Life History

Other facts

Notes

• I have decided to follow the spelling found on her gravestone, Susannah.  The Hamrick family data pages spell it without the h.  There are many women of several families in Rutherford/Cleveland County in the 1800s named Susanna(h).  Their names are virtually all spelt variously by different family sources.
  
  I find it interesting that there is a 4-year discrepancy on her birth date between the Hamrick family information and her gravestone. The Hamrick information has only a year, 1835, while the grave has an exact date of 3 September 1839.  I have followed the latter.
  
  Susannah married Elijah McSwain shortly before the 1860 census.  The census reports her name as Susan.
  
  1860 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina, 14 August, page 133, Hse/Fam #956
  Elijah McSwain 25 M Farmer $204 Real Estate  $32 Personal  born North Carolina
  Susan McSwain 20 F born North Carolina
  
  I do not have the 1870 census for Elijah and Susannah.
  
  1880 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina, 7 June, Township 7, District 71, page 9, Hse/Family #82
  Elijah McSwain W M  45 Farmer NC NC NC [b abt 1835]
  S Hamrick  W F 39 Wife  Keeping House  NC NC NC [b abt 1841]
  W B McSwain  W M 10  Son Single NC NC NC [b abt 1870]
  D A K McSwain  W M 9  Son Single NC NC NC [b abt 1871]
  E J McSwain  W F 3  Dau NC NC NC [b abt 1877]
  
  The child D A K is fairly easy to identify with family sources.  The first two names would be David Achella, the name of his uncle. The elder David Achella was Elijah's brother.  The K remains unexplained in documentation and family sources I have seen.  The Hamrick data provides additional details about the children.
  
  In 1900 Elijah and Susannah have no family members in their home.  They are living next door to Elijah's brother Berry (Berryrman) and their widowed sister Mary Lovelace.
  
  1900 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina, 15 June, Township 7, District 57, page 11A, Hse #177, Fam #182
  McSwain, Elijah Head W M Jun 1835 65 Married 40 yrs NC NC NC Farmer Owns
  McSwain, Susannah W F  Feb 1842 58 Married 40 yrs 5 children/3 living NC NC NC
  
  1900 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina, 15 June, Township 7, District 57, page 11A, Hse #176, Fam #181
  McSwain, Berry Head W M Sept 1841 58 Single NC NC NC Farmer Owns
  Lovelace, Mary sister W F  May 1830 70 Widow 2 children/1 living NC NC NC
  McSwain, William E Nephew W M Octo 1870 29 NC NC NC Teaching School
  McSwain, Lula Niece W F Feb 1874 26 Single SC SC SC
  McSwain, Pantha N Niece W F Jan 1877 23 Single NC NC NC
  McSwain, Elijah Nephew W M Nov 1880 20 NC NC NC At School
  McSwain, Lucy Servant B F Feb 1829 71 Single NC NC NC Cook
  
  Susannah and Elijah was buried in the Beaverdam Baptist Cemetery, near Shelby, in Cleveland County, North Carolina, along with many other McSwains and Hamricks they were kin to.
  
  Beaverdam Baptist Cemetery, Shelby, Cleveland, North Carolina
  McSwain, Elijah January 4, 1835 March 23, 1913
  McSwain, Susannah September 3, 1839 August 4, 1916 w/o Elijah
  --    W D Floyd, http://files.usgwarchives.org/nc/cleveland/cemeteries/bdamclev.txt

Sources

• 1. Rutherford/Cleveland County, NC, Burial Information
  • Name: Name: http://www.rfci.net/wdfloyd/cemm5.html;;
• 2. Beaverdam Baptist Cemetery Register, Shelby, Cleveland County, North Carolina
  • Location: http://files.usgwarchives.org/nc/cleveland/cemeteries/bdamclev.txt;
• 3. 1900 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina
  • 15 June, Township 7, District 57, page 11A, Hse #177, Fam #182
• 4. 1860 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina
  • 14 August, page 133, Hse/Fam #956
• 5. 1880 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina
  • 7 June, Township 7, District 71, page 9, Hse/Family #82
• 6. Hamrick Data Pages
  • http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~hamrick/wga74.html