Sarah's Mortgage

Among the surprises in my family land records, I came across this surprising document, wherein Sarah Kennedy mortgages a piece of land, as well as a woman and three children, to my ancestor, EW Davis, for $1.00.  This may not seem that unusual seeing that the year was 1856, and prior to the Civil War. What makes it so eye-catching is knowing who Sarah Kennedy was. There is a sum of $150.00 mentioned in the document involving Josiah Hatley. It is going to take some interpretation to decipher what the purpose of the deed was, as a great deal of property was mortgaged for a mere dollar. It may have had something to do with the rights (or lack of) women in those days, and E. W. Davis, being the gentleman that he was, taking possession, temporarily, of her property, in order to protect it from take over of not so congenial gentlemen.

This is a link to a post where I had blogged about Sarah Kennedy and her unusual situation.

Mystery Monday: Sarah Kennedy

 It had appeared that Sarah died leaving 4 young children orphaned, who were bound out to neighbors and local farmers to 'learn the art' of farming. This happened often, especially with children who were illegitimate. One of her sons, Robert, would marry the younger half-sister of my great-great grandmother Julina Aldridge Davis.

The woman that Sarah Kennedy mortgages out, is an 18 year old girl she calls "Sall". As young as she is, Sall is the mother of two little girls, Mariah and Harriett. The year is 1856.  Sall's daughters must have been mere babies. I had pegged Sarah Kennedy, daughter of John C and Mercy Daniel Kennedy, as the mother of Robert Kennedy/Canady and his siblings. Then the name "Harriett" rang a bell.

me:	Sarah Kennedy
Age in 1870:	31
Birth Year:	abt 1839
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1870:	Big Lick, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Post Office:	Albemarle
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Sarah Kennedy 31 Harriet Kennedy 13 Robert Kennedy 5 Alexander Kennedy 1

The 1870 census of Stanly County has Sarah and her children labeled as white.
I located the document where Robert and his brother James, who was just a 2 year old toddler at the time, was bound out to a local farmer, Michael Dry, to learn the art of farming about 1877. In the 1880 census, Robert and James are enumerated in the household of Michael Dry.

Name:	Robert Canady
Age:	16
Birth Year:	abt 1864
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Furrs, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	Mulatto
Gender:	Male
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Neighbors:	View others on page
Occupation:	Servant Works On Farm
Cannot read/write: Blind: Deaf and dumb: Otherwise disabled: Idiotic or insane:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Michael Dry 57 Catharine Dry 58 Safrona A. Dry 14 Robert Canady 16 James Canady 9

They are also called "Mulatto", meaning of mixed heritage.

In 1884, Robert marries Matilda Aldridge, who is also labeled mulatto on the marriage license, but her mother was considered white, although of Native American and Scottish heritage.

Then, I was in Cabarrus County, doing research on the Kiser family, and I came across a document that caught my eye, Thomas Canday's marriage to Jemima Means. I am a descendant of a Harriet Means Lemmonds, and have not researched into that line as of yet, beyond straight up the trunk of the tree. So I thought I'd take a glimpse to see if Jemima was perhaps a sister of Harriett Means. If you notice in the census record above, the name Kennedy was interchangeable with Canaday or Canady in those days. In fact, Canaday become the permanent spelling for Bob and Matilda's descendants.

While researching the descendants of my great-great aunt Matilda, I came across Bob's death certificate. On it, his mother was listed as Sarah Canady and his father as Jordan Kennedy. I thought, this has to be an error, Jordan was his uncle, the brother of Sarah Kennedy. I had assumed that Sarah was white, and the father of Bob and his siblings was black.

But now, I've found Thomas Canaday.

Thomas Canaday, a resident of Stanly County, in 1881 marries Jemima Means. He is the son of Jordan Canaday, living, and Sarah Canaday, deceased. Somehow, Thomas did not show up in the 1870 census with his siblings. Not that I have found yet.

Then, I thought about this document. Sall is short for Sally, is a nickname for Sarah. Could there have been 2 Sarah Kennedy's? One born a slave and the other her owner? Harriett was definitely one of Robert's sisters and Sarah's daughters. I found a record in Cabarrus County of someone whose mother's maiden name was Mariah Canady. Could Thomas and Mariah, the older children, have left Stanly as children and went to live in Cabarrus County?

Thomas and Jemima had a close connection to a Boger family. Both are living with a Boger family in 1880. While Bob moved his family first to Rowan and then on to Davie County, Thomas and his wife ended up in Philadelphia. Further research may find out more about them.

Thomas first shows up at 20 years old in the 1880 census, that I can find:

Thomas Canady
Age:	20
Birth Year:	abt 1860
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Bethel Church, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Race:	Black
Gender:	Male
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Neighbors:	View others on page
Occupation:	Laborer
Cannot read/write: Blind: Deaf and dumb: Otherwise disabled: Idiotic or insane:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age James Boger 27 Milisa Boger 25 George Boger 6 Amanda Boger 5   Boger 5m Marshal C. Boger 19 Thomas Canady 20 Jemima Means 24

Living with the Bogers and here he meets his wife and they marry the next years. His marriage license pronounced him from Stanly County.

Twenty years later, he and his wife are still in Cabarrus County and a member of the Boger family is living with them. If they had any children between 1880 and 1900, they did not show up.

Name:	Thomas Canady
Age:	45
Birth Date:	abt 1855
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1900:	Johns River, Cabarrus, North Carolina [Cabarrus]
Race:	Black
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Jemima Canady
Marriage Year:	1882
Years Married:	18
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	View on Image
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Thomas Canady 45 Jemima Canady 38 Minnie Boger 20

Name:	Thomas Kennedy
Age:	63
Birth Year:	abt 1857
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	Philadelphia Ward 7, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Race:	Black
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Jemina Kennedy
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home owned:	Rent
Able to read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Thomas Kennedy 63 Jemina Kennedy 65

By 1920, the couple have moved to Philly, where they probably spent their last days.

Jordan Kennedy of Davidson and Stanly County was known to leave a trail of illegitimate children. He was brought up on bastardy bonds in the early courts of Stanly County on more than one occasion.

So were there more than one Sarah Kennedy/Canaday? Was Jordan the father of all of her children? How many did they have in total? Was the 'Sall' mentioned in the above document, who was mortgaged to my ancestor EW Davis, Sarah, mother of Thomas and Robert? If so, the list of children would be Mariah, Harriett, Thomas, Robert, Alexander and James.

I know that Alexander also ended up in Cabarrus County, living with a Bost family. They may have been of some relation.

Alaxander Canady [Alexander Canady]
Age:	30
Birth Date:	May 1870
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1900:	Kings Creek, Cabarrus, North Carolina [Cabarrus]
Race:	Black
Relation to Head of House:	Boarder
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	View on Image
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Leah Bost 63 Victora Bost 26 Gene Bost 21 Clarance Bost 18 Lon Bost 18 Perlie Bost 8 Edger C Bost 3 Alaxander Canady 30

Alex may have been this Alexander Canady who moved to Winston-Salem and married a Sallie. The name Alexander is often shown as Aleck or even Ellick.

Name:	Alick Canady
Age:	46
Birth Year:	abt 1874
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	Winston-Salem Ward 3, Forsyth, North Carolina
Race:	Black
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Sallie Canady
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home owned:	Rent
Able to read:	No
Able to Write:	No
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Alick Canady 46 Sallie Canady 46

A trip to the Forsyth R.O.D. is in order.