Digging Up Your Family

Marriage Records and Disappointment (and then some excitement!)

Ancestry has made some mistakes.  And not the usual transcription mistakes.  Mistakes that caused me to go out of my way, only to be disappointed.

I received the marriage announcements for Mary Ann Wood to Patrick Henry Mullins and Virginia Wood to David Hill Mullins.  They weren’t what I expected at all.  What I was hoping for was to find out where in South Carolina the couples had married in hopes of linking my McQueens to a specific county.  Ann McQueen, the mother of Mary Ann and Virginia, is the sister of my 4th great-grandfather Peter McQueen.  I only know that they were born in South Carolina in the 1790s.  When I saw that Ancestry had Mary Ann and Virginia’s marriages listed under “South Carolina Marriages, 1641-1965” I really thought I had gotten one step closer.

What follows are screen shots of the records Ancestry offers, compared to the actual marriage announcements found in the Southern Christian Advocate, a South Carolina Methodist periodical.

 

Issue of June 17, 1853

On the 7th inst., in Merriwether co., Ga., by Rev. W. D. Matthews, David H. Mullins of Va., to Miss Virginia, youngest daughter of Stephen Wood, Esq.

Now, Meriwether County, Georgia IS NOT in the state of South Carolina.  Also, I did a little research to find out exactly what the “inst.” was, and what I found is that “inst.” means “instant” and refers to a date in the same month, whereas “ult.” means “ultimo” and refers to a date in the month prior.  So this would put the date of marriage at June 7, 1853 rather than May.  Though if I am wrong on this I wish someone would enlighten me!

 

 Issue of April 22, 1853

Near White Sulphur Springs, Merriwether co., Ga, March 30th, by Rev. W. D. Mathews, Col. Patrick Henry Mullins of Virginia, to Miss Mary, eldest daughter of Stephen Wood, Esq., of the former place.

Again, White Sulphur Springs, Meriwether County, Georgia IS NOT in the state of South Carolina.

I know this probably annoys me more than it should, but I keep thinking how I wouldn’t have sent off for the marriage announcements, I wouldn’t have paid for the marriage announcements, had the information of the place of marriage been correct on Ancestry to begin with (considering that I already pay for Ancestry itself to have the ability to find information).  I’m pretty much back to, as my mother put it, square-one with my research.

Sigh.

 

On a happier note, I also received a copy of the marriage record for Elizabeth Freeland and Peter McQueen!  Though it still leaves some questions, I feel a bit closer to finding out more about Elizabeth’s family.  I know she had a brother named George W Freeland who died in Sumter County, Alabama.  Until now that’s the only name I had for a family member.  Lucky for me the marriage bond was signed between Peter McQueen and Isaac Freeland!  Is Isaac her father?  I do not know.  BUT that’s a new name!  In East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana there is an Isaac listed on the 1820 census, but I cannot find any other information about him, not even another census.  So more research, but I will find something!State of Louisiana

Parish of Feliciana

Know all men by these presents that we Peter McQueen & I Freeland are held firmly bound unto Wm C Wade Judge of the Parish aforesaid & his successors & assigns in the full sum of five Hundred dollars lawfull money of the United States to which payment will & justly to be made we bind ourselves our heirs & signed by us this 27^th day of November 1820

The Consideration of the foregoing obligation is such that whereas the said Peter McQueen has this day obtained from the Judge of the Parish aforesaid a license to Celebrate a marriage between him the said Peter McQueen & Elizabeth Freeland

Now if there exists no legal impediment to the Celebration of said marriage ~ then this obligation to be void Else to remain in full force & virtue

Peter McQueen

Isaac Freeland

Mullins Cemetery, Meriwether County, Ga

UPDATE:  I had initally written that Virginia Wood and Mary Ann Wood married in South Carolina, however this was incorrect and I tried to correct the information on Ancestry.  Both married in Meriwether County, Georgia.

Getting to Mullins Cemetery in Meriwether County, Georgia has been an interesting feat.  I initially contacted the Millers, who had posted some information about the cemetery online, back in October.  So many life events were occurring at the time that I decided to wait until the end of November to attempt meeting them to see the cemetery.  We first decided to go on Tuesday, November 29, but it rained and we couldn’t go.  This is because the road that the cemetery is on is dirt, not much gravel, and gets very muddy and slick when it rains.  We then planned on going the following Tuesday, December 6, but couldn’t because it rained…again.  What are the chances that it’s sunny every day except Tuesdays?  So we planned the trip for the following Monday, December 12 (yesterday).  It rained…again.  Seriously, it has been sunny since last Tuesday, but it rained yesterday. 

We went anyway.

My mom and I met the Millers in Warm Springs, Meriwether County, Georgia and we followed them out to the cemetery.  The road was soft in spots, and slick, but we went slow and managed not to get stuck.  We had been told that if we didn’t know what to look for we’d miss it, and they were right!  The trees are thick around the cemetery and there are deer stands all over the place.  It was pretty creepy, actually.

So, the following are the photos I took (and there are a lot of them so just  keep scrolling for more information)! 

(note:  getting a good shot of the cemetery proved to be difficult for me with my camera, so all photos were taken with my cell phone.  editing was done on each photo to resize and make them easier to see, hence the differences in color and tone per photo.)

 

Ann McQueen is my 4th great-aunt.  She is the sister of my 4th great-grandfather Peter McQueen.  Ann is the first wife of Stephen Wood, though I do not know when or where they married since I have yet to find the marriage record.   The top of the headstone has her married name WOOD.  The front of her headstone reads:

ANN McQUEEN

WOOD

SEPT. 22, 1793

NOV. 10, 1834

The footstone has her initials A.M.W.

 

Stephen W Wood was married first to Ann McQueen, second to Ann C McGill (though Ann C McGill doesn’t appear to be buried in this cemetery).  The top of his headstone has his last name WOOD.  The front of his headstone reads:

STEPHEN W.

WOOD

JAN. 7, 1792

JUNE 15, 1862

His footstone has his initials S.W.W.

 

 

I can’t find any information for George W Wood, though I suspect he may be a child of Stephen W Wood and Ann McQueen.  His headstone reads:

GEO. W. WOOD

1828-1863

Mortally wounded at the

battle of Gettysburg.

 

 

William H Wood is another person I can’t find any information on.  He also might be a son of Stephen W Wood and Ann McQueen.  The top of his headstone has his last name WOOD.  The front of his headstone reads:

WILLIAM H.

WOOD

DEC. 27, 1826

APR. 16, 1868 

His footstone has his initials W.H.W.  

 

 

Virginia Wood is the daughter of Stephen W Wood and Ann McQueen.  Virginia married David Hill Mullins on May 7, 1853 in South Carolina.  Of course, the record I found for the marriage doesn’t list where in South Carolina, getting me no closer to finding the parents of Ann McQueen.  The top of her headstone has her married name MULLINS.  The front of her headstone reads:

VIRGINIA WOOD

MULLINS

JULY 31, 1833

JAN. 29, 1919

Her footstone has her initials V.W.M.

 

 

David Hill Mullins is the husband of Virginia Wood.  Together they had 5 children.  I took several photos of his headstone to try to show as much detail as possible.  The top of his headstone has a design, as does the bottom beneath the inscription.  The front of his headstone reads:

DAVID H. MULLINS

DEC. 9, 1821

FEB. 4, 1880

The very bottom of the headstone has his last name MULLINS.  His footstone has his initials D.H.M.     

 

 

Patrick Henry Mullins was the husband of Mary Ann Wood (Mary Ann Wood is the daughter of Stephen W Wood and Ann McQueen and the niece whom Peter McQueen left everything to in his will).  They married on March 30, 1853 in South Carolina, though I can’t see where in South Carolina on their record, either.  Patrick Henry Mullins was a tobacconist.  He died of a brain inflammation in Randolph County, Alabama.  I’m not sure if his body was sent back over the state lines to Meriwether County, Georgia or if this is just a memorial for him.  The front of his memorial reads:

In memory of

PATRICK H. MULLINS

BORN

In Henry Co. Va.

July 12, 1824

DIED

March 8, 1860

The back of his memorial reads:

Sleep brother dear, and take your rest;

God called you home, He thought it best;

‘Twas hard, indeed, to part with thee,

But Christ’s strong arm supported me.  

 

 

William Mullins is the son of David Hill Mullins and Virginia  Wood.  I’m not sure how the top of his headstone ended up laying across his grave, but I am very eager to see it set right again.  The top of the headstone is carved with a cross and design of what I think are oak leaves and ivy leaves.  I don’t know if anything is on the back of the monument, but the front reads:

In

Memory of

WILLIAM

MULLINS

Born

June 13, 1865

Died

Feb. 11, 1904

 

 

David Winston Mullins is also the son of David Hill Mullins and Virginia Wood.  If I researched him correctly then he spent at least 39 years at the Georgia State Sanitarium in Milledgeville, Baldwin County, Georgia.  He is listed on the census as an inmate there in 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930.  His death certificate in 1939 was issued at the hospital.  I’m waiting on a return call from the hospital (now Central State Hospital) for more information.  There is nothing on top of the headstone and there is no footstone.  The front of his headstone reads:

DAVID WINSTON

MULLINS

OCT. 13, 1867

SEPT. 20, 1939

 

 

There is a crypt (crypt?  is that what these are considered?  I don’t know…) that is broken on the top and one end is leaning.  I looked inside to make sure a body wasn’t just laying there and to make sure it hadn’t been dug up.  It didn’t look like it, just sunken on one side.  I look forward to this having repairs, too.

 

 

There are two rock mounds kind of in the middle of the cemetery with a walkway of sort in between them.  Whether these, too, are graves or if they are just piles of rocks from when the graves were dug is currently unknown.  I am hoping to receive a call back from the Meriwether  County, Georgia Courthouse with more information.

 

The Millers mentioned that sometime soon they plan on taking a week to go down and clean the cemetery up, make repairs to the fence and fence posts (that are damaged terribly), reset headstones, repair the crypt and pretty much try to show the respect that has been severely lacking.  I plan on helping when it’s time.  Seeing this was really sad. 

Reverend Robert Haskins Crozier, D.D.

Though I am not related to Robert Haskins Crozier, I decided to write a post about him because I had a person ask for some information and because he wrote the book Fiery Trials, Or a Story of an Infidel’s Family, which is based on events that happened in Marshall County, Mississippi concerning my 4th great-grandfather Peter McQueen and his two oldest daughters. 

When I first looked up Robert Haskins Crozier on Ancestry I noticed that no one had yet found all of the census records for him.  This is due to transcription errors, which is is understandable considering the handwriting.

 

                photo found at Google Books-click picture to go to source

 

Robert Haskins Crozier was born January 28, 1836 in Coffeeville, Yalobusha County, Mississippi to parents Hugh Galbraith Crozier (1808-1876) and Nancy (Nannie) Oliver (1818-1884).

 

In 1840 the family lived in Yalobusha County, Mississippi.  Only Hugh (father) is named on the census since all family member names didn’t appear on the US Census until 1850.  He is listed as Hugh G Crozier.  On this census are:

2 white males under 5 years of age

1 white male between 20 and 29 years of age

1 white male between 30 and 39 years of age

1 white female between 20 and 29 years of age

1 male slave between 10 and 23 years of age

1 female slave between 10 and 23 years of age

1 female slave between 24 and 35 years of age

 

In 1850 the family had moved and are found on the census enumerated in District 13, Panola County, Mississippi.  Robert is listed as Robert H Crozier, age 14 years and a schoolboy (as he was marked as having been to school within the last year).  Also on the census are: his father Hugh G Crozier (a farmer, born in Tennessee, age 42 years), his mother Nancy K Crozier (born in Tennessee, age 31 years), a younger brother Orlando Crozier (age 10 years) and Hugh V Crozier (age 2 years).

 

According to Wright American Fiction (Vol. 3, 1876-1900, No. 1312, Reel C-58-citation found in the McAlexander-Marshall County Collection) Robert married Mattie (Martha) Harding in 1859, though I have been unable to find the marriage record itself.

 

In 1860 Robert is found with his wife living in Post Office Eureka, Panola County, Mississippi with his parents.  He is listed as Robert H Crozier, age 24 years and a teacher of Latin and Greek.  Martha is listed just under him as Martha C Crozier (age 22 years).  The others living in the household are: his father HG Crozier (a farmer, age 52 years), his mother Nancy K Crozier (age 42 years), his brother Orlando M Crozier (occupation listed as “Gentleman”, age 19 years), brother Hugh V Crozier (age 11 years) and sister Dora Crozier (age 9 years).

 

In 1870 Robert and Mattie are found living in Hickory Plain, Prairie County, Arkansas.  Robert is listed as RH Crozier, age 34 years and a teacher.  His wife is listed as MC Crozier (age 31 years).  She has “ditto” marks under Occupation leading me to believe that she was also a teacher.  By 1870 they had four children.  The children are  listed as: SF Crozier (male, age 9 years), Eva A Crozier (female, age 8 years), EW Crozier (male, age 4 years) and RE Crozier (male, age 1 year).  Also living with the family were: M Short (female, housekeeper, age 17 years) and Perry Hood (female, house servant, age 12 years).

 

It wasn’t long after the 1870 census was enumerated that Martha (Mattie) passed.  On November 1, 1871 a 35-year-old Robert married an 18-year-old Mary Elizabeth Reinhardt in Prairie County, Arkansas.

 

By 1880 Robert had moved his family to District 159, Sardis, Panola County, Mississippi.  He is listed as RH Crozier, age 43 years and his occupation is listed as Minister of Gospel.  His wife is listed as ME Crozier, age 27 years and keeping house.  His children are listed as: Eva Crozier (age 17 years), Emmett Crozier (age 13 years), Hattie Crozier (age 7 years), Allie Crozier (5 years), Norman Crozier (age 3 years) and Rosa May (age 6 months).  Also living with the family are his sister Dora Crozier (age 27 years) and his mother NK Crozier (age 63 years).

 

There is no census for 1890, of course.

 

In 1900 the family is found living in District 3, Palestine Ward 1, Anderson County, Texas.  Robert is listed as Robert H Crozier, age 64 years and his occupation is Presbyterian Minister.  His wife is listed as Mary E Crozier, age 46 years.  Her birth is given as August of 1853.  The children living with them are: Harriett A Crozier (musical teacher, age 29 years), Aldereare(?) Crozier (musical teacher, age 25 years), Norman R Crozier (school teacher, age 22 years), Rosa May Crozier (age 20 years), Hugh W Crozier (stenographer, age 17 years) and Fredie W Crozier (age 8 years).

 

The family is found on the 1910 census living in District 0004, Palestine Ward 1, Anderson County, Texas.  Robert is listed as Rev. D.D. (Reverend, Doctor of Divinity) RH Crozier, age 74 years, a preacher-minister.  His wife is listed as Mary E Crozier, age 56 years.  Their children living with them are: Hattie Crozier (music teacher, age 37 years), Allie Crozier (music teacher, age 35 years), Rosa May Crozier (age 30 years), Hugh W Crozier (stenographer for the railroad General Attorney, age 26 years) and Fredericka Crozier (age 18 years).  Interestingly enough his daughter Eva Crozier is listed after Fredricka.  She is age 47 years and a teacher at a private school.  I don’t know why she is listed after the other children.  Robert’s sister Dora Crozier also lived with them.  She is listed as age 58 years, no occupation.  Two other people lived in the house with the family: GW Palmer (a boarder from New York, age 62 years) and Lan Hyter(?) (a cook/servant, widowed, age 52 years).

 

Reverend Robert Haskins Crozier died on July 16, 1913 in Palestine, Anderson County, Texas.  The cause of death listed on his death certificate was “heart strain the result of arterio sclerosis”.

 

According to  Wright American Fiction (Vol. 3, 1876-1900, No. 1312, Reel C-58-citation found in the McAlexander-Marshall County Collection) Robert graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1857 with a BA, and two years later received his MA.  He was the Principal of the Eureka Male Academy until the beginning of the Civil War, at which time he joined the Confederate Army (records will be presented in a separate post).  He was Second Lieutenant, promoted to Captain in late 1862.  It was shortly after he resigned from the service in 1865 that he wrote his first novel, The Confederate Spy.  In 1867 Robert became the Principal of the Hickory Plain Male and Female Academy in Hickory Plains, Prairie County, Arkansas.  It was here that he met his second wife Mary, as she was a student at the Academy.  The same year he married Mary he became the President of Lonoke College in Lonoke County, Arkansas.  In 1872 he acquired his license to preach for the Presbyterian Church.  Not only was his wife a Presbyterian, but his grandfather had been an elder at the Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee.

Robert wrote several novels between 1867 and 1887.  These include:

The Confederate Spy: a Story of the War of 1861 (1867)

The Bloody Junto: Or, the Escape of John Wilkes Booth: a Story Containing Many Interesting Particulars in Regard to the Trial and Execution of Mrs. Surratt and Other So-Called Conspirators (1869)

Fiery Trials, Or a Story of an Infidel’s Family (1882)

Araphel: Or the Falling Stars of 1833 (1884)

The Cave of Hegobar: Or the Fiend of 1878 (1885)

Deep Waters: Or a Strange Story (1887)

Golden Rule: a Tale of Texas (1900)

The End of the World: a Tale (ca. 1908)

Call of Christi: a Story of Foreign Missions (190?)

In 1877 Robert was the pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Sardis, Panola County, Mississippi.  Later that same year he became the pastor at the Presbyterian Church in Monroe, Ouachita Parish, Louisiana.  He moved his family to Palestine, Anderson County, Texas in 1888 and became the pastor at the First Presbyterian Church there, where he remained for 21 years.  The Arkansas College at Batesville gave him an honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1889.  Until his death in 1913 he held the title of Pastor Emeritus.  Nearly two thousand sermons were carefully preserved by his children, each one dated when they were written and when they were delivered.  He gave an address on the death of Jefferson Davis, as well as on the assassination of William McKinley.

Robert Haskins Crozier appears to be a much beloved man, both as a member of the communities he lived in and as a pastor.  His sermons and writings were highly sought after, with glowing reviews for all of his novels.

Peter McQueen 1.0

Note: to see a post for Robert Haskins Crozier CLICK HERE

While I continue to track down the parents of Peter McQueen I suppose putting some information up about him would keep me from writing one very, very long post about him. †

 

My relationship to Peter McQueen:

Me

Virginia Marie Stalls (mother)

James Paul Stalls, Jr (granddaddy)

Minnie Virginia Richards (g-grandmother)

Jerome E Richards (2nd g-grandfather)

Caroline McQueen (3rd g-grandmother)

Peter McQueen (4th g-grandfather)

 

According to census records Peter McQueen was born about 1795 in South Carolina.  I do know (due to a court case involving one of his daughters and his niece) that he had at least one older sister named Ann McQueen who married Stephen Wood.  Ann McQueen, also from South Carolina, died in Meriwether County, Georgia.

Peter McQueen is not on any census records until 1840 for some reason, so tracking his exact whereabouts is difficult.

Peter married Elizabeth Freeland in 1820 in West Feliciana, Louisiana.  They had (according to the divorce papers) three daughters:  Louisa in 1822, Melissa in 1824 and Caroline in 1826.  By 1827 the family was living in Lauderdale County, Mississippi.

In 1827, when Caroline was about a year old, Peter deserted his family.  He had previously sold many of their belongings.  When he left he took two slaves that Elizabeth’s father had given her, telling Elizabeth he would sell the slaves and return with the money.  He disappeared for 10 years.  I have been unable to find him on the 1830 census (or 1820 census, for that matter). 

Peter apparently returned sometime in 1837 and took the two oldest daughters, Louisa and Melissa, from their home against their will, though why he did not take Caroline is not known (unless, as might be suspected, Caroline is not actually his daughter…).  According to records he took the girls up to Marshall County, Mississippi and enrolled them in school.

Elizabeth filed for divorce in May of 1838.  She assumed that Peter had fled west of the Mississippi River and was possibly living in Arkansas.  A notice went out in the paper in Jasper County, Mississippi asking him to come forward and face the accusations.  Of course he didn’t and the divorce was finalized May 1839.

 

In 1840 Peter is found living in Northern Division, Marshall County, Mississippi.  Listed in the household are:

1 white male between 15 and 19 years of age

1 white male between 40 and 49 years of age

3 male slaves under 10 years of age

1 female slave under 10 years of age

1 female slave between 10 and 23 years of age

1 female slave between 24 and 35 years of age

 It is not clear who the white male between 15 and 19 years of age is, nor at this point do I know if the female slave between 10 and 23 years of age and the female slave between 24 and 35 years of age are the two that he took from Elizabeth.

 

It was about 1840 when Peter brought Louisa and Melissa to live with him.  According to court records between 1840 and 1850 Peter became upset when his daughters attended a Methodist Church and kicked them both out of his house.  It’s not clear whether he kicked them out for attending church, for attending a Methodist Church or attending the night meetings at the Methodist Church.  However, Reverend Robert Haskins Crozier wrote a novel based on the incident titled Fiery Trials: Or, a story of an Infidel's Family, Rogers and Company, 1882.  The book paints Peter as an atheist who forbid his family to even think about religion. 

 

On April 24, 1843 Peter, who had been named the administrator of William M Bostwick’s estate, reported that the estate was insolvent.  Peter may not have been forthcoming in filing a list of the assets of the estate until October 1846.  (William Trezevant et al. vs. Peter McQueen, Administrator of William M. Bostwick, deceased)*

 

The January Term of 1849 found Peter in court again when Theodore Bostwick sued him for wages he felt Peter owed him.  The judge found for the defendant (Peter) and awarded a new trial.  Bostwick had failed to present evidence to prove his case and the judge declared that Peter had shown kindness in providing clothes, food and medical attention. (Peter McQueen vs. Theodore D. Bostwick)* 

 

In 1850 Peter is found on the census still living in Northern Division, Marshall County, Mississippi.  He is listed as Peter McQueen, 55 years of age, a farmer and born in South Carolina.  This is the first time that it is shown where he claims to have been born.  Also living in the household with him is a man named John Bogan, 23 years of age from North Carolina who was a carpenter.  It’s not clear his relationship to Peter.  The slave schedules also list Peter as having twenty-one slaves between the ages of 9 months and 33 years.**

 

The year 1850 found Louisa living with the Grey family in Marshall County, Mississippi.  She would go on to marry Thomas Cottrell, then Jeremiah Elder.  In 1850 Melissa was living with the Benjamin Cottrell family in Marshall County, Mississippi.  Benjamin Cottrell owned the Sylvestria Girls School in Marshall County and Melissa taught there.  Melissa died in 1851 and is buried in the Cottrell Family Cemetery in Marshall County, Mississippi.  Her headstone reads “When my father and mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up”.

 

The census enumerated in 1860 finds Peter living in Town 2 Range 5, Byhalia, Marshall County, Mississippi.  He is living by himself, age 65 years, a farmer, extremely wealthy and still from South Carolina.  He is again on the slave schedules as having 30 slaves between the ages of 8 months and 40 years.

 

In 1860 Peter’s niece, Mary Ann Wood Mullins lost her husband Patrick Henry Mullins to a brain inflammation leaving her to raise four children on her own.  Peter’s will, dated September 3, 1863 appoints Mary Ann as executrix.  Peter’s entire estate was left to her and her children, but nothing to his last living child Louisa.  According to a Mississippi Supreme Court case, October Term 1866 between Mary Ann and Louisa (Mary A. Mullins et al. v. Louisa Cottrell) concerning the validity of the will Peter lived in Choctaw County (it is not clear whether Choctaw County, Mississippi or Choctaw County, Alabama, though Mississippi seems to be the most obvious) two years prior to his death.  The record of the case*** goes on to say that in Choctaw County he “killed a man in that county, and was killed in attempting to escape”.  It goes on to state that Peter died in the “autumn of 1865”, but it doesn’t give an exact date of death.  It also doesn’t tell us where he is buried.

 

Questions:

-Who are Peter McQueen’s parents?

-Where was Peter McQueen prior to 1820?

-Where was Peter McQueen between 1827 and 1837?

-Is Caroline actually Peter McQueen’s daughter?

-Who are these Mystery McQueens living with Robert Hoyle in 1860, Township 2 Range 4, Byhalia, Marshall County, Mississippi: Peter McQueen (age 2 years) and Infant Boy McQueen (age 4 months) who don’t appear to have any parents and there aren’t any other McQueens living in the area?

 

† information on court cases concerning him will be separate posts…he apparently was not at all unfamiliar with what the inside of a court room looked like…

* both William Trezevant et al. vs. Peter McQueen, Administrator of William M. Bostwick, deceased  and Peter McQueen vs. Theodore D. Bostwick cases can be found in Cases argued and decided in the Supreme Court of Mississippi, Volume 20, Mississippi, EW Stephens Publishing Company, 1849

**I am going to go ahead and say that what I learned about this guy concerning slaves makes me really dislike…no, hate him…he truly disgusts me

***found in Mississippi Reports-edition, publisher and publishing year unknown-photocopied pages found in research files of Hubert H McAlexander, the McAlexander-Marshall County Collection, JD Williams Library, University of Mississippi-information can also be found in The Southwestern Reporter, Volume 149, West Publishing Company, 1912

Nathaniel A Perry

My relationship to Nathaniel Perry:

Me

Virginia Marie Stalls (mom)

James Paul Stalls, Jr (granddaddy)

Minnie Virginia Richards (great-grandmother)

Jerome Edward Richards (2nd great-grandfather)

Caroline McQueen (3rd great-grandmother)

Nathaniel Perry (Caroline McQueen's half-brother, my 3rd great-grand-uncle)

 

(note: this is kind of a Part One for Nathaniel Perry.  there are a lot of Civil War records that won’t be in this post, but are saved for future posts!)

 

Nathaniel A Perry was born about 1846 in Crittenden County, Arkansas to parents Claiborn Perry, Sr (about 1814-?) and Elizabeth Freeland (about 1804-?).  He, like his brother, had a very short life.

The first record I have found of Nathaniel is the 1850 census.  He is listed as 5 years of age and living in Jasper Township, Crittenden County, Arkansas with his family:  Claiborn (listed as Charles, father, age 36 years), Elizabeth (mother, age listed incorrectly as 37 years) and Claiborn (brother, age 8 years).  Also on this census is the mysterious Mary McQueen (age 37 years).

 

The next record of Nathaniel is the 1860 census.  This is also the last census record of him.  He is listed as Nathan, 13 years of age and living in Hot Spring County, Arkansas with his family:  Claiborn (listed as Clayborn, father, age 46 years), Elizabeth (listed as Elisabeth, age 56 years), a mystery Sarah McQueen (possibly Elizabeth’s daughter due to placement of name on list, age 25 years) and Claiborn (listed as Claiborne, brother, age 18 years).

 

On November 20, 1863 Nathaniel, his father Claiborn and his brother-in-law Edmund Richards voluntarily enlisted in the Union Army at Benton, Saline County, Arkansas.  Nathaniel’s muster-in and descriptive roll have him listed as Nathan A Perry, age 18 years, mustered in on April 6, 1864 at Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas as Private in Company F, 4th Regiment Arkansas Calvary.  He was 5 feet 6 inches tall, black hair, black eyes and fair complexion.

 

Less than a year later, on January 15, 1865 Nathaniel died in the post hospital at the Calvary Depot in Devall’s  Bluff (De Valls Bluff), Prairie County, Arkansas.  The cause of death was typhoid pneumonia. 

 

Some records say that he died on January 16, but his belongings were handed over to his father on January 15, 1865.  These belongings consisted of: one great coat, one pair of trousers, one pair of boots, one woolen blanket and one poncho.

 

NOTE:

I was just about to post this when I noticed that Ancestry had a “Historical Record” concerning his death and grave.  According to the record U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca. 1775-2006 Nathaniel died on January 3, 1865 and was also interred that same day. 

This is very different from what the actual Civil War records have.  I called the Little Rock Memorial Cemetery where Nathaniel is buried and was told that they only have that date for him.  They don’t actually have an interment date.  Little Rock Memorial Cemetery, I was told, did not become a national cemetery until 1868, so the records prior to 1868 were given to them.  Since Nathaniel died in Devall’s Bluff then he had originally been buried in Devall’s Bluff.  When Little Rock Memorial Cemetery became a national cemetery the bodies of about 3000 soldiers’ bodies were moved from Devall’s Bluff and reinterred in Little Rock Memorial Cemetery.  I can’t even guess as to why the death date is different from the actual Civil War records to the records the cemetery has, but at least it’s known that he died in January 1865.

Elizabeth Freeland 2.0

Since I wrote the first post about Elizabeth Freeland (you can read it here), I have done more research and found out more about her.  I am not done (I will never be done, I don’t think), but here is what I have found since the first post. 

After Elizabeth was granted a divorce from Peter McQueen in 1839 she remarried.  I am awaiting the arrival of the actual record, but on August 29, 1840 Elizabeth married Claburn (Clayborn, Claiborne, Claiborn, Claborn) Perry in Lauderdale County, Mississippi.  And then things get crazy.

Ok, I need to backtrack for a second here.  Remember how Elizabeth had claimed that Peter kidnapped her two oldest daughters Louisa and Melissa?  And remember how she was left infirm, alone with her daughter Caroline to raise?  Ok, I remember that, too.  So by all accounts when Elizabeth married CP (that’s what we’ll call Claburn, since I’m not certain which spelling of his name is actually correct) she had one daughter with her.  Now, I don’t know if CP was married before or had previous children.  So I can only present to you what I have found.  Ok, onward.

Ok, so Elizabeth married CP in 1840 in Lauderdale County, Mississippi.

In 1840 two CPs are found on the US Census in Mississippi.  One is in Lauderdale County, one is in Kemper County, which is just north of Lauderdale County.

1840 Lauderdale County CP is listed as Claibord Perry.  There are only two people living in the household:  one male 30-39 and one female 30-39.  This doesn’t match up with later records that say CP was born between 1814 and 1818, nor does it match up with Elizabeth having Caroline with her.

1840 Kemper County CP is listed as Claiborne Perry.  There are six people living in the household: one male 10-14, one male 20-29, two females 5-9, one female 10-14 and one female 30-39.  This fits better with ages for both CP and Elizabeth and the female 10-14 would be Caroline.  But what about the other three children, you ask?  Well, I am getting to that!

So by the process of elimination we can pretty much mark the CP from Lauderdale County off the list of possibilities.

In 1841 and 1845 CP is listed on the Mississippi State Census in Kemper County.  On both state census indexes he is listed as Claiborne Perry.

About 1842 Elizabeth gave birth to a son she named Claiborn (as it is spelled most often on Civil War records), more than likely in Mississippi, though the first census he appears on says he was born in Alabama.

In 1845 the family moved to Crittenden County, Arkansas.  Elizabeth gave birth to another son she named Nathaniel in the same year.  In March of 1846 Caroline married Edmund Richards in Crittenden County, Arkansas.

The 1850 census enumerated October 11, 1850 in Crittenden County, Arkansas lists the Perry family with an interesting addition.  The members of the household were:

Charles Perry (this is CP), age 36 years (est. birth 1814), farmer, born in Arkansas

Elizabeth Perry, age 37 years (her age is actually off by about 10 years), born in Alabama

Claiborne Perry, age 8 years, born in Alabama (like I already mentioned, I think he was born in Mississippi, unless Elizabeth was visiting family/friends in Alabama at his birth)

Nathaniel Perry, age 5 years, born in Arkansas

Mary McQueen, age 37 years (not sure who this is!), born in Louisiana

Who is this mysterious Mary McQueen?  And if you will remember from the post about Caroline there is another mystery Mary McQueen.  I will refresh your memory.  From the 1850 census enumerated October 26, 1850 in Crittenden County, Arkansas for the Richards family:

Edward Richards (Edmund), age 25 years, farmer, born in North Carolina

Catherina Richards (Caroline), age 22 years, born in Mississippi

George Richards, age 3 years, born in Mississippi (odd, but ok…I figured he would have been born in Arkansas)

Lucy Richards, age 2 years, born in Arkansas

Mary Edwards (still not a clue who this person is), age 14 years, born in Tennessee

Mary McQueen, age 18 years, born in Mississippi

So who are these Mary McQueens?  Is at least one of them one of the girls from the 1840 Kemper County, Mississippi census in the 5-9 category?  I bet she is!  But who is the other one?

The family is found once again in the 1860 census enumerated in Union Township, Hot Spring County, Arkansas.  With some considerable changes and a brand new person!

Clayborn Perry (CP), age 46 years, farmer, born in Alabama

Elisabeth Perry (Elizabeth, of course), age 56 years years (she got all of those years back!), housekeeper, born in Louisiana (no longer Alabama)

Sarah McQueen (who is this?  a daughter judging by her placement by age), age 25 years, born in Alabama

Claborn Perry (Claiborn), age 18, farmer, born in Mississippi (now not born in Alabama)

Nathan Perry (Nathaniel), age 14, born in Arkansas

So, this Sarah McQueen?  Could she be the other duaghter on the 1840 census in the 5-9 age range?  I BET SO!

There is still a question of the 37-year-old Mary McQueen on the 1850 census, though.

So anyway, by 1860 Elizabeth had already lost quite a bit.  She had her two oldest daughters kidnapped from her.  The youngest of those two, Melissa, died in 1851 in Mississippi.  I wonder if Elizabeth ever had the chance to see her again before she died?  Caroline died sometime between 1856, the year her youngest son Jerome was born, and 1860 when the census was enumerated.  Elizabeth’s oldest (known) son Claiborn joined the Confederate Army September 12 or 17, 1861.  He died in Fredericksburg, Virginia at the hospital on February 9, 1862.  I can’t find the cause of death.  On November 20, 1863 Elizabeth’s husband CP along with her youngest son Nathan (Nathaniel) joined the Union Army.  Also with them at enlistment for the Union was Caroline’s husband Edmund, who apparently returned from Eastland, Texas (where he had been living with the children on the 1860 census) and enrolled in Benton, Arkansas.  Though Elizabeth’s husband and son-in-law made it out of the war alive, her son Nathan did not.  Nathan died in the hospital January 15 or 16, 1865.  His cause of death was typhoid pneumonia.

I have not yet found any other records for Elizabeth and/or CP.  There are two cards dated July 8, 1885 listing her husband as dead.  I’m not sure what the cards are for, but it has application numbers for “invalid” and “widow”.  Maybe it’s an application for a widow’s pension?

Mysteries:

when, where and how did Elizabeth die?

who is the boy 10-14 years of age listed on the 1840 census?

who is the 37 year old Mary McQueen listed on the 1850 census with the Perry family?

when, where and how did Caroline die?

if Sarah McQueen on the 1860 census was Elizabeth’s daughter, then where was she on the 1850 census?

did Elizabeth ever get the chance to see her two oldest daughters after Peter took them?

More McQueen Goodness!

I received in the mail yesterday the court transcripts for the trial that erupted over Peter McQueen’s will, the will in which he left everything to his niece, rather than his own daughter (the only living daughter of the two he kidnapped in the first place, but also the only living daughter since as Caroline passed previous to his death).

Today, however, we will not be going over these transcripts.  Today we are going to piece together what I have found concerning the McQueen family. 

Peter McQueen was born about 1795 in South Carolina.  We know that he married Elizabeth Freeland in Louisiana in 1820.  Peter and Elizabeth had at least three daughters, as named in the divorce papers: Louisa, Melissa and Caroline.  The divorce was granted for Elizabeth from Peter in 1839 in Mississippi.  I have not been able to locate Elizabeth after this, though she may either be the Elizabeth McQueen in Lauderdale County, Mississippi who married Claburn Perry in 1840 or she may have died, since the divorce papers described her as “infirm” (whether that meant she was on her deathbed, had the sniffles or somewhere in between is not clear).  I’m betting on the marriage, but so far I can’t find any other record of Elizabeth or Claburn to match up year of birth or place of birth.

In 1837 Peter McQueen returned to his home ten years after abandoning his family and pretty much kidnapped his two oldest daughters, Louisa and Melissa (by the way, I am sure I will go over all of this again in another post, say the post concerning the trial, but there is a point to all of this now, I promise).  Why he did not take Caroline with him also is not known, though speculation is that she either was not his child or may not have been at the home at the time he returned.

Peter enrolled Louisa and Melissa in a girl’s school where they later taught or lived for respite (more on that another day).  Melissa died young, having never married.  Louisa married first Thomas Cottrell, second Jeremiah Elder, both much older than herself-26 years and 22 years respectively).  Louisa did not have any children by 1865, and I am not yet certain if she had any after.

Caroline married Edmund Richards in 1846 in Arkansas.  She is on the 1850 census with Edmund and three of their children living in Arkansas.  There is also an 18 year old woman named Mary McQueen living with them that I had assumed was her sister, but I am no longer sure (if so, then Mary would have been born while Peter was gone from his family when Caroline was 4 years old-therefore possibly a different father or she could be a cousin of Caroline).  Caroline is not on the 1860 census with her family, which leads me to believe she passed between February of 1856 after her youngest son Jerome was born and August 1860 when the census was enumerated.  Though I am pretty tempted to keep looking for her since I was unable to find any record of her death (which is not unusual).

So, back to Peter.  By his death in 1865 the only daughter left living was Louisa.  Due to a…uh, we’ll call it a “disagreement”, between the two, Peter left everything to his niece Mary Ann Mullins (and I checked to see if this Mary Ann Mullins might have been the same person as the Mary McQueen living with Caroline in 1850, but it isn’t).  Mary Ann Mullins actually was a big clue to help me along with finding some of Peter’s family, though I still haven’t located his parents yet.  BUT, here’s what I found:

Mary Ann Mullins was born Mary Ann Wood in 1832 in the state of Georgia to parents Stephen Wood (of Virginia, 1792-1862) and Ann McQueen (of South Carolina, 1793-1834).  She married Patrick Henry Mullins (1824-1860), though I am not sure in what state they were married.  Together Mary Ann and Patrick, a tobacconist, had four children: Stephen, Matilda, Mary and Pauline.  Patrick died March 8, 1860 in Alabama of a brain inflammation.  After his death Mary Ann moved in with her Uncle Peter in Holly Springs, Marshall County, Mississippi.  After his death she and her children lived in Holly Springs for quite a while.  Mary Ann passed in 1917 in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee of old age and is buried in Byhalia, Marshall County, Mississippi.  Her headstone, which can be found on Find-a-Grave, reads:  Mary A. Wood, Wife of P.H. Mullins, 1832 1917.

SO, now to research the McQueens.  Both Peter and Ann McQueen were born in South Carolina, Ann in 1793 and Peter about 1795.  The McQueens listed on the census records in 1790 in South Carolina are:

 

James McQueen-Edgefield, South Carolina, two males, one female, three slaves

 

Daniel McQueen-Prince Georges, Georgetown, South Carolina, two males, two females, two slaves

Rachel McQueen-Prince Georges, Georgetown, South Carolina, five males, two females, one slave (note: all five males are under the age of 16 years)

Ruth McQueen-Prince Georges, Georgetown, South Carolina, one male, two females, four slaves

 

Robert McQueen-St Phillips and St Michaels, Charleston, South Carolina,  one male, one female

John McQueen-St Phillips and St Michaels, Charleston, South Carolina, two males, one slave

 

The McQueens listed on the 1800 census in South Carolina are:

 

Nell, or Neil, McQueen-Liberty, Marion District, South Carolina, two males, five females

 

William McQueen-Kingston, Georgetown District, South Carolina, two males, four females

Rachel McQueen-Kingston, Georgetown District, South Carolina, five males, four females

 

No McQueens have been found at all in the state of Georgia in 1800 or 1810.

McQueens listed on the 1820 census in Georgia (are you ready for this?  it’s a loooong list!):

 

John McQueen-Washington, Georgia, one male, three females

 

Lydia McQueen-Savannah, Chatham, Georgia, one female, seven slaves

 

Now, I’m not even sure if any of my McQueens, except for Ann McQueen, ever moved to Georgia.  Ann died and was buried in Meriwether County, Georgia.  Chatham and Washington Counties are not what I would call “nearby” Meriwether County back in those days (prior to cars being able to zip up and down the freeways, I mean).  I can’t be certain if she married in South Carolina or Georgia (why, oh why, can I not find the marriage record?).  If I could find that record it might give me a clue as to who Peter and Ann’s parents are.

McQueen Divorce: Part Seven-Conclusion

Ah, the exciting conclusion of the McQueen Divorce!  Guess what happened?  The divorce was granted!  I am left with a couple of questions, though:  who was Thomas Lewis that gave evidence in court and why is his statement not in with the rest of this?  And what was the name of the Judge?  I cannot make out his last name and I cannot find anyone in the area that matches his name at all.

You might think that the story is over, but you’re wrong.  There is so much I have found out about Peter McQueen.  You think he’s a jerk now?  Just wait.  I will be getting back to him soon.

As usual, the paper is transcribed exactly as it was found.  Enjoy!

The State of Mississippi

Lauderdale County

Circuit Court

May Term 1839

Elizabeth McQueen

Peter McQueen

Bill for Divorce In Chancery

The Complaintants Bill having been been previously set for final hearing and notice having been previously give by publication in the Eastern Clarion a News Paper published in the Town of Paulding, County of Jasper State of Mississippi agreeably to the previous order of this Court and as the law requires-requiring said defendant to appear and and answer said Bill of Complaint on before the nineteenth day of November A.D. 1838, at which time the said notices specified, the said Bill would be set for final hearing and a decree made thereon, and it appearing to the said Court now here said defendant that said defendant hath failed to file his answer to said Bill of Complaint and the said Court being fully satisfied by the Testimony of Thomas P.C. Lott, taken in pursuance of the previous order of this Court-as well as by the evidence of Thomas Lewis in Open Court that the material allegations of said Bill are true. It was ordered adjudged and decreed by the said Court that the said Elizabeth McQueen be and she is hereby divorced from The Bonds of Matrimony heretofore existing between her the said Elizabeth and the said Peter McQueen-the said Court further decrees that the said Elizabeth shall have the custody and education of her youngest daughter mentioned in her said Bill to wit: Caroline said to be about 13 years of age-

And the said Court further decrees to the said Elizabeth as her alimony all the property now in possession which the said Peter McQueen did or could have right-as well as all that part of her father’s estate to which she as his heir is or may be entitled.

Given under my hand and seal

Henry M*ger (seal)

Judge fifth judicial Dist. Misp.

exercising Chancery Jurisdiction

 

 

No. 3-

Elizabeth McQueen

vs

Peter McQueen

In Chancery

Decree for divorce

McQueen Divorce: Part Six

Yay!  Part Six of the McQueen is divorce is the answers to the examination questions.  Just in case you forgot what the questions were, you can click here and go read them.  Go ahead, I will wait…

I promise this divorce is almost over.  It’s beginning to seem like a real divorce, huh?

So what we learn in these papers is that for some reason Robert w Lott was not involved in the examination.  Why?  I want to know.  We also learn that Thomas PC Lott may not have known the McQueen family very well, since he can’t really say to much about them other than Peter McQueen deserted his wife and took the two slaves.  We also learn that the examiner, Samuel B Boyd, had the most awesome of all seals.

The papers, once again, have been transcribed exactly.  Enjoy!

 

The State of Alabama

Sumter County

In obedience to the annexed writ or Dedimus issued from the Circuit Court of Lauderdale County in the State of Mississippi. I Samuel B. Boyd, the Commissioner named in said Dedimus have this 4^th day of April 1839 caused the said Robert W. Lott and Thomas P. C. Lott to appear beforeme and t he being first duly sworn have examined t him on oath touching the said Interrogatories annexed to said Commission in a case pending in said Court of Lauderdale County wherein Elizabeth McQueen is complainant and Peter McQueen is defendant and have reduced t his testimony to writing which is as follows to wit;

Thomas P.C. Lott answers-answer to Interrogatory 1^st I know them both

Answer to 2^nd Intgy. I can’t say that they were married legally. I don’t know

They lived together as man wife and acknowledged each other as such

Answer to 3^rd Inty. They did

Answer to 4^th Intgy. Yes they were

Intgy. 5^th Answer to I know they had two children and think they had three

Ans. To Intgy 6^th Peter McQueen left his wife and children 12 or 15 years ago and I believe he has not since returned since to live with her

Ans. To Intgy 7^th He left her almost pennyless. He carried off a couple of of negroes given her by her father.

Answer to Intgy 8^th I do not know

Ans. To Ingy 9^th She has lived a part of her time in Alabama and a part of her time in Mississippi

Ans. To Ingy 10^th Probably she has I can’t say certainly

Ans. To Ingy 11^th Yes he has

Ans. To Intgy 12^th As I stated before he took two negroes with him. I don’t know of anything more that would benefit Complaintant.

TPC Lott

Given under my hand and seal

the day and year above written

Samuel B. Boyd (seal)

Commissioner

 

 

Elizabeth McQueen

vs

Peter McQueen

Deposition

Opened in pursuance

of an order of court

in open court this 25^th

May 1839

James Keeton Clerk

McQueen Divorce: Part Five

Part Five of the McQueen divorce is finally getting down to business.  The questions for the witnesses, Thomas PC Lott and Robert W Lott (of Alabama, by the way) are written down on these pages.

I assume they knew Elizabeth and Peter through Elizabeth’s brother, George W Freeland, since he, like the Lott brothers, lived in Sumter County, Alabama (which is where the examination occurred).

As with the other pages of the divorce, this is transcribed exactly as it is found on the page.

 

Interrogatories to be propounded to Robert W. Lott and Thomas P. C. Lott of Sumter County whose State of Alabama whose testimony is required in behalf of the Complaintant in a certain case now pending in the Circuit Court of Lauderdale County, State of Mississippi in chancery wherein Elizabeth McQueen is Complaintant and Peter McQueen is respondent –

Intgy. 1^st Do you know the parties to this suit or either of them?

Intgy. 2^nd Do you know whether the said parties to this suit were married? If so please state as nearly as you can when and where they were married –

Intgy. 3^rd Did or did not the said Peter McQueen and Elizabeth McQueen live and cohabit together as man and wife for a number of years-

Intgy. 4^th Do you know whether or not they were generally reputed in the neighbourhood in which they lived to be man and wife and did they not acknowledge each other as such.

Intgy. 5^th How many children had they while they lived together?

Intgy. 6^th Did or did not the said Peter McQueen desert his said wife and children and leave them in the country? If so (^please state) about what time did he left them and whether he ever returned and lived with said wife after he first left her-

Intgy. 7^th How long has it been since he left her? And in what situation did he leave her and what property did he take with him?

Intgy. 8^th Do you or do you not know where the said Peter McQueen has lived since he left complaintant? And where does he now live? If so please state and what & what are his circumstances and what property he has if any.

Intgy. 9^th Do you know where the Complaintant has lived since her said husband deserted her. If so please state it and where does she now live?

Intgy. 10^th Has or not the said Elizabeth the complaintant resided nearly all the time for the last 10 years in the State of Mississippi

Intgy. 11^th Do you or do you not know that the said Peter McQueen has obstinately and willfully and constantly deserted and been absent from his said wife the Complaintant for more than 5 years – last past? If so please state it and all you know about it –

Intgy. 12^th Do you (^know) whether he took with him any negroses when he left Complaintant? If so how many did he take and from whom did he get said slaves?

Intgy: Please state any thing else you may know that may benefit the complaintant

Peter Doty

Sol. for Complaintant

 

 

No 5

Elizabeth McQueen

vs

Peter McQueen

Interrogatories

Filed in office the 18^th

day of August 1838

James Keeton Clerk