Born After Father’s Death

RootsMagic 7.0 is my program of choice for managing my rather large genealogical database. One of the major features of the program is its Problem List identified by an Exclamation Point inside a red triangle. 

While doing research this past week I noticed that a 4th Cousin once removed had a Red triangle by his name. Clicking on the triangle told me that my Cousin was born after his father’s death.

This in turn led to more research that turned up a really tragic event within this family leaving a Mother with 6 children and a baby on the way that would arrive within the next 3 months.

John Adam Huneycutt was born on 24 April 1875, a son of Thomas Franklin Huneycutt and Elizabeth Jane “Betsy” Dry. He was the last of seven children born to this union; 3 sons and 4 daughters.

Thomas Franklin Huneycutt and Elizabeth Jane “Betsy” Dry were married 3 February 1856 and their firstborn, a son, arrived 1 June 1857.

The night of 10 January 1875 was a very tragic night for this family. Betsy, 6 months pregnant with her seventh child, spent the night wondering where her husband was. Her husband, Thomas was at the home of Ezekiel Brooks until he left there, heading home, in an inebriated state. I know this from the news posting presented below.

Mr. Thos. Huneycutt
Monroe Enquirer: We learn that Mr. Thos. Huneycutt, of Stanly county, froze to death on the night of the 11th inst. The particulars, as we hear them, are as follows; Mr. Huneycutt was at the house of Mr. Ezekiel Brooks, in a very intoxicated condition, but started for his own home some two miles distant. Failing to reach home that night, search was made for him the next morning and he was found dead frozen to death on the road, Mr. H. leaves a wife and several children to mourn his very untimely death.  He was said to be a very hard working and well-to-do citizen-- with but the one failing of too ardent a love for liquor. Another great temperance lecture.

Sadly, this left the widow, Betsy, with 6 children and a baby about to be born. The children are now fatherless and again, sadly, in just a few years the children would lose their mother in November 1888.

The baby, John Adam Huneycutt, borne after his father’s death is just a mere 13-year-old teenager when he loses his Mother.

Thomas Franklin Huneycutt is buried in Brooks-Hill Cemetery, Stanfield, Stanly County, North Carolina.

Elizabeth Jane “Betsy” Dry is buried in Big Lick Baptist Church Cemetery, Stanly County, North Carolina.

Thomas Franklin Huneycutt is my 3rd Cousin twice removed.

Elizabeth Jane “Betsy” Dry is my 2nd Cousin 4 times removed.

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[1] "Mr. Thos. Huneycutt," Death Notice, The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, North Carolina, 21 January 1875, Page 2, Column 3; Digital On-Line Archives, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/ : viewed circa 12 September 2020).

Where is Thomas Franklin Huneycutt Buried?

Thomas Franklin Huneycutt was born 7 September 1836, a son of Andrew ‘Andy’ Jackson Huneycutt, Sr. and his wife Mary Ann Crayton. He was one of ten children born to Andy and Mary Ann. His siblings were four brothers and five sisters. ^{1 2}

Thomas Franklin married Elizabeth J. Dry about 1856 in Union County, North Carolina. The parents of Elizabeth J. Dry are not known by this writer. Their first born a son, Charles Albert, was born 1 June 1857 in Stanly County, North Carolina. ^{3 4}

Thomas,  like most men of this time was a farmer and Mary Ann stayed home to care for the children. When the Civil War broke out in January 1862; Thomas wasn’t eager to leave his young wife and family and rush off to War. He managed to delayed his enlistment until 18 September 1863 when he signed up with Company H, North Carolina 42nd Infantry Regiment. His war years were uneventful and he was paroled at Greensboro on May 1, 1865. ⁵

It is not known what ended such a young man’s life but on 10 January 1875 Thomas passed away leaving a young wife and seven children. ⁶

Thomas was buried but where was he buried? One source says that Thomas Franklin Huneycutt was buried in the Brooks-Hill Cemetery on Drye-Hill Rd,  Stanfield, Stanly County, NC (Find A Grave Memorial# 33290876). By the way there’s a tombstone present in this cemetery and his children are buried here.

Another FindAGrave monument says he is buried in the Big Lick Baptist Church Graveyard, Stanly County, North Carolina, (Find A Grave Memorial# 127092328). There is no tombstone here but his wife Elizabeth J. Huneycutt is buried in this cemetery (Find A Grave Memorial# 81457283).
 
I think it’s evident, by the presence of a tombstone, that Thomas Franklin Huneycutt was buried in the Brooks-Hill Cemetery on Drye-Hill Rd,  Stanfield, Stanly County, NC when he died in January 1875. (Find A Grave Memorial# 33290876).









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[1] 1850 Census, Stanly County, North Carolina, population schedule, Furrs, Stanly County, North Carolina, , Page: 40A(stamped); Line 30, Family 563, Household 566, Household of Andrew HONEYCUTT; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 14 November 2015); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, Roll 645.
[2] 1860 U. S. Census, Stanly County, North Carolina, population schedule, , enumeration district (ED) Stanly County, North Carolina, Page: 12 (stamped); Line 5, Dwelling 144, Family 144, Household of Thos. HONEYCUTT; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 6 February 2014); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M653, Roll 914.
[3]  "North Carolina, Marriages Index, 1741-2011," database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 6 February 2014), Marriage: Thomas F Huneycutt & Elizabeth Dry.
[4] 1860 U. S. Census, Stanly County, North Carolina, population schedule, , enumeration district (ED) Stanly County, North Carolina, Page: 12 (stamped); Line 5, Dwelling 144, Family 144, Household of Thos. HONEYCUTT; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 6 February 2014); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M653, Roll 914.
[5] Matthew Brown Editor, BOOK: NORTH CAROLINA TROOPS:1861-1865: A Roster (Raleigh, NC 27699-4622: Historical Publications Section, 1997), Thomas F HUNEYCUTT, Private, Volume 10, page 270.
[6] Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, database and digital images, (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 6 February 2016); Memorial page for Thomas F. Honeycutt; (7 September 1836–10 January 1875); Find a Grave memorial # 33290876, Citing Brooks-Hill Cemetery; Stanfield, Stanly County, North Carolina, USA.