John Goldsmith and Elizabeth Marchbanks

John Goldsmith  was born about 1785 in Simpsonville, Greenville County, South Carolina. He was the son of William Goldsmith and Elizabeth Rountree.  John Goldsmith married Elizabeth Marchbanks, the daughter of Stephen Marchbanks about 1805 most likely in Greenville County, South Carolina. 

John and Elizabeth Goldsmith bought land in Buncombe County, North Carolina sometime in the 1820's with the intent to homestead. (Madison County Heritage, North Carolina Vol 1, #279, Goldsmith). John died sometime before 1830 when Elizabeth Goldsmith was listed in Buncombe County, NC. as the head of the household.  Since John was buried in South Carolina, there is some question regarding whether he and Elizabeth both moved to North Carolina, or if she and the children moved after his death.

I have seen lots of speculation that John and Elizabeth were married about 1811.  But to assume that one has to wonder about the identity of the older children living with John and Elizabeth in the 1820 census.  There were three children between the ages of 10 and 16 in the household.  If we compare the 1820 and 1830 censuses with what we know from the 1850 and 1860 censuses ( I have ignored the 1840 because I haven't found Elizabeth on  that census) it is clear that we know very little about the family of John and Elizabeth Goldsmith.  But both the 1820 and the 1830 suggest an earlier marriage date than 1811, most likely as early as 1805 or 1806.

On February 26^th, 1832 (Yancey Co. Court Records) two of the children of John and Elizabeth Goldsmith were bound out.  "Matilda Goldsmith is bound to Reuben Keith until she is 18. He is to teach her the art and mysteries of industry. John Goldsmith is bound to Reuben Keith until age 21."  I think Reuben Keith might have been a relative, but I have yet to find a connection.  Some researchers have suggested that Elizabeth Goldsmith married Reuben Keith.   On the 1850 census of Buncombe County, Reuben Keith was listed as an 81 year old laborer who was born in Virginia.  He was married to an Elizabeth who was 70 years old and born in North Carolina.  I don't think this was Elizabeth Goldsmith who would have been approximately 60, and born in South Carolina.  When Matilda Goldsmith Robbins applied for a pension for her husband's Civil War service, she said that she was married at the home of her brother, William Goldsmith, on 12 October 1841 in Buncombe County.  Maybe she didn't marry at her mother's house because her mother was deceased at the time.  She also said that she couldn't produce a copy of her marriage certificate because the records had been destroyed in the war, and the minister had since gone insane.  

A record of the probate of William Goldsmith was listed in A Collection of Upper Couth Carolina Genealogical and Family Records Vol I, pg. 151:

Estate of William Goldsmith Senr 22 March 1834, Greenville, South Carolina, widow: Elizabeth 
son: Thomas 
dau: heirs at law of Polly Howard, decd 
dau: Lucy, wife of William Daugherty 
dau: Sally, wife of William Willingham 
son: William 
dau: Milley, wife of Josiah Greer 
son: Turner 
dau: Elizabeth, wife of Thomas McCresry 
son: heirs at law of John Goldsmith, dec. 

The same source listed the children of John Goldsmith as Elizabeth, Milley, Massey, Turner and Mariah.  We know this has to be an incomplete list because his son William was not mentioned and we know William was still alive in 1834.  This record is a transcription of original records that I haven't seen.  A lot of research needs to be done.

Some Court records from Buncombe County list Goldsmiths, I don't know how or if these Goldsmiths relate to our John and Elizabeth Goldsmith.

February term 1839 
State vs James Bradley - case of bastardy 
James Bradley, the reputed father of an illegitimate child begotten on the body of Lucy Goldsmith, appears in court and entered into bond for $300 with Nathan Anderson and Reze Jarvis, securities to indemnify the county for said child becoming a charge on said county. 

Thursday, October 14, 1841 
Ordered by the Court that the sheriff bring into court John Goldsmith, illegitimate son of Elizabeth Goldsmith that the court may prove to bind or otherwise provide for him that the cost may not come chargeable to the county.   (We do know that this John was not the son of John Goldsmith and Elizabeth Marchbanks, as he would be 15 or 16 at the time, too old for the county to worry about his support.  It also seems unlikely that this Elizabeth is the child of John Goldsmith and Elizabeth Marchbanks because Elizabeth Goldsmith married Alexander Bradley prior to 1836.) 

Spring term, 1849 
The petition of William Goldsmith and others praying the court to lay off a road on the Bullcreek road between William A. Peck and the top of the hill towards James Ray to the Buncombe County line near John West be received and advertised. 

Wed, April 18, 1849 
William Goldsmith was elected sheriff 

Children of John Goldsmith and Elizabeth Marchbanks

The 1820 and 1830 censuses suggest there John Goldsmith and Elizabeth Marchbanks were probably the parents of about 11 children.  I can only identify five.

1. William M. Goldsmith was born about 1812 in Greenville, South Carolina.  He married first, Mary Buckner, daughter of Jesse Buckner.  William married a 2nd time to Mary Ann McMahon on 26 September 1855 in Madison County, North Carolina.   William Goldsmith, along with his son John A. Goldsmith served in the Confederate Army North Carolina Troops, Company 64^th Regiment. William died at Camp Douglas, Illinois, in a Northern prison camp.

2. Elizabeth Goldsmith was born sometime between 1815  and 1820 (she was listed as 35 in 1850 and 40 in 1860).  The Antioch Cemetery, Barnardsville, Buncombe County, North Carolina.  listed her birth as 5 June 1818 and death as 24 September 1909. (Antioch Cemetery information courtesy of David Gregg.)  Elizabeth married Alexander Bradley about 1834.  Some family records listed Alexander as James Alexander Bradley.  Alexander Bradley was born 9 May 1813 and died 28 July 1891, he too was buried in the Antioch Cemetery in Buncombe County, North Carolina.

3. Matilda Lucinda Goldsmith was born 28 July 1824 in Greenville County, South Carolina. She married Jacob Alexander Robbins on 12 October 1841 at the home of her brother, William Goldsmith, in Yancey County, North Carolina.  Family records list her marriage date as 12 October 1841. However on one of the depositions she gave on the pension application of her husband, Jacob Alexander Robbins, she listed the marriage date as 12 October 1842.  But on all later depositions, she consistently listed the date of the marriage as 12 October 1841.  Her sister in law Abigail Ball also listed the date of the marriage as 12 October 1841.  I think the 1841 date is correct and Matilda simply made a mistake on her first deposition for a Civil War pension.

Civil War Pension Application of Matilda Goldsmith Robbins: 

On this 2^nd day of February 1869, personally appeared before me a clerk of a County of Record in and for the County and State aforesaid: Matilda L. Robbins, resident of Pond Creek in the County of Jackson and State of Kentucky aged 44 years, who being duly sworn, makes the following declaration in order to obtain the Pension provided by the Act of Congress approved July 14, 1862. That she is a widow of Jacob A. Robbins who was a private in Company A, commanded by John Penington in the 47^th Regiment of Kentucky Inft in the War of 1861 that her maiden name was Matilda L. Goldsmith and that she was married to said Jacob A. Robbins on or about the 12^th day of October 1842 at William Goldsmiths in the County of Buncombe in the State of North Carolina by Robert Paterson, Preacher, and that she knows of no record evidence of said marriage that she has been informed that the records was destroyed in time of the war that the preacher is gone distracted, but she can prove the marriage by eye witnesses.

On this 23^rd day of January 1880, before me John Farmer, Clerk within and for the County and State aforesaid, personally appeared Matilda L. Robbins, who being by me first duly sworn states that she is 55 years of age and the widow of Jacob A. Robbins ...She further states that she was married to said Jacob A. Robbins in the County of Buncomb and State of North Carolina by Robert Patterson, a minister on the 12^th day of October 1841.

In a deposition on the 4th of October 1888, Lucinda said:

I was married to deceased soldier October 12, 1841. I had thirteen children by him, four of them were still born. I had a record of their births, but is was burned about 16 years ago last February. Eight of said children were living when my husband died. One of my children, James Wilburn Robbins, was a soldier in 24^th Kentucky Vols and died in service. The eight who were living when my husband died were:

Sarah Adeline Robbins born August 8, 1842

Lemuel Turner Robbins born September 30, 1847

Jonathan Goldsmith Robbins born November 24, 1849

Wiley Marion Robbins born October 5, 1851

Mary Elizabeth Robbins born October 5, 1851

John Henry Robbins born September 13, 1855

Nancy Jane Robbins born May 30, 1859

William Alexander Robbins born March 17, 1864

Sarah died Feb. 23, 1883. Jonathan G. died March 14, 1877. John H. died October 1, 1886, the others are living to best of my knowledge. Wiley M. is living near Pineville, Bell Co. KY. Mary Elizabeth is, I believe living with her husband at Delaney, Arkansas. Nancy Jane is, I believe living with her husband William Baldwin near St. Paul, Arkansas. William Alexander is living near ___ or Pond Fork, Jackson Co. KY. I don’t know whether Lemuel Turner is living or dead.

My maiden name was Matilda L. Goldsmith and I was married to the soldier at the home of my brother William M. Goldsmith, about 18 miles west of Asheville in Buncombe Co. N.C. The license was obtained at Asheville, N.C. 

In a deposition on behalf of her sister in law, Abigail Robbins Ball, widow of Addison Ball,  Matilda Goldsmith Robbins said:

 I am 60 years old, and the widow of J.A. Robbins. My P.O. is Moore's Creek, Jackson, KY. I have known Addison Ball from the time we were both children, we were second cousins. My husband Alex Robbins was Mrs. Abigail A. Ball's brother, we were all raised together on the waters of Little Ivy , Buncombe Co. NC. I was not present at the marriage, but I remember when they were married.

Matilda died on the 15th of October, 1903.  Some family members say she died at the home of her brother John Goldsmith in Oklahoma. I haven't found Matilda on the 1900 census, so I am not sure about this information.

4. John Goldsmith was born 10 July of either 1824, 1825 or 1826 probably in Greenville, South Carolina, although he listed North Carolina as his place of birth on the 1850 census.  I have seen all three years listed for his birth.  If our family records are correct regarding the birth date of Matilda Lucinda Goldsmith, it is highly unlikely that John was born in July of 1824, unless they were twins.  Matilda's pension depositions as well as the census seem to support her birth date as 28 July 1824.  John married Naoma Bryan Corn 1 August 1846 in North Carolina. He died 12 Dec 1911 in Beckham County, Oklahoma.  Naoma was born 2 April 1832 in North Carolina and died 25 August 1909 in Montague County, Texas. 

5. Sarah Goldsmith was born sometime about 1826 in Greenville County. South Carolina. and died sometime after 1880.  She married Jonathan H. Bradley about 1843 probably in Buncombe County.  Jonathan H. Bradley was born about 1815 and died about 1865. They lived in the Reems Creek area of Buncombe County, North Carolina.