Chapter 5: John T., Eley, Elijah Two, Elisah, Thomas Two and Their Descendants

  

            In this chapter, I have related what I know about 2^nd Generation Willis and Jesse Harrell’s sons and beyond. I concluded in the previous chapter that Willis had one son with him in 1800; he may have had more, and they may have survived childhood. I only know, however, that he had one, and I have assumed he survived to adulthood. I have also determined that Jesse had four sons, and the records suggest his sons were raised in the county. Indeed, they may have stayed awhile as adults. This chapter is really about their probable children, and grandchildren—the 3^rd and 4^th Generations of Hertford County Harrells. I have briefly set down what I know of the 2^nd and 3^rd Generations, and then moved to describe and connect the 4^th Generation Harrells who may have descended from Willis and Jesse Harrell.

 

Willis Harrell (born before 1774)

           

            Willis was probably the youngest of the 2^nd Generation Harrells in Hertford County. His only appearance in the records was in the 1800 census, and at that time his age was given as between 26 and 45—not much help. My guess is he was closer to 26 years of age in 1800, judging by his relatively late arrival on the scene, and the young age of his two children. His household was as follows in 1800:

 

1800 census entry, Hertford Co., N. C.

 

I have speculated in the previous chapter that the male over 45 years of age in Willis’ household was probably his father—who may well have been Elijah Harrell One. Willis was gone by the time the 1810 census was compiled. If we assume Willis moved his family from Hertford County after 1800, then he probably did not leave any descendants in the county. In the absence of any evidence indicating he emigrated, however, we should remain open to the possibility that one or more of the 3^rd Generation of Harrells in the county were his children. Also in the previous chapter, I also speculated that Willis’ son could have been John T., Elisah, John (b. c. 1794), or Josiah Harrell. With very little justification, I further concluded it was probably John T. Harrell. Sadly, this is all I know about Willis Harrell.

 

Jesse Harrell (born before 1758)

 

            Jesse was one of the older members of the 2^nd Generation. He was probably around fifteen years older than Willis, and was born just before 1758. In the previous chapter, I proposed that Jesse was more than likely the oldest son of Elijah Harrell One. He was among the first of his generation to appear in the [page 148] 1779 tax list (see Table 9, page 109). In 1779, he appeared with William, Benjamin, Nathan, and Samuel, but his property had a very different look about it. The others in his generation, except for William, had invested in a horse, whereas Jesse owned a cow. By 1782, Jesse was still the only one among them to own a cow, and his probable father, Elijah One, was the only other Harrell in the county to own cattle (see Table 10, page 110). The 1784 tax list indicates Jesse was well on his way to becoming a family farmer. Only he and Samuel of the 2^nd Generation owned land—I believe in both cases it was land granted for service in the War for Independence. Unlike Samuel, however, Jesse was working his land without the use of slave labor, which was also characteristic of Elijah One (see Table 11, page 111).

 

            By the time of the first U.S. census in 1790, Jesse and Elijah One were both still farming without the use of slaves, which still set them apart from the other branch of Harrells in the county who were more than likely of John Esquire’s family. At that time, Jesse had three males, probably sons, under 16 years of age in his household; none over 16 (see Table 12, page 112). They appeared to still have been with him for the 1800 census. In addition, in 1800 Jesse had a new son under 10 years of age, as well as the three sons who were under 16 years of age in 1790. Jesse and his wife apparently still had two daughters (see page 121).

 

            By 1810, Jesse and his wife still had their youngest son with them—the others had apparently taken their places among the other 3^rd Generation Harrells. Looking at both the 1800 and 1810 censuses, we know their youngest son was at least 16 and under 20 years of age in 1810—that would put his birth year in the range of 1791-1794.

 

1810 census entry, Hertford Co., N. C.

 

            On the bases of the 1800 and 1810 information, we can list the following age categories and combine them with possible matches for Jesse’s children.

 

                                                                              age in                     possible

                               birth year                              1800                       matches

son # 1                   1775-1784                               16-26                       Eley, Elijah Two, Thomas Two

son # 2                   1775-1784                               16-26                       Eley, Elijah Two, Thomas Two

son # 3                   1785-1790                               10-16                       John T.

son # 4                   1791-1794                                 0-10                       Elisah, John (c. 1794)

daughter # 1          1785-1790                               10-16                      

daughter # 2          1785-1790                               10-16                      

 

            I have included in the list above, the possible matches between the members of the 3^rd Generation of Hertford Harrells and the ages of Jesse’s sons. In the previous chapter, I had isolated these possible matches from a pool of 3^rd Generation Harrells (see Table 18, page 146).

 

            The following several sections of this chapter contain the information I have found on Willis and Jesse Harrell’s probable descendants. Their descendants include five of the 3^rd Generation of Harrells, and they may connect as follows: Willis’ most likely son was John T. Harrell, and Jesse’s most likely sons [page 149] were Eley, Elijah Two, Elisah, and Thomas Two. From this speculation, I move to more speculation about the possible and probable sons of these five 3^rd Generation Harrells. The sons of these five Harrells will, for the most part, be found among the 4^th Generation of Hertford County Harrells. The next order of business then is to look at the pool of 4^th Generation Harrells and isolate the possible sons of Eley, Elijah Two, Thomas Two, and Elisah—I have left John T. off the list because his will survived, and in it he named his children. The pool of 4^th Generation Hertford Harrells are in Table 19 (see page 150).

 

The 4^th Generation of Hertford County Harrells

 

            As with the 3^rd Generation, the 4^th appeared in three waves, starting with the census of 1840 and ending with 1860. I am pretty certain most of the 4^th Generation who stayed in the county were apparent by the 1850 and 1860 censuses—even if they were not yet heads of their own households, their names and ages were available.

 

When I have listed the father of a member of the 4^th Generation in Table 19 (page 150), I have excluded him from the discussion of possible and probable sons of Eley, Elijah Two, Elisah, and Thomas Two. The children of John T. are discussed in this chapter, but their connection is not a matter of speculation. The other members of the 4^th Generation for whom we have identified fathers will be covered in the next several chapters as known and probable children of the 2^nd and 3^rd Generations of Harrells who are not encompassed in this chapter. I have also identified those Harrells who were not born in Hertford County, because they are not likely to have been the sons of the five members of the 3^rd Generation considered in this chapter.

 

            In Table 19, for instance, we can see John T. Harrell’s sons, and the sons of other Harrells with identified fathers; and we can see three other 4^th Generation Harrells who were born in adjacent counties—John (b. 1813), John P. (b. 1817), and Joseph B. (b. 1826). We can exclude them from consideration in this chapter because they are not likely to have been sons of Eley, Elijah Two, Thomas Two, and Elisah. That leaves us with just a handful of possible sons of the five 3^rd Generation Harrells covered here. These selected ones are listed here for quick reference:

 

4^th Generation                      birth                       first                        last

Harrell  s                              year                        appearance            appearance

 

George                                   1791-1800               1840                        1840

John                                       1804-1810               1830                        1840

John                                       1810-1820               1840                        1840

Enoch                                    1800-1810               1840                        1840

Isaac                                       1815                        1850                        1850

Joseph                                    1829                        1860                        1860

William                                  1825                        1850                        1860

William                                  1830                        1860                        1860

 

With the exception of John (b. 1804-1810) and William (b. 1825), the most common feature of the selected group of 4^th Generation Harrells is they were heads of households for only one census, and then they were gone—this, of course, makes their relationships to the other Harrells in the county even more difficult to establish. The discussions of matches between the 3^rd and 4^th Generations starts with the easiest, John T. Harrell, then covers the more difficult match-ups.

 [page 150]

Summary 4^th Generation of Hertford Harrells

 

John T. Harrell (born 1790-1794)—3^rd Generation

 

            In the previous chapter, I suggested John T. was possibly a son of Willis, Jesse, or Nathan; but that he was most likely Willis’ son (if Willis left a son in the county). Whatever the case may be, John T. Harrell did become a well established resident of Hertford County and left numerous descendants there. John T. and his wife had two sons by 1820 when they first appeared as a young family. John T.’s wife was probably close to 26 years of age, John T. was over 26 but under 30. Their farming activity must have been large enough to need two farm hands, because John T. was working one slave. Our first glimpse of John T.’s household in 1820 contains the following information:

 [page 151]

1820 census entry, Hertford Co., N. C.

 

By 1830, John T.’s two oldest sons were at least 10, but under 15 years of age, and his family was still growing. In this census entry, John T. Harrell and his wife show two more sons, and two daughters all under 10 years old—that gave them a total of six children. John T. was still farming, but by 1830, he was using 2 slaves, which suggests he is a bit more prosperous than a decade earlier.

 

1830 census entry, Hertford Co., N . C.

 

After the county records were burned in 1830, John T. started the process of re-recording his land in July of 1832, and the County Surveyor certified a map and description of a 43 acre parcel of land belonging to John T. Harrell in November of 1835. His land was described as adjacent to James Riddick, Charles Stenenson, and William Newsome (and perhaps Charles Copeland).[1] (Josiah Harrell’s farm, was re-recorded in 1834, and it was on Horse Swamp also adjacent to James Riddick.) By 1840, John T. must have had more than 43 acres because he was working 4 slaves which is not consistent with farming only 43 acres.

 

            In 1840, John T. and his wife’s two oldest sons and oldest daughter were no longer at home. Their two youngest sons from the 1820 census were still at home, however—plus they may have had a new daughter since the last census. John T. Harrell’s wife was missing from the 1840 census record, or she was mis-categorized. Based on earlier censuses she would have been between the ages of 40 and 46 in 1840. The census was taken around mid-year, and John T.’s will was written in August of 1840—and at that time his wife, Rose Anna, was bequeathed property in the will, so she was alive when it was penned.

 

1840 census entry, Hertford Co., N. C.

 [page 152]

            John T. Harrell wrote his will on August 19, 1840, and it was probated in November of 1846. He left most of his property to his wife, Rose Anna, during her widowhood. In his will he put names on his children, but we still can not associate the names with ages with much certainty. That is only important because in his will he treats his children quite differently, and it would be interesting to know if it had anything to do with their being the older or younger children—or if he was just very upset with some of his children when he wrote the will. His sons, Etheldred and Asa, as well as his daughter, Matilda, were bequeathed only $1.00 each. John T. states that Matilda was married to Henry Modlin, who would become a fairly prosperous farmer, and perhaps her lack of need determined the $1.00 gift from her father. It could also have been that the two older sons were already established by 1840, perhaps with the help of their parents prior to that time. In any case, the bulk of the estate went to his sons James Thomas Harrell and Abner Harrell, and his daughters Mason Cherry Harrell and Sarah Elizabeth Harrell. All his land and plantation went to Abner Harrell.[2]

 

The will was witnessed by William M. Montgomery and Benjamin Copeland. Benjamin Copeland may have been a neighbor; Copeland’s farm was adjacent to the farm of Josiah Harrell on Horse Swamp, and as pointed out above, both John T. and Josiah owned land adjacent to a James Riddick. This land was near Josiah’s farm, and John T.’s oldest daughter married Henry Modlin who farmed a large parcel on Josiah Harrell’s northern line. Josiah and John T. Harrell were about the same age, probably cousins—possibly brothers.

 

            John T. Harrell’s wife, Rose Anna, was born 1795-1804, and may have remarried before the 1850 census. Rose Anna Harrell did not appear in the 1850 census, either as head of her own household or in that of another.

 

John T. and Rose Anna Harrell’s Descendants

 

            Census information provides the following age categories for John T. and Rose Anna Harrell’s sons. Their sons were Etheldred, James Thomas, Asa, and Abner; and they were born, in some order—I have parenthetically inserted their names next to age categories as good possibilities based on circumstantial evidence only. The matches are as follows:

  

                son # 1                   b. 1816-1820          (Etheldred)

                son # 2                   b. 1816-1820          (James Thomas)

                son # 3                   b. 1821-1825          (Asa)

                son # 4                   b. 1826-1830          (Abner)

 

The parcel map and description of John T.’s land, drawn up by the County Surveyor in November 1835, has the following at the bottom, to the left of the County Surveyor’s signature: “Etheldred Harrell & Asa Harrell CC.” This probably means copies were given to John T.’s two sons Etheldred and Asa.

 [page 153]

The 1830 and 1840 censuses show at most four daughters, and John T.’s will clearly provided for daughters Matilda Ann, Nancy, Mason Cherry, and Sarah Elizabeth—only Matilda was married when the will was written on August 19, 1840. John T. and Rose Anna’s daughters  were born in the following ranges:

 

                daughter # 1          b. 1821-1825          Matilda born November 21, 1820

                daughter # 2          b. 1826-1830          (Nancy)

                daughter # 3          b. 1826-1830          (Mason Cherry)

                daughter # 4          b. 1831-1835          (Sarah Elizabeth)

 

I have also assigned age categories the their daughters, but with the exception of Matilda, I have guessed at the order.

 

Matilda Ann Harrell Modlin (b. 1820)—4^th Generation

 

            John T. and Rose Anna Harrell’s oldest daughter was Matilda Ann Harrell Modlin, and she was a 4^th Generation Hertford County Harrell. She was identified in her father’s will as married to Henry [page 154] Modlin. Matilda’s marriage is also described in the Modlin Family Bible.[3] The Bible indicates Matilda was born on November 21, 1820, and she married Henry on March 18, 1838. Henry was the son of Thomas and Margaret Modlin, and he was born on March 27, 1818. The 1850 census provides a good picture of Matilda and Henry Modlin’s family at that time.

 

1850 census entry, Hertford Co., N. C.

 

Henry and Matilda continued to have children until Matilda’s death around 1859. Henry then married Cornelia and had more children, but several of Matilda’s children were still in their father’s household in 1860.

 

1860 census entry, Hertford Co., N. C.

 

            In 1860, three of Matilda’s children were with their father and his new wife, Cornealia. Matilda’s daughter, Emerline at the age of 12, her daughter, Henrietta, at the age of 10, and her son, David Edward at the age of 5, were in Henry and Cornelia’s household. By 1870, only two of Matilda’s children were still in their father’s household: David E. and Henrietta Modlin. Henry and Cornealia had increased their family considerably by that time.

 

            By 1880, none of Matilda’s children were in Henry and Cornealia’s household, and Henry had four more children with Cornealia after the 1770 census.

 

1870 census entry, Hertford County, N. C.

 [page 155]

            Henry wrote his will on June 19, 1899, and it was probated on August 31, 1903.[4] It provided for: wife, Cornelia A. Modlin—she got 50 acres near Union for her use during her life, then the land was to go to their son Raymond; their granddaughter, Sarah E. Garriss, received 218 acres near his old home place; Henry and Matilda’s daughter, Emerline Miller & her husband, W. H. Miller, received the land they were then living on; Henry and Matilda’s son, David E. and wife Rosa A. Modlin, got the note Henry held on their land satisfied; Henry and Cornealia’s daughter, Ursala Garriss, received the tract of land in Bertie County they were living on; their son James A. Modlin received some land in Bertie County; their son, Euphrates Modlin, received the land he was living on; their son, John B. Modlin, received the land he was living on; their daughter, Nancy E. White, received the land she was living on; their son, Wilmer Modlin, received 1/2 of the Old Home Place; and their son, Herman Modlin, received $100. In May of 1900, a codicil was written to sell 92 & 1/2 acres of the old home place and divide the money equally among his heirs.