The Cobbs of Lincoln
County, North Carolina
(And the surrounding area)
Chapter Two - 1850
Contents (In Chronological Order):
1850 Census – Lincoln County,
North Carolina
1850 Census – Gaston County,
North Carolina
1850 Census – Cleveland County,
North Carolina
1850 Census – Catawba County,
North Carolina
Sidenotes & Mysteries:
Cass County, Georgia
Lumpkin County, Georgia
York District, South Carolina
Beginning with this enumeration, each person in a household was listed
by name, rather than simply categorized by age and sex. In a way, it seems that should make all this
easier. Yes and No. Especially in the case where a common name is
found ... like William, John, Mary, etc --- many researchers have claimed the
same person.
It will be noted also that by 1850, many of the descendants of Ambrose
Cobb (Sr) from the 1790 census have left the area or grown up and started
families of their own, and we are now dealing with an almost entirely new Cobb
population.
Finally, before we begin the reader is reminded there were three new
counties created from Lincoln
since the previous census in 1840 ... Catawba, Cleveland, and Gaston. Many families did not move an inch, but
overnight found they were then living in a different county.
LINCOLN COUNTY, NORTH
CAROLINA
17
July 1850 – Township not given
|
John Cline
|
|
Age
|
54
|
Born
|
NC
|
|
Elizabeth
|
|
|
55
|
|
NC
|
|
George M.
|
|
|
22
|
|
NC
|
|
Harriet
|
|
|
18
|
|
NC
|
|
William
|
|
|
16
|
|
NC
|
|
M.A. Cobb (f)
|
|
|
27
|
|
NC
|
|
Wm W Cobb
|
|
|
03
|
|
NC
|
The female “M.A.” was Margaret Adline, daughter of John
and Elizabeth Cline, and widow of William W. Cobb. He was the son of William Halsey Cobb and
Jane Connely, and the grandson of Clisby Cobb and wife Margaret Halsey
Young. William W. Cobb Sr was born 25
March 1820, and died 08 September 1845.
He is buried in the Methodist Church Cemetery
in Lincolnton, North Carolina.
Margaret married Jacob Frederick Heim within five years
after this census. She had two children
by Jacob ... James B. and Jane, apparently twins born about 1855. By 1870, Jacob was also deceased, and Margaret
was listed as the head of her own household on the census taken that year. She and her three children were living in the
Ironton Township
of Lincoln
County.
William W. Cobb Jr was still single and living with his
mother in 1870. About 1875, he married Adelaide E. “Addie”
Cansler (sic). They had five children;
Samuel H, Hampton, Mamie, Addie, and William.
By 1880, this family had moved to Oconee
County, South Carolina.
17
July 1850 – Township not given
|
Joseph C. Cobb
|
|
Age
|
24
|
Born
|
NC
|
|
Margaret E.
|
|
|
23
|
|
NC
|
|
B.C. (m)
|
|
|
02
|
|
NC
|
This was Joseph Cameron Cobb, another son of William
Halsey Cobb, and grandson of Clisby Cobb.
He was born 08 May 1822, and died 16 September 1895. He is buried in St Luke’s Episcopal Cemetery
at Lincolnton. His wife was Margaret
Eliza Butts, who he married on 25 October 1847, in Lincoln County. She was born 23 July 1827, and died 29 May
1897. She is buried beside her husband.
In his book, “Annals of Lincoln County”,
William L. Sherrill commits an error with reference to Joseph Cameron
Cobb. The 1870 census of Lincolnton
shows the household of this Joseph Cobb.
With him is an 85-year old widow named Elizabeth.
Sherrill claims this person was Elizabeth Miller, who married Robert
Cobb in Lincoln County in 1818, and that she was the mother of Joseph
Cobb. This is incorrect for two reasons:
First, a close examination of the census enumeration shows that the widow
Elizabeth was named Butts, and thus she was the mother of Joseph’s wife. Second, the Robert Cobb who married Elizabeth
Miller had moved to what is now McMinn
County, Tennessee by
1830. As stated above, Joseph Cameron
Cobb was the son of William Halsey Cobb, who incidentally was a younger brother
of the Robert Cobb that Sherrill claimed was Joseph’s father.
The child listed on this enumeration was son Beverly
Cameron Cobb, born August 1848, and died 1902-1910, probably in
Lincolnton. He lived in Lincolnton all
his life and was enumerated on every census taken there from birth to
death. He was an Attorney by
profession. He was married twice: (1st)
Jane McBee, daughter of Vardry Alexander and Mary (Sumner) McBee. Jane was born 22 March 1850, and died 12
December 1881. She is buried at St Luke’s
Episcopal in Lincolnton. (2nd) May “Last
Name Unknown” before 1893. This marriage
produced four children ... Margaret 1891, Catherine 1895, Mary 1899, and
Beverly Jr 1902. May was last enumerated
on the 1910 census of Lincoln
County.
Joseph Cameron Cobb and Margaret Butts had one more child
after the 1850 census, son John L. Cobb.
He was born 16 April 1854, and died 14 June 1926. He is buried at St Luke’s Episcopal in
Lincolnton. He lived in Lincolnton all
his life and was listed on every census taken there from birth to death. He married Lucy Schenck sometime after
1880. They apparently had no
children. Lucy was born 20 November
1862, and died 29 August 1892. She is
buried beside her husband.
15 August 1850 – Township not given
|
Rufus Cobb
|
|
Age
|
21
|
Born
|
NC
|
|
|
Martha
|
|
|
20
|
|
NC
|
|
|
Charlotte V/N
|
|
|
10M
|
|
NC
|
|
This was William Rufus Cobb, son of Robert Cobb and Eleanor
Phillips, grandson of James Cobb and Sarah
“Sally” Beach,
and great grandson of Ambrose Cobb (Sr) from the 1790 census. He was one of the very few Ambrose Cobb
descendants remaining in the area by 1850.
He was born 14 January 1828. He
moved to Catawba County before 1860, and died there 11
February 1902. He is buried in the
Wesley’s Chapel Methodist
Church Cemetery
in Catawba County.
Rufus was married twice: (1st) Martha “Patsy” Linebarger
about 1848. There were five children
produced from this marriage ... Charlotte Virginia 1849, Luther 1851, Nancy
1853, James 1854, and Araminta 1858.
Martha was born 02 March 1829, and died 23 March 1862, and was buried at
Concord Methodist
Church in Catawba County. (2nd) Sophia P. Abernathy on 20 July 1862 in Catawba County.
There were seven children produced from this marriage ... son Avery
1866, Susan 1867, Ella 1868, Henry 1871, Lucy 1873, Ina 1877, and Junius
William 1879. Sophia was born 05 August
1841, and died 09 October 1926. She is
buried beside her husband at Wesley’s Chapel.
GASTON COUNTY, NORTH
CAROLINA
15 October 1850 – Township not given
|
Robert Cobb
|
|
Age
|
22
|
Born
|
NC
|
|
Leanah
|
|
|
23
|
|
NC
|
|
Ellen
|
|
|
85
|
|
NC
|
|
Harriet
|
|
|
05
|
|
NC
|
|
Lawson
|
|
|
02
|
|
NC
|
|
Sarah
|
|
|
01M
|
|
NC
|
This was Robert Cobb, son of Robert Cobb and wife Eleanor
“Ellen” Phillips, grandson of James Cobb and Sarah “Sally”
Beach, and great grandson of Ambrose
Cobb (Sr) from the 1790 census. The
census taker erred recording the age of all three adults in this
household. Robert and his wife were
actually about thirty by 1850, while Robert’s mother Ellen was actually about
sixty. Robert had married Leanah Hope in
Lincoln County on 14 December 1841. They had a total of six children ... the
three shown here plus Wesley 1851, Georgiana 1858, and John 1865. Sometime after this census, Robert moved his
family back to Lincoln
County where they are
found in 1860 and 1870. By 1880, they
were back in Gaston
County. The elderly Ellen Cobb was still living in
1870 with daughter Martha and her husband Wesley H. Moore. Robert’s final fate is not known, but some
information about his wife provides a clue.
Leanah Hope was born 17 March 1821, and died 30 March
1883 in Cherokee County, South
Carolina. She
is buried in the Old
Blacksburg City
Cemetery beside her
daughter Harriet who had died just nine days before.
16 August 1850 – Township not given
Mary A. Cobb Age 12 Born
NC
She was living in the household
of 65-year old widow Jane McCade. This
child is not identified. There were no
familiar sounding names living nearby.
07 August 1850 – Township not given
|
Margaret Cobb
|
|
Age
|
50
|
Born
|
NC
|
|
Margaret E.
|
|
|
16
|
|
NC
|
|
Sarah J.
|
|
|
13
|
|
NC
|
|
Mathew Hay
|
|
|
75
|
|
NC
|
This was Margaret Dickson McCarter, widow of Clisby Cobb
Jr, son of Clisby Cobb Sr and Margaret
Halsey Young. Margaret was born 30
November 1799, and died 17 January 1865.
She was buried beside her husband who had died 09 September 1848, in the
Bethel Presbyterian
Church Cemetery
in York District, South Carolina. He was born 25 May 1792. Margaret and Clisby married about 1815, and
apparently had only the two daughters listed on this census.
Margaret E. Cobb was born 05 November 1834, and died 17
February 1856. Sometime after the 1850
census she married one R.L. Simmons. She
is also buried at Bethel
Presbyterian Church with her parents.
Sarah Jane Cobb was born 06 January 1837, and died 17
April 1915. She married Charles Q. Petty
on 28 December 1852, in York District,
South Carolina. The Petty’s were a notable family, Charles
serving as Major of the 49th North
Carolina Infantry Regiment during the War Between the
States. They are also buried at Bethel Presbyterian
Church. Their marriage produced eight
children.
CLEVELAND COUNTY, NORTH
CAROLINA
25 September 1850 – Township not given
|
William Cobb
|
|
Age
|
46
|
Born
|
NC
|
Occ: Shoemaker
|
|
Martha
|
|
|
41
|
|
NC
|
|
|
James
|
|
|
22
|
|
NC
|
Occ: Carpenter
|
|
Anderson
Linn
|
|
|
23
|
|
NC
|
Occ: Millwright
|
|
Elizabeth Linn
|
|
|
20
|
|
NC
|
|
|
Mary Cobb
|
|
|
17
|
|
NC
|
|
|
Julia A. Cobb
|
|
|
13
|
|
NC
|
|
|
Harmon Cobb
|
|
|
12
|
|
NC
|
|
|
Nancy Cobb
|
|
|
09
|
|
NC
|
|
|
Wilson Cobb
|
|
|
06
|
|
NC
|
|
|
George Cobb
|
|
|
04
|
|
NC
|
|
|
Jerry Cobb
|
|
|
02
|
|
NC
|
|
|
Martha J. Cobb
|
|
|
01
|
|
NC
|
|
This is William Cobb and his wife Martha Harmon, who he
married in Lincoln
County on 15 February
1827. They were not enumerated in their
own household in 1830, thus they were evidently living with her parents. The first positive identification of this family
is the 1840 census of Lincoln
County.
DNA analysis of multiple proven
descendants has now shown that this William Cobb had a common ancestry with
Ambrose Cobb (Sr) from the 1790 census.
Thus far I have been completely unable to comfortably fit him to any of
the sons of Ambrose Cobb.
This enumeration shows William, his wife Martha, and all
ten of their children. Elizabeth Linn
was their daughter who died in 1855.
Wife Martha died in 1868, and William married a second time before 1870,
to a widow Catherine Collins who had three children by her first husband Thomas
Howell. Then William and Catherine had
two children of their own ... Florence
1872, and Thomas L. 1875. The exact date
of death and place of burial for William and Catherine are not known, but they
were still living in 1880 in Cleveland
County.
19 October 1850 – Township not given
|
Nancy Cobb
|
|
Age
|
40
|
Born
|
SC
|
|
Elizabeth
|
|
|
19
|
|
NC
|
|
Samuel / Lemuel
|
|
|
17
|
|
NC
|
|
Jacob
|
|
15
|
15
|
|
NC
|
|
Caroline
|
|
NC
|
13
|
|
NC
|
|
Missouri
? (f)
|
|
NC
|
12
|
|
NC
|
|
Thomas
|
|
NC
|
08
|
|
NC
|
|
Nancy C.
|
|
NC
|
07
|
|
NC
|
|
Jesse (m)
|
|
NC
|
06
|
|
NC
|
|
Elizabeth
|
|
NC
|
65
|
|
NC
|
This woman and her children are
unidentified, but she could have been the wife of several possible men. The first possible candidate is the John Cobb
that appeared on the 1840 census of Lincoln
County. He was born 1800-1810 and estimating from the
ages of his children, he married before 1825.
There is no Lincoln County marriage record of a John Cobb to a woman
named Nancy in
that time frame, indicating they were from a different county. And the 1840 census was the first and only
appearance of John Cobb in Lincoln
County ... so far, so
good. The wife of John Cobb was born
1810-1820. Again it’s a match.
In 1840, John Cobb had six children ... a son and a
daughter born 1825-1830 ... a son and two daughters born 1830-1835 ... and a
son born 1835-1840. Nancy’s oldest child was born in 1831. Nancy
had four children born 1830-1835, two sons and two daughters. Nancy
did have a son born 1835-1840. We do not
have a perfect match, but it’s not difficult to rectify the discrepancies. John’s two oldest children (1825-30) could
have either died or married by 1850, and Nancy
is old enough to have produced several children before the daughter Elizabeth listed
above. How do we account for the
additional son born between 1830-1835?
That is simple ... census error or childhood death. Nancy’s
three youngest children were not yet born in 1840, and therefore are not part
of the equation. Nancy was still living
in Cleveland County as late as 1870, but most of her children had by then
disappeared without a trace. If Nancy
was the wife of the 1840 John Cobb in Lincoln County, we know his mother’s name
was Elizabeth, and that she was born about 1785 in North Carolina.
Another possibility is that Nancy
was the widow of the Jesse Cobb found on the 1830 census of Rutherford County,
North Carolina. Five people were enumerated in that household
... two males 20-30 years of age, one female 40-50, one female 20-30, and one
female 5-10. It is not a perfect match
age-wise, but does coincide with sex and birth order. This family cannot be found in 1840.
DNA analysis of Nancy’s
descendants shows a genetic link to the man known as Henry Cobb “the Elder” who
arrived in Barnstable, Massachusetts about 1629. It is known that Henry descendants were in Caswell County, North
Carolina at least a decade before the American
Revolution. Therefore, there is a
temptation to say that this family had ties to that area. It has even been claimed by several researchers
that Nancy was
actually the Nancy Boswell that married Jesse Cobb in Caswell on 07 December
1817. However, that seems to be
erroneous as that couple and their children are accounted for.
CATAWBA COUNTY, NORTH
CAROLINA
05 December 1850 – Newton Township – Newton PO
|
Henry Cobb
|
|
Age
|
27
|
Born
|
Lincoln Co, NC
|
|
Nancy
|
|
|
28
|
|
NC
|
|
Missouri
|
|
|
10
|
|
NC
|
|
Rufus
|
|
|
08
|
|
NC
|
|
John
|
|
|
06
|
|
NC
|
|
Emeline
|
|
|
04
|
|
NC
|
This was Henry Cobb, son of Robert Cobb and Ellen
Phillips, grandson of James Cobb and Sarah
“Sally” Beach,
and great grandson of Ambrose Cobb (Sr) from the 1790 census of Lincoln County.
He was born 09 October 1821, and died 01 January 1892. He was buried in the Oakwood
Cemetery, near Hickory
in Catawba County.
Henry married Nancy Hilton / Helton in Lincoln County
on 16 December 1840. They had one more
known child after this census, son James who was born about 1858. Henry and Nancy lived in Catawba County
all their married lives. Nancy was born
10 July 1822, and died 04 September 1878.
She was buried at Wesley’s Chapel in Catawba County. In 1880, Henry was living in the household of
daughter Missouri
who had married William A. Serantz (sometimes spelled as Scronce).
28 November 1850 – Newton Township – Newton PO
|
James Cobb
|
|
Age
|
38
|
Born
|
Lincoln Co, NC
|
|
Fanny
|
|
|
32
|
|
TN
|
|
Robert
|
|
|
13
|
|
Lincoln Co, NC
|
|
Columbus
|
|
|
12
|
|
Lincoln Co, NC
|
|
Sylvester
|
|
|
10
|
|
Lincoln Co, NC
|
|
Leroy
|
|
|
08
|
|
Lincoln Co, NC
|
|
Adeline
|
|
|
04
|
|
Lincoln Co, NC
|
This man is not positively
identified. Census-wise, he is found on this enumeration and again in Catawba County in 1870. Due to the facts he lived in Catawba County,
and that several of his children eventually lived in Burke County,
there is an almost overwhelming temptation to say he was a descendant of Clisby
Cobb Sr and Margaret Halsey Young.
Is this possible?
Yes, a search for a male born about 1812 reveals one candidate. James’ father could have been John Cobb, son
of Clisby Sr. According to the 1810 census of Lincoln County; John had a son
less than ten years of age. Allowing for
census error, this could have been James.
If James was not a relative of Clisby Cobb, at least
three other men could have been his father.
- The Joseph Cobb who appears only on the
1820 census of Lincoln
County had three
males in his household born between
1810-1820. Again, one can only
speculate on Joseph’s ancestry.
2. Shadrick Cobb who appears on census
reports for Lincoln
County from 1810-1840,
had two sons
born
1815-1820.
- Finally, Walter B. Cobb, son of William
Cobb and Mary “Polly” Abernathy, and grandson of
Ambrose Cobb (Sr) from the 1790 census of Lincoln County, had a son born 1816-1820 that
apparently did not move with his parents
to Missouri
in the late 1820’s.
In any event, we have some information about James Cobb
and his family. We know he married
twice: (1st) In Lincoln County on 05 February 1838, to Frances
Hilton / Helton, by who he had eight children ... the five shown above plus
Louisa in 1851, son H.P. in 1857, and James also born about 1857. Frances was born 09 September 1817 in
Tennessee, and died 04 November 1857.
She is buried at Wesley’s Chapel
Methodist Church
in Catawba County.
(2nd) He married in Cleveland
County on 22 July 1857, to Barbara Ann
Ford, born about 1837 in North
Carolina. This
marriage produced three children ... Albertus F. in 1859, Andrew J. in 1862,
and William Eugene in 1866. James died
sometime between 1870-1880, probably in Cleveland County. Barbara was still living there in 1880.
17 November 1850 – Newton Township – Newton PO
John Cobb
|
|
Age
|
50
|
Born
|
Catawba Co, NC
|
|
Benjamin
|
|
|
28
|
|
Catawba Co, NC
|
|
Rhoda
|
|
|
21
|
|
Catawba Co, NC
|
|
Lavina
|
|
|
18
|
|
Catawba Co, NC
|
|
Malinda
|
|
|
16
|
|
Catawba Co, NC
|
|
Caswell
|
|
|
14
|
|
Catawba Co, NC
|
|
Calvin
|
|
|
09
|
|
Catawba Co, NC
|
|
Easton
|
|
|
04
|
|
Catawba Co, NC
|
|
Sarah
|
|
|
45
|
|
Catawba Co, NC
|
This was John Cobb, son of Benjamin M. Cobb and Violetta Morris,
and grandson of Clisby Cobb Sr and Margaret Halsey Young. He married Sarah “Sally’ Bumgarner in Lincoln County on 18 April 1821. This is the first census John is positively
identified on since 1810, when his parents were living in Burke
County, North Carolina. John and Sarah also lived in Catawba County all their lives. He died there before 1880. At that time she was living with their son
Calvin. John was the only member of his
immediate family that is known to have remained in North Carolina, the rest all
having moved to Tennessee, Missouri, and Texas.
By 1828, John’s parents had moved to Tennessee, where the mother died. The father Benjamin then moved to Fannin County, Texas
about 1851, with John’s brother James Milton Cobb. James died in Fannin County
shortly after arriving, and his descendants in that area were many. Benjamin died in Fannin County on 20 October
1858, and is buried in the Grove Hill Cemetery
in Fannin County.
Side Notes and Mysteries – 1850
Case #1
On 21 September 1839, John (Jackson)
Cobb married Elizabeth Huchison (sic) in Lincoln
County, North Carolina. Less than two years later, on 05 February
1841, Eleanor Cobb married Ezekiel Stanford / Sanford, also in Lincoln County.
John and Eleanor Cobb were siblings.
And they had at least three other siblings ... Alexander born 1820-24,
Rufus born 1826-28, and James born in 1834.
15 August 1850 – Cass County, Georgia – 12th Division
|
Ruth Cobb
|
|
Age
|
56
|
Born
|
NC
|
|
Rufus
|
|
|
24
|
|
NC
|
|
James
|
|
|
16
|
|
NC
|
Next door ...
|
Alexander Cobb
|
|
Age
|
30
|
Born
|
NC
|
|
Lydia
|
|
|
24
|
|
NC
|
|
Margaret
|
|
|
03
|
|
GA
|
26 November 1850 – Lumpkin County, Georgia – Kilough’s District
|
John J. Cobb
|
|
Age
|
35
|
Born
|
NC
|
|
Elizabeth
|
|
|
33
|
|
NC
|
|
Mary
|
|
|
06
|
|
GA
|
|
Julia A.
|
|
|
04
|
|
GA
|
|
Nancy
|
|
|
03
|
|
GA
|
|
Ardella
|
|
|
01
|
|
GA
|
A diligent search has failed to locate the Stanford /
Sanford family in 1850, but they have been located in 1860. In fact, with the exception of the elder Ruth
Cobb and son James (both of whom were apparently deceased), and with the
addition of a few more children, all these people were living in Pontotoc County, Mississippi
in 1860. In 1870, they were divided
between Itawamba and Tishomingo counties, but by 1880 they were all in the
latter place.
So who was John Jackson Cobb, meaning who were his
parents? Going back to the census
reports for Lincoln County, North Carolina; by putting John, his siblings, and
mother Ruth in the appropriate age/sex categories, this family is almost a
perfect match to that of Shadrick Cobb, who was enumerated in Lincoln County
from 1810-1840 (see Chapter One). No
other family even comes close. However,
here is both the mystery and the problem.
DNA analysis has proven
conclusively that the descendants of Rufus Cobb (John Jackson’s brother) were
in no way descended from the same lineage as Ambrose Cobb (Sr) from the 1790
census of Lincoln
County. Therefore, either this was not the family of
Shadrick Cobb, or Shadrick was not the son of David Cobb, and grandson of
Ambrose.
This family was obviously in the Lincoln County
area in 1840, as John J. married there in 1839 and sister Eleanor also married
there in 1841. All the Cobb families in
that area in 1840 were listed and examined in Chapter One. And again, by age / sex category comparison,
this family just almost has to be that of Shadrick Cobb. But also again, if this is correct then
Shadrick was not from Lincoln
County or the surrounding
area, and he was not a descendant of Ambrose Cobb. So ... who was he?
Case #2
On 13 October 1836, Mary N. Cobb married Milton A. Smith
in Lincoln County, North Carolina. This family was enumerated on the 1840 census
living in the Lower Regiment of Lincoln
County, with three people
in the household ... a male 30-40 years of age, a female 20-30 years of age,
and a male under five years of age.
The next census sheds more light on the subject.
21 October 1850 – Gaston County, North
Carolina
|
Milton A. Smith
|
|
Age
|
41
|
Born
|
NC
|
|
Mary N.
|
|
|
38
|
|
NC
|
|
George A.
|
|
|
06
|
|
NC
|
|
Sarah A.
|
|
|
03
|
|
NC
|
|
Charles F.
|
|
|
1M
|
|
NC
|
Milton
Smith remained in Gaston County all his life, and is found on census reports
there all the way up to 1880. He
consistently gives his age to indicate a birth year of about 1809. By 1860, Mary is deceased and Milton has married a Nancy
“Last Name Unknown”, born about 1824 in South
Carolina.
By 1860, Milton
has increased his family by three more children ... Mary born about 1853,
William about 1857, and Catherine in 1859.
He produced two more children after that ... Peter P. in 1862 and John
C. in 1864. Obviously the last two were
by his second wife.
It is impossible to state with confidence just how many
of Milton’s
children were the offspring of Mary N. Cobb.
Normally, a large gap between the birth of two children is a good
indicator that a spouse has died, and that the surviving spouse has had time to
remarry. That formula cannot be applied
here. On the census reports subsequent
to 1850, the ages and even the birth order of Milton’s children do not remain
consistent. Therefore, we are forced to
go with what this 1850 enumeration gives us, as Mary was still living, and the
three children in the household at that time were definitely hers.
Who was Mary N. Cobb?
She was born about 1812 in North
Carolina. By
1836, she was living in Lincoln
County, probably in the
household of her parents. She was
already married by 1840, therefore we have to begin with the 1830 enumeration
to see if there’s a daughter in the appropriate age category to have been Mary.
Applying the widest possible parameters to our search, no
less than four men become candidates to have been Mary’s father. However we can narrow the field considerably.
- James
Cobb, who made his only census appearance in the Lincoln County
area in 1830 had two daughters born 1810-1815.
- John
Cobb, son of Clisby Cobb and Margaret Halsey Young, had a daughter born
1810-1820. However, John had moved from Lincoln
to Burke County by 1820, and was still there as
late as 1840. Also, the daughter only
appears on the 1820 census, which strongly indicates she had either married or
died by 1830. The Mary we’re looking for
was definitely still living and was definitely still unmarried in 1830.
- Joseph
Cobb, who made his only census appearance in the Lincoln County
area in
1820, had no less than four
females in his 15-member household born 1810-1820. But he was gone by 1830.
- Shadrick
Cobb, who was enumerated in Lincoln
County from
1810-1840, had two daughters born about 1810. Although not a perfect match, age-wise, the
discrepancy is minor. I consider
Shadrick to be the best candidate for one other particular reason. In 1840, the families of Shadrick Cobb
and Milton Smith were both living in the Lower Regiment of Lincoln County. And the trend did seem to be that newly
married couples did not stray far from their parents (particularly hers)
for the first several years of their marriage.
Case #3 – York District,
South Carolina
It seems to be the case that many researchers approach
this county with the pre-conceived notion that there was ever only one Cobb
family there. And it is ever so common
to find all the Cobbs of York
grouped together into one single family pedigree chart.
But there had to be at least two un-related Cobb families
in York, and DNA analysis has proven that one of them shared the same ancestry
as Ambrose Cobb (Sr) from the 1790 census of Lincoln County, North Carolina.
12 November 1850 – York
District, South Carolina
|
John G. Cobb
|
|
Age
|
35
|
Born
|
York District
|
|
Occ: Shoemaker
|
|
Lucinda
|
|
|
30
|
|
York District
|
|
|
|
Mary
|
|
|
06
|
|
York District
|
|
|
|
Martha
|
|
|
05
|
|
York District
|
|
|
|
Elizabeth
|
|
|
01
|
|
York District
|
|
|
|
Martha
|
|
|
64
|
|
Virginia
|
|
|
12 November 1850 – York
District, South Carolina
|
James Cobb
|
|
Age
|
43
|
Born
|
North Carolina
|
|
Occ: Blacksmith
|
|
Martha
|
|
|
17
|
|
York District
|
|
|
|
William G.
|
|
|
15
|
|
York District
|
|
|
|
Margaret C.
|
|
|
13
|
|
York District
|
|
|
|
Elizabeth J.
|
|
|
11
|
|
York District
|
|
|
|
Cynthia R.
|
|
|
07
|
|
York District
|
|
|
|
James M.
|
|
|
02
|
|
York District
|
|
|
not far away ---
12 November 1850 – York
District, South Carolina
|
George W. G. Cobb
|
|
Age
|
32
|
Born
|
NC
|
|
Occ: Shoemaker
|
|
Margaret C.
|
|
|
28
|
|
York District
|
|
|
|
James A.
|
|
|
07
|
|
York District
|
|
|
|
Sarah J.
|
|
|
05
|
|
York District
|
|
|
|
Nancy A.
|
|
|
03
|
|
York District
|
|
|
|
Elizabeth P.
|
|
|
01
|
|
York District
|
|
|
|
Elizabeth
|
|
|
70
|
|
North
Carolina
|
|
|
|
Elizabeth Fortune
|
|
|
25
|
|
North
Carolina
|
|
|
It is common to find all three of the above heads of household
grouped together as brothers, and the sons of a William Cobb who married Martha
Elizabeth Goforth, daughter of Preston Goforth
and Nancy Elizabeth Potts. The problem
is that the data given for William Cobb matches that of the son of Ambrose Cobb
(Sr) from the 1790 census of Lincoln
County. And referring to Chapter One, that William
Cobb had no children born after 1810, and was living in Missouri by 1830.
It is not hard to understand why these three men are
grouped as brothers. They are approximately
the same age and all three were skilled craftsmen by occupation, indicating
that either their father taught them a trade or that they were indentured at a
young age to learn a profession. The
main point is that they were not primarily farmers, as were the sons of Ambrose
Cobb.
And, there are also a couple of glaring differences
between the three of them that are reflected on this 1850 census
enumeration. Two of them (George and
James) were born in North Carolina, while the
third (John) was born in York District,
South Carolina. Allow me to state that in this instance I
trust the census taker insofar as the recording of place of birth. An examination of neighboring families shows
different places of birth ... other districts in South Carolina, and other states. The point is that the census taker did not
merely “fill in the blanks” with whatever came to mind ... he did make an
effort to inquire and record the information given him during the enumeration interview.
The remaining major difference is that two of these men
were supporting elderly widowed mothers.
The mother of George Washington Goforth Cobb (Elizabeth, age 70) was in
his household, while on the same day the mother of John Cobb (Martha, age 64)
was living in his household. More proof
that these were definitely two different women is found ten years after this
census. In 1860, John’s mother was still
living in his household, while the mother of George was apparently by then
deceased.
Sub-conclusion: James and George
Cobb may or may not have been brothers.
But John Cobb had a totally separate origin. It is also John Cobb’s descendants whose DNA
matches that of the descendants of Ambrose Cobb (Sr) from the 1790 census of Lincoln County.
John’s mother Martha consistently claimed to have been
born in Virginia,
although the age she gave the census taker in 1850 and 1860 varies widely. In 1850, she claimed to be 64 years old, and
in 1860 she stated 87. The latter figure
is probably more correct.
The 1840 census of York County
shows one James Cobb and his un-named wife.
They were the only two people in the household. James was 80-90 years of age, while his wife
was 60-70 ... which translates to a birth range of 1770-1780. This is a perfect match to the age John’s
mother gave in 1860, and it also easily explains why the elder James is not
found on the 1850 census ... he had died of “old age” by then.
It is my conclusion that the John Cobb living in York District, South Carolina
in 1850, was the son of James and Martha Cobb, both of who were born in Virginia ... that James
was born 1750-1760 and Martha was born 1770-1780. James’ connection to Ambrose Cobb is as yet
unknown; however, the DNA of his descendants so closely matches that of
Ambrose’s descendants, the relation must eventually prove to be fairly
close. It would be very tempting to say
he was a heretofore-unidentified son of Ambrose Cobb, but no James Cobb in the
appropriate age category appears on any Lincoln County
census. I can only deduce that James
moved directly from Virginia, to South Carolina.
Now let’s return to the James and George Cobb found on
the 1850 census of York District,
South Carolina (above). Who were their parents?
It is alleged their father was one William Cobb, deceased
by 1850, and Elizabeth Goforth, daughter of Preston
Goforth. Going by this census, she was
born about 1780 in North Carolina. A very diligent search for information on
William Cobb has proved fruitless, even when approaching from the Goforth side
of the family.
It is universally agreed among researchers that Elizabeth
Goforth Cobb had at least one son named George Washington Goforth Cobb. He is the head of household in the census
enumeration above. He is identified on
three census reports ... 1840 – 1850 – and 1860, all three times in York District, South
Carolina. His
birth date is consistently calculated as being 1815-1818, and he consistently
claimed to have been born in North Carolina.
Therefore, it is safe to accept that his parents were married no later
than 1818, and that they would have been listed on a census in their own
household at least once before 1850, and that the father would have been
specifically named as the head of the household. Further, in the event the father died young,
it would be reasonable to see the widow Elizabeth
listed as the head of her household on a pre-1850 census.
There is no record of such a family anywhere in the
entire Lincoln County region prior to 1850. From 1790-1850, there are only two identified
men named William Cobb old enough to have been the husband of Elizabeth
Goforth. First, the son of Ambrose Cobb
(Sr) from the 1790 census of Lincoln
County. Once again, that individual and his entire
family are fully accounted for, therefore he is eliminated as a possible candidate. Secondly, there was William Halsey Cobb, son
of Clisby Cobb and Margaret Halsey Young.
He died in 1839, and was survived by his wife Jane Connely, who herself
died in 1841. Therefore he is eliminated
from consideration.
Pending the presentation of undiscovered documentation
accompanied by a DNA analysis of descendants, all we can do is speculate for
the identity of the Cobb husband of Elizabeth Goforth. We must search for a male born no later than
1785-90, was never named as the head of his own household, and was deceased by
1850.
There are only two possible candidates, and neither meets
all three criteria stated in the preceding paragraph. David
Cobb, son of Ambrose Cobb (Sr) had two sons born 1785-1790. Neither has ever been identified. Both are found on only one census, in
1800. David left North Carolina before 1810. Whether these sons went with him is
unknown. It is possible one of them was
named William, that he married Elizabeth Goforth, remained in North Carolina, and died before 1850, at an
age exceeding sixty years. But if he did
so, how did he escape being listed on a census all his life?
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