#52 Ancestor Challenge 2019 – Week 10, Uncle Ole

#52 Ancestor Challenge 2019 – Week 10
Prompt: Bachelor Uncle

Saturday Morning Uncle With A Nickel

The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Forde

“Can I have a nickel, Uncle Ole?”  Uncle Ole looked down with a teasing smile, like he might not agree to the request.  “Now, I don’t know if I have any nickels!”   But my two younger sisters and I knew he was fooling us!   When he was in town, he always had a nickel for us on Saturday mornings.  I don’t remember how we knew when he was back home from his job, working as a section foreman on the railroad, but sure, as Saturday mornings arrived. The wind blew word he was home, and we surreptitiously headed for the back door of Axel’s Tavern to go begging for a nickel.   Sometimes it was the three of us kids with Duke, the dog, Babs, the duck, or maybe just one or two of us.  We would walk the half block from our home at 103 South 8th Street, Northwood, Iowa, and make that right turn into the alley to the tavern door.  And inside, through the haze of cigarette smoke, was Uncle Ole leaning against the bar.  “Please, can we have a nickel?” “Well!  Sure enough.  It seems I do happen to have three nickels!”  

I remember the warmth of his smile as he pulled out Buffalo nickels.  That may have been the extent of my childhood communication with my dad’s unmarried oldest brother: the smile, the teasing look, our reward, and his satisfied look of an uncle who loved his three little nieces.

Olaf Bertinas Vold was born to Carl Otto and Sithone Turvold Vold on 5 December 1906, joining an older sister Mabel “Mae,” born on 22 April 1905, at their paternal grandparent's farm home west of Kensett, Worth County, Iowa.  His father, Carl, was 30, and his mother 30.  His immigrant grandparents, Ole Halgrimson and Brynhild Engebretsdotter, lived in half of the house, while the younger family lived in the other half.  Norwegian was the only language spoken at home.  

By the time of the 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Brookfield Township, Worth, Iowa, Olaf was three, his older sister Mabel was 5, and his baby brother Clarence, born on 13 February1909, was one year old.  His grandpa Ole passed away in 1908.  By 1920, the U.S. Federal Census, Iowa, Brookfield Twp., Worth, shows three more siblings added to the family.  Olaf was 13 years old, living at home.  Alice Helene Vold was born on 10 October 1911.  Ervin Gelnor, my father, was born on March 7 1915.  Frances Arlene was born on 6 February 1920.  His grandma Brynhild died on 25 September 1912.  The ancestral farm was then sold to the oldest Vold son, Embrick.  At that time, the Carl Vold family purchased a farm on the west side of Highway 65, north of Kensett.  

According to the Iowa State Census, Worth, Northwood, 1 January 1925,[2] 18-year-old Olaf B. Vold lived at home; he had completed the ninth grade of high school and worked as a farmer.  Mabel's one-year-old daughter, Jean Elizabeth Vold, lived with the family at 206 4^thStreet North.  The farm north of Kensett had been sold.   

According to aunt Frances Vold Meyer, “In 1929,  my father loaned his best friend, banker Tommy Groe, a large sum of money.  The bank closed the day after the 'loan,' rupturing a lifelong friendship and creating an unresolved bitterness.  My dad never set foot in a church again.”  Diane Ruprecht Johnson and Bonnie Baker question the amount of money aunt Fran reported, so I will say that it was a large amount of cash for the time.  Diane reports the money was deposited at the behest of Carl's brother, Syver, who worked in the bank.   Tommy Groe must have been involved in anger to break the relationship between two lifelong friends.  But the rest is speculation.  At the time of the 1930 U.S. Federal Census, Northwood, Worth, Iowa, Olaf remained living at home, unemployed.  By the time of the Iowa State Census in 1935, Olaf was a laborer on the Rock Island Railroad. 

The 1940 U.S. Federal Census, Northwood, Worth, Iowa, shows Olaf still single, living at home, and working as a laborer for the railroad.  But the shy, unmarried bachelor’s life changed drastically with the outbreak of World War II and the Draft.  Olaf’s draft notice came on 11 May 1942.[3]  

Draft Notice

Olaf was 5’9” tall, blonde with blue eyes, weighing 160 pounds.  While he was away at war, his oldest sister, Mabel Burnett Vold Hartman, died on 11 May 1944 in Ramsey County, Minnesota.  Olaf was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 1945; he received a $420.00 military bonus on 9 May 1949 for 42 months of service.  Olaf returned to his employment as a section foreman for the railroad, a job he held until his retirement at age 65.  Olaf’s mother, Sithone (Susan) died 12 February 1952, and on 4 October 1955, his father, Carl Otto Vold, died. 

During the late 1940s through 1953 or maybe 1954, when we were begging nickels from Uncle Ole, my sisters and I knew better than to go into the front door of Axel’s tavern.  We knew we could find Uncle Ole there some Saturday mornings, and we knew uncle Ole drank too much.  Occasionally, he would show up at our home with too much to drink.  When we were in our teens, we stopped asking for nickels.  I didn't go into that tavern again.  I moved away from town in 1955 and, regrettably, did not see uncle Ole very much after that.  

Memories of Uncle Ole 

Merrilee Vold Reid's vivid memory of uncle Ole was getting knocked on her rear with the recoil of a .30-06 rifle.  When she, dad, and uncle Ole went hunting on a farm, he would teach her how to use a rifle.  After that blow to her dignity, he suggested she wait until she was older, like 12 years old, and maybe he would buy her a rifle.  

Jennifer Ruprecht Gilbertson shared a memory by email on 9 March 2019:  

'He was such a sweet man.  He would visit and stay for a nice dinner and took to our Paula. He was an important memory in our childhood, our visits to Northwood, visits to Grandma and Grandpas, and seeing our Aunts, Uncles, and cousins.  I especially remember Grandma's wire glasses and hairstyle, the pink peppermints on the dining table, the piano, sitting on Grandpa's lap, sleeping in the front bedroom under tons of quilts with mourning doves waking us.  Such sweet and enjoyable family events in our lives."

Diane Ruprecht Johnson's memory was sent by email to Cynthia Forde on 8 March 2019:

"Uncle Ole was a very sweet man.  Mom and dad visited Ole every two weeks, taking him his cigarettes, his favorite whiskey, and chocolates. They talked about old times."

John Ruprecht painted a poignant picture of uncle Ole: "He always smoked unfiltered Camel cigarettes; I remember him taking a big draw off a Camel, blowing the smoke into his white hanky and leaving a brown spot on the hanky.  Uncle Ole then said, 'Now that's a cigarette.'  Uncle Ole lived a very lonely life.  I remember being with dad, dropping uncle Ole off at a railroad yard, pitch black, a sea of trains. Uncle Ole got out of the car and walked into the darkness of the trains.   I asked dad where he was going and was told he was walking to the car he sleeps/lives in.  Very sad and very scary.  I was told uncle Ole was tuff as he had many fights with the rail bums."

Uncle Ole’s sister Alice Vold Knuth died from pancreas cancer on 24 November 1970 in St. Paul, Minnesota.  His brother Clarence died from a heart attack on 12 May 1975 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  I could not attend those funerals, but Uncle Ole came to my father’s funeral in Northwood in November of 1977, only because my dear, caring cousin Jeanne Elizabeth Vold Hartmann Ruprecht brought him to the funeral.  Jeanne did more than ask Uncle Ole for a nickel.  Jeanne looked out for him, caring for his well-being all of his life.  

I  visited Uncle Ole in Albert Lea; perhaps it was about 1975, not long before he contracted lung cancer.  I don’t recall the conversation; I doubt it was more than an hour of exchanging news.  I don't remember bringing him anything!  As always, he was happy to see me!  I was sad I had not communicated more often.  

Uncle Ole received a pension from the railroad until he died on 28 January 1978[4]at the VA Hospital in Albert Lea, Minnesota.[5]  He was buried in lot 18 at the Sunset Rest Cemetery, Northwood, Iowa.  Rest in peace, uncle Ole!

Vold Siblings; Mae, Fran, Alice, and Ervin"Paul"

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[1]
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/8825/41912_329301-02943/231060?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/77333607/person/44361789355/facts/citation/302627152849/edit/record

[2]Source Information

Ancestry.com. Iowa, State Census Collection, 1836-1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007.

Original data: Microfilm of Iowa State Censuses, 1856, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925, as well as various special censuses from 1836-1897 obtained from the State Historical Society of Iowa via Heritage Quest.

Description

This database contains Iowa state censuses for the following years: 1856, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, and 1925. It also includes some head of household censuses and other special censuses from 1836-1897. The information available for an individual will vary according to the census year and the information requested on the census form. Some of the information contained in this database though includes name, age, gender, race, birthplace, marital status, and place of enumeration. Learn more...

[3]Source Citation

The National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 521

Source Information

Ancestry.com. U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

[4]Source Information

Ancestry.com. Minnesota, Death Index, 1908-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2001.

Original data: State of Minnesota. Minnesota Death Index, 1908-2002. Minneapolis, MN, USA: Minnesota Department of Health.

Description

This database is an index of deaths recorded by the State of Minnesota, USA, from 1908 to 2002. The index includes: the name of the deceased, city and county of death, date of death, birth date, birthplace, mother's maiden name, and state file number

[5]Source Citation

The National Archives at Atlanta; Morrow, Georgia; Records of the Railroad Retirement Board, 1934 - 1987; Record Group Number: 184

Source Information

Ancestry.com. U.S., Railroad Retirement Pension Index, 1934-1987 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017.

Original data: Records of the Railroad Retirement Board, 1934-1987. Record Group 184. The National Archives at Atlanta, Morrow, Georgia.

#52 Ancestor Challenge 2019 - Week 9, Rebecca Miller Divorce

#52 Ancestor Challenge 2019 - Week 9
Prompt: In the Courthouse

           

Dedicated to Dorothy Ellison Miller for her Courthouse Discoveries.  Dorothy often enlisted the aid of her sons to drive her to Little Rock, Arkansas, to research.  She always found gems and excitedly shared them with me by handwriting her finds on yellow legal pad paper and sending them by surface mail.  Dorothy was very excited to discover the divorce record for Rebecca Jarrett McDonald Johnston Miller House, my great-grandmother and the step-great-grandmother of Dorothy's husband, Aaron Miller.

Rebecca Jarrett McDonald Johnston Miller House

 The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Vold Forde

Pike County, Alabama, was unusually hot on 24 August 1858. Rebecca Jarrett McDonald was born blissfully unaware of the heat or the tumultuous times that would follow her birth.

Elijah and Martha McDonald rejoiced at the birth of Rebecca, convinced she hung the moon. Rebecca sucked in the August heat and exhaled with a howl. Elijah marveled as his daughter’s newborn flesh turned from blue to rosy pink; he later confided to Rebecca that it was his happiest moment in life. The proud parents congratulated themselves on producing the prettiest baby in Pike County.

Elijah, a Scotsman by descent, was fiercely proud of Rebecca, often boasting to friends and family that she walked and talked earlier than any child he had known. Martha, a descendant of a well-known colonial family, had often reminded Rebecca of the goodly heritage of her name; she was named in honor of beloved grandmothers, but she preferred the nickname “Becky.”

Becky became a big sister to baby William in 1859. Their young lives began with promise until the War Between the States intervened. It must have been frightening for the children to eavesdrop on passionate arguments about the impending war.

In 1861, Elijah penned a promise to join thousands of proud men fighting with a passion for the Southern cause. Four years later, tasting bitter defeat, Elijah was one of the thousands straggling home.

The family struggled to make sense of war, defeat, death, and devastation. During the war years, baby William became ill and died. The young family cried to God in grief and joy that Elijah was alive. Perhaps in a rush to bring life back to earth, Laura Belle was born nine months later, followed by Caleb Sappington McDonald in 1870.

Family tradition says Elijah wanted to move to a quiet place, away from the memories of war, disease, and death. His wife, Martha, was very ill; some say she was depressed and became ill. They may have been en route to Texas or Indian Territory when Martha died near Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Rebecca was thirteen years old at the time, according to family histories. Assuming the birthdate on her death certificate is correct, the move to Arkansas would have occurred in 1872. Rebecca married William Tillman Johnston on 11 January 1874 at the age of fifteen, four months, and eighteen days in Greenwood, Sebastian County, Arkansas.  William Johnston passed away ten years later, leaving the 26-year-old Rebecca a very young widow with four young children.  

Rebecca married William Anderson Miller two years after the death of her husband, Will Johnston.  Bill Miller was a widower who also lost many of his children to the Yellow Fever that took his wife.  His remaining children were unhappy about the marriage; two children were born to the union of Rebecca and Bill:  Fannie Retha and my grandfather, Coy Clifton Miller. 

Rebecca and her four young children lived with  Bill and several of his children in a very small house in Sebastian County, Arkansas.  It must have been chaos when Retha and Coy were born. No wonder they divorced.  Thanks to Dorothy Miller, and her day in the courthouse, we learned that both Rebecca and Bill filed for divorce.  No reason was given...  but the divorce was granted.  Rebecca signed a release on all of Bill’s property.  He signed a release on Rebecca’s property.  Researching Rebecca, memories surfaced from those who knew her:

Memories of Rebecca

Thanks to Retha Miller Looney, Rose Miller Vold, Betty Miller Francis, JoAnn Miller Eid, June McDonald, Retha Frisbie, Linda McDonald Miller, and Barbara Joan Tisher LeRoy for correspondence with memories of Rebecca.

Retha Miller Looney, Rebecca’s daughter, wrote to me in 1974:

My mother was thirteen when she and her parents came up the Arkansas River on a raft from Montgomery County, Alabama, to Fort Smith, Arkansas. My grandmother died on the way, and she is buried at Liberty Cemetery in Greenwood, Arkansas. My mother was taken in by the Johnston family when they first came to Greenwood. She married widower William Johnston and they had four children: Jennie D. Johnston Wright, Doscia B. Johnston McCord, Frank Tillman Johnston, and James “Jimmy” Johnston, who were my half-brothers and sisters. William Johnston died when the children were very small. Two years later, Mother married my father, widower William Anderson Miller. I was their first child, and your grandfather, Coy, was their second child. After my father died, she married a third time to Samuel House. After Sam House died, she came to live with me in Mena, Arkansas, until she died in 1938. She was buried at Liberty Cemetery in Greenwood, Arkansas, next to her first husband under the name House.

Linda McDonald Miller, Rebecca McDonald’s second-great-niece, shared the following insight: “Each story I have been told about Becky relates a very jolly person!”Nieces June McDonald and Retha Frisbie offer another glimpse into the life of Aunt Becky. Retha would have been about fourteen to sixteen years of age, and the period 1927–1929, when the following took place:

Retha Frisbie recalls going to visit Aunt Becky when she was a teenager. Her dad took her to Mena for a revival meeting, and she asked if June McDonald could come along (Oscar and Mary’s daughter). “My grandfather took both girls to Mena to stay with Aunt Becky during the meeting,” Retha recalls. “She was a tiny woman but jolly and teasing all the time. She let June and me do just about anything we wanted to do. Aunt Becky had a real good-looking male schoolteacher boarding with her at the time, so June decided she’d make him a really special dinner. She went out to the chicken coop, killed a chicken, and the two spent all day preparing a fancy dinner unbeknownst to the school teacher, who called shortly before the dinner hour to let Aunt Becky know that he wouldn’t be coming home for dinner that night. Aunt Becky had the most fun teasing June about that for a long time.”

A granddaughter, Betty Miller Francis, recalls fond memories of visiting her “Grandma House” in Arkansas:

I remember going to visit Grandma House (Rebecca) on vacation. It was before my mother (Ruby King) died when I was eight years old. We took a train to Board Camp. Uncle Jim (Judge Jim Looney) picked us up at the train depot around 5:00 P.M.in a touring car. The car was open on both sides with pull-downs to protect us from the rain. We drove out into the country, into the woods, to their house. Her husband, Sam House, must have had dementia, although I did not realize it until I was an adult. She had to care for him like he was a child.

Grandma House had a good sense of humor. She told crazy ghost stories. One of the stories I remember clearly. Back in the old days of horse and buggy, people rode along when they heard the panthers howling; the panthers were chasing them! They started going faster and faster and faster and faster—the panther was gaining ground! FASTER AND FASTER… FASTER AND FASTER!… THE PANTHER WAS CATCHING UP… AND THEY THREW THE BABY OUT TO THE PANTHER!

It scared the hell out of me!

I remember the very next day, we went out in the field to hoe cotton, heard a howl, dropped our hoes, and ran to the house as fast as we could go. Now that I think about it, it was probably a wildcat and not a panther. Do you think so?

I also remember being surprised that the adults ate their meals first. After the adults finished, the children sat down to eat. That was just backward from our house. After dinner, Grandma House would sit on the porch and smoke a cigar. I remember that as well.

When I go up in the mountains and smell pine in the fresh air, I am reminded of my visits to Grandma House. Once, she showed us how to chew the ends of pine twigs to create a “toothbrush.” She was a wonderful, loving grandma.

The role of education loomed large in adult discussions in Arkansas. Everybody talked about going to university. I supposed that to mean the university in Little Rock. Education was an important dream for the future of the Miller children.

Grandma House was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Everybody was Methodist Episcopal. So was my grandpa, William Miller, Scots-Irish by descent. Many of the Miller brothers were ministers and farmers, but of course, they were dead before we came along.

I remember that we went to someone’s house, possibly the home of Ruby Little (Retha Looney’s stepdaughter). They had a stillborn baby. They could not afford to embalm the baby, so it laid on a table by the window for a Wake. That baby on the table affected me greatly; I can still see that baby in my mind.

Aunt Retha Looney married Uncle Jim Looney. He married and had two daughters, Mildred Looney Dowden and Ruby Little. Gertrude was Aunt Retha’s daughter in her first marriage. Jim and Retha Miller Looney were parents of two daughters: Eloise Embry and Helen Tisher.

I also remember going to see Aunt Doscia in Dallas. Oh! How I loved her. She was so good to my sisters, Rose (Miller Vold) and JoAnn (Miller Eid). She would make pallets for us to sleep on.

Rebecca Jarrett McDonald (Johnston Miller House) was survived by three of her six children. Jimmy Johnston, Coy Miller, and Retha Miller Looney lived decades beyond their mother. She was preceded in death by Doscia Johnston (Mrs. Fred McCord), Frank Tillman Johnston, and Jennie D. Johnston Blair Wright.

Rose (Mrs., E.G., Vold), Betty (Mrs. George Francis), and JoAnn (Mrs. Otto Eid) were the daughters of Coy Clifton Miller and his wife, Ruby Anna King Miller. Ruby died in 1932. After her death, the three girls moved from Ennis, Texas, to live with “Aunt Retha” and “Uncle Jim” Looney in Mena, Arkansas, for a year. The girls moved from Arkansas to Iowa and lived with their maternal grandparents. They did not get to see their Grandma' House again. She died in 1938.

“Grandma House” died long before my father, Ervin “Paul” Vold, captured the heart of her granddaughter, Rose Miller. I got to know her through delightful stories of her adventurous raft ride on the Arkansas River and her smoking a cigar or pipe and by looking at photos of the tiny woman with a giant-sized sense of humor who lived a very long life.

Family legends ascribe Rebecca’s longevity to spirit, spunk, and Southern courage. She aged with grace. I loved hearing the humorous, touching tales told to me by aunts, cousins, and a very old man in Rocky, Sims, Arkansas, in April of 2001. The man, purportedly a hundred years old, said: “Miss Becky? Why I do remember her. Yes, I certainly do. She was such a tiny lady driving such a big horse and buggy. She hitched up that horse and buggy and brought her eggs to Sims every Saturday. You could set the clock by Miss Becky’s buggy. She was just about the sweetest woman you could ever meet. She was a real fine lady.”

My favorite Grandma House legend came from my mother, Rose Vold:

Grandma House was a strong Southern woman. She lived through two major wars, the Depression, and tremendous change. She witnessed the discovery of electricity, the invention of gasoline-powered engines, automobiles, airplanes, and the empowerment and employment of women in politics and the workforce. Her strength of character and attitude helped her live to eighty years old. I will outlive her; I will live to two hundred!

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 [rlc1]Reatha?

#52 Ancestor Challenge 2019 Week 8, Cynthia's Family Photo

#52 Ancestor Challenge 2019 Week 8
Prompt: Family Photo

Family Christmas 2019 

Ron and Cynthia in Swedish Museum

#52 Ancestor Challenge 2019 Week 7, Ron and Cynthia in Love

#52 Ancestor Challenge 2019 Week 7
Prompt: Love

Swedish Museum Photos of our Wedding and Ron's books

17th Century Swedish Colonial Ceremony at Gloria Dei

Marriage 2011

Staunton, Virginia Sept 2007 Falling In Love

#52 Ancestor Challenge 2019 Week 6, Barkley Surprise

#52 Ancestor Challenge 2019 - Week 6 
Prompt: Surprises Abound

The John Barkley/BankstonPuzzle

The ancestor John Bankston appears to have begun his mortal journey about 1760, most likely in Orange County, North Carolina.  His name is found in Rockingham and Guilford Counties through the 1780s and 1790s, and eventually in Spartanburg County, South Carolina by 1800.  An older Lawrence Bankston followed the very same migration pattern, strongly suggesting that they were father and son.  But a startling entry in the minutes of the South Carolina Legislature, dated October 28, 1805, reveals that John Bankston’s real name was John Barkley.  This entry consisted of a petition by John Bankston, alias John Barkley of Spartanburgh District, to confirm his legal name as John Bankston “for certain good causes”.  John reveals that his legal name had actually been Barkley but wishes for his posterity to carry the Bankston name henceforth.  John’s petition was granted, and the decision was recorded on December 19, 1805. The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Forde

Learning the true biological parentage of John Barkley is the goal of this research session.  Certain theories can be put forth, such as:

• John may have been orphaned as an infant and adopted by the Bankston family.  He could have been completely unrelated.

• John may have been the grandson or nephew of Lawrence Bankston, perhaps by a daughter or sister who married a Barkley and died soon after John’s birth.

• John may have been fathered by Lawrence and a Barkley woman, who may have died or been unable to care for the child. 

After the research, a big surprise came when YDNA testing was done by two of John Bankston's descendants, showing John was not Bankston nor Barkley.  Instead, he is genetically a Runnels.  

The timeline provided for research places Lawrence Bankston’s birth at about 1730 and John’s birth at about 1760, about thirty years apart.  If correct, this would not allow enough time for Lawrence to produce a daughter old enough to have a baby by 1760, which casts doubt on the second theory shown above.  Clearly, if John’s legal name was Barkley in 1805, he was born to a Barkley parent or parents.  The immediate period around John’s birth, 1760, would be crucial to establishing what Barkley families lived in the same area as Lawrence Bankston, who most likely raised John from early childhood.  According to the timeline provided for research, Lawrence resided in Orange County, North Carolina, until about 1765 and was then removed to Anson County.  Orange County records are excellent and have been abstracted into print.

North Carolina tax lists, those that have survived, have been transcribed and compiled into a two-volume set.  The first volume shows ‘Laurence Bankson in Edgecombe County in 1744 and Orange County in 1755.  A Thomas Barkley also paid taxes in Orange County in 1755, the only Barkley listed.  John ‘Bartley’ was taxed in 1757 in Bertie County, eastern part of the state.  The second volume of tax lists shows Andrew, Ann, Daniel, Peter, and Susannah Bankston in Montgomery County in 1782, but no Lawrence.  Barkleys and variant spellings (Barcley, Barclay, Bartley, etc.) in this second volume were as follows:

Francis B Orange.          1779

George Barkley Northampt 1780

James Barkley Wilkes 1784

James Barkley Wilkes 1782

Joseph Barkley Wilkes  1784

Robert Bartley Orange             1779

Clearly, the Barkley name was not prevalent in North Carolina, which should help the research effort.  Thomas Barkley lived in Orange County at the same time as Lawrence Bankston in 1755.  It would be especially exciting to find a document that names Lawrence and Barkley together, to demonstrate some association.

North Carolina land grants can assist in placing people in certain locations in colonial times.  On May 17, 1754, John Barkley patented 300 acres in Anson County, on the south side of Bear Creek.  Anson County covered a vast portion of the state then, before the formation of Rowan, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Burke, and others.  There may be several waterways known as Bear Creek in North Carolina, one of them being in Chatham County, adjacent to Orange County to the south.

On May 13, 1755, James Ray patented 240 acres in Orange County, one of the witnesses being H. Barkley.  Robert ‘Bartley’ patented 700 acres in Rowan County on April 4, 1761, on both sides of ‘Buffelow’ Creek.  His name is spelled ‘Barkley’ which he signed with his mark.  Rowan County was also the home of John ‘Bartly’, who signed the survey of John Burnet’s 1756 patent in Rowan County.  Henry ‘Bartley’ owned land adjoining Thomas Gillaspie’s 1758 patent in Rowan County, on both sides of Back Creek, a fork of Second Creek, on the west side of the Yadkin River.  

Another name of interest is William Barclay, who signed the survey for Thoms Lindvall, Sr., for his patent of 200 acres in Orange County on March 20, 1753.  Henry Bartley again appeared as a neighboring landowner in Rowan County to John Killpatrick in 1761.  No Bankston's were mentioned in association with any of these Barkleys or Bartley's, unfortunately.

Court records would be the most likely place to find some explanation for John Barkley being placed in the care of Lawrence Bankston.  Orange County being the most logical location for the nexus of the Bankston and Barkley families, it is fortunate to find the court records transcribed into print, with every-name indexes.  These include bastardy bonds and guardianship orders, beginning in 1752.  The only mention of a Barkley from 1752 to 1766 comes in March 1755.  Thomas Barkley was denied a license to keep an ordinary (tavern).  This source includes a map of Orange County as it existed in 1752, with the future county divisions shown with dotted lines and the year of formation for each one.  Another set of transcribed court records, beginning in 1752, includes Thomas’ petition for the ordinary license in March 1755.  On the same page, Lawrence ‘Banckson’ appeared on a list of justices of the peace.  These court minutes also show Lawrence being sued in September 1755 by Blake Baker, the charges not specified.  Thomas Barkley is seen on the same page, embroiled in three lawsuits against Nathaniel Owens, Joseph Barker, and Henry Reynolds.  The cause of all three seems to be debts owed.  In September 1757, William Richmond sued Thomas Barkley, the reason not stated.  The case continued into December 1757, and Thomas had to pay Richmond for damages.  

Later Orange County court minutes from 1762 to 1766 did not mention Bankston's or Barkleys.  The volume covering 1777 to 1786 did contain one interesting entry from the August 1784 term of court.  John Bartley, age eight, and Eleanor Barton, age six, orphans of Francis Bartley, deceased, were bound to James Neal until they reached adulthood.  This is the type of court entry we hope to find involving John Barkley and Lawrence Bankston.  From this, we learn that Francis Barkley, who paid taxes in Orange County in 1779, had died by 1784.  He had a son named John, born about 1776, and can be eliminated as a possible father of John Barkley/Bankston.  Notice how the name was spelled ‘Barkley’ in the tax assessment, then ‘Bartley’ and even ‘Barton’ in the above court entry.

Wills of Orange County were abstracted into print from 1752 to 1800.  But no mention of Bankston's, Barkleys, or Bartley's could be found.  If Thomas Barkley of Orange County left a will, perhaps it was filed in one of the counties formed from Orange.  A statewide index to North Carolina wills does not list Thomas as Barkley, Barclay, or Bartley.  There were a few Barkley wills before 1800, namely for William in 1796, Hendry in 1798, and Robert in 1786, all in Rowan County.  The only relatively early Barkley will be for George of Northampton County in 1788. Northampton County is far to the east of Orange County, but printed abstracts of that county only took a minute to search.  George Barkley’s will, written in 1784, listed his wife and children but did not mention John or any Bankston.

Three Barkley men have been identified in Orange County in the 1750s, namely Thomas, ‘H.’, and William.  The latter two may be the same as Henry and William, who later showed up in records of Rowan County.  Thomas’ name is not noted in the records after the 1750s, suggesting that he died intestate or moved away.

Abstracted court records of Rowan County from 1753 to 1789 mentioned Robert, David, and Henry Barkley, and no Bankston's.  Rowan County will show that Robert Barkley’s 1786 mentions a son John. Still, John Barkley continues to appear in Rowan County records concurrently with the ancestor John Barkley/Bankston’s appearance in Rockingham County and Spartanburg District.  Rowan County tax lists from 1757 to 1800 show John ‘Berkley (Bartly)’ in a 1785-1786 list of men who paid the county marriage tax.  John Barkley paid taxes in 1793 on 156 acres and in 1798 on 670 acres.  No Bankston's were noted in this source.  This John Barkley in Rowan County is distinct from John Barkley/Bankston, who is believed to be in Rockingham County with Lawrence in the 1790s.  John Barkley of Rowan County can be seen marrying there in 1785 to Jean Knox and in 1790 to Gailey Kern.  He is seen still residing in Rowan County in the 1790 census, long after John Barkley Bankston is documented in Rockingham County land grants.

A statewide index to North Carolina marriages contained only one Bankston marriage, of seemingly little significance.  Few Barkley marriages were shown, but many early North Carolina marriage records have been lost.  This statewide index demonstrates the distribution of the Barkley name in Rowan, Rutherford, Mecklenburg, New Hanover, Lincoln, and Orange Counties.  Three Bartley marriages took place in Guilford County and two in Orange County, as listed below:

Rachel Barkley         m. Joseph Finney, Jr.   13 Dec 1783  Orange NC

Anne Bartley m. Lewis Roach             27 Jul 1783 Orange NC

Elinor Bartley  m. William Parsons  25 Jan 179 Guilford NC

John Bartley  m. Rachel Field   3 Mar 18 Guilford NC

Mary Bartley m. Thomas Wilson        18  Jun 179 Guilford NC

The Cantrell name appeared in the marriage records of Orange, Guilford, and Rockingham Counties, which is no surprise.  

Another statewide index was searched for John Bankston or Barkley’s name in Revolutionary War lists but to no avail.  The national compilations of service and pension records related to the Revolution do not mention John with either surname.  Official North Carolina colonial and state records are available at the Family History Library, fully indexed and arranged chronologically.  The index shows a few Barkley entries, with some variant spellings.  Each of these was followed to the appropriate volume and page, but none contained anything helpful.  No John Bankston entry appeared in the index.

Continuing with the survey of county court records, Guilford County court minutes were searched next.  Guilford was formed from Rowan and Orange Counties in 1771, but the Family History Library did not have court records for Guilford before 1781.  The court records from 1781 to 1788 have been transcribed into print and fully indexed.  This is important since microfilmed court records are usually not indexed or only for the principal people involved in each entry.  Witnesses, jurors, road overseers, etc., would not be included in most court records indexes.  The Guilford court minutes show that in August 1782, Ralph Gorrell sued John ‘Berkley’, the reason not stated.  On the same page is a list of persons cited to appear and show cause why their estates should not be confiscated.  Among these was Rachael ‘Barkely’.  Another entry from the May 1785 session of court gives details of orders for the overseer of roads.  The paragraph is devoid of punctuation, and one part reads, “…to Cantrell Meeting House Laurance Bangston….”  This certainly places Lawrence and the Cantrells in Guilford County in the middle 1780s.  The identity of John ‘Berkley’ and Rachael ‘Barkley’ would be very desirable to learn.  The subject of this research effort, John Barkley/Bankston, would have been a legal adult by 1782 and may have been the man sued by Ralph Gorrell.  This questions whether John had used the Bankston surname from a young age or took it after adulthood.  Rachael may have been related, perhaps widowed and in dire financial straits.  She would have to be at least forty-five years old to be his mother, not at all unlikely for a widowed head of household.   

Guilford County's record includes an 1800 will of Lewis Holton, with Rachel ‘Bartley’ named as one of his daughters.  She may have been the same woman mentioned in the court record above.  Perhaps land records of the county would clarify her identity further, so these were searched next.  In August 1784, John ‘Bankson’ and Martha Smith witnessed a deed for John Browder, the land on Wolf Island Creek.  An October 1795 deed of sale by Robert Peirce references ‘widow Bartley’ as a neighboring landowner in the Hickory Creek area.  Perhaps Widow Bartley was Rachael Barkley mentioned above, the same one in danger of losing her land.  No earlier deeds were found that might have revealed the name of Rachael’s deceased husband.

Guilford County land grants show that John ‘Bankson’ entered 300 acres on November 4, 1783, the land located on Wolf Island Creek near Widow Browder and Charles Harris.  An entry of 200 acres by Robert Shaw on February 29, 1780, on the waters of Big Alamance (Creek) mentions that it includes “John Barkley’s improvement.” Perhaps he was the husband of Rachel.  

A topographical map of this area of North Carolina shows the Big Alamance River in the southeastern part of present-day Guilford County. At the same time, Wolf Island Creek is a considerable distance north, in the northeast corner of Rockingham County, almost to the Virginia border.  Hickory Creek, where Widow Bartley lived, is also in the southern part of Guilford County.  It does not show on the map used in Document 18, but the location was learned through a Google Maps search.  The distance between the two areas diminishes the likelihood that these Barkley/Bartley families were related to John Barkley Bankston.

Rockingham County, created from Guilford County in 1785, does not have much to offer for the purposes of this research effort.  While there were several entries in the deed abstracts about John and Lawrence Bankson/Bankston, these are all included in the timeline provided for research.  The Barkley name, in its various spellings, could not be found there.

Some members of the ancestral Bankston family are believed to be in Montgomery County, North Carolina by 1782, although Lawrence remained in Rockingham County through 1796.  Records of Rockingham County show that on December 9, 1790, John Bankston sold to Lawrence his 300-acre grant on Wolf Island Creek.  By the following December, John was documented in Spartanburg District, South Carolina, so he preceded Lawrence to that area by several years.  This information comes from the timeline provided for research.  It is possible that members of the Barkley family also moved to Spartanburg District, as people often migrated in groups of friends and relatives.  Will abstracts of Spartanburg County from 1787 to 1840 mention the well-known dispute over the executorship of Isaac Cantrell’s will, which includes John ‘Bangston’ as a witness.  A John ‘Barclay’ brought suit against William Moore in September 1786.  The suit continued into 1788 when his name took on the spelling of Barkley.  William Barkley testified on behalf of John Barkley in a September 1788 session of the court.  These Barkleys preceded John Barkley Bankston to Spartanburg District, as demonstrated by the timeline that shows John selling land in December 1790 as a resident of Rockingham County, North Carolina.  That does not preclude some relationships, but the records do not reveal if such a relationship exists.

The Barkley marriages shown above in Document 13 may be for persons related to John.  Tracking the migrations of these couples might be interesting to see if any ended up in Spartanburg District.  Joseph Finney, who married Rachel Barkley in Orange County in 1783, was searched in online forums.  A posting in the North Carolina Genweb site tells that ‘Rachael’ Barkley was born about 1762 in Orange County and died about 1807, the place not specified.  The person who submitted this query requests more information about Rachael and her parentage.  Francis and Thomas are the two possibilities suspected of Rachael’s father.  There was another Rachael Barclay who lived in Rowan County, born about 1784, daughter of Robert.  This posting does not tell where the Finney family may have subsequently lived or if they ever left Orange County.

The 1790 census shows the Joseph Finney name in Surry County and was not found in either North Carolina or South Carolina in 1800.  Other states near the Carolinas did not have surviving censuses before 1820, so it is possible the family went to Tennessee or Georgia, but apparently not South Carolina.

Anne Bartley married Lewis Roach in Orange County in 1783.  His name is noted in Orange County in 1790 and Greenville County, South Carolina, in 1800. Greenville County and Spartanburg County share a long border in the present-day geographical configurations.  Lewis Roach’s name is not found in 1810 in any available states.  Online sources contain Lewis’ ancestry but do not even speculate on Anne’s parentage.

William Parsons, who married Elinor Bartley in 1792 in Guilford County, still resided there in 1800.  The 1810 census shows men by that name in Surry County, North Carolina, and Pendleton District, South Carolina.  In-depth research would be needed to determine if either had a wife named Elinor, but since they did not live in Spartanburg County, the effort does not seem warranted.  Ancestry.com’s World Tree Project contains one posting asserting that Elinor/Eleanor, born about 1771 in Guilford County, was the daughter of Jeremiah Bartley, a name not seen in any of the statewide indexes for North Carolina.  

John Bartley married Rachel Field in 1800 in Guilford County, rather late to be closely related to John Barkley Bankston.  Several men named John Bartley in the 1810 census, four in North Carolina and one in Marion County, South Carolina.  Nothing helpful could be found online for John Bartley and Rachel Field.  

Thomas Wilson, who married Mary Bartley in 1798 in Guilford County, has a much too common name to attempt to trace forward.  There were twelve of them in the 1810 census of South Carolina, none of them in Spartanburg County.  Nothing helpful from other researchers posting online could be found.  In all of the above searches, the Bartley spelling was substituted with Barkley for additional possibilities.

The most likely Barkley relative to John found so far is Thomas Barkley of Orange County, noted there in the 1750s.  Francis Barkley had small children in 1784, which makes him an unlikely candidate to have fathered a child in 1760.  Thomas or one of his sons may have fathered John with the daughter of Lawrence Bankston.  At any rate, it seems that John’s Barkley origins were treated as a private family matter.  If illegitimacy occurred within a family and the child was kept in the home of its birth, court proceedings were usually not considered necessary.  Bastardy bonds are seen when a woman seeks support from the child's father.  Guardianship actions were employed when a non-relative was chosen to provide for an orphaned or illegitimate child without a provider in the home of the child’s birth.  This researcher has confirmed through DNA testing that such a situation occurred in her family in 1810.  A child was born out of wedlock to the daughter of the head of the family, according to family tradition.  That head of the family, actually the child’s grandfather, raised him as his own and called him by his own surname.  No court records have supported such a situation, but the DNA testing confirms the family lore.  The predicament was a private family matter that, in that period, did not require any legal action.  This seems to be the case for John Barkley/Bankston.

Raquel Lindaas, Heritage Consulting

#52 Ancestor Challenge 2019 Week 5, Lawrence Jr. and Rev. John

#52 Ancestor Challenge 2019 Week #5 
Prompt: In the Library

 Lawrence Bankston, Jr. and The Rev. John Bankston

The  Rev. Dr. Cynthia Forde

What was the relationship between Lawrence Bankston, Jr. and the Rev. John Bankston?  Was Lawrence, Jr., the son of Lawrence Bankston b. 1704?  Ron Beatty and Cynthia Forde focused on these two questions by researching libraries and courthouses in the counties where they lived.  The following timeline helps to organize the vast volume of information that provides circumstantial evidence that Lawrence Bankston, Jr. was the third son of Lawrence Bankston and Rebecca Hendricks.  The authors believe that Lawrence Bankston, Jr. was a brother or father figure to the Rev. John Bankston.  YDNA has proven they are not related.  (RSB is Ronald S. Beatty's research; CVF is Cynthia Vold Forde's research notes.)

Note Hendricks, Bankston, Cantrells, and Linders families in Guilford, which later became Rockingham County, NC, about 1783,  moved together to Spartanburg, South Carolina, about 1790 where they were associated with the Rev. Isaac Cantrell at Buck Creek Church which his brother John helped to start. This is the same church where John Bankston of Rockingham/Spartanburg was the minister. Isaac Cantrell married John Linder’s daughter. 

Research contributed by Dr. John Scott Davenport (JSD), Ron Beatty and Cynthia Forde (RSB & CVF), and Brent Cantrell. 

1730 – Lawrence Bankston, Jr., birth by estimation in Lancaster, now York County, Pennsylvania, to Lawrence BANKSTON and Rebecca, daughter of Johannes Hendricks and widow Rebeckah Groesbeck Wells (Source: Dr. Peter Craig, Swedish Colonial Society)

1756 Lawrence Bankston first knew Isaac Cantrell Spartanburg County, South Carolina. Court of Common Pleas. Isaac Cantrell Estate Papers--File 736, Spartanburg County, S.C. &. Isaac Cantrell Estate Papers--File 736, Spartanburg County, S.C. 17 February 1806

Note from Brent Cantrell to Cynthia 23 Feb. 2009: I am assuming that the family of Joseph Company parted company with the Bankston's about 1730 and met up again about 1750.  After the 1720's entries in the Holy Trinity records, Joseph next shows up mentioned in a libel lawsuit in 1738 in Orange County, Virginia.  Next, Joseph Cantrell (Joseph Sr. or Joseph Jr.) appears on a 1750 tax list on the Dan River, Granville County, North Carolina.  I am unclear on the family's movements in North Carolina, but the three brothers John, Joseph (Jr., I think), and Isaac, are all on a 1754 deed on Country Line Creek in Orange County (modern Caswell County).  Joseph, Jr. apparently stayed in the modern Caswell County area, and John and Isaac established themselves a short while later on Wolf Island Creek in what is modern Rockingham.  There are also earlier records showing that John was a chain carrier in early 1752 on the Little River, south of modern-day Caswell County.  

So, the Cantrells moved around a lot in the Orange County, NC area from 1750 to 1755, but they were definitely in the modern Caswell County area in 1754. 

Lawrence Bankston, Jr. in Orange County, NC (now Caswell).

Hillsborough District Civil Action Papers Concerning Land, 1778-1806.

D.S.C.R.204.325.51.Hillsborough District Civil Action Papers Concerning Land, 1778-1806.

D.S.C.R.204.325.51.

Source: "Orange County, North Carolina, County Court Minutes 1762-1766, Book II" by Wynette Parks Haun on page 49 of the book. Book F262 07 N67 1991 v.2 at California State Library, Sutro Branch, San Francisco, California.

[718}-163 May Term 1764

Thomas Goforth came into open Court and Delivered up Miles Gooforth (sic) for whom he was bail at the suit of Robert Motheral.  Ordered the Sheriff to take him into custody.

[719}-164 May Term 1764

Robert Kilgore Senr. And Andrew Bankson enters themselves Special Bail for Miles Goforth at the suit of Robert Motheral.

Page 71 of the same book:

[805]-248 November Term 1764

Ordered that a Road be laid out the best and most convenient way to Granville line near David Embrey's old place from Hugh Barmett's that leads to Roster's ferry by the following jury towit:  (names of the jury are omitted here.)

And that the same Jury layout a Nother (sic) Road from that near MAYO's and Lawrence RAMBO's to Hico near John Pryor's Esqr. And that the following hands assist in opening the said Roads towit: ..........

Page 102 of the same book:

[922]-364 May Term 1765

Ordered that William Lea, Zachariah Lea, Peter Bankson, Robert Kilgore Senr., Joseph Sarratt, Neil McCoy, James Lea, John Bratcher, and John Lea, after first qualifying agreeable (sic)to Law, lay out a road from Pinson's Path neigh Thomas Runnold'sfrom thence to Serjeants Road nigh the meeting house the best & most convenient way.

Page 123 of the same book:

[993]-435 August 1765 Term

Nash & McNair agt. Andrew Banckston:  Debt.  This Day came the Defendant by his Attorney and by Virtue of a Power of Attorney to him Given & Specifyed in the Writing Obligatory Confessed Judgment for Five Pounds five shillings and Eight pence Proc. money to be discharged by Payment of Two pounds twelve shillings and fourpence like money with interest from 1st. November 1765 till paid & Costs.  Judgment 2:12:4, Clerk 1:1:6.

Nash & McNair agt. Lawrence Bankson Senr.: Debt.  This Day came the Plaintiff by his Attorney and by Virtue of a Power of Attorney to him given and Specifyed in the writing Obligatory Confessed Judgment for Three Pounds & Eight pence Proc. money to be discharged by Payment of One Pound ten Shillings and four pence Proc. with interest from the first November 1765 til paid & Costs. b Judgment pound sign 1:10:4, Clark, 1:1:6. (RSB & CVF)

Francis Nash Esqr. agt. Lawrence Banckston:  Debt. This Day came the Plaintiff into open Court and by Virtue of a Power of Attorney to him Given & Specifyed in the Writing Obligatory Confessed judgment for Seventeen Pounds Six Shillings and Eight pence Proc., with interest from the first November 1764 til paid & Costs.  Judgment pound sign 17:6:8:, Clerk 1:1:6.

[994]-436 August Term 1765

This is the last record of Lawrence Bankston, Jr. in Orange County (now Caswell). Francis Nash Esqr. agt. Lawrence Banckson Junr.:  Debt. This Day came the Plaintiff by his Attorney and by Virtue of a Power of Attorney to him given and specifyed in the Writing Obligatory Confessed Judgment for Seventeen Pounds fifteen shillings Proc. Money with Interest from 27th February 1765 till paid & Costs. Judgment pound sign 17:15:-., Clerk 1:1:6.

Between August 1765 and 1771 – Lawrence Bankston, Sr., and at least some of his sons moved to Anson County, NC and participated in signing a petition for the formation of Montgomery County, NC.  

Abt. 1771 – Lawrence Bankston b. 1704 died in Anson County, NC (Source: The Deposition of James Lea – see the Blogspot: The Lea Links to Caswell County, NC and James Lea’s relationship to Lawrence Bankston “my bossom friend…” and “I married his daughter.” (RSB & CVF).

Guilford County, NC

At least one man named Lawrence/Laurence Bankson/Bankston is first found in Guilford County, NC in 1772.  Guilford was formed from Rowan, part of the original Orange County.  This may have been Laurence Bankston, Jr., who may not have moved to Anson County, NC, with his father Lawrence and his other brothers.  This Laurence has a close relationship with the Cantrills of Guilford, Rockingham and later moved to Spartanburg, SC. He also had a close relationship with John Bankson/Bankston found in the following records which was also known as The Rev. John Bankston, who married Mary Lanier. 

29 May 1772 Lawrence Bankston first purchased land from William Garrott and Sarah, his wife, Guilford County, Wolf Island Creek, NC2 Bennett, William D., ed. Guilford County, Deed Book One. Raleigh, NC: Bennett, 1990. 17.  

17Jan 1782 - Deed: William Badget, of Rowan County, to James Pulliam, of Caswell County, for L600, 200 acres in Caswell County on Double Creek of Hico, bounding John Dowell, Samuel McMurry's claim, Thomas Bankson... /s/ William Badget. Wit: Philip Hall, Thomas Badget, Thomas Palmer, Jr. (Caswell County deeds A:557) (JSD)

Jan 1783 - Tory Forfeiture: Rutherford County., North Carolina [then bounding Spartansburg County, South Carolina on the north]--among those whose property was adjudged forfeited on failure to answer an Inquisition of Treason, Felony, and Forfeiture found against them by the Grand Jury: John Hendrix, Samuel Hendrix. (Rutherford County Minutes, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1779-1786) (JSD) 

10 Jan 1783 - Witness: Peter Bankson, Wm "X" Browning, Wm "C" Crabtree witness deed of Thomas Keates to John Marcales, both of Orange County, for 100 acres on Waites and Sowers Creek, down the road to John Mcclane's on River Eno... (Orange County Deeds 2:420)

2 May 1783 Lawrence Bankston a deed from Joseph Curry to William Harrison for 320 acres on Wolf Island Creek; Guilford County, North Carolina 3 Bennett, William D., ed. Guilford County, Deed Book Two, 1779-1784. Raleigh, NC: Bennett, 1993. 106. (Source: Brent Cantrell)

11 Oct 1783 Lawrence Guilford County, NC land Abstracts of Land Entries: Guilford Co., NC 1779-1796 and Rockingham Co., NC 1790-1795 (Cynthia ask Ron for Page no??)   200 acres granted to him

4 Nov 1783 Lawrence Bankston, Guilford County, NC land Abstracts of Land Entries: Guilford Co., NC 1779-1796 and Rockingham Co., NC 1790-1795 (Cynthia ask Ron for Page no??)  entered 150 acres of land in Guilford Co., NC on Wolf Island Creek and another 100 acres on the waters of Wolf Island Creek.

Extra Source: Brent Cantrell’s Research: Land Grant 4 Nov 1783 (age 53) warrant #2284 for 150 acres; Wolf Island Creek, Guilford County, North Carolina4,54 Pruitt, Albert Bruce. Abstracts of Land Warrants: Rockingham County, NC, 1778-1929. [North Carolina?]: A.B. Pruitt, 2001. 1. Brent Cantrell

5 Pruitt, Albert Bruce. Abstracts of Land Entries: Guilford Co., NC, 1779-1796 and Rockingham Co., NC, 1790-1795. Raleigh, N.C.: A.B. Pruitt, 1987. 27.  Brent Cantrell

8 Oct 1784 Lawrence Bankston, Montgomery County, NC neighbor Abstracts of Land Entries: Montgomery Co., NC 1778-1795, p. 29 #425  [#22622] James Gray entered 100 acres on SW side of Deep Creek including improvement formerly the property of Laurence BANKSTON (RSB)

8Nov1784 - Grant: North Carolina to Isham Browder, 168a. In Guilford County, on the north side of Wolf Island Creek, bounding Edward Stubblefield, John Linder, BANKSTON. (Rockingham County Deeds B:142) (JSD)

1785 Lawrence Bankston, Guilford County, NC road crew Old Guilford North Carolina Court Minutes, 1781-1788, p. LL #183   overseer of a section of road from "Central meeting house to Governor's road"  (RSB & CVF)

Brent Cantrell: (Court Record May 1785 (age 55) named as road overseer from Cantrel Meeting House to Governors Road; Guilford County, North Carolina 6 Hill, Jane Smith, transcriber. Guilford County, North Carolina Court Minutes, August term of Court 1781 to May 1788. Greensboro: Guilford County Genealogical Society, 1999. 78. Brent Cantrell

10 Aug 1785 - Deed: Laurance Bankson, wife Sarah, to Talitha Browder, all of Guilford County, for L100 Virginia money, 100 acres on the north side of Wolf Island Creek, beginning on Mill Creek, bounding John Lindner, to north fork called Thrasher's Fork... /s/ Laurance BANKSON, Sarah "X" Bankston. Wit: Nathl Lindner, Charley "X" Gilly. (Rockingham County Deeds C:299)

20  Webb, Thomas G. The Webb families of DeKalb County, Tennessee, and 23 related families. Smithville, Tenn: Bradley Printing Co, 2002. 312. Brent Cantrell

21Sep1785 - Deed: Isham Lanier to John Bankson, both of Guilford County, for L60, 123 acres on Big Troublesome Creek, bdg John Faulconer, Henry Brewer, being part of a grant to John Faulconer in 1782... /s/ Isham Lanier. Wit: A.. Phillips, Cynthia Phillips, Stephen Brown. (Rockingham County Deeds A:301)

22 Dec 1785 (age 55) 300 acres originally issued as a grant to John BANKSTON and purchased from him; Wolf Island Creek, Guilford County, North Carolina 7 Pruitt, Albert Bruce. Abstracts of Land Warrants: Guilford County, NC, 1778-1932. [North Carolina?]: A.B. Pruitt, 2000. 126. "joins Nathaniel Newman, Isaac Cantrell, & runs N with Linder's agreement line ... surveyed Feb. 18, 1785 .. John Linder and Isaac Cantrell, chain carriers.".  8 Pruitt. Abstracts of Land Entries: Guilford Co., NC, 1779-1796 and Rockingham Co., NC, 1790-1795. 27.  Brent Cantrell:

8 Mar 1786 Lawrence Bankston (age 56) warrant #2284 for 150 acres surveyed; Wolf Island Creek, Guilford County, North Carolina 9 Pruitt. Abstracts of Land Warrants, Rockingham County, NC, 1778-1929., 1.  Brent Cantrell:

22 May 1786 - Deed: John Lindner, wife Mary, to Laurance Bankson, all of Guilford County, for L20, 100 acres on the south side of Thrashers Fork, bounding BANKSON's line... /s/ John Lindner, Mary Lindner. Wit: Charles Cantrell, Isaac Cantrell, John Mitchell. (Rockingham County Deeds B:21)

Property 22 May 1786 (age 56) 100 acres purchased from John Linder and his wife Mary; Rockingham County, North Carolina1010 Webster, Irene B, compiler. 1973. Rockingham County North Carolina Deed Abstracts, 1785-1800. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press. 15.  Brent Cantrell:

11 Jul 1788 (age 58) warrant #2284 for 150 acres, grant #23 issued; Wolf Island Creek, Guilford County, North Carolina11 Pruitt. Abstracts of Land Warrants, Rockingham County, NC, 1778-1929., 3.  Brent Cantrell:

Note: Wilkes County, Georgia Deeds Filed by three of Lawrence Bankston‘s five sons seems to indicate that Lawrence  Bankston, Jr. was deceased along with Andrew or he would have been required to participate in this filing as well:

27 Nov 1786 - Deed: Peter Bankston, Daniel Bankston, and Jacob Bankston, of Wilkes County, Georgia, to Matthew Wood, of Greene County, Georgia, for L10,000 [Continental Money?], 37.5 acres adjoining Thomas WELLS in the Town "which land was willed to our mother Rebecca BANKSON" and "stands recorded in the State of Pennsylvania... /s/ Peter Bankston, Daniel Bankston, Jacob Bankston, Wit: Hugh Jones, Henry McCoy, John Ogletree. (Wilkes County, GA, Deeds AA:127)

27 Nov 1786 - Deed: Peter Bankston, Daniel Bankston, and Jacob Bankston, of Wilkes County, Georgia, to Matthew Wood, of Greene County, Georgia, for L5000 [Continental Money?], 400 acres in Pennsylvania, three miles above Little York on the Great Road leading to Conewagey (Conewago), being the same tract run from [surveyed for?] our father Lawrence Bankstonby one Thomas Cresap when the [temporary] dividing line was run between the State of Pennsylvania and Maryland... /s/ Peter BANKSTON, Daniel Bankston, Jacob Bankston. Wit: Hugh Jones, Henry McCoy, John Ogletree. (Wilkes County, GA, Deeds BB:114)

28 Dec 1786 Lawrence Bankston (age 56) was chain carrier on a survey of a land grant issued to Isaac Cantrell; Wolf Island Creek, Guilford County, North Carolina1111 Pruitt. Abstracts of Land Warrants, Rockingham County, NC, 1778-1929., 3.  Brent Cantrell:

23   - Marriage Bond: William Hendrix to Nancy Bratcher (as Bradsher) in Caswell County. Bondsman: William Lea. Wit: Alexr Murphy. (Photocopy of original bond, LDS Family Library, Salt Lake City).

William here is believed to be the eldest son of James Bankson, Jr., and the grandson of JamesBankson, Sr., both of whom relocated from Double Creek waters of South Hico in Orange (later Caswell, now Person) County, North Carolina, to Two Mile Creek waters in South Carolina (now Spartanburg County) in the mid-1760s. His mother was Frances Lea, daughter of William Lea, Sr.  Whatever William's ancestry, this couple moved to Tennessee from Spartanburg County before 1830.

7 May 1787 - Deed: Mary Elliot to Lawrence Bankston, both of Rockingham County, for L40, 100 acres on Little Rockhouse Creek, a draught of Dan River, bdg David Loveless' claim, Charles Galloway, William Elliot, Stephen Lephew?... /s/ Mary Elliot. With: Edward Robison, Andrew Robison. (Rockingham County Deeds B:22)

1784-1787Census North Carolina,  page 101 - Montgomery County, 1787 – District 5 – James Bankstonenumerated (RSB &CVF)

16 May1787 - Grant: North Carolina to John Bankson, 350 acres in Guilford [now Rockingham] County, on both sides of Little Rockhouse Creek, beginning below the mouth of Cedar branch, bounding Rev. David Caldwell, Bell... No. 1201. (Rockingham County Deeds B:112)

16 May 1787 - Grant: North Carolina to John Bankston, 300 a. in Guilford [now Rockingham] County, bounding Widow [of Isham] Browder, Charles Harris, Nathaniel Newman, Isaac Cantrill, John Lindner...No. 1478. (Rockingham County C:5)

(also Rockingham CNC Deed Abstracts, p. 29,: Book C, page 5)

19 Nov 1787 - Deed: William Dick to Henry Hendrix, both of Guilford County, for L80, 161.5 acres on Alamance Creek part of a grant to said Dick dated 1778, bounding the Bridge branch, David Wiley, Beaver Creek, James Dick... /s/ William Dick. Wit: Tho. Dick, Tho. Whitely. (Guilford County NC Deeds 4:380)

13 Feb 1788 - Deed: John Bankson to Robert Cumming, both of Rockingham County, for L50, 123 acres of a 640-acre tract granted to John Faulconer on 20Oct1782, said Faulconer having conveyed to Isham Lanier, who conveyed to said Bankson, on waters of Troublesome Creek, bdg James Mulloy (formerly Faulkner), Henry Brewer, James Lanier, Decd... /s/ John Bankson. Wit: A.Phillips, Isham Lanier, Cynthia Phillips. (Rockingham County Deeds C:159) (also RCNCDeed Abstracts, pg. 39  “Book C, page 159)

1 Jul 1788 - Grant: North Carolina to Jacob Cantrill, 200 acres in Rockingham County, on Waters of Wolf Island Creek, bounding said Cantrill, John Granger, Isaac Cantrill, Sr., Bankson, and James Wardlow...No. 15. (Rockingham County Deeds C:286)

11 Jul 1788 - Grant: North Carolina to James Grant, 250 acres in Rockingham County, on Waters of Wolf Island Creek and Town Creek, bounding John Bankson, William Mobley, Lurrie...No. 24. (Rockingham County Deeds B:115)

11 Jul 1788 - Grant: North Carolina to Robert Cummings, 100 acres in Rockingham County, on Great Troublesome Creek, bounding Samuel Lanier, John Bankson, Francis McBride... (Rockingham County Deeds C:87) (also RCNC Deed Abstracts, pg. 34, “Book C, p. 87, “ 

11 Jul 1788 - Grant: North Carolina to Jacob Cantrell, 170 acres in Rockingham County, on waters of Wolf Island Creek, bounding Henry Bankson, Luke Bernett... (Rockingham County Deeds D:183)

18 Jul 1788 - Grant: North Carolina to Isaac Cantrell, 220 acres in Rockingham County, on waters of Wolf Island Creek, bounding John Bankson, John Linder... (Rockingham County Deeds B:106) (also noted in Rockingham County North Carolina Deed Abstracts, page 21: Book B, page 106, the State of NC to Isaac Cantrell 220 on Wolf Island Cr adj. John Linder, John Bankson. July 18, 1788.

22 Jul 1788 - Virginia Land Grant: Thomas Bankson, 100 acres in the Elks Garden, waters of Cedar Creek of Clinch River. (Virginia Grants 17:432)

4 Feb 1789 - Witness: Abraham "X" Bankson, A. Phillips, Thomas "X" King witness deed of Nathaniel Lindner, wife Mary, to Thomas Larkin, all of Rockingham County, for L50, 100 acres of 300-acre grant to sd Lindner, on Waters of Great Rockhouse Creek... (Rockingham County Deeds B:182) 

4 Feb 1789 - Witness: Abraham "X" Bankson, A. Phillips, Thomas "X" King witness deed of Nathaniel Lindner, wife Mary, to Thomas Larkin, all of Rockingham County, for L10, 50 acres of the 150-acre tract on Great Rockhouse Creek, bdg Thomas Pound, John Granger, James Sipple.  (Rockingham County Deeds C:5)

28 Mar 1789 - Survey: Henry Bankson, 50 acres on both sides of Little Rockhouse Creek in Rockingham County, by warrant dated 13Jan1789, bdg David Caldwell and Cornelius Mabery. Chains carried by John Bankson, Isham Farguson...No. 54. (NC Land Grants 76:204)

25 Mar 1790 - Heir and Executor: Grandson James Hendrick, son of Mary Bankson, named as a grandson in Will of James Kirkman, of Guilford County, North Carolina, and devised 60 acres, which sd James Kirkman purchased from William Dick, bounding William Forbis, John Forbis' Creek, and slave girl Levah... Executors: wife Mary Kirkman, Henry Bankson, Robert Hanna. (Guilford County Wills A:208)

13 Nov 1790 - Deed: Robert Walker to Laurance Bankston, both of Rockingham County, for L100, 250 acres on waters of Big Rockhouse, bounding Thomas Pound, Mitchell... /s/ Robert "X" Walker. Wit: John Lindner, Sol Mitchell. (Rockingham County Deeds F:129)

17 Nov 1790 - Grant: North Carolina to Henry Bankson, 50 acres in Rockingham County, on both sides of Little Rockhouse Creek, bounding David Caldwell, Cornelius Mabry.. No. 98. (Rockingham County Deeds C:165)

9 Dec 1790 - Deed: John Bankson to Laurance Bankson, both of Rockingham County, for L60, 300 acres on both sides of Wolf Island Creek, bounding Widow Browder, Charles Harris, Nathaniel Newman, Isaac Cantrell, John Lindner... /s/ John BANKSON. Wit: John Lindner, John Cantrell. (Rockingham County Deeds C:213) Property 9 Dec 1790 (age 60) 300 acres purchased from John Bankston and adjacent to John Linder, Isaac Cantrell, and others; Wolf Island Creek, Rockingham County,13 Webster, Irene B, compiler. 1973. Rockingham County North Carolina Deed Abstracts, 1785-1800. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press. 43.  Brent Cantrell

The year 1790 - U.S. Federal Census, South Carolina, Camden Dist., Chester County – no Bankston's or Banksons - enumerates Bankton, Elish, page 16: 2 free males over 16, 1 free male under 16 and 3 females (RSB & CVF)

The year 1790 - Census: First Federal Census, North Carolina (Enumeration done in First Quarter, 1791): Selected Listings--

Caswell County

St. Lawrence District: No Bankstonenumerated

Guilford County

BANKSON, Henry 1 1 2 0 1

Kirkman, James 3 0 1 0 10

17

Randolph County

BANKSON, Joseph 1 1 1 0 0

BANKSON, Samuel 2 1 5 0 0

BANKSON, Tobias 1 2 1 0 0

Hendrix, Edward 1 3 2 0 0

Montgomery County

Bankston, Andrew 1 3 3 0 1

Extracted from Heads of Families, United States Census, North Carolina, 1790 (Washington,

D.C.: GPO, 1908)

24 Dec 1791– John Bankson moved to Spartanburg, SC - Research notes 25 August 2008 – Spartanburg, SC Deed Book “C” p. 94: Isaac Young grantor to John Bankson both of Spartanburgh, SC – L (pounds) 110 – 200 acres granted to Hugh Warren on 23 August 1774 on “North side of Paccolete River beginning at a post oak on said Pacolat River…” in the presence of Larkin Bethel Richard Cox (or Cantrell?), John Morris. Recorded on 24 December 1791) (RSB & CVF)

29Dec1791 - Deed: Lawrence Bankson to John Linder, both of Rockingham County, for L100, 150 acres on Mills Creek, bounding Widow Browder, Isaac Cantrell... /s/ Lawrence Bankson. Wit: John Mitchell, James Mitchell. (Rockingham County Deeds C:209)

29 Dec 1791 (age 61) 150 acres on Mills Creek adjacent to Widow Browder and Isaac Cantrell, which he sold to John Linder; Rockingham County, North Carolina14 Webster, Irene B, compiler. 1973. Rockingham County North Carolina Deed Abstracts, 1785-1800. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press. 43.  Brent Cantrell

25Feb1792 - Deed: Laurance BANKSON to Robert Walker, both of Rockingham County, for L40, 121 acres on Waters of Little Rockhouse Creek of Dan River, bounding David Lovell, Charles Gallaway, William Eliot, Andrew Roberson, John Abbit... /s/ Laurance Bankson. Wit: John Lindner, Elexander "X" Brown (Rockingham County Deeds D:197) 

Property 25 Feb 1792 (age 62) 121 acres which he sold to Robert Walker; Rockingham County, North Carolina15 Brent Cantrell

1 Mar 1792 - Witness: Henry Bankson, James Brown, Thomas Pound witness deed of Thomas "X" King, Jr., to Sutton McAllister, both of Rockingham County, for 200 acres on Jacobs Creek, bounding Joseph Cunningham, James Brown... (Rockingham County Deeds C:140)

28 Aug 1792 - Witness: Henry Bankson, Peter Watson witness deed of John Simmons, of Rockingham County, to William Standard, of Caswell County, for 100 acres on Burches Creek (per description in Guilford County records). (Rockingham County Deeds D:52)

24 Nov 1792 - Deed: Laurance Bankson, wife Sarah, to Aaron Cantrill, all of Rockingham County, for L100 —acres on both sides of Wolf Island Creek, bounding sd Bankson, Isaac Cantrill, Bankson‘s claim... /s/ Laurance Bankson, Sarah Bankson. Wit: John Cantrill, John Martin.(Rockingham County Deeds D:77)

Property 1792 (age 62) 100 acres he sold to Isaac Cantrell; Wolf Island Creek, Rockingham County, North Carolina1621 Webster, Irene B, compiler. 1973. Rockingham County North Carolina Deed Abstracts, 1785-1800. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press. 58.  Brent Cantrell

29 Dec 1792 - Deed: Laurance Bankston to Isaac Cantrill, both of Rockingham County, for L50, 100 acres on Wolf Island Creek, [description all survey]... /s/ Laurance BANKSON. Wit: A. Phillips, Robert Brown. (Rockingham County C:174)

29 Dec1792 - Deed: Laurance Bankson to John Lindner, both of Rockingham County, for L100, 150 acres on both sides of Mill Creek, bounding Widow Browder, head of North Branch, Isaac Cantrill, said Lindner... /s/ Laurance Bankson. Wit: John Mitchell, Jane Mitchell. (Rockingham County Deeds C:209)

16 Feb 1793– Adjoining landowner to Lawrence Bankson and John Bankson:

Spartanburgh County Deed Book “C” page 151 - John Hightower grantor to Lawrence Bankson16 February 1793 both of Spartanburgh, SC for 100 pounds sterling, Lawrence Banckson420 acres originally granted to Reuben Dickson on 21 January 1785 “ situate on both sides of Pacolate River beginning at a black gum tree on the Northside of the River running past on John Bankson’sline…” to a pine on Edward Stubblefield’s line. John Hightower, Christean Hightower (her mark) witnessed by Sampson Bethel, John Cantrell, James Turner). (RSB & CVF)

1792 (age 62) 100 acres which he sold to Isaac Cantrell; Wolf Island Creek, Rockingham County, North Carolina16  Webster, Irene B, compiler. 1973. Rockingham County North Carolina Deed Abstracts, 1785-1800. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press. 43. Brent Cantrell  

26Feb1793 - Deed: John Harper to Abraham Hendrixson, both of Rockingham County, for L30, 166 acres on waters of Little Buffalo Creek, [description all survey]... /s/ John "X" Harper. Wit: Nathaniel Lindner, Nathaniel Tatum, Robert Small. (Rockingham County Deeds D:32)18

27Aug1793 - Witness: HenryBankson, Elisha Bernard witness deed of Jacob Cantrill to Isaac Cantrill for 100 acres on Waters of Wolf Island Creek, bounding Bankson, said Jacob Cantrill, James Wardlow... (Rockingham County Deeds C:306)

1794 – Research notes 25 August 2008 – Spartanburgh Deed Book “D” page 151-   William Garrett Sen. Grantor to Laurence Bankson20 August 1794 both of Spartanburgh County for 112 pounds sterling – 150 acres granted by the state on 20 August 1784 situate on the Southside of Pacolate River beginning at stake at said river… on Charleston old road, then running up said road…” William Garrett (mark) Sarah Garrett (mark) in the presence of Bethel, John Bankson, John Mitchell; recorded 23 September 1794  (signatures implied). (RSB & CVF)

4Dec1794 - Deed: Laurance Bankson, wife Sarah, to Aaron Cantrill, all of Rockingham County, for L40, 34 acres on both sides of Thrasher's Fork of Wolf Island Creek, bounding the South Fork, Talitha Browder, John Lindner... /s/ Laurance Bankson  Sarah Bankson  Wit: Jacob Cantrill, John Martin. (Rockingham County D:78)

7 Oct 1796 - Deed: Laurance Bankson to Edward Woolen, both of Rockingham County, for L100, 175 acres on both sides of Wolf Island Creek, bdg William Daniels, Cummings, Henry Kilman, Isaac Cantrill... /s/ Laurance "L" Bankson With Jacob Cantrill, Henry "G" Kilman "H." (Rockingham County Deeds E:27) Property 7 Oct 1796 (age 66) 175 acres adjacent to Isaac Cantrell and others which he sold to Edward Woolen; Wolf Island Creek, Rockingham County, North CarolinaWebster, Irene B, compiler. 1973. Rockingham County North Carolina Deed Abstracts, 1785-1800. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press. 43.  17

Property 7 Oct 1796 (age 66) 175 acres adjacent to Isaac Cantrell and others which he sold to Edward Woolen; Wolf Island Creek, Rockingham County, North Carolina17 Brent Cantrell

1797 – Research notes 25 August 2008 – Spartanburg, SC Deed Book  “E” page 82 - Laurence Bankson to Isaac Cantrell – 20 December 1796 both of Spartanburgh County to Isaac Cantrell 70 pounds sterling – for 426 acres.  Signed Laurence Bankson (his “B” mark) in the presence of Mary Burgess, Joseph Turner (mark), John Bankson, - recorded 13 January 1797.  Purchased Book “C” page 151 1793).(RSB & CVF) 

1798– Research notes 25 August 2008 – Spartanburg, SC Deed Book “F” page 192, James Sanders to Lawrence Bankson, 14 July 1798, both of Spartanburgh, ten pounds – part of a tract granted to James Philips dated 25 November 1771 then  North Carolina, but now in South Carolina situate on the Southside of Packolet River beginning at a Turkey Oak on the bank of the river on J. Bankson's line…”  13 acres, James Sanders (mark) in the presence of James Turner, William Abbott June, Isaac Young (mark) recorded 17 July 1796.) (RSB & CVF) 

17 Oct1798 - Witness: John Bankson, Patrick "X" Wardlow, Jno, Martin witness deed of Isaac Cantrill, of Spartansburg County, South Carolina, to Clement Whittemore, of Rockingham County, North Carolina, for 550 acres on waters of Wolf Island Creek in Rockingham County, North Carolina, being three tracts: (1) 350acres on Thrasher's Fork granted Nathaniel Hart on 20Feb1756; (2) 100 acres bounding Laurance Bankson; (3) 100 acres granted Jacob Cantril, bounding Bankson, James Ward... (Rockingham County F:36)

17 Jan1799 - Deed: Laurance Bankson to Absalom Goosetree, both of Rockingham County, for $166, 259 acres on Waters of Big Rockhouse Creek, bounding Thomas Pound and crossing Mitchell's Creek... /s/Laurance "L" Bankson. Wit: Thos Pound, John Granger, James Sipple. (Rockingham County Deeds F:17)

14Sep1799 - Deed: Luke Barnard to James Bankson, both of Rockingham County, for L30, 50 acres on Waters of Big Rockhouse Creek, bounding Claburn Wall, Clark, John W. Jones... /s/ Luke Bernard. Wit: A. Phillips, Wm Moberly, John "X" Wall. (Rockingham County Deeds F:83)

5Oct1799 - Survey: Abraham Hendrix, 67 acres on waters of Matrominy Creek in Rockingham County, on warrants dated 8 Apr1799 (60 acres) and 15 Oct 1799 (7 acres), bounding Henry Grogan, Frederick Coblar, and Jesse Hinton... Chain carriers George Kimbel, Samuel Kimbell...Nos. 557, 575. (NC Land Grants 112:252)

25Nov1799 - Deed: James Bankson to Claiborne Walls, both of Rockingham County, for L45, 50 acres on Big Rockhouse Creek, bounding said Claiborne Walls, John W. Jones... /s/ James "X" BANKSON. Wit: A? Charter, Louis Winston. (Rockingham County Deeds F:86)

17 March 1800– Research notes 25 August 2008 – Spartanburgh County, SC Deed Book “G” 228- Larrance Bankston of Spartanburgh County, SC for five pounds sterling, 270 acres granted to Samson Bethel by states office 3 September 1790 on the waters of Buck Creek and Sand Creek.  Samson Bethel, witnesses Leo Peacock, Jeremiah Nichols, William Adcock (mark); State of South Carolina, Spartanburgh Dist., personally came before me Leonard Adcock, and duly made oath that he saw John Bankstonsign the name of Samson Bethel to the within the deed of conveyances an attorney for said Bethel to Laurence Bankston, recorded 17 April 1801 (RSB & CVF)

1800 –U.S. Federal Census Spartansburg County, Spartansburg Dist., SC (page 60)

John Bankston 3 2 0 1 0 – 1 1 1 0 0 

Laurence Banckston  0 0 0 0 1 – 0 0 1 0 1

(There is only one Laurence/Lawrence Bankston despite the use of a B mark and the use of a signature.)

1800 – Samson Bethel, Power of Attorney to John Bankstonfor 270 acres of land situate on the Maple Swamp certified 1795; witness – Abraham Cantrell – recorded 19 April 1801) (Spartanburgh County Deed Book…?? Cynthia ask Ron for book # and page)

19 September 1801– James Saunders to Lawrence Bankston19 September 1801, both of Spartanburgh District - $133.00 for a tract of land granted 25 November 1771 to James Philips “situate on the Northside of Pacolate River beginning on a cherry tree on the bank of said river….” Isaac Young’s line to Buck Creek – 50 acres. James Saunders (mark) in the presence of Abraham Cantrell, John Brookshire, William Shed, recorded 4 1802. Spartanburgh County Deed Book “H” page 143 (RSB & CVF)

17 March 1801 – Book “I” page 192 – (1802) Laurence Banckston to Jeremiah Nickles 17 March 1801 both of Spartanburgh County – 8 pounds for 100 acres granted by the state to Samson Bethel dated 3 September 1794 on the branch of Little Buck Creek beginning on a conditional line made between Abraham Cantrell and Leonard Adcock … along the road to Stedman's land….”  Laurence Banckston in the presence of “Le Adcock, Andrew Rea, recorded 19 April 1801 (part of purchase 1800, Spartanburgh County Deed Book “G” page 228) (RSB & CVF)

1803 Spartanburgh County Deed Book“I” page 194– 100 acres Laurence Bankson to Ephraim Elder – 1803. Cherokee Creek (RSB & CVF) 

Court Record 17 Feb 1806 (age 76) and John Bankston making a deposition in the probate hearing of Isaac Cantrell18 Spartanburg County, South Carolina. Court of Common Pleas. Isaac Cantrell Estate Papers--File 736, Spartanburg County, S.C. &. Isaac Cantrell Estate Papers--File 736, Spartanburg County, S.C., 17 Feb. 1806. Brent Cantrell

16 March 1805– Spartanburgh County Deed Book “M” page 273 – Lawrence Banckstonto Abraham Cantrell both of the Dist. Of Spartanburgh,  $28.00 for 100 acres “situate on Little Buck Creek”  Signed Laurence “B” Bankston, witness: Reuben Warren, Isham Foster. Recorded 2 July 1810.

5 June 1806– Spartanburgh County Deed Book “N” page 156 - Laurence Bankston to John Martin 5 June 1806 both of Spartanburgh – $5.00 for 75 acres granted to said Bankstonby state dated 7 January 1799 (?) both sides of Cases Creek Road… made between Isaac Cantrell late deceased and said Bankstoncrossing Templen and Branch… said Martin’s corner….”  Laurence Bankson in the presence of Samson Cantrell, and John Bankston. Recorded 18 April 1812.  John Bankston, before Justice Leonard Adcock. (RSB &  CVF)

(use Joan’s title – my research page 352:

p. 106-107 Jan 13, 1807, James Morris (Edgefield Dist) to Abraham Cantrell (Spartanburgh); for $127.00 sold 170 ac on S side of Buck Cr of Pacolate R; border: Schoolhouse for Br. Bankston, and John Borris; grant May 10, 1788 States Office to William Morris sr who sold to James Morris. Witness James Bankston, John Morris, and John Bankston.  Signed James Morris’ mark. Wit. Oath Nov. 5, 1807, John Morris to Leonard Adcock, Rec. Nov 9, 1807. 

1 March 1809- Spartanburgh County Deed Book “M” page 62 – Recorded 20 April 1809 Thomas Warren of Franklin County, Georgia to John Bankson of Dist. Of Spartanburgh.  $21.50  for 276 acres – Pacolate River; Witness: James Bankston, Reuben Warren, Samuel Waters (RSB &  CVF)

15 March 1809 -  Spartanburgh County Deed Book “M” page 110 - George McDowell to John Bankson–15 March 1809 - $400.00 for 240 on Lawson Fork; original grantee Robert Prince; Laurence Bankston, John Foster, Mary McDowell witnesses.  Recorded 4 September 1809. (RSB & CVF)

2 May 1809– Spartanburgh County Deed Book “Q” page 295 –Spartanburgh District: Elizabeth Demsey, widow to Laurence BANKSTON $30.00 for 40 acres on the east side of Caseys Creek bordering on the east side by James Turner land and John Martin land. Witnesses: Peter Cantrell, Middleton Turner. Recorded (?) June 1819. (RSB & CVF)

20 April 1810– Spartanburgh County Deed Book “M” page 301 (see also page 308; Willaim (sic) Foster to John Bankston, both of Spartanburg Dist. $606.00 for 204 acres originally granted to Samuel Nesbitt in 1770 and to William Ford on the waters of the North Tygar River. Witnesses: James Young, James White, Edmond Fowler, Nancy Foster (RSB & CVF)

29 May 1810– Spartanburgh County Deed Book “P” page 95 -  Spartanburg Dist. - John Cantrell to Isaac Cantrell - $400.00 for 94 acres where son now lives bounded by Bankston land on the North – witnesses Isaac Cantrell and Jacob Cantrell. Recorded 19 May 1810 (RSB & CVF)

1810U.S Federal Census – Spartanburg Dist. Spartanburg County, South Carolina

            John Bankston  2 0 3 0 1 – 1 1 1 0 0

            Laurence Bankston 0 0 0 0 1 – 0 0 0 0 1

(Note: There is one Laurence/Lawrence Bankstonhead of household in Spartanburg 

1800 and 1810; this Laurence/Lawrence Bankston probably died between 1810 and 1820; the younger Lawrence found in deeds is likely the son of John Barkley Bankston ).

19 September 1812– Spartanburgh County Deed Book “P” page 96 - Laurens. Bankstonto Isaac Cantrell – both of Spartanburg Dist., $20 for 60 acres near the Broad River and? Swamp- (Laurens appears abbreviated or run together – spelled Laurence in the rest of the document and signed Laurence Bankstonwith his B mark) Henry Turner and Leor. Adcock witnesses; Recorded 1816. (RSB & CVF)

12 January 1813– Spartanburgh County Deed Book “O” page 149-150 – Spartanburgh: Mary Cantrell to Abraham Cantrell $100 for 75 acres on Cases Creek near the Pacolate River; Witness: John Bankston, Richard R. Morris.  (RSB & CVF)

23 August 1814– Spartanburgh County Deed Book “O” page 149-150 – Spartanburg: Abraham Cantrell to Laurence Bankston$100.00 for 8 acres on 23 August 1814 on Cases Creek Pacolate River originally granted to William Garrett. Witness: James Turner (RSB & CVF)

3 September 1814– Spartanburgh County Deed Book “O” page 106 – Spartanburg: John Ballenger and others (David Lewis, Edward, Francis, Elijah Ballenger) to James Ballenger; Ballengers sign that they say Laurence Bankston witness himself. – recorded 5 September 1814.            (RSB & CVF)

12 August 1815(recorded) – Spartanburgh County Deed Book “O” page 85 – Spartanburg: Laurence Bankstonto Luke Demsey - $85.00 for 85 acres on Pacolet River, Laurence “B” Bankston (his mark) witness: Stephen Grover, (?) Demsey (RSB & CVF)

1817 – Spartanburgh County Deed Book “P” page 304– Spartanburg: Lawrence BankstonTo James Turner 150 acres on Buck Creek – recorded in 

1817(RSB & CVF)

17 June 1819– Spartanburgh County Deed Book “T” page 149 – Spartanburg: Laurence Bankstonto Middleton Turner for $34.50 – 40 acres on the east side of Cases Creek adjoining James Turner, John Martin being part of Widow Dancy’s tract of land – recorded 29 October 1825. (RSB & CVF)

1819– Lawrence Bankston was received by experience in John Bankston’s congregation 

1820 U. S. Federal Census, Spartanburg, SC, Spartanburg Dist., 

               John Bankston0 1 0 1 1 1 –  0 0 1 2 0 1

               Nathan Bankston0 0 0 0 1 – 0 0 0 0 0 0

              Was Laurence  been living with John?????)(RSB & CVF)

 

19 July 1821– Spartanburgh County Deed Book “S” page 138 - John Bankstonto Thomas Wingo both of Spartanburgh District #600.00 for 119  ½ acres originally granted to Samuel Nesbett 9 April 1770 and granted to William Ford 4 March 1793 on the waters of N Fork of Tyger River… til it empties on Bankston‘s spring branch… to the spring.  Signed John Bankston; witness Laurence Bankston, Joseph Pearson, Joseph Barrett; recorded 6 January 1823.  (RSB & CVF)