The West Family Line - The Children of William Robert West

The Children of Robert West and Betty Greenway

Ada Virginia West

Ada was born on 26 June 1889 according to her death certificate. On this certificate Ada's birthplace is listed as North Carolina, we know that the family was either in Granville or Franklin County but unfortunately we do not know which place is her birthplace.

On the 1900 Census Ada's birth is shown as June 1887 and she was 12 years old living with her father and brothers and sisters in Cedar Rock, Franklin County.

Ada married Joseph Edward Moore on 15 Oct 1905 in Franklin County. Joseph was the son of Simon Moore and Lucy Joyner from Louisburg, North Carolina.

By 1910 Edward and Ada were sharing their home with her father, Robert, and their son, Robert Gillis Moore.

The 1920 Census shows two more children; Marion and Ada have joined the family. 

Edward passed away 22 Jan 1930. Ada passed away on 9 Jan 1973. Edward and Ada are buried at White Level Baptist Church.

Robert West

Robert was born 29 Sept 1892 in Franklin County, North Carolina. 

In 1900 he was living with his brother Thomas and his wife Mollie. Also in the household was his father and brothers and sisters.  In 1910 he was living with his brother Luther and his wife Kate. 

On 22 Jan 1911 Robert married Zelpha Gertrude Pearce. Zeffie was Luther's wife Kate's sister. 

Zeffie was the daughter of Doctor Buck Pearce and Carolina Gupton. 

Robert and Zeffie had two daugthers, Swannie and Sadie. 

Robert passed away on 2 Feb 1914 and was buried at White Level Baptist Church. 

Zeffie later married Luther Collins.

This is a picture of Zeffie and Luther Collins:

Lessie West

Lessie was born on 29 May 1889 in Franklin County, North Carolina. At 17 she married Joseph L. Wester on 18 Dec 1906. Joseph was the son of Thomas Wester and Sarah Wilson.

They had 8 children; Mabel, Samuel, Charlie, Kathleen, Hilda, Iam, Beal and Emily.

They made their home in the Cedar Rock area of Franklin County. 

Joseph passed away in 1951. Lessie died on 3 Jan 1980. They are both buried at Hickory Rock Baptist Church on the Fire Tower Road in Franklin County. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Next post is about Luther West my great grandfather and son of Robert West.

Pattie

The West Family Line - The Children of Robert

The Children of 

William Robert West and Betty Greenway

Robert and Betty had eight children. They began their life together in Granville County, North Carolina and later moved to Franklin County. No one knows why they made this move. However, there may be at least one clue as to when they moved. Luther's death certificate lists his birth place as Granville county. Luther was born in 1883. Ada's death certificate does not list a county of birth but Robert's lists Franklin County as his birth place. Robert was born in 1889. From this we can guess that the move was between 1883 and 1889. If anyone has more information I hope they will share. I need to look into land purchases etc and maybe that will give a better time frame.

William Spencer West

William Spencer was born in November of 1871 in Granville County. On 16 Dec 1896 he married Frances Etta Greenway from Granville. Etta's father was James Henry Greenway. James was Betty's brother, Robert's wife.

William and Etta West

Below is the 1900 Federal Census. 

Etta's mother Nannie Greenway was a widow and living with Spencer and Etta. Etta's sister Mary was also living in the home.  Nannie lived with Etta and Spencer until her death on 14 Oct 1923. 

William Spencer and Etta lived in Watkins, Vance County, North Carolina. They were not blessed with children during their marriage.

William and Etta's farm in Watkins

Etta passed away on 10 Dec 1951 and Spencer passed on 29 May 1953. They are both buried in Sunset Garden Memorial Cemetery in Henderson, North Carolina.

Samuel Thomas West

Samuel Thomas was born in Granville County in July 1873. Thomas moved to Franklin County where he married Mollie Wester on 13 Dec 1900. Mollie's parents were Thomas and Sarah Wester of Franklin County.  They were not blessed with children during their marriage. Samuel passed away 12 January 1922 and was buried at Hickory Rock Baptist Church on the Firetower Road in Franklin County. Unfortunately I have not discovered what happened to Mollie yet. 

1900 Census

The 1900 Census shows the family living together in Cedar Rock, Franklin County, North Carolina.

Thomas and Mollie are listed as head of household.

Solomon West

Solomon was born 28 Aug 1874 in Granville County. He and Luther would share households and business investments during their lives. Solomon married late in life to Annie Best Collins. Annie was the daughter of Ollie and Geneva Collins. They married on 2 Feb 1930. He was 55 years old and Annie was 20 when they married. They had three children; Maxine, Ronald and David.

Below is the 1930 Census; Sol and Annie had just married and they are living with Luther and his family.

Annie B. West

Solomon

Solomon passed away on 10 July 1962. Annie passed in June 1975. They are both buried at White Level Baptist Church. From Annie's death certificate it appears she remarried, a Gilliam.

Lelia West

Lelia was born on 10 Jun 1880 in Granville County. Lelia married Joseph Clifton Collins on 18 Nov 1899 in Franklin County. Joseph's parent were William Henry Collins and Martha Ann Murray of Franklin County. 

The 1920 Census shows Lelia married but Joseph is not listed. The Census records before and after have him listed. Wonder where he was??

This census lists their children; Bettie, Mamie, Columbus, Joe and John.

There was another daughter Iola.

Joseph passed away 26 January 1947. His death certificate indicates he was buried in the Collins cemetery in White Level. Lelia passed away on 19 January 1969 and is buried in the cemetery at White Level Baptist Church. 

I have a picture of Bettie and her husband William E. Wood.

Next post will be about the other children of Robert and Betty West. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Pattie

The West Family Line - The Children of Thomas

William Robert West

Son of Thomas

My great great grandfather

William Robert West was born on 14 Feb 1841 in Lewis Township, Granville County, North Carolina. The 1850 Census shows Robert with both his parents.

This would be the last time that Thomas, his father, would appear with the family. 

In 1860 Robert was living with Brodie and R.E. Meadows and working as a farm laborer. 

A few short years later the Civil War would begin and Robert enlisted on 8 Jul 1862 in Oxford, Granville County, North Carolina. He was in the 23rd Regiment Company I. He was 23 years old with fair complexion, brown hair and gray eyes and 5 foot 5 1/2 inches tall. Things seemed to go well until 12 May 1864 when he was captured near Spottsylvannia, Virginia. He was sent to Point Lookout Maryland and then on 10 Aug 1864 he was transferred to Elmira, New York. 

Elmira New York

Conditions at Elmira were not good. The prisoners lacked nourishing food, suffered bouts of dysentery, small pox, typhoid and pneumonia. Thankfully Robert was transferred for exchange 11 Oct 1864 back to Point Lookout Maryland. He was exchanged on 29 Oct 1864.

 

Robert was captured again near Petersburg, Virginia on 25 Mar 1865. He was released on 22 Jun 1865.

After the war Robert lived in Maryland and worked, according to a family story. This would explain why Robert did not appear in the 1870 Census.

Robert married Elizabeth "Betty" Greenway on 2 Oct 1870 in Granville County.  Betty was the daughter of Samuel Greenway, who died from small  pox in the Old Capital Prison in Washington D.C. during the war, and Mary Jane Parrott. 

They appear in the 1880 Census living in Sassafras Township, Granville County.

In the ten years that they have been married the family has grown. Spencer is 9 years old, Tommie is 7, Solomon is 5 and Lelia is 1.

Because the census of 1890 was destroyed it is hard to pinpoint when the family moved to Franklin County, North Carolina. 

The next published census is 1900 and we find the family living in Cedar Rock, Franklin County.

Robert is living with his children and listed as widowed. To find out what happened to Betty I turned to the newspaper and found this article.

This article appeared in the Franklin Times on January  20, 1899. From this we find that Betty had been sick and gone to Baltimore for treatment and died on January 14, 1899. I have not been able to find a death certificate yet or locate where she was buried. She might be buried at White Level Baptist Church where Robert is buried. 

Robert's oldest son Spencer did not come to Franklin County with the rest of the family. He made his home in Vance County. More on him later.

Robert and Betty had eight children. 

• William Spencer
• Samuel Thomas
• Solomon
• Lelia
• Luther Martin
• Ada Virginia
• Lessie
• Robert Jr.

Robert passed away 25 Jan 1917. According to the information given at the time of death, he was 75 years 11 months and 11 days old. The cause of death was yellow jaundice. He was buried at White Level Baptist church on 26 Jan 1917.

In 1953 Robert's son, Luther, applied for a marker for Robert for his service in the war. 

Coming up will be more about the children of Robert and Betty West.

Thanks for stopping by!

Pattie

The West Family Line - The Children of Thomas

Thomas West

My 3 times Great Grandfather

The Story Continues

Walter Wyatt West

Wyatt was born on 16 Jun 1856 according to his tombstone. 

After the Civil War the children of Thomas had to live without their father. They began to build their own families.

On the 1870 census we find Wyatt living with his brother Fleming, Fleming's wife, Fleming's son, and brother Frank. Wyatt was listed as 15 at that time. 

Wyatt married Alice Craft 15 Jan 1880.

From the 1880 Census we learn the following:

By 1880 Mildred age 64 had moved in with her son, Wyatt age 23 and his wife Alice age 19.

The Federal Census for 1890 was destroyed. There is a 20-year gap that makes some details hard to pinpoint.

From the 1900 Federal Census we discover the following:

 Wyatt and his wife Alice are living in Louisburg, Franklin County. Wyatt is 44 years old and Alice is 34. Alice has had 8 pregnancies and has 8 living children. All the children are living with them in 1900.

In 1907 Alice Craft West, wife of Wyatt,  passed away on June 7^th. She is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Louisburg.

In the 1910 Federal Census we discover this information:

Wyatt is living on the Henderson Road in Louisburg, Franklin County with his son Walter age 20 and his daughter Susie who is 15. Wyatt is a widower and 45 years old. 

The 1920 Federal Census provides the following information:

Wyatt is living in Louisburg, Franklin County with his son Walter. Wyatt is a widower and Walter is 33 years old.

The 1930 Federal Census has the following information:

Wyatt is in Louisburg, Franklin County living with his daughter Nolin who has married William H. Holmes and their 6 children. Wyatt is a widower and 76 years old.

Wyatt passed away on February 11, 1931. He is listed as 76 years old with no birthdate given. It appears that Wyatt had a stroke on the 5^th that resulted in paralysis. The stroke and high blood pressure are listed as cause of death. He is buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Louisburg, Franklin County.

Thanks for stopping by!
Next up, the story of William Robert West and his family!
Pattie

The West Family Line - The Children of Thomas

Thomas West

My 3 times Great Grandfather

The Story Continues

Franklin P. West

Frank was born in January 1851.

After the Civil War the children of Thomas had to live without their father. They began to build their own families.

In the 1870 Federal Census Frank is living with his brother Fleming and is 18 years old.

Frank married Rhoda Knott in Oct 22 1879 as we see from the article in The Torchlight newspaper of Oxford, Granville County. Frank was 28 years old and Rhoda was 24 years old.

From the 1880 Census we learn the following:

Frank age 28 and his wife Rhoda age 25 were living with her mother Mary J. Knott.

The Federal Census for 1890 was destroyed. There is a 20-year gap that makes some details hard to pinpoint.

Sometime before 1890 Rhoda West passed away.

From the 1900 Federal Census we discover the following:

Frank and his wife Bettie are living in Walnut Grove, Granville County. Frank’s age is given as 52 and Bettie is 44 years old. They have been married for eight years. There have been no pregnancies.  However, Frank’s children from his earlier marriage are living with them.

Another contradiction: I found the marriage record for Frank and Elizabeth Owens listed as 13 Sep 1891.

In the 1910 Federal Census we discover this information:

Frank and his wife Bettie are living in Walnut Grove, Granville County. Frank is 57 years old and Bettie is 54. They are living next door to Bettie’s mother, Bettie Owens, who is living with her son Alfred Owens.

Frank and Elizabeth make the newspaper in Oxford:

Oxford Public Ledger Feb 22 1911

Oxford Public Ledger Sat June 7 1913

In 1914 Frank’s wife Elizabeth Owen West passed away on July 1, 1914. Elizabeth is buried in the cemetery at Hester Baptist Church in Oxford.  

Oxford Public Ledger Jul 4 1914

Following her death, Frank marries Martha Ann West. I believe her parents were James William West and Mary E. Newton. This marriage took place on 24 Aug 1914, less than 2 months after Elizabeth’s death.

The 1920 Federal Census provides the following information:

Frank and Martha are living in Walnut Grove, Granville County. Frank is 68 and Martha is 45 years old.

The 1930 Federal Census has the following information:

Frank and Martha are still in Walnut Grove, Granville County. Frank is 79 and Martha is 60.

Frank passed away on February 27, 1931 in Tally Ho, Granville County. His birth year is listed as 1851.  His cause of death was pneumonia. He is buried in the cemetery at Hester Church.

Martha Ann passed away 24 Aug 1948 and is buried at Mountain Creek Baptist Church. 

Tomorrow's post will be about another child of Thomas West.

Thanks for stopping by!

Pattie

The West Family Line - The Children of Thomas

Thomas West

My 3 times Great Grandfather

The Story Continues

After the Civil War the children of Thomas had to live without their father. They began to build their own families.

David R. West

According to the 1870 Federal Census:

David age 19 was living with George and Caroline Daniel and was working on their farm. 

In 1873 David married Louisa Currin on December 4^th.

From the 1880 Census we learn the following:

Louisa, David’s wife must have passed away before 1880 because their daughter Mollie, 4 years old, is living with her grandmother Mildred Currin. I can not find David listed in the 1880 census.

David appears in the news. Found in The Granville Free Lance, Friday April 22, 1881 edition.

The Federal Census for 1890 was destroyed. There is a 20-year gap that makes some details hard to pinpoint.

David marries Mary Matthews on 16 Aug 1893 according to the record that I found. Her parents were Henry Matthews and Martha Currin. But to contradict this is the 1900 Census.

 In the 1900 Census this has been recorded.

David and his wife Mary are living in Hayesville, Franklin County. David is 50 years old and Mary is 30 years old. They have been married for six years. Sadly we find that Mary has had three pregnancies and no living children.

 In the 1910 Federal Census we discover this information:

David and his wife Mary are living in the same area, Sandy Creek, Vance County. David is 56 years old and Mary is 42. Annie, 6 years old, and Julia, 2 years old, are living in the home.

The 1920 Federal Census provides the following information:

David and his wife Mary are also living in Sandy Creek, Vance County. David is now 70 and Mary is 50. In their home is their daughters; Lula 16 and Julia 11.

In 1923 David R. West passed away on July 15^th. His cause of death was listed but I can not read it.  He was buried in the cemetery of the New Sandy Creek Baptist Church in Henderson. His marker has the wrong date of death.

Mary Matthews West, wife of David, passed away on June 14, 1939 at 3:03 PM. Her birth date is given as October 14, 1842. The cause of death is uterine cancer. She was 66 years, 8 months and 0 days old. She is buried at New Sandy Creek Baptist Church in Henderson. 

Tomorrow's post will about another child of Thomas West.

Thanks for stopping by!

Pattie

The West Family Line - The Children of Thomas

Thomas West

My 3 times Great Grandfather

The Story Continues

After the Civil War the children of Thomas had to live without their father. They began to build their own families.

Frances P. West

Sadly in July of 1869 Frances died of Typhoid fever in Sassafras Fork at the age of 21.

Found on the Mortality Schedule:

Thomas Spencer West

Thomas Spencer married Mary Ann Riggan in 1867 but I can’t find a record for this.

Thomas Spencer West (1911)

Mary Ann Riggan West

I can not find this couple in the 1870 Census. Wonder where they are or who they are living with???

From the 1880 Census we learn the following:

Thomas age 33 and Ann age 33 had 5 children; Rosa age 12, James age 11, John age 6, Thomas age 4, and Wess age 2 months.

The Federal Census for 1890 was destroyed. There is a 20-year gap that makes some details hard to pinpoint.

From the 1900 Federal Census we discover the following:

Thomas Spencer and his wife Mary are in Sandy Creek, Vance County, North Carolina. Thomas and Mary are both listed as being 52 years old. Mary is listed as having 9 pregnancies and all are still living. In their household are 8 of the children. The page is damaged and makes it hard to read the names of the children. 

In the 1910 Federal Census we discover this information:

Thomas is in Sandy Creek, Vance County. He and Mary have been married 43 years.  Mary has had 10 pregnancies and 9 are living. Annie their daughter is 16 and living in their home. 

This picture of Thomas Spencer and his family was taken in 1911.

The 1920 Federal Census provides the following information:

Thomas and his wife Mary Ann are living in Sandy Creek, Vance County. Thomas is 72 and Mary Ann is now 71.

On February 25^th in 1922 Mary Ann Riggan West passed away. The cause of death is heart disease. She was about 72 years old and died in Sandy Creek, Vance County according to her death certificate. The informant was J.F. West. Mary Ann is buried in the Family Burial Ground.

The 1930 Federal Census has the following information:

Thomas Spencer is living with his grandson Johnnie and his wife Irene in Sandy Creek, Vance County. His son, John F, is living close by. There are four West households living close. 

Thomas Spencer passed away on April 11, 1934. His birth date is given as September 28, 1848. According to this information he was 85 years 6 months and 13 days old. His cause of death was high blood pressure and old age. He is buried in the Family Cemetery.

The family Cemetery:

Tomorrow will be about another of Thomas' children.

Thanks for stopping by!

Pattie

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mama!!

The West Family Line - The Children of Thomas West

Thomas West

My 3 times Great Grandfather

The Story Continues

After the Civil War the children of Thomas had to live without their father. They began to build their own families. 

Charles Fleming West

After the war Fleming married Mary Frances Usry on 20 Jan 1866. They set up house and brothers Frank and Wyatt moved in.

According to the 1870 Federal Census the family looked like this:

Fleming age 30 and his wife Fannie age 25 had one son, Willie. Living in their household are Frank age 18 and Wyatt age 15.

Mildred is living next door by herself. This will be the last entry in the census for Mildred. Her date of death is not known.

From the 1880 Census we learn the following:

Fleming age 39 and his wife Fannie age 38 had five children; William age 13, Mary Jane age 6, Josephus age 3, Mildred age 2, and Lucy age I month.

The Federal Census for 1890 was destroyed. There is a 20-year gap that makes some details hard to pinpoint.

From the 1900 Federal Census we discover the following:

Fleming is living in Hayesville, Franklin County, North Carolina. He is 60 years old. On this census we find that he is using his first name Charles. His wife Mary is 60 years old. They give their marriage date as 1868. Their daughter Lucy is listed as 13 years old. (June 1882) Also living in the household is their daughter Louisa. Louisa married Herbert Smith. They have been married two years. Louisa has had one pregnancy during that time but no living children. On the same page of the census, Joe West, Fleming’s son, is living close by. J has married Molly. Joey is 23 and Molly is 24. They have been married 7 years. They have two children, Lucy age 3 and Carrie age 1.

In the 1910 Federal Census we discover this information:

Charles Fleming West is living in Sandy Creek, Warren County. They did not move, the boundary between Franklin and Vance was redefined on March 9, 1909. Between 1881 and 1911 the boundaries were being redefined between Franklin, Vance, Warren, and Granville and it affected their assigned locations.  He is 77 years old. His wife Mary is also 77 and blind. They have been married 40 years with 9 pregnancies and 5 children still living.  They are living with daughter, Eula M. who is 31. Her marital status is d. Did she divorce? She has had 9 pregnancies and 3 living children. Her children; Nannie, Elija and William are living in the home.

The 1920 Federal Census provides the following information:

Fleming and his wife Fannie are in Sandy Creek, Vance County living with their son Joe West and his wife Molly. Fleming is now 83 years old and Fannie is 70. Joe and Mollie, both listed as 43 years old have 11 children. 

Fleming and his wife Mary Frances move to Prince George County near Petersburg in West Hopewell, with their daughter Mildred. Mary Frances passed away March 7, 1922. Her cause of death is listed as old age and general debility. Her informant was C.F. West. Fleming passed away on May 9, 1922. He was 85 years, 3 months, 17 days old. His cause of death was cardio renal vascular change. Fleming and Mary were brought back to North Carolina for burial. Where they are buried is not known at this time.

Tomorrow's post will be another child of Thomas West.

Thanks for stopping by!

Pattie

The West Family Line - More on the Children of Peter West

Thomas West

My 3 times great grandfather

Thomas West was the son of Peter and Susannah Edwards. He was born in Granville County, North Carolina around 1818. The year of his birth comes from what he said his age was on census records. Thomas died sometime after 1850, the last time he appeared in the census records. In 1860 his wife and family were in the census but Thomas was not to be found.

On 18 Dec 1838 Thomas married Mildred Currin the daughter of Wyatt Currin and Jemima Crews. Mildred was the sister of Nancy Currin that married Thomas’ brother James Peter West and settled in Kentucky. 

Going through records for Thomas we find the 1840 Federal Census. Although this census is just tally marks in columns we still can learn about Thomas.

The line in the Census looks like this:

What do these tally marks mean?

 In 1840 Thomas and Mildred had two children under 5, a boy and a girl.

Thomas and Mildred were between 20 and 29.

They were farming and lived in the Tar River District in Granville County.
Farr was an error by the census taker.

Only one of them could read and write.

A total of 4 people in the household.

On later census records we will have names to put with these children.

The Federal Census done in 1850 has names and the census records begin to include more information.

From the 1850 Census we learn that Thomas was a blacksmith and he was 32 years old. Mildred goes by the name Milla and she is 30 years old. Sadly from this census we can determine that they have lost their daughter. The only child old enough to have been on the earlier census is Fleming. The next child listed is another son. Their children in 1850 were:

Fleming age 12

Robert age 9

Panthea age 7

Thomas age 5

David age 2

The next published census was in 1860:

The first obvious difference, Thomas is missing. Since the youngest child is 4 years old he probably passed away between 1855 and 1856. I have searched will and probate records, newspapers and other sources and cannot find out what happened to Thomas. Comparing family trees on various sites it appears that no one has been successful in determining what happened.

The children listed were:

Fleming age 20 – judging from the last census he should be 22

Frances age 16 – she is now listed as Frances not Panthea

Thomas age 12 – judging from the last census he should be 15

David age 11 – pretty close to last census age

Frank age 8 – born since the last census

Wyatt age 4 – born since the last census

But where is Robert???

Robert has moved in with Brodie and R.E. Meadows and is working as a farm laborer. The Meadows family lives next to F.B. Currin, who could be related to Mildred.

The country was unsettled as the Civil War was on the horizon. The grandsons of Peter West were going to enlist, four would be killed or die of disease, one would be wounded and discharged due to disability and at least one would be taken prisoner by the Union. How would Thomas’ sons fair during this war?

Fleming and Robert would both enlist. I have included just a sampling of their records that can be found on Fold3. Thankfully they both survived the war.

Fleming West

Fleming enlisted on March 1, 1862 at Waterloo at the age of 27 according to records. He was wounded in September of 1862. By October of that year he was in the hospital in Richmond, Virginia. On the 28^th of October he received a 30 day furlough to go home and get well. He was back in the war by November of that year.

Fleming West

At the battle of Gettysburg, Fleming was taken prisoner. (July 1 1863) He was sent to Fort McHenry, then to Fort Delaware and finally to Lookout Point in Maryland. He was exchanged on March 3, 1864 and immediately was in Jackson Hospital in Richmond, Virginia with typhoid. He received another 30 day furlough to go home and recuperate. Later that year he was in the hospital in Staunton, Virginia. Finally, the end of the war and Fleming was paroled at Appomattox Court House, Virginia on April 9, 1865.

Robert West

Robert enlisted on July 8, 1862 in Oxford, Granville County, North Carolina. He was 23 years old, fair complexion, brown hair, grey eyes, and 5 foot 5 ½ inches tall. Robert seemed to do better than Fleming the first few years of the war

On May 12, 1864 Robert was taken prisoner at Spotsylvania, Virginia. He was sent to Point Lookout, Maryland then transferred to Elmira, New York. He was exchanged on the 29^th of October 1864. He was captured again on March 25, 1865 near Petersburg, Virginia. His records stop at that point. We do know that he made it home after the war. 

Tomorrow I will pick up the story of Thomas' children after the war. 

Thanks for stopping by!
Pattie