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THE CHARLES FAMILY IN BUCHANAN
COUNTY In 1787 George Charles
(Ger) and Christian Michael were married in Salisbury District, Rowan
County, North Carolina. Later research in
the Orange Co., NC records disclose a power of attorney from George
Charles of Russell Co., VA to Joseph Gibson of Guilford Co., NC to
collect his part of the estate of "my father, Michael Charles,
lately deceased of Orange Co., NC" dated July 22, 1813. Michael
was mentioned as among Nicholite settlers from Maryland to Guilford
Co., NC by Kenneth Carroll in his book about the Nicholites. Michael
was naturalized in Rowan Co., NC in 1763, being of German birth. In the 1790 census
of Rowan Co., he and Christian had one son. The next record of George
that has been found is in the 1810 census of Russell Co., VA, when
he had a family consisting of four boys and a girl. In the 1820 census
of Russell Co., he and his family are still there. Michael Charles,
with a wife and two children, is living there also. Neither of the
two families appear in the 1830 census of Russell Co. In the section of
Floyd Co., KY that later became Pike Co., Sally Charles, daughter
of George, was married in 1818 to Harrison Harper. In 1820, Peggy
Charles was married to John King and John Charles was married to Nancy
Thompson. They were daughters and son of George Charles. Later census
records list North Carolina as John's place of birth and Virginia
as Nancy's. Pike County marriage records show that during the next
few years, George Charles, Jr., David, Frederick, and Caty Charles
were married. George Charles is named as father of all four. The first
record of Michael in Pike County is in the 1828 tax list. George,
Jr., is not on the Pike County tax list after 1826. He and his family
are on the 1830 census of Russell County. In 1835, George Charles,
Sr., married Charlotta Chaney, who was born in Russell Co., VA. Evidently
Christean, his first wife, had died and this was a second marriage.
According to Pike
County tax records, George, Sr. and his son, Frederick, remained on
Raccoon Creek. But Michael, John and David established homes on Peter
Creek. No record of children of John has been found though he was
married twice. His will, filed 20 March 1870 in Pike County, does
not mention any children but leaves his property to his second wife,
Elizabeth, her daughter Keziah, and to George Charles, son of David
Charles. In the 1830 census
of Pike County, Michael and his wife Elizabeth, had two sons and four
daughters, no names given. The 1840 census of Pike County is not available
to the writer at this time, but the 1850 census lists and gives names
of five daughters only. Margaret married Richard Daniels on 28 October
1842; Pricey married William Coleman 19 June 1855; Elizabeth married
Elijah Dotson 19 May 1853; Mary married Sam Jurley 7 May 1860, and
Nancy married Keenis Morris 2 March 1865 - all in Pike County. There
is a Pike County record of the death of David Charles, age 30, on
15 January 1857, naming Michael and Elizabeth as parents. Identification
of their other son has not been made. It is possible that he married
and established a home in some other area than Pike Co., KY, or Buchanan
Co., VA. David Charles married
Sarah Cline on 8 December 1823 in Pike County and made their home
in the Hurley section of Buchanan Co. Their children were: John, who
married Sally McCoy; Moses, who married 1st Sally Hurley and 2nd Florence
Coleman; George, married twice; Betty Stacy being his second wife;
Frederick (Fed) married Martha Hurley; Mary married James Davis 9
January 1845; Nancy married Sam Kennedy 26 March 1846; Betsy Jane
married Preacher Conley Blankenship; Peggy, who married Mose Mounts,
lived in West Virginia and was killed by a train near War Eagle. David,
Jr., married 1st Delilah Blankenship 4 March 1855 and 2nd Margaret
Reed 4 August 1910; Moses, Frederick and David, Jr., are the only
heads of household listed by the name of Charles int he 1860 census
of Buchanan County. David and Delilah's
children were: Rebecca, who married Robert Hurley; Adam married Polly
Jane Justus; Hiram married Mary Davis; Armedia married Epson Stacy;
Arinda married Henry Stacy; Nancy married Ellis Stacy; Rosetta married
Ellis Justus; Sarah (Sally) married Harrison Justus and Betty married
Harrison Davis; Margaret (Peggy) married Asbury (Tom) Hurley. Two
other children, Clarinda, twin of Arinda, and George, died in infancy.
Moses and his first
wife, Sarah Hurley, were parents of the following children: Celia,
who married Mahlon Francis; Harvey George who married 1st Peggy Charles,
soon divorced, and 2nd Minnie Scott; Jonathan married Lena Coleman;
Victoria married Larkin Justus; Clara married James Robinson Hurley;
Causby married Joseph Preece; John Sherman married Lorena Justus;
Mary married William Walker; Thomas married Sarah Elizabeth Dawson.
Moses and his second wife, Florence Coleman, were parents of four
children: Tilda, who married Clark Hylton, now lives near Jacksonville,
FL; Ernest married Caroline Taylor; Lundy married Telia Taylor, sister
of Caroline; Moses B. (Shack) who was married twice. His first wife
was Martha Norman and his second wife was Lena McCoy. Frederick and his
wife Martha were parents of eight children: Cecilia (Sissy) born ca
1855, married Wes Griffey; Sarah, born ca 1858, married George W.
Estep; Elizabeth, born ca 1860, married Jasper Canady; Armedia married
George Lewis Allen; Polly married John C. McCoy; George Washington
married Lydia Lester; Frederick, Jr., and Jonathan (Bud) married sisters,
Leandra and Cora Hurley. Frederick (son of
George, Sr.) and his wife Elizabeth McColley, were parents of eleven
children. Andrew Jackson, who married Eliza Ramey in Pike County in
1856, was the fifth son. They lived on Raccoon Creek in Pike County
until 1870, when they and their eight children moved to Buchanan County,
where five more children were born to them. Eliza had inherited land
on the right fork of Rock Lick Creek from her parents, Pricy Elswick
and James Madison Ramey, Sr., which became their home for many years,
and later was known as Jack's Creek. At the time Andy and
Eliza moved to Buchanan Co., their children were as follows: Pricy,
age 14; Greenville, age 12; David, age 10; Jack (Andrew Jackson, Jr.),
age 8; twin, James Madison and Grederick, age 5 named for their grandfathers;
John (Bud), age 3; Paris, age 1. The other five children born in Buchanan
Co. were: Mary Gusta, Miles, Arminda Alifair (Sissy), Florence and
Vicy Caroline. As the large family
matured, their father acquired substantial real estate, consisting
of mountain farm and timber land with mineral rights. He operated
a large general merchandise store near the mouth of Rock Lick Creek
for many years and this was continued by his son, Green and his family.
After most of the children were married, Andy and Eliza returned to
Pike County, locating on a fertile farm at Millard, about ten miles
from Pikeville. Pricy Charles married
John L. Elswick, son of Henderson and Catherine Looney Elswick. They
built a home and lived for several years on Grassy Creek near Breaks
Interstate Park, then sold it and went to Montana. They did not like
living there so came back to Wurtland, near Ashland, KY. There they
lived the remainder of their lives. Greenville, or Green
as he was known, married Jane Belcher, daughter of John S. and Mary
Polly Elswick Belcher. They lived at the forks of Rock Lick Creek,
where he operated the store established by his father, and acquired
extensive real estate, consisting of virgin timber and coal lands,
both in Buchanan Co. and West Virginia. After his family reached maturity,
he and Jane moved to Pikeville, KY, where they spent the remainder
of their lives. They are buried in the family cemetery at Millard.
David Montville married
Nancy, daughter of Thompson and Sarah Hackney Elswick, and made their
home on Rock Lick Creek. They acquired a sizeable estate of timber
and coal lands, some owned jointly with his brother, Green. Their
children were: Arthur, James, Stella, Ellis, Eliza, Albert, Mae, Hester
and Dixie. During their later years, David and Nancy moved to Grundy,
where they died and are buried. Andrew Jackson, Jr.,
(Jack or J. C.) married Mary Jane, daughter of Miles and Vicy McClanahan
Elswick. They lived for several years on Jack's Creek, but later bought
the John Wesley Elswick property opposite the mouth of Conaway Creek
where they built a home and established a small general merchandise
store. Over the years, Jack bought mountain farm land as his brothers
did, eventually owning several thousand acres of valuable coal and
timber lands. Their children were: Cosby, Callie, Florence, Alice,
an unnamed infant girl, Vicy, Rudolph, Louise, Maud, John, Clell,
Hassel, Ethel and Opal. When it became known that the railroad would
be constructed so close to their home, Jack and Mary Jane moved to
Elkhorn City, KY, where they bought a home and had business interests.
They are buried in the family cemetery at Millard, KY. The twin son, Frederick,
died during his first year but James, the other twin grew into manhood
and married Rose Witten, member of the prominent Witten family, who
were early settlers of Tazewell County. Jim served a term as sheriff
of Buchanan County, during which he had the grave responsibility of
carrying out a public hanging of a convicted murderer. Afterwards,
for many years he was connected with the lumber industry, both in
Virginia and North Carolina. He and Rose spent their later years in
Gate City and are buried in that area. Their adopted daughter, Jean,
and her family live in Kingsport, TN. John Wallace, or Bud
as he was called, married Florence Lambert and lived in the Rock Lick
area until he was killed in an altercation on election day when about
thirty years old. They were parents of two daughters, Mae and Pearl.
Paris, the seventh
son, married Amanda Hibbitts and lived in Grundy. He had an important
part in the development of the lumber industry in this area. He and
Amanda were parents of five children: Mamie, Trixie, Fay, Mildred
and Jack. Gusta, the second
daughter, after seven sons, married Thompson Elswick, brother of Mary
Jane, wife of her brother Jack. They lived at the mouth of Rock Lick
Creek where they operated a large store and later the post office.
Their children were: Kenis, James, Elmer, Rose, Bud and Ethel. Miles, the youngest
son, married Hester Ann Waldron and lived in Grundy. He was a lumberman
and well known for his work in that industry. Their children were:
Llewellyn, Beulah, Ron Keith, Mavis, Miles, Jr., Roger and Doris.
He and Hester are buried at Grundy. Arminda Alifair, or
Sissy as she was known, married Alex Ratliff and for many years lived
on Rock Lick Creek near A. J. Charles' old home place. Later they
moved to Elkhorn City, KY, where they owned and operated a general
merchandise store for many years. Their children were: Clyde, Fern,
Mavis and Homer. They are buried in the family cemetery at Millard,
KY. Eliza Florence married
Luther Damron of Pike Co., KY, and lived on the Charles farm at Millard
until her death in 1974. Luther had preceded her in death a few years
earlier. They had two daughters: Gladys and Hazel, who married and
reared their families on the home place at Millard and still live
there. Vicy Caroline died September
12, 1876, at the age of two years. Pages 38 to 41
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