The Women in Balaams Life

There were several women involved in the life of Balaam A. Carter, and I believe I've touched on most of them, however, I wanted to document them and investigate them a little more, somewhat for my own benefit. Sometimes, to lay things down and take a closer look, helps to clear a foggy situation.

The first woman in Balaam's life, was of course, his mother Mary, otherwise seen as Polly, which was a common nickname for Mary, as Mary's abound in 19th century Stanly County.

Balaam and Polly escaped the census taker in 1850, however, they show up in the 1860 census, in the Harris Community. Balaam has married Alley, his first wife and her younger brother is staying with them as well, as their parents died in 1850 and 1858.

ame:	Balem Carter
Age in 1860:	28
Birth Year:	abt 1832
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1860:	Stanly, North Carolina
Gender:	Male
Post Office:	Albemarle
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Balem Carter 28 Alley Carter 29 Benjanan Holt 10 Polly Carter 49 Susan Carter 20

Polly is 49, giving her an estimated birth year of 1811. Polly is not listed with Balaam in 1870, although I feel like she was probably still in residence, or either staying with his yet unidentified sibling.

She returns to the household of her son Balaam in the 1880 census, this time being identified as his mother. 

Name:	Polly Carter
Age:	60
Birth Year:	abt 1820
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Mother
Marital Status:	Widowed
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Neighbors:	View others on page
Occupation:	At Home
Cannot read/write: Blind: Deaf and Dumb: Otherwise disabled: Idiotic or insane:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age S. A. Carter 51 Tellie Carter 30 Lonna O. Carter 14 Polly Carter 60

By this time, Balaam has remarried to his second wife, Bettie Rummage. The transcriber made several errors on this one, but looking at the original document, "S. A." is clearly "B. A." and "Tellie" is "Bettie". Stepson "Lonna O.", was not given a surname in the census, leading the transcribers to assume his surname was Carter, when in actuality, his surname was Rummage. 

There is a mention in the early court records of a Polly Carter being the mother of two young boys who were orphans and bound out, Jackson and Lawson Carter. This Polly is given as being deceased in the 1840's, which our Polly Carter was not, so Jackson and Lawson were not Balaam's brothers. 

Mary "Polly" also appears in a land record with her son Balaam:

Balam A Cater to Julius A. Kendall

"This Indenture made this 12th May 1857 between Balaam A. Carter &  Mary Carter of the first part and Julius A. Kendall of the second part all of the County of Stanly and State of North Carolina......Balaam A. Carter and Mary Carter hath bargained and sold........unto Julius A Kendall.....for one dollar paid in hand one bay mare one cow three head of hogs and all our growing crop of wheat after the rent is first paid all of our growing crop of corn after the rent is first paid.....to be held in a special trust made payable to Peter E. Foutz for 55 dollars principal....date not recollected...whereon there is a note wherein J. A. Kendall is security and B. A. Cater is principal....also a note date May 12 1857 payable to Julius A Kendall for $18.87 cents....B. A Carter and M. Carter...

And that is all we know about Mary. Her maiden name and parentage is unknown. It can only be assumed that she passed away between the 1880 census and the 1900 census, as she does not show up in that one. Her burial location is also unknown.

The second woman in Balaam's life was his sister Susan.

As seen above, Susan, born about 1840, was living with Balaam in 1860. Unmarried, she passed away the same year, as seen in the mortality schedules, of thyphoid fever.

Surname:	Susan Carter
Year:	1860
County:	Stanly CO.
State:	NC
Age:	20
Gender:	F (Female)
Month of Death:	Jul
State of Birth:	NC
ID#:	293_1019
Occupation:	NONE LISTED
Cause of Death:	TYPHOID FEV

The third woman in Balaam's life was his first wife, Alvina "Allie" Holt Carter.  Allie's name is seen alternately as Alvina, Almena, Elvina or Alley, in census and land records. In the 1850 census, at the correct age, she is even seen as "Emmaline", but Emmaline, born in 1837, would have to be Alvina, in the realm of the daughters of Allen Holt. 

Name:	Emaline Holt
Age:	17
Birth Year:	abt 1833
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1850:	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina
Gender:	Female
Family Number:	828
Household Members:	Name Age Allen Holt 38 Phebe Holt 35 Emaline Holt 17 Robert Holt 15 James Holt 10 Nancy Holt 8 Eliza Holt 6 Sarah Holt 4 Benjamin Holt 0

By 1860, Balaam and Alley were married and her parents had passed away. Her younger brother Benjamin was living with them. Holt researchers give the date of Balaam and Alley's marriage as 1854. Allen's estate was settled in 1850 and Phoebes in 1858.

Alley shows up in a variety of land records with her husband Balaam.

An interesting land record involving Balaam is one dated March 10, 1875 involving a mortgage between Jerry Snuggs and Balaam A Carter, wherein "Jerry Snuggs, colored am justly indebited to Balaam A Carter". Mr. Snuggs mortgaged his crops of corn and cotton to Balaam for a loan and T. A. Simpson, who seems to have been a good friend of Balaam, witnesses transactions with him, etc. So was John B. Simpson, who did the same.

Looking at the 1870 Stanly County census, to see who Jerry Snuggs was, and if he lived near B. A. Carter,
I found this record:

Name:	Jerre Snuggs
Age in 1870:	36
Birth Year:	abt 1834
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1870:	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	Black
Gender:	Male
Post Office:	Albemarle
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Jerre Snuggs 36 Jemima Snuggs 30 Charles Snuggs 15

And while the Snuggs family were not counted that near B. A. Carter, it was interesting to see who their neighbors actually were. They lived near Nancy Cranford, her daughter Elizabeth and Mary Rummage, who come into play later on. And also the older Margarite Rummage, living with her sister Elizabeth Rummage and neice Elizabeth Rummage. All characters whom I will touch on later in this post or in this series of posts. 

In 1880, Mr. Snuggs and wife Jemima are living with a grandson and near Martha Rummage, of whom the post:   The Bird in the Branches  was concerning. 

Name:	Jerre Snuggs
Age:	52
Birth Year:	abt 1828
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	Black
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Self (Head)
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Mima Snuggs
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Neighbors:	View others on page
Occupation:	Farming
Cannot read/write: Blind: Deaf and Dumb: Otherwise disabled: Idiotic or insane:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Jerre Snuggs 52 Mima Snuggs 44 W. H. Kendow 10

On April 5, 1870  Balaam Carter and wife 'Elvina' mortgaged property on Jacob's Creek adjoining John Kelley and others, to Daniel Freeman, a storekeeper and businessman. The second time Alley's name is shown in the document, it is as "Balaam Carter and wife Alvina" and it the postscript of the document, wherein she is interviewed separately from her husband to assure she has not been coerced into selling property that she is not willing to, her name is shown as "Alvainia". This mortgage was satisfied in full on January 15, 1885.

In 1875, she is shown as "Alvina" in a mortgage from Balaam to James M. Redwine for $10, 'these articles of personal property," including a 2-horse wagon, a 10 year old mare, and a blind. (Or it could have read that the mare was blind).

On January 9, 1875 another record of a transaction between Balaam Carter and wife Alvina Carter and John A. Lilly, on the waters of Jacobs Creek, adjoining the lands of George Rummage, deceased, Carolina Frye and others.

Looking at the 1870 Stanly County census, I did see the family of a household led by a female, Sarah Rummage, living nearby,  and also the following Fry family:

Name:	J C Fry
Age in 1870:	47
Birth Year:	abt 1823
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1870:	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Post Office:	Albemarle
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age J C Fry 47 Angeline Fry 30 Postell Fry 9 Julia Fry 6 Evan Fry 4 Martha Fry 2

Also in 1875 was a transaction between B. A. Carter to "Mauney & Company" on January 26th. In it "B. A. Carter and wife 'Aviry' Carter" are indebited to E. A. Forrest, Ephraim Mauney and son, and Mauney Trading Company for $30.00. Later in the document is named "B. A. Carter and wife Alley" and later when Alley is examined separatley, she is again referred to as Alley Carter."

Alley died sometime before the November, 1879 marriage of B. A. Carter to Bettie Rummage.

In the book "These Hallowed Grounds" published by the Stanly County Genealogical Society in 2012, under the heading of  The Isaac Mabry Cemetery, it is mentioned that Richard Ingold, owner of the property the cemetery is on, remembers a stone for Alley Carter being there. It makes sense as the cemetery is in an accurate location and there was involvent between B. A. Carter and the Mabry family.

Alley showed up in 2 censuses with Balaam. They were married roughly 20 years, with no children.

Name:	Balem Carter
Age in 1860:	28
Birth Year:	abt 1832
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1860:	Stanly, North Carolina
Gender:	Male
Post Office:	Albemarle
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Balem Carter 28 Alley Carter 29 Benjanan Holt 10 Polly Carter 49 Susan Carter 20

1860, with her younger brother, Ben Holt, mother-in-law Polly and sister-in-law Susan. And then, alone with Balaam in 1870.

Name:	B A Carter
Age in 1870:	38
Birth Year:	abt 1832
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1870:	Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Post Office:	Albemarle
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age B A Carter 38 Almena Carter 50

The "50" is a typo. It looks more like 30 or even, 38.

The next woman in Balaam's life was Catherine Simpson Mabry. "Kate", as she was known, was the daughter of Isaac and Lucy Simpson. 

Name:	Catherine Simpson
Age in 1860:	17
Birth Year:	abt 1843
Home in 1860:	Stanly, North Carolina
Gender:	Female
Post Office:	Albemarle
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Isaac Simpson 47 Lucy Simpson 47 Thomas Simpson 19 Catherine Simpson 17 Margaret Simpson 15 Nathan Simpson 13 John W Simpson 9 Mary J Simpson 1

Name:	Catharine Simpson
Age in 1870:	23
Birth Year:	abt 1847
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1870:	Center, Stanly, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Post Office:	Albemarle
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Lucy Simpson 40 Catharine Simpson 23 Margaret Simpson 21 Nathaniel Simpson 20 John Simpson 18 Mary J Simpson 12

On November 15, 1878, she became the mother of Balaam A. Carter's only child, Ann Eliza Carter. 

Catherine and Balaam were not married. Apparently, at some point, Catherine married a Mabry. It may have been to Frank Mabry. There were at least 3 Frank Mabry's in the area at the time. Perhaps Mr. Mabry thought the child was his. At any rate, the following bastardy bond was filed with Catherine naming Balaam as the father. T. A. Simpson, again signed in for his friend and another document this same year ordering Balaam to court to answer for this was signed and co-bonded with John B. Simpson. Notice that Catherine's name was written as Simpson, then a line was made through it and Mabry written above it. She may have been a recent bride.

I have not been able to locate Cartherine Simpson Mabery or her daughter in the 1880 census. On Ann Eliza's marriage license to John F. Russell, however, she lists her father as B. A. Carter and her mother as Kate Simpson.

Name: John F. Russell Birth Date: 1875 Birthplace: Age: 22 Spouse's Name: Ann Eliza Carter Spouse's Birth Date: 1877 Spouse's Birthplace: Spouse's Age: 20 Event Date: 08 Nov 1897 Event Place: Center, Stanly, North Carolina Father's Name: William I. Russell Mother's Name: Mary J. Russell Spouse's Father's Name: B.A. Carter Spouse's Mother's Name: Kate Simpson

The fifth woman in Balaam Carter's life was his second wife, Elizabeth "Bettie" Rummage.   They were married on November 3, 1879, just a year or so after his daughter with Kate Simpson was born. They show up together in the 1880 census, along with Bettie's son Lonnie O. Rummage, shown incorrectly as a Carter. It is unknown where Balaam' s daughter was living at the time or  Kate Simpson Mabry. Elizabeth, also known as Bettie, is shown with Balaam in the 1880 census, along with his mother, Polly and Bettie's son Lonnie. Either Polly was living with him in the 1870 census, and they missed counting her, or she was living with another of her children. Name: S. A. Carter Age: 51 Birth Year: abt 1829 Birthplace: North Carolina Home in 1880: Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina Race: White Gender: Male Relation to Head of House: Self (Head) Marital Status: Married Spouse's Name: Tellie Carter Father's Birthplace: North Carolina Mother's name: Polly Carter Mother's Birthplace: North Carolina Neighbors: View others on page Occupation: Farmer Cannot read/write: Blind: Deaf and Dumb: Otherwise disabled: Idiotic or insane: View image Household Members: Name Age S. A. Carter 51 Tellie Carter 30 Lonna O. Carter 14 Polly Carter 60 There were several land transactions involving Balaam and Bettie, although the last of them seem to indicate that they were separated and Bettie went back to using her maiden name, Rummage. She is buried at Anderson Grove Baptist Church in Albemare, North Carolina, however, under the name Bettie Carter. This was covered in my post: Balaam and Bettie Name: Balaam A Carter [Balaam Carter]  Age: 68 Birth Date: May 1832 Birthplace: North Carolina Home in 1900: Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina Race: White Gender: Male Relation to Head of House: Head Marital Status: Widowed Father's Birthplace: North Carolina Mother's Birthplace: North Carolina Occupation: View on Image Neighbors: View others on page Household Members: Name Age Balaam A Carter 68 John F Russell 22 Anna L Russell 22 Geo C Russell 4/12 Nancy Crawford 65 This would be the last census record that Balaam appears in, although he lived until 1910. In it, he is shown as the head of household, with his son-in-law, John F Russell, daughter Anna and 4 month old grandson George C. Russell living with him. The sixth woman in Balaam's life was his daughter Anna Eliza and I've already touched on the documents in which she appears. First, there is the bastardy bond between Catherine Simpson Mabry and Balaam in the year she is born, her marriage license to John F. Russell, and the 1900 census.  John Frank Russell and two of his young sons, John Frank Russell, Jr. and William Allen Russell are buried in the old Laton Cemetery. Tombstone of John Frank Russell. The cemetery is located off of Stony Gap Road south of Albemarle. It's not too far from the area where Marcus P. Carter lived. The last two women in Balaam Carter's life of note are both a bit of a mystery. One is his 'step' daughter-in-law, Mary Ann Talbert (Tolbert) Rummage. She was the first wife of Lonnie O. Rummage, son of his second wife , Bettie. According to several Family Trees on Ancestry.com, Molly or Mary was married to Balaam A. Carter prior to marrying Lonnie O Rummage. I have not found any information to substantiate or to disprove this information. Molly deserves a post of her own. And with that, so does the last lady in Balaam's life, Nancy Cranford. Miss Cranford is seen living with the family in Balaam's last census, the one of 1900. She is involved in two land records involving Carters, buying land from Richard Carter in March of 1866 given to her and "the heirs of her body". And then again in 1898, when she sells her property to Balaam Carter for "$25 and support for the remainder of my life." Nancy Cranford and her family definately deserved a closer look. The mother of Bettie Rummage, Balaam's second wife, was a Cranford, Bedie Fanny Cranford Rummage. Could there have been a connection or relation? And what about the lawsuit previously mentioned between Balaam and Richard? What was that all about? Waiting on information from the state archives to arrive. I hope it answers more questions than it creates.