Fourth Generation
Jacob Settlemire was born about 1786 to Jacob Settlemire and Maria Bieber and he died in1871. Jacob married on 3 Jan 1821 in Lincoln Co NC Hannah Phillips, who was born about 1794 and died before 1870. It seems strange to me that Jacob was apparently unmarried until he was about 35 years old. But unless he moved away from Burke County, married and became a widower, and then returned home, that seems to be the case. He might have been expected to have married by 1810 at the latest, but I have found no record or hint to suggest that he did. Although his marriage bond is filed in Lincoln County, most likely the specific area was later carved off to become Catawba County (in 1841).
In the 1790 Burke Co NC census, Jacob (Jacob III) was one of the three white males under age 16 in his father's (Jacob II) household. In the 1800 census, he was one of two males in the 10-16 age category. The 1810 census places all three males in the 16-26 range, all apparently without wives and living with their parents. By 1820, Jacob II was dead and the three boys, aged 26-45, were on their own. However, only Jacob was unmarried. In fact, David already had two males under 10 and one female 10-16 in his home; John had three males under 10, two females under 10, one female 10-16, and a female 45 and over (this was apparently his mother). In the 1830 Burke Co NC census, Jacob was aged 40-50; his wife was 30-40; there were three males and one female 5-10; and two males and one female under age 5. In 1840 Jacob was 50-60; his wife was 40-50, and there were one male and one female 15-20; three males 10-15; two males and one female 5-10; and two males under 5. The 1850 census gave Jacob’s age as 62 and Hannah’s as 51. Of their children, only Harvey (17), Mira (19), Eli (15), Sidney (14), Nelson (12), and Langdon (11) were still at home. Neither Jacob nor Hannah could read or write.
For a long time I could not determine who Hannah Phillips’ parents were. I suspected that since Jacob lived near the border of Burke, Caldwell and Catawba (old Lincoln) Counties, his wife-to-be may have lived nearby. A Solomon Philips owned land on Horseford Creek in what became Catawba County. This would have been a few miles away from the Settlemire home, as well as being in the area where Jacob’s first cousins David and Martin Settlemire lived.
The first record I have found that places Solomon in Lincoln Co is the estate sale for Bastian Cline, dated 6 Sep 1794. Both Solomon Philips and Jacob Zutlemire or Sutlemire purchased property at the sale. In 1805 Solomon Philips listed for taxes 100 acres of land and one white poll; in 1819 he listed 160 acres and no polls; in 1821 he listed 146 acres and no polls. The Lincoln Co NC County Court minutes for July 1823 show the division of land of the Martin Huffman estate, in which Hannah Philips received lot #4, which contained 67¾ acres. At the October term of court, a deed dated 15 Aug 1823 was probated from Solomon and Hannah Philips to Solomon Philips Jr. for 67¾ acres. Solomon Sr. left a will in Lincoln Co NC, dated 31 Jul 1836 and probated the same year. He left his property to his wife, Hannah. He did not mention any children.
When David Settlemire, Jacob’s first cousin, died in 1840, among his inventory was a note from Hannah Phillips. I had once wondered if this was Jacob’s wife, but the dates do not make sense. The note would have had to be about 20 years old if it were from Jacob’s wife (since it would have been her maiden name, before she married), and notes just were not held for that long at that time. If it were from Solomon’s widow, the timing would be right. She may have had to borrow money from a neighbor to make ends meet after her husband’s death.
In the 1800 Lincoln Co NC census, Solomon’s age was given as 26-45, as was his wife’s. He also listed five females aged under 10. Other Philips who had females in that range were Robert with one and David with two. In 1810, Solomon and his wife were again listed in the 26-45 range, with one female under 10, two between 10 and 16, and two between 16 and 26. The only other Philips listed was David, who had one female under 10, one between 10 and 16, and three between 16 and 26. I have not found the family in Lincoln Co in the 1820 census. Hannah was included in the 1840 Lincoln Co NC census, listed as age 70-80, and located 4 lines above Thursey Settlemire, David Settlemire’s widow. This tends to confirm that Hannah was the one from whom David held a note at the time of his death.
Lincoln Co NC court minutes place Solomon in the general area where Jacob lived. In April 1812 his deed to George Sitz for 115 acres was reported to court. He was appointed overseer of the Horse ford road in January 1814. Solomon Philips, Jr. was appointed a road hand on the road from Hickory Tavern to the Burke line at the July 1818, January 1820 and April 1821 court terms.
Census information indicates that Solomon was born between 1765 and 1770. Tax lists suggest that he was born no later than 1774. Baptismal records for the Evangelical Reformed Church, Whitpain Twp, Montgomery Co PA show that Johann Solomon Philips was born 14 Jul 1768 to Solomon and Catharine Philips. This may be the Solomon who was in North Carolina. But there is an 1842 estate record in PA for Solomon Philips; this was most likely the one who was born in 1768.
One final bit of information comes from Jacob Settlemire’s marriage bond. The bondsman was Isaac Ash, who lived in the same neighborhood as Solomon Philips.
While I cannot prove conclusively who Hannah’s parents were, there is plenty of circumstantial evidence to suggest that they were Solomon Philips and Hannah Huffman.
Jacob was also a farmer, but he had considerably less land than his father did. He tended about 200 acres. He received one grant of land, as follows:
No. 4985The 1850 Burke Co NC Agricultural Schedule listed Jacob’s farm at 200 acres, 100 acres improved and 100 unimproved, with a total value of $300. His farm implements were valued at a meager $7, while across the Catawba River in Caldwell County his well-to-do cousin Henry Hallman Settlemire had implements valued at $200. Jacob owned 2 horses, 1 mule, 4 milk cows, 5 other cows, 25 sheep (which produced 40 pounds of wool), and 10 swine; in all, he owned $200 worth of livestock. From his 10 acres, Jacob produced 40 bushels of wheat, 10 bushels of rye, 350 bushels of corn, 40 bushels of oats 12 bushels of peas and beans and 2 bushels of sweet potatoes. His cows contributed 125 pounds of butter. He produced 10 pounds of flax and had 2 bushels of seed for next year’s planting. He kept beef from which he got 10 pounds of beeswax and honey. Home-made products were valued at $48, an he slaughtered $60 worth of animals.
Grant No. 5641
Book No. 140, page37
Entered July 25, 1831
Surveyed April 30, 1833
North Carolina
Burke County
Surveyed for Jacob Suttlemire Ninety acres of land on the south side of the Catawba River adjoining his own land Abraham Houk and others beginning on a chestnut on Henry Houk’s line supposed to be Boman’s corner, and runs East with Houk’s line crossing Page’s spring branch one hundred and twenty poles to a white oak marked as a corner, same course one hundred and twenty six poles to small post oak Suttlemire’s own corner, then North with his line fifty eight poles to a stake at Abraham Houk’s So East corner, then West with his line two hundred and forty six poles to a stake at his So West corner, then South fifty eight poles to the beginning.
Chainbearers: Wm. Page, Henry Houk
According to the 1860 Burke Co NC Agricultural Schedule, Jacob had a 250-acre farm, of which 75 acres were improved. He valued the farm at $600 and his farm implements at $60. His livestock consisted of 2 horses, 3 milk cows, 3 other cattle, 10 sheep and 17 swine; these were valued at $35. He had produced 80 bushels of wheat, 400 bushels of corn, 30 pounds of tobacco, 25 pounds of wool, 2 bushels of Irish potatoes, 4 bushels of sweet potatoes, 25 pounds of butter, 1 ton of hay, $8 worth of home-made products, and he had slaughtered $25 worth of animals.
In the 1870 census, Jacob was living with his son Langdon and was listed as retired. Langdon listed the farm, amounting to 200 acres, in the agricultural schedule.
Jacob died in late August or in the first week of September 1871. On 8 Sep 1871, Langdon
Settlemire applied for letters of administration on Jacob’s estate. He also filed an inventory of Jacob property, which consisted of:
5 head of cattle 2 trunksLangdon signed an administrator’s bond in the amount of $150.00—this was normally twice the value of the personal property, and he had estimated that property to be worth $75.00.
5 head of hogs 1 loom
one wagon 1 skillet & 2 pots
4 head of sheep part of set of blacksmith tools
2 beds 2 bee stands
one chist [chest] 2 or 3 old barrels
one table 8 or 10 lbs. tobacco
one cubbord cutting box and windmill
1 clock one mattock
In his application Langdon named as Jacob’s heirs Agnes Lail, Cyrus Settlemire, David Settlemire, Mira Sherrell, Harvy Settlemire, heirs at law of Sidney Settlemire dec'd, and himself. When I first read the application, I thought that he had omitted his brother William, who lived in McDowell Co NC. I had felt that William had been born about 1826 and that he was the third eldest son of Jacob and Hannah. My conclusion was based on a family tradition that Jacob Levi Settlemyer had married a Killian and had children named Cyrus, David, Harvey, Ira and Bill. While I found this part of the tradition appeared incorrect, these names all seemed to work out, except that Ira was Myra.
Census information from the 1830-1850 Burke and 1850 McDowell Co NC censuses, together with the birth date from Cyrus
Settlemire’s tombstone, show that Jacob and Hannah probably had twelve children, as follows:
female (Agnes) b. 1822From this analysis I saw that there were two unidentified males, one of whom could be William. William’s age as stated in the 1850-1880 censuses was not much help by itself; the years of birth would have been 1826 from the 1850 census, 1814 from the 1860 census, and 1820 from the 1870 and 1880 censuses. According to the cemetery card file in the North Carolina Archives, his tombstone (Ebenezer Cemetery near Old Fort, McDowell Co NC) gives his date of birth as 20 May 1819, which is certainly consistent with the last two censuses. Still, I thought that Langdon had somehow omitted a brother from the heirs. (I could not locate the tombstone when I examined the cemetery.)
male b. 1823
male (Cyrus) b. 1824
male (David) b. 1825
male b. 1826/7
male (Alexander) b. 1828
female (Myra) b. 1830
male (Harvey) b. 1832
male (Eli) b. 1835
male (Sidney) b. 1836
male (Langdon) b. 1837
male (G. Nelson) b. 1840
The Burke Co NC land records contain clues, both to Jacob’s children and to his date of death. In 1869 Jacob conveyed a 120-acre tract on the south side of the Catawba River, adjoining lands of Adam Hanks, to Langdon. On 26 Aug 1871, Langdon was deeded 83 acres, also on the south side of the Catawba, adjoining lands of Wm. Baily, Emanuel Austin, and Langdon Settlemire, by David and Catherine Settlemire, Isreal and Agnes Lail, Cyrus and Catherine Settlemire, Mira and William Sherrill, and H. S. (Harvey) Settlemire. Then on 5 Jun 1880, Caroline Settlemire conveyed her undivided interest in the 83 acres to Langdon. Finally, on 29 Dec 1882, G. D. Settlemire conveyed one-half interest of his father Sidney’s interest in the Jacob Settlemire place on the south side of the Catawba, adjoining lands of Geo. W. Houk, Austin, and Azor Wilson, to Langdon.
These deeds represent the shares of the six children who survived Jacob (including Langdon), plus the share of a seventh child (Sidney) who had died but left children surviving him. There is no deed from William Settlemire to be found, even though he did not die until 1895 and was available to convey any share he owned. The clear conclusion is that William did not own a share, because he was not Jacob’s child.
That raises the question of whose child he was, and the evidence at this point is inconclusive. However, it is possible to make an informed guess. The censuses for Burke and Lincoln Counties from 1820 to 1840 and Cherokee Co AL show that in each year, John Settlemire of Burke Co NC, who moved Cherokee Co AL by 1840, had a son born about 1820 who has not been identified by name. This may be William, who returned to Burke Co NC by 1850. The family had gone on to McCracken Co KY by 1850, and in 1860 they were in Union Co OH. But there was no William (or other male) of appropriate age with them after 1840.
The Burke County deeds also suggest that Jacob may have died by 26 Aug 1871, the date of the deed from five of the heirs to Langdon. The adult heirs to Jacob’s land may have joined in a deed to Langdon shortly after the date of death; perhaps Jacob, while never having made a will, had stated desire that Langdon have the land. It is also possible that Jacob was in his final illness and that children conveyed the interests they would inherit, but that is doubtful.
Jacob and Hannah Phillips Settlemire had at least twelve children:
Last Updated Saturday, January 15, 2000 10:16 AM