Lost Souls!
Can You Help?
Any ghostbusters in the audience? I have a few elusive souls I'd really
like to capture and lay to rest. These guys have been dancing just out
of my reach a little too long. I could write books
about
all the ghosts I'd like to track down, but I don't have that much space on the server. So I'm including
here just a few that have been especially difficult.
Descendants of Darius Whitmel Cullom
AKA William Cullom, Whit Cullom, Dennis Cullom, D. W. Cullom, and Dewit Cullom. Born about 1848 in
Halifax Co, NC, son of Joel Cullom and Nancy Hogg. Married in Halifax Co. Mary Jane Pepper, divorced
by 1880 with no children. Moved to Cincinnatti where he married Laura (Cross?). Children by Laura were
Harvey Cullom born 1884 (married Della -?-, son William Cullom born 1907 St. Louis, IL), Idona Cullom
born 1887, and Edna Cullom born 1888 (married William Peete). All children by Laura born in Ohio. Family
moved to St. Louis, MO by 1900. Whitmel married Mrs. Margaret Sullivan after 1810. Children by Margaret
were Geraldine Cullom born 1913, Lawrence Cullom born 1915, and Shelby Cullom born 1919, died 1983
MO. Whitmel was still living in St Louis, MO in 1929 but probably died soon afterward. On several
censuses he claimed to be a French immigrant. On one census, he listed his family under his brother's
name, Harvey Cullom. On other censuses, he used the name William Cullom. He may have signed as
D. W. Cullom. Even his children's censuses stated that their father was born in France. His descendants
may believe their Cullom ancestors were French. Curious, huh?
Descendants of Christopher Woodward/Woodard of Wake Co., NC
Born about 1787, died 1850-1860. First wife unknown, second wife Candace Stephens.
Some children may have been born to Candace while Christopher was still married to his first wife. Children indicated by his censuses were Sanders Woodward (m1 Susan Abbott, m2 Jane Delaney), Julia Woodard
(m Matthew Johnson), Winifred Woodard (m Aaron Johnson, father of Matthew Johnson), Christopher W
Woodard, Jr. (m Lurenda Hamilton), E. Woodard (female). There may have been others who have not
been identified. Some descendants were buried in the Macedonia Church
Cemetery in Wake Co. Would like to find living descendants who might be
able to clear up some of the confusion about this family.
Ancestors and/or descendants of Lewis Jones, Sr. of Middle Creek,
Wake Co., NC.
Probable brother to William Jones of Middle Creek. Family may have come
from Edgecombe Co. where Lewis Jones married America Barnes in 1764. Lewis
Jones' Wake Co. will dated 1801, probated 1815 named his children as
Nathaniel Jones, William Jones, Lewis Jones, Frances Jones, Susanna Jones,
Levy Jones, Rebekah Franks, Mary Short, and Nancy Northington. All children
were by America Barnes who survived him. A Wake Co. record mentions a David
Jones as the father of Lewis Jones - but there were several Lewis Jones in
Wake Co. at this time.
Wife of Nathaniel Jones of Middle Creek, Wake Co., NC
Marriage probably occurred 1790-1797. She was the mother of triplet
daughters born about 1798 named Delia "Dilly" Jones, Dolia "Dolly" Jones,
and Dicey Jones. Dolly married Anderson Taylor, and, after her death, he
married her sister Dicey. Delia married Joseph Woodward. Abel Jones,
born 1803, died 1825, was a younger brother
to these triplet daughters.
Parents of America Barnes
Thomas Barnes of Edgecombe Co. named America Barnes as his granddaughter in his
1761 will. Although several sons of Thomas Barnes can be proven who were
not named as heirs in the will, I have not been able to prove if one of
these sons or perhaps another deceased son was the father of America Barnes.
America maintained a close relationship with Mary Barnes (Tucker), daughter
of Thomas Barnes, after both the Jones and the Tuckers moved to Wake Co.
Although Mary Barnes (Tucker) might have been America's aunt, I can't even be
certain that America wasn't Mary's daughter born before her Tucker marriage.
Parents of Martha Lewis Meldrum/Meldrom
It is not clear whether Martha was born a Lewis or a Meldrum. Although most
records used the name Meldrum or Meldrom, Arthur Finn Bowen stated that his
grandmother was a Lewis. Martha may have been a Meldrum widow, or possibly
it was Martha's mother who was a Lewis. Other writings by A. F. Bowen and
Iphigenia Bowen state that Martha was the daughter of a preacher. When
Martha's parents died, she was raised by another preacher, Thomas Adam, for
whom she named her son Thomas Adam Bowen. Martha was probably born in
Mecklenburg Co, VA about 1810.
Miss McKeithan and Mrs. Alexander McKeithan,
Mother and Grandmother of Clara Clarissa Mitchell
Clara Clarissa Mitchell was the daughter of William Mitchell and an unnamed
daughter of Alexander McKeithan of Brunswick Co., NC. As a child, probably
about 1826, Clara was taken by her mother (Miss McKeithan/Mrs. William
Mitchell) to visit the grave of her maternal grandmother (Mrs. Alexander
McKeithan). The grave was near the entrance to the ruins of St. Philip's
Church in the town of Old Brunswick. Years later, around 1900, Clara took
her grandchildren to see her family's graves at St. Philip's. Most of the
family graves were still there at that time (but have since been destroyed);
however, her grandmother's grave had been destroyed. The grandchildren
remembered how broken-hearted Clara was when she discovered that the grave
was no longer there since she knew how much this would have hurt her mother.
Since Clara's mother was deceased before Oct., 1827 when William Mitchell
remarried, Clara's grandmother, the wife of Alexander McKeithan, must have
also been deceased before that date. Therefore, Isabella, Alexander
McKeithan's widow who was listed on the 1830 census, could not have been
Clara's grandmother. She must have married Alexander after Clara's
grandmother had died. Clara seemed to have no memory of her grandmother,
but did know how much her mother had loved her. Probably the grandmother
died before Clara was born in 1820 or when Clara was very young. Since St.
Philip's Church had been in ruins for many years and was surely in ruins
when Mrs. McKeithan was buried, undoubtedly she was buried there only
because her own family or members of her husband's McKeithan family were
already buried there. I suspect that Clara's grandmother was a Hargrove,
possibly a daughter of Samuel Hargrove who lived near Alexander McKeithan
prior to Samuel Hargrove's removal to Kentucky. One of Alexander McKeithan's
sons (Miss McKeithan's brother) was named Hargrove "Grover" McKeithan.
There is very strong circumstantial evidence that Alexander McKeithan was
a son of Gilbert McKeithan and Sarah Milliken who was the daughter of Moses
Milliken and Mary Murrell. Sarah's brother, Benjamin Milliken, Sr. married
Elizabeth "Betsy" Hargrove who was very possibly related to the same
Hargrove family. Benjamin and Elizabeth Hargrove Milliken named a son Samuel
Hargrove. Does anyone have records to prove that Hargroves or McKeithans
were buried at St. Philip's? Can anyone connect Samuel Hargrove to Elizabeth
Hargrove or the wife of Alexander McKeithan? Can anyone connect Alexander
McKeithan, Moses McKeithan, or Gilbert McKeithan to Donald/Daniel McKeithan
(1739 immigrant) and his son Alexander McKeithan, tailors who lived in Old
Brunswick Town before moving on to Wilmington and Bladen Co.? Could it have
been McKeithan graves that Clara showed her grandchildren at St. Philip's?
Clara Mitchell and her husband Andrew Jackson Woodward had a close
relationship with descendants of James McKethan of Cumberland Co. who was a
son of the same Donald/Daniel McKeithan. I have no doubt that Clara's
McKeithan mother was related to the James McKethan line and her ancestry
also traces back to Donald McKeithan, but I need records to prove it. Clara
also had an interest in the cemetery at Hilton in Wilmington. This was very
near the land that her father had owned when she was a child. When visiting
her son in Wilmington, she requested to be driven out to this cemetery. It
is possible that her mother (Miss McKeithan) was buried there. Most of the
Hill graves were moved from Hilton to Oakdale. However, there were other
graves that were never moved and were later destroyed. Does anyone have a
recording of the graves at Hilton? After Clara's mother died and her father
remarried, Clara did not get along with her new stepmother and went to live
with another unidentified family for several years. The Mitchells lived near
a Blanks family in Wilmington. Clara later named one of her daughters Delia
Blanks Woodward. Does anyone have information on the Blanks family that
might explain this?
Other children of William Mark Harper of Culpeper Co, VA
We suspect but can't yet prove that Summers Harper who was born in Culpeper
Co, VA was a brother to Zacheus Harper. Summers lived as an adult in Sumner
Co, TN but owned property in Adams
Co, OH where George Harper and Zacheus Harper also lived. It seems probable
that all three were brothers - all sons of William Mark Harper who
lived in Culpeper Co, VA shortly before the 1790 census. Another possible
brother was William Harper who married Anna Putman 2/16/1793 in Culpeper Co.
She was the daughter of Henry Putman who was listed for taxes very near
William Mark Harper. Zacheus Harper and William Marsh appeared on an 1825
Highland Co., OH document in which they signed for the apprenticeship of
Poleman Harper. William Marsh m 1806 Adams Co, OH Nancy Harper. We have
been told that Nancy was named as a sister in the will of George Harper,
but we don't yet have that will. Another supposed sister of George Harper,
Anna, married Barnet King. Barnet King, William Marsh, and Zacheus Harper
all purchased goods at the estate sale of George Harper. Does anyone have
information on these possible siblings of Zacheus Harper that would help
to prove these connections? We have heard that there is a record of the
death of William M Harper in W. Union, Adams Co, OH in 1833. Does anyone
know anything about this? He might be the father, William Mark Harper, but
we need more proof.
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