It’s Family Time~The Simon E. Speight & Margaret (Dry) Family

I will start this post today by saying there is a lot that I don’t know about this family. Simon E. Speight and Margaret Dry were married on 5 September 1846 in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. Simon's past is still a mystery but Margaret Dry was the daughter of Peter Dry and Hetty Elizabeth A. Teeter.

We can see by the 1850 Census that it was a ready-made family with 3 known children. In the 1850 Census, Simon was a School Teacher and two minor females in the household were listed with the surname Speight. Then in the 1860 Census, Simon is an Overseer and the two females are listed with the surname LAYTON.

Margaret, age 37, is Margaret Dry Speight. We know from Court documents that Chas. E. F. Waggoner AKA Charles Franklin Dry is the illegitimate son of Margaret Dry. Then the question becomes-Was Simon E. Speight previously married or is Nancy and Sarah W. Speight also her children. It is possible.

• Margaret Dry gave bond in the Sum of Two Hundred dollars with John Dry as her Security to indemnify the County against county charges for her Bastard Child. 

Margaret's father, Peter Dry in his will left the following instructions: "divide all the residue of said estate among my three children, Martin, Mary and Catherine Dry and my grandchild Franklin Dry, son of my daughter Margaret Speight (formerly Margaret Dry) after deducting off of the share of my said grandson Franklin Dry the sum of one hundred dollars heretofore advanced to his mother."

In 1840, Simon E. Speight had 3 minor female children's under the age of 10. Two of these female are Nancy and Sarah W. The other female has not been identified and must have passed away between 1840 and 1850.  

It is not known when Simon E. Speight or his wife Margaret Dry Speight passed away. No tombstones, obituaries or death notices have been found.  We know that Simon died before 1870 and that Margaret died after 1880. Margaret can be found in home of her son, Charles Franklin Dry,  in the 1880 Census for Tippah County, Mississippi.

If you have information regarding this family please contact me through this blog.

Margaret Ann (Dry) Speight is my 1st Cousin 4X Removed.

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        1. 1850 U. S. Census, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, population schedule, Cabarrus, North Carolina, Page: 487A(stamped); Line 28, Dwelling 1296, Family 1296, Household of Simon E. SPEIGHT; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 9 November 2019); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, Roll 622.

        2. 1860, Tippah County, Mississippi, population schedule, Southern Subdivision, Tippah, Mississippi, Page: 829(penciled); Line 32, Dwelling 1241, Family 1253, Household of Simon E. SPEIGHT; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.Ancestry.com : viewed 9 November 2019); citing NARA publication M653, Roll: 592.

        3. 1870 U. S. Census, Haywood County, Tennessee, population schedule, District 14, Haywood, Tennessee, Page: 513B(stamped); Line 3, Dwelling 62, Family 62, Household of C. F. DRY; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 9 November 2019); citing National Archives Microfilm M593_1536.

        4. 1880 U. S. Census,  Tippah County, Mississippi, population schedule, Beat 3, Tippah, Mississippi, enumeration district (ED) 191, , Page: 447C(stamped); Line 30, Dwelling 313, Family 314, Household of Charles F. DRY; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 9 November 2019); citing NARA publication T9, Roll: 666.

        5. "North Carolina, Marriages Index, 1741-1868," database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 6 January 2023), Marriage: Simon E. Specht & Margaret Dry, Bond date: 5 Sep 1846.

        6. Peter DRY (1850), WILL BOOK: 1; Page 253 & 254; Probate Office, Concord, Cabarrus, North Carolina.