Received of John Logan Treasurer of Public
Buildings One hundred and fifty one
Dollars & 50 cents in full of the Bridge
Tax laid to building a Bridge at
[Banks?] on 2nd Broad River and
Another Bridge on Cathy Creek Tax
Collected in 1830. This being the Tax in
full acct [laid?] for those purposes
} W J Melton???
The Whole Tax $361.56 { [??????????????????]
November 4, 1836 }
One thing I really enjoy about this blog series is getting to learn about the different people from the documents. I’m a little frustrated that I can’t seem to make out the exact name of the official who received the tax money. I also can’t seem to make out the job title or verbiage written below their name.
I need your help!
If you have any ideas about improving this rough transcription, please share in the comments below.
About the Logan Project: I possess a box of 170 documents passed down 6 generations in the Logan family that originate from John Logan (1775-1841) of Rutherford County, NC. These documents are mainly receipts that show the various business and legal dealings of many different families from Rutherford County, NC. I will be posting these documents on this blog in chronological order. The scanned images of these documents are the copyright of Jonathan Medford. You are welcome to download them for personal use. Do not redistribute these documents for the purpose of commercial gain without his expressed written permission. If you would like to start reading them from the first document, you can start here.
[?]ber 12th 1836 then Received
of John Logan seventeen
Dollars the ful amount of
A Judgment on John Alley
Jr.
James Morris C.C.
This receipt appears to be a situation where John Logan was collecting a judgement on behalf of the Clerk of Court of Rutherford County, NC. I had a hard time making out the last name of James, but the C at the end of the name was a clue that it was like C.C. which stands for Clerk of Court. The Clerk of Court of Rutherford County at the time of this receipt was James Morris. The last name becomes much more clearer now. The M is distinct enough. I can make out an O, two Rs that run into each other like a lower case m and the double S in the shape of the F like you often see from this time period.
John Alley, Jr. is likely Col. John Heywood Alley, Jr. who was the son of former Rutherford County Sheriff John Heywood Alley and brother of former Sheriff Frederick F. Alley.
In the 1880s he served as Postmaster of Effie, NC in Jackson County.
He died in Whiteside Cove, Jackson County, North Carolina 3 Dec 1902. He is buried in Norton, Jackson county, NC.
According to an entry on Find a Grave, Col. John Heywood Alley Jr. was born 11 May 1814 in Rutherford County, North Carolina. He married Sarah Norton in 1847. She is the daughter of Barak Pickerel Norton and Mary Norton. John and Sarah had the following children: James Franks Alley, Susan W. Davis, Zebulon Barrick Alley, Thomas Douglas Alley, Martha J. Baumgarner, Felex Eugene Alley, Sallie E. Cannon, John Hampton Alley and Effie Mae Picklesimer.
Alley’s obituary in the Franklin Press states that he served in the Cherokee Indian war, with a Lieutenant’s commission, for which service he received a pension. He was also a Colonel in the Confederate service home guard. According to his obituary his first vote was cast for Gen. Andrew Jackson, but subsequently he affiliated with the whigs (Republicans).
The Franklin Press Franklin, North Carolina 28 Jan 1903, Wed • Page 2
James Morris II was born on the Fox Haven plantation near Rutherfordton, NC in 1785. In addition to his role as a planter, he was the first clerk of superior court for Rutherford County, NC. He held this position for 25 years. His son James Bryan Morris was born on the plantation on April 28, 1831. Like John H. Alley, James Bryan Morris served as an officer in the Rutherford County Home Guard during the Civil War. He married a daughter of Dr. John McEntirewho we have written about before on this blog.
The Fox Haven plantation was posted for sale in January of 2019 for $950,000. You can view pictures of the home here. If you don’t already follow Michelle Bowers on Facebook, I highly recommend it. Her blog is all about Old Houses.
If you have any ideas about improving this rough transcription, please share in the comments below.
About the Logan Project: I possess a box of 170 documents passed down 6 generations in the Logan family that originate from John Logan (1775-1841) of Rutherford County, NC. These documents are mainly receipts that show the various business and legal dealings of many different families from Rutherford County, NC. I will be posting these documents on this blog in chronological order. The scanned images of these documents are the copyright of Jonathan Medford. You are welcome to download them for personal use. Do not redistribute these documents for the purpose of commercial gain without his expressed written permission. If you would like to start reading them from the first document, you can start here.
Rec’d of John Logan Esq twenty two dollars and two cent his tax in full for the year 1836
Wm Wilkins Sheriff
William Wilkins was a first year sheriff when this receipt was written. He was the Sheriff of Rutherford County from 1836 to 1838 and again from 1842 to 1846. Wilkins also served as a representative to the North Carolina General Assembly. He was also clerk of the county court of pleas and quarter sessions.
There is some interesting history in regards to the Sheriffs of Rutherford County that I found in a 18 Dec 1930 Forest City Courier article. I’ve updated some of the facts from the article.
William Carson and J. Ed McFarland are the only other Sheriffs beside William Wilkins of Rutherford County to serve for a period and then at another date. Carson was the first man to be elected by popular vote of the people. The justices appointed the sheriffs for a period of one year until 1830, when the popular vote system was inaugurated.
Five “sets” of fathers and sons served in this office. They are Andrew Hampton and his son Jonathan Hampton; Garland Dickerson and his son, M. O. Dickerson; A.B. Long and his son, G. W. Long; Martin Walker and his son, Noah Walker; John E. McFarland and his son, J. V. McFarland, and the grandson of John McFarland son of J.V. McFarland held the office. Robert Irvine and Abram Irvine were brothers, also John H. Alley and Frederick F. Alley.
Six of the Sheriffs before 1930 were war veterans. Richard Singleton, Andrew Hampton, John Lewis and James Winthrow all served in the Revolutionary War. Abram Irvine was a colonel in the War of 1812. M. O. Dickerson was a captain in the Indian Removal of 1838 as well as in the Civil War. It’s crazy to imagine that when this tax receipt was written, the Trail of Tears was two years away from happening.
The article also mentions a very interesting tidbit:
The county has been unusually fortunate in securing as officials men of integrity, ability, and above all , honesty. During the entire period of the county’s history there has been only one defaulter in this office. This defaulter became involved in unsuccessful speculation ventures, lost his property and carried six other prominent Rutherford county men to ruin. His six bondsmen finally reimbursed the county for the defaulter’s shortage, but it broke them up.
I wonder who that could have been? Sounds like another good research project!
Until 1810 there was no standard currency in the country which made the task of collecting taxes very difficult for sheriff’s at the time. One of the sheriff’s deputies in 1795 reported that he had collected “above 500 bushels of Indian corn”, a quantity of pelts, and three gallons of West India rum. The sheriffs themselves were also paid in produce collected and not with hard money.
Much like William Wilkins, several of these sheriffs served in other political offices. James Winthrow, Richard Singleton and John J. Alley also served as representatives in the General Assembly. Richard Singleton, Martin Walker, and Jonathan Hampton served as members of the state senate. Garland Dickerson was coroner of the county for a number of years. M.O. Dickerson was clerk of the Superior Court.
If you have any ideas about improving this rough transcription, please share in the comments below.
About the Logan Project: I possess a box of 170 documents passed down 6 generations in the Logan family that originate from John Logan (1775-1841) of Rutherford County, NC. These documents are mainly receipts that show the various business and legal dealings of many different families from Rutherford County, NC. I will be posting these documents on this blog in chronological order. The scanned images of these documents are the copyright of Jonathan Medford. You are welcome to download them for personal use. Do not redistribute these documents for the purpose of commercial gain without his expressed written permission. If you would like to start reading them from the first document, you can start here.
Peter Green’s Order for Millstone September 13, 1830
Received of John Logan four Dollars & fifty Cents in ful payment for one Millstone formerly the property of my father Peter Green Deceast which is now on the plantation of Joshua Taylor Deceast
Sept 13th 1830 W.H. Green attest William T. Green
The early 1830s is about the time that John Logan and others in Rutherford County were catching gold fever. I would be willing to bet that this millstone was going to be used for the purpose of mining. Thanks to a court case involving the heirs of John Logan vs a Green (might have been one of these Green’s but unfortunately the suit never uses his first name) we know that John purchased a 30 year lease from Thomas Coggins on July 11, 1831 along with Thomas Dews and John McEntire for the “special and sole purpose of digging and searching for and extracting the precious metals; if any be there found , on or from any and every part of the said premises”. Logan purchased his interest in the minerals with a barrel of flour and 75 gallons of whiskey. After the mines had been found not to be worth working, Logan rescinded the contract with Coggins and took Coggins’ bond for the value of the flour and whiskey, and later received the money. John’s sons George W. Logan and John W. Logan brought suit against Green, McDowell and Lord in 1846 when they learned that they took four or five “pennyweights” of gold from the property which they thought their father still had a lease on. The Logan brothers ended up losing the case and had to pay the court costs. (source: The Mining Reports)
According to an article in The Spectator on June 18, 1831 a large number of new mines were discovered on Richardson’s and Floyd’s Creeks. Peter Green, who lived on Richardson’s creek was offered $35,000 for his mines that week but he refused (source: Griffin). Maybe this article is referencing a younger Peter as the one in this receipt is deceased. In September of 1831, Peter H. Green is trying to sell this plot of land.
North Carolina Spectator and Western Advertiser (Rutherfordton, North Carolina) 8 Oct 1831, Sat • Page 1
Joshua Taylor appeared to own a pretty impressive plantation. There is a website with a little bit of info on the plantation found here.
Please leave a comment below if you have additional information about Peter Green, Joshua Taylor, William T. Green and W.H. Green that you would like to share.
About the Logan Project: I possess a box of 170 documents passed down 6 generations in the Logan family that originate from John Logan (1775-1841) of Rutherford County, NC. These documents are mainly receipts that show the various business and legal dealings of many different families from Rutherford County, NC. I will be posting these documents on this blog in chronological order. The scanned images of these documents are the copyright of Jonathan Medford. Do not redistribute these documents for the purpose of commercial gain without his expressed written permission. If you would like to start reading them from the first document, you can start here.
Received Charleston Dec 6 1827 from Mr. McEntire
Fifty Dollars on a/c of John Logan
Miller Ripley & Co. P Jn Weller
First off, Them Medfords Blog had over 100 page views yesterday! Pretty cool! I started working on this receipt yesterday and I could not find any information on Ripleys and Wellers in Rutherford County, NC. I also had a hard time deciphering the second word in this document. I started thinking about who this Mr. McEntire could be and so I did a search on my blog and came across the profile I did on Dr. John McEntire. Then it hit me that Dr. McEntire studied in Charleston, SC and that second word looked an awful lot like Charleston. That’s why the Ripley and Weller names were elusive to me.
This would suggest to me that Dr. McEntire was in Charleston, SC for a period of time around 1827. Being owed a considerable sum from Mr. McEntire, John Logan likely would have hired an attorney or other agent in SC to collect this from him.
Almost all of these receipts are labeled on the back and I try to use this same label in the title. That’s why I call this the Miller Receipt. I thought he named this after one of the possible attorneys “Miller Ripley”. After all, there appears to be some kind of title at the end of his name.
It turns out that Miller Ripley isn’t a person after all. It is the Miller, Ripley & Co. which is a dry goods merchant with operations in Charleston and New York. This company was owned by Horatio Miller, Samuel P. Ripley, George N. Miller and Henry C. Bissell). They bought a site on 290-292 King St. in 1833-34 and had a double building erected by John Gordon in 1834. lt was destroyed in the great fire of 1838. The double building was immediately rebuilt, reusing the common wall from the burned structure. The two halves were subsequently remodeled from their original Greek Revival appearance. (source: Charles County Public Library)
So here I was thinking that Dr. McEntire was skipping town without settling his debts with John Logan, and here he is on a trip to Charleston and buying some dry goods on John Logans behalf! You really have to think these things through!
I assume what appears to be P. Jn. Weller is an employee of Miller, Ripley & Company. I haven’t been able to find any information on him. Weller is not a popular name in South Carolina but it is in New York. Perhaps he is an employee with a connection with their New York office.
Please leave a comment below if you have any additional info on Miller, Ripley & Co., P. Jn. Weller or Dr. McEntire.
About the Logan Project: I possess a box of 170 documents passed down 6 generations in the Logan family that originate from John Logan (1775-1841) of Rutherford County, NC. These documents are mainly receipts that show the various business and legal dealings of many different families from Rutherford County, NC. I will be posting these documents on this blog in chronological order. The scanned images of these documents are the copyright of Jonathan Medford. Do not redistribute these documents for the purpose of commercial gain without his expressed written permission.
Recd of John Logan Esqr one of the wardens of the poor for the county of Rutherford one hundred & fifty dollars for part payment for keeping its poor of said county for the year 1824 January the 17th 1824
David Hill
J.W. Carson
I think that this receipt offers us a true glimpse into how different society was in the 1820s. This is before the days of federal income taxes and obviously before the era of Social Security. The responsibility of taking care of the poor in North Carolina was placed on Wardens of the Poor from 1777 until 1917 (source).
Until 1868, each county had seven Wardens of the Poor who were elected until 1846. After that they were appointed by the County Courts. Their main duties were to receive and disburse money for poor relief, determine what persons were entitled to public assistance, and supervise the operation of institutions for the poor (source).
According to this information, John Logan was elected to be one of Rutherford County’s seven Wardens of the Poor. This $150 likely didn’t come from his personal wealth, but he was probably responsible for collecting money from other citizens for this purpose. Perhaps David Hill and J.W. Carson were two of the other Wardens of the Poor that might have had the responsibility of disbursing the monies or supervising the operation of Poor Houses or Poor Farms.
David Hill was born May 1, 1795 in Rutherford County, North Carolina. He was the son of Reubin Hill (1764 -1858) and Margaret McBrayer (1775-1834). He married to Amelia Lucinda Potts (1822-1880). A large portion of the Hill family moved to Dawson County, GA including David’s father and many of his siblings. David died in Dawson County, GA on June 10, 1885. (source Sarah Catherine Liles)
James W. Carson is the nephew of the Sheriff William Carson from a previous blog post. James was also Sheriff of Rutherford County from October 1838 to October 1842. James was born December 23, 1789 in Rutherford Co., NC. He was the son of General John G. Carson and Mary Withrow. He married Catherine Canselor (1791-1867)in Rutherford Co., NC on February 15, 1814. James died October 24, 1846. (source Lela Whisnant)
Please leave a comment below if you have additional information about Wardens of the Poor (particularly in Rutherford Co., NC), David Hill or James W. Carson.
About the Logan Project: I possess a box of 170 documents passed down 6 generations in the Logan family that originate from John Logan (1775-1841) of Rutherford County, NC. These documents are mainly receipts that show the various business and legal dealings of many different families from Rutherford County, NC. I will be posting these documents on this blog in chronological order. The scanned images of these documents are the copyright of Jonathan Medford. Do not redistribute these documents for the purpose of commercial gain without his expressed written permission.
Fred A. Brown receipt for "schooling" dated November 24, 1823
$5.00 Rutherford Nov. 24th 1823 Recd John Logan Esq. Five Dollars, the amount of his subscription and schooling in full.
Fred A. Brown
I haven’t blogged in the past several days because I was out of town on business, but also because I spent some time trying to learn more about Fred A. Brown and I could find nothing on him. It frustrates the heck out of me, but the is the very reason why I think it is best to blog about these documents instead of trying to peddle them in a book like so many others would. Hopefully someone out there can shed a little light on Mr. Brown.
I assume that Fred might be a schoolmaster. I was hoping that I could at least learn more about the schools in Rutherford County, NC around the 1820s but I didn’t have much luck with that either. I live in a town in eastern North Carolina called Whiteville and the oldest structure in the town is the Reuben Brown House. Coincidentally enough, Reuben Brown was schoolmaster for the Whiteville Academy subscription from 1869-1870. While I was searching for a schoolmaster named Fred Brown online, it pulled up information about the Reuben Brown house.
If I hadn’t seen the term “Whiteville Academy subscription” I might have also pegged Fred as a newspaper man as well as I certainly wanted to learn more about what “subscription” meant in this document. A subscription school was one that was supported by wealthy families who paid a “subscription”.
A couple of John Logan’s children would have been school-age when this receipt was written. Lawson was 11, George was 8 and John might have been too young at 4. I guess one might assume that the subscription was $2.50 per child and I’m not sure if this would have been on a monthly or yearly (seasonal) basis.
Please leave a comment below if you have additional information about Fred A. Brown or subscription schools (particularly in Rutherford County) that you would like to share.
About the Logan Project: I possess a box of 170 documents passed down 6 generations in the Logan family that originate from John Logan (1775-1841) of Rutherford County, NC. These documents are mainly receipts that show the various business and legal dealings of many different families from Rutherford County, NC. I will be posting these documents on this blog in chronological order. The scanned images of these documents are the copyright of Jonathan Medford. Do not redistribute these documents for the purpose of commercial gain without his expressed written permission.
Recd of John Logan his tax in full for 1823 $18.78
By William Carson Shff
Here is a short and sweet little receipt. His estate is certainly growing, that or taxes are getting higher. In 1813 he paid £114. In 1818 he paid $9.51.
William Carson was Sheriff of Rutherford County, NC from 1798 to 1809 and again from 1821 to 1836. He also served as a state senator in 1810. He was born about 1773 in Pennsylvania, a son of Dan Carson. His mother was a McFarland. The family emigrated to Rutherford County about 1790, and settled near Hollis. William had two brothers and four sisters. He was brother to General John C. Carson. [source: History of old Tryon and Rutherford Counties, North Carolina, 1730-1936 By Clarence W. Griffin]
Please leave a comment below if you have additional information about William Carson that you would like to share.
About the Logan Project: I possess a box of 170 documents passed down 6 generations in the Logan family that originate from John Logan (1775-1841) of Rutherford County, NC. These documents are mainly receipts that show the various business and legal dealings of many different families from Rutherford County, NC. I will be posting these documents on this blog in chronological order. The scanned images of these documents are the copyright of Jonathan Medford. Do not redistribute these documents for the purpose of commercial gain without his expressed written permission.
Robert McAfee receipt for putting steps to the court house.
Received of JohnLogan County treasurer of Public Building One Dollar My charge for putting steps to lower end of Courthouse this 14th December 1822
Robt McAfee
This receipt is something that I hope gets a McAfee descendant excited. I think it is always neat to see the handwriting of your ancestor and to learn more about the kind of work that they did.
Robert McAfee was born May 30, 1777 and died May 5, 1848 in Gwinnett County, GA, having removed from Rutherford Co., NC. He was married to Mary Miller(1784-1872), daughter of Colonel John Miller, son of David Miller, who gave the famous “Blessing” in Kings’s Mountain and It’s Heros, and Mary (Kerr) Miller. Mary Miller’s mother was Susannah Twitty, daughter to William Twitty who was killed by Indians while on an expedition with Daniel Boone, Henderson, and Felix Walker. Felix Walker was a witness at the marriage of John Miller and Susannah Twitty on May 15, 1783.
Robert and Mary (Miller) McAfee had eight children. When the older sons went to Georgia, Robert went to see them settled, and organized Mt. Carmel Methodist Church near Pickneyville, Gwinnett County. The children of Robert McAfee and Mary were: John Miller McAfee (the physician, legislator, military BG officer in reserves), James Taliaferro McAfee (the legislative senator of GA/AL), Susan Mira McAfee married Jackson Gregory, William Madison McAfee (GA), Tillman G. McAfee (not to be confused with the Tillman McAfee in Abner McAfee’s line), Lemuel Alston McAfee (went to Texas), Alfred Burton McAfee (In Rutherford/Lincoln counties, the Burton Family and McAfee family were close friends); went to Texas. [source]
Robert’s steps to the court house is not the only building project credited to Robert McAfee. Mrs. Imogene McAfee Buder’s genealogical work tells that he “gifted” Jackson Gregory and wife Susannah McAfee (his daughter) a bridge known as the McAfee bridge and its operation. Robert McAfee had petitioned the GA legislature to build a wooden covered toll bridge across the Chattahoochee River. He owned property on both sides of the Chattahoochee River. Robert McAfee built a two story dwelling at the bridge where his only daughter and her husband lived for some time and they ran the operation of the toll bridge. The church which Gregory served was not far from the Chattahoochee River area and the McAfee Bridge. The bridge was burned in the Civil War by General Garrard’s troops. The bridge which was rebuilt and is today known as the Holcomb Bridge and carries a high volume of daily Atlanta traffic. [source]
Here is a newspaper ad when Robert was selling his estate in Rutherford County so that he could move to Georgia:
“Look at this and make up your minds quickly. The subscriber having purchased land in the State of Georgia, and being determined to remove in December next, offers for sale or lease, on accommodating terms, his Plantation, containing 1000 acres of good land; about 200 acres are cleared, and in good farming condition; of which, 93 are bottom, not inferior to any in the State. On the premises is, an excellent two story brick dwelling House, a Mill, an extensive Apple Orchard of select fruit, and other conveniences for the accommodation of the purchaser; situated on Main Broad River, five miles South of Rutherfordton. Also, his house and lot, in Town and a Farm adjacent to it, containing 200 acres, or more; about 30 of which is under cultivation, and is very productive, strong upland. Persons who are desirous of buying, by making application, may obtain good bargains. ROBERT McAFEE, Rutherfordton, Oct. 15, 1831.” [North Carolina Spectator and Western Advertiser (1830-1835), Rutherford Co., NC Abstracts”, 1982, by Helen Mason LU and Gwen NEWMAN. (p. 82)]
He was elected to serve in the North Carolina House of Representatives in 1831. He served one term before moving to GA. The McAfee family had their hands in the gold mining industry in Rutherford County, NC and this was a factor in their move to GA. You might recall my previous blog post about the Hamilton family and their gold mining interest and eventual move to GA.
The McAfees’ and Hamiltons’ held investments in gold mining within the same Dahlonega, GA area, and John Miller McAfee, M.D., who came from Rutherford, NC to the Dahlonega area, weighed the gold for the Bank at Dahlonega in addition to his medical practice and legislative endeavors. [source]
Please leave a comment below if you have additional information about Robert McAfee that you would like to share.
About the Logan Project: I possess a box of 170 documents passed down 6 generations in the Logan family that originate from John Logan (1775-1841) of Rutherford County, NC. These documents are mainly receipts that show the various business and legal dealings of many different families from Rutherford County, NC. I will be posting these documents on this blog in chronological order. The scanned images of these documents are the copyright of Jonathan Medford. Do not redistribute these documents for the purpose of commercial gain without his expressed written permission.
Here is a short little receipt that is clearly labeled on the back: “Jail Tax”. In 1822, John Logan was serving as Treasurer of Public Buildings in Rutherford County, NC (I learn this from the receipt I will be featuring next). Therefore, John Logan isn’t likely paying $433.27 for the Jail personally, this is money that he probably collected or managed on behalf of the County. George Walton held this same position in 1813 as mentioned in a previous post.
This position seems to be a popular county government seat held mostly in the South during the 1800s.
While researching John Logan’s role as Treasurer of Public Buildings, I learned of an article from the North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal, Volume XXIV (1998), titled ” Petition of John Logan 1827″. Does anyone have access to this article that can share it?
If you have any additional info or insights about the role of the Treasurer of Public Buildings and other men in Rutherford County that held that position, please post a comment below.
About the Logan Project: I possess a box of 170 documents passed down 6 generations in the Logan family that originate from John Logan (1775-1841) of Rutherford County, NC. These documents are mainly receipts that show the various business and legal dealings of many different families from Rutherford County, NC. I will be posting these documents on this blog in chronological order. The scanned images of these documents are the copyright of Jonathan Medford. Do not redistribute these documents for the purpose of commercial gain without his expressed written permission.
Them Medfords & other mountain folk 