Life History

Notes

• "William Hamrick was born on 14 Oct 1800 in Rutherford County, North Carolina. He died on 16 Dec 1884 in Shelby, Cleveland County, North Carolina. He married Jane McSwain about 1838 in York Co, South Carolina."
  --  Carolina Genealogy, http://carolinagenealogy.org/all/pafg16.htm#158
  
  Family genealogies report his parents are Reuben and Hannah (McSwain) Hamrick.  Reuben was age 64 in the 1850 census and 74 in the 1860 census.  Family sources report a birth date for Reuben as 4 February 1786.  I note that with a birth date of 14 October 1800 for William in genealogies, his father was only 14 when he was born.  This seems unlikely, though physically possible.  There are there anomalies in various Hamrick genealogies, and many undocumented facts reported, as well as unviable family relationships.  It may be that this Reuben Hamrick and Hannah McSwain are not the parents of this William Hamrick born in 1800.
  
  I have found only one actual record in the North Carolina Marriage records.  The names appear to be for this couple William and Jane.  This dates their marriage in 1839.  This presents a problem, since we have census records for William and Jane that include several children born before this date!  Some genealogies report a child Elijah born in 1828, and one or two other children before Elizabeth, who is the oldest in the 1850 census, born about 1830.
  
  North Carolina Marriage Collection, 1741-2004, ancestry.com
  William B. Hamrick
  Spouse: Jane Hamrick
  Marriage 17 Nov 1839 Rutherford County, North Carolina
  Source: County Court Records at Rutherfordton, NC & Family
  
  I have not found another couple to match with this marriage records, or an alternative record that might be for our William and Jane married before 1828.  There are several Elijah Hamricks born around this time, with reported dates of birth from 1827 to 1833.  It is possible some genealogies have confused some of these individuals.  I have not found an Elijah in records with this family.
  
  But in the 1860 census, I found Elijah Hamrick with his wife Emeline on the same page with a Drury, the name of one of the sons of William and Jane Hamrick.  But in 1860 Drury was recorded with his parents, and his age makes him born about 1842.  So this is a different Drury Hamrick.  This Elijah was born about 1828.  But a check in the Hamrick Data Pages revealed that this Elijah who married Emeline Webb is the son of Archibald Hamrick.  The Data Pages indicate Emeline's maiden name was Webb.
  
  Other genealogies report that Elijah, son of William and Jane, is the one who married Frances Elizabeth Bridges.  This Elijah was born about 1827.  I have found this couple also in censuses, but cannot tie them definitely to this William and Jane.
  
  Another Elijah reported by the Hamrick Data Pages, but with no parents reported, is married to Nancy Catherine Bridges.
  
  Hamrick, Ollie (*1869 - )
  father: Hamrick, Elijah(1828 - 1881)
  mother: Bridges, Nancy Catherine(1842 - 1915)
  --  http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~hamrick/wga50.html
  
  In the book by S C Jones, History of the Hamrick Generations, there is a reference to an Elijah Hamrick who was the son of William Hamrick and Jane McSwain.  The author is reporting that this Elijah was the first person buried at Double Springs.  He give the date of burial as 10 October 1881.  The year matches the Hamrick report for the year of death for this Elijah Hamrick who was married to Nancy Catherine Bridges.  In this passage, Jones does not give the birth date of Elijah, as he is reviewing the first buried in each of the new settlements of the Hamricks..
  
  1850 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina, 5 September, page 313 (scan 157), Hse/Fam #580
  William Hamric 50 M Farmer $600 Real Estate b North Carolina
  Jane Hamrick 36 F b North Carolina
  Elizabeth Hamrick 20 F b North Carolina [b abt 1830]
  Narcissus Hamrick 16 F b North Carolina [b abt 1834]
  Caswell Hamrick 14 M b North Carolina [b abt 1836]
  Sarah E Hamrick 12 F b North Carolina [b abt 1838]
  Jacob E Hamrick 10 M b North Carolina [b abt 1840]
  Drury H Hamrick 8 M b North Carolina [b abt 1842]
  Drayton M Hamrick 2 M b North Carolina [b abt 1848]
  
  Note that Drayton M (Draton M in 1860) is reported with the middle initial of D in 1880.  At least one genealogy reports his full name as Drayton Dobbins.  But another has him as Drayton Merillo, with an alternate spelling for the first name of Dreighton.  Perhaps his full name included both these middle names.
  
  1860 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina, 13 August, page 71 (scan 440), Hse/Fam #504
  William Hamrick 60 M Farmer $3100 Real Estate $6350 Personal b North Carolina [abt 1800]
  Jane Hamrick 45 F b North Carolina [abt 1815]
  Sallie Hamrick 21 F b North Carolina [abt 1839]
  Jacob E Hamrick 20 M Cabinet Maker b North Carolina [abt 1840]
  Drury H Hamrick 18 M Farm Laborer b North Carolina [abt 1842]
  Draton M Hamrick 12 M b North Carolina [abt 1848]
  Jane Hamrick 9 F b North Carolina [abt 1851]
  Philo M Hamrick 5 M b North Carolina [abt Feb 1855]
  
  1870 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina, 12 July, Township 3, PO Stices Shoals, page 13, Hse #93, Fam #99
  Hamrick, Wm  68 M W Farmer $1000 Real Estate $300 Personal  b North Carolina [b abt 1801]
  Hamrick, Jane 54 F W Keep House born North Carolina Cannot write [b abt 1816]
  Hamrick, Draton 21 M W Farm Laborer born North Carolina [b abt 1849]
  Hamrick, Jane 18 F W Seamstress Asst born North Carolina [b abt 1852]
  Hamrick, Philo 10 M W Farm Laborer born North Carolina [b abt 1860]
  
  Their son Caswell is two houses away, in the household of a Lucinda Russ and her daughter Jane.  I suspect this is the mother of Caswell's wife, Milla (?).  Caswell's age does not match his earlier reported age and estimated birth in 1836.
  
  1870 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina, 12 July, Township 3, PO Stices Shoals, page 13, Hse #95, Fam #101
  Hamrick, Caswell  30 M W Farm Laborer b North Carolina [b abt 1840]
  Hamrick, Milla 26 F W Keeps House born North Carolina [b abt 1844]
  Hamrick, Kelly 5 M W born North Carolina [b abt 1865]
  Hamrick, Milles (Miles?) 3 M W born North Carolina [b abt 1867]
  Hamrick, George P 1 M W born North Carolina [b abt 1869]
  
  In between Caswell and his parents William and Jane is another Hamrick, whose first name I cannot read.  He is married to a Jane.  He is age 21, thus born about 1849.  this would match the child Drayton in earlier censuses, but I cannot account for the name.
  
  Next door on the other side is a Thomas Hamrick, married to a Rebecca.  Some genealogies have reported a Thomas as a child of William and Jane, but we do not see him in the family census listings above.  This Thomas is 45, and thus born about 1825.  this is too early for him to be Jane's child, with birth as most sources report from 1814-1816.  One report has her born in 1811, and that would make her 13-14 at the birth of this Thomas -- not very likely.
  
  The 1880 census reports William and Jane with some of their children.  Some are married.  The listings and relationships are confusing.  It was especially confusing since I found this before I found earlier censuses.  I will list with the surname blanks which stand for ditto.
  
  They are in a strange order for the relationships given and last names that are blank seem to all stand for Hamrick here, even though they alternate with two people named Moore.  It appears the daughter named Jane Moore is married to the son-in-law named Monroe Moore.  Yet the son-in-law Monroe is reported as Unmarried!  The 1860 census confirmed my earlier intuition that Philo was a so and thus the blank meant his name was the same as the Head of household, not the person preceding him.
  
  The son Daton D is listed with no surname, making it appear that his surname is the same as the previous person.  But this does appears to be a son of William and Jane.  The 2-year-old "Daughter" must be a granddaughter.  But there is no set of Hamrick parents here, so perhaps Liza is a Moore.
  
  1880 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina, 14 June, Township 3, Rippys, District 12, page 67 (scan 494C), Hse/Fam #210
  Hamrick, William  W M 79    Married Farmer NC NC NC
  Hamrick, Jane  W F 38 Wife Married Keeps House NC NC NC Cannot write
  Hamrick, Draton D  W M 24 Son Single Farm Hand NC NC NC
  Moore, Jane  W F 26 Dau Married Asst Keeping House NC NC NC
  Moore, Philo  W M 24 Son Single Farm Hand NC NC NC
  Moore, Monroe  W M 3 Son-in-Law Single (sic) Tenant NC NC NC Cannot read or write
  Moore, Liza M  W F 2 Dau-in-Law (! Granddaughter?)  Single NC NC NC Cannot read or write
  McEntire, Elizabeth  W F 66 Sister-in-Law Single Boarder NC NC NC Cannot write
  Davis, John J  W M 18 (No Relationship Rptd) Single Farm Hand NC NC NC Cannot read or write
  

Sources

• 1. 1880 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina
  • 14 June, Township 3, Rippys, District 12, page 67 (scan 494C), Hse/Fam #210
• 2. 1860 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina
  • 13 August, page 71 (scan 440), Hse/Fam #504
• 3. Carolina Genealogy
• 4. 1850 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina
  • 5 September, page 313 (scan 157), Hse/Fam #580
• 5. 1870 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina
  • 12 July, Township 3, PO Stices Shoals, page 13, Hse #93, Fam #99