USA > South Carolina > Marion County > A history of Marion county, South Carolina, from its earliest times to the present, 1901 > Part 41
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Of Duncan Carmichael's sons, William D. married a Miss Harllee, daughter of Captain Peter Harllee, and has a consid- erable family-one son, I think, named William, very promis- ing, a graduate of the North Carolina University at Chapel Hill; he acquired distinction, and is now and has been since his graduation principal of the High School in Durham, N. C. William D. Carmichael was a Captain in the late war, and was badly wounded in the jaw and tongue, which affects his speech ; he was a gallant soldier, and is a progressive and successful farmer in upper Marion; he has other children grown, un- known to the writer. John R. Carmichael, brother of Captain W. D., married a Miss Meekins, daughter of E. J. Meekins, of the Harlleesville section, and had three children, one daughter and two sons. The daughter, Johny, married Samuel Gallo- way, a farmer, and has some family, how many is unknown; Coy Carmichael, a young man and unmarried, and Alexander, who is married, and now lives in Atlanta, Ga. Their father died when his children were quite young. Archie Carmichael married a Miss Harrelson, and had John, Monroe, Albert J., William and Joel, and girls, Mary, Nancy, Civil, Lou, Hettie, Lilly Mack and Ellen-the latter married Albert Rogers; she is dead, left no offspring. John married some one unknown, also Monroe. Joel married Hattie McLellan, daughter of Timothy R. Mclellan, and has a family, Mary married a Car- michael, and has some family. Lou married Jefferson McIn- tyre. Albert J., William, Nancy, Lilly Mack, Civil and Hettie, are all unmarried. Captain Neill M. Carmichael, another of the six sons of old Duncan, married Miss Catharine Car- michael, a sister of Sheriff Archie, and raised a family of eight sons and three daughters. The eldest daughter married John C. McIntyre, mentioned elsewhere herein; their son, David, married Catharine Carmichael, daughter of Malcolm Car- michael, and have no children. Calvin C., son of Captain Neill M., married Margaret C. Buie, and they have no children. Duncan D. married Julia M. Wright, of Marlborough County ; they have five children. None of the rest of Captain Neill M.'s children ever married. Daniel M., one of the younger sons, and his two maiden sisters, Mary and Margaret, live on and own the homestead where Captain Neill M. lived and died.
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A HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY.
Daniel M. is a prosperous farmer and merchant, and a large and successful tobacco grower. Gilbert, the youngest son, was a partner of Daniel M. in their various business enter- prises, and was a man of fine judgment; he was County Com- missioner for one term, just previous to his death, in 1894. Another son, Alexander, died in 1877. All of them were gal- lant soldiers in the Confederate war, except Gilbert, who was too young to go. The eldest, Franklin, and the youngest (ex- cept Gilbert), Evander, were killed at the same time by a shell at Petersburg, Va., in 1864.
An instance of the devotion and patriotism of our Southern women will not be out of place here. About the last year of the war, an agent of the government was through the country buying up corn, meat, &c., for the soldiers. Captain Neill M. sold him, for Confederate money, as much as he had to spare; and at dinner the agent asked Mrs. Carmichael if she had any sons in the army, and she promptly answered, "Yes, seven of them-all but that little fellow there," pointing to Gilbert, "and I wish he was old enough, I would have him there, too." In- stances of like kind were not uncommon among Southern mat- rons.
Another. Duncan Carmichael came from Scotland, and set- tled in upper Marion ; he married a Miss Carmichael, and had three sons and three daughters; the sons were Dougald B., Neill C. and Daniel; the daughters were Mary (Polly), Chris- tian and Nancy. Dougald B. married Flora Mclellan, and raised a considerable family, who have already been mentioned in or among the Mclellan family. Neill C. married the widow of Edward Campbell, whose maiden name was Martha Jane McCollum, who had three sons, Dougald, Chalmers and Lanier B. Carmichael. The latter was a fine looking man and full of promise, but died unmarried, two or three years ago, after a short illness. The two former, Dougald and Chalmers, went West, and, I suppose, are married. They had four daughters. Catharine married Richard McColl; they have a family. Ma- tilda married William McCollum, and Ida became the wife of William McQueen, in North Carolina. Viola, the youngest, is single. Neill C. Carmichael, called "Cut-face Neill," from severe cuts in his face made by some of the Millers, when a
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young man, in a fight with them, died many years ago; his widow, Martha Jane, being a thorough business woman, kept right on making money and raising and educating her children ; she died within the last year; as already stated, she was the widow of Edward Campbell; by him she had one daughter, who became the wife of George J. Bethea, on Buck Swamp, and has already been noticed in or among the Betheas. The other brother, Daniel, died, a medical student in Charleston, un- married. The daughters of old Duncan were, as stated above, Polly, who never married and lived to the age of ninety-three years; Christian was the first wife of George W. Reaves, as stated already in or among the Reaves family. Nancy married Archibald Murphy, and had three sons-John, who married in North Carolina; Duncan Murphy was killed in the war, and was a Lieutenant in Captain J. H. Stafford's company ; the third son was Dr. N. C. Murphy, who married a Miss Reaves, and who died in Marion, in autumn of 1886, and left three sons and two daughters-all of whom have already been noticed in or among the Reaves or Watson family. Dougald Carmichael came from Scotland, and settled in Marion County, on north side of Little Pee Dee; don't know to whom he married, but he had sons : Major Daniel, Squire Neill, Michael, Malcolm and Archie. Daniel married Agnes Campbell, had one son, John C., and five daughters. John C. is unmarried. Squire Neill married a Miss McColl, and settled on south side of Little Pee Dee, near Carmichael's Bridge; they had and raised a consider- able family, three sons, Daniel W., Dougald and Neill, also three or four daughters. Daniel W. married a Miss Edwards, daughter of Samuel W. Edwards, on Buck Swamp, settled in the "Fork," and is still there; they had Luther, Oliver, Gilbert, Samuel, Maston Neill and Baker Carmichael, and daughters. Anne married Edward D. Carmichael; Martha married Austin Edwards ; Jennie married a Sinclair; Rebecca married an Ed- wards; Susan married Asbury Jackson; Fannie married a Rogers. Luther Carmichael married a Miss Martin; Gilbert married, also, a" Miss Martin; Oliver married a Miss Car- michael; Samuel married Miss Harrelson; Maston and Baker married sisters, names unknown ; Neill went West, married and had four children ; his wife is dead. Don't know what became
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of Dougald and Neill, younger sons of Squire Neill. Squire Neill was a Magistrate in his day, also a surveyor, and was a useful man. Michael Carmichael married and settled on north side of Little Pee Dee, opposite Carmichael's Bridge; don't know to whom he married; he had a family, not, however, known to the writer. Malcolm, another brother, married and settled on Bell Swamp, on north side of the river, but know nothing of his family ; and the same of his brother, Archie.
Another family of Carmichaels, on Buck Swamp and Maiden Down, is also to be noticed among this large connection- whether related to those above mentioned, is not certainly known, but suppose they are, and had a common ancestor in Scotland, whence they came. I allude to old Squire Dougald, a prosperous and capital man in the section named. Squire Dougald Carmichael married Martha Carmichael, and had four sons, James, Alexander, Angus and Daniel, and five daughters, Flora, Margaret, Nancy, Mary and Sarah. Angus married Miss Pencie Lewis; died and left his widow and one child, a daughter, who grew up and married John W. Norton; she had one child, a daughter, named Iva ; when she was six or eight years old, was caught on the band wheel of a gin and killed. Alexander Carmichael married a Miss Geve, in North Carolina, and by her had six children, three boys and three girls; the boys were Albert, John and Solon; the girls were
Susan, Nettie and Augusta. Albert never married; he is in Florence. John died when young, unmarried. Solon is in Horry County. Susan married Calvin Morgan, and resides in Florence. Nettie and Augusta died unmarried. Daniel Car- michael married a Miss Williamson, and had a number of chil- dren, and among them was William D. and Gilbert Carmichael, of the Ariel section. William D. married a Miss McInnis, of upper Marion, and has a family. Gilbert married a Miss White, and also has a family. James Carmichael married the Widow Woodward, nee Jordan, and died, leaving one child, our rising B. M. Carmichael, who married, first, Miss Murray, daughter of Rev. John W. Murray ; she had one child, mother and child both died; and he married a second time, Miss Maggie Wil- liams, and has a family coming up. Polly Carmichael never married. Flora married W. L. Lewis, who has already been
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mentioned among the Lewis family. Margaret married David W. Edwards, and has three children, E. C. Edwards, late County School Superintendent, and Melvin Edwards-both of whom are married, have families and doing well; Mrs. Ed- wards is dead ; her daughter married one of the Rogers, in that region, and they are prospering and have a family. Sarah Carmichael married Daniel Lewis, of Horry, ex-Sheriff, an excellent man and first class citizen.
BAKER .- This old and respectable family had its origin, so far as Marion County is concerned, as stated by Bishop Gregg (P. 75) : "Soon after (1735), a family of Bakers came from Newbern, N. C., to Pee Dee. One of this name married a daughter of Nathan Evans. William Baker was prominent in the Revolution, and marked for his devotion to the cause of lib- erty." From the above extract, it seems they came here as a family-the head of it not being named. One of the name married a daughter of Nathan Evans. Whether it was Wil- liam, that became "prominent in the Revolution" or another, does not appear ; but from tradition we glean the fact that the grand-father of Long Billy Baker and the late William J. Baker, was named William, and, I suppose, he is the "promi- nent" William spoken of by Bishop Gregg; and if he is not, the one that "married a daughter of Nathan Evans," it is not known to whom he did marry, nor do we know how many chil- dren he had, except two sons, William and John. Tradition informs us that William Baker was the great-grand-father of Mrs. Wm. J. Davis, B. F. Davis and J. Preston Davis-but whether he was William Baker, Sr., or William Baker, Jr., does not appear. We are further informed by tradition that the grand-father (maternal) of Mrs. W. J. Davis was Joshua Avant, who married Miss Catharine Baker. William and John Baker are the proximate progenitors of the family, as now known. This William Baker married the Widow Hugh Giles, whose maiden name was Annis Philips; by this marriage there were two sons, James Baker and William J. Baker-the latter was called "Fat Billy ;" he never married.
I will relate an incident that occurred a few years before the death of "Fat Billy," in the Court. On Monday morning of
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the Court, there were several jurymen excused or wanting to be excused from serving on the jury during that term-some on account of the recent confinement of their wives, and some on account of the daily expectation of confinement. Of these applications there were an unusual number-so much so that it attracted the attention of Mr. Baker, who had been drawn and summoned to attend as a juryman for that term, and was sitting in the jury seats near by the writer. Mr. Baker beckoned to me to go to him; I went, and he said to me he never heard so many applications to be excused from service on account of the expected confinement of their wives ; and added, "he wanted to be excused himself, and thought he might be;" and looking „down upon his front, said, "from appearances, it looked like he might be confined himself before the week ended, and he did not want to be in Court, when that event happened." He was a capital man and a first class citizen.
James Baker, the elder brother, married a Miss Taylor, the half-sister of Major David J. Taylor ; by their marriage three sons, William W., Joseph A. and James M., were born and raised, and two daughters. Of the two daughters, one married Robert Monroe; they have no offspring. The other daughter married Benjamin Baker, and they have five children. Of the sons, William W. married, first, Miss Martha Tennent, and by her had seven children (two of them are dead) ; there are now three sons and two daughters ; the sons are James Oscar, John Tennent and Warren Caldwell. The two oldest have gone West ; the youngest, Warren Caldwell, grown but unmarrired, remains with his father. The two daughters, Mary and Lil- lian, unmarried. William W. married, a second time (his first wife dying), the Widow China, her maiden name was Gordon, and by the second marriage they have one son, named David Gordon. Joseph A. Baker, the second son of James Baker, married, first, Mary J. Graham, daughter of James Graham ; they had two sons, James G. and Joseph Mary. James G. Baker married Anne Monroe, daughter of Dr. F. M. Monroe; they have four children, daughters, all small. Joseph Mary married Anne Gaddy, daughter of the late James M. Gaddy; they have three children, two sons and a daughter. The first wife dying, Joseph A. Baker married a second wife, Anna M.
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Graham, and have two children-one a son, Marion Taylor Baker, who married a Miss Wrightson, of Spartanburg, and a daughter, Mary R. Baker, unmarried- she is a physician, and located at Rock Hill, S. C. James R. Baker, the third son of James Baker, Sr., married Miss Mary Monroe, a daughter of Major David Monroe; they had six children, all boys-one is dead, five now living ; the mother is dead, and the father has not remarried; he lives in Marion. These three sons of James Baker, Sr., are all progressive farmers, doing well, and among them own a large landed property, and are first class citizens. William Baker, as hereinbefore stated, married the Widow Giles, whose maiden name was Annis Philips ; to this marriage were born a daughter, Mary, who married Gospero Sweet- they removed West ; and another daughter, Eliza, who married Nathan Evans; another daughter, Susan, who married Alex- ander Owens; another daughter, Jennette, who died quite young ; and another, Mattie, who married T. F. Brown, and the two sons above mentioned, James and William J. The father, William Baker, died when his children were quite young ; Mrs. Annis Baker lived to a very old age, and was a very remarkable woman; the death of her husband did not seem to affect her success in life and business in the least-she was an excellent manager of affairs and of money, raised her children quite re- spectably, and continued to accumulate property and amassed a large fortune, which she distributed herself during her life. John Baker, brother of William, above mentioned, married Katie Evans, and by their marriage two children were born and raised, William B. and Polly. William B. married Addie Lenora Davis, a sister of Wm. J. Davis ; Polly married Hugh Giles. To William B. Baker, called "Long Billy," and wife, Addie Lenora, were born nine children, they raised eight ; their names were Mary Elizabeth, James D., W. B., Jr., J. E., Benja- min B., Susana C., Rebecca and Thomas D. The eldest daugh- ter married John J. Williamson ; they had two children, Wil- liam L. and John J .; the father, John J. Williamson, died, and left these two children. James D. never married. William B., Jr., married Lou Legette, daughter of Captain David Legette ; they had nine children, raised six, named Gertrude, Hannibal, Mattie, Carry, Pauline and Boyd. John E. Baker married
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Elwood Davis, daughter of Dr. W. M. Davis ; they had six chil- dren, named Brockinton, John, Mary, Lenora, Neill and Her- bert. Benjamin B. Baker married Jennette Baker, daughter of James and Rebecca Baker ; they had six children, raised five, named Robert, Alex. T., Leola, Rebecca and Benjamin B., Jr. Miss Susan Baker never married. Rebecca Baker married F. M. Wall; they had seven children, raised four, named Estelle, Beaty, Nevada and Willoughby. Thomas D. Baker married Mattie Snipes, daughter of Wilson Snipes; they had seven chil- dren, named Adger, Eloise, Lizzie, Imo, Mattie, Cary Lenora and Thomas Wilson. William B. Baker, Sr., was a most ex- cellent man, always cheerful and pleasant, kind-hearted and obliging, took the world easy, made the best of all circum- stances in life-and did not fret as to that which he could not control; honest, straight and liberal to a fault. Peace be to his ashes-his many virtues are a rich heritage to his posterity.
DAVIS .- The name Davis is very common, and is met up with in almost every section of the country. In Marion County, it is very numerous in name and in its connections. The first appearance of it here was about 1735, in Britton's Neck, where a colony from England came and settled about Old Neck (now) Methodist Church. This was four years before John Wesley made the move in England, as the basis of the Methodist Church in the present day, both in Europe and America. One of that colony was a Davis-what the given name was, is un- known. Bishop Gregg, in his history (page 69), says: "One of these (settlements) was in Britton's Neck, twenty miles be- low Moss Bluff and forty miles above Georgetown. It was composed of the families of Britton, Graves, Fladger, Davis, Tyler, Giles and others. They came directly from England, as one colony, and being members of the Established Church, one of their first acts was to erect a house for the worship of God. Their minister, Dr. Robert Hunter, came with them, and is supposed to have died there. He was succeeded by the Rev. Mr. Allison." In a note to the above extract, the Bishop fur- ther says: "This building was of black cypress, with a brick foundation, and is still to be seen (1859), or was a few years since, in a good state of preservation, on the road leading from
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Port's Ferry to Potatoe Ferry, on Little Pee Dee. About the year 1780, the congregation having been long without a minis- ter, and doubtless much broken up by the troublous times of the Revolution, united with the Methodists, and the building passed into the hands of the latter, by whom it has since been retained. Charles Wesley is said to have once preached in it." In the extract above, the name Davis appears, and it is to be presumed that he is the progenitor of the Davis family now be- low Marion, or a great part of that extensive family. The writer has made every effort possible to trace the family from him down to the present generation, but has not been able to do so; but will present such facts as he has been able to find and obtain. First from William J. Davis and wife, Susan B. Davis-the latter was a Miss Davis before her marriage, no relation to her husband (if any, it is very remote). William J. Davis' grand-parents (maternal) were Baker and Evans; his paternal grand-parents were Harry Davis and McCants. His father was named John Davis, called "Jacky Davis ;" mar- ried Miss Susannah Baker ; he had four children, two sons, Eli or Elihu and William J., and two daughters, Laura or Louisa, who married William B. Baker, and Susan, married John B. Sheckelford. William J. Davis married Susan Brownfield Davis. Nothing is said of Elihu Davis, brother of William J. Davis. Mrs. William J. Davis' grand-father was Joseph Davis, who married Anne Keene, and had eleven children, viz : Daniel, Benjamin S., William, Joseph and A. G. Davis, sons; the daughters were Maria, Mary, Eliza, Christianna, Susan and Rachel. Daniel died, leaving no child living. Benjamin S. Davis, the father of Mrs. W. J. Davis, married Miss Julia Avant ; they had six children-three sons, Keene, B. F. and J. Preston Davis ; the two latter are now leading and prominent citizens of Marion; and three daughters -- Catharine, Susan Brownfield and Julia F. Avant Davis. Of these sons, Keene Davis died unmarried, when quite a young man. B. F. Davis married, first, Miss Ella Jenkins, the only daughter and child of the late James Jenkins, and they had : sons, James, C. L., Fontaine, Benjamin F. (dead), Claudius (dead), Robert L. and Marvin Warren; and daughters, Lizzie, Sallie, Mary, Emma (dead) and Julia. James C., the eldest son of B. F.
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Davis, married a Miss Oliver, daughter of A. R. Oliver, and has a coming family. L. Fontaine Davis, the second son, married a Miss Stevenson, daughter of the late James N. Stevenson, and has four children, three girls and a boy. Rob- ert L. married Kate McIntyre, daughter of Captain G. A. McIntyre, and has one son. Marvin Warren married a Miss Hodges, of Abbeville. Lizzie is unmarried. Sallie married Jessee G. Holliday, lives in Marion, and have a coming family .* One daughter, Mary, married William Stackhouse, of Dillon; they have three children, two daughters and one son. Emma, a promising young lady, died a year or two ago; Julia, the youngest daughter, is unmarried. B. F. Davis is a prosperous man, an excellent citizen; has represented his county in the lower House of the General Assembly, and has the confidence of all who know him. B. F. Davis' first wife dying, he married, a second time, Miss Corinna McCormic, of upper Marion, and by her has one son, a lad, named Henry Grady. J. Preston Davis resides and merchandises at Marion, with his son, Can- tey, and they are doing a fair business ; he also has a farm be- low Marion; married a Miss Cantey, of Clarendon or Kershaw County, and has three sons, Cantey, Joseph and Keene. Of these, Cantey married a Miss Oliver, of Clarendon County, and has three children, two girls and a boy. Joseph Davis married a Miss Hodges, of Abbeville, and has three children, two boys and one girl. Miss Cora, the eldest daughter, is unmarried ; the son, Keene, is also unmarried. Mary married Harold Brunson, of Florence. Mineola married Dr. Thomas P. Baily, of Georgetown, now professor in the University of Chicago; they have two boys. Eva married Albert Guery, and has one daugh- ter. J. Preston Davis has the confidence of his fellow-citizens ; he was elected some years ago County Treasurer for the county, and served acceptably one or two terms; was also elected a Representative of the county in the State Legislature, and was faithful to the trust reposed in him by his people. Abram, or A. G. Davis, brother of Benjamin, married (name not known), and had three sons, A. G., Dr. William M. and Joseph Davis. Don't know who A. G. Davis, Jr., married ; he moved to North Carolina, some years ago. Dr. William M. Davis
*Sallie, J. G. Holliday's wife, recently died.
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married a Miss Belin, of West Marion, now Florence, and lives in Florence County. Before the formation of Florence County, Dr. W.m. M. Davis represented Marion County one term in the State Legislature ; he has a family ; Joseph Davis married Miss Ervinia Richardson, oldest daughter of the late William F. Richardson, and by her had two children, a son, William G. Davis,* and a daughter, Addie Davis; when the father died, his widow married Rev. J. B. Campbell, of the South Caro- lina Conference, and of whom more will be said later on. Joseph Davis, the grand-father of Mrs. Wm. J. Davis, B. F. Davis and others, it seems, had two other sons, William and Joseph, but as to them and their posterity, if any, the writer has no further information. The grand-father, Joseph, had, also, daughters : Martha, who married Tristram Thomas, of Marl- borough; Mary also married James Thomas, of Marlborough (had no children) ; Susan married James Lyles, of North Carolina; Anna Maria married Hugh Fladger; Eliza married Joseph or James Johnson, the father of the late Dr. William R. Johnson; and Rachel married James Newson (had no chil- dren). Benjamin S. Davis, the father of Mrs. W. J. Davis, B. F. Davis and others, had three daughters: Catharine Davis, who married, first, John Collins, and he died and the widow married Hugh James Floyd, of Horry ; Mrs. William J. Davis and Julia F. Miss Julia F. is unmarried, and from her (Julia F.) the writer has had much of the above account of her family. Harry Davis, the grand-father of Wm. J. Davis, it seems, had three sons-maybe four; they were James, Jackey, Harry and David Davis. Of Jackey's posterity and old Joseph's we have already spoken; now I will notice that of James, brother of Jackey ; he married some one unknown, and had a son, named Theodore Gourdin Davis, who married and lived on the God- frey's Ferry Road in Britton's Neck. The sons of Theodore Gourdin Davis were Edward William, Theodore G. and Nicho- las Calvin. Edward William Davis lives in Florence County, and is quite a respectable citizen. Harry Davis, Jr., married and had sons, Dr. Oliver, Jackson, James C. and Ervin Davis (don't know that these are stated in the order of their ages).
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