More Dividing Line

Well I have just finished reading the Dividing Line by William Berkley.  I suggest this book for anyone that is interesting in American History in the 18th century.  It is wonderful book of descriptions of the area of about 200 miles between North Carolina and Virginia.  There are stories about the people that live in the area, the animals and foliage.  It's just a wonderful book.

When I left you yesterday I said that they had ended their journey at Col. Henry Harrison's house, but I meant that they had stopped there and so had I for the day.  They left Col. Henry Harrison's house and traveled to Mr. Kinchins.  Later in their journey they crossed Fountain Creek which runs into the Meherrin River named after an Indian Trader that drowned in it.  Nearby was the Plantation of John Hill.  Southside of the Roanoke River was one of the plantations of Col. Mumford.

After living Col. Mumford's plantation they met no human being for miles.   After many miles they met no Indians on their travels, but they killed bears, deer, turkey and snakes. At their journey's end they had traveled 241 miles and they turned back so they could arrive home before winter arrived.  After traveling many days they passed the Roanoke River at Monisep Ford where they found the plantation of Cornelius Keith.  They left his plantation and moved on to Colonel Mumford's other plantation which was in the care of Miles Riley.  While at this plantation they took their leave of their Indian Hunter Mr. Bearskin.  Traveling back home they stopped at the plantation of George Hix on the Southside of the Meherrin River.  Past the Meherrin River and two miles past the Wicc-quoi creek they arrived at the plantation of Capt. Embry.  Leaving the home of Captain Embry they traveled thirty more miles crossing the Nottoway River which separates the counties of Prince George and Brunswick. They arrived at the home of Col. Bolling that is near the Falls of the Appamatuck River.   After leaving Col. Bolling's house hey traveled to their last destination Colonel Mumford's home.  Here the weary travelers disbanded.,

Commissioners from North Carolina were:  Edward Moseley, Will Little, C. Gale and J. Lovick
Commissioners from Virginia were:  William Byrd, Richard FitzWilliam, William Dandridge
Surveyors from Virginia:  Alexander Irvin and William Mayo
Surveyors from North Carolina:  Edward Moseley and Samuel Swan
Chaplain:  Reverend Peter Fountain
Men Employed for the lst half of the Expedition were:
Peter Jones
Thomas Jones
Thomas Short
Robert Hix
John Evans
Stephen Evans
John Ellis
John Ellis Jr
Thomas Wilson
George Tilmon
Charles Kimbal
George Hamilton
Robert Allan
Thomas Jones Jr
James Petillo
Richard Smith
John Rice

2nd Expedition
All the men above except for John Rice.
and the following:
Abraham Jones
Edward Powell
William Pool
William Calvert
James Whitlock
Thomas Page

Brumfields and more dividing line

This is a picture of my Grandmother Velma Brumfield Dalton's mother and father.  Eliza Dalton Brumfield born Febuary 12, 1867 died October 22, 1941 and John Foreman Brumfield born April 9, 1860 died February 12, 1934.

More information about their family.

Their oldest son's name was David McDowell Brumfield.  He was born February19, 1885 and died September 27, 1945.  Eliza Brumfield had just turned eighteen a week before he was born. John Foreman  Brumfield was 24.  Eliza Brumfield gave birth to her last child Velma on August 6, 1913.  She was the last of eleven children.
In 1913 a war was beginning to brew in Europe.  The lst and 2nd Balkan Wars began and ended in 1913.  The 16th Amendment for Federal Income Tax took effect on March 1st, 1913.  Woodrow Wilson began his presidency.  The 17th Amendment to elect senators by popular vote was ratified in 1913.  The Panama Canal opened in this year and Stainless Steel was invented.  The lst drive up gasoline station opened and the lst movie serial debuted in Chicago, "The Adventures of Kathlyn".  Velma Brumfield was born in the beginning of the century and the world was beginning to change.  She would live through World War I, World War II, Korean Conflict, Vietnam, and the lst Gulf War.  The automobile would replace the horse and buggy and air travel would change the way we travel across the world.
More birthdates for the children:
David McDowell  Born  February 9, 1885  Died  Septempber  27, 1945
Wife:  Mary Dalton
James Morgan died January 4, 1963  He married a Dove.
Annie Mildred married a Ward.  She died on April 17, 1960.
Carrie died on October 11, 1964.  Her husband's name was Opie.
Lundy died on May 3, 1960.  He married a Worley.
Albert Clyde died on March 24, 1966.
Dewey Winchester died on April 1, 1961.   He was marrried to Roberta Worley.
Ollie R. (Doc) died on March 29, 1979. He was married to Ruby Dalton.
Oscar died on January 19,1964.  He was married to Ethel Dalton.  Ethel was the sister of Ira Dalton.
Odell died on November 19, 1984.  He was married to Adell Dove.
Velma was born on August 6, 1913.  She died on November 3, 2001.  She was married to Ira Lee Dalton.


I searched through ancestry.com, but I didn't find anything that I didn't already know or that Billie Brumfield hadn't provided.

I searched for names and read through more of the History of the Dividing Line.  They were still in the Dismal Swamp when I left last time and they were still measuring.  They stopped at Peter Brinkley's home which was about 5 miles from the Dismal.  They needed to stop there because they were out of provisions and very hungry.  The dog that was traveling with them was starting to look like dinner rather than a traveling companion.  I must say that William Byrd did not think a lot of the men of North Carolina.  He accused them of being lazy and left most of the work for the women.  Many of the people of the Dividing Line were also worried that their property would be found to be in Virginia.  They did not want that because the Virginians had laws and standards to be followed and the North Carolina natives lived like savages.

The other people that they met on the way besides Peter Brinkley were.
Mr.Parker living further down the Dismal.
Charles Anderson lived on the western banks of the Meherin River.  Further down the Meherin River was Mr. Kinchin and ten miles from Mr. Kinchin was Mr. Kindred.

They finished measuring the Dismal Swamp and stopped their adventure for later in the fall.  They visited the Notoway Indian Town and crossed the Blackwater Bridge to Colonel Henry Harrison's house and ended their journey.

Brumfield family and more dividing line

1900 census for John and Liza C Brumfield
John  40 years old
Liza   33
Lizzie M  14
James M 10
Millie A  8
Carry E  5
Naum S  2
Pittsylvania County, Virginia  Pigg River
They were married in 1883
Liza was born in Virginia, but John was born in Ohio.  His parents were born in Virginia.

1910 census for John and Liza C Brumfield
John 50
Liza 42
Annie 17
Carrie L 14
Landy 11
Albert C  9
Dewey  7
Ollie R  4
Oscar  2

1920 census for John and Liza C Brumfield
John 69
Eliza K  52
Clide   19
Doug W  16
Ollie R  14
Oscar 12
Odell 8
Velma O 6

1930 census
John  69
Eliza  62,
Dorine  granddaughter  15
Curtis  grandson 14

Grandmama's Daddy John Foreman Brumfield married his wife Eliza Dalton in 1883 in Virginia.  According to the census he was born around 1860 in Ohio.  My grandmother told us that his parents had traveled on a covered wagon to Ohio, but didn't like it there so they moved back to Virginia.

During the twentieth century John Brumfield lived in Pittsylvania County, Virginia with his wife Eliza Dalton.  To my knowledge they lived just a few miles from the Daltons and the Wards near Old Woman's Creek.  I have never been to the house, but it is still standing and I could see it when I went to the Dalton Cemetery which is located between Brights and Old Woman's Creek.  According to the 1900 census the next residence after John Brumfields was Henry Wards and also Jarratt Dalton lived in the area also.  Velma Brumfield is not born yet but these people were her husband's family.
on a
The census can be very helpful, but it can also be confusing.  For instance, the 1900 census had their first child as Lizzie Mc, a daughter.  Now, I don't know what the census taker was trying to write, but it should be a son.  This is Mack.  Their first born.

They had eleven children.
Mack, James Morgan, Mildred Annie, Carrie, Lundy, Albert Clyde, Dewey Winchester, Ollie R. (Doc), Oscar, Odell and Velma.

My information for the above came from ancestry.com, Billy Brumfield and Atha Bailey.



THE HISTORY OF THE DIVIDING LINE

When we left William Byrd and his frontiersmen they were slogging through swamp being attacked by huge mosquitoes.  By page 29, they were in Princess Anne County.  They stopped at the Plantation of John Heath while in Princess Anne County.  Many of the people that lived in the nearby areas came down to see them and marvelled that they were going through the Dismal Swamp.  It was such a awful job that some of them had to be convinced that they were not criminals because who would do this job willingly.  They also passed through a Mr.Merchant's Plantation and Mr.Ballanc near NW river.
Other residents that they met on their journey were William Wilkins that lived on the dividing line near the great Dismal Swamp, Timothy Ivy's plantation which was eighteen miles into their rtip.  At the Nansimond River the group stopped at the plantation of Mr. Andrew Mead and eight miles beyond the cypress swamp at the waters of Coropeak was the plantation of Mr. Thomas Spight.

John Heath - Princess Anne County Plantation
Mr. Merchant and Mr. Ballanc near NW river
William Wilkins  at the dividing line near the great Dismal Swamp
Timothy Ivy plantation eighteen miles into the journey
Andrew Mead   Nansimond River
Thomas Spight at the waters of Coropeak

The importance of family in discovering your ancestors

I have started working on separate family blogs and I have started one for my grandmother Velma O Brumfield Dalton.  While looking through some papers I found remembrances written by Billy W. Brumfield.  In my blog I will mingle my memories, Mr. Brumfield's memories and historical information to tell the stories of the Brumfields.
So far I have the
1900 census, 1910 census, 1920 census, my grandmother and grandfather's marriage license and that's about it.  It looks like I have a long way to go.

The History of The Dividing Line

I believe that it is important to learn about the past to discover more about our descendants.  So I am reading through books and articles to understand the people and their environment. I will also be naming the individuals that meet on their quest.  I will be beginning with The History of The Dividing Line by William Byrd II.  William Byrd II was a member of the prominent Byrd family in Virginia.  He was the founder of Richmond and  his home was called Westover.  If you have never been to that area, it is well worth the visit.  William Byrd II was educated in England and was an author of History of the Dividing Line, A Journey To The Land of Eden and A Progress to the Mines.  There is also a book that I think would be well worth reading the Secret Diaries of William Byrd of Westover.  For more information about William Byrd you may want to go the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation website and there are many more at your fingertips.
The History of the Dividing Line is about an expedition in 1728 which was comprised of Mr Byrd, commissioners, surveyors, ministers, Indian traders and expert woodsmen.  They had been given the task of surveying the boundary line between North Carolina and Virginia.  There was some controversy about a previous survey that was completed so Lt. Governor Spottswood of Virginia and Governor Eden of North Carolina commissioned a new team to survey the area.  The group of commissioners, surveyors, chaplain and seventeen frontiersman started on their journey on February 27, 1728 near Surry County, Virginia.  Two of the Surveyors from Virginia were Mr. Mayo and Mr. Irvin. Mr. Irvin was a mathematician from William and Mary.  Two other commissioners were Mr. Moseley and Mr. Swan who was also a surveyor.
There first stop was Mr. Allen's home and they proceeded through Surrey County to the Widow Allen's home. Mr. Bryd mentions that Widow Allen is a good housewife.  They do not tarry along and they make their way to the South Branch of the Nansemond River at Mr. Godwin's abode where they were treated hospitably, but it was primitive.  He ferried them across the river and they crossed the dismal swamp.  There they found trees covered with moss,berried evergreens, myrtle trees covered with candleberries and desolation.After crossing the north end of the Dismal Swamp they arrived at Mr. Crafords which was located on the south branch of the Elizabeth River over against Norfolk.  There they met up with two more commissioners.  The town was close to the sea which made it easy for vessels to come into port.  It was a rowdy place with debauchery and drinking.  They attempted to recruit more men for the journey, but no one wanted  to travel over rough bogs, marshes and swamps not fit for humans to live.
They finally found someone to draw them a rough sketch of the area so they could begin their journey to Curituck Inlet to begin surveying.  Eventually they left and on their way to the inlet they met a Parson of the Parish near Powder Point called Mr, Marston.
Arriving at Curituck inlet they  began surveying the dividing line.  While there, they were told of a hermit living on the south side.  They found him there living with a woman.  They lived in a little shelter and fed off the oysters of the sea and clothed themselves only with their hair.
The Surveying line cut through Dosier's Island and into Knot's Island the dwelling place or plantation of William Harding was located on that Island and close by a Mr. White ran an open house for travelers.

Tomorrow I will post more about the Dividing Line.

Characters So far met:
Lt Governor or Virginia.  Colonel Spottswood
Governor of North Carolina Governor Eden
Surveyors-Mr William Mayo, Mr. Alexander Irvin, Mr Samuel Swann
Commissioners:  Mr. Edward Moseley
Residents:  Surry County:  Mr. Allen, Widow Allen
South Branch of Nansemond River: Mr. Godwin
South branch of the Elizabeth River over against Norfolk: Mr. Craford
Powder Point:  Reverend Marston
Knot's Island:  William Harding and Mr. White

References:
http://www.jamesriverplantations.org/Westover.html
You can find The History of the Dividing Line at Google Books for free

Research and New Year

A Happy New Year to all of you out there.  I have started a new blog called Genealogy:  Our Astounding Brumfield Past.  In the next few months I will be separating all of my blogs and also my blogs out of this blog.  I am going to separate the names.  Hopefully, this will be easier to read and each of them will be named Our Astounding Ward Past, Our Astounding Brumfield Past, etc.  I guess you get the drift.  I have been neglecting my blogs lately, but it will start getting better soon.  I am now reading History of the Dividing Line by William Byrd and I will be looking for names to connect families to the past and to educate myself and the reader about the areas around Pittsylvania County.  Who lived there and what was it like to live there?

Here is to a successful New Year.

Janice