Robert and Lucinda L. Kirkman

Robert Kirkman was born about 1804 in Randolph County, North Carolina. I believe I know who his parents are, but I am still working on getting more solid evidence.

He married Lucinda Lane on 12 May 1830 in Randolph County, North Carolina. Together, they had at least eight children:

• Mary Kirkman, born about 1836
• Rebecca Kirkman, born about 1836
• Tabitha Kirkman, born about 1838
• Nancy Kirkman, born about 1840
• Isabel C Kirkman, born 21 April 1844
• John W Kirkman, born about 1847
• William Alfred Kirkman, born 18 November 1850
• James Monroe Kirkman, born 17 August 1855

Robert was a farmer, as most of the people in Randolph County were. One thing I found interesting when looking at his census records was the value of his real estate. For most people, real estate values rise over the years even with the divisions amongst sons, except of course for the years immediately after the Civil War.

In Robert's case, however, he went from $1216 in real estate in 1850 to $1200 in 1860. Personal estate values were not recorded until 1860 though, and his personal estate was listed at $3700. In 1870, after the Civil War, Robert's real estate stands still at $1200. Only his personal estate was affected it seems having dropped from $3700 to $800 in 1870.

Clipping from 1870 census of Robert Kirkman's household

Robert's ability to maintain his real estate values post-War is not the only thing fairly unique about him. Randolph County, being comprised mostly of poor farmers with no standing or position, was not a place where slavery was common. Robert is listed in the 1840 census as having a male and a female slave both aged 10-23. His neighbor in 1840 (and his suspected father) Thomas Kirkman has the most in the area at 12. 

Clippings from 1840 census of Robert and Thomas Kirkman's slaves

As anyone who has researched slave ancestors knows, it is difficult to place names to the tick marks in census records or to the genders and ages listed in slave schedules, but it is something I strive to do whenever I find families that had slaves. More investigation will be required to find out who these men and women may be and how long the family kept slaves, but it is an investigation I think worth undertaking. Hopefully I can post my findings in a future post.

Robert and Lucinda are supposedly buried at Bethany United Methodist Church Cemetery in Franklinville, Randolph County, North Carolina. I have not yet found proof of the date of Robert's death, but his Find-A-Grave page lists his date of death as 5 May 1882. There is no photo shown to corroborate this date, and I have taken photos myself at the cemetery a couple of times, but I have no photo of their tombstones in my personal collection either. Either their graves are unmarked or I somehow missed them the last time I was there. Until someone posts one or until I can make it back to the cemetery myself, the search for a tombstone continues.

Sources:

• 1840 Randolph County, North Carolina U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1850 Randolph County, North Carolina U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1860 Sandy Creek, Randolph County, North Carolina U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1870 Liberty, Randolph County, North Carolina U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1880 Liberty, Randolph County, North Carolina U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• Find-A-Grave memorial #149695684
• North Carolina Death Certificate, Isabel C Kivett (accessed on Ancestry)
• North Carolina Death Certificate, James Monroe Kirkman (accessed on Ancestry)
• North Carolina Death Certificate, William Alfred Kirkman (accessed on Ancestry)
• North Carolina County Marriage Registers, Randolph County (accessed on Ancestry)

Samuel Franklin Pugh

I'm back! The school year is over, and I've finally had a chance to get back to work on genealogy. Regular posts will be added again once a week.

We start back with Samuel Franklin Pugh.

Samuel Franklin Pugh was born 19 August 1843 in Randolph County, North Carolina. He was the second of at least nine children born to Jesse Arlendo Pugh and Catherine Keziah Lineberry.

Samuel Franklin Pugh married Martha Elizabeth Smith on 18 April 1866 in Davidson County, North Carolina. She was the oldest child of John Benjamine Smith and Christina Charlotte Walk. Together, they had at least the following children:

• Jesse Arlendo Pugh, born 10 May 1867
• Loucina Christina Pugh, born 31 October 1868
• Theodore Franklin Pugh, born 10 February 1870
• Utensia Bell Pugh, born 25 April 1872
• Cora A Pugh, born 11 June 1875
• Samuel Amick Pugh, born 25 July 1876
• John Wesley Pugh, born 29 March 1879
• Albert Clarkson Pugh, born 16 January 1881
• Jane Estelle Pugh, born 18 September 1884
• Robert K Pugh, born 8 September 1886

Samuel got married the year after the U.S. Civil War. Samuel served in the Confederate Army in the Cavalry. I'll save the details of his service for another post, but I'm curious if Martha and Samuel were sweethearts before the War or if they met after it had ended. I believe Martha and Samuel were cousins since Martha's grandmother was a Lineberry (like Samuel's mother), but I haven't pinpointed the exact relationship yet.

Martha died on 15 September 1921. Samuel later remarried to Sarah E. Julian. She was born 30 January 1853 in North Carolina to John Julian and Elizabeth Love. As far as I can tell, they had no children together.

As far as I can tell, Sarah had no children to any of her three husbands. She first married on 23 November 1902 to Thomas Franklin Millikan, who was born 9 September 1846 and died 17 January 1924. If Sarah married Samuel after the death of her first husband, that means they must have married between Thomas' death in January 1924 and Samuel's death on 25 April 1925. That's a relatively short marriage. I wondered what could have caused Samuel to die so shortly after his marriage to Sarah. According to his death certificate, he died of heart dropsy.

Taken from Death Certificate, Samuel Franklin Pugh

Dropsy is what they used to call swelling of the soft tissue due to excess water. Now, we often call this edema. More than likely, since it was specified as "heart dropsy," this was the result of congestive heart failure.

After Samuel died, Sarah married Jeremiah Osburn. She remained married to him until the day she died (24 March 1929).

Samuel and Martha are buried in Grays Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery in Franklinville, North Carolina. Sarah is buried in Bethany United Methodist Church Cemetery, also in Franklinville, North Carolina.

Sources

• 1850 Randolph County, North Carolina U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1860 New Salem, Randolph County, North Carolina U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1870 Sandy Creek, New Salem, Randolph County, North Carolina U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1880 New Salem, Randolph County, North Carolina U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1900 Providence, Randolph County, North Carolina U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1910 Providence, Randolph County, North Carolina U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1920 Providence, Randolph County, North Carolina U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• North Carolina Marriage Index (accessed on Ancestry)
• Death Certificate, Samuel Franklin Pugh (accessed on Ancestry)
• Death Certificate, Martha Elizabeth Pugh (accessed on Ancestry)
• Death Certificate, Sarah Julian Osburn (accessed on Ancestry)
• MedicineNet.com