth Simons,
and they were the parents of Capt. Wm. Sharp, of Confeder
ate fame ; Col. Thos. H. Sharpe, of the 17th N. C. Regiment
in th© late Ci-vil War, and of our H. C. Sharp, th© ex-Register
of Deeds of the county. The Sharps have been prominent
and influential people and of wealth in the county for a long
while, and most of thom had military titles, acquired either
in the militia or in the war of 1861-5. The original Col.
Starkey Sharp was the son of William Sharp, who married a
Miss Starkey, of the same family as Edward and John
Starkey, the old colonial legislators from Onslow County, in
this State, and by that marriage the name of "Starkey
Sharp," which has been persisted in so long, was acquired.
In 1844 Richard G. Cowper resigned the office of Sheriff to
accept the Whig nomination for th© Senate against Dr. G. C.
Moore, the Democratic candidate. Moor© had defeated the
Whig candidate, B. T. Spiers, at th© preceding election, but
the old Sheriff was too well drilled in the art and wiles of

168

History of Hertford County, N. C.

GEOR(JE COWPER.

politics to be defeated, and he was triumphantly elected, to
the joy of his party friends.
He and Lewis M. Cowper
were brothers and were
sons of William Cowper,
whose second -wife was the
d'aughter of Capt. Lewis
Meredith, of Murfrees
boro.' They had a brother,
.William, who lived in
Gates County. Wm. Cow
per's first vrife was the
daughter of Wm. Rea.
The Sheriff married the
only daughter of HaiTy
AA'. Long, of Murfrees
boro. Long was a la-wyer
who lived on his lands in M^aney's Neck, until about
1824, wdien he moved to Murfreesbo'ro to live. Georg© Cow
per, the son of the old Sheriff, is very much like his father
in favor. B. T. Spi©rs, the Senator in
1840, was a lawyer by pro
fession, but never practiced.
He resided on his valuable
plantation near Bucldiom, and
enjoyed the frequent visits of
friends. He took life easy.
Ie married Miss Miargarefc
L. Rea, th© daughter of
Sampson Rea, and sister of
Sampson Rea III.
Mr. Spiers was a high-toned and honorable man, a kind
neighbor, and a splendid citizen. He also had a large landed

B. T. SPIERS.

Note. — On July 17, 1714, William Rush and wife Martha conveyed to
WiUiam Sharp 200 acres of land on Wiccacon Creek in Hertford County.

Decade IX.— 1840-1850.

169

estate in Florida, and when the Civil War ended in 1865 he
had in Florida over two hundred bales of cotton. Cotton in
1865 and 1866 sold as high as 60 cents per pound. This was
a fine fortune, but the burdens of the war were so great he
was not permitted to enjoy his fortune long. But few could
carry the burdens caused by the Revolution and th© destruc
tion of property. Money and property wer© gon©, and debts
and suretyship liabilities remain©d. He r©ar©d s©v©ral chil
dren to reflect honor upon his name. His two most excellent,
refined and intellectual daughters wer© Lucy and Margaret
L. Th© former maiTied Dr. Davis Bryant, of Brooklyn,
N. Y,, and the latter married E. L. Hill, Esq., of New York
City. Hill died a few years ago, leaving surviving him his
handsome widow, whose likeness, taken in 1904, is here seen.
]\Irs. Bryant as a young wo
man was a most remarkable
woman. She was a splendid
looking woman, lofty and
beautiful in character and
strong in intellect. She and
her husband, -with their beauti
ful daughter, still reside in
Brooklyn. Mr. Spiers has two
sons, Douglas and William,
living in Florida, and one son,
Tyrone, in California, and
another son, H. McD. Spiers, who lives at the old homestead,
near Buckhorn. This noble old citizen died in the 13th
decade. MEXICAN WAR.
The trouble between Mexico and the United States
about th© boundary lin©. b©tw©en th© two countries culminated
in 1846 in a war, during President Polk's administration.
A call was mad© on the States for troops. Hertford County
was asked for eighteen soldiers. About fifty volunteered
their services, but only a very limit©d numb©r was wanted.

MRS. MARGARET L. HILL.
iiee SPIERS.

170 History of Hertford County, N. C.
When they met in Winton W. N. H. Smith mad© them a
patriotic speech and explained the nature and cause of the
conflict. Finally twenty-four were accepted. Among them
were: Drewry W. Beal, WiUiam W. WiUoughby, Richard
Langston, Tixon Hoggard, and
Junius B. Wheeler, who was a
graduate at West Point and
an officer in th© U. S. army.
AA"e have been unable to get all
the names. This little excite
ment caused th© State to de
mand a reorganization of her
militia in 1847. In Hertford,
Starkey Sharp, of Harrells
ville, was chosen Colonel, and
COL, STARKEY SHARP. g^ J) -Winbome, of Maney's
Neck, who was in his 27th year, was elected Major. Win-
Borne had been a student a few years prior at the U. S.
Military Academy at West Point.
In 1845 AV. N. H. Smith, Elisha D. Brett, Lawn-enc© El©y,
Harrison C. Lassiter and William Hays were elected as mem
bers of th© Board of Superintendents of Public Schools, and
in 1846 J. A. Anderson, Capt. Samuel Moore, W. D. Pru
den and W. W. Mitchell were elected to serve with Mr,
Smith. The people of this county have always taken great
interest in public education.
Mr. Smith, in August, 1848, resigned as County Attorney,
and his half brother, Antonio P. Yancey, was elected, which
position he held until he resigned at August Term, 1851.
He was succeeded by W. D. Valentin©, of Winton, an attor
ney of fair ability, and a man of unstained character. He
had serv©d as Clerk of the Superior Court, His diary was
a most valuable book, but the writer has been unable to get
a copy, Th© death roll during this period contains the^ names of
Timothy Ridley, son of Day Ridley, of Revolutionary fame.

M.A.T. S. D. WINBOENK.
1847.

Decade IX.— 1840-1850. 171
and once Chairman of the County Court. Miles H. Jerni
gan, Rev. Amos Rayner, James WorreU, the father of James
A., and Cyrus E. WorreU, Jordan Gatling, SUas Pai-ker, W.
W. Sessoms, Thomas B. Sharp, Leander Tayloe, father of
the late W. S., James, David, and Capt. Langley Tayloe,
Mrs. James M. Yancey, the mother of W. N. H. Smith, and
Antonio Yancey, passes over the river. Capt. Leander Tay
loe was of the same family as Rev. Jonathan Tayloe, a dis
tinguished citizen of Bertie, and a great Baptist. Th© first
Jonathan Tayloe was a freeholder in Bertie as far back as
1711. Th© second Jonathan Tayloe was in th© war of
1812-14, Henry L, Williams, one of the new Justices of th© Peace
during this decade, lived in Maney's Neck, where Blount
Ferguson now resides, and was engaged largely in the mer
cantile business, and, also, a large planter. He married the
-widow, Mary Chamblee, who had three ohildren by her first
marriage, Elizabeth, William, and John Chamblee. She
had several children by her second marriage to Mr. Williams.
Their daughter, Martha E,, married Adolphus Jones, of
Nansemond County, Va., and another daughter, Amanda,
married Henry C. Brett. The latter were th© parents of
Mrs. T. K Vann and th© late George Culbret Brett. Their
son, Eldridge, married Harriet Darden, daughter of Titus
Darden. H© died leaving his -widow and two daughters sur-
vi-ving him. Their daughter, Aromitta, married Capt. Thos.
Burbage, of Franklin, Va.
Jamos Worr©ll was twice married. His first wife was
Miss Williams, and they had several children, Richard,
James A., and two daughters, who died young. His second
wif© was Mrs. Martha Johnson, nee Whe©ler, sister of John
Wheeler, of Murfreesboro. By this mai-riage he reared two
sons, th© late Dr. Cyrus E. Worrell and John Wesley Worrell.
The late Richard Johnson, of this county, was the son of
Martha AVheeler, by her first husband, Richard W. Johnson.
Miss Wheeler was born in New Jersey in 1749, and died

172 History of Hertford County, N. C.
in Hertford County, May 15, 1827. James Worrell died in
1846. James A. Worrell, like his father, was twice mar
ried. His first wife was Titus Darden's daughter, Harriet,
who first married Eldridge Williams, son of Henry L. Wil
liams. Her daughter by her marriage with Williams was
the first wife of L. F. Lee, th© busy magistrate of the Neck.
Th© wido'W Williams was th© mothor of James A. Worrell's
ohildren. They are the grand-parents of la-wyer J. A. Wor
rell, of Jackson, N. C. Elisha Worrell, a brqth©r of James
Worrell, died March 3, 1824, Their sister married Francis
AA'^illiamson. Richard, the brother of James A. Worrell,
married first Betsy Camp, of Murfreesboro, and they were
the parents of Edward and Richard Worrell, Jr. After the
death of his Camp wife, h© married Rebecca Hardy, the
widow of Charles Hardy, of Norfolk. Dr. Cyrus E. Wor
rell was bom March 10, 1826. He was educated at Buck
horn, Chapel Hill, and the University of Pennsylvania with
distinction. He married, in the 11th decade, Miss Beal, of
Southamp'ton County, Va. H© di©d January 6, 1875, leav
ing his widow and two sons, Julian and Cyrus E. WorreU,
Jr. His widow later married George A. Brett. John Wes-
le'y Worrell married a Miss Eason, of Northampton County.
He died a few years ago leaving his -widow and several
children surviving. They liv© at the old James WorreU
homestead. Charles W. Worrell, the son of James A. Wor
rell, married Miss Rountree, daughter of Capt. A. J. Roun-
tree, of Rich Square, N. C. Joseph E. Carter, of Maney's
Neck, marri©d his daughter, Ida, and his young©st son, Wal-
t©r Worrell, married Miss Lilly Vick, of Murfreesboro. All
of these people were prominent people in Maney's Neck.
Miss Vick was a cousin of Mary A'ick, th© gr©at belle in the
fifties in the Neck, who married Mr. McKenny and moved
to Marianna, Fla., where she died about four years ago.

Decade IX,— 1840-1850. 173
RICHARD JORDAN GATLING.
In 1822 James Gatling, an unlettered but an honorable
man, who years before married Mary Cowper, sister of Wm.
Cowper, died in Hertford County, loaving surviving him two
daughters and two sons, Elizabeth, wife of Charles Gay,
Polly, Wm. Co-wper, and Jordan Gatling. His son, Jor
dan, married Mary Barnes. From this marriage there were
born six sons, th© third son being Richard Jordan Gatling,
who becam© a distinguished American inventor, and was bom
in Hertford County September 12, 1818. His celebrated
revolving battery gun, which bears his name, has given him
a world-wid© fam©. His inv©ntiv© genius began to show it
self in his young days. At th© age of 19 h© hogan to teach
school, but soon abandoned that occupation and ©ngag©d in
merchandising in his native county at Frazier's X Roads.
During that time and shortly after his majority he invented
th© screw-propeller, now so extensively used in steam vessels.
He applied for a patent for his invention, but, much to his
disappointment and sorrow, he discovered that a patent had
already been granted for such an invention. Not being dis
couraged, shortly thereafter, about th© year 1839, he invented
and had patented a seed sowing machine, designed for sowdng
rice, which he afterwards used for sowing wheat in drills.
In 1844 he left his native county and s©ttl©d in St. Louis.
There he had his seed-sowing machine m'anufactured and
placed upon th© market, which found ready sale. In 1850
h© graduated in medicine at th© Ohio Modical College in
Cincinnati, and settled in Indianapolis, but did not practice,
but engaged in the manufacture and sale of his machines.
H© was the first to introduce this class of farm implements
into th© Northwest©m Stat©s, and probably did more than
any other man to secure the adoption of drill culture in the
West. His skill as an inventor received recognition from
several distinguisihed sourc©s, including a m©dal and diploma
from th© Crystal Palac©, London, in 1851, and a gold medal
from th© American Institute, New York.

174 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
He mad© many other inventions, one of them being the
method of using compressed air in working drills in mining
operations and in the construction of tunnels, the invention of
a steam plow. But the invention that gave him a world
wide fame was the invention of the Gatling Gun.
The idea of the machine gun was conceived by him in
1861, and was first constructed and fired by th© inv©ntor at
Indianapolis in 1862. In 1865 h© had twelve of his guns
made by th© Cooper Fire Arms Manufacturing Company in
Philadelphia. They were subjected to a sever© test und©r
direction of the United States War Department. In 1866
the United States Govemment gave an order for 100 of these
guns, which were made at Colts Armory in Hartford, Con
necticut, and delivered in 1867.
Dr. Gatling then made his home in Hartford and con
tinued to 'advertis© his guns to the world. It has now been
adopted by all th© governments of Europe except Belgium,
and nearly all the South American governments.
Technically d©scribed, tlie Gatling gun is a group of rifle
barrels arranged longitudinally around 'a central shaft and re
volving with it. These barrels are loaded at breech -with me
tallic cartridges while the barrels revolve. The gun is oper
ated by two men, one turning the crank, and the other supply
ing th© breech with cartridges, and when in operation it
insures a continuous fire. Dr. Gatling devoted nearly thirty
years of his life to the taslc of perfecting this wonderful in
vention and has personally supervised and conducted the
numerous tests of its efficiency before nearly all the crovraed
heads of Europe. Everywhere he was received with distin
guished consideration, but the honors heaped upon him never
changed him. LI© remained the same well-bred gentleman,
gentle in speech and manner, always preserving that repub
lican simplicity wdiich so well befits the American citizen,
and is the surest passport to kindly recognition.
He received many honors from the associations of Invent
ors and Manufacturers, and from .scientific bodies, both at

Dk. R. j. GATLING,
The Inventor of the Gatling Gun.

Decade IX.— 1840-1850. 175
home and abroad. The State of North Carolina may well be
pi-oud of this modest and industrious son. His eminent per
sonal merit and high scientific achievements refiect honor
upon his American name. He was married at Indianapolis
in 1854 to Miss Jemima Sanders, daughter of Dr. John H.
Sanders, of that city.
Dr. Gatling died February 26, 1903, in New York City,
and was buried at Indianapolis, Ind. His widow and on©
daughter and on© son survive him. Mrs. Gatling resides
with her daughter, Mrs. Hugh O. Pentecost, in New York
City, and his son, Richard H. Gatling, is a speculator in
real estate in the same city.
Dr. Catling's mother was a woman of strong and sublime
Christian character. After the death of her husband in
1848, sh© was often seen riding about th© neighborhood, visit
ing friends, going to church, and looking after her business
alone, in her top gig drawm by her old gentle gray horse.
The Doctor's brother, Wm. J. Gatling, was a lawyer by pro
fession, but after going West became a large operator in the
gold mines of Canada, wLil© his bro'thor Jam©B H. Gatling
lived at the old homestead in M'an©y's N©ck, until h© was
brutaUy murd©r©d in th© morning of S©ptemb©r 2, 1879,
while feeding his hogs, by a crazy man by th© name of Vann.
James H. left an estate worth about $25,000, and during the
settlement of -the ©state by th© -writer, as administrator. Dr.
Gatling mad© fr©qu©nt visite to Murfreesboro. Th© sad fate
of his brother greatly b©r©av©d him. His eldest brother
was Thomas Barnos Gatling, who marriod and left two chil
dren, Isaac and Rebecca ; the latter marri©d Jno. T. Poebles,
of Northampton County, -where they now have descendants
li-ving. William and James H. never married, but were
men of great industry and ingenuity and both we;r© inventors,
as was their noble old father. Mrs. Mary Gatling had three
brothers — Thomas, Josse and Richard Barnes.
Sarah Purdie, of old, who lived across William street from
H. T. Lassiter's lot in the Boro To-wn, was a Miss Sarah

176 History of Hertford County, N. 0.
Maget, th© aunt of th© late John E. Maget and James H.
Maget. Miss Maget first niarri©d on© of th© HiUs. After
his d©ath sh© married a widower Blount. She was a prim
little woman and fond of show and the ball-room, where she
deUghted th© lookers-on by her active and fantastic move
ments on th© well-waxed floor. She was possessed of much
of the -^vorld's riches, and" dressed in the tip of fashion.
After the death of her second husband, sh© married Samuel
Nicholson, of Maney's Neck. He died in the eighth decade,
whil© in New York City on a business -visit. Sometime
after Nicholson's death sh© was courted by Dr. John H.
Purdie, of Enfield, N. C, and she married him. Th© Doc
tor was a high-flyer in society, a hard drinker, and was
heavily in debt. This was unkno^wTi to the rich littl© widow.
Soon after their marriage the Doctor's creditors bounced
dowm on him, and levied on th© personal property of his new
wife to collect their debts. This horrified his little bride,
who had thrice befor© been a bride, and at the end of about
six weeks they s©parated and the Doctor was persuaded to
convey all property rights in her property to Dr. Thos. J.
Harper, in trust for the woman he fooled, and she i-etumed
to her old home in Murfreesboro and lived th© r©mainder of
her days alone with her well-trained colored nurses, who
were devoted to her. Their descendants now often speak
affectionately of old Mistress Purdie. Her will was -written
July 22, 1840, and probated at May Term, 1850. Dr.
Purdie was a descendant of Alexander Purdie, who was ap
pointed Public Printer of the Province of North Carolina
in 1762. Col. Uriah Vaughan administered and settled her
estate. Some of th© fashionable marriages in the lower end of the
oounty in 1848 were: Richard Blount, of Memphis, to Miss
Bartha Sanders, the lovely and admired step-daughter of
Watson Lewis; Watson S. Winborne to th© gentle IsabeUa
Lassiter. In th© midst of these festive occasions th© death
of EUeanor Hardy, the young and beautiful wife of Col.

Decade IX. — 1840-1850.

177

D. PRUDEN.

Starkey Sharp III, brings sadness in the gay and festive
neighborhood of Mill Neck. Miss Saunders had been a
great belle in th© lower end of the county, as were Misses
Mary Vick and Annie Waddill, in Maney' Neck, and many
a stout heart of our young men was pained at her decision to
make her home in the far West. AA^illiam Dossey Pruden was
born in Gates County, Febru
ary 22, 1812, and di©d in Hert
ford County, N. C, January
15, 1874. He was th© son of
Rev. Nathaniel Pruden and
Marcella Newsom, his wife.
His parents on both sides were
of English extraction, his
grandfather James Pruden
having come to this country in
the latter part of the seven
teenth century, or early in the eighteenth, and th© Newsom
family before that time. Rev. Nathaniel Pruden was one
of th© pione©r Baptist preachers of Eastern North Carolina,
whose career commenced at the beginning of the eighteenth
century and continued to his death, about 1818. He was
one of the founders of th© North Carolina State Baptist
Convention. His son was named for the Rev. WiUiam Dos
sey, a prominent Baptist preacher of that day. He was very
young at th© time of his fatiier's death and, his mother hav
ing died befor© his father, he was taken to Hertford County,
N. 0., where he became an inmate of the family of his uncle,
Capt. Michael B. Newsom. Having very littl© estate, he was
deprived of early ©ducational advantages, but availed him
self of such as h© had and acquir©d knowlodge rapidly. When
he was about twonty years of ag© h© became a school-teacher,
among his pupils being th© famous Richard J. Gatling, the
inventor of the Gatling Gun, and many others, who became
prominent in th© county. In 1835 h© married Martha Q.

12

178 History of Hertford County, N. C.
Riddick, the daughter of James Riddick, of Hertford County.
H© was always deeply interested in agriculture, as his an
cestors had been before him for generations, and shortly
after reaching full age he became a farmer and devoted his
entire life to that vocation. He pursued it with unusual
energy and intelligence, and was always successful. About
1835 he bought valuabl© lands in what is kno-wn as th© MiU
Neck district of Hertford County, remarkable for the pro
ductiveness of its soil, for which h© gave his notos. These
notes h© paid promptly wh©n they cam© due, and at the time
of his death h© owned the farm which he first bought, -with
other valuable lands in that community, which lands are stiU
o-wned by his childr©n.
Of his marriage ©ight children were bom, three of whom
died in infancy, and two sons, when -fchey w©re appro-aching
manhood, one of them at the University of Virginia, where
h© was pursuing his ©ducation ; three sur-vived him, of whom
one died shortly thereafter, and his only representatives now
are Mrs. Horatio Hayes, who lives at the old home, and
W. D. Pruden, a lawyer of Edenton.
He was a man of great ind©pendence of thought and action.
Early in life he joined the Methodist church, the first one of
his family in this country who belonged to any other church
but the Baptist. He always, however, had great respect and
attachment for the Baptist church, in which his father and
his ancestors had worshipped. For more than forty years he
was an active member of the Metdiodist church, and one of
its official body. He frequently represented his church in its
annual and quarterly conferences, and took great interest in
everything which pertained to it. He died in its faith.
In politics he was a Whig, until the AVhig party ceased to
exist, and was a good representative of tJiat class of worthy
citizens who largely composed th© Whig party in North Caro
lina. After that he becam© a D©mocrat, and remained one
until his death. He neevr sought or desired office. Fre-

Decade IX.— 1840-1850. 179
quently he presided at th© county conventions of his party,
and was for many years one of lie justices of the peace
of th© county and a member of the Special County Court.
He was an earnest Union man up to the tim© President Lin
coln issued his proclamation caUing for troops to coerce the
States. He believed in the right of secession, but did not
believe that it was at th© tim© practicable or n©cessary. He
clung earnestly to th© old flag, and to th© history and tradi
tions of his country. The discussions between him and some
of his neighbors, who took a different -view, at the neighbor
hood gatherings, were frequent and earnest. He believed
that the allegiance of the citizen was due first to the State in
which he lived, and could not tolerate -th© thought that the
g©n©ral govemment could or would co©ro© the States to re
main in the Union, and when that proclamation was issued
he said to on© of his noarest n©ighbors, who was an earnest
secessionist, "From t'his time on I am as strong as you in
favor of th© Southom Confederacy." No man was more
loyal thereafter to th© South; no man gav© more liborally
and -wiUingly of his means and his talents to the support of
the Southem cause. His sons, except one, w©r© too young
to go into the army. That one did go, -with his approval and
encouragement, and was in the army at th© close of the war.
AVhen th© war closed, like others he found his estate reduced,
labor demoralized, and conditions generally unsatisfactory
and gloomy, but he took up arms vigorously against these
troubles and overcame them, and prospered until his death
in 1874, leading all th© time the quiet lif© of a farm©r. His
wif© died in 1867, and he n©v©r married again, but devoted
himself to the care and comfort of his children. He was a
b©li©v©r in education, and spent a large part of his income
in educating his ohildr©n. All of them who roached matu
rity were given every advantage that the schools of the day
afforded. His oldest daughter, Mrs. Horatio Hayes, now
approaching soventy, a well-educated woman, lives at the

180 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
ancestral home, and his eldest son, W. D. Pruden, of Eden
ton, has been a lawyer in active practice in the First Judi
cial District for more than thirty years.
The record of th© courts and the history of Hertford
County bear testimony to the active and faithful labor of this
man, and his children and friends are justly proud of the
record. In 1703, in the second year of the reign of Queen
Anne of England, and during the government of th© Lords
Proprietors of Carolina, at Edenton, in the county of Albe
marle, John Pruden was a vestryman of St. Paul's Church,
the established church of England. It may be he was the
forerunner of th© Prudens in this country.
GEN. W. D. BARNES.
Judge William Dean©s Barnes, of Florida, was a native
of Hertford County. His parents were Thomas Barnes and
wife, Sarah Barnos, nee D©anes. They lived about five miles
back of Murfreesboro, at the home of the late W. T. Brown.
Mrs. Sarah Barnes was the daughter of the old Sheriff Thos.
Deanes. Thomas Barnes and Mrs. Jordan Gatling were
brother and sister. They moved to Jackson County, Fla.,
in 1847 whil© their son W. D. was at the University of the
State. After he graduated he studied law and located in
Marianna, Fla. H© was in th© Confederate Army and was
promoted to the rank of brigadier-general in the army. After
th© war h© devoted himself to his profession. Th© wrriter
visited him in 1877 and again in 1879 on professional busi
ness. He was a most delightful gentleman and had a lovely
family. His wife was a Miss Cotton, of Raleigh, and sister
of the -wife of Col. W. L. Saunders, the late Secretary of
State of North Carolina. In 1854 he was elected Solicitor
of the Western District of Florida. In 1879 h© was Presi
dent of th© State S©nate. From 1880 to 1890 he was Comp
troller of the State. In May, 1890, h© was appointed Judge
of the First Judicial District of his State, which offic© he
was holding wdien he died in 1896. He was bom in 1830.

DECADE X.
1850—1860.
During the 8th and 9th decades of th© county the Baptist
and Methodist denominations had grown strong. The Meth
odists were in the lead in Murfreesboro, and had established
themselves strongly in AVinton, Harrellsville, Union (form
erly Blue Water), and other places in the county. A rivalry
between these tw-o denominations for mastership began, and
their minist©rs in Eastern Carolina instigated a most unwise
custom of discussing their creeds and doctrines in public
debate. To the writer such vanity seems strange and un
accountable, AVhy peeople striving to glorify the on© great
cominon Lord and Master should p©rmit their differences as
to the mode of worship and the like, to so excite their pas
sions and prejudices to that extent that -will cover up their
love of Christ and of their neighbors, which is the essence of
Christianity, is incomprehensibl© to the -writer.
We were intended to differ, and our differences should not
breed intolerance. Who is to be th© judge ? We cannot
expect perfection on earth.
Plato of old dreamed of a p©rf©ct and happy republic,
when every officer would be guided in his conduct by the
most rigid rules of moral ethics. But h© never realized the
millenium of his dream, nor will w© who diff©r in our notions
of roligious creeds and modes of worship, ever settl© th© ques
tion as to who is right. Love of Christ and of our neighbors
is th© only test of true Christianity. But sometimes these con
troversies, which s©©m on the surfac© to' be productive of so
much imhappy strife, produce the most happy results. This
honorable rivalry between these two strong Christian denomi
nations caused the Baptists of th© Chowan Association, which
received its origin at th© Meherrin church (Parker's) near
the town of Murfreesboro, to establish th© Chowan Baptist
Female Institute in Murfreesboro in 1848. It supplanted
the Banks' school, and during its primeval days was con-

182 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. 0.
ducted in the Banks' School building under th© auspices of
the Baptist denomination of the Albemarl© section. The
Baptists kept at th© h©ad of this institution of leaming from
its origin to th© present time, the foremost teach©rs of their
times. The first president was Rev. Martin Rudolph Forey, a
native of N©w York, and a graduate of Madison University
of that State. Mr. Forey was a Ohristlik© man, of great
literary culture, and of wonderful energy and business sagac
ity. H© gav© th© school a high standard, and its reputation
was quickly heralded throughout th© States. Dr. Forey was
succeeded as head of the institution by that great scholar and
Baptist divine. Dr. William Hooper, the grandson of the
illustrious William Hooper, one of the signers of the immor
tal Declaration of Independence in 1776, and whose picture
now hangs on the wall in Independence Hall in Philadelphia,
reflecting the inteUectuality of that wonderful man.
The distinguished Dr. William Hoop©r was succeeded by
Rev. Archibald McDoweU, of South Carolina, who was a
sublime Christian gentleman and a ripe scholar. Dr. Mc
Dowell died in 1881, and Prof. John B. Brewer, of Wilson,
N. C, a graduate of Wake Forest and a grandson of Presi
dent Wait of that college, was put in charge of this famous
institutio'U of learning and shaped its onward course for a
number of years, when h© was succeeded for a short period
by Prof. W. O. Petty, of South Carolina. The present chief
officer of the institution and successor of Professor Petty, is
Hon. John C. Scarborough, who for sixteen years h©ld the
office of Superintendent of Public Instruction in North Caro
lina, and who so ably guided the educational interests of the
State. There are now about 100 or more young ladies whose
hearts and minds are being trained at this institution of
leaming. Its first commencement was held in 1849.
That same honorabl© rivalry caused th© Methodists in
Eastern North Carolina and Virginia to establish in the

Decade X.— 1850-1860. 183
same to-wn the Wesleyan Female CoUege, and, like the Bap
tists, they kept at the head of their institution of learning the
ablest teachers in the A^irginia Conference of the M. E.
Church, with a most capable faculty. Rev. Joseph H. Davis,
a man of great learning and a devout Christian, was th©ir
first president. He was succeeded by Rev. D. P. Wills, a
gentleman who kept th© college up to the high standard fixed
by his predecessors. Then came the eloquent and gifted
Rev. Cornelius B. Riddick at its head, who presided with
great success for several years when h© was succeeded for a
brief period by Rev. James D. CouUings. The latter was suc
ceeded by that great scholar and divin© of th© Virginia Con
ference, Rev. Paul Whitehead, who is the Chief Justice of
that distinguished body. Then followed as its chief officer
the eloquent, scholarly and chivalrous Rev. William G. Star,
who was at the helm when the magnificent building of the
famous college was destroyed by fire in 1877. The college
was rebuilt in 1881. In th© meantime the dividing line be
tween the Virginia and North Carolina Conferences had been
changed by throwing Eastern Carolina into' the North Caro
lina Conference. After th© rebuilding of the college it was
presided over first by Prof. E. E. Parham, of Warren County,
N. C, and secondly by Rev. R. P. Troy, of the N. C. Con
ference, when it was again destroyed by fir© in 1893. It
has nev©r been rebuilt since th© last fire.
The incalculable benefits received by North Carolina and
Virginia from the above two female colleges in sending out
within their borders educated Christian mothers ar© lasting
monumonts to the founders and fri©nd& of those two foun
tains of knowledg© and of wisdom. If denominational con
troversies and rivalry will always produce such wonderful
and happy results, l©t them continue.
John A. Anderson for a number of years had filled places
of important trusts. He had served for years as Oounty
Trustee, as a m©mber of the Governor's Council during Gov
ernor Manly's administration, and on the death of John

184 HisTOEY' OF Hertford County, N. C.
Vann, Esq., in 1850, he was elected Chairman of the Oounty
Court, and served with marked ability for several years,
when he resigned in 1857, and was succeeded by Dr. G. C.
Moore. In 18'61 he was again elected Chairman of the
Court and held the position to his death, in June of the same
year. Mr. Anderson had a large circle of friends, and was espe
cially a favorite -with the members of the bar, who greatly
enjoyed his hosp'itality during the sessions of th© Court. He
was the owner of a large estate, which was settled by his per
sonal friends John A. Vann and W.-D. Holloman. He was
a descendant of ]\Iaj. John Bro-wn, the old Tory of St. John's.
John A. Anderson was married twice. His first wife,
Elizabeth, died Februai-y 10, 1825, and he afterwards mar
ried the young -widow of Dr. John C. Montgomery, who was
Harriet, the daughter of Leven Duer and his wife Margaret,
and sister to Andrew A*^. Duer, the Public Register, who died
April 17, 1831. At the Spring Term, 1824, of Hertford
Court, the suit of Miss Harriet Duer against Dr. Lawrence
O'Bryan for breach of promise of marriage was tried in
Winton. The jury rendered a verdict in favor of the plain
tiff for $218. Th© costs was said to be about $400. This
would iiidicat© that quit© a number of witnesses were exam
ined. The old bachelors, Patrick Brown and Dr. Thomas
O'Dwyer, had taken considerable interest in the trial and
thought their friend O'Bryan got out very easy. O'Bryan
afterwards married Barsha Gordon and moved South. Bro-wn
said to O'Dwyer on his return from court on the day of the
trial :
"A pretty girl who gets a kiss and runs and tells her mother.
Does what she should not do, and doesn't deserve another "
Miss Duer shortly thereafter married Dr. John C. Mont
gomery, brother of Bridger J. and G. AA^, Montgomery. He
only lived about six months after his marriage.

Decade X.— 1850-1860. 185
Nancy, the widow of Howell Jones, Esq., died January,
1808, and was buried in the Duer graveyard. Howell Jones
was Clerk and Master in Equity for a number of years, and
was the father of Howell Morgan Jones.
John A. Anderson di©d in 1861 in his sixty-fourth year,
and his wif© in 1866. His son, James L. Anderson, who
represented th© county in th© House in 1889 and 1891, died
in 1896, aged 57 years. Mr. Anderson had two daughters —
Mrs. J. W. Faison, of Winton, and Mts. H. B. Knox, of New
Orleans. The latter was regarded as a great beauty in her
younger days.
Lomuel R. Jernigan was one of the most substantial and
influential men of his day in the county. He descended
from a long line of influential an'd honorable ancestors. In
1831, when a young man, he was elected Public Register to
succeed Andrew A'. Duer, deceased, which office h© filled
until 1843, when h© r©sign©d to acc©pt th© office of County
Trustee (which was the same as Treasurer), to which he was
elected in February, 1844, over E. D. Britt by a vote of 19
to 10. J. A. Anderson, John Vann, James L, Grimes and
Dr, Edw. S. Neal voted for John L. Jenkins, the father of
our bank cashier, Paul E'. Jenkins. This office h© held
nntil 1854. His offi'cial position did not occupy th© whole
of his titne, as we find him during th© whole period of
his official life engaged in the mercantile pursuits -with
WiUiam B. Wynns at Barfields, and later with his
brother-in-law, Stark©y S. Harrell, Jr. H© lived a busy
and aotiv© life and accumulated a considerable estate. He
Icept.well posted on all public questions, and those seeking
official position courted his influence and aid. H© was too
old to enter th© Confed©rat© Army, but he served his oounty
and his State in various ways in providing for and looking

L. R. JERNIGAN.

186 Histoey of Hertford County-, N. C.
after the families of the sol
diers in his county. He mar
ried Mary, th© daughter of
Stark©y S. Harrell, Sr., and
granddaughter of Nathan Har
rell. His wife was first cousin
to Chief Justice Smith. His
father was Miles H. Jernigan,
whose will was probated in
February, 1843, and his grand
father was Mills Jernigan, who
was Public Register in the
county from 1800 to 1813, and was Entry Taker shortly after
the War of 1776-1782. Lion. Spencer Jamagan's father was a
relative of Mills Jernigan, of Hertford County, and emigrated
to Tennesse before it became a State and whil© it was a part
of North Carolina. He graduated at Green-viUe College in
1813, studied law and was elected to' the U. S. Senate from
Tennessee as a Whig in 1843 and served from December 4,
1843, to March 3, 1847. He sp©lt his nam© different from
those in North Carolina, but we have found th© nam© Jarna-
gan in the old State records and also in old papers in this
county. It is pronounced in that way ©v©n now by the un
lettered. L. R. Jernigan died D©cemb©r 8, 1866, at Barfi©lds, leav
ing his widow surviving him and two sons and one daugh
ter — John H., Mary H., and Thos. R. Jemigan.
Mr. J©rnigan was succeeded in 1854 'as County Trustee by
Elisha D. Britt, of Maney's Neck, who held the office until
1861. Jethro W, Barnes, th© n©ighbor and friend of Britt,
was County Surveyor from about 1834 to 1858, John P.
Bridger was elected Sheriff at the November Term, 1848,
and remained in office until August Term, 1856, when he
was succeeded by John A. Vann, son of th© old chairman.
Bridger succeeded Abner J. Perry, who succeeded Preston
Perry.

Decade X.— 1850-1860. 187
Among the foremen of the grand jury during this decade
w© find John W. Southall, Uriah Vaughan, L. R. Jernigan,
EUsha D, Britt, S. D. Winborne, Jethro W. Barnes. The
jolly W, B. Day is frequently on hand as th© special officer of
the grand jury, a position which had been frequently held
by Edw. F. Dunston and Constable Thomas Winbome III.
J. B. Slaughter served for a short time as Clerk of Supe
rior Court just prior to G. W. Beverly. He resigned to be
a candidate for the House in 1856 against W. L. Daniel, and
was elected.
Among the new justices of the peace found presiding in
the county courts during this decade are Samuel Moore, Jno.
V. Lawrence, Drewry Vinson, James Barnes, William Dar
den, W. M. Montgomery, Howell M. Jones, John W. South-
all, Jacob Sharp, A. G. Vann, Daniel Valentine, J. B,
Sharp, James A, Riddick, T. D. Vann. In 1857 the fol
io-wing new justices of the peace qualified: John P. Lee,
S. D. Winbome, L. R. Jernigan, Watson Levris, Jr., W. L.
Daniel, James M. Wynns, B. A. Capehart and J©ss© C.
Powell. In August, 1851, A. P. Yancey, on account of bad health,
retires as Oounty Attorney and W. D. Valentine, the former
Clerk of the Superior Court, is elected to succeed Yancey.
At February Term, 1855, W. N. H, Smith qualified as ad
ministrator of his half brother, A. P. Yanc©y, and Daniel
Velentlne, at Nov©mb©r T©rm, 1856, qualified as adminis
trator of his broth©r, W. D. Valentine. Jesse J. Yates was
elected County Attorney at August Term, 1855, and served
until 1860.
A notice of the lat© John V. La-wrence, who was active and
prominent in county affairs during this period will be found
in the 5th decad©, -with th© Rea's, one of whom h© married.
The wealthy 'and elegant and aristocratic ca-vallier, John
W. Southall, another of th© coimty's dignitaries of those
times, is sketched, with th© notice of his father, in the 6th
decade.

188

History of Heetfoed County, N. C.

John Winborne, of the ©ast end of the county, who was
for a long while one of th© county's worthies, died in 1847,
and his highly esteemed son, William J. Winborne, of the
same section, succumbs to fever in th© prime of life during
this period, Elisha Vaughan of th© west end follows.
Edward F. Dunston, of whom we have mentioned, was
one of the old worthies of the Borough to-wn. He married
Miss Mary Louise Vaughan, of th© upp©r Southampton
Vaughaiis,of Virginia, and of revolutionary fame. Edward F.
Dunston was a descendant of John Dunston, a distinguished
Englishman, who came to America in 1723 to fill the office
of Commissioner of Customs at Edenton. He was a man
of fine ability and great prominence, Edward's children by
his marriage w^ere Dr, Henry A^, Dunston, of WindsO'r, N. C. ;
Josephine J. Dunston, Gussie,
and William E. Dunston, now
of Elizabeth City. Gussie has
never married. Josephine, al
ter the late Civil AVar, married
Capt. John J. Dyer, a brave,
daring and handsome Confed
erate soldier. He was from a
long lin© of a soldiery ances
try. His splendid military
bearing was convincing proof
of his nobl© ancestry. They
The daughter was a handsome

MISS JOSEPHINE J. DUNSTON.
reared a daughter and a son.

and stylish woman, but lived but a few months after marry
ing. Their son, R. 0, Dyer, of Richmond, Va,, has much of
the miUtary bearing of his father and of the intell€«tuaHty
of his mother. All of the Dunston children were highly in
tellectual, liv. Dyer after liis marriage bought the large and
valuable Henry Jenkins plantation at Joynersville, in South
ampton County, where he resided until his death a few years
ago, and which is now the home of his widow. Dr. Dunston
is Bertie's leading physician, and one of her most inteUectual
citizens.

Decade X.— 1850-1860.

189

Nearly all of Mrs. Dunston's family wer© killed in the
Nat Turner insurr©ction in 1831. H©r sister was also killed.
Her brother of 19 was permitted to fasten the rope around
Nat Turner's neck that s-wung him into eternity. Mr. Dun
ston died before the conflict of 1861, but his widow was
patriotic to the core. She m'ade and unfurled tlie first Con
federate flag in Hertford County and furnished one gallant
son to th© cause, he being the only on© old enough to enlist.
Daniel Van Pelt Sessoms, of Pitch Landing, was sent in
1850 by the county to the Senate, as successor to AA^. N, H.
Smith, who d©clin©d a re-election, Mr, Sessoms was an
uncompromising Whig in politics, but an amiable and popu
lar gentleman. Although his occupation was that of a planter,
yet he found time to read and keep well posted in th© current
literature of his day, and was familiar wdth th© political
 issues of the time. He had a
strong and vigorous mind,
and was a most entertaining
conversationalist. Notwith
standing the Democrats were
in th© majority in both branch
es of the Legislature, he re
ceived good consideration as a
member of the minority. He
served on some of th© most im
portant committees. He served
his peopl© as a justice of the
peace for many. years before and aftoT the Civil War. Mr.
Sessoms was bom May 9, 1809, and died October 4, 1888.
H© was th© son of- William Sessoms, whos© -will was probated
in 1844, and his first wife, Elizabeth, was the daughter of
¦Daniel Van Pelt, of this county, and sister of Henry B. Van
Pelt, who was Public Register of the county in 1845 and
1846. Mr. Sessoms was married twice. His second -wife
¦was Eliza Fr6©man, who was a great help to hitaa- in the accu
mulation of his estate'. He left children by both of his wives.

DANIEL VANPELT SESSOMS.

190 History of Hertford County, N. C.
He has a son now living in the oounty bearing his name.
Charles 0. Sessoms is a child by his second marriage. He
had two brothers, W. W. Sessoms and H. B. Sessoms, the
latter being the father of Dr. Jos. W. Sessoms, of Bertie, and
of Mrs. J. J. Perry, th© mother of J. W. Perry, of Nor
folk, Va.
Lion, Kenneth Rayner was in th© Hous© during th© ses
sion of 1850, and by his eloquence and public zeal he con
tinued to refiect great honor on the Hertford people, by whom
h© was greatly admired.
Alb©rt Moore, a AVhig, was defeated for the office of Sher
iff by John P. Bridger, Mr. Moore lived in Maney's Neck,
and was brother to Capt. Samuel Moore, of Buckhorn, Alfred
Moore and Henry Moore, the prince of merchants in the
Borough. Their father was Allen Moore, the brother of John
Moore, who was the father of Mrs, A, W. Darden. The
Moores were leading citizens in their day.
Dr. Edw. S. Neal, who resided in to-wn, where E. C. Wor
rell now resides, passes away with the end of this decade.
He married Anni© Bak©r, granddaughter of Gen. Lawrence
Baker, who is now living in her nin©ti©th year in Washing
ton, N. 0, The late Thomas N. Neal of the oounty was his
brother, and Maj. John B. Neal, of Scotland Neck, N. C,
is his son.
Major Neal is still a gallant and chivalrous son of Hali
fax County, He entered th© Confederate Army April 14,
1861, as a private in Dreux's Battalion of Infantry, in
Louisiana, as from Hertford County, N. C. Later, in 1861,
he was transferred to Company I, 1st N. C. Cavalry, and
elected 2'd lieutenant; later made captain of the company,
and in August 1, 1863, was promoted to th© rani?: of major,
and still later appointed lieutenant-colonel, but th© war was
ended befor© h© received his commission. H© was born Feb
ruary 4, 1839, and aftor reaching manhood and completing
his education married Anni© E., daughter of Richard H.
Smith and wife, SaUie Hall, the daughter of former Judge

Decade X.— 1850-1860, 191
Hall of our Suprome Court, After her death h© marri©d,
F©bruary 22, 1883, Sallie, th© old©st daughter of Dr. Archi
bald McDowell, of Murfreesboro. Major Neal's paternal
grandfather was Thomas Neal and his paternal great-grand
father was Francis Neal. His father cam© to Murfre©sboro
from Mecklenburg County, Va. His sister, Mary S. Neal,
married in 1857, Robert Perkins, of Burke County, N. 0.
His other sisters, Anni© E. and Sarah T. Neal, married, we
think, a gentleman living in Pitt County.
Prof. Geo. W. Neal, th© old school-t©ach©r, marri©d Fan
nie, the daughter of John Hart and -wife Bettie Hart, nee
Dillard, of Murfreesboro. Professor Neal's family came
from Southampton County, Va. Professor Neal and wife
are the parents of our Judg© Walt©r H. Neal.
A FAMOUS lawsuit.
In 1854 the Murfreesboro Gazette, edited and published
by John B. Drinkard and Canozio Fraetor, in th© to-wn of
Murfreosboro, was iJi© oounty newspaper, which often in
volved in trouble those fond of getting their criticisms
in print. Th© "Know-Nothing," a s©cr©t political party,
whose motto was "America for Americans," and their
pass-word was "Sam," was flourishing abo'Ut this time.
It was composed largely of Whigs, but a few D©mocrats were
allowed to join the Winton Lodge. Alfred W. Darden, a
D©mocrat, joined, but withdrew and published in th© Gazette
a very d©nunjci'atory article, in which he criticis©d -th© order
and its m©mb©rs and ©xpos©d many of its secrets. A com
mittee, consisting of John A. Anderson, R. G. Cowper and
others, acting on bohalf of th© "Know-Nothing" Lodge at
Winton, published in the Gazette som© resolutions of that
body, touching on the conduct of Darden. The latter deem
ing th© resolutions libelous, sued the committee in Hertford
Coninty for $10,000 dam'ag©s, but afterwards he secured the
removal of the suit for trial to Washington Oounty, on ac
count of th© gr©at popularity and influence of the defendants.

192 Histoey of Hertford County, N. C.
Judge Heath, P. H. Winston, Col. David Outlaw and John
P. Jordan appeared for the plaintiff, and W. N. H. Smith,
D. A. Barnes, H. A. Gilliam and Thos. M. Garrett repre
sented the defendants.
The cas© was tri©d b©far© Judg© Caldwell. The very
nature of the suit necessarily caused great excitement, inter
est and feeling in the county. The "Know-Nothing" party
existed in several of the States. Many people from this
county attended th© trial. The speeches of th© attorneys
wer© sharp, spicy and able. The jury gave the plaintiff a
few dollars damages and that was the end of the great
"Know-Nothing Suit."
Mr. Garrett, one of the attorneys, was reared near Cole
raine, in Bertie County, and was prepared for coUege by
Prof. John Kimberly at Buckhorn Academy, in Hertford
County. He graduated at Chapel Hill in 1851 and w^as a
brilliant lawyer; was colonel in the war of 1861-'65, and one
of the bravest of tlie brave. He was killed in the battle of
the Wilderness. '^SOUTHERN star."
Maj. J. W. Moore has furnished us with some information
showing the great energy and enterprise of some of Murfrees-
boro's men. In 1856 there seemed to reappear -the re-vival
of the ancient commercial spirit once so noticeable among the
sons of Hertford. Jesse A, Jackson, who had settled in the
town several years prior, was from New Jersey, and was a
man of great energy and ingenuity. He is now well remem
bered by some of our citizens. He for years operated a saw
mill across the river, where the saw-mill of E. C. Worrell
is now located, and also made the bricks for the two female
colleges in the to-wn, from which he realized a fair profit.
He conceived th© idea in 1856 of building a large steamship
to make regular trips from Murfreesboro to New York,
carrying both freight and passengers. He secured financial
aid from Glines & Graham, a New York commission firm.

Decade X.— 1850-1860. 193
and several of the wealthy citizens of Murfreesboro, Thirty
thousand dollars were consumed in building th© st©amer in
Murfreesboro. Her engines were built at Wilmington, Dela-
-ware. Its model was beautiful and a thing of beauty, and
Jackson's ship was destined to become famous. The New
York firm failed and his hom© friends became uneasy about
their investment and declined to invest any more money in
the visionary project of Jackson. This greatly embarrassed
poor Jackson and brought about his insolvency. The writer
now has some of his unpaid obligations. The great floating
palace was soon sold, and John W. Southall and Capt. Thomas
Badger becam© the purchasers. She was christened the
"Southern Star," Southall and Badger sold her to the U. S.
gov©mm©nt. Th© government had her rechristened "Cru
sader," and she became famous as one of the swiftest keels in
the water and won reno'-wn in chasing steamers engaged in the
unlawful business, just before the Civil War, of importing
-wretched Africans into 'Our Gulf States by the enemies of
the South, in their efforts to make slavery as odious as
possible. In 1852 R. G. Cowper defeated W. W. MitcheU for the
Senate. Watson L. Daniel represented the oounty in the House in
1852 and 1854 as a AVhig in poUtics. Captain Perry was
his opponent in 1852. In 1852 he voted for Matthew W.
Ransom, a Democrat, for Attorney-General of the State, who
was then a briUiant young lawyer in Warren County. This
vote soon ended Mr. Daniel's car©©r as a legislator, and young
attorney Joseph Blount Slaughter d©f©ated him in 1856 for
the Whig nomination and was elected. While it defeated
Daniel, it mad© General Ransom his lifeH-long friend. Attor
ney-General Ransom afterwards becam© a distinguished gen
eral in the Civil War and a United States Senator of national
fame. Major Daniel later served his county as major in the
militia, justice of the peace, chairman of the County Court
and Register of Deeds. H© was the son of Capt. Belcher
Daniel and his wife, Julia Flower.
13

194 Histoey of Heetford County, N. C

Captain Daniel was the son of a sea captain who came
from Ireland about 1760 and settled on Roanoke Island.
Capt. Belcher Daniel was bom in 1776 and moved to Hert
ford County and settled at Pitch Landing in 1820 and died
in 1831. His wife belonged to the same Flower family from
which th© late Governor Flower of New York descended.
"They l©f t three children, all of whom were bom on Roanoke
Island — ^Watson L,, Nancy, and Spencer. The latter became
a celebrated physician and died in 1858. Na,ncy married
Samuel M. Aumack, Sr. Major Daniel died in December,
1889, or January, 1890, while holding the office of Register
of Deeds in the county. For a long while h© and Dani©l
Valentine w^er© engaged as partners in th© m©rcantile busi
ness at Oak Villa, the old home of Col. Matthias Brickie,
near Winton. Daniel Valentine married Miss Duer, and
they were the parents 'of the wif© of John O. Askew, Jr.
Mr. Valentine was the brother of th© old Clerk of the Supe
rior Court, tihe bachelor lawyer, and County Afto'mey, W. D.
Valentine. John Blount Slaughter, the member of the Hous© in 1856,
was th© son of Wm. Slaughter, who married a Miss Blount
and died in 1844. Young Slaughter read law under W. N.
H. Smith. He was not a man of much mental calibr© and
force, but h© secured the confidence of the people and re
tained it throughout life, as -will be seen from the record of
the county aff'airs. He lived to a ripe old age and married
shortly before his death, for the first time.
AA^atson Lewis, Sr., was for a num'ber of years a leading
magistrate and a prominent citizen in the HarrellsviUe sec
tion of th© county, and his descendants are numerous and are
well scattered. He came to the county during the first quar
ter of the nineteenth century from Baltimore, Maryland, and
settled in the section above stated. He was thrice married.
His first wife w^as th© sister of John Winborne, who married
Nancy Simons, of tlie east end of the county, and son

Decade X. — 1850-1860. 195
of William AA^inborne and grandson of Henry Win
bome. By this marriage he had two children — Edward D.,
and SaUie Lewis. Edward married Levinia Askew, daugh
ter of David Askew, and niece of Dr. A. J. Ask©\v. They
had two children — Sallie D, Lewis, who became th© wif© of
John H. Jernigan, son of L. R. Jernigan, and Emma Lewis,
who was the second wif© of Joseph J. Perry,
Watson Lewis' daughter Sallie married John Simons. He
lived but a short time, and later she married Col. Starkey
Sharp and they reared on© child, Nannie, who first married
James Walton and reared two daughters, one of whom mar-
ri©d John Nichols, of Bertie, and the other Walton daughter
m,arried J. H. Flythe, of Northampton County, but now of
Augusta, Ga. After the death of Walton his -widow married
E, D. Scull, of Harrellsiville, and they reared several boys.
Th© second wif© of Watson Lowis was Fannie, the daughter
of Capt. Belcher Daniel, and by his naarriage he had seven
children — ^Nannie, who became the wife of James B. Cham
blee; Watson Lewis, Jr., who m'arried Anna Crutchelow, of
Martin County; Fannie Lewis, who married Thomas Rid
dick, of Gates County, and Dr. .lohn Lewis, who married
Mary Span-ow, of Norfolk, Va. His daughter Jane was the
third -wife of Col. Starkey Sharp. Caroline married Hiram
Harrell, of Berti© County, and his youngest son. Dr. Daniel
W. Le-wis, married Annie Williams, of M'artin Co-unty, where
they now live.
Watson Lewis' third wif© was Sarah Saunders, of Gates
ville. They left no issue.
Watson Lewis, Jr., died in the 13th decade, leaving his
widow and several children sur-viving him.
Thomas Riddick and -wife Fannie are the parents of Sarah
Riddick, who was a most accomplished and cultured lady.
She married a Mr. White, of New York City ; and of Cora
Riddick, who was a -very attractive young lady when th© wri
ter began the practice of his profession. She married W. D.
McAnges, of Suffolk, Va., where they now live.

196

History of Hertford County', N. C.

Dr. John Lewis, who lived near Norfolk, left several
daughters, one of whom the author has seen. She was large
and tall and a handsome and splendid looking woman, -with
a bright and cheerful disposition. She married Col. Alex
ander Savage, of Norfolk, Va. Mrs. Chamblee left one
daughter, who married William D. Adkins.
Mrs. Hiram P. Harrell died several years ago, leaving sev
eral children and her husband surviving her.
Col. Starkey Sharp and his wife Jane are the parents of
Mrs. John T. Shubrick, of Rocky Mount, N. 0. ; of Mrs.
Thos. R. Jernigan, and Hunter Sharp and Starkey Sharp IV.
Dr. Daniel W. Lewis was an officer in th© Confederate
Army. He is still a leading physician in Martin County.
He has no issue. Abner Harrell, late of Har
rells-ville, and for whom the
place was named, was a most
worthy man and a man of a
large estate. He descended
from on© of the oldest fami
lies in the county. He was the
son of Maj. Samuel Harrell,
-who resigned his military office
in 1783. Samuel HarreU was
a soldier in the War of 1776-
1782, a member of the State
Convention of 1788, and a son of Abner HarreU, a free
holder in Bertie County in 1740, as appears from the jury
list of that county. Major Harrell left the following chil
dren: Noah, James, William B., Willis, Isaac, Andrew, and
Abner, Mary and Nancy. George T. Harrell, of Gates
County, is a grandson of M'ajor Harrell, and th© mother of
th© late Hon. J©ss© J. Yeates was the gi-anddaughter of Major
Harrell. Abner Harrell, the subject of this sketeh, was for
a long while a justice of th© peace in this county. He was
married four times. His first wife was Jennie Yeates, an

ABNEK HARRELL.

Decade X.— 1850-1860. 197
aunt of Hon. Jesse J. Yeates. They were the parents of
the -wife of John O. Askew, Sr. Liis second wife was Miss
Norfleet, his third was Miss Nancy Jones., and his fourth was
Miss Mary Womble. He died May 10, 1864, lea-ving sur-
-vi-ving him the following children: Mary, who married the
late Rev. Joshua Garrett, a distinguished di-vine of the Vir
ginia Conference of the M. E. Church, South (Rev. Garrett
left on© daughter, who married Benj. Thach, of Perquimans
County), Mrs, John O. Askew, Sr., Mrs. Benj. F. Beverly
of Union, Mrs. D. W. Reed, Wm. J. Harrell, and A. B.
Harrell. Abner Harrell's son, A. B. Harrell, married Anna Man
sard, a lady of larg© intellectual endo-wmenits and strong char
acter. They were the parents of the late J'ohn Abner Har
rell ; Herbert B. Harrell, the o^vner of the Harrell's Printing
House at Weldon; L. R. Harrell, a planter in Louisiana;
Artemus Harrell, a business man in Pittsburg, Penn. Their
daughter, Melissa Harrell, married Henry Hugh©s, of Vir
ginia, and later of Lexington, Ky. She died leaving a large
family of children, who are 'scattered in the States.
In 1853 the AVhigs renominated and elected Col. David
Outlaw, of Berti©, to Congress. Colonel Outlaw w^as a law^yer
of consummate ability and a regular attendant upon the
courts of Hertford, where he had many kin and a large cli
entage. Thomas Bragg, of Northampton, another compeer -with
Outlaw and Smith at the Hertford bar, and a favorite' of the
people of the patriotic county of Hertford, was elected Gov
emor of the State in 1854 and made Hertford's son, Pulaski
Cowper, his private secretary. In 1859 Govemor Bragg was
elected U. S. Senator to succeed Da-pid S. Reid. U. S.
Senator Asa Biggs was appointed U. S. Judge for North
Carolina, as successor of Judge Henry Potter, who had re
cently died in the ninety-sixth year of his age. Potter was
appointed judge in 1801 to succeed U. S. Judge Sitzgraves.
Thomas L. Clingman succeeded Biggs in the Senate. W. N.

198 History of Hertford County, N. 0.
H. Smith was elected to Congress over Henry M. Shaw by a
majority of 514 votes, and th© immortal Zebulon Baird A''"ance
was first elected to Congress in 1859 from the mountain dis
trict. the eobeets family.
Th© wif© of th© late M'atthew Whatak©r Ransom, a general
in the war of 1861-'65 and a United States Senator from
Noi-th Carolina from January, 1872, to March 3, 1895, was
from 'one of Hertford CoiUnty's old families. She was Miss
Pattie A, Exum, of Noi'thiampton County, N. C. Attorney-
General Ransom and Miss Exum -^vere m'arried in Petersburg,
Va., January 19, 1853.
About the mi'ddl© of the eighteenth century, Jonathan Rob
erts moved to and settled in the territory now embraced in
the boundaries of Hertford County. On July 8, 1766, AVil
liam Griffith, th© then o-wner of th© tract of land near the
present town of Murfreesboro and known as the "Meredith
Field," and on which he resided, sold and conveyed th© same
to Jonathan Roiberts. Griffith built the first grist mill on
Ganey's Creelc -where^ th© E. C. AA^orrell Mill is now located,
Roberts and his wife, Elizabeth, had several children. Their
son Jonathan Roberts, Jr., m'arried Efether AVifkinson, of
Norfolk, Va., and they left several children — Benjamin,
Mary, and others. After the death of Jonathan Roberts, Sr.,
his widow married Capt. Lewis Meredith, by Avhom she reared
quite a family of children. Mary Roberts married James
Maney. Benjamin Robei-ts' married Martha A'aughan, of
Murfreesboro, and lived in Murfi-eesboro at th© residence of
the late Col. Uriah Vaughan. ]\Ir. Roberts died young,
leaving his widow and several children surviving. Dr, Thos.
O'Dwyer, in his diary of 1824, speaks of visiting the widow
Roberts and her maiden sister, Miss Sallie A'augh'an, and the
Roberts children, Benj, Roberts' children were Mary, La
vinia, Esther Wilkinson, Dr, Thomas A'aughan, and Benja
min, Jr. Th© latter died while young. Dr. Thomas V.
Roberts never manned. AA> have before spoken of him.

Decade X.— 1850-1860. 199
Marj^ disappointed Gen. Boon Felton and m'arried Matthias
Brickie ]\Iurfre©, a son of Col. Llardy Murfree, of Murfrees
boro, and they emigrated to Tennessee. Hardy Murfree,
who graduated at Chapel Hill in 1848, was their son. La-
-vinia Esther Wilkinson Roberts married Joseph J, Exum,
of Northampton County in 1829. Their daughter, Mary
Thomas Exum, married Dr. AA-". B. Meares, of AVilmington,
N, C, and di©d in 1881. Their daughter Martha A. (Pat
tie) Exum married Ma,tt. AA". Ransom. Mrs. Ransom is stiU
li-ving. Joseph J. Exum was th© son of Capt. James Thomas
Exum, whos© mother was a Miss Thomas, the aunt of Gen.
Geo. H. Thom'as, of military fame in the war of 1861-'5.
His father was from Sussex CO'unty, Va.
Matt. W. Ransom was a descendant of James Ransom,
whose will was probated in Surry County, Va., in October,
1740. James Ransom, th© second, married Amy Davis, of
Virginia. The third James R/aiusom of Surry County, and
the grandfather of M'att. W. Ransom, moved to AVarren
Oounty, N. C, in 1763, and married Priscilla Jones in
Greenville County, Va., daughter of Edward Jones, of AA'^ar-
ren County, and -widow of Gideon Macon, the father of
Nathaniel M'aoon, of North Carolina.
John Waddill, of Maney's Neck, was one of the county's
foremost citizens for many years prior to the Civil War,
He came to th© county from Virginia during th© first quarter
of th© nineteenth century. He married th© daughter of Sol
omon Shepherd, of Maney's Neck, and built the house where
our Josepih G. Majette, chairman of th© County Board of
Commissioners, now resides, and lived there.
Mr. Waddill was a man of great wealth and culture, and
while he was aristocratic in his bearings, he was a warm
friend of -worthy young men and often showed his apprecia
tion in various ways. His two daughters, Margaret and
Annie, Were great belles, and many a poor fellow was made
sad by the laconic answer, "No." They were noble women.

200 History of Heetford County, N. C.
Finally they married. Margaret became the wife of Edward
Chambers, of Boydton, Va., and Annie became th© bride of
the celebrated Dr. AA^illiam Howard, of Baltimore. His son,
John Waddill, Jr., entered the Confederate Army as lieu
tenant in Company F, 31st Regiment N. 0. State Troops,
but was taken ill and died before entering activ© service.
Jolin Waddill, like many of our wealthy people, became in
the forties the o-wner of valuable cotton plantations in Flor
ida, where he spent much of his time, and where he died
in 1S54.
The decision of the U. S. Supreme Court in the ever
famo'us Dred Scott case in 1858 greatly angered the Republi
can party. Th© Democratic party was still boastful in the
United States. The other parties were in a chaotic condition,
and the followers of th© tottering poHtical organizations
united and fought under name of Opposition. R. G. Co-wper
for the Senate and AV. N. H. Smith for th© House were the
nominees of the Opposition. The Democrats nominated John
W. Moore for the Senate against Co-wper. The latter was
elected by 17 majority. Dr. R. H. AVorthington, who was
defeated for th© Ho'Use before as the Democratic nominee,
declined to again become a candidate and Smith was elected.
The Whigs and the xAmericans or Know-Nothings were be
coming disheai*tened. The Democrats were boastful, warlike
and defiant. On July 14, 1858, was issued the first issue of
the new Murfreesboro paper, "The Citizen," o-wned and edi
ted by Dr. Samuel J. AVheeler, a Democrat, and a strong
and spicy Democratic organ. In 1859 Wheeler sold "The
Citizen" to Charles H. Foster, late of Norfolk, Va., but a
native of Maine, and 0. C. Nicholson. Mr. Foster became
a citizen of th© torwn and soon marriod th© gentl© Susan E.
Carter, daughter of Perry Caiter, of Murfreesboro, a woman
of great musical gifts and suimy disposition. Mr. Foster
was educated at Bowdoin College and was noted for his schol
arship, and grace as a, WTiter. AVhen the struggle came in
1861, on account of his offensive political views, he found it

Decade X,— 1850-1860. 201
-wise to make his escape between the suns and seek shelter in
a more cong©nial clime in the North. Before leaving he sold
"The Citizen" to S. R. Olmsted. He retumed to the county
after the cessation of hostilities and joined the "Carpet-Bag
gers" in their nefarious work against the Southern whites.
At th© n©xt election R. G. Co-wper and Kenneth Rayner
became so displeased with the platform of their dying party
that they sulked. Cowper refused to again run for the Sen
ate, and Slaughter was elected, and Yeates elected to the
House. The Whigs, although their flag did not float as tri-
ump'hantly as in former days, th© brave adherents in Hert
ford were determined to die in a fearless charge. So to off
set "The Citizen," liey secured the brave and brilliant Thos,
J, Gamer, of Northampton Oounty, to come to Murfreesboro
and edit the new Whig paper, "The Southron," which with
vehemence shelled the camp of the fire-eaters and warlike
Democrats. The war destroyed all of the old political parties
in the South. New parties were f omi©d after reconstruction
in the next Decade.
At the commencement -of th© Chowan Baptist Female In
stitute in Murfreesboro, July 1, 1857, the beautiful Susan
Deanes graduated, and to complete the grandeur of the occa
sion, just at the close of the concert, and befor© the melo'dy of
th© sweet strains of music ceased to' please and charm. Rev.
Reuben Jones, of Virginia, who later became Moderator of
the Portsmouth Baptist Association, came forward with Miss
Susan Deanes and in the midst of her sister graduates wer©
united in the holy estate of matrimony by Dr. Wm. Hooper.
Their youngest daughter, Jessie, is now the most interesting
wife of the author's brother, Samuel Pretlow Winbome, who
reigns at the old Winborne Homestead.

202'

History of Hertford County', N, C.

MISS BETOE PRETLOW,

Miss Bettie Pretlow, whose
likeness here appears, is the
maternal aunt of th© author.
She is th© daught©r of Joseph
Pretlo-R' and wif©, Mary Pret
low, nee Hare, of Virginia.
She and her ancestors were
Quakers. She was thoroughly
educated in the schools of her
sect, and was a most gentle,
refined 'and accomplished wo
man. She never married, but
was greatly admired and beloved. She was bom February
12, 1835, and died July 10, 1863, at the home of Major
Winborne in Maney's Neck, who married her sister, Mary H.
Pretlow. This Pretlow family was one of the purest and
finest f'amili©s in the old Commonwealth. "The Winbome
Family" gives th© genealogy and history of this Pretlow
family. The Winbornes are religiously crossed -with believ
ers of nearly all the Protestant churches. The Winbornes
have been for ages Baptist. But they did not believe in mar
rying in their own church. Henry Winborne, who came to this
State in 1742, married a Quaker lady ; his son, Thomas, mar
ried a Quakeress; his grandson, Elisha, married a Baptist;
his great-grandson, Samuel D. Winborne, man-ied a Quaker
ess, and the younger ones have married Episcopalians, Meth
odists, Presbyterians, Christians, and S. P. Winborne, alone,
married a Baptist. Is there amiliing more sublime and at
tractive than the modest and pure-looking Quaker girl ?
SL.AVEEY.
This institution was as old as the country. The first
slaves imported to the Colonies was as early as 1619, if not
earlier. A company was incorporated in England, kno-wn
as the Royal African Company, to carry on the business of
importing savage negi-oes to England and its possessions for
sale as slaves. Queen Anne of England held a large block

Decade X, — 1850-1860. 203
of the stock in this company. At the beginning of th© R©vo-
lution of 1776 slavery existed in all the Oolomes. But in
the North it was not as profitabl© as in th© Sonth, and after
th© Revolution those States began to import their slaves to
the South for sale. After disposing of their slave property
to th© So'uthern States they became active in their opposi
tion to th© institution of slavery. Such a change of front
necessarily engendered resentment. Thus began the strife
which ended in bloodshed between the two sections of our
common country.
" Let fate do her worst; there are relics of joy,
Bright dreams of the past, which she cannot destroy."
THE OLD SLAVE '^MAMMY'.^''
This sublime old character in the Southem hom© is
a relic of the past. Hardly any refined Southem ho-me,
blessed -with children, was -without her. She was a well-
trained nurse; sh© was polite, respectful, gentle, and
loving in her nature. She was the devoted maid of
Mistress and Old Mistress, and generally the "wet nurse"
of the young child of Mistress and the true and de-,
voted friend of the family. Their separation always brought
tears on the cheeks of "mammy" and the children. She was
never neglected by Master and Mistress, and frequently the
recipient of bounties from "little Mistress and young Mas
ter." Nothing but kindness was her share in life. They ar©
a noble part of the history of the Old South.
This brings 'us up to the stormy days just preceding the
volcanic days of the next decade.
JOHN BE0WN''s EAID.
The occasional outbreaks of th© Southern slaves were
greatly due to Northern fanatics and their teachings. In
1859 John Brown, a white man of Connecticut, formed a
diabolical plot to bring about the emancipation of slavery in
the Southern States by inciting the slaves to rise in insur
rection and kill out the whites. Brown was bom May 9,

204 Histoey of Heetford County, N. C.
1800, and grew up to be a sore^eyed fanatic. He engaged
in many enterprises in various parts of th© country, but
failed in all. He then conceived his fanatical plan for eman
cipating the slaves, so he got him up a company of twenty
armed men, and on the night of October 16, 1859, seized
the U. S', Arsenal at Harper's Fen-y, Va,, to secure arms and
ammunition with which to arm the negroes, whom he ex
pected to join him. The negroes failed, however, to meet
him. He was captured October 17, 1859, by Col. Robert E.
Le© with a few U. S. troops, tried for treason October 27,
1859, at Charlestown, Va., and hanged December 2, 1859,
"to a so'ur apple tree." This raid of Bro-wn, while it was
insignificant in itself, he had just made himself odious
to the South by his fanatical partisan teachings in the admis
sion of Kansas into the Union as a State, and his acts were
taken by the So'uthern people to be the result of the Northem
literature on slavery and the speeches of the abolitionists in
Congress. The whole Southern country became aroused, in
dignant, and excited. No doubt but such acts and teachings
on the part of these half-crazed fanatics hastened the war and
prevented the settlement of the troublesome questions be
t-ween the two sections of our country.
About this same time an insurrection was threatened in the
neighborhood of Murfreesboro, in Hertford County, and the
men were armed and placed on guard to protect the to-wn and
the homes. The "Norfolk Blues" were dispatched for, and
upon their arrival things quieted down. The "Blues" re
mained in Murfreesboro until things became quieted and tlie
fears of the people were dispelled. The late Gen. Lawrence
D. Groner, of Norfolk, Va., was one of the officers in com
mand of the Norfolk company. Such things were con
stantly happening throughout the slave-holding States. Sev
eral of our citizens remember distinctly this exciting occur
rence. With such re-oocurring events resulting in the South
from Northem teachings, war was inevitable. Conservatism
and pleas for peace found no place in the minds of men.

Decade X,— 1850-1860. 205
Such acts and the fanatical teachings of the abolitionists
checked the growth of the sentiment in lie South to gradually
abandon slavery.
Now as we look back in the kaleidoscope of the past one
hundred years, and take a view of the struggles and victories
of th© American people and watch the ris©' and progress of its
magnificent ci-vilization and gro-wth in the arts and sciences
and in Chrstianity, and see th© nobl© part th© sons and
daughters of Hertford County have taken in this mighty
drama, and the splendid citizenship sh© has exhibited to the
world, it makes us feel proud that w© have lived, and that
our noble ancestors were among its heroic dead and figured in
making a glorious history for a Christian and liberty-loving
people. The war with Mexico had settled th© troubles be
tween that country and our country, and peace reigned.
The older Wynnses, Brickies, Joneses, S'umners, Hares,
Maneys, Murfrees, Winbornes, Ridleys, Bakers, Hills,
Sharps, Cottons, Harrells, Moores, Dickinsons, Jeggitts,
Montgomerys, Littles, Perrys, Walkers, Colemans, Dardens,
Feltons, Carters, Vanns, Askews, Wheelers, Borlands, South-
aUs, and many others of the old worthies have long since
crossed the river of life and are sleeping in the valley of
dealli. But as we look around and about us at this, the
closing decade of the flrst century of the county's existence,
we find still living -within her confines splendid representa
tive sons and daughtea-s of hter wealthy, proud and influential
old families — ^Wynns, Jonos, Baker, Ridley, Hill, Sharpe,
Cotton, Moore, Harrell, Winborne, Montgomery, Darden,
Jemigan, Vann, Capehart, Lewis, Askew, Wh©eler, South-
all, Smith, Rayner, Yeates, Slaughter, Co-wper, Riddick,
Spiers, Myrick, Bames, WaddiU, Brett, Perry, Rea, Huteh
ings, Lawrence, Vaughan, Sessoms, Pruden and Beverly —
and many others ready and capable to maintain the old stan
dard and continue th© proud record of the fathers and to add
new and additional laurels to the crovra of the county they so
much loved. Yonder in its beautiful campus, shaded by

206 History of Hertford County, N. C.
lovely shade-trees of almost every variety, stood, on the
southem border of the Borough to-wn, the grand and magnifi
cent building of the Chowan Baptist Female Institute; and
just a little north of that stood in the same to-wn the classic
and beautiful building of the Wesleyan Female College,
erected for the higher and nobler education of the noble
daughters of North Carolina., Virginia and other States, pre
sided over by faculties composed of th© best and most efficient
educators. But this magnificent civilization, and this happy,
chivalric, lofty and Christian people, were unconsciously
standing over the foaming billows of an angry revolution
which was soon to follow and did follow in the next decade.
Hertford County was simply a representative county in
its civilization and people in the Southland, which country
was the wonder and admiration of the ci-vilized and intel
lectual world. The history of the Southern States and of
the Southem p©ople will always be read with pride by all
true lovers of lofty and chivalric manhood and of noble and
beautiful womanhood.

DECADE XI.
1860—1870.
The black and angiy clouds of war are again casting their
gloomy shadows over our fair land. Around every fireside
our troubles ar© discussed ; in th© Houses of Congress stormy
debates are heard ; crimination and recrimination are echoed
thronghout the land; patriotism seemed mad, reason de
throned. Newspapers ar© filled with exciting appeals, sup
plications for peace are unheeded, and the American people
stand trembling on the brink of a gigantic war between the
two powerful sections of our common country, -yvhich means
a mighty revolution. The Constitutio'n is bleeding and the
Union weeping. Our calm, placid and peace-loving Smith
is in Congress p'leading for the Union. Slaughter in the
State Senate and Yeates in the House of Commons, trying
to calm the waters of discord, but of no avail. Some of the
States secede, and North Carolina is asked to follow. The
question of holding a convention to considor what action to
take was submitted to the p©opl© and at th© same tim© to vote
for delegates. John H. Jemigan, a brilliant young lawyer
in the county, who had graduated with high honors at the
University of Virginia in 1859, and who was orator at the
annual c©l©bration of the Columbian Club of that University
pn April 12, 1859, was nominated by the people of Hertford
as a delegate to the convention. The election took place Feb
ruary 7, 1861, and the convention was to meet eleven days
thereafter, if a majority of the voters in the Stat© were in
favor of it. Jemi'gan was elected, but the call for the con
vention received but a few votes in Hertford and was de
feated in the State, showing that the "secessionists" were
in the minority in the State. Hertford's organ. The Citizen,
edited by S, R. Olmstead, and published in Murfreesboro,
then eloquently pleaded for the Union. We clip from the issue
of January 17, 1861, of The Citizen, a short poem written

208 History of Hertford County, N. C.
by on© of our fair Hertford ladies, showing the true feeling
of our people. She had just retumed from church on the
solemn day set apart by our Chief Magistrate of the State as
a day for humiliation and prayer, that our Great Father
might subdue the rebellious spirit of man, resto'r© order and
p©ac© again to our country and save our beloved Union from
dissolution :
"lord^ teach us how to pray."
By Annie.
" Within this earthly court to-day,
Dear Lord we meet to fast and pray
That all discord and strife should cease,
That thou might grant our ^Nation peace.
We know no other power can bless,
No other hand can give us rest,
And now we come, Dear Lord, to thee.
Bowed down in deep humility.
On thee alone for help we call ;
Thy word can make us stand or fall.
And now with humble hearts we plead
That our loved country may be freed.
Oh! drive away the gloomy cloud,
That hangs around us like a shroud,
With strife and discords on its folds,
Sending dismay to human souls.
Now stay the mighty torrent, Lord !
If 'tis consistent with thy word,
And change the hearts of sinful men,
And bid them hve in peace again.
Lord, save our dear loved Union, save!
Let it not sink beneath the wave!
Let not the din of battle's roar
Be heard upon our country's shore.
Lord, teach thy children how to pray!
And let them pray from day to day,
Till North and South together meet,
And sisterly — each other greet.

Decade XL— 1860-1870. 209
But oh ! my Lord, if war must come,
Help us say, "Thy will be done!"
On Thee, alone, our hopes are staid ;
To Thee, alone, we look for aid.
To Thee, dear Lord, to Thee we cling;
Order out of confusion bring !
Control man's vile, rebellious mind
And peace around our Union bind."
"Elm Cottage, January 4, 1861."
Such were our dear women. Such was our patriotism and
love of the L'nion. Such was the sublimity, beauty and love
liness of the fair wom©n of the. South. Where else in the
wide world, could such sweet and noble women be found?
It was about this titaie the autlior's first distinct recoUec-
tion of his father begins. Around the fireside at night, after
returning to the bosom of his family from the busy walks of
life, w© n©std©d around his lap in th© pr©s©nc© of mother and
grandmother, and listened to his description of th© horrors of
war, and his lov© for th© Union.
The chivalrous Southem soldiers are willing to fight for
"Dixie Land," the home of heroic and lovely -women of the
South. THE WAR OF 1861-'65.
North Carolina was slow to withdraw from the Union.
She wanted union and peace. She was slow to enter the
Union, being next to the last of the original thirteen States
to enter, which was November 21, 1789. And she did not
-withdraw until she was forced to decide either with the North
or the South. But when this important hour cam© sh© did
not hesitate longer. She, in the Spring of 1861, called her
convention to meet in May, 1861, in Raleigh, and on the
20th day of that month her delegates passed the resolution
of secession and joined the Confederate States. On June
18, 1861, the convention elected Hons. W. W. Avery and
George Davis as Senators -to the Confederate Congress, and
W. N. H. Smith, of Hertford County; Thomas Rufiui, T.
14

210 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
D. McDowell, A. W. Venable, J, M. Morehead, R. 0. Pur
year, Burton Craig, and A. F. Davidson, as Representatives
in the House. Hertford County was represented in this
Convention by her brilliant son, Hon. Kenneth Rayner. The
Convention adjoumed over, from time to time, until about
the last of 1862.
Hon. W. N. LI. Smith was a member of the U. S. Congress
-when his State withdrew from the LTnion, and he was re
elected as a member of the Confederate Congress, and re
mained a member until the government ended. In 1859
there was a protracted contest over the election of a Speaker
of the House of Representatives in the L". S. Congi-ess on
account of th© divisions in party lines. Hon. W. N. H.
Sniith was placed in nomination and received a majority of
the votes, but before the result was announced several North
em members, who had voted for him, changed their votes
and defeated him by one vote on next ballot.
This sang-uinary w^ar between a highly-civilized and Chris
tianized people seems to have been the inevitable result of
the puritanic, selfish and money-loving spirit of the North
on the one side, and the miyielding chivalry and honorable
spirit of th© cavaliers of the South on the other part.
Slavery was at the bo'ttom of this gi-eat stmggle. For haM
a century this sectional fire had been smouldering and the
flames ^vere increasing with the years, until the final c<mflict
came. Sl'avery first existed in tlie New England States. On ac
count of the coldness of the climate and the nature of the
negro, who came from the warm climate of Africa, this class
of labor was found unprofitable in the North. So the slaves of
the North were brouglit South and sold to the planters of the
South, Mliere the climate was better suited to the negro na
ture. After dis]30siiig of their slaves to Southern citizens,
the New Englanders at once became fanatically opposed to
tlie institutiDU of slavery in any of the LTnited States. Or
ganized .societies wer© fonned in the North to disseminate

Decade XL— 1860-1870.

211

.MISS SALLIE LEWIS.

CAFI. L. I . LAWRENCE.

Hertford's sons go to war in defence of her noble women,
and Soutliern homes.

212 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N, C.
poisonous and slanderous literature throughout the Northem
and Western States against the South, and the institution
of slavery. This strife continued, and ended in the unhappy
and bloody war of 1861-'65. The South regarded the elec
tion of Abraliam Lincoln as President of the United States
as the culmination of a wicked and -vicious assault upon its
constitutional rights and its sacred institutions. Th© debates
in Congress for years had been extremely bitter, sectional
and stormy between the members from the two sections. The
temper of the two contending sections mad© it plain that they
could no longer live together under the Co-nstitution adopted
in 1787 to 1789 by the States. The country was wild and
mad with excitement. South Carolina, Georgia, Florida,
Alabama, Missississippi and Louisiana claimed the sacred
compact w^as broken; that the final clash had come. They
at once seceded from the Union, withdrew their members
from the United States Congress, and, by their delegates in
convention assembled in Montgomery, AlaJbam'a, on February
4, 1861, declared their independence. On February 8, 1861,
they formed a union between themselves as' the Coiif©d©rate
States of America, and adopted a constitution for their
mutual protection and government, and invited the other
Southern States to join them. The Constitution adopted
was fashioned after the United States Constitution. Section
7 provides that the importation of African negroes from any
foreign country other than slave-holding States of th© United
States is hereby prohibited. And that Congress shall have
power to prohibit the importation of slaves from any State
not a member of this Confederacy.
Jefferson Davis, of jMississippi, was chosen President, and
Alexander TI. Stephens Vice-President. On the same day a
peace conference of delegates from twenty-one States met in
Washington to try to' avert th© great pending calamity, but
the United States Congress turned a deaf ear to all messages
of peace and compromise. The cry was war and hate. In
December, 1860, South Carolina passed her resolution of

Decade XL— 1860-1870. 213
secession and -withdrew from the Union. In January, 1861,
President Buchanan ordered a re-enforcement of th© gand-
son at Fort Sumter, in South Carolina. This State claim©d
to be an independent State, and that no other gO'vernment had
th© right to invad© her domain without her consent. And
when the United States steamer "Star of the West" was ap
proaching the harbor of Charleston on April 13, 1861, vrith
provisions and re-enforcements for the port, it was fired on
and driven back by a Confederate battery. The war was
now begun. The sad news was flashed over the country, and
preparations for a great conflict rapidly progressed, Lin
coln gets to Was'hington and takes the reins of govornment.
A call is made on th© non-seceding States for troops. This
was the test. What will the other Southem States 'and the
Southern soldiers in the United States army do? They
joined hands with their kith and kin of the South — joined
the Confederate States of America and took up their cause.
The bloo'dy stmggle continued to April 9, 1865, when Gen.
Robert E. Lee, at Appomattox, Va., surrendered to Gen.
IT, S, Grant the Army of Northem Virginia.
Never was such bravery, endurance and skill in war ex
hibited by any part of the ci-^dlized world as was exhibited
by the South©rn army and Southem people in this mighty
conflict. Success crowned the Confederate army in the early
battles of the war. The soldiery of the South was superior
to that of the North, and it was not until the Northern army
was re-enforced by the multitudes of all Europe, thereby
placing in the Northern army, on the fields of battl©, almost
ten men to one on th© Co'ufederate side, that the North was
able to driv© back its Southern foe. North Carolina fur
nished a larger number of soldiers than any Southern
State, and Hertford County sent her full quota of her fairest
and bravest sons, A large per cent of them fell at th© altar
of the "Lost Cause," and their bodies were left sleeping in
distant lands where they surrendered their lives in defence
of what they believed to be right. W© miss them now.

214 History' of Heetfoed County, N. C.
May the Great God of Nations receive their souls in his
wonderful love, and bless them throughout eternity. Noble
heroes were they !
" Soldier, rest! thy warfare is over,
Dream of fighting fields no more.
0 cruel war, what sorrows and pains it entails ! At the
close of the conflict the survivors of the "noble boys" retumed
home, -with a record that excited the admiration of the world,
to see wife, daughter, sister and other dear ones. Some
ar© found. Some are dead and gone. Homes are dilapi
dated; need and almost poverty in place of plenty; money
and property gone ; homes burned ; briars in place of stalks
of cotton, com and other food plants and money products;
teams old and poor ; farming implements worn and unfit to
reclaim tlie fallow lands; the old peopl© at hom© sad and
depressed. Mother, wife and sister, who had been accus
tomed to ease and comfort, now driven to the cook-room and
wash-tub ; father and uncle, who had always commanded and
ordered, now at the plow-handles wdth their bended shoulders.
Such was the picture presented to the returning Southem
soldiers in the Spring of 1865.
SAD^ Y'ET SUBEIilE.
There was much suffering in th© South. The brave moth
ers and tender children were forced 'by the condition of the
Southland to drink from the cup of sorrow and pain. In
1863 Confederate money had so depreciated that it could
hardly be denominated money. It was only worth about five
cents on the dollar, Prorisions wen-© scai'ce, fathers were on
the battlefields, and feeble mothers and little babes were not
able to labor and secure the necessary sustenance for health.
The following incident illustrates much of tlie sadness of
those days in the South:
In 1863 Edward (\ioper, a brave and gallant Confederate
soldier, w^as tried before one of the courts-marital of the
Army of Northern Virginia upon the charge of desertion.

Decade XI. — ^1860-1870. 215
Cooper declined to employ counsel. The Judge Advocate
opened th© case and Cooper's guilt was clearly shown, and he
was then asked to pro'duce his evid©nc©, if any he had. He
stated to the Court he had no witnesses and his only defence
was a letter from his wife, which he handed to the Court.
It read as follows:
" My Dear Edward :
I have always been proud of you, and since your connection with the
Confederate army, I have been prouder of you than ever before. I
would not have you do anything wrong for the world ; but before God,
Edward, unless you come home, we must die. Last night I was aroused
by httle Eddie's crying, I called and said, ' What is the matter, Eddie,'
And he said, 'O mamma, I am so hungry.' And Lucy, Edward, your
darhng Lucy ; she never complains, but she is growing thinner and
thinner every day. And before God, Edward, unless you come home,
we must die. Your Mary."
The members of the Court were melted into tears. They
asked the brave soldier what he did upon the reception of
the letter. He replied that he made three ineffectual at
tempts to obtain a furlough, and then resolved at the expense
of his life he would visit Mary and the children. That upon
meeting his wife, she was broken-hearted at leaming his
absence from his post of duty was without leave. No-\y,
gentlemen, said Cooper, I am here, not brought back by mili
tary power, but in obedience to the command of Mary, to
abide the sentence of your Co'urt. Under the unbending
rules of the military code, Cooper was ordered to be shot.
The papers and evidence were sent to' that great Christian
chieftain. Gen, R. E. Lee, for review befor© the sentence of
the Court was executed. Under military law the general
was bound to approve the sentence, but he immediately par
doned Cooper, and ordered him to report for duty to his
battery, and dispatched a oo'urier tO' the home of Cooper to
have Mary, Eddie and Lucy provided for. Such was the
suffering of many of our women and children, and such was
the patriotism of our women in those trying days, and the
nobility of the Southem soldier and the humanity of the
Confederate generals.

216 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
The following persons wer© exempt from military service
by an Act of the Confederate Congress, approved May 1,
1863: Justices of th© Peace, if ap'pointed prior to May 11, 1863 ;
Oounty Trustees ; County Solicitors ; Public Registers ; Tax-
collectors ; Sheriffs ; one Deputy Sheriff in each county ; Con
stables, if bonded prior to said date; Clerks of Courts; one
Deputy Clerk; one County Commissioner in each county to
distribute provisions amongst soldiers' families; agents ap
pointed by tlie General Assembly, and Commissioned Officers
of the Militia, and some few others.
At a general muster of the county militia on March 11,
1861, at Oak Villa, near Winton, Dr. John T. Lewter, of
MurfreesborO', was elected Colonel in place of Col. Starkey
Sharp, and Samuel D. Winborne, of Maney's Neck, was
elected Major, a position to which he was first elected in
1847. BRIEF SKETCH OF SOME OF HEETFOED^S SOLDIEES.
The war records are in many respects inoomiplete, but those
accessible will show that Hertford County was not behind
her sister counties in her contributions of men and material
to the Confederate Army. The first company organized in
the county was known as the Hertford Light Infantry, and
had for its officers Thomas H. S'harp, Captain; W. B. Wise,
Jesse A. Perry and Julian G. ]\Ioore, Lieutenants. By the
promotion of Captain Sharp to M'ajor and Lieutenant Colo
nel of the 17th N, C, Regiment, W. B. Wise and L. F. Ever
ett became captains in succession, and William J. Lattomer,
John Q, Thomas and William Cai-ey Parker were commis
sioned as lieu tenants. The Hertford Light Infantry became
Co, C, of the 17tli N, C, Regiment, ^YTien the Federal
fieet assaulted the MTak and incO'mplete works at Hatteras
and effected a landing, this company, with the rest of the
garrison of seven companies, was captured and for a time
held as prisoners of war. Having been exchanged early in

Decade XI, — 1860-1870. 217
the war, tliey did good service and sustained th© reputation
of Nortli Carolina as hard fighters in Eastern North Caro
lina, and later in the Army of Northem Virginia. There
were from first to last ninety-eight (98) rank and file in this
company, all of whom, except five (5) enlisted from Hert
ford County.
Quite a number of the members of tiiis company still sur
vive, among whom the names of the following are recalled:
Julian G. Moore, William Carey Parker, Joseph Bames,
R. T. Barnes, P. P. Parker, Epenetus Creel, Arelius Britt,
I. W. Worrell, K, R. Maddry, J. E, Jones, J, R, Beal, G. W.
Banks, Geo. L. Arps, F. Q. Copeland, J. B. Evans, R. B.
Gatling, J, T. Modlin, Joseph Weed, 'and H. L. Worthing
ton. They are widely scattered now, but wherever they cast
their lots they have becom'e good and useful citizens. They
were of the best of Hertford's young manhood. The second
company, according to the time of organization, was called
"The Hertford Grays"— afterwards Co. F, of the 1st N. 0.
Regiment of Infantry. The name of Hertford Grays was mis
leading, as there were more men from Northampton County in
the company than there were from Hertford. The company,
however, was organized at Murfrees'boro, and the officers were
mainly from Hertford. The officers chosen upon the organi
zation were: J. N, Harrell, Captain; William S. Shepherd,
Cicero F. Lyon and James P. Jenkins, Lieutenants. Lieu
tenant Lyon, a teacher in this county for years, was a native
of Pasquotank, and died of wounds received at Ellyson's
MiU, August 7, 1862, in Petersburg, Va. Lieutenant Wil
liam S. Shepherd, a native o'f Suffolk, Va., the older brother
of James E. Shepherd, late Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court of North Carolina, was killed in an action at Sharps-
burg, Md., September 17, 1862, and left on the field. Lieu
tenant James P, Jenkins, of Northampton County, was
wounded at Sharpsburg, and having retumed to active ser
vice too soon, contracted pneumonia and died at Strasburg,
in the Shenandoah Valley, and was buried ther© close by the

218 HisTOEY' OF Heetfoed County, N. C

Lutheran church, in November, 1862. Thomas D. Boone
succeeded Lieutenant Lyon, and upon the death of Shep
herd and Jenkins and the promotion of Captain Harrell as
Major, became Captain of Co. F, a position that he held
when he surrendered it at Appomattox Court-house.
Time would fail to tell of the number of battles 'and the
killed in action, from this comiDany, A remnant, gro-wing
less and less as the years glide s-wiftly by, still survive to
fight their battles over in memory. Here are the names as
they recur to me novr: Thomas D. Boone, Lewis C. Law
rence, R. J. Askew^, James P, Darden, C. T. Deanes, James
H, Griffin, John Jc'iiliins, W, P, Montgomery, H. T. Parker,
Jo'hn Reams, Edwin Ricks, Asa Saunders, Elias R. Vick,
Britton C. Vick. At the proper place no mention was made
of the fact that L, C. Lawrence and James F. Adkins were
made lieutenants to fill vacancies in th© company. L. C.
Lawrence was promoted to Captain A. 0. S. of the 68th N. C.
Regiment, and still lives, honored in his old age. The num
ber of Hertford County men in this company was forty-six
(46), There were at least ten from Bertie County; the re
mainder of the original company enlisted from Northamp
ton County,
Company "D" of the 17th N. C, was composed almost
entirely of Hertford Countj' men, and was officered as fol
lows: J, M, C, Luke, Captain; Starkey Shai-p, Nonnan L,
Shaw, and Dorsey T'aylor, Lieute'nants. L^pon the resigna,-
tion of C'a]5tain Luke, N, L. Shaw became Cap'tain, and some
time during the war Richard W. Askew and Isaac Lafayette
Taylor were made Lieutenants. Aniong the surviving mem
bers of that companv may be mentioned the names of Dorsey
Taylor, R. W. Askew, H. H, Overton, and others whose
nanies do not occur to' me at this time.
Company "G," of the 31st N, 0. Regiment, was also com
posed entirely of Hertford County men. The captains, from
time to time, were Jess© J. Yeates, Julian H. Picot and Isaac
Pipkin. The lieutenants who served with the company were

Decade XL— 1860-1870. 219
John D. Gatling, S. B. Pool, John A. Slaughter and John L.
Everett, Jesse J. Yeates was promoted major upon the
organization of the regiment, and was snoceeded by Julian
H, Picot and Isaac Pipkin as captains as above indicated.
Captain Picot, at a ripe old age, still survives, and his friends
hope that many years will pass away before he crosses the
river. Among the members living may be mentio'ned John
D. Gatling, W P, Taylor, who served as lieutenant in 68th
N. C. Regiment, Samuel Barnes, H, D, Harrell, at one time
County Surveyor, E, W. NoUey, M. 'J. Nolley, Charles N.
Pruden, W. E. Taylor, Richard J. Taylor, and perhaps oth
ers. There were 95 men in the company from Hertford
County. In th© 19th N, C, R©giment (2d Cavalry it was called)
there was CO'mpany C, in which was James M. Wynns, 1st
Lieutenant, and afterwards Ca.ptain, may be fo^lnd the names
of more than forty (40) as good soldiers as ever drew sabre.
Nicholas Harrell, 2d Lieutenant, commissioned in 1864, pro
nounced by his commanding offi'cer the bravest man he ever
knew, was from Hertford County.
In the 3d Battalion of Artillery, conunanded by Major
John W. Moore — an honored citizen of Hertford County,'
still living — ther© was Co. C, of wdiich Juhan G. Moore, of
Hertford County, was Captain, and Alfred M. Darden 1st
Lieutenant, fro'Ui the sam© county. In this company the
record shows that at least seventy (70) by actual count were
citizens of Hertford County.
The 4th Battalion of Cavalry, S. J. Wheeler, Major, had
upon its rolls the names of twenty-two (22) men who -were
not ashamed to call Hertford their home.
In Company D, 59th N. C. Regiment, known as the 3d
Cavalry, William Sharpe was Captain; Thomas Ruffin, of
Bertie County, Daniel W. Lewis and W. P. Shaw, of H©rt-
ford County, wore Lieutenants. Of these commissioned of
ficers W. P, Shaw alone survives. There wer© forty-six (46)
men enlisted in this c6mpany from Hertford County, among

220 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
the survivors we find the names of Luther R. Tyler, R. T.
Brett, Richard A. Cook, S. J. Doughtie, Media Evans, J. J.
Hoggard, W. D. McGlaghon.
In the 68th N. C. Regiment there were two (2) companies
from Hertford County — D and E, according to Moore's Eos
ter; but unfortunately the record does not contain a list of
the enlisted men. This ought by all means to be supplied
and recorded before it is too late. Company D had HiUory
Taylor and Len Askew as Captains, -with W. P. Taylor and
David A, Parker as Lieutenants. The late Langley Tayloe
was Captain of Company E, with Benjamin B. Williams,
John Brett and Joseph Holloman, Lieutenants. W. P. Tay
lor, an enterprising, piublie-spirited citizen, who has been
honored by his native county, survives 'and is an active busi
ness man.
The 15th Battalion of Cavalry, of which James M, Wynns
was Lieutenant-Colonel, had at least one Company A in it;
M, M, Wise and J, T, Beaman were Captains; H. J. Jen
kins and A, J. Cobb, Lieutenants. There are no records to
show how many 'and who were the men that composed the
enlisted men of the company. This is an omission that needs
to be re^medied as soon as possible. It is a pleasure to record
that; Col. Wynn still lives. There were a large number —
how many cannot now be ascertained — ^who were citizens of
Hertford County, and several in companies from other coun
ties, for whom Hertford gets no credit. There are a number
of Co'nfederate soldiers now living in Hertford County who
served in other commands, both in and out of the State. Geo.
W, Grimes, living in Murfreesboro, whei-© he is postmaster,
was 1st Lieutenant in Company G of the I7th N, C. Rai
ment, In one of the battles in which his regiment was en
gaged he was severely — thought to be mortally — ^wounded.
In the incomplete record of his company no mention is made
of thisi, or of any facts that would assist th© future historian
in giving credit to whom it is due.

Decade XL— 1860-1870. 221
The above sketch of Hertford's soldiers was furnished the
author by Capt. Thomas D. Boone, who is mentioned in the
sketch. The captain is, and has been for yeai's, the Clerk
of our Superior Court. He was a brave and gallant soldier
and fought in m'any of the great battles of the war, and noth
ing delights him more to-day than to discourse to a circle of
friends 'a;bout the scenes and dramas of the war. In addition
to the soldiers mentioned by Captain Boone from the county,
the author recalls the names of N. J. Battle, James W. Bat
tle, John Battle, James L. Myrick, Walter B. Myrick, Doug
las Spiers, George Cowper, Pbmpey Dard©n, Samu©l A. Rid
dick, James Maget, James P. Massenburg, Euclid Howell,
Watson S. HoweU, J. D. Brett, WiUiam Brett, J. E. Brett,
of Maney's Neck, J. A. Carter, J. B. Parker, J. E'. Vaughan,
J. N. Lawrence, John N. Vaughan, J. C. Vinson, A. C.
Darden, T. K. Warren, W. B. Wise, of Murfreesboro. The
county should secure a record of all of her soldiers. She
could do no prouder deed. In after days her sons and
daughters would thank her on bended knees. Their record is
a lasting monument to the county's fame. Brave soldiers!
your praises will be sung throughout all after ages. You
acted nobly your part in the greatest war in the history of the
world. You, your country will never forget.
And may God, yt)ur souls protect;
Your noble deeds of valor we love ;
May you enjoy, with the angels, God's love.
The w^ar was a bloody and devastating strife. It was
fought principally on Southem soil, and our peo-ple were
left ahnost in poverty. Gen. W. T. Sherman of the Union
army, foaming with mad hate, to cap the climax of cruelty,
in the closing days of the great struggle, burned Atlanta and
made a raid through the So'ufh to the sea of 250 miles, with
his army, burning homes, to-wns, cities, insulting the noblest
and purest women of our beloved Southland, and destroying
everything that came within his reach. Its wickedness has
no parallel in the history of civilized warfare, and can only

222 Histoey of LIeetfoed County, N. 0.
find its approach in the barbaric wars of ancient times. It
was a shame and disgrace to the Northern soldiery. He
boasted of his shame. "O shame, where is thy blush?"
He reported: "I have pursued mine enemies and destroyed
them ; and turned not again until I consumed them." His
allies shouted in joy O'ver his barbarism.
The Civil War is ended. The whole Southem country is
weeping. But it was "Majestic, though in ruin." Our
sorrows continue. Jefferson Davis, the beloved chieftain, is
arrested upon the charge of treason and thro-svn in a dark
prison cell at Fortress Monroe, hands 'and feet fettered with
chains. " Black it stood as night,
Fierce as ten furies, terrible as hell."
Not yet satiated -with wicked deeds, our immortal Govemor
Vance is also imprisoned in Washington City, and General
Schofield is made Military Govemor of the State to rule over
our people, until W. W. Holden, a traitor to his people, was
made Provincial Governor.
Our sorrows, sufferings, and calamities are great, but the
-^vorst is yet to come.
Why should the secession of 1861 'have been considered
treason, and why should those -W^o left the United States
service have l>eeii i^eg-arded as traitors? The Federal Con
stitution did not make allegiance to the Union paramount
to that of tlie State. Secession as a right, had at various
times in the history of our countiy been asserted by ]\Lissa-
chusetts. New Yo^rk, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and other
States, long before the secession of the SouUiem States. The
right of secession ou the part of the States in the Union was
generally recognized and actually taught in the U. S. Mili
tary Academy at West Point as late as 1863, and that a
citizen's paramount allegiance was to his State, This lesson
was taught the men commanding tlie U S. Army at the time
the Southern States seceded. Virginia,, New York and Rhode

Decade XI, — 1860-1870. 223
Island expressly affirmed the right of secession when they
adopted the Federal Constitution. New England was the
hot-bed of secession in the early periods of the Republic, and
those States were constantly threatening withdrawing from
the Union, Their right was not denied. They did not
regard it treason when they desired to withdraw. Then
why was it treason in the South?
Slavery was an institution as old as the gO'Vemment. It
was all right so long as the North fo'und it profitable in that
clime, but all wrong when it bec^ame unprofitable in the
North, but profitable in the South. Had there been no war,
slavery would have been gradually abolished in the South.
That sentiment had been growing in the So'Uth for years.
After the battle of Appomattox, if the North had inaugu
rated gTadual emancipation of the slaves, or paid the o-wners
some reasonable price for the slaves, by the General Gov
emment, th© restoration of the Union would have been
speedy, and much hardship, bloodshed, hatred and suffering
would have been 'avoided, and th© n©gro -would not have be
come the hater of the whites, with whom he had to live. But
the heart of the North was enthroned in passion. Men who
never fired a gun nor faced danger, hut remained in safe
places during the heroic strife, sihaped the policy of the
North' after the war. Grant and his brave soldiers would
have inaugurated a different policy, A brave soldier ad
mires and loves his brave adversary.
The State and cO'unties kept up their governments as best
they could during the war. Some times selecting her civil
officers from the military ranks. Col, Henry T. Clark,
President of the Senate, on the death of Governor Ellis on
July 7, 1861, acted as Governor of the State until September
8, 1862. In August, 1862, Col. Zebulon B. Vance was
elected Govemor of the State, and called from the ranks of
the army to se-rve as Chief Magistrate of the State, He
entered his new offic© September 8, 1862, and became the
Great War Govemor of North Carolina.

224 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
Joseph Blount Slaughter was Hertford's Senator during
the war to 1864, when Col. James M. Wynns was elected
Senator and called from the ranks to serve during the sessions
of the Senate. Jesse B. Vann and John A. Vann were at
different times in the House.
The tenns of the Superior Courts were occasionally held m
the county. After 1862 th© terms of Court of Pleas and
Quarter Sessions were very irregular, and when held they
were at Union and other places in the county.
On February 20, 1862, anO'ther awful calamity befel the
cO'Unty, On that day three warships of the Union navy
passed up the Chowan River by Winton and were fired upon
by Colonel Williams' command. They fell back to Barfield's
Ferry, about a mile off, and fired bomb-sheUs from their
heavy guns on the town of Winton for some hours. Then
they landed a portion of their armed forces, who moved on
the to-^vn, and finding the to-wn unguarded and unprotected,
and to gratify a most ruthless and malignant spirit, set fire
to the town and court-house, and burned every house in the
town, except a small house on the lot on which J. S. Mitchell
now resides, and owned once by Capt. Hiram Freeman, the
grandfather of our present Register of Deeds, and the old
Methodist church building. The old Franklin Hotel build
ing, which stood adjoining the residence lot of John A. An
derson, was destroyed in this fire. The court-house with
all of th© county records, except a few record books of the
County Court, since th© fire in August, 1830, were again ab
solutely destroyed. We are satisfied that were it possible
for those who committed Hiis terrible calamity, since the pas
sions of war have subsided, to undo this great -wi"ong, they
Avculd gladly do so, and ask God to forgive them.
In th© midst of th© troubles and sadness of our Southland,
O'Ur people continued to wed. In 1860 Dr. Richard T.
Weaver and Esther Cotton, daughter of Dr. G. C. Moore,
were united in holy wedlock, a feAV days thereafter Dr. T.
N. Myrick was w^edded to the elegant Susan J. Baker, In

Decade XI, — 1860-1870, 225
1865 Col, J. M. Wynns captured the beiautiful Jennie
Brown on February 21. On June 6, Dr. Wm. H. Daughtry,
of Southampton, steals from Hertford her accomplished
daughter, Helen Myrick. On June 29 th© gallant Maj.
Isaac yPipkin celebrates his marriage with Hie beautiful
G©orgie W. Montgomery, and on the same da.y Capt. Julian
G. Moore's marriage to Emily Bland Southall is announced,
and November 29 John T. Meban© weds the attractive Julia
M,, daughter of Col. Samuel J. Wheeler.
While these happy festi-vities' were going on death was
claiming her victories. Rev. Wm. A, Vann, of the 53d
N. C, Reg. falls asleep April 29, 1864. May 6, 1865, Maj.
Benj. Porter, father of the late Epinetus Porter, passes
away, and h© is followed on the 10th by Capt. Abner Harrell.
Wm. B'artell© Wis©, on November 7, 1865, enters for good
his well-prepared grave, which he had caused to be arranged
several years prior. March, 1866, the body of Dr. L. M.
Jeggitts is brought home from Mississippi for interment;
he is followed March 19th by Perry Carter. In July, 1867,
T. N. Myrick succumbs to th© fate of all manlrind. The
Wesleyan Female College loses her President, Rev. J. D.
OouUing, on No'vember 28, 1866, and the county hears the
fareweU words of her faithful son, L. R. Jernigan, on De
cember 8, 1866.
In the sessions of the legislature in 1866-'7 and 1867-'8
the county was represented in the Senate by James 0. Barnes,
and Godwin 0. Moore in the House. Mr. Moore was in
strumental in the session of 1866-'7 in having restored in
North Carolina th© common law right of dower, which was
aboUshed in 1784. The act was ratified M'arch 2, 1867.
The whipping post, one of th© modes of punishing criminals,
was abolished August 22, 1868.
eeconsteuction.
The so-called Reconstruction Perio'd following the ending
of the war between the States is the most hellish and black
est page in the history of the United States Govemment.
15

226 TTi.sTOEY OF Heetfoed County, N. C.
General Lee surrendered the army of Northem Virginia
A]Dril 9, 1865, to General Grant on liberal tenns; General
Johnson fomiaUy surrendered the army under his command
April 26, thoug-'h he sent a proposal to Gen. Sherman April
14, for surrender. Also, on April 26, General Kirby Smith
surrendered the Confederate forces west of the Mississippi.
That crazy fanatic, John Wilkes Booth, an actor, on the
night of April 14, 1865, shot and killed President Abraham
Lincoln in Ford's Theatre, in Washington, ^n act that
greatly added to the sufferings of the Southern people, who
sincerely regretted the sad catastrophe. Andrew Johnson, a
North Carolini'an by birth, and a U. S. Senator from Ten
nessee, who had been elected Vice-President -with President
Lincoln in 1864, 'by the Republicans, was sworn in as Presi
dent of the United States the next day. Lincoln's death was
a great calamity to the South. His idea of reconstruction
was, that, all who woiuld take the oath to support the U. S.
Constitution should be allowed to vote, if 10 per cent of the
voting population of any State, recently among the Confeder
ate States, took th© oath, they could reorganize a State gov-
ernnient. Under this plan the Southern States would have
soon been back in th© Union, and much hardship and hu
miliation that followed would have been averted. The cow
ardly act of Booth entailed upon the Southem people woes
Tinnumbered. Johnson tried to carry out Lincoln's policy.
But not having the great influence with the Republican mem
bers of Co'iigress as Lincoln would have had, as Johnson was
not a Republican, but a Union Democrat, he had little in
fluence with the members of that party. Congress, which
met in 1865, ignored Johnson's actions, and refused to recog
nize the represc'iitatives who had been elected to Congress
from the late seceding States, under a proclamation of Presi
dent Johnson. Congress then inaugurated a policy of re
construction, the horrors of which have never been realized,
except in the South. It was worse than the war. It was
hate and humiliation.

Decade XI,— 1860-1870. 227
Pr©sident Johnson, on May 29, 1865, issued his femious
Amnesty Proclamation, in which a general pardon was ex
tended toi all persons, except those who had participated in
the organization and defense of the Confederacy, upon their
taking the oath of allegiance to the United Stat©s. Those
excepted in the proclamatiO'U were required to file with the
President a special application for pardon, which was
granted or refused at the will of the Great Chief. Our
father was one of the excepted class. An election was or
dered by the military satrap of North C'arolina, under the
direction of the President, for delegates to a Constitutional
Convention of the State to meet in Raleigh, October 2, 1865.
Hertford sent her faithful son, Richard G. Co-wper, as her
delegate to this convention, E, G, Reade, of PersO'U, was
president of the convention. The convention at once r©pealed
the Ordinance of Secession, October 9, 1865. It also passed
an ordinance abolishing slavery in the State, and pro'viding
for holding an election in the several counties on the second
Thursday in November, 1865, for the election of members
of the General Assembly, members of Congress, and a Gov
ernor. Only those could vote who' had been pardoned by the
President of the United States. Of course the vote was
small. Candidates were required to be from the class who
were allowed to vote. This was not regarded, and many
were not allowed to enjoy their victory. The time fixed for
the meeting of the General Assembly was the fourth Monday
of November, 1865. Hertford sent R. G. Cowper to the
Senate and W. N. H. Smith to the House. It was an able
body, and one of the most important sessions since th© days
following th© R©volutio'n of 1776-'82. Smith of H©rtford
w^as a loading member. He introduced and secured its pass
age an act to permit negroes to testify in the courts in legal
proceedings, also the act to permit parties in interest to testify
in suits, thereby changing an ancient law that had worked
great -wrongs.

228 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
Llolden was still Provincial Govemor, and he and Jona
than Worth were candidates at said election for Govemor,
and Worth was elected. The ordinances repealing the Ordi
nance of Secession and of abolishing slavery were also sub
mitted to the peopl© for ratification or rejection. There was
in Hertford 83 votes oast for repealing the Ordinance of
Secession and 21 against. The ordinance abolishing slavery
received in Hertford 37 votes for and 29 against. County
officers were also elected. The sheriffs of the counties were
required to send the returns of the elections to the Provincial
Governor, and he was to canvass and declare the result. None
of the congressmen elected at this election were allowed to
vote. The convention of October, 1865, met on Octoiber the
19th 'and removed from office every officer in the State who
had taken th© oath to support the constitution of the Confed
erate States, 'and disqualified them from holding any office or
place of ti-ust and profit which he held when he took the oath,
until he was re-appointed or re-elected to the same, and then
declared all such offices vacant.*
J. B. Hare was elected Sheriff, Geo. W. Beverly elected
Clerk of the Superior Court, L. M. Cowper elected as Clerk
of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, John A. Vann
re-appointed Clerk and Master in Equity, W. W. Mitchell
made Chairman of the County Court, vrith S, D. Winborne
and W, P. Beaman as members of the special court, S, M.
Aumack appointed County Trustee, William Sharp elected
County Attorney, Joseph P. Jordan elected Public Register.
Terms of the officers elected at the November election began
at the end of the terms of the officers of th© Provincial Gov
ernment. Hare resigned as Sheriff at February term, 1868, of the
County Court, and Isaac Pipkin was appointed by the jus
tices as his successor.

-* Note.— Art. 1 4, Oct. 19, 186.5. This was in harmony with the previous
action of the General Government at Washington. ' U. S. Government
treated all acts and appointments to office under the C. S. Government
as void.

Decade XI, — 1860-1870. 229
The justices of th© p©ac© during this p©riod wer© W. W.
MiteheU, W. D. Praden, W. L. Daniel, A. G. Vann, S. S.
HarreU, J. W, Harrell, Oris Parker, Daniel Valentine, W. S.
Tayloe, D, V, Sessoms, Miles MiteheU, H. T. Lassiter, W. D.
Holloman, S, D, Winborne, Jno, D, Gatling, W. P. Beaman,
G. W, Beverly, Seth Nowell, J. M. Wynns, G. 0. Moore,
Zeph. Askew, Alex. Brett, H. C. Maddry, A. P. Hines,
Langley Tayloe, J. ]\I. Trader, Kindred HoUo'mon, G .A.
Brett. At the November term, 1867, Judge Smith qualified as
administrator of Starkey Sharp, deceased, and Jno. W.
Harrell qualified on the estate of Wm. M. Montgomery, the
old Clerk and Master in Equity, who died several years
prior thereto. J. B. Slaughter succeeded Sharp-, resigned,
as County Attorney. This grand old court of the people
held its last session in February, 1868, and was presided
over by S. D. Winborne, W. P. Beaman, Oris Parker, and
several others. This ancient court, which had been the joy
and pride of its people for over one hundred years, was soon
to be abolished by the "Carpet-Baggers."
Upon the election of Jonathan Worth 'as Governor, some
hope of peace was entertained by our people, but it was soon
dissipated when the U. S. Congress, December 13, 1865,
passed an act refusing the admission of Southem Senators
and Representatives recently elected to Congress, and repudi
ated President Johnson's whole p-olicy. These States were
not allowed to participate in the making of laws by which
they were to be governed. The hatred of the North seemed
to boil over and become more malignant than ever. Congress
passed the Civil Rights Bill, March 13, 1866, to force social
equality between the races in the South, but it was promptly
defeated by Johnson's veto.
At the Augusit election in 1866, the work of the convention
of October, 1865, amending the State Constitution, was sub
mitted to the voters of the State and rejected by a good
majority. This angered Congress, and on Febru'ary 20, 1867,

230 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
an act was passed by the Mad Congress, over the veto of the
President, destroying all civil government in the South.
Governor Worth was removed from office and Gen. Edw. S.
Canby, of the U. S. Army, was military ruler with unlimited
power over North Carolina. This Military King ordered an
election to be held in the counties, October 19, 1867, for the
election of delegates to a State constitutional convention, to
convene in R'aleigh, January 14, 1868. In Hertford, Jack
son B. Hare, Charles H. Foster, and L, Wash Boone, a
colored preacher, were the candidates. Hare was elected
to the convention. Over 20,000 of the best citizens of the
State were denied the right to vote. The work of this con
vention is too well kno-wn. Its members were mostly "Car
pet-Baggers" of the North. The ex-slaves had been given
the right to' vote, while a large per cent of their former
masters Avere disfranchised and not allowed to vote or hold
office, until pardoned by Congress. The Constitution, gen
erally known as the "Canby Constitution," had incorporated
in it many o-bjectionable features. It was submitted by
General Canby toi the recent slaves, the "Carpet-Baggers,"
and a few of the true native white sons of the State for rati
fication at 'an election held April 21, 22 and 23, 1868. The
ex-slaves voted three days, under the direction of corrupt
"Carpet-Bag" leaders. The returns of the election in each
county, like the retums of the preceding election for dele
gates, were ordered to be sent to General Canby, and his will
became the residt of the election. The Constitution was
declared ratified. Arbitrary powei' and humiliation of the
white peo]ile of the South alone gratifies the passion and hate
of the North, Love finds no place in tlieir hearts.
Tho judges appointed by tha Provincial Governor and
General Canby were allowed to continue in office until July
1, 1868 ; so wore many of the county officers allowed to re
main in office until the officers elected under the Canby
Constitution should take charge. Among the judges ap
pointed by Holden, in December, 1865, were D. A. Barnes,

Decade XIL— 1870-1880. 231
of Northampton; D. G. Fowle, of Wake, and A. S. Merri-
mon, of Buncombe. Holden first appointed Jesse J. Yeates
Judge of the First District, but Yeates declined it and re
quested t|he appointment of D, A. Bames. Fowle soon
resigned, and General Canby appointed in his place Alexan
der Little, of Anson, Judge Merrimon received a command
or order from the Military Ruler which he refused to obey,
and resigned, and the Ruler appointed a Northern man by
the name of Cilley, who was an officer in the Federal army.
At the April election, the Governor and other State officers,
members of the legislature, judges for the courts, and all
county officers, were elected. W. W. Holden was elected
Govemor. E. T. Snipes, of Quaker proclivities and an hon
est and fair man, was elected in Llertford by the Republicans
to the House of Representatives of the State, S. S. Harrell,
elected Clerk of the Superior Court (the County Court had
been abolished), James M. Trader elected Register of
Deeds (the name of the offic© of Public Register had been
changed), Isaac Pipkin elected Sheriff, J. J. Horton elected
Treasurer (the name of County Trustee being also changed).
The other officers will be found in the list of County Officers.
The reign of dishonor in the State begins. These were
sad times among our true native people. Lost all, but their
honor, by the war. Humiliated and oppressed by their vic
torious foe. Life was sad and burdensome, and many of the
noblest and bravest fell under the w©ight of their sorrows
and the tyranny of their ignooninious rulers.
On goes the reign of plunder.
" Fate never wounds more deep the generous heart,
Than when a blackhead's insult points the dart."

DECADE XII.
1870—1880.
The State and most of the counties in the State are still in
the hands of "C'arp©t-B aggers" and corruptionists, and rob
bery and plunder of the State -and oounty treasuries continue
by this 'horde of vipers. In November, 1870, the Democrats
secured control of the Legislature, and Govemor Holden was
charged with High Crimes and ilisdemeanors in Office, tried
and impeached, and disfranchised. The Republicans still
have the governor and the judges, but the Legislature pro
ceeds to bring order out of chaos as far as it is possible. It
was slo'W -work. Most of the ©astern counties -were still sub
merged by the negro vote and carpet4)ag radicalism. Hert
ford is represented in the Senate by a Republican, and
in the House by W. D. Newsom, colored. Newsom was
not a vicious or bad man, but a respectful free-bom
negro, but thoroughly incompetent. In 1871 the Gen
eral Assembly passed an act, ratified February 8, 1871,
providing for an election to' be held in the State on
April 13, 1871, at which would be submitted the question
of holding a Constitutio'nal Convention, to convene in Ra
leigh on the 4th Monday in May, 1871, and for the election
of delegates tO' the Convention. The Democrats of Hertford
nominated J. J. Y'eates, and the Rep'ublicans George H.
Mitchell. Yeates was electc'd by a majority of 11, but,
however, 'he 'did not serve, as the peo'ple vote'd not to hold the
Convelrition. Some needed changes were, however, made
by the General Assembly of 1872, which was largely Demo
cratic. Llertford County did not suffer near as much as
many of the eastern counties in her local affairs, as she had
most of the time some good men on her Board of County
Commissioners. From 1868 to 1870 the late John W. Har
rell, the late Robert S. Parker, of Murfreesboro, Samuel
Holloman, of Union, were members of the board — all good
and honest business men and true sons to the best interest of

Decade XIL— 1870-1880. 233
the county. W. D. Newsom and Williain Reed were bO'th
colored. From 1870 to 1872 we had five veiy efficient and
excellent members. The next term tliere was only one Dem
ocrat on the board, S. D. Winborne. He succeeded, how
ever, in checking much reckless management of the affairs
of the oounty. The chairman, E. T. Snipes, was a fair-
minded, honest man, and in him Winbomie found a good
right bower. From 1874 to 1876 there were two Democrats,
Winborne and Vann, who, -^vith th© aid of Snipes, oo^ntroUed
the board. From 1876 to' 1878 for th© first time in the his
tory of the county it w^as under the control of five Republi
cans. After that to the present time her Commissioners
have been Democrats- except during a S'hort period between
1894 and 1900.
The Canby Constitution was 'S'till resting heavily on the
people, and they were determined to have a Constitution of
their own, framed by her own sons and adapted to the needs
of her best citizenship. On August 4, 1875, an election was
held for the election of delegates to a Constitutional Conven
tion, to convene in Raleigh on September 6, 1875. The
Democrats of Hertford no-minated - John A. Vann, and the
Republicans nominated Jordan J. Horton. The Republi
can party in the oounty was composed of a few whites, some
of whom were sincere an:d ho'uest people, and some were ex
ceedingly vicious. They, -with the negroes in th© county,
had -about 250 majority of voters, and Horton was elected.
He was a planter and a very weighty member, as he weighed
between 300 and 400 pounds. Many changes wer© made in
-the organic law, but not as many as were needed or desired,
as the Democrats had only one majority. One of the chan
ges miade enabled the General Assembly to relieve the eastern
counties of inefficient and comipt oounty officers. The jus
tices of the peace were to be elected by the General Assembly,
and they were to elect the County Commissioners. It also
authorized the Legislature to provide Inferior Criminal
Courts for the counties, whieh was don© by the Legislature

234 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
at its session of 1876-'77. The Inferior Court, with a lim
ited criminal jurisdiction, was established in Hertford. The
presiding officers were to be three, and to be selected from
the body of the county by the justices of the peace. The
officers can be seen by refe'rence to' the "list of officers." Many
of the noblest men and women 'during the last decade suc
cumbed to the troubles wrought by the revolution of 1861-'65,
and during this decade they fell rapidly and continued
through the succeeding decades to drop off until now there
is scarcely any left toi tell of the Old South.
The old Public Register, W. J. Perry, had died in 1862,
and William Porter, of Maney's Neck, died in 1865. Wil
liam Bartelle Wise, the father of Mrs. Judge Smith, also
died in 1865. Mr. Wise was a man of much wealth and was
always ready to assist worthy young men and his neighbors
when in trouble. Before, settling in Murfreesboro he was
engaged in the coast trade on the high seas, and in that busi
ness he made most of his larg© estate. He married twice.
His first wife was Christianna Deanes, by whom he left
one son, Capt. Marshall M. Wise. His second wife was
Sarah Copeland, of Northampton County, N. C, and by
her he left one son, M'ajor William Wise, and one daughter,
Mary Olivia, who became the wife of W. N. H. Smith.
Captain Marshall M. Wise first married a Mississippi wo
man, and their children were William B. Wise, who went
South after the war ; W. D. Wise, who married J. W. Hill's
daughter, of the Borough, a brave soldier, who carried a leaden
ball in his body until death. He died in Durham, N. C,
a iew years p'ast; George W. Wise was a soldier in the army
from this county, but moved to Mississippi after the war and
becam© the private secretary to tlie governor of that State
and married his daughter; Sallie Wise, wdio became the -wife
of Walter M. Griffin, near Murfreesboro, died without
issue; Annie L. Wise married Robert Parker, foi-merly of
of this town, but later of Norfolk. Marshall's youngest son,
June M. Wise, married Miss Sauls, and now lives near his

Decade XIL— 1870-1880. 235
fathers's old place. M. M. Wise's seco.nd wife was MoUie
Ellis, of Northampton; tliej- left one child, Lula.
Early in the year 1870 faces which had been so' familiar
to our people began to yield tO' the havoc of time — men too
noble to survive the bitter hate and O'ppression of the North.
Dr. William H. Hutehings, a cel©brated physician in th©
County, suddenly passes away in death. He was tall, erect
and commanding in appearance, scholarly and chivalrous
and aristocratic in bearing, and quick to resent an insult.
He was the soul of honor. His parents were Col. William
Hutchings, who lived where Rev. IL B. Parker now resides,
until he removed to the Borough several years before his
death, which took place November 16, 1821, and his wife
the widow Skinner, nee Little. The doctor lived in to-wn
up to his death. A few days prior to Dr. Hutehings' death
his friend and a distinguished physician in Winton, Dr.
R. H, Shields, fell dead in Hutchings' office, while on a visit
to the man he so much admired. Shields came to the county
many years before the war from Virginia. Neither of these
two old Southern gentlemen ever married, but it was not due
to a want of the highest admiration for noble women. They
failed to secure the jewels they loved. In their devotion for
each other they wer© lik© th© old bachelors, Patrick Brown
and Thomas O'Dwyer, of remote days.
Abram Riddick, who resided on the old Maney plantation
on the Chowan River, was in 1871 covered in his grave. He
was born in Nansemond County, Va., in 1801, and moved
to this county in 1825, and soon became o-ne of Hertford's
most worthy and useful citizens. For a long while prior to
reconstraction he was one of her faithful magistrates, and
successful business men. At the beginning of the war his
home was palatial and the buildings for his large plantation,
which were kept painted and whitewashed, resembled a town
of several hundred inhabitants. He was kind to his neigh
bors and humane to his slaves. He was married several
times. His first wife was the daughter of Benjamin Brett,

236 HisTOEY'- OF LIeetfoed County, N. C.
who lived at the residence of th© late W. D. Bryant in Ma
ney's Neck, whom he married October 5, 1824. We think
his second wife was a Miss Battle. His third wife was
Anne Maria Dillard, daughter of James Dillard, of Nanse
mond County, Va. By this marriage he 'had several chil
dren, two sons and four daughters — Samuel A., who was in
the Confederate Army and died or was killed in Pennsylva
nia when Lee's army invaded that State. His other son,
J. D. Riddick, now resides at his father's old home. His
daughter Pattie married Rev. James ilurray, a Presbyte
rian minister in Virginia. His daughter Virginia R. mar
ried George CowqDcr. His last wife was widow Lavinia
Whedbee, nee Leigh, of Perquimans County. His Dillard
wife was the mother of bis children. His father was James
Riddick, of Virginia, an'd his mother w-as a Miss Cross. The
old worthies ar© rapidly departing. John W. Southall, R.
G. GoiWTper, the old Sheriff and legislator; Lewis M. Co-wper,
Hi© old Clerk of the former County Court, and others are
numbered among th© dead in 1873. J. A. Worrell, John
G. Wilson, the old Presbyterian merchant of our town, who
married the daughter of Abner Harrell, followed in 1874.
John B. Sharp, Robert S. Parker, of the Borough tovm, and
the old accountant to whom was often referred the state
ment of complicated accounts by the courts, and a close
friend of W, N, H, Smith, followed in 1875. Lewis T.
Spiers, the handsome, polite and well-dressed old merchant
of the Borough, died in 1879, and his worthy partner, Jas.
W, Hill, in 1888, and his friend W, W. ^MiteheU in 1897.
Mr, Mitchell was one of the patriarchs of the county. He
was chairman of the County Court from June, 1861 to 1866,
and had served the county as one of its leading justices for
twenty-five years. He was a m'an of stem and positive char
acter and a strong member in his chureh and denomination
from early manhood to his death, and a great advocate of
education. He was 'an uncompromising Baptist in his re
ligious faith, and gave liberally of his larg© means to the

Decade XIL— 1870-1880.

237

W. \V. MITCHELL.

advancement of its cause. He
was one of the prime movers
in the building and establish
ment of the Chowan Baptist
Female Institute', and con
tributed largely to the ex
pense, and was chairman of
its board of trustees for a
number of years until his
health became so enfeebled
that he declined further elec-
tioin. During his active life
he was always ready to respond to its needs, and faithfully
attended all meetings of the trustees, and his face was fa
miliar on the rostrum at the annual commencement exercises.
He married the sister of the late Rev. Jno. Mitchell, who was
so well known throughout North Carolina. She was the daugh
ter of James S. Mitchell, the legislator from Bertie in 1842.
He left several children — three sons, James S., John P., and
W. J. ]\Iitchell. The first married Miss Owen, whose par
ents came to the county from Granville, and John P. married
Mary, the daughter of Wade H. Garriss, and is the niece of
Mrs. A. I. Parker, of Winton. John P. is now the cashier
of the bank in Winton. William J. married Sallie, the
daughter of the late John A. Vann. James and John, with
their families, live in Winton, and William and his family
live near Ahoskie. Chairman Mitchell's oldest daughter,
Mary, married 'the late James L. Mitchell, an attorney at
Winton for some years before his death abo'ut 1878. His
second daughter, Sallie, m'arried Lt. W. P. Taylor, of Win
ton. Pauline, the third daughter, first married W. D. Hol
loman, and after his death she married C. W. Mitchell, of
Aulander, N. C, an influential Baptist, an intelligent legis
lator and successful merchant and planter. The youngest
daughter, Bettie, married Thomas J. Vann, son of Jesse B.
Vann, Llertford's representative in the House in 1862.

238

HiSTOEY' OF Heetfoed County, N. C.

.TUDCiE i). .\. B.AR.VES.

Jesse was the son of the old chairman, John Vann, of the
County Court. Lt. AV. P. Taylor was the son of Maj. Hil-
lory Taylor, of MiU Neck. In 1872 Hon. D, A.
Barnes, of Jackson, N. C, the
silv^r-'hairad bachelor la-wyer
of Northampton, and aide-de
camp to Govemor Vance dur
ing the Civil War, married
the young, fascinating and
much-admired Bettie Vaughan,
"liird daughter of Col. Uriah
Vaughan, and settled in Mur
freesboro with his young bride
and became a citizen of Hert
ford, Judge Barnes had been well and long knowm to our
people, "as he had been a regular attendant upon our courts
for a number of years. He was the eldest son of Collin W.
Barnes, a wealthy planter of Northampton, by his second
marriage to his cijusin Louisa Barnes. Judge Bames re
mained with us until his death in 1892, His widow, three
(laughters and only son, Da
vid Collin Bames, still live
at his beautiful residence
erected by him in 1874 in the
old to-wn of the many worth
ies of olden days. His son
is one of our promising young
lawyers and the president of
our to-wn bank. Judge David
A. Barnes graduated in 1840
at the University at Chapel
Hill and was one of the Rep
resentatives in the Hous© of his State in 1844, 1846,
1850 and 1858 from his nativ© county of Northampton.

MISS HETriE VAU(ilI,\N.

Decade XIL— 1870-1880. 239
A member of the Secession Co'nvention of 1861. Ap
pointed Provisional Judge of the Superior Court in the
First Judicial District by the Provisional Governor, W. W.
Holden, in December, 1866, which office he held until July
1, 1868. Candidate of. the Conseiwative party in 1870
against C. L. Cobb for Congress, but was defeated by a large
majority. Judge Bames was a lawyer of considerable repu
tation. His jury speeches were unique in style, but very
effective. Like most of the older lawyers of the State who
were trained tmder the old practice, he never became recon
ciled to The Ci>de practice. The judge never married until
late in life. He was much the senior of his bride in 1872,
she being at the date of her marriage in her 24th year. He
had two brothers — the late Joseph B. Barnes, of Northamp
ton, who married Bettie, the daughter of Henry C. Edwards
of his native county, and George Badger Barnes, late mem
ber of the commission house of Vaughan & Bames, of Nor
folk. George never m-arried and survived his brother David
A. Barnes but a few years. He had three sisters — Mrs. Wil
liam Faison, of Northampton; Mrs. WiUiam H. Drewry, of
Southampton County, Va., the mother of Jo'hn 0. Drewry,
of Raleigh ; and Mrs. Jesse Moore, of Northampton County.
Judge Barnes' father, Capt. Collin W. Barnes, represented
his county in the State Senate in 1829 and 1830. He was
a native of Nansemond County, Va., but moved .to North
ampton County when young and became a large property
holder and an influential citizen.
- Joseph W. Perry was Clerk of the Superior Court from
1870 until he resigned in 1872. He was appointed by the
judge of the district to fill the vacancy caused by the resigna
tion of S. S. Harrell, Mr. Perry was a young and active
business man in Winton when he was appointed. He in the
latter part of this decade moved to Norfolk and engaged in
the cotton commission business, and has been extremely suc
cessful. His parents were Joseph J. Perry and wife, who
was the daughter of William Wynns Sessoms. His grand-

240 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
father was Freeman Perry and his great-grandfather was
Josiah Perry, who married a lady in Edgecombe County.
On April 11, 1873, Gen. Edw^. S. Canby, the former mili
tary potentate of North and South Carolina, was killed in
the rocky jungles of "The Land of Burnt-out Fires," in the
State of Oregon, by Captain Jack, a Modoc Indian Chief.
An account of this treacherous act can be found in the Sep
tember number, 1905, of the Metropolitan' Magazine. Such
was the fate of this man who took part in the humiliation of
the prO'U'd and good people of the South during the days
called reconstruction.
At the August election in 1875 Jesse J. Yeates, of Mur
freesboro, was elected by the Democrats to Congress from
the Edenton District to succeed Clinton L. Cobb, who had
seiwed six years but was defeated in this election by Yeates.
Congress had again tried to pass 'another Civil Rights Bill
and force social equality between the races in the South.
Cobb, who was a bitter Republican, voted for the measure.
Y^eates was eloquent in this campaign in denouncing this
effort of Congress and this vote of Cobb. White men and
white women fiocked to th© ap'pointments of Yeates to hear
him. Men cursed and women wept under his po'werful ap
peals for the wives and daughters and homes of the Southern
whites. The women electioneered on the white men who
had been voting wdth th© negroes and "carpet-baggers" to
save them. The result was the triumphant election of Yeates.
He was re-elected for the two foUo'wing terms, seiwing in
Congress from December 6, 1875, to' March 3, 1881.
Yeates was a lawyer of great power and eloquence. He
had filled many offices. They were : County Attorney, mem
ber of House of Commons, Solicitor of First Judicial Dis
trict for six years. Major in the army. Council of State
during the short time Worth was Govemor, appointed
Judge of the First District by Provincial Governor
Holden, but declined, it. He was bom May 29, 1829, and
died about 1893, in Washington City. He was married

Hon. .IESSE J. YEATES.

Decade XIL— 1870-1880. 241
t-wice. His first wife was Miss Maria Piper, of Virgihia.
She died August 21, 1854, about two years after their mar
riage, leaving one daughter, Janie, who after reaching
womanhood married her cousin. Dr. Edw. Yeates, of Missis
sippi, His second 'wife was Virginia, the daughter of James
Scott, of Baltimore, and granddaughter of Gen, John Scott,
of Hertford County. She was sister of Mrs. H. T, Lassiter,
an'd cousin to General Scott of Florida. Sh© preceded him
several years to the grave. They left four sons and one
daughter — Charles M, Yeates, of Washington City; Wil
liam Scott Yeates, of Georgia; J. J. Yeates, of Birmingham,
Ala. ; George Yeates, of the U. S. Army, His mother was
the sister of Abner Harrell, and his father was James Yeates,
of this county, who waS' the son of Jesse Yeates, whose name
appears in the U, S. Census of this county in 1790. His
daughter, Jennie, married Daniel L. Smith, a lawyer of
New York, and they are nO'W living in Boston, Mass, She
was a very handsome and a representative Southem woman.
His father died wrhen he was young, lea-ving several chil
dren. Jesse J. Knight, who liVed near Union, married his
sister. Major Y^eates had a hard struggle to secure his edu
cation aU'd prepare himself for his p'rofession. Another of
his sisters married Hezekiah Revel, of Bertie, and later of
Murfreesboro, and still later of the western part of this
State. While the old fathers are falling thick and fast, their
worthy sons are coming boldly tO' the front in defence of the
honor of th© South, th© purity of its nobl© women, and the
sanctity of their homes, and repelling the cowardly attacks
of the Republican Congresses -with indignatio'U and scorn.
The South begins the brave and gloriO'US work of driving from
power the "cai-pet-baggers," the Benedict Arnolds of the
South, and th© enemies of th© virtuous homes of that fair
Southland, which had been the honor and glory of America
for over a hundred years. It was the land of patriotism and
statesmen, the hom© of th© purest and noblest women of the
16

242 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. 0.
civilized world, without which no peopl© can be great. Many
of the Southern States are securing the election of their ablest
and truest men to Congress. North Carolina sends the bril
liant aad gifted Gen. M. W. Ransom and A. S. Merrimon to
the U. S. Senate in place of the "carpet-bagger" Joseph C.
Abbo'tt, and John Pool, one of the Judases of the South.
In 1874 she elects a large majority of both branches of the
Legislature, and the act was passed calling the Constitu
tional Convention of 1875. In the House, Hertford was
still represented by a Republican — Solomon Parker^-but
in the Senate sat two Democrats fro^m the northeastern coun
ties, including Hertford, and comprising the First Senatorial
District — ^W. B. Shaw^, the son of the old Congressman,
Henry M. Shaw, of Currituck, and Thos. R. Jemigan, of
Hertford. Mr. Jemigan was the son of one of Hertford's
noblest anti-war gentlemen, Lemuel R. Jernigan, and brother
of the brilliant young la-\.'yer of 1861, Jno. H. Jemigan. He
was a graduate from the University of Virginia, well versed
in general literature, familiar -with the political history of the
country, a lawyer of ability, chaste in his diction, incisive
in his orations, and brav© as Julius Csesar. It was the be
ginning of a useful public life. He had been defeated in
1870 and 1872 for the House. He made an en-viable repu
tation iu the Senate, and was often after that a candidate
before the people for Presidential Elector, for the State
Senate, and other honors. But like his brother John H., he
early liecam© deaf and had to abandon his profession. Presi
dent Cleveland ap]iointod him Consul to Japan in 1885,
wliich office he lield until 1889, Returning home he devoted
liis atlention to joumalism, and ably edited for several years
in Raleigh The Intelligencer, which the editor declared as
its head lines, the words "Impai-tial, not neutral; and de-
volcd to the best interest of North Oai-olina, inseparable from
Deinocralic principlas," In 1895 he was appointed by Pres
ident Clevelnud Consul-Gcneral to Shanghai, China. After
tho expiration of liis office he took upjiis residence in Shang-

Hon. thos. R. JERNI3AN.

Decade XII. — 1870-1880. 243
hai, where he nO'W^ resides. He has written the commercial
history of China from 1864. He was bom in 1847, and in
1885 married Fannie, the youngest daughter of Col. Starkey
Sharpe III. His brother, John H. Jemigan, grew very
deaf in his early manhood and was com'pell©d to abandon
his profession ; -^yas disqualified by his want of hearing from
serving in th© army, wh©re' he would like to have been. He
was bom in 1836 and died in 1870. In 1861 he married
Sallie, the daughter of Watson Lewis, Jr., who was the aunt
of his brother Thomas' wife. She was said to be the pretti-
©st woman in th© county at that tim©. He left two sons, one
of whom, John Hunter Jernigan, is living. Mrs, Sallie
MitcheU, of Winton, the handsome -wife of our young lawyer
J. R. Mitchell, is his granddaughter.
H. 0. Maddry, Democrat, successfully contested the seat
of Jordan J. Horton, Republican, in the House in 1876.
The Wesleyan Female CoUege closed i-ts session in June,
1877, -with a roll of 177 young ladies, under the presidency
of Rev. William G. Star, and the college building was myste
riously burned during the vacation, which caused -widespread
sorrow and regret among the non-communicants and commu
nicants of all religious denominations. A mighty calamity.
It was rebuilt in 1881, and again destrO'y©d by fire in 1893.
The Chowan Baptist Female Institute goes on in her grand
work of educating minds and hearts of noble young women
for the elevation of m'ankind.
The brave work of rebuilding the shattered fortunes of
the South goes no'bly on. In 1877 the justices of the peace
are appointed by the Legislature and they elect the County
Commi.ssioners from her truest sons, as may be seen by ref
erence to the list of O'fficers. We will make a brief sketch of
the retiring county offi'Cers and their successors:
Capt. Isaac Pipkin, who left the O'ffice of Sheriff in 1876,
was a grandson of Gen. Isaac Pipkin, of Gates. He was a
Democrat in politics, was a gallant soldier in the Confeder-

244 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. 0.
ate Army, and a very polite and attractable gentleman. He
had married Georgie, 'the daughter of the late George W.
Montgomery, of this county. He and his wife are both dead.
Their two sons, Isaac and Thomas W. Pipkin, now reside
in the old Borough village. Their daughter, Georgie, mar
ried Lewis C. La-wrence, Jr,
His successor from 1876 to 1878 was .lackson B, Hare,
who had been an officer in the county during the war and
during reconstruction. His son, John Hare, survives him.
His second wife was the daughter of Lemuel Howell, of
Maney's Neck. He was greatly her senior. She and their
little child survived him. Subsequently she married John
Holloman, and they are living at his late residence.
James M. Trader, who was Register of Deeds in the
county from 1868 to 1876, and who was alsoi postmaster at
Murfreesboro for a number of years, was a unique yet inter
esting character. Not industrious, but economical and sav
ing, earless about his dress, yet proud and quick to resent
any refiection on his character. Not studious, but possessed
of a strong mind well-stored with a wonderful amount of
information. He obtained license after 1868 to practice
law under a statute allowing any one to obtain license by
pi-oving good moral character and paying a tax fee of $20.
He never practiced in any of the courts, except pi-obably in
the courts of justices of the ]ieace, but wrote deeds, wills and
the like for thn.se seeking clieap work. He was the son of
William Trader, of Murfreesboro, and his wdfe, Betsy Dar
den. Williams' wdfe Betsy died in 1822, and in 1S24 he
married IMary Gatling, He died in 1826, leaving surviving
him one daugliter and fi\-e sons by his firet marriage — W. H.
Trader, who emigrated to Arkansas; John Trader, wdio died
in Washington, D, C, while lioldiiig a g-ovonimeut office;
D, ('. Ti-ader, who emigrated to .Memphis; Heniw G. Trader,
who was a prominent mercliaut like his father, in Murfrees-
l)oi-o fo-r a unndier of years. Just prior to the Civil War he
uioA'ed to Mississippi, and James ~M. Trader, who spent his

Decade XIL — 1870-1880,

245

days in his native to\vn. He married Mary E, Brown, the
daughter of Samuel BrO'Wn and wife, Nancy, and grand
daughter of Maj. John Browm, the old Tory of colonial
times. Dr. Godwin C. Moore and John A. Anderson were
tdso grandsons of the old Maj, Jolm Bro-wn, Samuel Brown
lived in ilurfreesboro, at the home of the late Edw, F. Dun
ston. William Trader's daughter was the last wife of Ely
Carter, of this place. The old Register of Deeds and post
master died in 1882, leaving one son, John B, Trader, one
of our present magistrates and chief justice of the town.
Trader's successor in the
office of Register of Deeds was
Henry C. Sharp, a member
of the ancient and prominent
Sharp family of this county,
and the son of Jacob Sharp
II, who married Eliz, Simons,
Mr, Sharp was bom in 1844,
graduated at the University of
Virginia, and ranking high in
his class, W. D. Pruden,
Esq., says Henry C, Sharp is
the best mathematician in the world. He is a quiet and
unoffending man, econo'inical and saving, accurate and square
in his dealings wdth his fellow-man. He served in the Con
federate Army. As a civil officer he was honest and effi
cient. Col. Thomas H. Sharp and Capt. William Sharp,
two of Hertford's brave soldiers, were his brothers. Both
of them died in Charleston, S. C.
Henry C. Sharp married the widow of his cousin, Charles
L. Sharp, the son of J. Bembery Sharp and wife. She was
the sister of James M, Powell, of Harrellsville, He is still
a worthy citizen of the cO'unty.
Samuel D. Winbome, the chairman of the Board of
County Commissioners, had long served his countymen in
different positions of honor. He was bom March 7, 1821.

HENRY CLAY SHARP,

246 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
He was the son of Elisha Winborne, who died about the end
of th© 7th decade, and his wife Martha Warren, and grand
son of Thomas Winbome, and great-grandson of Maj, Henry
Winbome, of colonial times and revolutionary fame in 1776-
'82. On his maternal side he was grandson of Col. Ethel
dred Warren, of the Revolutionary War, from Virginia, and
the great-grandson of Samuel Warren, of that State, and
who purchased the Warren homestead in 1736 from William
Gooch. Young Winbome was appointed a oadet to the Mili
tary Academy at West Point in 1839, by Hon. Kenne-th
Rayner. He entered the Academy in 1840, and in the faU
of 1841 his health,, failed, and after remaining in the hospi
tal four months he resigned and came home. In 1847, when
the State militia was reorganized, he was made major in his
county, whieh office he held for some years. March 30,
1850, he married Mrs. Mary Hare Massenburg, nee Pretlow,
of Southamp'ton County, Va., who was the mother of his
children. About 1854 h© was appointed a justice of the
peace in the county, a position whieh he held up to -within
a few years of his death on April 3, 1895. He was one of
the "Special Court" when the Court of Pleas and Quarter
Sesssions was abolished in 1868. A strong Whig before the
war and a consistent and positive Democrat since reconstruc
tion. On Mareh 11, 1861, thore was a battalion muster of the
Hertford militia at Oak Villa, near Winton. Dr. John T.
Le-iA'ter, of Murfreesboro, succeeded Col. Starkey Sharp in
command of th© regiment, and Maj. Samuel D. Winborne,
of Maney's Neck, was again elected major. The terms of
these officers was three years. The above militaiw facts we
get from an old county record fumishcd us by j\rajor ]\Ioore,
This regiment was composed of several companies in the
county, ]\rost of the time from 1862 to the close of the war, Major
Winborne was a purchasing agent of the Confederate Gov
ernment of supplies for the army, at one tim© delivering his

Decade XII. — 1870-1880.

247

purchases to Maj. Roger Prior, at Franklin, Va. Major
Prior later became Gen. Roger Prior. He was a friend to
th© families of the Confederate soldiers and the poor. He
served his county as Co'unty Commissioner from 1872 to
1890, excepting the te'iin from 1876 to 1878, when he was
defeated by William Reed, a
colored preacher near Mur
freesboro. The war stripped
him of his comfortable estate,
'wcept his land. Before his
death, by wise and prudent
management he had nearly re
gained his fo'imer estate. He
dropped dead at his dining
table in the 74th year of his
age, frO'm a third stroke of
paralysis, in the presence of
his family and only sister, who was on a -visit to him. Mod
esty prevents me from saying more of this good m'an. Let
others write his epitaph. His eldest brother, Micajah
Thomas Winborne, died in Mobile, Ala., in 1843 ; his young
est brother, Richard, died in La Grange, Term., in 1862.
His other brother was Dr. Robert H. Winbome, who gradu
ated at the University of th© State at Chapel Hill in 1847,
and settled in Chowan County. After graduating in medi
cine at the University of Virginia and the University of
Pennsylvania, he became a distinguished physician. He rep
resented that county in the Constitutional Convention of
1865, and died in October, 1898, aged 72, leaving behind

MAJ. S. D. WINBORNE.

Note. — Tilman D. Vann writes, "that Eobert Henry Winborne is the
finest young man Hertford county has ever produced. " Young Win
borne graduated at Chapel Hill in the class of 1847, with J. .T. Pettigrew,
M. W. Ransom, John Pool and others. Pettigrew took the first honor.
Gen. M. W. Ransom has told the author often of the long and close
struggle between himself and Bob Winborne for the second position in
that illustrious class. Ransom flnally won, after a protracted contest,
on some catch question. He in his latter days loved to talk to the
author about this class contest and of his admiration for "Bob Win
bome." The latter was made the valedictorian of the class. They were
of the warmest friends through hfe.

248 Histoey OF Heetfoed County*, N. C.
him an honored name. His sister Caroline, wife of Britton
Moore, of Murfreesboro, died November 1, 1898, in Eden
ton. M'aj. S. D. Winbome left surviving him his widow,
three sons and two daughters. Mrs. T. I. Burbage, of Ma
ney's Neck, and Mrs. Leroy J. Savage, of Norfolk, Va,, are
his daughters; and Samuel P. Winbome, who lives at the
old homestead, Robert W, Winborne, of Roanoke, Va., and
the author, are his sons. He was a man of strong and stain
less character, a devoted husband, a true neighbor, model
citizen, and the companion of his children. The author's
book, "Th© W^inborne Family," gives a sketeh of aU the old
Winbome families in North Carolina. Several of them
in early days emigrated to Tennesse© and other Southem
States, and the far West. In March, 1906, Harry Win
borne, a rich miner of Colorado, was killed by a snow-sUde
on a mountain side, Samuel M. Aumack, one of
the new County Commission
ers, has long been a faithful
and useful citizen in his
county. When a young man
he studied law, but never prac
ticed. As County Trustee,
County Commissioner, Super
intendent of Public Schools,
and as justice of the peace, he
has honored his county. His
S.M. AUMACK. j: ,1 „ ,,
tather ot the same name was
born in Edcntowii, N. J., in 1807, and when a young man,
in 18.'!.^, he moved to Hertford County and settled at Piteh
Landing, then a tiirifty little village. In 1838 he married
Nancy Daniel, the sistefi- of th© late Major Watson L.
Daniel, of Hertford County, and the daughter of Capt.
Belcher Daniel, who married a Julia Flower. Samuel
]\I. Aumack, Sr., died in 1843, leaving surviving him his
.sou and his widow. The latter died in 1887, aged 75. S.

Decade XII. — 1870-1880.

249

COL, J, N. HARRELL.

M. Aumack, Jr., has been married three times, Liis second
wife was the daughter of the late John L, Jenkins, and his
present wdfe was a wddow Gillam, and daughter of Dr.
Joseph W. Sessoms, of Bertie County, He is still one of
the leading justices of the peace in the county.
Another of the new Com
missioners was one of Hert
ford's brave Confederate colo
nels in the War of 1861-'65.
Hew^as J arret Norfleet Harrell,
a descendant of her old Harrell
families, from which she so
often selected her officers. He
was born January 24, 1824,
and was the youngest of a
family of four sons and one
daughter — Joiseph, Jo'hn W.,
Andrew J., Jarret N., and Amanda C, HarreU. Their par
ents were Jolin Harrell and Winnifred Harrell, nee Bell, of
Enfield. The father, John HarreU, was the grandson of
Lt. John Harrell, who was Sheriff of Hertford County from
1774 to 1777, when he enlisted in the Continental Army and
was ranked as lieutenant. Colonel Harrell's father died
when he was very young. After the death of liis father,
ex-Sheriff William B. Wynns, a friend of the family, took
charge of Jarret and his brother John W., and stood in loco
parentis to them. Mr. Wynns was then living at Barfields, and
conducted a large mercantile business as one of his enter
prises. John W. Harrell was clerk in Wynns' store, and
when he gre^v to manhood W^ynns mad© him a partner in his
business, and Jarret N., who had become qualified by age and
education, was made head clerk in the store. After reaching
matured manhood he and his brother moved to Murfreesboro
and began the mercantile business under the firm name of
J. W. Harrell & Bro., and met with fine success. His brother
John W. was considered one of the best business men in our

250

Histoey op Heetfoed County, N. C.

county. Colonel Harrell was twice married. On June
17, 1856, he married Susan Ruffin, of Surry Court-house,
Va., and sad to relate, she died August 14th of the same
year. Ho entered the Confederate Army 'at the call for
arms, as captain, and soon promoted to the Tank of major.
On November 5, 1863, Major Harrell m'arried the patriotic
and attractive Ellen O., eldest daughter of John V. Law
rence, of Murfreesboro, and the granddaughter of James
Rea. Later Major Harrell was promoted to the rank of
colonel. Colonel Harrell at the close of hostilities retumed
to his old ho'me and he and his brother John W. rene-wed
their former mercantile business at the same place, whieh
was continued during the remainder of their lives. The
colonel was frank, honest and positive in manner, but very
fond of young society and always made himself pleasant and
entertaining. He was tall, erect and large, and a splendid-
looking man. He had a commanding and military bearing.
He served his county as County Commissioner from 1878 to
1890, and always took an active part in politics and county
affairs. He died November 4, 1892, leaving surviving him
his -widow and two daughters,
Gertrude and Linda. Ger
trude married her cousin,
Charles T. Vaughan, son of
the late William Vaughan,
and they ai-e living with the
wddow at the beautiful home
of the late Colonel Harrell.
Linda married Isaac Waike,
of Norfolk, Va., where they
live. .Vmanda C. Harrell married
William ]\f. Montgomery, the old Clerk and blaster in
Equity, of whom we have written. Joseph HarreU lived in
Northampton and died many years ago, leaving surviving
him his widow and several young children, George and Cola

MRS. C. T. VAUGHAN,
Mfe GERTRUDE HARRELL.

Decade XII. — 1870-1880. 251
R. The latter is chairman of the Board of Commissioners
of his county, and once served his county in the Legislature.
He married his cousin, the young©st daughter of his uncle,
Andrew J. HarreU, 'and is now a prominent merchant at
Potecasi, in NorthamptO'U County. George was' in the com
mission business with his uncles, John W. and J. N. Har
reU, when he died September 30, 1888. The sister of George
and Cola married Everet B, Lassiter, of Potecasi. She died
two or three years ago, leaving several children. Mr. Lass'i-
ter, on June 22, 1905, married Miss Boyette, daughter of
Charles Boyette and wife, Tempance 0. Godwin, of Mur
freesboro. Andrew J. Harrell married Mary Dean©s, and for
a number of years was a prosperous merchant at Woodland,
N. C. Later he moved to Norfolk, Va., and conducted success-
fuUy with his brothers, John and Jarret, a commission busi
ness. He died in Norfolk in January, 1890. Lik© his brother
Jarret he was a handsome and fine-looking man. He left
several children, two sons and t-wo daughters. His elder
daughter, Roberta, married Dr. P. C. JenldliB, of R'0'XO'b©l,
N. C, and his younger daughter, Mary, married, as before
stated. Cola R. Harrell. His elder son, Cecil W. Harrell,
of Woodland, married Bessie, the second daughter of the
late John E. Maget, and his younger son, Paul, married Miss
Viola Hall, of Nansemond County, Va. John W. Harrell,
the eldest of the brothers, and the survivor of all of them,
was a leading citizen of MurfreesborO' for a great number
of years. He was widely known as a most excellent busi
ness man and leading Methodist, and a hos'pitable gentleman.
He married the widow of George W. Montgomery, who was
Martha Pipkin, the sister of Dr. Isaac Pipkin, and by her
he reared two daughters, Sarah M. and Florie, The latter
died without ever marrying, and the former manded the late
Jcb R, Hall, of Ahoskie, but after his marriage he becam©
a citizen of Murfreesboro. Their daughter Florie died
young. He reared three sons — John H., Charles E., and

252 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
Marvin HaU. The boys are married and doing well. John
H, is in Baltimore, Charles is in Norfolk, and Marvin in
Pittsburg, Pa.
Another member of the new Board of Commissioners was
John A. Vann, of whom we have written in the 8 th decade.
James Thomas Wynns, the fifth new Commissioner, lived
in Union, and was 'one of the county's most successful mer
chants and a faithful officer. He was bom January 8,
1823, and received only a limited educatito'U at the public
and neighborhood schools. He was a good man, a just and
correct man, and an energetic citizen. He married Sai-ah A.
Dunn, She was born August 31, 1823, and died December
10, 1891. He always took a deep interest in trying to rescue
tine oounty and Stat© from the Republican party. His
father was Benjamin Wynns, a son of William Wynns.
Benjamin Wynns lived and died near where the town of
Union is now located, and married Polly Carter, a sister of
Perry and Eley Carter, of Murfreesboro, James Thomas
Wynns died July 2, 1900, and left only one child, Annie,
whoi married Dr. W, H, Sears. They live at her father's
home. Dr. Sears' mother was the daughter of Thomas Grif
fith, who was bom December, 1780, and died April 19,
1848. His father was John Griffith, who was born Mareh
12, 1754. Thomas Griffith was married three times. His
first wife was Temperance Gatling, his second Martha Jen
kins, the mother of Mrs. H. C, Maddry and the grandmother
of Dr, Sears, His third wif© was Mrs. Elizabeth Weston,
nee Warren. She left no issue, Griffith's daughter mar
ried first William H. Sears, of Gates, and they were thte
parents of Dr, W. H, Sears, the husband of Miss Annie
Wynns. Sears, Sr., died and his wddow^ married the late
LI. Carter Maddry, of Northampton, who after his marriage
moved tO' Hertford, where he became a. pi-ominent and lead
ing citizen and office-holder. Mr. ]\laddry died after a pro
tracted illness in 1893, without issue. His widow still sur-

Decade XIL— 1870-1880. 253
vives and lives with her son. Edgar G. Sears, of ]\Ianey's
Neck, and Mrs. W. J. Boyette, of Mapleton, are first cousins
of Dr. W. H. Sears.
The Griffiths and the Wymis are among the oldest families
of the county. The author found an old 'deed which recited
the following interesting facts: That George Ganey, in
1713, secured a patent for all th© lands in and around where
the town of Murfreesboro is located, and sold it off in smaller
tracts. The tract no-w known as the old Meredith Field was
sold to William Griffith, and he in 1766 sold it to Jonathan
Roberts, who in turn sold it to Captain Meredith. It was
willed by Meredith, subject to his -wife's life estate, to James,
Williain and Henry Maney ; also the gristmill now owned
by E, C, Worrell was owned by Janies Maney, and the creek
from the mill to ileherrin River was known as Ganey's
Creek, Tlie above-named Maneys sold the ]\leredith tract to
the late John G. Wilson.
George W. Wynns, the Co'roner of the county for many
years, and the older brother of the Commissioner, was mar
ried several times and worked diligently to comply with the
Biblical command to "Go forth, multiply and replenish the
land." He was the father of eighteen childrein, most of
who'm he reared, and they are scattered in every direction,
carrying out the Divine injunction. This Biblical injunc
tion, "Be fruitful, and multiiDly, and replenish the earth,
and subdue it," is not obeyed in these daj^s of higher civili
zation as much as in the honest days of olden times.
The grand work of rebuilding the bleeding South and pro
tecting her noble and dear womanhood still goes on. The
basic walls of Northern hate ai'e undermining-. The better
class of Northern citizenship are showing- their admiration
for the nobility and brave men of the South, w-hose efforts
have been unrelenting in the defence of their civilization and
the honor of their homes and dear ones. But many of her
politicians continue to flirt the red shirt and prevent the

254 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. 0.
healing of the wound, that they may retain power. Victory
will yet come.
Samuel J. Tilden was elected in 1876 President of the
United States by the Southern and Northem Democrats
over R. B. Hayes, the Republican nominee. But the Radi
cal politicians of the North refused to permit them to reap
the benefit of their great victory. Their greed for power
was toO' great. A great popular upheaval and revolutio'U is
threatened, but the cool and patriotic people of America sub
mitted to the mighty -wrong. The insult was in time
avenged. The immortal Z. B. Vance succeeds Judge A. S.
Merrimon in the U, S. Senate from North Carolina March
18, 1879, and locks hands with the gifted and scholarly
Ransom. Our State' also has in the House, with her Yeates,
Scales, Bob Vance, Ro'bbins, Steele, and Waddell, some of
her bravest, ablest, most chivalrous sons. Georgia sends her
Gordon and her Ben Hill. Mississippi sends her great
scholar and philosopher, Lamar, and the other Southern
States augment the brave and brainy defenders of Southern
honor and Southern womanhood, who by their consummate
ability, courage and eloquence dash back, -with stunning ef
fect, into the faces of the traducers of the ho'Uor and virtue
of our dear Southland, their insults and vile efforts to force
amalgamation of the races in th© South. God never in
tended such should be, and Liis curses have always been and
wiU always be visited on those who attempt such an impious
deed. The South is still gaining friends among the better
people of the North, and the hatei"s are weakening. The
liorizon grows brightei- and brighter as the years roll around.

DECADE XIII.
1880—1890,
As we app'Toach this epoch in our 'history, we find Thomas
J, Jarvis in the governor's chair in O'Ur capitol at Raleigh.
He is one of the State's truest sons and a descendant of Capt.
John Jarvis, one of the State's brave and gallant officers in
the mighty struggle of 1776-'82, The Legislature of the
State is still in the control of her loyal sons. The last of
the judges belched up by the evolution of reconstruction are
numbered aniong the things of the past, stripped of power.
The elegant and profound jurist, W. N. H. Smith, is Chief
Justice, in place of Richmond M. PearsO'U, who was learned
in the law but who in that awful hour during Governor Hol-
den's reign of terror and lawlessness, when Holden was im
prisoning honorable citizens of the State to gratify his
venom and passion, application was made to Chief Justice
Pearson for the enforcement of the great -writ of habeas
corpus, he quacked out that the -writ of liberty was suspended
and "the judiciary was exhausted." W© had retumed to the
rule inaugTirated by the fathers, of the Superior Court judges
rotating, by riding a different district each term. R. B.
Hayes is still usurping the seat of Samuel J. Tilden as Presi
dent of the United States. The Republican politicians are
still waiving the bloody shirt and trying to keep open the
half-healed wounds of former days. Hot debates in Con
gress break O'Ut at times like young volcanoes. In 1881
James A. Garfield, a Republican, but a great and humane
man, was swom in as President of the United States and
called around him as members of his cabinet strong and con
servative members of his party. The South breathed easier
and was more hopeful. The National Republican party
was on th© eve of dissolution. Imperialism had been the
dream of many of the leaders of that party. Garfield did
not belong to that school. The dreamers of absolute power
were in the minority, and th©ir hopes were dissipated. The

256 HisTOEY' OF Heetfoed County, N. C.
President quickly began the work of civil service reform.
But the American people were soon to be robbed of their
victory, for on July 1, 1881, he was co-wardly assassinated
in Washington by a mad man, Chester A, Arthur was in
augurated September 20, 1881, as President.
In the State House of Representatives Hertford is still rep
resented by a Republican. Col. Geo. H. ]\Iiteliell, the member
in 1883, lived in Winton. He was a kind and good-hearted
man, and his Republicanism was always a surprise to his coun
trymen. During the days of reconstruction he and two others
were arrested and lodged in prison by 'order of a military
Brevet in 1865, for wdiip'ping a negro' girl. In 1867 Gov
emor Holden appointed him colonel of the militia in Hert
ford, and he allied his fortunes -with the followers of Holden,
He has been thrice married. His first -wife was the eldest
daughter of Luke McGloughon, of this county. His second
wdfe was Jesse B, Vann's wddow, and sister to his first wdfe.
His third Avife -was James Northcott's widow, by whom he
had no ehildre-n. He is again 'a gay widower and looking
out for his fourth. He has t'-wo sons liring in the county
by his second marriage — Dr, Jesse H, MitcheU, of Ahoskie,
an able physician and strong Democrat, and Arthur Mitch
ell, of Ahoskie, another Democrat,
For the first time since reconstruction the noble little
county of Hertford in 1884 became tired and weary of not
being represented in the House of Representatives in her
State by one of her brave au'd gallant Democrats. She put
forth a pO'WC'rful effort and elected by a majority of 65 her
able and polished young attoirney, "Robert W. Winbome, of
Murfreesboro, Young Winborne was in his 24th year, but
he .served in the session of 1885 -with marked ability. His
abiUty and well-trained mind soon won for liim laurels iu
that deliberative body. He had gTaduated with distinction
at the University of the State in the Class of 1881, obtained
his license to practice law in Febmary, 1883, and settled in
Alurfreesboro and formed a partnership with his brother.

K. W. WINBOENE, Esq,,
Attorney-at-Law, Eoanoke, Va.

&

Decade XIII.— 1880-1890. 257
the author, and they practiced law under the firm name of
Winborne & Bro. He was very popular, pleasant in his
manners, well-versed in the principles of the law, apt in their
application, and smooth, attractive and convincing in his
arguments before the jury. He married, November 24,
1887, the beautiful Dora M. Merrifield, of Valpariso, Indi
ana, youngest daughter of Judge Thomas J. Merrifield of
that State, and by her had two children — ^Roger. M. and
Robert W. Winborne, Jr. In 1891 he moved -with his family
to Buena Vista, Rockbridge County, Va, In 1897-'98 he
was one of the Representatives from that county in the
House of Delegates of Virginia. In 1903 he was a candi
date for the De'mocratic nomination as one of the delegates
from Rockbridge to the Constitutional Convention of Vir
ginia, Hon. Heniy St. George Tucker being his opponent
for the nomination. After a protracted balloting, a dark
horse was nominated. He was one of the leading attorneys
in his adopted county. For a niunber of years he was Com
monwealth Attorney in Buena Vista. His wife, who was a
most talented woman, died January 21, 1900, On Febru
ary 3, 1903, he married the stately and accomplished Rosa
Vaughan, of Murfreesboro, N. C, the fifth daughter of the
late Col. Uria'h Vaughan, They resided in Buena Vista
until the year 1904, when he moved with his family to
Roanoke, Va,, where he is enjoying a very lucrative law
practice. He was bom October 2, 1861, and was the second
son of Maj. S. D. AVinbo'rne and his wife, of Hertford
County. He was educated at Buckhorn Academy and took
his degree of A. B. at the University of the State, in 1881.
Young Winbome declined a re-nomination and applied him
self strictly to his profession. He was succeeded in 1887 by
E. T. Snipes, a Rep'ublican, of the Menola section. Mr.
Snipes was a planter with strong Quaker proclivities. We
have spoken of him before. He still lives and is a worthy
and reliable citizen. He is not an educated man, but he is
utilizing his means in trying to educate his children. He
17

258 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. 0.
now has two of his sons at the University at Chapel Hill,
who are taking a good stand among the best students. They
will reflect credit and honor on the old father and mother,
who are making th© sacrifice and effort to give them such
excellent advantages. Would that all the parents would do
like^rise. In 1889 the Democrats are again triumphant in the elec
tion, and send James L, Anderson, of Winton, to the House.
Mr. Anderson was the son of the late John A. Anderson, who
figured so prominently in the Whig party in the county
before its dissolution. Mr. Anderson was a deformed man,
caused by a fall when an infant, but he had a strong and
clear intellect. He was educated before the Civil War at
the University at Chapel Hill, to which institution he was
devoted throughout life. He was re-elected in 1890. The
following year his health began to fail, and he died. He
was to'O unwell to serve in the session of 1891.
Lt. W. P. Shaw, of whom we have -written, served in the
Senate from lie First Senatorial District as a Democrat, in
the sessions of 1887 and 1889, and was a safe and prudent
legislator, serving on some of the most important committees.
In 1880 Maj. John W, Moore, of Piteh Landing, who had
been a conspicuous citizen of lihe county for twenty-five
years or more, had published his most excellent History of
North Carolina fro'm 1584 to 1876, in two volumes. This
history is far superior to any history of the State that has
ever been published. He was th© son of Dr. Godwin C.
Moor© and wife, Julia Wheeler. His paternal and maternal
ancestry had been for generations people of great i-efinement
and culture. Major Moore graduated at Chapel Hill in
June, 1853, an'd in September of that year he married Miss
Anne J. Ward, of this oounty, who was the first and only
graduate at the 0. B, F, Institute in July, 1853. She was
the daughter of James Ward and wife Anne, who was the
daughter of James Jones III, of Piteh Landing. When Mr.
-Tones moved South he sold the old ancestral home of the

Decade XIIL— 1880-1890. 259
James Joneses to his son-in-law, James Ward, who moved
there from Bertie to live. Miss Ward when she married
young Moore was very wealthy. The young barrister, who
had obtained his law license, bought the tract of land near
the Borough, just back of the C. B. F. Institute, where Jef
ferson Davis Gatling resides, and built a magnificent South
ern mansion on that beautiful site overlooking the town, and
moved there to live in 1855 and opened his law office in Mur
freesboro in the same year. Moore was cultured and liter
ary, handsome and with pleasing manners. He was a Demo
crat in politics like his father, and this being a Whig county
and in a Whig district, he was never elected to office, though
often a candidate before the people for Congress and other
high and important positions. He was elector on the Breck
enridge and Lane ticket in 1860, which was elected in the
State. H© served in the Conf ©derate Army as Major of the
3d Battalion of Artillery. During the war his beautiful
home near Murfreesboro was d©stroy©d by fire, with his valu
able furniture and a goodly part of his valuable library.
His family lived in a small house in th© yard until after the
close of the confiict. On his return home he moved -with his
family to his -wife's farm in th© lower ©nd of th© county,
near Powellsville, in Bertie County, where he has since re
sided. This home was the ancestral home of the James
Joneses, and has been in th© family for nearly 200 years.
Maj. James Wright Moore, his brother, and a gaUant soldier
of the Confederacy, feU d©ad in 1862. In 1881 Major
Moore had published his most interesting volume, "The
Heirs of St. Kilda," a beautiful story of the Southern p>as't.
In 1882 he published his school history of North Carolina,
and also his Roster of North Carolina Troops in the Ci-vil
War of 186'l-'65, in four volumes. By his historic -writings
he has built a monument to the glory of his State more last
ing and more beneficial than the deeds of those who have
held high offices. When the Inferior Court was established

260 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
in the county in 1877 he was elected its chairman, which
office he filled with ability and great satisfaction to his
people. For a likeness of Major Moore, se© beginning of
Decade XI.
Hertford has always been able to boast of her historians.
In 1901, Denny Worthington, the son of Dr. R. H, Worth
ington, of th© Borough, contributed to' the literature of his
State "The Broken Sword," a pictorial page in reconstruc
tion, which he dedicated to the daughters of the confederacy,
whos© fathers had followed the Southem Cross. Worthing
ton came to the Llertford bar about 1870, but after a few
years moved to Windsor, Bertie County, and married the
widow Mebane, daughter of Col. S. J. W'heeler, late of Hert
ford County, and who won his renoi-wn in the bloody battle
of Mt. Tabor, when in the imaginatio'U the earth was cov
ered wdth the dead bodies of Union soliders, and the waters
of the noble Potecasi Creek was running red with their blood,
notwithstanding no one was hurt and no damage was done,
except a cabbage cart distribute-d its cargo along the road
from Hill's Bridge to Murfreesboro, and the hoi-ses of the
gallant band were soon windless from the speedy retreat from
the ghost of Banquo.
In 1880, Joseph J. Jordan, of Winton, brother of our
present Williain Jordan of that place, succeeded John Sharp
as Sheriff of the county, Mr, Jordan had only a limited ed
ucation, but had been successful in business enterprises. The
Republicans still had a safe m-ajority in, the county, but the
Democrats had made wdiite Ro]Hiblicanisni in the SouUi so
odious, that many whites -^vho had been affiliating with the
negroes and scalawags for (-i'ffico, were becoming ashamed of
their a.ssociations. They felt the just indignation (if the
white women and their decent white fellow-citizens, and
many werC' seeking ajvay to get into the Deinoeratic ranks.
Neither of the political i-)arties made any nomination this
year for the office of sheriff. The Democratic committee

Decade XIIL— 1880-1890. 261
quietly got Jordan to declare himself an independent candi
date for sheriff. Soon t'hereaft©r James H. Matthews, of
Winton, also, declared himself an independent candidate for
the same office. Both had been life-long Democrats and
true to their race since Reoonstructio'ii times. Both were
seeking in this fight for Republican votes, and they were
timid in declaring their political dogmas. During the cam
paign the co'unty candidates met in MurfreesborO' to address
the people. Jordan and Matthews were on hand dodging
on the outskirts of tlie assembled crowd. W'hen the nomi
nees concluded their speeches, the voters vociferously called
for Jordan and Matthew^s. Matthews made his escape and
declined to declare his colors. Jordan finally mounted the
platform, with the promise of the writer that he would stand
bi^hind him and tell him -what to say. Lie was to repeat
what the -writer utt©r©d from behind, which he did, to the
great amusement of his hearers. Here is the speech: "Fel
low Citizens: I am a candidate for the office of Sheriff. If
I am elected I will fill th© office to the best of my ability. I
am a Democrat. W'here is my opponent? What is his
politics? Come up here Matthews (in a very loud voice),
ding your soul, ('a common expression of Jordan) and tell
these peo'ple what are your politics." Matthews did not
show up and Jordan was elected by a handsome majority.
The negroes refused to vote for Jordan because he declare'd
himself a Democrat, au'd refused to -vote for Matthews be
cause he would not get up and declare himself a Republican.
We Democrats worked every ingenuous plan that O'ur minds
could suggest to secure the election of the white man's can
didates. The writer led the brave Democratic hosts, in the
county for many years in their battles against Southern
radicalism. He was much criticised as being the king, the
ruler, the ring-leader, by those who were ready to accept office
at the hands of the negroes, but were deterred from joining
that party by the brave and bold stand of that noble and

262 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
immortal band of loyal Democrats who contested every elec
tion as if the life of the Republic depended upon their efforts.
Jordan was re-elected in 1882. He died in the 14th
decade, lea-ving one child, Etta, who now lives with her
aunt, Mrs. A. I. Parker, in Winton. In 1884 he was suc
ceeded as Sheriff by James S. Mitchell, a Democrat, and
son of our worthy citizen, W. W. Mitehell, of whom we have
written. Mitchell made a good and efficient officer.
The old bachelor and Christian gentleman and Democrat,
Wm. J. Gatling, of Harrellsville, who enter©d th© Clerk's
offic© in 1872, still holds forth, and Maj. W. L. Daniel,
another good Democrat, presides with great efficiency in the
office of Register of Deeds from 1882-'90. A kind Pro-ri-
dence seemed to be favoring us. The Republicans would
almost invariably elect their candidates at th© polls, but
th©ir blunders often lost them the fruit of their victories.
We recall one of their blunders in those trying days that re
sulted in seating the Democratic candidates.. The Republi
can poll-holders in St. John's precinct, in making out their
election retums at that -voting precinot, did not write out the
number of votes their candidates received, as the law re
quired. To illustrate, they returned as follows. Smith being
the Democrat and Jones the Republican:
Smith received on© hundr©d votes.
Jones " " " and ninety votes.
The returning board only allowed Jones ninety votes. It
is said that the Republicans who made out tliat return have
never made a ditto m'ark since, and declare to-day that it is
unlawful to make a ditto mark.
The cold hand of death has not failed to touch some of
our most worthy citizens. Dr. Godwin C. Moore is taken in
1880. The good and greatly beloved Rev. Archibald Mc
Dowell, the President of the C. B. F. Institute, succumbs in
1881, and leaves his grand and noble wdfe, Mary Owen,
surviving him, with several diildren — Dr. W. O. McDowell,

Decade XIIL— 1880-1890. 263
and Archer McDowell, now of Scotland Neck; SaUie, the
late wif© of Maj. John B. N©al, of Halifax County; Ruth,
the wife of D. A. Day, of Murfreesboro, and Eunice, an
highly educated and worthy daughter, who is devoting her
life to teaching. Wm, Vaughan, near Murfreesboro, f aUs in
1884, and he is foUo'Wed in 1885 by that courteous gentle
man of Maney's Neck, Captain William J. Majette, who was
Captain in the Home Guard during the late Ci-vil War.
Then follows the energetic Joseph Newsome, near Winton,
in 1886, and th© bright and ch©erful D, V, Sessoms, of
Piteh Landing, in 1888, and others who'm w© do not now
recall. In 1884, th© closing year of the first quarter of the second
century of the county's existence, finds the Southern people
rejoicing as in olden times. At the November election the
Democrats North and South succeeded in electing that great
man, Grover Cleveland, of New York, President of the
United States, and on March 4, 1885, he takes the oath of
office and enters upon the duties of his great office. Thomas
A. Hendricks, of Indiana, is also elected by the D©mocrats
Vice-President, The hearts of the noble women of the
South pulsate with indescribable joy and they sing praises to
the brav© and untiring ©fforts, for years, of the loyal sons of
the beautiful Southland. Honest and fearless Cleveland
calls around him in his cabinet some of the country's truest
and ablest statesmen, such as Thos. F, Bayard, of Delaware;
Daniel Manning, of New York ; Lucius Q, 0. Lamar, of Mis
sissippi ; W. C. Endicott, of Massachusetts ; W. C. Whitney,
of New York; W. F. Vilas, of Wisconsin, and Augustus H.
Garland, of Arkansas. With this band of patriots in charge
the country is safe and they move placidly on in the patriotic
work of cleansing th© political hous©hold, reforming the
abuses of power, breaking dowm sectionalisni, bringing to
gether the North and the South, and extending the right-

264

Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.

MISS FANNIE SHARP.

hand of fellowship and plantr
ing flowers in the South in
stead of placing crowns of
thorns on the heads of its
pure and lovely women, and
spears through the hearts of
its sons. The President hon
ors the South in making his
appointments to office. He
honors North Carolina in
many instances, and honors
Hertford County in the ap
pointment of her chivalrous son, Thomas R. Jemigan, as
Consul of the United States to Japan. Such was the cro-wn-
ing glory of the lo'Ug, heroic and bitter stniggies of the loyal
wdiites of our SouthlaU'd for twenty long years. We had
won the ad'miration of a vast number of our Northern fellow
citizens. True courage, noble and ]-)ure womanhood, and
lofty and bra'Ve manhood will always in the end receive its
wreath of fiowers and the love of mankind. The lower
House' of Congress is, also, DemocTatic, but the Senate is
Republican, and wliile Democratic principles cannot be en
acted into law, yet no harm can be done the South.
Now, as ^ve look back over the pages of the decades since
1860, we grow pale and awe-stricken. Beneath the grandeur
and beauty of 1860 we see our fair land painted with the
blood of her noblest sons, we see our homes reduced to ashes,
our fathers and mothers bending and groaning- under the
weight of cai'c and hardships, and our beautiful young
women opening the snored trunks wdiere the sacred garments
of mother, grandmothers, and other dear ones have been
stored away as mement«is of the departed dead, to secure
clothing for themselves. The greatest -war kno-wn to the
^^'orld has been fought on our Southern soil, and after four
years of bloodshed and dcs(-)lation it ended. Slavery an in
stitution as old as the government, has been abolished, and

Decade XIIL— 1880-1890. 265
we thank God for that. We see the horrors of Reconstruc
tion, and the unlioly effort to force social equality between
the -white sons and daughters of the South with the ex-slaves.
We see county offices in the pO'Ssession of the untutored ne
gro men. We also find tliC'm on the bench, in the legislative
halls of the States, and also in both Houses of Congress,
We find them also presiding as Governors in some of the
Southem States. We hear that the Great Writ of Liberty
is suspended and the Chief Justice of our State crying out,
"the judiciary is exhausted," We see the Governor im
peached for high crimes in offi'ce. We witness the gradual
overthrow of Carpet Bagism in the State and in the South,
We behold the slow re-habilitation of the South and its
people. We witness and engage in the mightiest struggles
in modern times of a brave and noble people to rise up and
shake off the incubus of misrule and shame, and throw
around their homes and their pure women the impenetrable
shield of honor and brave manhood. And we rejoiced in
the grand climax in the election of 1884.
FEEEMANS  BEVEELYS.
The diseases of which the human fiesh is heir to have been
successfully baffled for years by Murfreesboro's senior phy
sician, Dr. Williain G. Freeman. He was born August 19,
1840, in Bertie County, and was educated at the neighbor
hood sohoo'ls and at Wake Forest College, After leaving
Wake Forest College he began the study of medicine at the
University of Virginia and completed his course of study at
the Medical University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated
-with honors in 1861, His patriotic impulses caused him to
enlist in 1862 as a private in the Sussex Light Dragoons of
Virginia, -avhich was Company H, 13th Va. Confederate
Cavalry. He braved the fate of battle until 1864, when he
was seriously -wounded. After returning to the ranks he
was captured at Apperville an'd held as a prisoner of war,
but was shortly exchanged and allo-wed to return to his com-

266 HiSTOEY' OF Heetfoed County, N. C.
mand ; he, in the spring of 1864, applied for and obtained
from the army medical examining board a commission as
Assistant Army Surgeon, which position he held in different.
hospitals until the end of the confiict. In January, 1866,.
he located at Union, in Hertford, to practice his profession.
In 1868 he removed to Harrellsville, where he practiced his
profession wdth great success. On February 25, 1869, the
Doctor married the beautiful and intellectual Miss Lucy T.
Boone, of Northampton. In 1874 he moved with his bright
and attractive young wife to Murfreesboro to live, where he
has since and is still engaged in baffling the ills of the flesh
and re'Storing the sick to health. Doctor is the son of John
Freeman, who was Sheriff of Bertie County for about
t-wienty years just prior to 1850, and was a man of a large
estate, and on© of the largest land-owners in the cO'unty. He
was twice married. His. first -wife and the mother of his
children was Sarah King, of Bertie. Gates was his native
county, where he was born in 1801, but after his marriage he
moved to Bertie, w-here he resided until 1856, His wife
died August 26, 1852, lea-ving surviving two sons and one
daughter. The sons were Dr. William George Freeman,
and James P, Freema.n, Their daughter was Mary E, Free-
m'an. Sheriff Freeman, in 1854, married Annie Smith, of
Norfolk, Va., and in 1856 he moved to Norfolk, where he re
sided until his death in 1865. Sheriff Freeman by his last
marriage had two daughters, Sallie and Julia. The former
married W. F. Bynum, son of W. T. Bynum and his Stal
lings wife, of Maney's Neck, but now of Richmond, Va.
Julia married W. A. Perry, the faitliful Constable and Tax
Collector at Harrellsville, and son of the old Public Register,
W. J. Perry. Dr. William G. Freeman's wife was the
daughter of Mr, William Boone and -wdfe Julith Boone, nee
Deanes, of Northampton. Mrs. Boone was the daughter of
the old Sheriff and legislator of Hertford, Thomas Deanes,
of whom VTO have written, William Boone, and the late
Chief Justice William T. Faircloth were kin. John Boone,

Decade XIIL— 1880-1890. 267
the father of William Boone and the mother of Judge Fair
cloth, were half brother and sister. Dr. Freeman's son,
George, married Carrie Hart, of Emporia, Va., the grand
daughter of Dred Hart, of Southampton County, Va., who
married a Suitor, of Northampton. Mrs. Dr.. Freeman's
. patemal grandmother Avas Lucy Tyner, daughter of Nicholas
Tyner, Jr., of Northampton County, by his first marriage.
We cannot ascertain his wife's m'aiden name, but we leam
from O'D'wyer's diary of 1824 that Nicholas Tyner's wife
died September 29, 1824. Mr. Tyner was the son of Wil
liam Tyner and grandson of Nicholas Tyner, Sr., of Dobbs
County, who took out a patent for a large tract of land on
the Meherrin River, from the Lords Prop'rietors in 1724. He
conveyed 640 acres of this land January 12, 1761, to his
son, William Tyner, of Northampton County. William Ty
ner's other children were Drew, Mary, Sarah, Priscilla, Mil
dred, Arthur, and William. Lucy Tyner's sister, Lucretia,
married Etheldred Peebles, an ancestor of Judge R. B.
Peebles. O'D-wyer also tells that in September, 1824, Tur
ner Peebles' daughter m'arried a Stanoell.
Mrs. Dr. Freeman is the sister of Thomas D. Boone, the
Clerk of the Superior Court of Hertford. Dr. Freeman and
-wife have only one child living. He is George King Free-
m'an, the efficient railroad agent at Conway, N. C. Mrs. Dr.
Freeman is regarded as one of the best read and most schol
arly women in the State.
Dr. Freem'an's brother, James P, Freeman, lives at Union
and has for a number of years been one of the county's prin
cipal officers. For years after the war he 'and his brother-in-
law, George W. Beverly, conducted successfully a meroantile
business at Union under the firm name of Beverly & Free
man. He was one of the County Commissioners for several
years and later served the county as her Register of Deeds,
an office which he resigned in 1905.
Note,— Nicholas Tyner on April 1, 1707, conveyed to WiUiam Wil
liams 300 acres of land on which Sarah Sowells hved.

268 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
In 1867 he man-ied Mary E, White, of Bertie, 'and by
this marriage he reared one son, John Freeman, now of
Union, and one daughter, Lila, who first married John Eley,
of Union. Since his death she married, in 1905, Dr. J. H.
MitcheU, of Ahoskie.
Sheriff Freeman's daughter, Mary E., m'arried about 1858
George W. Beverly, of Hertford County; the son of Allen
Beverly, and grandsO'U of Benj. Beverly, of St. John's. The
Beverly's have been among Hertford's prominent people for
over 150 years. They were amO'Ug the earliest settlers of
Ahoskie Ridge, Mr. Geo, W, Beverly served his county in
many ofiicial positions, as will be seen by a reference to the
list of officers in the back of tbe volume. He died several
years ago. Benj. F. Beverly, his brother, resides near
Union, and is a substantial planter and worthy citizen. He
married Abner Harrell's daughter by his last marriage. A,
B'ascom Beverly, the younger brother, is a prosperous mer
chant and planter in Florida. Geo. W. Beverly left no issue.
Rev, Joseph E. Carter, the late eloquent Baptist divine, so
well known throughout the State and the other Southern
StateS', was a Murfreesboro boy, Hertford has had no son
who reflected more renown and finer character than this man.
He was bom in Murfreesboro February 6, 1836, and in his
early manhood he was attracted to the study of the law. He
first read law under the late Chief Justice W, N. H, Smith
in his native town, then continued his study of the law at the
law school of the late Chief Justice Pearson, and from there
he applied for and obtained his license from the Supreme
Court about 1857. He only continued on Hertford's roll of
attorneys but a few years. On January 30, 1859, he closed
his law office and decided to become a minister of the gospel.
He was a brilliant young man, but had been a little wild and
di'ssi]3ated in his habits, and his sudden change from the
legal profession to th© pulpit was somewhat a surprise. But
it was O'ue of those irresistable changes in one's life that was
brought about by divine power. He at once entered the

Decade XIIL— 1880-1890.

269

Theological Department of the LTnion University of Mur
freesboro, Tenn,, 'and from that institution he received hia
degree of graduation June 16, 1861, and on June 30 was
formally ordained tO' the ministry in his native toAvn, He
administered th© ordinance for the first time in Meherrin
River at his native tO'-wn on the foUowdng 15th of Septem
ber. During this month he moved to West Temiessee and
began his great career as an el(Xiuent, able, forcible and pro
found exp'ounder of the teach
ings of our Lord, the great
Saviour of human souls. On
May 14, 1862, he married
Miss Priscilla Burton, of
]\Iurfreesbo'ro, Tenn., a grand
daughter of Col. Hardy Mur
free, and settled there to live
in August, 1862, serving as
pastor of one of the Baptist
churcheB of that place. In
1863 he was called to the pas
torate of the church in Rome', Ga. At various times he
served the principal churches in Tennessee, Georgia, Ken
tucky and Alabama as pastor, up' to January, 1880, when he
was called tO' Wilson, N. C, where he remained two years
and accepted a call at Hendersonville, N. C, and was pastor
of the Baptist church at that place until 1885, when he be
came the editor of the Western N. C. Baptist, and when this
paper became consolidated -with the Biblical Recorder, in
1888, he remained the western editor of the Recorder until
his death, Februai-v' 24, 1889, at his mountain home, in his
53d year. His remains were brought to his native town and
interred by the side O'f his parents and sisters, March 1,
1889, in the presence of a large concourse of people, friends,
kindred, old schoolmates, who knew his life, his reno-wn,
all of whom loved and cherished him. Several of his old
friends and classmates spoke eloquently of this good and

.MISS PRISCILLA BURTON.

270 Histoey- of Heetfoed County, N. C.
gifted and saintly man at th© grave. He was not only a true
Christian man and a powerful and effective pulpit orator,
but a fluent and forcible writer. He was a great contributor
to the Baptist church literature. In 1875, while as pastor
in Lebanon, Ky., he -wrote and had pubUshed a brief but
valuable treatise on "Baptists and Higher Liberty," showing
the leading part the Baptists took in all th© struggles for
iteligious and civil liberty. And again, in October, 1883,
he wrote and had published another book, titled "Distinctive
Baptist Principles." His -writings are of the clearest style,
and logical, strong and oon-rineing. H© left his impress in
the hearts of many people. He was tall and thin, energetic
and untiring. He put his whole soul and strength in his
-work. His motto seemed to bo' —
" Live while you live; Life calls for all your powers ;
This instant day your utmost strength demands.
He .v»*(e. wastes himself, who stops to watch the sands
And, miser-hke, hoard up the golden hours."
His parents were Perry Carter and Priscilla Cartel", nee
Warren, of Southampton Coimty, Va., daughter of Col.
Etheldred Warren. His mother was the sister of Martha, the
wife of Elisha Winborne. Mr. Perry C'arter was a man of
great energy and a thrifty business man and large property
holder. Th© beautiful old ancestral home stiU stands on the
comer of Main street and Seminary Ave., well preserved,
and is now the home of Rev. Carter's only living sister.
Miss Ellen V. Carter, and his niece, Miss Priscilla W. Wil
liamson. His parents died a few years after the close of the
Ci-ril War. His wife, who sundved him, died a few years
ago. His daughter m'arried Prof. John E. Ray, of Raleigh,
N. C. His sons are living in the Northwest. His cousin,
Edw. J. Carter, to whom he was so much attached in his
younger days, was killed in battle in 1863, while a soldier
in the Confederate army. Edward was the son of his uncle,
Eley Carter, of his native town, and his wife Mary the

Decade XIIL— 1880-1890. 271
daughter of Edw. Murphy, of the same to-wn. They were
married April 20, 1824. Mrs. Wm. J. Echols, widow of
the late Wm. J, Echols, a wealthy merchant and banker
in Fort Smith, Ark,, was also hi's cousin. Mr. Eley Carter,
after the death of his first wife, m'arried Miss Martha Trader,
of his to-wn, and she is th© mother of Mrs. Echols, Mrs. E. F.
Rice and J. A. Carter, of Murfreesboro, of John Carter of
Newport News, Va,, and of Dodge and Tom Bragg Carter,
of Memphis, Tenm T. Jefferson Deanes, the old coach
maker and the father of our W. D. Deanee, was married
twice, 'and each time married the sister of Eley and Perry
Carter. W. D. Deanes, our housebuilder and contractor, mar
ried Norma I., the daughter of the late Benj. Spiers, of the
Boro, who was for a long time the steward of the Chowan
Baptist Feniale Institute.
A. B. Adkins, of Bethlehem, near old Piteh Landing, de
serves to be noticed as on© of th© untiring and zealous frionds
of the Chowan Baptist Female Institute, and of education.
While he has no issue of his o-wn, he takes the place of a
father of several needy and worthy young girls, and has
them educated at the above institution of leaming. He was
very active in raising by voluntary contribution, money to
aid in the construction of the recent additions to the main
building of that institution. He is the son of Thomas Ad
kins and wdfe, who was the daughter of Maj.- W. P. Britton.
The late Wade H. Adkins, of Murfreesboro, was his uncle,
and Thomas and Wade were sons of David Adkins and his
wife, who was a Miss Bullock, of Edgecombe County.
Note — Boro and Borough refer to Murfreesboro.

DECADE XIV.
1890—1900.
The beginning of this decade finds the country tranquil
and in peace. Daniel G. Fowle, of Wake, is stiU the Chief
Executive of the State. Hon. A. S. Merrimon had succeeded
Chief Justice Smith in that high office. At the head of the
United States Government sat Benjamin Harrison, of Indi
ana, as President. Hon. Thomas G. Skinner is in Congress
from the Eirst District, and in the U. S. Senate from North
Carolina sit the great S'tatesman M. W. Hansom and the
matchless commoner Z. B. Vance. No State was represented
in CongTess by abler men. In the State Senate from the
First District are P. H. Morgan, of Currituck, and James
Parker, of Gates, both Democrats. In the House was the
wide-awake little James L. Anderson. The legislature and
all the State offices were under the control of the Democrats.
But these quiet days were 'Soon tO' be followed by a little gale
in the United States, and a storm in the State. Such dis
turbances generally follow a calm. In 1891 our Governor
Fowle dies, and Thomas M. Holt takes th© oath of Governor.
The U. S. Govermnent gets in trouble with the Italian Gov
emment, on account O'f mob -violence in New Orleans, where
the Italians of that city had become so extremely obnoxious
to the Americans, by their secret organization, the Mafia
Society, where doctrines wholly unamerican were taught.
Some of its lawless members, were suspected of committing
great outrages in the city, and of killing the Chief of Police
of that city. Sufficient e-^ddence could not be obtained to
convict, and the people were so exasperatC'd that a mob broke
open the jail, and eleven of the Italians were put to death.
The Italians in America and the Italian Govemment took
st^rioois ofi'ense at such treatment of tlieir fellow countrymen,
and that war between the Italian and tlie United States gov
ernments was barely avoided. The United States and the

Decade XIV.— 1890-1900. 273
Republic of Chili, also, becam© involved in trouble. The
Republic of Chili was having 'Some domestic trouble. Those
opposing the existing govemment were kno-wn as the Con-
gressionalists. They needed arms and ammunition for car
rying on the insurrection against their govemment. They
secured a steamer belonging to the South American Steam
ship Company, to take on a load of arms and other ammuni
tion of war at one of the Pacific ports of the United States,
to take over to C'hili for the inS'UrgentS'. T'he U. S. Govern
ment ordered that the ship be not 'allowed to leave her waters
with the cargo, and an officer was placed on the steamer to
guard same. One night the crew on the steamer put the
officer off in a small boat and sent him ashore, and sailed at
once for her destination. This affair came near causing the
United States to enter the do'mestic troubles, of the little
Republic of Chili and foree bo'th contending factions to
behave themselves and ceaise their unjust and barbaric strife.
In 1891, the people of Hertford became desirO'Us of a
change in her courts. The Inferior Court had become un
popular in the county, for the reason that to make a court
efficient it should be presided over by a judge trained in the
law. So the legislature of 1891 abolished the Inferior Court
of Hertford and established in its stead a Criminal Court of
Record, and required that the presiding O'ffioer should possess
the same qualifications as a judge of the Superior Court.
The act creating the court gave it full criminal jurisdiction
except over capital cases. The author was induced by his
people to surrender a lucrative criminal practice to accept the
judgeship of the new court at a small salary, but was allowed
to keep up his civil practice, and to practic© in other courts.
In 1893 the General Assembly gave th© Criminal Court of
Hertford full and complete criminal jurisdiction, with the
right of appeal to th© Sup'rem© Court from the rulings of the
judge on questions' of law; and required that the judg©
sho'uld b© commisisioncd by the Govornor of th© State as other
judges of courts of record.
18

274 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. 0.
Blount FergTLSon, the member of the Board of County
Commissioners from Maney's Neck from 1890-'92, is a sober
and thoughtful citizen. He had before and since then served
his people in local offices and has the respect and confidence
of those who know him. He is a farmer. He was born July
27, 1850, and received a business education at the Buckhorn
Academy in his native county. His father, Joshua Fergu
son, married in 1842 Catherine Gatling, of the Buckhorn
section, a cousin of Dr. Richard J. Gatling. Joshua Fergu
son was a substantial and highly respected citizen. He was
murdered about 1861 by one of his slaves, and his body
bumed in a pile of logs. The writer remembers the shock
ing news of his death and tlie several days search for the
absent man. The negro was caught and hanged. His son
Blount married Julia Gilliam, of Mississippi, in 1872. He
lives at the home of his father and pre-viously the home of '
Henry L. Williams, the old merchant and magistrate, and
grandfather of Mrs. T. E. Vann.
W. T. Bro-wn, the chairman of tlie Board of County Com
missioners from 1890 to 1896, was a fanner, and lived near
Murfreesboro at the ho'me of Wm. Dunning, who purchased
it from Thomas Barnes before he moved to Florida in 1847.
Mr. Bro-^m moved to this county from Bertie and married
Jennie, the daughter of j\lr. Dunning, by whom he reared
O'Ue son, Wm. D. Brown, of this oounty, and one daughter,
Grace, who married J. P. Holloman, of Rich Square. After
her death he married Ida, daughter of John E. Maget, of
Northampton. By this marriage he reared two sons, Thos.
E. and Archer Browm, and one daughter, Bettie. Mr. Bro-wn
died June 5, 1904. His widow, her two sons, and daughter,
reside at the homestead. Thos. E. Bro-wn graduated at
Wake Forest CoUege in 1902, and taught school in Elizabeth
City one year, and is now the Superintendent of PubUc In
struction in the county. He was bom March 17, 1881, and
married, January 10, 1906, Miss Martha Broadus Farrar,
of Culpepper County, Va.

Decade XIV.— 1890-1900. 275
J. T. Williams was a member of the Board of Commission
ers from LlarrellsviUe from 1894 to 1896. He was bom
February, 1851, his father being Rev. B, B. Williams, a
Baptist divine, and his wife Elizabeth, the daughter of 
Harrell. Mr. Williams has followed the mercantile pursuits
since manhood and is an energetic business' man. In Octo
ber, 1892, he married Addie C, the daughter of P. H. Mc-
Dade and wife, who was a Miss O'Donal. He is a Democrat
in polities. Rev. Williams was the son of Capt. Jack Wil
liams and wife, Mary Ward, of Bertie, and grandson of
Francis Williams and his wife, who was the daughter of
Benj. Brown, a Welchman. Francis was the son of Jno.
Williams, Esq., born March 1, 1776, and died March 30,
1816. The ex-commissioner has a very promising nephew,
now in the University at Chapel Hill studying medicine. The
Commissioner B. F. Williams, from 1900 to 1904, is a
younger brother of J. T. Williams. He and his brother Tom
have been engaged in the mercantile business for a number
of years under the firm name of Williams Bros. Frank is a
great wit an'd enjoys a good joke. He is an old bachelor, a
successful merchant, and a favorite in his county. Their
father, Rev. Williams, was bom August 28, 1824, and died
January 17, 1900. John, the brother of the Divine, was
born May 4, 1799, and died April, 1875.
In 1892, the Farmers' Alliance began to disturb the calm
waters of politics in the State, It was an organization or
ganized several years prior ostensibly for the mutual protec
tion of the farmers and growers of the State. The farmers
and those interested in securing better prices for their pro
ducts were in great need of organized action. All other in
terests were organized, except the farmer. He was left an
easy prey to his foes, who were fixing the prices of the
farmer's produce at which he must sell, and also fixing the
prices of those articles that the farmer had to buy from them.
The original idea and purpose of the Alliance was good, and
a great number of them in the State joined, with no idea of

276 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C

aiding unscrupulous office seekers to bring shame on the
State, and returning to power the devils of 1868, and again
painting the baimer of white supremacy with all the horrors
of Carpet-Bagism in those shameful days that followed Re
construction. Their meetings were held in secrecy, and its
members were sworn not to reveal the doings of the Alliance.
Soon unscrupulous politicians and office seekers obtained
control of the Alliance and began their devilish work of de
struction and shame. Many of their members were dele
gates toi the State Convention in 1892. Among these mem
bers were sO'me of 'the men who were trying to convert this
noble society, composed principally of m'any of O'Ur truest
citiz.ens, into a secret political organization, upon which to
elevate themselves to power. The idea of their leaders was
to secure enough of their men as delegates to' this convention
to control it, take charge of the Democratic party, and build
their ignoble govemment on the ruins of this party of the
people. In this they failed. Many of the Alliance men
were honest believers in th© ten©ts of their society as first
organized, which were for their mutual protection in the
markets of the world, but were unwilling to' sell themselves
to corrupt an'd designing men, who wer© simply after power
and spoils. Failing to control the convention, Marion But
ler, the leader, and a number of his like, left the convention
and called a convention of Alliance men and organized "The
People's Party," in a convention held in Raleigh, and nomi
nated a full ticket in the State and counties. The Demo
crats nominted for Govemor Elias Carr, of Edgecombe Coun
ty, ©'Ue of the largest farmers in the State, 'and an ex-presi
dent of the Alliance, and then a member of that organization.
The Democrats elected their State ticket and had control of
the General Assembly of 1893, but the party was gi-eatly
weakened and its majority iu tho legislature was much re
duced. It -was evident by th© action of the Alliance mem
bers, in that body, that the Alliance had become a secret
political organization, and had drifted from its noble prin-

Judge B. B. WINBOENE,
1895.

Decade XIV.— 1890-1900. 277
ciples. Their leaders were of the most unscrupulous office
seekers. There was a money crisis in the country during
this period, and the great political head of the Alliance, Col.
L. L. Polk, who w^as ambitious to be Governor of the State,
and his successor, Marion Butler, an arch enemy of the
people of his State, succeeded in making many of the Alli
ance people believe that the Democratic party was th© cause
of thoir ills and woes, and taught them, in "thos© hard times,"
to look upon the members of the Democratic party, who were
not members of the Alliance an'd who did not agree with their
extreme and passionate views, expounded by these leaders, as
their worst enemies. So many of our good people blindly
followed them. Strange power of influence ! We could not
understand the magic power of these corrupt leaders. Their
charms and fascinations seemed to be mO're wonderful, even,
than Aladdin's Wonderful Lamp. Lifelong friendships were
sundered. Men who once had our confidence and respect, now
look upon us -with suspicion and hatred. Men who had
trusted us, and who had always found us true to our trust,
now regarded us worse than criminals.
In the Democratic County Convention in 1892, when the
author, who had been a lifelong Democrat and the chairman
of the party in the oounty for many years, appeared as a
delegate to the convention from his township, the question
was being asked in every direction by the Alliance men,
What right has Judge Winborne to enter this convention?
as if they constituted the Democratic p'arty, and that I and
all of our kind had been expelled from the party. Such
was the result of the corrupt teachings of our plain, honest,
and inexperienced farmers in the wiles of the corrupt and un
scrupulous demagogues, political hypocrits, and enemies of
personal lib©rty and individual happiness.
We elected in Hertford, in 1892, William P. Taylor, of
Winton, to represent the county in the House in the session
of 1893. Mr. Taylor was a staunch Democrat, and was a
valuable member of that body, which had to deal with many

278 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. 0.
delicate questions in the effort
uf the true patriots of the
State to avert a most horrible
disaster to our people. Mr.
Taylor was an old Confeder
ate soldier and had some expe
rience in dealing -with men who
were controlled by passion.
He was a native-born of Hert
ford, and had been one of the
author's right-bowers in the
w. p. TAYLOR. county for years, in fighting
radicalism. He was the son of Maj. Hilory Taylor and
grandson of Isaac Taylor, of the east end of the county. He
married the daughter of W. W. Mitchell.
James S. Mitchell, who was put in the office of Sheriff in
1884, and who had continuously served in fhat office since
1884, allied his fortunes -with that of the People's or Popu
list party and left his old friends and supporters.
In the election of 1894^the State was all excitement; the
Republican and Populist parties had "fused." The Repub
licans, the old enemies of the State and of good govemment,
and who had -widtten the blackest pages of its history, said to
the leaders of the Populist Party, let us join hands, divide
offitees, and whip out our common enemy, the Democratic
party. They wear clean linen and look with scorn upon us.
Break aloose from them and join -with us and we will give you
great power and make you the lords of the State. It was
another case of the spider and the fly.
" Walk into my parlor said the spider to the fly,
It is the prettiest parlor you ever did spy."
All rememb©r th© fate of th© fly.
Harry Skinner, a former Democrat, had joined the Popu
list party and was elected' by the fusionists to Congress from
the First District, defeating th© Democratic candidate, W. A.
B, Branch, of Beaufort County; E. T. Snipes, Republi-

Dec.vde XIV.— 1890-1900. 279
can, of Hertford, and Theo. White, of Perquimans, a
former Democrat, but a devotee of the Populist party,
were elected in the First District to the State Senate.
And the author was nominated by th© Democrats in Hertford
against John F. Newsom, the fusion candidate. B. B. Win
borne received the certificate of election and was swom in as
Hertford's member in th© Hous© in the memorable session of
1895 of the General Assembly. Th© result of the election in
about three-fourths of the counties of the State conveyed
sad news to the Democrats. The Republicans and Populists
had elected a large majority of the members of each house.
The Democrats had elected four Senators O'ut of 50, and 39
out of 120 in the House. It was a thunderbolt of surprise
to all political parties.
Sheriff Mitehell, while his parties were so successful in the
State, was defeated and dislodged from his office by the young
and quiet W. E. Cullen, of Harrellsville, the boy County
Commissioner. Hertford elected at this ©lection all of her
county officers. The author, a few days before the election,
resigned as judge of the Criminal Court, in order to' make
himself eligible for election. The General Assembly met in
January, 1895. All wer© wild ¦wi'th excitement. Th© seats
of all the eastern Democrats had been, under the advice of the
Populist leaders, contested. We appeared in Raleigh, and
so mad were the political victors that we were told that we
would not be allowed to be swom in, but O'Ur seats would be
given to our contestants -without any hearing. The victors
were drunk -with the idea of pO'Wer. It was a sad time for
the State. Its political horizon began quickly to grow black
and gloomy. The little band of the unterrified Democratic
members, like Spartan soldiers, stood firmly at our post of
duty. No soldiers, no patriots, and no courageous men, ever
stood firmer and braver, and guarded the State's interests
and welfare -with more courag© and devotion than did this
little squad of intrepid Democrats in the session of 1895.
This mad passion grew wilder as the session progressed.

280 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
The cunning and foxy Marion Butler succeeded in perfecting
complete "fusion" of the Republicans and Populists. It
was an incongruous combine, and could not survive long.
The team did not work smootihly. They see-sawed and
balked, but Dr. Butler knew how to talk to them and charm
them and make them pull. Again the new harness galded
and they would fret and threaten to kick, but Dr. Butler
knew how to relieve against the pinching of the new harness
and heal the galded places, and thus they moved on. Dr.
Marion Butler, of Sampson County, editor of the "Cau
casian," and president of the Farmers' Alliance, succeeded
in having himself elected United States Senator to succeed
the scholarly statesman, Hon. M'att. W. Ransom. He prom
ised the Republicans, so they claimed, that if they would
elect the Doctor, the patentee of the healing oil and a tonic
for sulky men, to the U. S, Senate, then in 1897 the com
bine would elect Jeter C, Pritehard, the chairman of the
Republican party in the State, to succeed Thos, J. Jarvis,
who was filling the expired term in th© U. S. Senate of Z. B.
Vance, During this great storm of political hatred and
madness, many amusing scenes happened which were much
enjoyed by the patriotic Democrats. The two elements of
the "combine" often gave exhibitions of a want of confidence
in each other. There was not much love between these two
allied forces. Many of the Populists were not Republicans,
and they would often revolt and storm out in rage when their
eyes were being opened to the designs and selfish pui-poses of
their leaders to carry them into the Republican party, and
forswear further allegiance to the hellish combine. Dr.
Butler would at once appear O'U the scene wdth his wonderful
tonic. Then probably, on the next day we would hear the
Republicans using all manner of vile and opprobrious epi
thets towards the Populist leaders. Dr. Butler would get
behind one of the large columns and, like the hissing snake,
whisper to them, Democrat! Democrat!! Democrat!!! Af
once the trouble and angry waters of passion would subside.

Decide XIV.— 1890-1900. 281
and the warring elements embrace each other lik© twin
sisters. Then the little fat Ewart would cease firing his
scorching denunciation of Dr. Butler and pace up to the
thin. Casius-looking Butler behind the Speaker's desk and
fall in the 'arms of the hungry Oasius and look sweetly in the
face of the dangerous man and plead for forgiveness.
When the combine was in a volcanic condition and destruc
tion threatened, the patriots quietly looked on and enjoyed
the belching and th© rise and fall of the thermometer. But
as soon as the volcanic disturbances subsided in th© camp of
the combine and they fell asleep to recover from their riotous
revelry, then the patribts began to storm them with power
ful shells from Democratic guns and create awe and dismay
in the camp of the combine. They had contested about 18
of the patriots' seats — one-half. Th© combine could not get
time to consider the contests. They only found time to con
sider four of them. Thre© of the patriots they arbitrarily
turned out. The committee reported un'animously that L. L.
Smith, of Gates, was entitled to' his seat. Th© report was
unanimously adopted. Up to this time the member from
Gates sat under the clock waiting for his sentence. After
the vote was announced by the Speaker that Mr. Smith was
.entitled to his seat, the irrepressible little member from
Gates immediately arose and addressed the Speaker and be
gan to argue the evidence in th© contest for his seat, and
desired to prove to the House that he was honestly elected,
when the hairless-head member from Northampton, another
of the patriots, arose to interrupt the member from 'Gates.
Permission was given, and Capt. R. B- Peebles, addressing
the Speaker, stated that as the member from Gates seemed
not to be satisfied with the action of the House, he moved that
the vote by w^hich the gentleman from Gates was declared
entitled to his seat be reconsidered. Smith threw up his
hands and exclaimed. No ! No ! ! No ! ! ! and fell in his seat
like a lead ball. This ended the scene.
Later on in the session the Republicans demanded of the

282 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
Populists that the negroes should share in th© offices. They
were dependent upon th© negrO' votes for success, and there
were negro members in the House for the first time in many
years. This was distasteful to the Populists, and they again
raged and threatened destruction to the combine. The Re
publicans then iihreatened that if their demand was not
granted they would vote for the candidates of the patriots.
Dr. Butler was summoned at once. He arrived and ad
ministered his tonic and the political waters were calmed.
When the session of 1895 went into history the people of the
State gave a sigh of relief.
In all of this political madness we formed friendships that
will linger with time.
There is good in all men.
There is bad in all men.
All of us love for the good in us to b© noticed.
All of us love for the bad in us to' be unnoticed.
So it behooved the patriots to look for the good in our
enemies, and make th© b©st us© of it in behalf of our State.
The author adopted that rule of action in this mad hour, and
thereby did much good and kept off much harm. In matters
not political he secured the passage of many biUs for his
political friends, and defeated several malicious and wicked
non-political bills. He introduced the first bill to prevent
a greater rate of interest than six per cent, but he was not
allowed, to get the credit as being the father of that law. No
Democrat was allowed to receive credit for such legislation.
The author served on the Committees on Judiciary, on Edu
cation, the Joint Committee for Selecting Trustees for the
University, and other committees, W, T. Lee, the patriot
member from Haywood, and the author, were the only Demo
crats on the above joint committee, and we succeeded in get
ting six staunch Democrats on the board of trustees. It was
marvelous. The author prepared, introduced and secured
the enactment of chapter 14, Public Laws 1895, for the pro

Decade XIV.— 1890-1900. 283
tection of the estat©s of minors, which is the latter part of
section 2768 of th© Revisal of 1905.
Let us perpetuate fhe names of the patriot members of the
General Assembly of 1895 :
HOUSE.
R. C. Higgins, Alleghany County.
*L. D. Ro'binson, Anson County.
*A. S, Rascoe, Bertie County,
J. L. Nelson, Caldwell Oounty.
H. M. Harrelson, Columbus County.
W. C. Gallop, Currituck County.
J. B. Etheridge, Dare County.
*J. H. Baker, Jr., Edgecombe County.
*W. O. Howard, Edgecombe County.
*L. L. Smith, Gates County.
*J. N. Grizzard, Halifax County.
*J. A. House, Halifax County.
W. T. Lee, Haywood County.
*B. B, Winborne, Hertford County.
J. F. Reinh(ardt, Lincoln County.
*Lee Crawford, McDowell County.
J. Frank Ray, Macon County.
M. T. La-wrence, M'artin County.
E. J. Harrington, Moore County.
J. D. McCall, Mecklenburg County.
J. T. KeU, Mecklenburg County.
John G. Alexander, Mecklenburg Oounty.
Herbert McClammy, New Hanover County.
*R. B. Peebles, Northampton Oounty.
Rudolph Duffy, Onslow County.
D. R. Julian, Rowan County,
J, W. McKenzie, Rowan County.
R. L. Smith, Stanly County.
J. S. Woodard, Swain County.

284 HisTOE-Y OF Heetfoed County, N. C.
R. L. Stevens, Union County.
*W. C. Monroe, Wayne County.
*J. H. Edwards, Wayne County.
*J. Tomlinson, Wilson County.
J. H. Higgins, Yancey County.
*T. B. Hooker, Pamlico County.
*R. L. Payne, Robeson County.
*S. G. Mewborne, Greene County.
*A. A. Lyon, Gran-ville County.
*A. 0. Ward, Pender County.
*D. D. Carlyle, Robeson County.
Those marked * their seats were contested.
We entered the House with 40 Democrats. The "com^
bine," by the us© of the political guillotine, beheaded six of
the patriot members.
In the Senate sat four powerless but brave Democrats —
A. S. AbeU, of Johnston; W. J. Adams, of Moore; W. C,
Dowd, of Mecklenburg, and 0, W. MiteheU, of Bertie, The
latter's seat was contested, but the ax© was not appli©d.
After this notable session of the General Assembly ad
journed, the author resigned his seat and Gov. Elias Carr
re-appointed him Judge of th© Criminal Court of Hertford.
He returned home in March in time to see for the last time
his old father. Major Wiiibome, who was so proud of the
record of his son. On April 3, 1895, this grand old citizen
fell dead in his dining-room. The sad news was wired to
the author, who was then in Norfolk, Va., with his family.
In 1896 the Fusionists again captured the State and elected
Daniel Russell, an old 1868 Republican, Governor of the
State, and elected a large majority of the members of the
Legislature. This year Hertford elected to the House a
Republican, Starkey Lowe, a young man who had just ac
quired his law license. He was adopted by Jackson B. Hare
a few years prior thereto, and he then adopted the name of
Hare,

Decade XIV.— 1890-1900. 285
The Fusionists of the session of 1897 repealed nearly
every law that had been enacted by a Democratic Legislature
which had not been repealed by them in 1895, and enacted
most offensive la-ws to the white people of the State, They
flooded the State 'and eastern counties %vith negro officers.
In their madness they abolished about all non-constitutional
officers, and created others and filled them from their ranks.
They abolished Hertford's Criminal Court and took off the
judicial head of the author, and painted the political canopy
of the State black as the darkness of Egypt, The Republicans
gloated in the wickedness of their shame and abuse of power.
The true Populist and Alliance men, now saw plainly the
eril desires of their leaders and forswore further allegiance
to the unholy combine, and returned to the party of their
first love, where the olive branch was extended, and they
kindly and lo-vingly received in th© homes of their fathers,
and former political friends.
The election of 1898 approaches, and the white 'people of
the State rise up in their mighty indignatio'n and proclaim
in a voice that thunders throughout the State, that their
patience is exhausted, and that this is the white man's State,
and white man's govemment, that they will no longer submit
to the indignities and insults and misrule of the unworthy
leaders, whose ambition for power and spoil has no limit,
but that they -will drive from power the hater of Anglo-
Saxon blood and forever consign them to graves of dishonor
and shame. The Alliance men who had been deceived and
misled, joined in this mighty cry of the Anglo-Saxon race.
Th© D©mocrats trium'phantly redeemed the State from negro
thraldom and placed it in the control of her noble and loyal
sons. The Democrats had a large m'ajority in both Houses
of the Legislature, and they prepared and passed an Amend
ment to the Constitution to be submitted to the voters of the
State for ratification, at the election in 1900. Hertford was
again represented by a Republican, in the pelrson of a
young man, Isaac F, Snipes, the son of E, T. Snipes, who

286 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
was conservative and fair minded like his father, Hon. T. G.
Skinner, of Perquimans, and George Cowper, of Hertford,
Democrats, were in the Senate from the First District. Mr.
Skinner was an ex-member of Congress, and Mr. Co-wper
was an able attorney at Winton and son of the old legislator
from Hertford, R. G. Cowper.
This Legislature was composed of some of the State's
ablest men, and they entered nobly upon the grand work of
bringing order out of chaos, and making it impossible for
a return of negro rule. We mean by negro rule th© rul© of
m©n who -were willing to ride into power by misleading the
negro voter, that they might plunder and disgrace the State.
In 1896 and in 1898 the Fusionists elected all of tbe
county officers in Hertford. In 1896 they elected as Coimty
Commissioners Geo. W. Mitchell, of Winton ; J. B. Vaughan,
of Maney's Neck, and E. T. Snipes, of St John's. In 1898
they elected as coanmissioners Geo. W. Mitehell, J. B.
Vaughan and J. M. Eley. The General Assembly on Janu
ary 19, 1899, increased the number of Commissioners for
Hertford to eight and appointed A. I. Parker, J. C. Vinson,
Jesse H. Mitchell, Joseph G. Majette and B. F. WUliams,
all of whom were Democrats. They were s-worn in and be
came members of the board and controlled it. In 1900,
under the "Fusion law," Hei-tford was only allowed to elect
three Commissioners, The Democrats elected M'ajette, of
Maney's Neck, A. I. Parker, of Winton, and B. F. Wil
liams, of Harrellsville. In order to give each township a
member, the Legislature on January 31, 1901, appointed
J. 0. Vinson, of Murfreesboro, and Jesse H. Mitchell, of St.
John's, members of said board.
James S. MitcheU in 1896 was retumed by the Fusionists
to the office of Sheriff, which he held until 1900. He was
a graduate of Wak© Forest College, and made a good officer,
but his political somersaults for the past few years brought
upon him much criticism by his former friends.

Coi.. URIAH VAUGHAN,

Decade XIV.— 1890-1900. 287
At the election in 1900 the Constitutional Amendment
was to be voted upon, which, if ratified, the horrors of 1895
to 1898 could never again occur in North Carolina. It
threw around the right of suffrage such safc'guards that would
©liininate the ignorant negro voters from the ballot box and
thereby disann the vicious Republicans and consign them
to a place of long rest, where they might repent of their
shameful revelries in the past. The camp'aign was the most
exciting one in the history of the State, The amendment
was ratified by a tremendous majority, and the Democrats
elected a great majority of the members of both Houses of
the General Assembly. Hertford red©©med herself and
elected to the House Lloyd J. Lawrence, the law partner of
the author, over James S. Mitchell, the strongest man in the
opposition party. Lawrence was defeated in 1898 by E. F.
Snipes, of St. John's. The State is now safe and the trou
bles of the past forty years are settled. Peace now reigns
throughout our beloved State. The young and brilliant
Charles B. Aycock is called to the chair of th© Chief Execu
tive of the State. The future historian will write impassion-
ate history of these mysterious years. Let charity and for
giveness and justice guide our every step. Let the curtain
fall and hide from view the strife that so divided and embit
tered O'Ur honorable people.
During this decade we feel the loss of several of the majes
tic men who had for so long graced the annals of Hertford's
fair name. In 1892, Rev. R. R. Savage, of Buckhorn, who
had so long labored with us and whose name is indelibly writ
ten in the religious and educational history of Hertford,
sleeps the sleep of death; then in 1893 the untiring and loyal
H. C. Maddry shakes our hand and bids us farewell. For
years and years we had labored together in the great battles
of democracy. Judg© David A. Bames had- preceded him
on June 24, 1892. Col. Uriah Vaughan, 'after a long, hon
orable and successful life, on January 19, 1890, succumbed
to the will of his Master. Colonel Vaughan was one of

288

Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.

Hertford's most remarkable men. In his young life at the
age of 15, in the year 1828, he became restless to embark in
the mercantile busings, so he left school 'and came to Mur
freesboro and hired himself to William Rea, a leading mer
chant in town, as a clerk. He soon developed such remark
able talent for the mercantile business that he became the
wonder of all who knew him. AVithin a few years he
launched out in his own boat to fight the fight of a busy life.
Success crowned his efforts on every hand. With great en
ergy, clear perception, great foresight, and with a quick and
discriminating mind, he walked easily up the ladder of for
tune. Always bright and cheerful, until -w'hen it became
necess'ary to become serious and courageous, then he was
ready for the occasion. A master of politeness, inborn chiv
alry, pure in thought and God-lo-ring in his life, he stamped
his impress on the lives of those who knew him best. He
had made a large estate before the Civil War, but most of
it was swept from him by the war. After that sad tragedy
in our history he renewed his energies, and when he died
January 19, 1900, he was the wealthiest man in his county.
His father was John Vaughan, of Hertford, who was a sol
dier in the War of 1812. His mother was Sarah Rogers,
daughter of Jonathan Rogers, of this county. His paternal
grandfather was William Vaughan, a continental soldier in
the War of 1776. Colonel Vaughan when a young man
married Sarah A., the daughter of Henry DeBerry Jenkins,
of this county, and a soldier in the War of 1812. Mr. Jen
kins died September 8, 1856. A fuller history of these
people can be found in "The Winborne Family." The sons
and daughters of Colonel Vaughan and his wife Sarah are
tlie late Mrs. George L. Arps, of Norfolk, Va. ; ]Mrs. Darid
A. Barnes, Mrs. R. H. Stancell, ]\[rs. B. B. Winbome, Mrs.
R. W. Winborne and Mrs. T. W. Hawkins. He left two
sons, Thomnsi J, and Uri'ah, who are prominent merchants in
the town of their father. The Vaughan family is an old fam
ily iu tliis (vuiiity and have in all ages been noted for their

Decade XV.— 1900-1906. 289
business qualifications. Col, Vaughan was a natural-born mer
chant and trader. The traits of character that had been
dormant in his family for one or two generations wer© pro
duced prominently in him. The oldest male member of this
Vaughan family, that we have any information of, is Wil
liam Vaughan, who in 1709 purchased from Thomas Bay
field tlie sloop "Roanoke" for £184. On March 31, 1713,
William Vaughan & Co., merchants, recovered judgment in
the court in Edenton against Roland Buckley on an account
for goods sold. And in 1714 William Vaughan is a witness
in court at Edenton to prove a power of attorney witnessed
by him in Boston, Mass, The next William Vaughan, sup
posed to be his son, we notice was some years later put under
bond to keep the peace for fighting, and later he filed his
petition asking to be released from his bond, as he had kept
good the order of the Court. In 1714 Capt, William Vaughan
of the militia imder the government of the Lords Proprie
tors, is ordered to command a squadron of militiamen and
visit the Indians at Poteskey Toune and complete sO'me nego
tiations with them on the part of the Lords Proprietors.
J, B. Slaughter, who had for many years been a public
servant in the county, and who was always faithful to his
trusts, died in 1893. That grand woman, Mary A. South-
all, in her 89th year goes to her Master.

19

DECADE XV IN PART.
1900—1906.
As we approach the closing years of our work we look out
and see that peace and good -will reigns throughout our
State. The political waters are calm. The young men of
the State are coming to the front to relieve their aged fath
ers wlio had stood faithfully by the ship of State. The young
and gifted Charles B. Aycock, of Goldsboro, a graduate of the
State University, who was elected govemor by the Democrats,
takes the oath of office, and enters upon a grand campaign
of education in the State and soon attracts the notice of the
leaders of thought throughout the States. He is now spoken
of in m'any of the newspapers, North and South, as the
next Democratic candidate for Vice-President of the United
States. He has a bright future before him.
L. J. Lawrence, Hertford's young attorney, and partner
of the autior, enters the House of Representatives in Ra
leigh in 1901 as the member from Hertford, takes the oath
of a law-maker, and beholds the beautiful forms and faces
in the gallery, and pleads for the upbuilding of the State,
and for its moral and educatio'ual advancement. It is now
e^ddent everywhere that the sons of the fatliers must come to
the front. The old guard is fast passing away. The schools,
colleges, and University are fast preparing our young men
for the responsibilities of a high citizenship.
Our colleges and schools for young w^omen are training
the hearts and minds of our young women for the higher
elevation of man. The Chow^an Baptist Female Institute
in our own county is still doing a grand and noble work along
this line. The ancient and classic academy at Buckhorn,
under the tutorship of the aged pedagogue, Prof. Julian H.
Picot, has prepared at this academy for tlie battle of life
o-\'er 2,000 young men, and wdio is still carrying on the noble
w^ork, and not only adding to his own fame, but building a
lastinff monument to its founders.

Decade XV.— 1900-1906. 291
In July, 1900, the town of Murfreesboro sustained a great
loss in the death of her distinguished physician. Dr. John
Turner Eldridge. Dr. Eldridge moved to Murfreesboro in
1885 to succeed Dr. John C. La-wrence, deceased. He was
intelligent, highly educated in his profession, and a success
ful physician. Doctor Eldridge was bom in 1834, and well
educated in the best schoo'ls of th© country before h© studi©d
medicine. His mind developed young. He graduated in
medicine at Jefferson Medical College in 1851, when very
young. He served as physician and surgeon in the U. S.
Army prior to the Civil War. His parents were John Eld
ridge, of Halifax County, Va., and wife. Miss Turner, of
Southampton County, Va. His father was a merchant in
Halifax County until he moved to Texas prior to the war
and became a large planter. The doctor married Alberta,
the daughter of Capt. J. M. S. Rogers, of Northampton
County, N. C, who was frequently in the Legislature from
Northampton between 1828 and 1850. Doctor Eldridge
had by his marriage several daughters. L. J. Lawrence mar
ried Eva, his youngest daughter. She lived only about a
year after their marriage. His third daughter, Rydie, soon
followed her sister Eva, then soon followed their mother.
The death of his daughters and wife rendered the doctor
very unhappy, and he never recovered entirely from his be
reavement. Dr. Roderick H, Gary, of Northampton, mar
ried his daughter Cora, and Rev, C, W, Scarborough mar
ried his eldest daughter, Anna. After the' death of Doctor
Eldridge his son-in-law. Dr. R. H, Gary, moved to Mur
freesboro in August, 1900, and became the owner of the
beautiful home of the late doctor and succeeded him in his
practice. Dr. Gary is a very successful physician and a
natural-bom doctor. He was bom December 10, 1856, and
graduated in medicine in 1881 at the College of Physicians
and Surgeons of Baltimore, Doctor Gary comes from an
honorable ancestry. His father was Richard Henry Gary,

292 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
of Llalifax County, N. C, who married a Bailey, of Sussex
County, Va. His great-uncle was Roderick B. Gary, of
Northampton, who represented that county as one of its
members in the House of Commons from 1821 to 1831 con
tinuously, then again in 1832, 1835 and 1836. The late
Gen, Thomas J. Person, of Northampton, was his great-
uncle. He was named Roderick Henry for his father and
great-uncle. The State still moves on in the grand work of education
and development and opening up her mighty possibilities.
She is in the lead of many of her sister States in education,
in manufacturing, in development of her hidden resources
and mines of unlimited wealth. Her white population is in
creasing with surprising rapidity. Her to-wns are growing
marvelously in wealth, in factories, in population and in
everything that tends to make progress and advancement
The most perplexing question with us is the labor question.
The negroes are becoming tired of work, and they cannot be
depended on as reliable workmen. The solution of this ques
tion will command our best thought and philosophy. In
1893 Hertford sends her true son, John E. Vann, of Winton,
to the House, where he reflects honor on his county, as well
as on the name of his prominent ancestors.
Tn the county her affairs are honestly and faithfully looked
after by a board of commissioners noted for their loyalty to
duty. They are (1) J. G. Majette, diainnan; (2) John C.
Vinson, (3) C. W. Parker, (4) A, L Pm-ker, and (5) Wil
liam E, CuUens.
Majette is the son of Capt, William J, Majette, of ^ilaney's
Neck, and the grandson of Capt, James ilajette and Capt.
Jethro Darden, the old legislator from liianey's Neck, His
mother was Virginia, daughter of George H. Barnes and
wife, Priscilla Parker, wdio after the death of Mr. Bames
married Alexander Brett. He was educated in the schools
of his county, and is an energetic and thrifty business man.
Ho married Blanche, the daughter of W. T. Bynum by his

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.

1. J. G. MAJETTE, COMO, Chairman.
2. J. C. VINSON, MoaFKKESBOEO. 4, A. I. PAEKEE, Wiston.
3. C. W. PARKER, Menola. 5. W. E. CULLENS, Harrellsville.

Decade XV.— 1900-1906. 293
last marriage, who was the eldest daughter of the late Jethro
W. Bames and wife, Miss Brett, the sister of Elisha D. Brett,
of the same section of the county. Mr. Majette is a planter
and suooes'sful lumberman.
J. C. Vinson, of Murfreesboro, was a soldier in the last
year of the Civil War. Lie entered the army tmder the call
for young men as low down as 17 years of age. He joined
Captain HoUoday's cavalry company. These young soldiers
did mostly picket duty in the counties where the Buffaloes
were committing their robberies and plundering. He is fhe
son of J. Henry Vinson, of Northampton, and wife, Martha
Vinson, nee Wells. His mother was the daughter of honest
Brooks Wells and wif© Mary, of Maney's Neck, who was
Mary Gilliam, of Southampton, Va. Brooks Wells died
prior to 1830, and 'his widow appears on the Census of 1830
as the owner of 13 slaves. Vinson married, April 8, 1869,
Mary W., the daughter of John Deloatch and wife Kezia, of
Northampton, who was the mother of his children. Mr.
Deloatdi and Mr. Vinson's father were men of large estates
and men of high character. After the death of his wife,
which happened August 3, 1885, he in December, 1889, mar
ried widow Lewis, of Washington County, N. C. She did
not live long, and since her death he has remained single.
After his removal to the county he took an active interest
in the politics of the county, and did most valuable work for
his party. He is a planter, and operates several large farms.
Mr. K. S. Deloatch of our town is brother to the first Mrs.
J. C. Vinson.
C. W. Parker is a planter and successful merchant at Me
nola. He was bom May 29, 1857. His parents are Joseph
Parker, a prosperous farmer near Meno.la, who married Mary
C, the daughter of the late William Vaughan and wife
Betsey, the daughter of Elisha Lawrence. Mr. Vaughan
was the older brother of Col. Uriah Vaughan and the father
of John N. Vaughan, of Norfolk, Va., and C. T. Vaughan,
of i\Iurfreesboro. He was named for his grandfather, who

294 History' of Heetfoed County, N. C.
bore the name of his ancestors. Liis daughter Sarah married
Peter Garriss; Martha married J. G. Edwards, of North
ampton, and Llester married A. J. Allen, of Northampton.
Commissioner Parker, on January 31, 1883, married the
handsome Janie J., the only daughter of the late Jordan J.
Horton, of St. John's. He has inherited much of the busi
ness sagacity of his uncle John N. Vaughan. He is an advo
cate of education and is giving his children such educational
advantages as will give them excellent social positions.
Alfred Isley Parker, familiarly known as "Ike Parker,"
lives in Winton and dispenses w-holesome food at the Winton
Hotel, which stands in front of the court-house on the lot
where stood the hotel owned by General Dickinson early in
the 19th century, and afterwards presided over by James
Copeland, W. T. Bynum, Col. Pleasant Jordan and others.
Mr. Parker was bom in Nansemond County, Va., in 1839.
He was the son of Willis Parker and -wife Elizabeth Parker,
nee Benton. He entered the Civil War as a Confederate
soldier at the beginning of hostilities and served through the
entire war in Co. I, Nansemond C'avalry, under Captain
P. H. Lee, and experienced much of the hardships of those
days. He w^as taken a prisoner of w^ar in 1865 a short time
before the fatal battle of Appom'attox and imprisoned at
Newport News, Va. He was released July 3, 1865, and
reached home the next day. In 1866 he removed to Gates
CO'Unty. On February 22, 1872, he married Pattie, the
eldest daughter of James Jordan, of Hertford, and settled
in Winton and began his life work, and is now one of our
most substantial citizens. In addition to his hotel he is en
gaged in farming, merchandizing, and is president of the
banlc in his town. His brother-in-law^ William Jordan, of
Winton, is his partner in his hotel and mercantile business,
their firm name being Jordan & Parker.
WiUiam E. OuUens lives in Harrellsville. He was barn
February 16, 1861, and is the son of Nathaniel L, CuUens
and wife Sarah, the daughter of William Lassiter and wife,
Parthenia Scull, of that part of the county. Watson S. Win-

Decade XV. — 1900-1906". 295
borne, who lived in the east end of the county, married Ara
bella, another daughter of Mr. Lassiter. Mr, CuUens was
first elected a Commissioner -R'hen quite yoiing. He resigned
in 1894, and was that year the successful Democratic can
didate for Sheriff, His pursuits have been in the mercan
tile line. On December 19, 1889, he married Willi© Pau
line, daughter of William Powell and -wife, Augustine Par
ker. Re-elected Commissioner in 1904.
A. E. Garrett, of Ahoskie, th© present Sheriff of the
county, was born in 1864 and is interested in farming and
merchandizing. He is not a native of the county, but has
been with us for a number of years and is a most efficient
officer and a gentleman of unsullied character. In 1900 he
did some brave work for the cause of white supremacy. He
is a brave and fearless man in the discharge of his duty. In
April, 1889, he married Minnie, the daughter of T. C.
Hayes and wife, Fannie Hayes, nee Mo'Utgomery, daughter
of William M. Mo'utgomery, who lived near the prese^nt town
of Ahoskie.
John Northcott, who was one of the first justices of the
peace appointed in 1778 for this county, and a relative of
•James Northcott, the great portrait painter iu London, is
still represented in the county in the person of our present
Register of Deeds, John A. No'rthcott. The latter was the
son of Andrew J. No'rthcott and wife Bc'rtie, the daughter
of Capt. Hiram Freeman and wife, Louisa Freeman, nee
Knight, of Hertford County. ]\Ir. Freeman was a Northern
mar., who came to our waters before the w-ar and made his
home in Winton. He was noted for his courtly m-anner and
he quickly made friends wherever he went. Andrew J.
"Northcott was the son of James Northco'tt and his wife,
''.'ancy Northcott, nee Stephenson. Andrew J. was for a
i'Tio; while postmaster in Winton, and at one time the entry-
taker in the county. He was a very competent business man.
Much of the time while the author lived in Winton, from
1875 to 188 Oj Andrew J. was the efficient and polite agent

296 History of Heetfoed County, N. C.
at Winton of the Albemarle Steam Navigation Company.
Both he and his father, James, were magistrates in the
county during their day. Widow Elizabeth Northcott, the
mother of James, died in 1834. Andrew J. Northcott
died about 1882, .and Hie author was his administrator
and the guardian of his son and daughter. Young John
A. Northcott was for years, before he was appointed
to his present office by the County Commissioners, the effi
cient agent of the Atlantic Coast Line at Tunis, He, on
April 27, 1902, m'arried Mamie, the daughter of W. J. Las
siter and wife Imogen, of Rich Square, in Northampton.
Without intending any disparagement of the efficiency of his
predecessors, James P, Freeman, Geo. A. Hvown, W. L.
Daniel, S. E. Marsh, it is a fact that he is one of the most
competent officers in the State. George A, Brown, now of
Winton, filled the office with great satisfaction from 1890 to
December, 1896, and was one of the working Democrats.
He married in 1872, Mary E,, the daughter of Alfred Rid
dick, the son of the older James Riddick, an honorable
man, and a member of a family of the county long re
spected for its high character. By this marriage Mr.
Brown reared several daughters, of whom our county is
IDTOud. jMiss Janie Brown, a member of the faculty of
the C. B. F, Institute, is one of these worthy daughters.
So are Mrs. E. B. Vaughan and Mi*s. David Parker, of
Mapleton. His second wife was Miss Rosa Stoi-w, of Gates,
the daughter of J, B. Story .and niece of Parker Story, of
Southampton Co'Unty, Va,, whom he married in 1902.
Capt. Thos. D, Boone, the intelligent and capable Clerk
of our Superior Cdurt, is one of the heroes of 1861-'65. We
have before written of this worthy man and his channing
wife, Willie Vann, daughter of Tilman D. Vann, of Manev's
Neck. Cajjtain Boone's father w-as William Boone, of North-
anqiton, and his wife, Judith Boone, nee Deanes, the daugh
ter of the old Sheriff, Thomas Deanes, of Hertford. His
grandmother on his paternal side was Lucy Tyqer, the daugh-

Decade XV. — 1900-1906. 297
ter of Nicholas Tyner II, of Northampton, Sheriff Thomas
Deanes' daughter Susan married Rev, Reuben Jones, and
his daughter ^lalissa Anne married John E, Maget, of
Northampton. The old Sheriff was married twice. By his
first marriage he reared two sons, Mike and Thomas Deanes,
Jr. The mother of his daughters w^as Susan Perry, a daugh
ter of Capt. Abner Peri-y, of revolutionary fame, and who
died in' 1810,
Dr, -lesse H. Mitehell, of Ahoskie, is the present chairman
¦of our County Board of Education, He is the son of Col.
'Geo, H. Mitchell, of AVinton, and grandson of Luke Mc
Glaughon, of Ahoskie. He has married twice. His first
wife was the daughter of William M, Montgomery by his
first marriage, and is the mother of his children. He mar
ried in 1905 the widow of the late John Eley, of Union, the
daughter of J. P. Freeman. He was educated at Wake For-
'Cst College, and the Medical University in Baltimore, Md.
Samuel P. Winbome, another member of the Board of
Education, lives in Maney's Neck, at the 'home of his father,
Maj, S, D. Winborne and of his great-uncle, Robert Warren.
Of him we have written. He is a direct descendant of
Henry Winbome, who figured in early history of the cO'unty.
He married Jesse, the daughter of Rev. Reuben Jones and
wdfe, Susan Jones, and the granddaughter of Sheriff Thomas
Deanes, who lived at the home of TuUey M, Forbes, Jr., near
Murfreesboro. The other member of the Education Board is Elisha Hun
ter Joyner, of old St. John's. He has been all through life
an uncompromising and unforgiving Democrat. He is about
52 years of age, and failed to many until a few years ago,
when he married Miss Baker, of his neighborhood, a lady
of respectable parentage.
The author a few days ago was refiecting, and the sad
fact appeared that in the county he could only recall four
persons living in the county who held a civil office prior to
1868. They were our venerable and Christian townsmen.

298 HisTOEY' OF Heetfoed County, N. C.
Llenry Thomas Lassiter, who was one of the magistrates
and was on the bench at the last session of the Court of Pleas
and Quarter Sessions in February, 1868. The second was
Oris Parker, who still lives near the Borough, who was a
magistrate and sat on the bench at the same time with Mr.
Lassiter. Mr. Parker is the son of Silas Parker II, a jus
tice in his day, and brother of Carey W. Parker, Peter P.
Parker and the late David Parker, of Mapleton.. His grand
father was Peter Parker and his great-uncle was Silas Par
ker, both of whom were magistrates in their day. Mr. Par
ker is still a justice of the peace, and his son, Oler S- Parbcr,
is also one of our young justices. The third old officer is
Samuel M. Aum'ack, who was County Trustee from IS-'v
to 1868. The fourth is Col. James M. Wynns, of the
Borough. Lie was a justice in the 10th decade and a mem
ber of the Special Court, and he is the only living ex-repre
sentative from the county in the General Assembly of the
State who served prior to 1868. While he has been in poor
health for the last few years, we hope he will be -with us for
many years to come. His mother lived to reach the ripe old
age of 89 years. He lives at the beautiful old Southern resi
dence purchased by Gen, Joseph F. Dickinson in 1812 from.
William H, Murfree, surrounded by an affectionate wife and
his beautiful daughters and noble sons.
^Vmong the old wortliies yet living in addition to those
four named, who figured in the ante-bellum days in the
counter, are Maj. John W, Moore and Prof. Julian H. Picot.
It makes us sad, sad indeed. For thirty-one years we have
been intimately thro^-^^l with the business people of this
county, and had been with many of them for years prior
thereto. We now feel lonely and deserted,
Albert B, Adkins, of Bethlehem, near old Piteh Landing,
deserves to be noticed as 'one of the untiring and zealous
friends of the C, B. F. Institute and of education. He mar
ried, but was not blessed with issue to train and educate.-
He, however, assumed tlie place of a father of several needy
and -\vorthy young girls and had tliem educated at the above

Decade XV. — 1900-1906. 299^
institution of learning. He was very active in raising, by
voluntaiy contributions, money to aid in constructing the
recent additions to the main building of the Institute. He
is the son of Thomas Adkins and -wife, who was the daughter
of Maj. W. P, Britton, of the Pitch Landing section. The
late Wade H. Adkins, of Murfreesboro, was his uncle.
Thomas and Wade were the sons of David Adkins and -wife,
who was a Miss Bullock, of Edgecombe County.
Winton, ¦ the old colonial town of the county, is awaking
from its slumbers and putting on new life and marching on
ward and upward in the glorious work of educating and
refining its. citizenship. Churches and academies of high
grade are seen in place of the old bar-room. The young little
town of Ahoskie, on the Atlantic Coast Line, which traverses
the county, is increasing her popu.lation, erecting homes for
its citizens, and, -with her churches and academy, standing
out in bold contrast with former days is moving on to take
her place in the young and enterprising towns of the 20th
century. Harrells-rille, the town of the Sharps, the Har
rells, the Prudens, the Rayners, the Jernigans, the Sculls,
of John and Watson Winbome, and many others of the old
landmarks 'and heroes, is still the pride of the east end of the
county, while the ancient village of Piteh Landing, the home
of the James Joneses, the Watsons, th© Askcvs, the Daniels,
the Wards, the SessO'ms, has long since- folded her fiag and
surrendered her streets and gardens to the plowman, and the
ancient and colonial court green 'and colossal oaks of old St.
John's, around which clustered the Sumners, the Granburys,
the Perrys, the Cottons, the Moores, the Bro-wns, the Bever-
leys, the Tayloes, the Everetts, and others, has long ago ex
isted only in name, and the famous Ahoskie Ridge is now
one of the most fertile farming sections in the eastern part
of the State. The little to-wn of Union sits quietly and se
renely in the central part of the county and chants her beau-
NoTE.— Maj. W. P, Britton was the father of Rev, W. P, Britton who
married the daughter of Abraham Thomas.

300 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
tiful music in praise of the older Winbornes, her Hares,
her Wynns, her Beverleys, her Bretts, her Bro-wns, her
Dunns, her Dukes, her Tayloes, her Montgomerys, her As
kews, her Knights, her Vanns, and her other sons, who did
so much in building a monument to their cO'Unty's fame.
Maney's Neck, the ho'me of the old James Maneys, the Hills,
the Warrens, the Colemans, of Edward, Jacob and Thomas
Hare, the Ridleys, the Littles, the Worrells, the Gays, the
Barneses, the Gatlings, the Myricks, the Riddicks, the
younger Winbornes, the Cowpers, the Spiers, the Vanns, the
Peetes, the Bakers, the Whitleys, and many others who were
bright stars in the galaxy of Hertford's sons and daughters,
is still the home of many of the county's most prosperous,
refined, and cultured people, nestling around their beautiful
embryotic little capital, Como, which is destined to become
as famous as the Neck and its people.
Murfreesboro, the beautiful and 'healthy town of 1787, on
the Meherrin, th© home of many of Hertford's wealthy and
fashionable and patriotic citizens — Murfrees, Reas, Dickin
sons, Gordons, Deanses, Carters, Smiths, Yanceys, Vaughans,
Jenkinses, Parkers, Wells, Hills, Longs, Mannings, Huteh
ings, Morgans, Murp-hys, Wheelers, Moores, Merediths, Wil
sons, Southalls, Capeharts, Bro^vns, Traders, Banks, Finneys,
Foreys, Spiers, Jeggitts, Maneys, Pipkins, Neals, Harts,
Borlands, O'Briens, O'Dwyers, Wynnses, Co'wpej-s, Law
rences, Ramseys, Clementses, and many others of the old
worthies, is still the to^-vn of refinement and beauty in the
west end of the county. The old fathers of 1787 made no
mistake when they petitioned tlie legislature to establish a
to-wn on the elevated plateau of land at Murfree's Landing,
on the south side of the Meherrin. It is eighty feet above
the water of the river, which is drained by nature's water
ways. Its beauty, its healthfulness, and the pure and health-
giving quality of its water makes it an ideal home. The
late Civil War greatly marred the beauty of the town, im
poverished many of its noblest citizens, and brought sorrow

Decade XV.— 1900-1906. 301
and pain in many of its homes, where once existed wealth,
true manhood, noble womanhood, happiness and joy. While
she has not been able to recover her former glory and renown,
she has retained her air of re'finement and culture, and the
beauty and loveliness of her homes. As Ave look out through
our Avindow this beautiful May morning, Ave behold th© town
of our aristocratic and Christian fathers, giiarded by their
descendants and successors and clothed in her lovely spring
costume, quietly resting beneath the covering of her classic
and spreading shade trees, with the air around us reverbera
ting wdth the sweet strains of perfect music, as its Avaves
spread out through the parlor AvindoAVS of 'her fair daughters,
reminding us that the joyous days of old and the happy gath
erings of the fair daughters and noble sons of bygO'ue 'days, in
the beautiful parlors of the Indian Queen Hotel, and in the
hospitable homes of her honored sons, still 'haA^e their equals
to-day. On May 17, 1906, the celebration of the fifty-eighth anni
versary of the ChoAvan Baptist Female Institute took place,
and we give below the ref)orted account of this occasion,
Avritten by F, B. Arendell, of Raleigh, and published in the
News and Observer, of Raleigh, of May 19, 1906 :
"Murfreesboro, N. C, May 18, — I sat yesterday under
the shade of the to'Wering oaks and majestic elms of Mur
freesboro, and witnessed , the coming together of a conclave
of the best type of folks that live in this or any other land.
They came with attire akin to th© prevailing bloom of spring
time — nothing gorgeous — merely bright and beautiful. They
came from homes ripe in history, rich in tradition, and com
plete in the development of the purest and best civilization
and citizenship.
"The day's attractio'U at Murfreesboro Avas tAvo-fold in its
importance. For the fifty-eighth time that grand old head
light of learning, the Chowan Baptist Female Institute, was
to hold its commencement, and on the programme was a lit
erary address by Eastern North Carolina's distinguished

302 HisTOEY' OF Heetfoed County, N. C.
orator, statesman, jurist and scholar, Lieutenant-Governor
Francis D. Winston,
"The people came from Llertford, Chowan, Bertie, North
ampton and Gates until the hospitable old toAvn almost over-
¦fio'Aved. The venerable college, planted by Forey and his
compeers, watered by Hooper of blessed memory, and nour
ished by the immortal McDowell, guided later on by Brewer
and Petty, and at presc'ut so well directed by that strenuous
genius of teaching, John C. Scarborough, threw open its
broad gates, its broad doors, and its broader hearts. 'Even
the hundreds of spreading elms that shade the broad and
beautiful campus seemed to whisper a generous welcome.
"The Institute^ — fifty-eight years old to-day — ^has never
yet had its doors closed in war times or in peace. Grand
old nursery of mental and moral training, it has retrans-
plantd its tender, blooming plants, equipped for beautiful
and useful womanhood, into hundreds of the homes of East
ern North Carolina.
"Its 'annual commencements have for mor© than half a
century constituted iinportant epochs in th© history of this
great tide-water country. The exercises on this occasion
were deligihtfuUy pleasing. The concert on Tuesday evening
was charming, enchanting.
"The salutatory, the valedictory, and the other essays by
the ten graduates were particukrly classical and seholaily.
And then came the masterly address by GoA^ernor Winston.
In touch, it was, vrith the chaste, refined environment, in
line with the classics of the graduates, and the beautiful
thought embraced in their essays. In harmony, too, Avith the
budding womanhood all about him and the beautiful, bloom
ing woodland and vrinding ri\-ei's that encircle the good old
town, "He spoke of Avoman, not the ncAV Avoman — not the old
Avo'man — but Avoman. The woman changed because of changed
conditions, the -woman witli a mission greater than of old —
the woman with prerogatives broader 'and greater than of

Decade XV, — 1900-1906, 303
yore, the Avoman with opportunities transcending any en
joyed in by-gone days. He spoke Avith feeling and poAver,
Avith force and logic, Avith unmatched eloquence, his charac
teristic humor, his patlios, his SAveeping flights of eloquence
played over the vast audience, and left it noAv enrapt in
smiles, noAv in tears, and then in bursts of vociferous ap
plause, "His subject — .a fmitful one — his poAver as an orator al
most umnatched — his audience sympathetic — appreciative — '
his friends, his neighbors, his kinfolks. It Avas a real, royal,
literary feast, a glorious finale of a brilliant occasion.
"And I rode OA'er and about old Murfreesboro, set up on a
beautiful plateau some eighty feet above the Avinding Me
herrin River, a hundred years old and more. The chief toAvn
of old Hertford County — itself more than a century and a
half old. In the heart of th© fertile Chowan section, dedi
cated before the Revolution to culture, refinement, virtue
and bravery, inhabited then and noAv with brave men and
braver women, they have written history, thrilling, interest
ing histo'ry, on cA'ery foot of this sacred soil, and written their
OAvn names on the fabric of Carolina to remain there forever.
"Dowm yonder are the ruins of the old home of Hardy
Murfree, one of the blazers of this forest and a hero of the
Revolution. Near by stood the old Indian Queen Hotel,
where LaFayette was royally entertained some years after
the Revolution had ended. Over yonder lived and still live
the Bakers — the Vaughans, the Winbornes, the Wynnses,
the Harrells — and clustered abo'ut them were the Carters,
the CoAvpers, the Freemans, the Smiths, the Moores, the
Wheelers, tlie Myricks, the Worthingtons, and others. Inde
pendence Avinners, history makers, civilization builders.
"Murfreesboro is both old and noAv; but there is nothing
old here — ^that is, too old — not even the well-preserved vine-
clad colonial homes. There is nothing noAV that is too new,
not even the artesian well. There is a blending — a beauti
ful blending — a blending of tradition and trade — a blending

304 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. 0.
of history and hustle — a blending of colonial coronets and
caromels — a blending of slavery days and sulky plows — a
blending of the old and the new all along the line in this
beautiful Cho'Wan country, rich and fertile, venerable, hon
orable, healthful, and happy."
In 1904 your 'humble servant engaged in a quadrangular
contest in the county primary for the Democratic nomina
tion for the House. He was nominated, and elected in
November of that year. At the opening of the session of
the General Assembly in January, 1905, he entered another
quadrangular contest for the Speakership., but did not meet
Avith the same success as in th© first. 0. H. Guion, of
Craven, was nominated, and Hertford's member was made
chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the House, and
appointed on the following other co'mmittees : Claims, Con
stitutional Amendments, Courts and Judicial Districts, Elec
tion LaA\'s, Rules, Regulation of the Liquor Traffic, and the
Joint Committee on the Revision of the LaAvs. In January,
1906, Governor R. B. Glenn appointed the author one of the
delegates from North Carolina to a congress composed of
delegates from all the States, to meet in Washington City,
Febmary 19, 1906, to draft a unifonn diA-orce code, to be
submitted to the several State legislatures for ratification.
The AATiter was educated at Buckhorn Academy, in his
native county, at Walie Forest College, and at Columbian
IJniversity in the District of Columbia. He studied laAV at
the laAV school of that Universitv in addition to taking a
collegiate course of studies, and receiA^ed his degTee of B.L.
in June, 1874, in tlie 20th year of his age. In Septem-
Ix'r, 1874, he entered the laAV office of Sniith lV: Strong, in
Raleigh, as clerk, and in Febniary, 1875, he applied for and
olitaincd his license to practice law, but not then being of full
age his license Avas held by Judge Smith, under direction of
the Court, until his majorify, .Vpril 14, 1875. In June,
1876, he located in Winton to practice his profession. He
at once identified himself A;dth the Democratic party and

'PJi^upJIII

1

¦A

1 1^

i

^ '^^M

H

,^^!^;^
^
tM.^^^^
HM
NELLIE H. A'AUGHAN.
Became Mrs. B. B. Wmborne Dec. 23, 1879.
Decade XV. — 1900-1906. 305
took an active part in all county affairs. In 1876, Avhile
Avaiting for clients, he wrote a Historical Brief of Political
Economy, Avhich was published in sections in the Albemarle
Times, a noAvspaper edited in Windsor, N. C, by the late
P. H. Winston, Jr. This Brief has since been published in
book, form. In 1877 he Avas made chairman of his party,
Avhich position he held, except tAvo short inten^als, until 1901.
On December 23, 1879, he married Miss Nellie H. Vaughan,
the fourth daughter of Col. I^riah Vaughan, of Murfreesboro.
Ill January, 1880, he moA'ed to the toAvn of his bride, Avhere
they haA'e since liA^ed. In 1895, he Avas elected to the House
from Hertford, and seiw-ed on several important committees.
In 1896 he Avas elected a delegate from the First Congres
sional District to the National Democratic Convention, in
Chicag(-i, and voted for Wm. J. Bryan, as the Democratic
nominee for President. Later, in 1896, his friends Avanted
to nominate him for Congress, but he declined to receive the
noQuination. He has often served on the district and State
cO'nimittees of his party. In the State CouA^ention of 1904,
Avhic'h met in Greensboro, he Avas appointed on the Platform
Committee. Judge of Criminal Court from 1891 to 1897,
except the period from October, 1894, to ^Nfarch 14, 1895,
while he seiwed 'as a member of the legislature. In 1905 he
Avrote and published a history of "The Winborne Family,"
for which he has been much complimented. By his mar
riage he has had bom unto him four sons — T^riah V., Stan
ley, ]\Iicajah, and Benj. B., Jr. The first and third died
young. Stanley is noAV closing his junior examinations at
the L'niA'ersity of North Carolina, and Benjamin is Avith
his parents.
The author Avas bom April 14, 1854, and reared on a
fann, and inherited a fondness for stock raising and of farm
ing. He in his young days cheerfully and energetically per-
fonned all kind of plantation AA^ork, From the age of scA-en
years he has been Avatching the struggles of men. He never
buckled down to the hard study of books, until he Avent to
20

306 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
the Columbian University in September, 1872. His father
was alw^ays a busy and active man. His mother was a bright,
cheerful and energetic Christian AVoman, and a valuable aid
to her husband in his long struggle. The -writer took much
notice of the events of Avar times and the melancholy days
succeeding the civil strife and became familiar with the
public affairs by his intimate associations with his father and
other public men. After he came to the Bar, he continued his
study of the laAv, and has been a busy lawyer for about
tAventy-eight years. It seems that we have lived more than
a generation. On February 26, 1902, his health suddenly
gave way, and he was taken ill in his office and became un
conscious within thirty minutes, and remained so for several
Aveeks, suffering Avitli pneumonia and pleurisy. He was
finally resurrected from the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
For tAVO and one-half years he lingered in wretehed health,
and his recovery Avas miraculous. The Avriting of "The
Winbome Family" and of this book would have probably
never been undertaken had he not met this great sickness.
The author, in 1887, joined others in organizing an agri
cultural fair, to be held annually in Murfreesboro. He was
made President of the organizatio'U, and for several years it
Avas one of the best fairs in the State. Among the distin
guished speakers at its annual meetings were Hon. Kemp,
P. Battle, as President of th© University of North Caro
lina, U. S. Senator Hon. M. W. Ransom, the peerless states
man, the ripe scholar, and the magnetic orator; GoA'-emor
Thomas M. Holt, and JJ. S. Senator Hon. Z. B. Vance, the
great commoner and ]-)atriot. The fair went down about
1892, and Avas revived in 1905. Tbe A\^dter was again
made its Pr(>sident, and in October of that year the Great
Fair Avas again opened. Col. John S. Cunningham, of
Person County, made the ojiening speech, and on Thursday,
October 12, Gov. R. B. Glenn, the able, eloquent and Chris
tian Governor of North Carolina, delivered to an audience
of se\'eral thousand peo]de one of th© finest addresses that

Mrs. MAEY H. WINBORNE,
Nee PitETLOW.
Wife of Maj. S. D. Winborne.
Died August 24, 1900, aged 72 years aud 7 months.

Decade XV.— 1900-1906. 307
has ever been delivered to an argricultural people. At the
end of his great speech he held a reception, Avhen thousands
of people gladly grasjied his hand. In July preceding, the
Confederate veterans of the county held their annual re
union in Murfreesboro, Avhen they Avere addressed by that
brave old soldier and ornate orator, B. E, Dixon, the Audi
tor of the State. This Avas a gala day in the old toAvn.
In 1901, the writer obtained from the General Assembly a
charter for a telephone company, and began the work of con
necting the toAATis of the county by telephone lines. In 1904
the company Avas re-organized, and now, under the efficient
management of President L. J. LaAvrence and General Man
ager A, E. Garrett, Ave have a complete system of 'phone
service. We can noAv sit at our desk and talk to people at
any village or tOAvn in Hertford, Northampton and Bertie
counties, and at the towns along the line of the Seaboard
Air Line from Boykins, Va., to Norfolk.
Among the sons of Hertford Avho have reached prominence
in their adopted home in Norfolk, Va., and Avho have not
been heretofore mentioned, are J. W. Perry, the successful
commission merchant and Vice-President of the Citizens'
Bank of Norfolk, Va, ; John N. Vaughan, Charles A. Law
rence, Wallace E. LaAvrence, Robert Montgomery, Hugh Pete
and George A. Williams, sons of the highly respected Peter
Williams, one of the old merchants of the Borough ; Na
thaniel Beaman, President of the National Bank of Com
merce of Norfolk, Va, Beaman is a native of Murfreesboro
and the son of the late W. P. Beaman and wife, Annie Bea
man, of Sleepy Hollow, Va. His father died in the 12th
decade, and a few years thereafter his mother, with her three
children, moved to Norfolk. Young Beaman, when young,
Avas a bright and thoughtful boy, and his wonderful success
in life is positive proof that he is no ordinary man.
Among our young men Avho are off at school this year are
Stanley Winborne and Edgar Thomas Snipes, at the Uni
versity at Chapel Hill. The latter is soon to become a full-

808 Histoey of Heetfoed County', N. C.
fledged laAvyer. A, M, Brown, G. V. Brown, H. J. BroAvn,
K. R. Curtis, W. L. Curtis, L. Hale, Herbert Jenkins and L.
A. Parker at Wake Forest College, Jesse PoAvell at the
College of Physicians and Surgeons in Baltimore. Paul
.lernigan at Randolph-]\Iacon College. Robert Jemigan,
Landon Burbage and Benj. Sears at Randolph-Macon Acad
emy, Bedford City, Va. J. O, AskcAv, Jr., at Franklin, Va.
Pembroke Baker at Norfolk Business College. At the A.
and IL CoUege, Raleigh, N. C, are W. W. Taylor and M. R.
Herring', of Winton, and J. E. Overton, of Ahoskie.
At the end of 146 years of the county's existence, Ave look
back and vicAV the stniggies, the triumphs, the defeats, and
the victories, of our ancestors and our beloved country, its
progress and advancement, and as Ave look upon this pano
rama of the past, it fills our souls Avitli greater hopes for the
victories and triumphs of the future. Our State has passed
through a Avar in each quarter of a century since 1759. The
war Avith Great Britain 1776-'.s2, the Rebellion in the State
in 17'^4-'5, and the attempted establishment of the State of
Frankland. The war of 1812-'14 Avith England, tbe Semi
nole Avar of 1818-'19, the Mexican AA^ar of 1846-'48. the
Civil Avar of 1861-'65, and the Spanish Avar of 1898. In
tlie Avar of the United States Avith Spain the jjatriots Avho
AV(U'e tlie blue, and those avIio Avore the gray in the civil strife
in 1861-'65, and their sons, fought side by side mider the
glorious old fiag of the Union and rejoiced together over the
victories of the defenders of the American Union. The
Angel of Peace had re'turned td remain Avith the brave foes
of the 60's and Avith their sous and daughters. We here
quote from the recent speech of Cardinal Gibbons on Uie
"Triumphs of Peace," delivered in Nciav York. He is too
pacific in his reference to the Avarfare of 1861-'65.
Cardinal Gibbons said iu part:
"Xearly two thousand years have rolled by since the birth
of the Prince of Peace, whose advent was announced bv the

Dec.vde XV.— 1900-1906. 309
angellic host singing 'Glory to God in the Highest, and on
Earth Peace, Good Will to Men,'
"Christ's mission on earth Avas, above all, to break down
the Avail of partition that divided nation from nation, that
alienated tribe from tribe, and people from people, and to
make them all of one family acknoAvledging the Fatherhood
of God and the Brotherhood of Christ,
"When looking back and contc'm plating the wars that have
ravaged the Christian Avorld during the last twenty centuries,
some persons might be tempted at first sight to e.xclaim in
anguish of heart that the mission of Christ was a failure.
MISSIOX HAS NOT FAILED.
"ily purpose, in the brief remarks Avhich I shall make, is
to disabuse the faint hearted of this discouraging impression
and to shoAV that Christ's mission has not failed, but that the
cause of peace has made dccisiA'e and reassuring progress,
"It is by cO'mparisons and contrasts that Ave can most
effectually gauge the results of Christian civilization,
"Compare the military history of the Roman Empire from
its foundation to the time of Augustus Cassar, with the mili
tary record of our American Republic from the close of the
Revolution to the present time,
"In pagan Rome Avar was the rule, peace Avas the exception.
The Temple of Janus in Rome was ahvays open in time of
war, and Avas closed in time of peace. From the reign of
Romulus to the time of Cfcsar, embracing 700 years, the
Temple of Janus was ahvays open, except tAvice, Avhen it was
closed for only six years. It Avas subsequently closed at the
birth of Christ, as if to symbolize the pacific mission of the
Redeemer of mankind. aaieeica's foue waes,
"The L'nited States has existed as a sovereign nation for
about one hundred and twenty years, since the close of the

310 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
Revolution. During that period we have had four wars:
the Avar with England, from 1812 to 1815; the war with
Mexico, from 1845 to 1848; the CivU war, from 1861 to
1865, and the recent Spanish war. The combined length of
these campaigns was about ten years. Hence we see that the
United States has enjoyed tAvelve years of peace for one year
of war, AAdiile the Roman Empire enjoyed less than one year
of tranquility for evei*y century of military engagements.
"But the blessed infiuence of our Christian civilization
has been experienced not only in reducing the numbers of
Avars, but still more in mitigating the horrors of military
strife. "Prior to the dawn of Christianity the motto of the con
queror was 'Va^victis' — 'Woe to the vanquished.' The cap
tured cities were pillaged and laid. AA'^aste. The Avives and
daughters of the defeated nation became the pr©y of the ruth
less soldiery. Th© conquered generals and army Avere obliged
to grace the triumphs of the victors, before they were con
demned to death or ignominious bondage.
ALEXANDEE AND SCOTT.
"Alexander the Great, after the capture of th© city of
Tyr©, ordered 2,000 of the inhabitants to be crucified, and
the remainder of the population were put to death or sold
into slavery.
"How different Avas the conduct of General Scott after his
successful siege of the City of Mexico. As soon as the
enemy surrendered, not a single soldier or citizen was sacri
ficed to the A'engeance of the victorious anny, and not a single
family w^as exiled from their natiA'e land.
"During the siege of Jerusalem in the year 70 of the
Christian era, under Titus, the Roman general, more than
a million of Jcavs perished by the sAvord and famine. Nearly
100,000 JeAvs were carried into captiAdty. The sacred ves
sels of the Temple of Jerusalem Avcrc borne aAvay by the
blood-stained hands of tlie Roman army. Simon, the Jewish

Decade XV.— 1900-1906. 311
chieftain, with the floAver of the JcAvish troops, Avas conducted
to Rome, Avhere he graced the triumph of the Roman general,
and then a rope Avas throAATi around his neck and he was
dragged around the fo.rum, where he was cruelly tormented
and put to death. And yet Titus was not accused by his
contemporaries of exceptional cruelty. On the contrary, he
was regarded as a benevolent ruler and was called the 'delight
of the human race.' TEEATllEN'T OF CONFEDEEATES.
"Let US contrast the conduct of Titus toAvard the Jews with
General Grant's treatment of the defeated Confederate forces.
When General Lee surrendered his sword at Appomattox
Court-house, he and his brave army Avere permitted to return
without molestation to their respective lio.mes.
"Imagine General Lee and his veterans led in chains to
Washington, followed by the spoils and treasures of Southern
homes and Southern sanctuaries. Imagine the same Con
federate soldiers compelled to erect a monument to commem
orate their oavu defeat. Would not the Avhole nation rise up
in its might and denounce a degradation so revolting to their
humanity ?
"A hundred years ago disputes between individuals were
commonly decided by a duel. Thanks to the humanizing
influence of a Christian public opinion, these disagreements
are noAv usually adjusted by legislation or conciliation. Have
we not reason to hope that the same pacific agencies which
have checked the duel betAveen individuals, will in God's own
time, check the duel betAveen nations ?
BULLY N.ATIONS.
"In our school-boy days the most odious and contemptible
creature we used to encounter was the bully Avho played the
tyrant towards the weak, but cringed before his stronger com
panions. But still more intolerable is a bullying nation that
picks a quarrel with a feeble nation Avith the base intent of
seizing her possessions.

312 HiSTOEY f)v Heetfoed County, N. C.
'T can recall at least four instances in the last twenty years
in Avliich international confiicts have been amicably settled by
arbitration. "The dispute between Germany and Spain regarding the
Caroline Islands Avas adjusted by Pope Leo XIII. in 1886.
"The Samoan difficulty betAveen Germany and the L'nited
States Avas settled by a conference held in Berlin in 1889. A
treaty of peace between the United States and Mexico Avas
signed in Washington at the close of Cleveland's administra
tion. And a fcAV weeks ago a war between France and Ger
many, perhaps a general European confiict, Avas averted by
the Algeciras conference in Morrocco."
While AA'e may not exactly agree Avith the Cardinal in all he
says, Ave can but admit that in the main he pictures forceably
the progress of the United States of North America. While
it is true Ave are having our troubles Avith the trust, whieh is
the evil of great aggregation of capital in the hands of a fcAV,
and which cause many to haA'e fears of the speedy downfall
of the Republic, yet Ave haA'e hopes in the Avisdom and pa
triotism of the American people, that they will in due time
strike doAvn this AA'Ould-be assassin of our Republic. And Ave
strongly believed that the conservatism and patriotism of the
South Avill be appealed to by all true .\.mericans to perfonn
this great mission. History repeats itself, and the sons of
those Avho did most to create the Republic Avill be the ones
called upon in the cnicible hour to saA-e it from destruction.
W.VE IS CRUEL AXn EXPENSIVE.
It has been the custom of nations for all ages to resort to
arms and bloodshed in order to settle civil differences. This
is, and always has been, Avroiig. Wars are the result of the
ambition of selfish men. Such men are AAdlling to crucify
the people at the cross, to gratify their ambition and selfish
ness. These men liaA'c existed in all ages and in all countries.
It is time that the civilization and Christianity of the present

Decade XV,— 1900-1906, 313
day to put an end to such cruelty and barbarity. The United
States have paid out for Avar, to say nothing of the Indian
Avars, the foUowdng astounding sums of money, in addition
to the numberless Ua-cs that Avere sacrificed:
The Revolutionary War, 1776-'82 , . $135,193,703,00
The War of 1812  107,159,003.00
The Mexican War  66,000,000,00
The CiAdl War  6,500,000,000,00
The Spanish-American War  150,000,000,00
^^Tiat becomes of the adA'Ocates of Avar and strife ? Here
presents a great moral question. conclusion.
After much hard and the most fatiguing labor, I have suc
ceeded in getting together much of the hidden information
about the history of Hertford Oo'unty and its peo'ple. The
flames had consumed the records of these people for the first
132 years of the county's existence. To get the facts found
in this volume I resorted to the Colonial and State Records
of North Carolina, Wheeler's and Moore's histories of the
State, Dr. Thos. O'Dwyer's diary for 1824, and old deeds,
Avills, and copies of old court records, found among the papers
of many of the old families of the county. My letters reached
many points in seA'eral gi the States seeking information. I
have compiled the result of my labors. I knoAv it is not per
fect, and I, also, know my effort to save frO'm oblivion some
information of our people Avill be severely criticised by many.
Some who possessed some informatio'ii declined to put me in
possession of it, while most others Avere glad to render Avhat
aid they could. To Maj. John W. Moore, of Hertford, and
Miss Mary Murfree, of Tennessee, and others in that State,
and friends in New Jersey, and H. C, Sharp, of Harrells
ville, and all others who gave me facts, I return my thanks
for the valuable aid rendered me. I am glad I baA^e done
this work. It has given me information about the county, the

314 HisTOEY' OF Heetfoed County, N. C.
State, and country at large, that otherwise I Avould not have
obtained. In my Avriting, I often felt like wandering off
into the realms of metaphysics and moral science and general
history, and discoursing on the mysteries of life and of death
and of resurrection, and paint, in a feeble way, the picture
of eternity — ^the end of measured time— as it appears to me ;
but such thougihts would have been out of place in such a book
as this, which was only intended to gather the facte for the
future historian of the State, that the noble people of Hert
ford County, whose records have been destroyed, may not be
overlooked and forgotten. Untrue history is the curse of a
people. Tme history is the glory of a peo'ple.
" The book is completed,
And closed like the day ;
And the hand that has written it
Lays it away.
Dim grow its fancies ;
Forgotten they lie ;
Like coals in the ashes,
They darken and die,"
Benj. B. Winboene.
Alurfreesboro, N. C, May 24, 1906.

HERTFORD COUNTY'S LIST OF OFFICERS.
LaAvyers of Hertford County, 1906, and the times of their
respectiA'-e admissions to the Bar :
Winbome & La-Avrence, Murfreesboro, N. C. Benj. B.
Winborne — ^February term, 1875 ; Lloyd J. Lawrence, Febru
ary term, 1892.
George V. CoAvper, Winton, N. 0, — June term, 1878.
Jno. E. Vann, Winton, N. C. — September term, 188Y.
David Collin Barnes, Murfreesboro, N. C, — September
term, 1896.
Roswell C. Bridger, Winton, N. C. — September term,
1899, Jas. R. MitcheU, Winton. N. C. — August term, 1901.
Wm. W. Rogers, Winton, N. C. — ^February term, 1903.
heetfoed's oongeessmbn.
1802-'07 — Gen. Thomas Wynns, near Winton.
1813-'17 — William Hardy Murfree, Murfreesboro.
1839-'45 — ^Kenneth Rayner, near Harrellsville.
1859-'6]— W. N. H. Smith, Murfreesboro.
1875-'81 — Jesse J. Yeates, Murfreesboro.
CONFEDEEATE CONGEESS.
January, 1862-April, 1864— W. N, H. S'mith.
PEESIDENTIAL ELECTOES.
1801— Gen, Thomas Wynns.
1809— Gen. Thomas Wynns.
1848 — Kenneth Rayner.
1860— John W. Moore.
MEMBEES OF GOA'EENOe's COUNCIL.
Col. James Jones, Col. Matthias Brickie, Gen. Thomas
Wynns, John A. Anderson, Maj. Jesse J. Yeates.

316 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
consuls and ministees.
1855 — John LI. Wheeler, Minister to Nicaragua.
1885-'89 — Thos, R, Jemigan, Consul to' Japan.
1895 — Hunter Sharp, Consul to Japan.
1893-'97 — Thos, R. Jemigan, Consul to Shanghai, China.

1831 — Clerk of the Board of Commissioners under the
Convention Avitli France: John LI. W^heeler.
1837 — Superintendent of U, S. Mint at Charlotte: John
H. Wheeler.
1842-'44 — Treasurer of the State: John H. Wheeler.
U. S, Senate from Arkansas: Aprd, 1848-'53 — Solon Bor
land, a Murfreesboro boy.
Solicitor of First District: ' 1849-'58— W. N, H. Smith;
1860-'06 — Jesse J. Yeates,
Chief Justice of the State : January, 1878-November,
1889— W. N. H. Smith.
Judge of Criminal Court: 1891-'97— B. B. Winborne.
Chairman of Judiciary Cominittee in House of Assembly :
1800— Robert Montgomery ; 1905 — B. B. Winborne.
First Constitutional Convention - of November 12, 1776:
Delegates — LaAvrence Baker, Williain Murfree, Robert Sum
ner, Day Ridley, and James Wright.
Llillsboro Convention of 1788, to consider the adoption of
U. S. Constitution: Detegates — Maj. Geo. Waiiiis, Gen,
Thomas Wynns, ReA^ Lemuel Burkitt, Maj, Wm. Little, and
Maj, Samuel Harrell,
Fayetteville Convention of 1789, Avliich adopted the U. S.
Constitution: Delegates — Gen. Thomas Wynns, Robert
Montgomery, Col. Hardy J\Iurfree, Henry Hill, and Henry
Baker. Constitutional CoiiA'ention 1835 : Kenneth Rayner.
Secession Convention of 1861: Kenneth Rayner.
Constitutional ConA'ention of 1865: R. G. CoAvper.
Constitutional Convention of 1868: Jackson B. Hare.
Constitutional ConA'ention of 1875: Jordan J. Horton.

Heetfoed County's Officees. 317
Hertford County Avas represented in the Colonial Assem
bly and in the Senate and House of the General Assembly of
North Carolina from the time it became a soA'ereign State in
December, 1776, up to the present time, as aiipears beloAv.
.Its Colonial representatives Avere as foUoAvs:
1762-'63 — Henry Winborne and William Murfree,
1764-'65 — Benj. Wynns and Robert Sumner.
1766-'68— Benj. Wynns and Matthias Brickie.
1769-'70 — Peter Wynns and EdAvard Hare.
1771-'72 — Benj. Wynns and Edward Hare.
1773-'74 — Benj. Wynns, Sr., and Benj. Wynns, Jr.
1775-'76 — ^^ViUiam Murfree and George Wynns.
After North Carolina declared her independence of the
British Govemment and ado])ted its first constitution, Hert
ford's representatives in the General Assembly of the State
haA'e been as foUoAvs:
1777 — Senate, Robert Sumner; House, Jos. Dickinson,
James Garrett.
177 S — Robert Sumner; Win. Baker, James Maney.
1779 — Robert Sumner; William Wynns, Nathan Cotton.
1780 — Pleasant Jordan; William Wynns, John Baker.
1781 — John Baker; LeAvis BroAvn, Thos. Brickie.
17'S2 — John Brickie; William Wynns, Thos. Brickie.
1783 — John Baker; LoAvis BroAvn, Thos. Brickie.
1784— John Baker; WUliam HiU, Thos. Brickie.
1785 — Robert Sumner; James ]Maney, Robt. Montgomery.
1786 — Robert Sumner; WiUiam LIUl, Thos. Brickie.
1787 — Robert Sumner; Thos. Wynns, Robt, Montgomery.
178'^ — Robt, Montgomery; Henry Baker, Henry Hill,
1789 — Robt. ilontgomery ; Henr}' Llill, Henry Baker.
1790 — Thos. Wynns ; Robt. Montgomery, Henry Hill,
17'.>1 — Thos. Wynns ; Robt. MontgO'inery, Henry Hill.
1792 — Thos. Wynns; Henry Hill, James Jones.
179.3 — 'Thos. Wynns; Jethro Darden, Henry Hill.
1794 — Thos. Wynns ; Jethro Darden, Robt. Montgomery.

518

Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C. /

1796 179717981799
180O
1801- 1802-
180.3- 1804
1805- 1806-
1807- 1808-
1809-1810- 1811-
1812- 1813-
1814- 181,5-
1816-1817-1818-
gomery. 1819-1821-
1822-1823-1824-

-Thos. Wynns; Henry HiU, Robt. Montgomery.
-Thos, Wynns; Jethro Darden, James Jones.
-Thos. Wynns; Jethro Darden, James Jones.
-Thos. Wynns; Robt. Montgomery, James Jones.
-Thos, Wynns; Robt. Montgomery, James Jones.
-Thos. Wynns; Robt. Montgomery, James Jones.
-Robt, Montgomery ; James Jones, Abner Perry.
-Robt. MontgO'mery ; James Jones, Abner Perry.
-Robt, Montgomery; James Jones, Abner Perry.
-Robt, Montgomery; James Jones, Abner Perry.
-Robt, Montgomery; Jas. Jones, Wm. H. Murfree.
-Robt. Montgomery ; Janies Jones, Abner Perry.
-Robt, Montgomery; Lewis Walters, Abner Perry.
-Thos. Wynns ; Lewis Walters, Abner Perry.
-Thos. Wynns ; Boone Felton, Abner Perry.
-Thos. Wynns; Boone Felton, Lewis Walters.
-Thos. Wynns; Boone Felton, William Jones.
-Thos. Wynns ; Wm. H. Murfree, Jethro Darden.
-Thos. Wynns; Boone Felton, William Jones.
-Thos. Wynns; Boone Felton, William Jones.
-Thos; Wynns; Thomas Deans, WiUiam Jones.
-Thos. Wynns; Thomas Deans, William Jones.
-Thos. Wynns; Boone Felton, Thomas Maney.
-Boone Felton ; Jno. Hamilton Frazier, B. J. Mont

B. J. Montgomery, Isaac Carter.

Jno. H. Frazier
¦Thomas Deans: Jas. Copeland, Jas. D. Wynns.
David E. Sumner ; Isaac Caiter, Lewis M. Jeggitts.
¦David E. Sumner ; James Cojieland, John Vann.
James Copeland; John Vann, Isaac Cai-ter.
1825 — James Copeland ; John Vaim, Isaac Carter.
Elisha H. Sharpe; B. J. Montgomery, Leonard

1826-
liartin. i82r
Wheeler,

— David 0. AskcAv; B. J, Montgomery, John H.

Heetfoed County's Officees, 319
1828 — David O, AskeAv; B, J. Montgomery, John H.
Wheeler. 1829 — B. J. Montgomery ; Elisha A, Chamblee, John H.
Wheeler. 1830 — Jacob Hare; Isaac Carter, John H. Wheeler.
1831 — B. J. Montgomery; Elisha A, Chamblee, Godwin
C, Moore.
1832 — B. J. Montgomery ; Isaac Carter, Thos. V. Roberts,
1833 — John Vann; Isaac Carter, Sipha Smith,
1834 — Geo. W. Montgomery ; Isaac Carter, Sipha Smith.
1835 — John Vann; R. C, Borland, Kenneth Rayner.
The amendments to the Constitution in 1835 reduced
Hertford's representation in the House to one member and
made the sessions biennial.
1836 — Geo. W, Montgomery; Kenneth Rayner.
1838 — Thomas B, Sharpe ; Kenneth Rayner.
1840— B. T, Spiers ; Wm. N. H. Smith.
1842 — GodAvin C. Moore ; Starkey Sharpe,
1844 — Richard G. Cowper; Jacob Sharpe.
1846 — Richard G, Cowper ; Kenneth Rayner,
1848— William N. H. Smith ; Kenneth Rayner.
1850 — D, V. Sessoms; Kenneth Rayner.
1852 — ^Richard G. Cowper; W, L. Daniel,
1854 — Kenneth Rayner; W. L, Daniel.
1856 — Richard G. Cowrper; Joseph B. Slaughter.
1858— Richard G. Cowper; W. N. H, Smith,
1860-'61 — J. B. Slaughter; Jesse J. Yeates,
1861-'62 — J. B. Slaughter; Jesse J. Yeates.
1862-'63— J. B. Slaughter; Jesse B. Vann.
1863-'64— J. B. Slanghter; Jesse B. Vann.
1864-'65 — James M. Wynns; John A. Vann.
1865-'66— R. G. CoAvper ; W. N. LL Smith.
1866-'67 — James C- Barnes; GodAvin C. Moore.
1867-'68— James C, Barnes ; GodAvin C, Moore,

320 HisTOBY' OF Heetfoed County, N, C.
In 1868 a Constitutio'Ual Convention was held in North
Carolina to alter the fundamental laAV of the State. The
delegates to th.e convention were composed chiefly of "Carpet-
Baggers" from the most vicious element of the Northern
army and its sympathizers, who, after the cessation of hostili
ties, i-emained. in the South, to rob and plunder the Southem
States, But few of the true and loyal sons of the State Avere
alloAved to participate in the deliberations of the political
bodies of those times. Jackson B, Hare AA'as the delegate
from Llertford County, The Constitution prepared by this
posthumous or illegitimate convention Avas submitted to a
portion of the peojile of the State for ratification, at an elec
tion held on the 21st, 22d and 23d days of April, 1868, The
ex-slaves voted three days, A large per centum of the best
and truest citizens of the State Avere disfranchised and not
allowed to vote, and in their jjlace the recent slaA'e negro men
were armed Avith the ballot and alloAved to A'ote at the election
as directed by these "Carpet Baggers" and the native traitors
to our State. General Canby, the military potentate of
North and South Carolina, sitting in Charleston, S. C, de
clared the ConstitutiO'ii ratified by the A'O'ters of the State.
The chivalrous and proud people of the State had no alterna-
tiA'e but to submit to the indignities heaped upon them by
such cowards as Thad. Stevens and W. H. StoAvart, the haters
of tlie South,- and its OAvn Benedict Arnolds.
Under the Constitution of 1868, Bertie and Hertford coun
ties for'med the Fifth Senatorial District, and giA-en one sena
tor in the -General Assembly. The terms of office of the
members of the Assembly began Avith their election and con
tinued for two years. The General Assembly met annually
on the third Monday in NO'A'ember. The Fifth Senatorial
District Avas re])resented as foUo'Avs:
l,S(;8-'69— J, W. Beasley, R., Bertie County.
nsfi9-'70— J. W, Beasley, R,, Bertie County.
1870-71 — I. W. Beasley, R„ Bertie County.
1871 -'72— J. W\ Beasley. R., Bertie Countv.

Heetfoed County's Officees. 321
The legislation and corruption of the above sessions of the
General Assembly form the blackest pages of North Caro
lina's history. It is a lasting shame and disgrace to' the
Republican party of the State. It Avill ncA'cr be forgotten by
the true and honorable people of the State and their descend
ants. In the summer of 1872 the white people of the State
succeeded in electing a large majority of the members of the
General Assembly, and that body, by an act ratified January
19, 1872, by a three-fifths vote of all the members, amended
the Constitution of 1868 in several particulars. One of the
amendments was in changing the sessions from "annual" to
"biennial." That same body, by an act ratified February 2,
1872, re-appointed the representation of the State, and put
Hertford County in the First Senatorial District, with the
six other counties east of Chowan River, and they were given
two members. The members from the First Senatorial Dis
trict, thereafter, Avere as follows :
1872-'74 — John L, Chamberlain, R., Camden Co'Unty;
C. W. Grandy, R., Pasquotank County.
1874-'76— Wm, B, Shaw, D,, Currituck County;
Thomas R. Jernigan, D,, Llertford County.
1876-'78 — Oetavius Coke, D., Cho'Wan County.
W, C, Mercer, D., Currituck Co'unty.
In 1875 another Constitutional Convention was held in
North Carolina, and presided over by Edmond Ransom, of
Tyrrell County, Avho was elected as an independent to said
convention. The members of the Republican and Demo
cratic parties were about evenly divided. The Democrats
secured the co-operation of Mr. Ransom by electing hinr
President of the conA'ention. This gave the Democrats one
majority on tlie floor. Many important amendments wore
made in the organic law of the State by this body. Much of
the sting of the Canby Constitution of 1868 was eradicated.
No man of the majority could afford to be absent from his
seat during this all-impoftant session. The devotion of the
21

322 HisTOEY' OF Heetfoed County, N. C.
Democratic members of this convention was never better
showm than during the days of this momentous session of this
exciting convention. Hertford County was represented in
this conA^ention by Jordan J. Horton, a Republican.
The time for the biennial meetings of the General Assem
bly was changed from the third Monday in November next
after the election of its members, to the first Monday after
the first Monday in January next after the election of its
members. The General Assembly of 1876-'77, by an act
ratified March 12, 1877, provided that the general election
in the State should be held in the year 1880, on the Tuesday
after the first Monday in November, and every two years
thereafter. The members from the First Senatorial District
continued :
1878-'79— Geo. H, Mitehell, R,, Hertford County;
Rufus White, R., Perquimans County.
1880-'81— W. H, Manning, D., Gates County;
J. M, Woodhouse, D., Currituck County.
1882-'83— W. W. Speight, R., Gates County;
J. M. Woodhouse, D., Currituck County.
1884-'85— Wm. M. Bond, D., Chowan County;
James Parker, D., Gates County.
1886-'87— W. P. Shaw, D., Hertford County;
W. J. Grifiin, D,, Pasquotank County.
1888-'89— J, K, Abbott, D., Camden County;
W. P. Shaw, D., Hertford County.
1890-'91— P. LL Morgan, D., Currituck County;
James Parker, D., Gates County.
lS92-'93— J. K. Abbott, Camden County;
J. J. Gatling, D., Gates County.
1894-'95— E. T. Snipes, R., Hertford County;
Theo. White, P., Perquimans County.
1896-'97— J. L. Whedbee, R., Perquimans County;
Jno. F. NcAvsome, P., Hertford County.
lS98-'99— T. G. Skinner, D., Perquimans County;
George Cowper, D., Llertford County.

w

Heetfoed County's Officees. 323
1900-'01— C. S. Vami, D., Chowan County;
W, H, Bray, D., Currituck County.
1902-'03— C. S. Vann, D., Chowan County;
P. H. McMuUen, D,, Perquimans County.
1904-'05— 0. S. Vann, D., Chowan County;
S. M. Beasley, D., Currituck Oounty.
HOUSE OF EEPEESENTATIVES.
1868-'69— E. T. Snipes, R.
1869-'70— E. T. Snipes, R.
1870-'71— W. D. Newsom, CoL, R.
187l-'72— W. .D. Newsom, Col,, R.
1872-'73— James Sharp, R.
1873-'74 — James Sharp, R,
1874-'75 — Soloman Parker, R.
1876-'77 — J. J. Horton, R., was given certificate of elec
tion, but his seat was contested by H. C. Maddrey, D., and
Maddrey was seated,
1879— J. J. Horton, R.
1881— E. T. Snipes, R.
1883— George H. Mitchell, R.
1885— Robert W. Winbome, D.
1887— E. T. Snipes, R.
1889 — James L. Anderson, D.
1891 — James L. Anderson, D.
1893— W. P. Taylor, D.
1895 — Benj. B, Winborne, D,
1897 — Starkey Hare, R.
1899— Isaac F. Snipes, R.
1901 — Lloyd J. Lawrence, D.
1903— John E. Vann, D.
1905— Benj, B. Winborne, D.

324 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
the infeeioe couet.
At the election of 1876 the Democrats elected the Gov
emor, all the State officers and a large majority of the Gen
eral Assembly. The Constitution had been amended in 1875
in many respects and the amendments had been ratified by
the people at the August election in 1876. The negro popu
lation had so crowded the criminal dockets of our courts in
the East that there was a demand for additional court facili
ties to relieve the Superior Courts of the criminal work, that
the civil oases might be tried. The Legislature of 1876-'77
appointed the justices of the peace for the several counties, and
empowered them to establish Inferior Criminal Courts for
their respective counties, which courts were giA'en a limited
criminal jurisdiction. They Avere to be presided over, where
established, by Jliree suitable persons to be selected by the
justices of the peace from the body of the county. This
court was established in Hertford in August, 1877. The
officei"s at different times Avere as follows :
1877-'79.
Maj. J. W. Moore, Chairman; G. V. CoAvper and W. P.
ShaAv. Cowper resigned in August, 1878, and H, C. Mad
dry Avas elected to fill the vacancy,
1879-'81.
W, P, ShaAv, Chaimian ; H, C, :\raddry and J. B. Slaugh
ter. Slaughter resigned in August, 1880, and S. M. Aumack
elected to fill the vacancy. 1881-'S3.
W. P. ShaAv, H. C. Maddry and J. B. Slaughter. Slaugh
ter resigned in February, 1884, and George W. Beverly
elected to fill vacancy. They continued in office until Au
gust, 1887. 1887-'S9.
David A. Barnes, H. C. :\laddry and George W, Beverly.

Heetfoed County's Officees. 325
1889-1891.
George W. Beverly, H. C. ]\[addry and S. M. Aumack.
SOLICITOES.
1877 to August, 1883— B. B. Winborne.
1883 to October, 1884— R, W. Winbome.
1884 to Augus't, 1889— B. B. Winborne.
1889 to February, 1891— R. W. Winborne.
THE CEIMINAL COUET.
Here the Inferior Court ended, and there AA'as a popular
demand throughout the county for the abolition of this court
and for the establishment of a Criminal Court, with full
criminal jurisdiction, to be presided over by a judge Avith all
the qualifications of a Superior Court Judge. This Avas
done by the Legislature of 1891. By the almost unanimous
demand of the county the author was elected Judge of the
new Criminal Court. He accepted the ofiice at a great sac
rifice to himself. He remained Judge of the Court until
1897, except for the short period from October, 1894, to
March, 1905, when he resigned to serve in the Legislature of
the State. After the adjournment of the Legislature of 1905
he was re-appointed Judge of said Court by Governor Carr.
He served as Judge until the Co.urt was abolished in 1897
by the Fusion Legislature. About 600 cases were tried be
fore him, covering all grades of criminal offences, statutory
and common-law crimes. And only one appeal to the Su
preme Court was taken from his rulings, and he was affirmed
in that — State v. Harrison, 115-706.
SOLICITOES AT DIFFEEENT TIMES.
Peter B. Picot, Esq.
John E. Vann, Esq.
George Cowper, Esq.

326 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.

CLEEKS.

The Clerks of the Superior Court were ex-officio Clerks
of the Inferior and the Criminal Courts.

COUNTY' OFFICEES.
It may be of interest to some to know the names of the
officers of the county from its formation to the present time :
SHEEIFFS.
1760-'62—  ; 
1762-'66 — Matthias Brickie.
1766-'71— WiUiam Murfree.
177l-'74— Nathan HarreU.
1774-'77— John Harrell.
1777-'82— Starkey Sharp I.
1782-'84— James Boon.
l784-'86— Josiah Sumner,
l786-'88— Moses Sumner.
1788-'90— Starkey Sharp I.
1790-'94— WiUiam Wynns.
1794-'98— Matthias Brickie, Jr.
1798-'1800 — James Cherry.
1800-'12— Thomas Deanes,
1812-'17— Isaac Carter.
1817-'24— WiUiam B. Wynns.
1824-'25— Jesse Deanes.
1825-'36— Richard Greene Cowper.
1836-'38— Edw. K. Jeggitts.
1838 to May, 1844— R. G. Cowper.
May, 1844, to August, 1844 — Preston Perry.
1844 to November, 1848 — Abner J. Pen-y.
1848 to Augnst, 1856— John P. Bridger,

1856-'60— John A. Vann.
1861-'67— Jackson B. Hare.
1867-'76— Isaac Pipkin, D.
1876-'78— Jackson B, Hare, R.

Heetfoed County's Officees. 327
1878-'80— John Sharp.
1880— A. C. Vann, Tax Collector.
1880-'84— Joseph J. Jordan.
1884 to December, 1894 — James S. MitcheU.
1894-'96— WiUiam E. Cullen.
1896-1900— James S. MitcheU.
1900-'03— WiUiam H. Tayloe,
1903-'06— A. E. Garrett.
CHAIEMEN OF THE OLD COUNTY COUET PEIOE TO
WAE OF 1776.
Robert Sumner.
Henry Winbome. AFTEE THE AVAE.
Col. Matthias Brickie.
Thomas Winborne.
Thomas N. Brickie.
Timothy Ridley.
Thomas P. Little.
1829 — ^EUsha Winbome.
1830-'51— John Vann,
1851-'57 — John A. Anderson,
1857-'61— Dr. Godwin C. Moore.
1861, to June 18, 1861 — John A. Anderson.
June, 1861-'66— WiUiam W. MiteheU.
1866-'68— Watson L. Daniel.
CLEEKS OF THE COUET OF PLEAS AND QUAETEE SESSIONS. .- ;i ^
1760-'64 — Benjamin Wynns.
1764-'72 — Benjamin Wynns, Jr.
1772-'78 — George Wynns,
1778-'80— Benjamin Wynns,
1780-'90— Samuel HarreU,
1790-'94— Nathan HarreU.
l794-'97— WiUiam Wynns.
1797-1802— Nathan HarreU.

328 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
1802-'03 — Benjamin Wynns, Jr.
1803-'22 — Joseph F. Dickinson.
1822-'23 — George Gordon.
1823-'58 — Lewis M. Cowper.
1858 to August, 1861— Starkey S. HarreU.
1861 to May, 1868— Lewds M. Cowper.
CLEEK AND MASTEE IN EQUITY.
1806-'33 — HoweU Jones,
1833-'35 — Bridger J. Montgomery.
1835-'63 — WiUiam M. Montgomery.
1863-'68— John A. Vann.
COUNTY ATTOENEYS DUEING THE DAYS OF THE OLD
COUNTY' COUETS.
1777-'90— Henry HiU,
1790-1800 — Robert Montgomery.
1800-'05— Sharp Blount.
1805-'12— WiUiam LL Murfree.
181 2-'20— Thomas Maney.
1820-'35— James S. Jones,
1835 to November, 1845 — Roscius C, Borland.
1845 to May, 1849— W. N. H. Smith.
1849 to August, 1851 — A, Poma Yancey.
1857 to August, 1855— W, D. Valentine.
1855-'60— Jesse J. Yeates.
1860-'62— John H, Jemigan.
1862-'65— Joseph B. Slaughter.
1865-'66— WiUiam Sharp,
1866-'68— J. B, Slaughtei-.
CLEEKS OF SUFEEIOE COUETS.
1848-'51 — WiUiam D, Valentine; resigned August, 1851.
1851-'54— John A. Vann.
1854-'58— Starkey S. Harrell, Jr.
1858-'68— George W. Beverly.

Heetfoed .County's Officees. 329
1868 to October 5, 1870— Starkey S. HarieU,
1870 to January 2, 1872— Joseph W. Perry.
1872 to December, 1886— WiUiam J. Gatling,
1886 to April, 1889— Thomas D, Boone.
1889 to December, 1890— WiUiam J. Gatling.
1890 to December, 1898— Thomas D. Boone.
1898 to March, 1901— John F. Newsome.
1901' to December, 1906— Thomas D. Boone,
i:^ATIVE-BOEN LAWYEES OF THE COUNTY, AND WHO PEACTICED
IN THE COUNTY.
Henry Hill  Murfreesboro.
Robert Montgomery  Murfreesboro,
Sharp Blount  Winton,
William Hardy Murfree  Musf reesboro.
Harry W. Long  Murfreesboro.
Thomas Maney  Murfreesboro.
James Sydney Jones  Piteh Landing.
Roscius Cicero Borland  Murfreesboro.
John Hill Wheeler  Murfreesboro.
William Nathan Harrell Smith  Murfreesboro.
Antonio Poma Yancey  Murfreesboro.
Jesse Johnson Yeates  Murfreesboro.
William Darden Valentine  Winton.
John Wheeler Moore  Murfreesboro,
Joseph Blount Slaughter  Pitch Landing.
John Hunter Jernigan  Harrellsville.
William Sharp  Hanellsville.
Pulaski CoAvper  Murfreesboro.
Joseph E. Carter  Murfreesboro.
James Lawrence Mitchell  Winton.
Denny Worthington  Murfreesboro.
Thomas Robert Jemigan  HarreUsville.
William Dorsey Pruden  Harrellsville.
Benjamin Brodie Winbome  Murfreesboro.
John Jesse Vann  Winton.

330 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
George CoAvper  Winton.
Robert Warren Winborne  Murfreesboro.
Charles Spurgeon Vann  Winton.
WiUis C. Warren  Murfreesboro.
Lloyd Jennings LaAvrence  Murfreesboro.
John Eley Vann  . .Winton.
.Peter Blount Picot  Winton.
DaA'id Collin Bames  Murfreesboro.
RosAA'ell C. Bridger  Winton.
James R. MitcheU  Winton.
William W. Rogers  Winton.
Judge David Alexander Barnes moved to the county from
Northampton County in 1875 and resided in Murfreesboro
until his death in 1892. Hon. Kenneth Rayner and Brack-
ney T. Spiers studied law and obtained license, but did not
practice. Charles H. Foster and James M. Trader obtained
license to practice law under a strange statute enacted by the
"carpet-bag" Legislature of 1868-'69, which permitted any
one to secure license by paying a license tax of $20 (Laws
]868-'69, cIl 46). public eegistees.
l760-'64 — Benjamin Wynns, Jr.
1770-'74— Joseph Worth.
1780-1890— Nathan HarreU,
1790— '91— Starkey Sharp.
1791-'97— Nathan HarreU.
1797-'98— Jacob Sharp.
1798-1800— Jacob Sharp.
1800-'13— MiUs Jernigan.
1813-'20— George Gordon.
1820-'24— John H. Gordon.
1824-'25— Peter Butts.
1825-'31— Andrew V. Duer.
1831-'43— L. R. Jernigan.

LIeetfoed County's Officees. 331
1843-'45— Patrick Perry.
1845 to August, 1846— Henry B. Vanpelt.
1846 to Febmary, 1857— WiUiam J. Perry.
1857-'66— John Sharp.
1866-'68— Joseph P. Jordan.
EEGISTEE OF DEEDS.
1868-'76— James M. Trader.
1876-'82— Henry Clay Sharp.
1882 to January, 1890 — Watson Lewis Daniel.
1890 to December, 1896 — George A. Brown.
1896 to December, 1900— S. E. Marsh.
1900 to October, 1905 — James P. Freeman,
1905-'06— John A. Northcott.
COUNTY TEUSTEES PEIOE TO 1790,
Samuel Harrell. ' i,>- :
Nathan Harrell. u ;
George Wynns.
Starkey Sharp I.

AFTEE 1790.

1830-'43 — John A, Anderson.
1843 to May, 1844— Elisha D. Brett.
1844-'54 — Lemuel R. Jemigan,
1854-'61— Elisha D. Brett,
1861-'62 — James Bames.
1862-'66— Starkey S. Harrell, Jr.
1866-'68 — Samuel M. Aumack.
COUNTY TEEASUEEES.
1868-'70— Jordan J. Horton, R.
1870-'76— John A. Vann, D.
1876-'78— Joseph J, BroAvn, R.
Since 1878 the Sheriff of the county has been ex-officio
Treasurer of the county.

332 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N, C.
entey-takees peioe to-the w.ae of 1776.
Matthias Brickie.
Henry Winbome.
William Wynns. AFTEE THE WAE.
Mills Jemigan.
Andrew J. Northcott,
The Register of Deeds is now ex-officio entry-taker.
COUNTY SUEA^EY'OES PEIOE TO WAE OF 1776.
1762-'66— John Baker.
l766-'70 — Godwin Cotton. SINCE THE WAE.
Pleasant Jordan.
John A. Wynns.
1800-'10— Samuel BeU.
1810-'33— Sipha Smith.
1833-'54 — Jethro W. Bames.
1854-'68 — Zepheniah AskcAv.
SINCE 1868.
Thadeus E. Vann.
J. W. Jessups.
.lohn F. NcAvsom.
H. D. HarreU,
J. D. Parker. COUNTY' COMMISSIONEES.
1868 to 1870 — John W. Harrel, Chairman ; R. S. Parker,
William D. NcAvsome, William Reed, Samuel Holloman.
1870 to 1872— J. W. HarreU, Chairman; G. A. Britt,
Langley Tayloe, Jackson B. Hare, W. J. Gatling.
1872 to 1874— E. T. Snipes, Chairman; W. B. Alexander,
WiUiam Reed, S. D. Winborne, L, S. Davis.
1874 to 1876— S. D. Winborne, Chaii-man; A. C. Vann,
William Reed, W. B. Alexander, E. T. Snipes.

Miscellaneous Infoemation, 333
1876 to 1878— E. T. Snipes, Chairman; W. B. Alexander,
William Reed, James I, EUiott, A. D. Godwin.
1878 to 1880— S. D. Winbome, Chairman; S. M. Aumack,
J. Norfleet HarreU, John A. Vann, J, T. Wynns.
County Attorney — B. B. Winborne.
1880 to 1882— S. M, Aumack, Chaimian; J, N. Llarrell,
John A. Vann, S, D, Winborne, J, T. Wynns.
County Attorney — B, B. Winborne.
1882 to 1886— J. N. Han-ell, Chairman; S. M. Aumack,
J. L. Anderson, J, P. Freeman, S, D, Winborne.
County Attorney — B. B. Winborne.
1886 to 1888— J. N. HarreU, Chairman; S. M. Aumack,
A. I. Parker, J. P. Freeman, S. D. Winbome.
County Attorney — B. B. Winborne.
1888 to 1890— J. N. HarreU, Chairman; J. P. Freeman,
J. F. Newsome, J. D. Riddick, W. E. CuUens.
County Attorney — B. B. Winbome.
1890 to 1892— W. T. BroAvn, Chairman; W. E, CuUens,
Blount Ferguson, John F, NcAvsO'me, C. W. Mitchell.
County Attorney — B. B, Winborne,
1892 to 1894— W, T. BroAvn, Chaimian; W. E. CuUens,
George W. Beverly, John F. NeAvsome, J. B. Vaughan.
¦County Attorney — J, J, Yeates.
1894 to 1896 — W, T. BroAvn, Chairman; A, I. Parker,
T. E. Vann, J N. Holloman, J, T. WiUiams.
County Attorney — J, J. Yeates,
1896 to 1898 — G. W. MitcheU, Chairman, J. B, Vaughan,
E. T, Snipes,
County Attorney — George Cowper.
1898 to 1900— J. H. MitcheU, Chaimian ; G. W. MitcheU,
J. B. Vaughan, J. 'M. Eley, A. I. Parker, J. C. Vinson,
J. G. j\[ajette, B. F. WiUiams.
County Attorney — George Cowper.
1900 to 1902— J. G. Majette, Chairman; A. I. Parker,
B. F, Williams, J. C, Vinson, J, H, MitcheU.
County Aflorney — John E, Vann,

334 Histoey- of Heetfoed County, N. C.
1902 to 1904 — J. G. Majette, Chairman; J. 0. Vinson,
A, I. Parker, C. W. Parker, B. F. WiUiams.
Oounty Attorney — L. J. LaAvrence.
1904 te 1906— J. G. Majette, Chairman; J. C. Vinson,
A. I. Parker, C. W. Parker, W. E. CuUens.
Oounty Attorneys— ^'inhome & Lawrence.
u. s. census of 1900.
Population of United States . .,  84,907,156
Population of No'rth Carolina  1,893,810
Population of Virginia  1,854,184
Population of Hertford County, N. C  14,294
TOAVNS IN THE COUNTY.
Murfreesboro — Incorporated 1787. Population in 1906
about 900.
Average Temperature for Degrees.
January  45 11-14
February  42
March  50|
AprU  60 23-30
May  67i
June  72^
July  77^
August  76 5-28
September  72
October  59 2-3
November  49 3-5
December  45 1-3
This average temperature of Murfreesboro was ascertained
by an accurate diary of the thermometer kept for each day
thrO'Ugho'Ut the year.
Winton — Incorporated in 1768. Population in 1906
about 800.
'Union — Incorporated in 1889, Population in 1906
about 150.

Miscellaneous Infoemation, 335
Harrellsville — Incorporated in 1883. Population in 1906
about 400.
Ahoskie — Incorporated in 1893. Population in 1906
about 300.
Mapleton — Incorporated in 1901. Population in 1906
about 40.
In addition tO' the newspapers mentioned in text, which
have been published in the county, are the Murfreesboro
Enquirer, from about 1876 to 1883 ; edited by E. L. 0. Ward.
That was followed by the Murfreesboro Index, which still
lives, and edited by John W. Hicks. The Hertford Herald
is also published by A. J. Conner, of Rich Square, North
ampton, and it hails from Ahoskie, N. 0.

COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA.
Name. County-seat. When created.
Alamance  Graham  1848.
Alexander  Taylorsville  1846.
Alleghany  Sparta  1859.
Anson  Wadesboro  1749.
Ashe  Jefferson  1799.
Beaufort  Washington  1741.
Bertie  Windsor  1722.
Bladen  Elizabethtovm  1734.
Brunswick  Smithville  1764.
Buncombe  'Asheville  1791.
Burke  Morganton  1777.
Cabarms  Concord  1792.
Caldwell  Lenoir  1841.
Camden  Camden C. H  1777.
*Carteret  Beaufort  1777.
CasAvell  YanceyAdlle  1777.
Catawba  NcAvton  1842.
Chatham  Pittsboro  1770.
Cherokee  Murphy  1839.
Chowan  Edenton  1716.
Clay  Hayesville  1861.
Cleveland  Shelby  1841.
Columbus  .WhiteviUe  1808.
Craven  Ncav Bem  1710.
Cumberland  Fayetteville  1754.
Currituck  Currituck C. H  1729.
Dare  .Manteo  1870.
Davidson  .Lexington  1822.
Davie  MocksviUe  1836.
Duplin  Kenansville  1749.
Durham  Durham  1881.

* This territory was allotted to Lord Carteret, who refused to sell to
the Crown in 1729, and became a county in 1777.

Miscellaneous Infoemation. 337
Name. Couuiy-seat. When created.
Edgecombe  .Tarboro  IY33.
Forsyth  Winston  1848.
Franldin  Louisburg  1779.
Gaston  Dallas  1846.
G-ates  Gatesville  1779.
Graham  Robbinsville  1871.
Granville  Oxford  1Y46.
Greene  SnoAv Hill  I79I.
Guilford  .Greensboro  1770.
HaUfax  Halifax  1758.
Harnett  LiUington  1855.
IlayAvocd  Wayuesville  1808.
Henderson  HendersonvUle  1838,
Hertford  Winton  1759.
Hyde  SAA^an Quarter  Prior to 1729.
Iredell  Statesville  1788.
Jackson  Webster  1850,
Jolmston  Smithfield  1746.
Jones  Trenton  1779.
Jenoir  Kinston  1791,
Lincoln  Linoolnton  1779.
Macon  Franklin  1828,
Madison  MarshaU  1850.
Martin  Williamston  1774,
]\IcDowell  Marion  1842.
Mecklenburg  Charlotte  1762,
MitcheU  BakersviUe  1861.
Montgomery  Troy  1779.
Moore  Carthage  1784.
Nash  Nashville  1777.
Ncav Hano'ver  Wilmington  1728.
Northampton  Jackson  1741.
OnsloAv  JacksonAdlle  1734.
22

338 Histoey of Heetfoed Codnta', N. C.
Name. County-seat. When created.
Orange  Hillsboro  1751.
Pamlico  Bayboro  1872.
Pasquotank  EUzabeth City  1729.
Pender  Burgaw  1875.
Person  Poxboro  1791.
Perquimans  Hertford  Prior to 1729.
Pitt  Greenville  1760.
Polk  Columbus  1855.
Eandolph  Vshboro  1779,
Pichmond  Eockingham  1779.
Eob5'Son  Lumberton  1786.
Eockingham  Wentworth  1785.
EoAvan  Salisbury  1753.
Eutherford  .Eutherfordton  1779,
Sampson  ,Clinton  1784.
Scotland  Laurinburg  1901.
Stanly  Vlbemarie  1841,
Stokes  Danbury  1789.
Surry  Mt, Airy  1770.
SAvain  '. . .Bryson City  1871.
Transylvania  Brevard  1860.
Tyrrell  Columbia  Prior to 1729.
Union  Monroe  1842.
^'ance  Henderson  1881.
Wake  Ealeigh  1770.
Warren  Warrenton  1779.
Washington  Plymouth  1799.
Watauga,  Boone  1849.
Wayne  Goldsboro  1779.
AVilkes  Wilkeslioro  1777.
Wilson  Wilson  1855.
^'adkin  YadkiuAdlle  1850.
Ynneev  Burnsville  1833.

Miscellaneous Infoemation, 339
lobos feopeietoes.
The times of the Lords Proprietors and their government
dates from the settlc'ment of Carolina up to 1729, when all
the Lords Proprietors except Lord Carteret sold their rights
to the soil of Carolina and franchises acquired under the
charter of King Charles IL, to the King of England for
$45,000. The oldest of the Lords Proprietors Avas made the Palatine
or President of the Lords avIio claimed rights under the Great
Grant of Carolina. COLONIAL times.
The Colonial days of North Carolina Avere from 1729 to
NoA'ember, 1776. STATEHOOD DAYS.i
The days of Statehood of North Carolina date from No
vember, 1776. , COLONIAL GOA'EENOES.
Date when sivorn in —
1730 — George Burrington.
1734 — Gabriel Johnson,
1753 — Matthew EoAvan,
1754 — Arthur Dobbs.
1765 — WiUiam Tryon.
1771 — Josiah Martin.
ST.VTE GOVEENOES OF NOETH CAEOLINA.
ELECTED BY THE GENEEAL ASSEMBLA'.
Dates when sworn in. A^aines. Counties.
1776— Eichard CasAvell  Lenoir.
1779_Abner Nash  Craven.
1781— Thomas Burke . . . .'  Orange.
1782— Alexander Martin  Guilford.
1784— Eichard CasAveU  Lenoir.
1787— Samuel Johnson :  Chowan.

340 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
Dates when sworn in. Names. Counties.
1789 — Alexander Martin  Guilford.
1792 — Eichard Dobbs Speight, Sr  Craven.
1795 — Samuel Ashe  New Hanover.
1798— WiUiam E, Davie  Halifax.
1799 — Benjamin Williams  Moore.
1802 — -lames Turner  Warren.
1805 — Nathaniel Alexander  ,. .Mecklenburg.
1807 — Benjamin WiUiams  Moore.
1808— David StO'Ue  Bertie.
1810 — Benjamin Smith  BrunsArick.
1811 — William Hawkins  Warren.
1814 — ^^VUliam Miller  •. .Warren.
1817 — John Branch  Halifax.
1820 — Jesse Franklin  Surry.
1821 — Gabriel Holmes  Sampson.
182-1— Hutchings G. Burton  Halifax.
1827 — flames Iredell  Chowan.
1828— John OAven  Bladen.
1830— Montford Stokes  Wilkes.
1832 — David L. SAvain  Buncombe.
1835 — Eichard Dobbs Speight, Jr  CraAJ-en.
The Constitutional Convention of 1835 amended the Con
stitution of 1776, and since then the GoA^emoi-s have been
elected by the people at the ballot-box.
1837 — EdAvard B. Dudley  New Hanover.
1841 — John M. Morehead  Guilford.
1845 — William A. Graham  Oranoe.
1 S.iO— ( 'harles Manly  Wake.
-1 , SDl— David S. Eeid  Eockingham.
1854 — Warren Winslow, ex officio  Cumberland.
1S5.".— Thomas Bragg  Northampton.
l,sn,s— John W. Ellis  Eowan,
1861 — Henry T, Clark, ex officio  Edgecombe,

Miscellaneous Infoemation. 341
1863— Z. B. Vance  Buncombe.
1866 — W. W, Holden (provisional)  Wake,
1866 — Jonathan Worth  Randolph.
1868— W, W, Holden  Wake.
1870— Tod E. CaldAveU  Burke.
1874 — Curtis H, Brogden  Wayne,
1876 — Z. B, Vance  Buncombe.
1879— Thos, J. Jands  Pitt.
1885 — Alfred ]\L Scales  Guilford.
1889— Daniel G. FoAvle  Wake.
1891 — Thomas M. Holt  Alamance.
1893— EHas Carr  Edgecombe.
1897 — Daniel L. Eussell  Ncav Hanover.
1901 — Charles B. Aycock  Wayne.
1905— Eobert B. Glenn  Forsyth.

STATES IN THE UNION.
THIETEEN OEIGINAL STATES.
The dates given show when they entered the Union by
ratifying the Federal Constitution.
Delaware  Dec. 7, 1787.
Pennsylvania  Dec. 12, 1787.
NeAV Jersey  Dec. 18, 1787.
Georgia  Jan. 2, 1788.
Connecticut  Jan, 9, 1788.
Massachusetts  Feb. 6, 1788.
Maryland  April 28, 1788.
South Carolina  May 23, 1788.
New Hampshire '  June 21, 1788.
Virginia  June 25, 1788.
New York  July 26, 1788.
North CaroHna  Nov. 21, 1789.
Ehode Island  May 29, 1789.

342 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
The following States were admitted into the Union by a
vote of Congress:

Vermont  Mar. 4
Kentucky  June 1
Tennessee  June 1
Ohio  Nov. 29
Louisiana  April 30
Indiana  Dec. 11
Mississippi  -. , . .Dec. 10
Illinois  :  Dec. 3
Alabama  Dec. 14.
Maine  Mar. 15
Missouri  -^ug. 10
Arkansas  June 15
Michigan  Jan. 2 6
Florida  Mar. 3
Texas  Dec. 29
loAva  Dec. 28
Wisconsin  May 29
California  Sept 9
Minnesota  May 11
Oregon  Feb. 14,
Kansas  Jan. 29
M^est Virginia  June 19
Nevada  Oct. 31
Nebraska  Mar. 1
Colorado  Aug. 1
North Dakota  Nov. 2
South Daltota  . . .Noa'. 2
Montana  Noa\ 8
Washington  Noa'. 11
Idaho  July 3
Wyondng  July 10
Utah  Jan. 4

1791.
1792.1796.1802.
1812. 1816,1817.
1818. 1819.1820.1821.1836.1837.1845.
1845. 1846.1848.1850.1858. 1859,
1861.1863. 1864.
1867.1876.1889, 1889. 1889.
1889,1890. 1890.
1896.

Arizona, Ncav Mexico, Oklahoma and Indian Territory
Avill probably be admitted within the next year. The two

Miscellaneous Infoemation. 343
former territories AAdll be admitted as one State, and the
latter tAvo as one State.
Note, — Since writing tlie above, Oklahoma and Indian
Territories have been admitted in the Union as one State
named Oklahoma, and the other tAvo were admitted upon the
condition that their admission as one State, Arizona, is rati
fied by the voters. peesidents of the united states.
Elected for the following terms —
1789-1796 — George Washington.
1796-1800 — John Adams,
1800-1808 — Thomas Jefferson.
1808-1816 — James Madison.
1816-1824 — James Monroe.
1824-1828 — John Q. Adams.
1828-1836 — Andrew Jackson,
1836-1840 — Martin Van Buren.
1840-1844 — WiUiam H. Llarrison.
1844-1848— James K. Polk.
1848-1852 — Zachary TaylO'T, He died, and Vice-Presi
dent Millard Fillmore was sAvorn July 9, 1850.
1852-1856 — Franklin Pierce.
1856-1860 — James Buchanan.
1860-1864 — Abraham Lincoln.
1864-1868— Abraham Lincoln. He Avas elected, but as
sassinated April 14, 1865, and Andrew Johnson, Vice-Presi
dent, on April 15, 1865, was sworn in as President, and
impeached and acquitted May 26, 1868.
1868-1876— U. S. Grant,
1876-1880— E, B, Hayes.
1880-1884 — J. A. Garfield was elected, but was assassina
ted September 19, 1881, and Vice-President Chester A,
Arthur swom in as President, September 20, 1881.
1884-1888 — Grover Cleveland.
1888-1892 — Benjamin Harrison.

344 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
1892-1896 — Grover Cleveland.
1896-1900 — WiUiam McKinley.
1900-1904 — William McKinley. He was assassinated Sep
tember 6, 1901, and Theodore Eoosevelt, Vice-President, was
SAvom in as President, September 15, 1901,
1904-1908— Theodore EooscA^elt.
Henry Clay was defeated for President three times. Dan
iel Webster defeated once, John C, Calhoun was never a
nominee for President, James G, Blaine defeated once, and
William J. Bryan defeated tAvice. Thomas Jefferson Avas
defeated once before he Ava.s elected. The eloquent John C.
Breckenridge could never be elected President. It is no
criterion that an officer is the greatest man and better qualified
than others to fill the office. It very often happens that very
inferior men are elected to fill the most important offices.

SOME USEFUL RULES FOR THE FARMER
AND BUSINESS MAN.
HOW TO KEEP HAMS.
Rule 1. — After smoking them, take them down and thor
oughly rub the flesh part with molasses, then immediately
apply ground black pepper, as much as Avill stick to the mo
lasses, then hang them up to dry. They Avill keep perfectly
sweet, and insects Avill not appear on them.
Rule ^,— After your hams have taken salt, smoke them
well, then take them doAvn and dip them for a few seconds in
boiling Avater, This Avill kill all eggs of insects, if any, then
roll them in drv ashes Avhile ATCt and rehana- them. Ee-
smoke them if you choose. The shoulders and sides may
be treated in the same wav. With this treatment bua:s and
skippers Avill never a^jpear.
EEMEDY FOE PEAE-TKEE BLIGHT.
Mix one pint of common salt Avith four times its bulk of
ashes. Spread around the roots a foot or more from trunk
of tree, but do not let the mixture como in contact Avith tree.

Miscellaneous Infoemation. 345
HEALTH.
Avoid hog-pens near your residence. They breed fevers,
sickness and death. A DUEABLE WHITEAVASH.
The U, S, GoA-ernment formula. The author has tried it
and found it almost equal to oil paint.
To ten parts of good slack lime add one quart best hy
draulic cement, or any other good quality of cement. (The
Portland is the best cement, ) ]\Iix Avell with salt water and
apply quite thin. There is no other Avhitewash equal to this,
HOW TO LOOK AFTEE YOUNG CHICKENS.
Chicken lice go to the head of the chicken at night. When
the young chicken is four or five days old, grease its head
Avith lard. You may mix a little coal-oil Arith the lard if
you choose. YOUNG FIGS.
The summer is the time to look after your pigs and keep
them healthy and in a thrifty condition. Never feed them
with the larger hogs. Always have a pen with a slip for the
pigs to get in, and feed them separate. You can teach the
sow and pigs quickly to govern themselves to fit your rules.
HOW TO KILL lEISH POTATO BUGS,
Mix an ounce of London purple with three gallons of
water, and by the use of a watering pot sprinkle the vines of
the potatoes. The London purple is better than the Paris
green. HOAV TO KEEP POTATOES.
Dust the floor of your bin with lime. Then lay the pota
toes over six or seven inches deep, then dust well with lime
again, and repeat the layer of potatoes, and so on. One
bushel of lime Arill do for forty bushels of potatoes. The
lime will improve the flaA^or of the potatoes, and is harmless.

346 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
HOW to MEASUEE COEN IN BULK.
Level the corn so as to get an even depth throughout the
pile, then measure the lengdh and breadth of the pile, and
multiply tlie length by the breadth, which will give the num
ber of cubic feet of the bulk of com. Divide the product
of the multiplication by 12, and the quotient will be the num
ber of barrels of shelled corn in the bu.lk. Should there be
a remainder, it will be so many tAvelfths of a banel of shelled
com over, lan:d meawuremext t.\ble.
625 sq. links  1 pole.
10 poles  1 sq. chain.
10 sq. chains  1 acre.
640 acres  1 sq. mile.
An acre is the unit of land measure, and is 10 sq. chains.
A rood is a quarter of an acre, and contains 25,000 sq, links.
A perch, or pole, or rod, is the 160th of an acre, and con
tains' 30^ sq, yards, or 625 sq, links. The Gunter's chain
used by sun^eyors is 22 yards long, and divided into 100
links of 7 92-100 inches each. An acre embraces 10 sq.
chains, or 100,000 sq. links. The outside measurements of
land is estimated by running chains and links, and the con
tents by sq. chains and links.
HOW TO MEASUEE LAND.
Multiply the length by the Aridth (in rods) and divide the
• product by 160, and this Avill give the number of acres and
hundredths of an acre. When the sides of the land are
irregular and of unequal length, add them together and take
one-half for the main length or Avidth. Multiply this by the
depth and divide by 31-?r. This will giA-e tlie number of acres
in the piece of land. 21,500 cubic inches Arill contain ten
bushels of she'Ued corn, but the same space filled Avith corn
in the ear will shell out rather more than five bushels. These
21,500 cubic inches contain 12 cubic feet and 764 cubic

Miscellaneous Infoemation. 34T
inches over, Tavo barrels or ten bushels of corn in the ear
will generally in shelling overnm these 764 cubic inches.
HOW TO El-D YOUE LAND OF STUMPS.
In the autumn bore a hole one or two inches in diameter,.
according to the size of the stump, about 18 inches deep.
Fill this hole with one or two ounces of saltpetre, then fill
the hole Avith water and plug it up close. Next spring take
out the plug and fill it with kerosene oil and ignite it. The
fire Avill soon burn the stump doAvn to and throughout its
roots. HOAV TO LAY OFF LOTS OF LAND.
In laying off small lots the foUoAving measurements AviU
be found accurate and correct:
52-i feet square, or 2,722^- square feet, is 1-16 of an acre-
74 2-3 feet square, or 5,415 square feet, is -Jt of an acre.
104^ feet square, or 10,590 square feet, is ^ of an acre.
147-i- feet square, or 21,780 square feet, is i of an acre.
208 2-3 feet square, or 43,560 square feet, is 1 acre.
HOAV TO ASCEET.AIN THE NUMBEE OF FEET IN SCANTLING,
JOISTS^ PLANKS, SILLS, ETC
For scantlings, sills, joists, etc., multiply the width by the
thickness and then multiply the result by the length, then
divide the product by 12. This will give the number of
square feet in the piece of timber. To measure bo'ards mul-
tiyly the length (in feet) by the width (in inches) and divide
the product by 12. The result Arill be the number of square
feet the board contains.
HANDY EULES TO CALCULATE INTEEEST..
Rule J.— For finding the interest on any principal for any
number of days, muUiply in each case the dollars by the num
ber of days, and for ascertaining at the rate of
4 per cent, divide the amount by 90.
5 per cent, divide the amount by 72.

348 Histoey of Heetfoed County, N. C.
6 per cent, divide the amount by 60.
8 per cent, divide the amount by 45.
9 per cent, divide the amount by 40.
I hope interest will never get higher, so I vriU annex the
table. Rule 2. — Multiply the principal by the number of days;
separate the right hand figure from the pro'duct and divide
by 9, if the rate of interest is 4 per cent. If 5 per cent,
multiply by number of days and divide by 72. If 6 per
cent, multiply by number of days, separate the right hand
figure and divide it by 6. If 8 per cent, multiply by the num
ber of days and divide by 45.
The author never calculates interest according to the above
rules, but foUoAvs the old established rules given in the
academic arithmetics.
Rule S. — For finding the interest on any principal for any
number of days, the answer in each case being in cents, sepa
rate the tAVO' right hand figures to express it in dollars and
cents. Four per cent, multiply the principal by the num
ber of days to run; separate the right hand figure from the
product and divide by 9. Five per cent, multiply by num
ber of days and divide by 72. Six per cent, divide by 60.
Seven per cent, divide by 57. Eight per cent, divide by 45.
FOE CHOLEEA INFANTUM.
Two Avhites of two eggs well beaten ; mix with pure water
and one tablespoonful of orange-floAver Avater and a little
sugar, and giA^e a tablespoonful every hour. It is said to
cure the Avorst cases of cholera infanutm. The eggs cool and
heal the boAvels, FOE CEOUP.
Dip a flannel cloth in a mixture of sweet oil and kerosene
oil and tie it around the child's throat at night, and he will
be Avell by morning. The sAveet oil prevents the kerosene oil
from burning and taking the skin off.