Life History

Other facts

Notes

• Several genealogies report the date of death for Reuben as 8 April 1855, but none provides a documentation.  I have seen no record for his death date date, except a family source gives the year as 1855.
  
  Several genealogies I have seen also puzzlingly have a source for a Prisoner of War record for Reuben, even though they all report he died in 1855!  The record is, of course, for another Reuben Kendall.  Why they have attached the record to our Reuben Kendall, who died in 1855, is a mystery.
  
  Genealogies name Reuben's wife Sarah Smith.  Again here there is a dearth of records.
  
  Reuben was reported in the 1850 census in the Ross District of Stanly County, North Carolina, with his unmarried daughter Lucy and son Clement in his household.  They are both mentioned in his 1855 will, and Lucy was still unmarried at that time.
  
  1850 Federal Census, Stanly County, North Carolina, 9 October, Ross District, p 109 (scan 55), Hse #780, Fam #785
  Reuben Kendall 66 M Farmer $2000 Real Estate Value Declared b North Carolina [b abt 1784]
  Lucy Kendall 42 M [sic, should be F] b North Carolina [b abt 1808]
  Clement Kendall 20 M Student b NC [b abt 1830]
  John Davis 20 M Overseer b NC [b abt 1830]
  
  The Burrage Family Tree has some good detail that seems to come from family sources, but no documentation or comment is given on the tree on Ancestry.
  
  Reuben Kendall
  Birth 04 JAN 1784 Va
  Marriage 31 Dec 1789 to Sarah (Sallie) Smith
  Birth 31 DEC 1789 NC
  Death 07 JAN 1847 Stanly Co, NC
  Death 5 Apr 1855 Stanly Co, NC
  Burial On Ray Lee farm, west of Co Rd 1935, Stanly Co
  Member of Senate from Montgomery Co, NC
  --  Burrage Tree, http://person.ancestry.com/tree/13837831/person/156051/facts?ftm=1
  
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  Reuben Kendall lived next door to John Smith in 1810, and by 1830 John Smith, Jr. lived next door. It is presumed that Sallie was a daughter of the elder John, and establishes a long relationship between the Smiths and the Kendalls. I have not researched these Smiths further, but the name certainly appears in other Kendall families of the period.
  
  Reuben Kendall was in the NC House of Commons for Montgomery County from 1828-1835 and was in the Senate for NC for Stanly Co. in 1848. There had been Kendalls in the Legislature there off-and-on since 1784, beginning with William in 1784. John Kendall was in the Senate in 1818 & 1819. Of my Crump ancestors, John Crump was in the House of Commons from 1813-1816. Anyway, this is my Kendall/Crump ancestry from Montgomery/Stanly, and the reason for my interest.
  ...
  I think that the William and Samuel of Montgomery County in 1790 were probably father and son, with William as the father, and Samuel his son. It is not possible to determine the exact ages of anyone in the 1790 census, but three in the household of William were over 16, and three younger. The household of Samuel included only one male over 16 and two younger than 16, possibly indicating that he was younger than William.
  
  It is possible that the five sons of William and wife Sarah Elms were 1) William born about 1770, 2) John born abt. 1772, 3) James born about1775, 4) Reuben born 1784 and 5) Peter born 1794, with son Samuel born about 1768 and living in his own household. With no further evidence, I would suggest daughter Sarah was probably born between 1777 and 1782.
  --  Ed Crump, Jr, Kendall Discussion List, RootsWeb, http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/KENDALL/2002-12/1040593849
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  In the 1850 census there is a Smith household enumerated on the same page with the household of widower Reuben Kendall with his two adult children Lucy and Clement.
  
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  Here's Edmond Kendall's account of the move to Arkansas in 1855 as retold by his son, Benjamin Franklin "Frank" Kendall sometime about 1945. His niece, Anna Kendall Watts Moore wrote it down in a notebook. Anna was my maternal grandmother's sister.
  
  Several months after Reuben Kendall’s death in 1855, his sons, Alexander Franklin and Edmond, took their inheritance and moved their families to what is now Cleveland County, Arkansas. Edmond told his children that the move from North Carolina to Arkansas was quite an endeavor:
  
  "Alexander and Edmond Kendall with their families came to Arkansas in 1855, leaving Stanly County, North Carolina on October 15th. As each owned ten or fifteen slaves and as they brought most of their household goods, it took quite an outfit. I remember Father said each of them had two ox teams of two yokes, one mule team, and a team of horses to pull the family carriage, and he and Uncle Frank [A. F. Kendall] rode horseback. After being on the road two days, little Willie was taken seriously ill and died. Father and Mother had to turn back and take Willie back to the old home for burial and then rejoin the others on the road. No other bad luck happened on the trip and after fourteen weeks on the road, they reached Pine Bluff.  [They would have actually arrived, then some time in February 1856.]
  
  After resting a few days, they decided to rent homes for that year. This gave them time to select permanent homes. They soon found two farms for rent within six miles of each other. They would visit each other once or twice a week and on the way home would kill a deer or two and maybe a turkey, thus providing meat for their tables for both their families and their slaves. He and his brother killed over 300 deer that year but didn’t keep a count of the turkeys. 1856 was a year they never forgot as crops were very short on account of a killing frost every month-a thing unheard of before or since. The next year, each purchased a farm. Father bought near Kedron about eighteen miles south of Pine Bluff; his brother bought a farm five miles from his.
  
  All went well for a few years. In the election of 1860, Alexander Kendall was elected sheriff of Jefferson County and served all during the Civil War. Father did not join the army being rejected three times on account of his health, but he joined the home guards and at times acted as scout for southern troops whenever any were in the area.
  
  Edmond’s wife, Emmeline, died on 1 April 1866 and was buried at Mt. Zion near their home. Uncle Frank Kendall [Alexander F. Kendall] persuaded father to bring his four children to his home instead of taking us to North Carolina to one of his sisters to raise. Then in August, Uncle Frank was returning home from Pine Bluff and was waylaid and shot to death by a man whom he had put in jail, leaving a wife and six children. Father then sold his farm and bought half interest in his brother’s farm, agreeing with his brother’s wife to look after the farm if she would take care of the ten children-her six and his four. So the two families remained together until all were grown just like one big family. Edmond was elected sheriff and served from 1874 to 1876. He died on 1 April 1866 at 4 p.m.-the same day and the same time as his wife died twenty-five years before."
  --  Lea Harville Morgan, Ancestry Messaging to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 17 April 2016
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  Reuben wrote his will in 1835, and lived until 1855.
  
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  Will: Reuben Kendall
  
  I Reuben Kendall of the county of Stanly and the State of North Carolina do this the 17th day of March, 1855, make public and declare this my last will and testament, hereby revoking all other wills heretofore made by me and declaiming this and this only to be and contain my last will and testament.
  
  1 - I give and bequeath to the sole and separate use and benefit of my daughter Frances Sturdevant independent of her husband Hollum Sturdevant during his natural life the following negro slaves and their present increase together with all their future increase from the date of this testament, viz, Phillip, Coria, Martha, and James, and at her death to be equally divided among her children that shall then be living and the issue of such as may be dead as a class (the issue to represent their deceased parent). But in case my said daughter Frances Sturdevant should die without leaving any children, or the issue of such living at her death, then, and in that case the above negroes and their present and future increase from the date of this will to revert to my estate, and to pass under the statute of distribution forever.
  
  2 - I give and bequeath to the sole and separate use of my daughter Martisha Randle independent of her husband Thomas Randle during her natural life the following negro slaves, viz Amy, Jane, Sarah, David, together with their present and (their future increase from the date of this will and testament) at her death to be equally divided among her children that shall be living at her death, and the issue of such as may be dead, as a class (the issue to represent their deceased parent), but in case my said daughter Martish Randle shall die without leaving any children, or the issue of such living at her death, then and in that case the above negroes and their present and future increase (from the date of this will) to revert to my estate, and to pass under the statute of distribution forever.
  
  3 - I give and bequeath to the sole and separate use and benefit of my daughter Charlotte Crump independent of her husband, Franklin Crump, during her natural life the following negro slaves, viz. Washington, Mary, Phillis, Mariah, and Sally, together with all their present and future increases, from the date of this will and testament, so as not to be subject to the power or control of her husband, or to his contracts, debts, or liabilities, and at her death to be divided among her children which shall then be living, and the issue of each as shall then be dead or a class (the issue to represent their deceased parent), hereby excluding the said Jno. F. Crump from all his marital rights, either as administrator or distribute of his wife Charlotte. But in case my daughter Charlotte Crump should die without leaving any children or the issue of such, living at the time of her death, then and in that case the above named negroes and their present and future increase from the date of this will to revert to my estate, and to pass under the statutes of distribution forever.
  
  4 - I give and bequeath unto my son Alexander F. Kendall the following negro slaves, viz, Dick, Hubbard, ______, Louisa, George, together will all their future increases from the date of this will and testament, to him and his heirs forever, and in case he should die without leaving issue living at the time of his death, then the above negroes to revert to my estate and to be divided according to the statutes of distribution.
  
  5 - I give and bequeath unto my son Edmund Kendall the following negro salves, viz, Willia, Mina, and Martha who is now in his possession, John and Matilda together with their future increase from the date of this will and testament, and in addition to what I have given him in this will and otherwise, I give and bequeath to him one thousand dollars to him and his heirs forever with the like limitations as in item 4.
  
  6 - I give and bequeath unto my son Clement Kendall the follow negro slaves, viz, Jacob, Wincy, Eliza, Martin, George, and Sarah together with their future increase from the date of this will and testament to him and his heirs forever, with the like limitations as in item 4.
  
  7 - I give and bequeath to my two grandsons Benjamin Franklin Davis and John E. Davis the following negro slaves, viz, Jane, Bristor, Harriet, Sophronia, and Eli, to them and their heirs forever, but in case either or both should die without any children, or the issue of such living at the time of their death then said negroes together with their increase to pass under the statue of distribution.
  
  8 - I give and bequeath unto Alexander F. Kendall, Edmund Kendall, Clement Kendall, and Hallum Sturdivant in trust for the sole and separate use and benefit of my daughter Lucy P. Kendall during her natural life (whether she should marry or not) the following negro slaves, to wit, Emeline, Eley, Henry, William, Jane, Elizabeth, and Leonard, and also absolutely to my said daughter two beds, bedsteads and furniture such as she may think sufficient for the same, also my buggy and harness absolutely and independent of the trustees, also a buggy horse, which in case I should not purchase one for her before my death I enjoin it on her trustees to do so out of funds of my estate in case she should require it. And I hereby restrain my daughter from selling or desposing of any part or portion of said negro slaves without the consent of said trustees, and at her death the said negro slaves to revert to my estate and to be distributed equally among my own children and the issue of such as shall be living at her death, the issue to take as a class and to represent their deceased parent. But the trustees aforesaid are authorized to sell and despose of any of said negro slaves they think advisable to do so at any time and to apply the proceeds from said sale to her benefit during her life, and at her death the said proceeds to pass as the slaves are directed to pass above. And if it should be deemed advisable for said negro slaves to be hired out at any time, the above trustees or either are authorized to here them among themselves if they should think proper to do so, or to hire them to any of my other children, giving to said trustees discretionary power over said negroes to do as they think best, requiring them in all cases to take bond and security for the humane treatment of said slaves and the delivering of said slaves to them when required.
  
  9 - I have here to fore disposed of all my landed estate by deed. I now ratify and confirm the same.
  
  10 - The balance of my negro slaves that I have not mentioned in this my last will and testament that may be living at my death I wish to be equally divided by sale or valuation between the following children, viz, Frances Sturdivant, Martesha Randle, Charlotte Crump, Alexander Franklin Kendall, Edmund Kendall, (and Franklin and John Davis as a class) and to be held and enjoyed by them in the same way the property herein willed to them is held.
  
  11 - All the balance of my estate and property not here in specifically bequeathed I will to be sold and the proceeds arising from the sale therefore to be equally divided among all my children herein named and Franklin and John Davis, and said Franklin and John to represent their mother and to take as a class per stirpes [an equal share of their mother's share] and not per capita [meaning on the same basis as the siblings of their mother].
  
  12 - I give to my son Clement Kendall all the guinea hogs I shall have at my death, and the sheep that I may die possessed of I give to Edmund Kendall, Clement Kendall and Martisha Randle equally to be divided by sale or otherwise.
  
  13 - I nominate or appoint Alexander F. Kendall, Edmund Kendall, Clement Kendall, and Hallum Sturdivant executors to this my last will and testament, to execute the same. Revoking all other wills heretofore made by me.
  
  R. Kendall [Seal] Signed, sealed, published, and declared to be and contain the last will and testament of the testator in the presence of us who have witnessed the same in his presence this day and year above written.
  
  Witnesses: E.W. Davis, W.H. Randle Detail
  
  --  Stanly County Courthouse, Will Book 1, p. 139
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  Reuben's will was written 17 March 1855.  He died 1 April 1855.
  
  North Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998
  Reuben Kendall
  Probate of will dated 17 Mar 1855 Stanly, North Carolina, USA
  Inferred Death Abt 1855 [1 April 1855] North Carolina, USA
  Probated November Session (no specific date given)
  Letters Testamentary ordered by the Court
  Wills, Vol 1, 1841-1867
  --  Stanly County Courthouse, Will Book 1, p. 144

Sources

• 1. North Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998
• 2. Ancestry Trees
• 3. 1850 Federal Census, Stanly County, North Carolina
  • 9 October, Ross District, p 109 (scan 55), Hse #780, Fam #785
• 4. Benjamin Franklin Kendall
• 5. Kendall Reuben Will
• 6. Find a Grave Memorial Registry
• 7. Lea Harville Morgan