Life History

Notes

• A transcription of North Carolina Marriage Records reports the registration of the marriage of Hanna McSwain and James M Green.
  
  GREEN, James Monroe and McSWAIN, Hannah
  30 September 1860 by William McSwain, Minister
  Reg. 26 December 1860 (Page 175)
  Note: s/o James Monroe Green and Narcissa Hamrick
  Both bur. Antioch Bapt. Chu Cem, Cherokee Co, SC.
  --  GREEN(E) Marriages in Western NC Counties, http://www.geocities.com/pameladhudson/greenmarriagesNC.html
  
  Note that this entry lists Hannah's husband as James Monroe Green, the name others report for his father, while his name is reported by descendants and genealogies as James Moore Green. Some other sources have the same name for father and son, while others have the different names as I report in this genealogy:  Father, James Monroe Green; Son, James Moore Green. In correspondence with a descendant, Donald Greene, I asked about this matter.  His reply refers to some confusion even in family records:
  
  "A cousin of mine and me just recently had this same discussion. We believe his name to be James Moore Green. He is listed in his Civil War records as James Moore and Moore is a frequently used middle name in the Green(e) and McSwain family. This is just our opinion but our family has always recorded it as James Moore. However, on the death certificate of his son Gilead Green his name is listed as James Monroe. So there is some confusion even in the family."
  --  Donald Greene, email correspondence to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 3 July 2008
  
  The cousin Donald refers to also contacted me and confirmed the name as James Moore Green
  --  Wanda Rabb, email correspondence to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 11 November 2008
  
  1870 Federal Census, York County, South Carolina, 20 August, Division 103, PO Yorkville, page 80 (scan 496), Hse #562, Fam # 553
  Green, James 27 M W Farming  No Real Estate  Personal Estate $100 b NC
  Green, Hannah 29 F W Keeping House b SC
  Green, Preston 9 M W At Home b SC
  Green, Reuben 6 M W At Home b SC
  Green, Gilliard 3 M W At Home b SC
  Green, Edward 1 M W At Home b SC
  
  The Hamrick Data pages report that J M died in 1901, and this seems to be the date on the gravestone.  But in the 1880 census, Hannah is reported as a widow in a household with her children, living next door to her parents in (York County, South Carolina).  This presented a conundrum, since the date of death on James' grave, next to Hannah, is December 3, 1901.  Previous data I had seen in the Hamrick pages had also reported his death as occurring in 1901.
  
  "Hamrick, Narcissus (1806 - ); spouse: Green, James M (1802 - 1890)
  - m. Est 1822 in Rutherford, NC;  child: Green, James Moore (1842 - 1901)"
  --  Hamrick Data Pages -- McSwain-Padgett-Moore-Green, http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~hamrick/wga50.html
  
  A fascinating story was submitted by a descendant about an episode in James Moore's life.  This explains why James was away from home in 1880.  He had two families.
  
  ===============================
  James Moore Green was arrested by federal troops in Rutherford Co., North Carolina, in 1871 for "Ku Kluxing."  The jails were so full of Klansmen that many were released pending trial.  James Moore Green never showed up for his trail.  He fled to Pittsylvania County, Virginia where he met and married Martha Rebecca Johnson on 28 Dec 1871.  Martha did not know he was already married with a family in Cleveland County, North Carolina.  They had the following children:  Edgar (married Bertha Frith); Narcissus "Sissie;" John; James William; and Ollie Maude married Craig Stowe.
  
  James Moore Green Jr stayed with his family in Virginia until his son Reuben (from his Cleveland County family) came to Virginia and found him.  He cried and confessed to Martha about his family in return to his first family because they needed him.  Hannah allowed James to return to her and he lived out his life with her in Cleveland County until his death on 3 Dec 1901.  James and Martha's son, Edgar, would visit his half-siblings in Cleveland County where he was known to their children as "Uncle Edgar."
  --  Doug Green, Personal communication in Genealogy Guestbook to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 29 July 2009
  ===============================
  
  This would mean he had been away from his family for nine or ten years when Reuben found him in Virginia.  The children listed for James and Martha is consistent with this period of time.  I have not been able, however, to find James and Martha in the 1880 census in Pittsylvania or any other county in Virginia.
  
  Doug Green explains his relationship to James Moore Green:
  "James Moore Green was my great-grandfather.  JMG returned to NC before my father's birth, but his father (Edgar) and his NC half-brothers visited back and forth."
  --  Doug Green, email to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 30 July 2009
  
  Doug directed me to the listing of James and his Virginia wife in the 1880 census, which was hard to locate due to fading and mistranscription.
  
  1880 Federal Census, Pittsylvania County, Virginia, 14 June, District 175, Tunstall Magisterial District, page 28, Hse/Fam # 252
  Green, James W M 37 Farmer NC NC NC
  Green, Martha W F 38  Wife Keeping House VA VA VA
  Green, Edgar W M 6 Son VA NC VA
  Green, Narsisie W F 4 Dau VA NC VA
  Green, James W M 1 Son VA NC VA
  
  Doug also kindly supplied me with copies of James and Martha's marriage license.  Helpful details are found there.
  
  Marriage License
  James M Green and Martha A [sic] Johnson, issued 26 December 1871
  Marriage 28 December 1871, Pittsylvania (no locale reported), age of husband 27, age of wife 29
  Condition of Both Single
  Husband's Birth Cleveland County, North Carolina
  Wife's Birth Pittsylvania, Virginia
  Husband's Parents James and Narcissus Green
  Wife's Parents Edmund and Francis Johnson
  Marriage performed in the home of Minister Asa Hodnett
  
  It is not clear why her name is recorded here as Martha A Johnson, when family sources know her middle name was Rebecca.
  
  In 1900 we see J M back with his family in South Carolina.
  
  1900 Federal Census, Cherokee County, South Carolina, 14 June, Cherokee Township, District 2, p 18A, Hse #267, Fam #277
  Green, Jas M Head W M Dec 1842  57 Married 40yrs NC NC NC Farmer Owns Farm
  Green, Hannah Wife  W F Aug 1839  60 Married 40yrs 4 children/4 living NC NC NC
  Green, Mrs Asenath Dau W F Jun 1872  27 Widow 1 child/1 living SC NC NC Farm Laborer
  Neal, Preston Grandson W M Nov 1890  9 SC SC SC
  
  It appears that Preston Neal is Asenith's daughter.  It is not clear why Asenith (Asenath) is enumerated under her father's surname.  Living next door is their son Preston Green and his family.

Sources

• 1. Website Guest Book Entry
• 2. Gravestone of James Moore Green, Antioch Cemetery, Blackburg, Cherokee County, SC
• 3. Hamrick Data Pages
  • http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~hamrick/wga50.html
• 4. 1880 Federal Census, Pittsylvania County, Virginia
  • 14 June, Tunstall Magisterial District, Enumeration District 175, page 28, Hse/Fam # 252
• 5. 1870 Federal Census, York County, South Carolina
  • 20 August, Division 103, PO Yorkville, page 80 (scan 496), Hse #562, Fam # 553
• 6. 1900 Federal Census, Cherokee County, South Carolina
  • 14 June, Cherokee Township, District 2, p 18A, Hse #267, Fam #277
• 7. 1880 Federal Census, York County, South Carolina
  • 15 June, Cherokee Township, p 25, Hse/Fam #239
• 8. Email Sources
• 9. North Carolina, Marriage Records, 1741-2011
• 10. 1900 Federal Census, Cherokee County, South Carolina
  • 14 June, Cherokee Township, District 2, p 18A, Hse #268, Fam #278
• 11. Ancestry Trees
• 12. Find a Grave Memorial Registry
• 13. North Carolina, Death Indexes, 1908-2004
• 14. North Carolina, Death Certificates, 1909-1975
• 15. 1920 Federal Census, Choctaw County, Oklahoma
  • 12 January, Lattimore (Township 7), District 64, page 7A, Hse #115, Fam #125
• 16. 1930 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina
  • 25 April, Sandy Run, District 23-26 Page 2A, Hse #20, Fam #23
• 17. RootsWeb Trees
• 18. Marriages of Rutherford County, North Carolina 1779-1868
  • Name: Name: Genealogical Publishing Co, Inc.; Location: Baltimore; Date: 1986;;
• 19. Obituary of Hannah McSwain Green, Double Springs, Anderson County, South Carolina
• 20. 1900 Federal Census, Pittsylvania County, Virginia
  • 26 June, District 90, Tunstall Magisterial District, page 20A, Hse #387, Fam #390
• 21. Ancestry Trees
  • Marshall Family, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/8702297/person/-440809724
• 22. Ancestry Trees
  • Thomas and Hamrick, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/7557398/person/-1072768579?ssrc=&ftm=1
• 23. Ancestry Trees
  • Hamrick, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/9543437/person/-783717414?ssrc=&ftm=1
• 24. Marriage License of James M Green and Rebecca Johnson