Unearthing a life.....

Before I wandered off on the subject of my inconclusive hunt for grandmother Nancy (Abernathy) M., I had enumerated the marriages of five of Evan and Olive M.'s seven children. Let me step back a bit to 1791 and relate an event that may have touched on at least some of the family.

While on a tour of the southern states, George Washington passed through South Carolina, departing from Augusta, Georgia, and traveling to Columbia, the new South Carolina State Capital. His route traversed the lower part of Edgefield District. In his 1879 "History of Edgefield," John Chapman writes, "His route lay by the Pine House and the Ridge. At every place along the road where he could be seen, he was met by many citizens who were anxious to see and do honor to the great man."

As this route carried President Washington about five or six miles to the southeast of the M. place on Stephen's Creek, I am inclined to imagine that, well before the crack of dawn on Saturday, May 21st, 1791, the Evan M. family and their Carson neighbors loaded the women and children into a wagon, and with the menfolk on horseback, set out to catch their own glimpse of "the great man."

I visualize them ranked up alongside the road from Augusta to Pine House (with a good majority of their local neighbors): Evan and Olive, 28 year old Rachel, Oneas, Enos and Nancy with four year old Martin and babe-in-arms Lucy, Abiah and Nancy with two year old John Evan, Ozias, Olive, and six year old Eli.

NOTE: When Chapman writes that Washington's route "lay by the Pine House and the Ridge," I suspect that the Father of Our Country may have been traveling on what was known as the Ridge Road. As the crow flies from Augusta to Pine House, the M.‘s would have had to travel about five or six miles to reach the Ridge Road. But the road may not have followed the crow's flight. When Ozias sold off some of his land in 1810, it was described as being situated between Stephen's Creek and Ridge Road. Maybe they didn't even have to hitch up a wagon to go see George Washington.

In the years leading up to the writing of his Will in 1798, Evan was presented with at least eleven grandchildren: from Oneas - Frances "Fanny"; from Enos - Martin, Lucy, John, and David; from Abiah - John Evan, Mary "Polly", Olive, and Drury; from Ozias - Archibald; and from Olive - Moses Quarles. Three more, including my g-g grandfather Sterling, were born in the year 1799, and many more followed in the early decades of the 1800's.

This is the span of years that witnessed tragedy in the early death of son Oneas. As I mentioned in a prior section, Oneas' widow Rhoda (Pace) deeded Oneas' 100 acres to their infant daughter "Fanny" and delivered the deed over to her brother-in-law Abiah M., the child's legal guardian. And as you may recall, Abiah's wife Nancy (Pace) was Rhoda's sister.

A couple of years before this (Oct. 1793 to be specific) Abiah had purchased 244 acres from his father-in-law Drury Pace. With the assumed responsibility for "Fanny's" 100 acres, Abiah was suddenly farming 344 acres.

Which brings us to Evan M.'s Will, written "April the seventeenth Day in the year of Our Lord one Thousand Seven Hundred & Ninty eight." This Will is transcribed in the book "Edgefield County, South Carolina, Wills 1787-1836," (1991) by James E. and Vivian Wooley. The Wooley transcription varies from the original written text. They have made some editorial changes, omissions, and interpretations of Evan's intent. We do have a copy of the original hand written document which is also somewhat unclear as to Evan's intent. My interpretation of what Evan leaves each child is:
Rachel: a Negro Wench Named Nan, also one Negro garl Named Milley, to her & her Heirs after her Dissease, all My stock of cattle with all the House hold goods and furniture....by giving Rachal Fifty acres During her Life wheare the Dwilling House Now stands also one Negro Boy Named Kitt also one gray mare & colt, also one cow and yearling. [The second part may represent properties gifted to Rachel prior to the writing of the Will.]
Enos: Two Hundred acres of land wheare on he now Lives, also one Negro Wench Named Jean.
Abiah: one hundred acres of land, also a Negro Fellow Named Dick.
Ozias: one hundred acres of land, also Negro Fellow Named Will.
Eli: one hundred and fifty acres of land. [Eli is now thirteen.]
Fanny: (Oneas' daughter) Five pounds starling to be paid out of Ozias part when the sd child comes to Age.
...and... I also will that my several Hiers Jointly pays for Eli schooling one year.

At the time the Will was written, daughter Rachel was thirty-five and unmarried (and reportedly remained unmarried throughout her life). We have no information as to when Evan's wife Olive died, but judging by her absence from the Will, Evan apparently outlived her. This leads me to speculate that Rachel was the female "head" of Evan's household during his last years. He seems to have "set her up" well with due concern for her future.

According to the Wooley book, the Will was "Proved in open Court by the oath of Lud Brook Lee & Vincent Cox, October term 1799 & ordered to be recorded. Enos M. qualified as executor."

# posted by Clear Creek Girl : 3:47 PM