|
Abner Waldrop
In the 1970’s a researcher named Blanche Cuthbert chased her Waldrop ancestors back to Abner Waldrop and hit a brick wall. The wall still stands. We have discovered facts that, if true, may enlarge Abner’s family. But, in 2010, we are no closer to knowing his parents than Blanche was in 1977.
Abner, born 1816, and his siblings are thought to have been born in the Haywood Co., NC area. Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina are a challenge to any genealogy researcher. Abner was born when Haywood Co., NC stretched from TN on the north and west to GA on the south and Buncombe Co., NC on the east. Records are scarce. We cannot securely identify Abner until 1860 when he was enumerated in Greenville Co., SC in the dwelling of John and Malissa Bonam. Andrew Jackson Waldrop was living with the Francis Fisher family a few doors down from Abner in 1860. He was 21 years old.
We are told Abner first married an Elizabeth Rite in 1834 in Haywood Co., NC. They had a son, Andrew Jackson and Elizabeth died. The Andrew Jackson Waldrop living close to Abner in 1860 would have been born about 1839, five years after Abner and Elizabeth married. Few women in that day and time waited five years to have their first child, but we surmise that this fact may have contributed to Elizabeth’s early death. She may have had several miscarriages before Andrew and died when he was born. It’s a good story and that’s about all we have to go on with this family. Abner hasn’t been found on the 1840 or 1850 U. S. Census, so we have no idea where he was or what he was doing when his son was born and his wife died.
From 1860 until his death in 1889, Abner lived in the Glassy Mountain area of Greenville Co., NC. He married a second time to Elizabeth Morgan. His son, Andrew Jackson Waldrop married Sarah Fisher, probably a relative of the family he was living with in 1860. Abner and Elizabeth Morgan had 6 sons and 2 daughters. Their youngest son was still living in 1977 when Blanche Cuthbert was doing her research and remembered he was 11 years old when his father died. Abner was buried at the Oak Grove Baptist Chruch cemetery about 5 miles out of Landrum, SC on Hwy 14. Abner was a chair maker.
Blanche thought Abner had a brother named Joseph or Joe. She didn’t have his wife’s name, but named his children. However, the Mt. Lebanon Cemetery in Greer, SC proves this information to be in error. The gravestone of Elizabeth Waldrop, 2 Jun 1835-15 Jun 1895 calls her “Wife of Abner Waldrop”. On the same marker is W. M. Waldrop, 17 Jul 1754 (should be 1864) 10 Apr 1897. W. M. was Abner and Elizabeth’s oldest son. The next grave is Sarah “Wife of T. M. Waldrop, 2 Jun 1832-10 Feb 1892 and the next marker is that of Thomas M. Waldrop, 20 Nov 1830-30 Oct 1885. The 1860 and 1880 census for Greenville Co., SC shows the children Blanche had claimed for Abner’s brother, Joe, in the household of Thomas and Sarah Waldrop. Thomas was a chair maker in 1880. We believe Abner and Thomas to be brothers, even though there was as much as 14 years difference in their ages.
As stated, Abner Waldrop was not enumerated in 1850 as far as we can tell. However, in 1850 Greenville Co., SC there were four families enumerated consecutively that are of interest. Tilman W. Waldrop was 31, married to Eliza, 38. They had 5 children in the house: Joseph, 6; William, 5; Mary, 3; Martha, 1 and Jackson, 8. The way the children are listed could mean , Jackson, was not their child. And, Tilman and Eliza were married in 1844. This fact is documented by the Greenville newspaper that shows their marriage date. Jackson was born at least 2 years before they were married. We believe there is a good chance that the 8 year old Jackson in Tilman’s house in 1850 was the 21 year old Andrew Jackson in the Fisher house in 1860 and the son of Abner.
Building on the theory of kinship, the family next door to Tilman in 1850 was Alexander Pack, 25 and Saphrona, his wife, 23. They had a son, Henry, 11/12 of a year old. Also in their household was Thomas, 21 and Sarah, 18. The census doesn’t show Thomas and Sarah were Waldrops. But, we cannot find a Thomas Pack anywhere in the census after this 1850 entry. We believe the enumerator erred and Thomas and Sarah were Waldrops, Thomas being Abner’s brother. Saphrona was Narcissa Safrona, the sister of Tilman.
Tilman’s neighbors on the other side in 1850 were H. Waldrop, 29, married to Reony, 23 with a daughter, Mary, 4. Next to H. was A. Waldrop, 21, married to Martha, 21 with a son, Gar, 3/12. We believe these, too were Tilman's siblings.
There was a 33 year old Anderson Waldrop in Laurens Co., SC living alone in 1860. He was a carpenter. And, there was an Anderson Waldrop killed in the Civil War. He may have been the A. Waldrop of 1850 and he may not. However, in Greenville Co., SC, Garvin Waldrip, age 10 and Louisa Waldrip, age 6 were in the house of Thomas and Nancy Babb. We feel sure these were the children of A. and Martha Waldrop who were Tilman’s neighbors in 1850. And, we believe that Martha was Thomas Babb’s daughter. In 1878-1880, Garvin bought a total of 100 acres from Thomas Babb, Jr. in three separate deeds. We know Sarah, the wife of Abner’s brother, Thomas was a Babb. We have a copy of their son, William’s death certificate where is father is shown as Thomas Waldrop, his mother, Sarah Babb.
To us, the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming that Abner, Thomas, Tilman, H., A. and Narcissa Sophrona Waldrop were siblings. The only Waldrop we can find in the census that comes close to being a candidate for father of these six is William Waldrop who was enumerated in Rutherford Co., NC in 1820 and 1830. And, he ONLY comes close.
We do have two participants in the DNA Project from this mix of folks. One descends from Garvin Waldrop, son of A. and Martha; the other from Tilman and Eliza. Both of these men match descendants of our Michael Waldrop group. This means that they are somehow related to Waldrops of Laurens, Newberry and Spartanburg Co., SC. We just don’t know which ones.
|