The “Aunt & Uncle” series of biographical sketches are Artificial Intelligence (AI) compiled narratives of selected individuals from my Genealogical database. The selected AI will used the RootsMagic Individual Summary from my Genealogical Software, Roots Magic. All genealogical data is my research material acquired over the past 46 years of research. Today's Biography of Martin Irenus Huneycutt (1835-1918) was compiled with the assistance of Claude Sonnett 4 and is entitled:
From Musket Ball to Plow: The Martin Irenus Huneycutt Story
Early Life and Family Origins
Martin Irenus Huneycutt was born on December 14, 1835, in Montgomery County, North Carolina, to Marcus I. "Mark" Huneycutt (1797-1870) and Charity Dry (1803-1880). Growing up in the heart of North Carolina's Piedmont region, Martin came of age during a time of significant change in American history. His father, known as "Mark," would later have land named after him—the Mark Huneycutt lands that would play an important role in Martin's later life.
As a young man, Martin lived with his parents in the Furr area of Stanly County. The 1850 census shows him at about age 15, still at home with his father Marcus, and by 1860, at age 25, he was still part of the family household.
The Civil War Years
When Martin was 26 years old, the Civil War erupted and changed the course of his life. On April 9, 1862, he enlisted in the 42nd Regiment North Carolina Infantry. He served as a wagoner and was detailed by order of Colonel Jackson at Magnolia. During his service, Martin was wounded in the thigh—an injury that would mark him as a veteran for the rest of his life.
The Civil War was a defining moment for North Carolina and the nation. The state sent more soldiers to the Confederate cause than any other Southern state, and young men like Martin from rural counties found themselves swept up in a conflict that would reshape American society. After four years of war, Martin returned home to Stanly County to rebuild his life.
First Marriage and Growing Family
Around 1862, likely just before or during his military service, Martin married Elmira Adeline Hinson (1839-1874). Despite the challenges of wartime, the couple built a family together. They had four daughters:
- Melissa Ann "Lizzie" Huneycutt (1864-1951)
- Jane Huneycutt (1866-)
- Margaret Louise Huneycutt (1869-1944)
- Bessie Jane Huneycutt (1873-1939)
By 1870, the family was living in Big Lick, Stanly County, where the census recorded Martin (listed as "I. M. Huneycutt"), his wife Elmyra, and their young daughters. It was a time of reconstruction and recovery, as families across the South worked to establish stability after the devastating war years.
Tragically, Elmira passed away in 1874 at the age of 35, leaving Martin a widower with four young daughters to raise, the youngest only about a year old.
Second Marriage and New Beginnings
In 1880, Martin married Eunice "Nicy" Huneycutt (1843-1922), and the family made a fresh start. That year's census found them in New Salem, Union County, where Martin was listed as "Arenas Huneycutt" (likely a census taker's error). The household included his wife Nicie, his four daughters from his first marriage, and a stepson named John from Nicy's previous relationship.
Martin and Nicy would remain married for the rest of his life—a partnership that lasted over 30 years. By 1900, they had returned to Big Lick in Stanly County, where the census noted they had been married 20 years and had four children living (his daughters from his first marriage).
Land, Property, and the Mark Huneycutt Lands
Martin became deeply involved in land transactions and property management, particularly concerning his father's estate. In 1903, at age 67, he purchased a significant parcel known as "the Mark I. Huneycutt lands"—200 acres in Furr Township through a commissioner's deed. This property adjoined lands of several neighbors and was bounded by various natural landmarks typical of the era's land descriptions.
Just two years later, in September 1905, Martin and Nicy sold 100 acres to Dr. J. R. Jerome for $25, acting as agents for the Mark Huneycutt heirs. Both Martin and Nicy signed the deed with their marks (an "X"), which was common for people of their generation who had limited formal education.
The most complex property matter came in March 1911, when Martin was 75 years old. A superior court case involving numerous Huneycutt family members resulted in a judgment that confirmed Martin's ownership of approximately 150 acres of the Mark I. Huneycutt lands. The property lay on both sides of the public road from Albemarle to Locust (the Charlotte road). Martin was ordered to pay $500 to settle all disputes—a significant sum at the time, equivalent to several years' wages for a working man.
Later Years and Retirement
By 1910, Martin and Nicy were living in Furr, Stanly County. The census that year shows Martin at age 73, Nicy at 68, and notes they had been married 30 years with one child living. Also living with them was Margaret R. Bowen, Nicy's sister, age 48. This was a time when multi-generational and extended family households were common, providing mutual support in an era before modern social services.
As a Civil War veteran, Martin received a pension in his later years—recognition of his service and sacrifice during the war. This pension would have provided important financial security for him and Nicy in their retirement.
Historical Context: A Life Spanning Eras
Martin's 82 years spanned an extraordinary period in American history. He was born when Andrew Jackson was president, witnessed the expansion of the railroad, lived through the Civil War, saw the end of Reconstruction, and experienced the beginning of the modern industrial age. His lifetime saw the introduction of the telephone, electric lights, and the automobile—technologies that would have seemed like magic to the young man who grew up in rural North Carolina in the 1840s and 1850s.
In North Carolina specifically, Martin lived through the state's transformation from a largely agricultural society to one beginning to embrace manufacturing and industry. Stanly County itself, created in 1841 when Martin was just six years old, grew from frontier territory to an established community during his lifetime.
Final Days
Martin Irenus Huneycutt passed away on April 12, 1918, at age 82 in Big Lick, Stanly County—the same community where he had lived much of his adult life. He was buried two days later, on April 14, at Running Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Locust, Stanly County. His death certificate listed him as the husband of "Wriey" (a variation of Nicy's name), and named his parents as Marcus Honeycutt and "Cattirout" or "Cathront" Dry (variations in spelling of Charity).
Martin's passing came just as World War I was reaching its conclusion, meaning he lived to see his nation engaged in another great conflict—though this one on a global scale far beyond anything he had experienced in his youth.
His wife Nicy survived him by four years, passing away in 1922. Together, they rest in the Stanly County soil they called home for so many decades, their lives representing the resilience and perseverance of generations who built communities and families through times of both hardship and peace.
Martin Irenus Huneycutt is my 2nd Great Grand Uncle.
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1. Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, database and digital images, (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 3 August 2019); Memorial page for M I Huneycutt; (14 December 1835–12 April 1918); Find a Grave memorial # 62077011, Citing Running Creek Baptist Church Cemetery; Locust, Stanly County, North Carolina, USA.
2. 1850 Census, Stanly County, North Carolina, population schedule, Furrs, Stanly County, North Carolina, Page: 38B; Line 28, Dwelling 542, Family 545, Household of Mark HONEYCUTT; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 31 July 2015); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, Roll 645.
3. 1860 U. S. Census, Stanly County, North Carolina, population schedule, Stanly County, North Carolina, Page: 9 (stamped); Line 30, Dwelling 113, Family 113, Household of Mark HUNEYCUTT; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : Viewed 31 July 2015); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M653, Roll 914.
4. Ancestry, "Civil War Service Records" database, Military Service Records (https://www.fold3.com/ : accessed 4 August 2019), entry for Martin I, Huneycutt, Private; 42nd Reg't North Carolina Infantry; Confederate.
5. 1870 U S Census, Stanly County, North Carolina, population schedule, Big Lick, Stanly, North Carolina, Page#43A (Stamped); Line#19, Dwelling#235, Family#239, Houdehold of I. M. HUNEYCUTT; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : online July 2025); citing National Archive Microfilm M593, Roll 1160.
6. 1880 U. S. Census, Union County, North Carolina, population schedule, New Salem, Union, North Carolina, enumeration district (ED) 216, Page: 497D (Stamped); Line 47, Dwelling 391; Family 391, Household of Arenas HUNEYCUTT; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 3 August 2019); citing National Archives Microfilm T9, Roll 0983.
7. 1900 US Census, Stanly County, North Carolina, population schedule, Big Lick, Stanly County, North Carolina, enumeration district (ED) 0123, Page 15A/205(Stamped), Line 33, Dwelling 275, Family 275, Household M. S. HUNEYCUTT; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 24 March 2019); citing National Archives Microfilm T623, Roll 1218.
8. Stanly County, North Carolina, Deed Book 28: Pages 481 & 482, R. W. Simpson, Commr. to M. I. Huneycutt; 9 April 1903, Register of Deeds, Albemarle, Stanly County, North Carolina.
9. Stanly County, North Carolina, Deed Book 35: Pages 352 & 353.
10. 1910 U. S. Census, Stanly County, North Carolina, population schedule, Furr, Stanly, North Carolina, enumeration district (ED) 0122, Page: 19A/223(stamped); Line 48, Dwelling 344, Family 346, Household of Martin I. HUNEYCUTT; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 4 August 2019); citing National Archives Microfilm T624, Roll 1096.
11. Stanly County, North Carolina, DEED BOOK 42: Pages 83 & 84.
12. North Carolina, Death Certificates, 1909-1976, Images. Ancestry, (https://www.ancestry.com: 3 August 2019), North Carolina, Death Certificates, 1909-1976, Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, Martin V Honeycutt; Certificate number 409, 12 April 1918.
13. North Carolina, Death Certificates, 1909-1976, Martin V Honeycutt, Certificate number : 12 April 1918.
14. Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, database, "Record, M I Huneycutt (14 December 1835–12 April 1918), Memorial # 62077011.
15. "1901 Confederate Pension Applications," NC Office of State Auditor, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/huneycutt-m.-i.-stanly-county/1625501 (https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/collection/ : on line July 2025), , M. I. Huneycutt, age 70, ; MARS ID: 5.22.213.61.
16. 1860 U. S. Census, Stanly County, North Carolina, Population Schedule, Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina, Page#137/69 (stamped), Line#26, Dwelling#984, Family#999, Household of Sampson HINSON.
17. 1860 U. S. Census, Stanly County, North Carolina, Population Schedule, Stanly, North Carolina, Page: 8 (stamped); Line 28, Dwelling 100, Family 100, Household of Gabriel W. HUNEYCUTT.
18. 1880 U. S. Census, Union County, North Carolina, population schedule, New Salem, Union, North Carolina, ED 216, Page: 497D (Stamped); Line 47, Dwelling 391; Family 391, Household of Arenas HUNEYCUTT.
19. 1910 U. S. Census, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, population schedule, Johns River, Cabarrus, North Carolina, enumeration district (ED) 0023, Page: 29A; Line 20, Dwelling 472, Family 472, Household of John H. SIMMONS; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 24 March 2019); citing National Archives Microfilm T623, Roll 1100.
20. 1900 US Census, Stanly County, North Carolina, population schedule, Big Lick, Stanly County, North Carolina, ED 0123, Page 15A/205(Stamped), Line 33, Dwelling 275, Family 275, Household M. S. HUNEYCUTT.
21. "1901 Confederate Pension Applications," https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/huneycutt-m.-i.-stanly-county/1625501, Unicey Huneycutt, age 70, .
22. MRS EUNICE HUNEYCUTT DEAD obituary, The Stanly News and Herald, Albemarle, Stanly County, North Carolina, 21 November 1922, Page 5, Column 2.
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