There must have been a lazy or inept census taker in old Richmond County, North Carolina. I can imagine him sauntering lackadaisically down an old dusty path and seeing a bent oak up ahead that looked perfect for taking a lunch break under. He slides off the mule and gathers his lunch tin and papers and spreads out under the tree. Then he realizes he forgot to write down the names of the children from the last farm he passed. He just wrote down the name of the wife, his informant, and that of her husband, who was in the feilds. He recalled seven kids, little stairsteps, the oldest he estamated to be about 10. That one was, oh, what was her name? And then guessing and replacing names all the way down to the baby. The numbers were all that really matttered, right?
This story seems to have replayed itself out several times in the decades after the Civil War and seems very feasible when it comes to the mess some were, that led modern descendants trying to figure out who these mystery children were. The family of George Solomon was one of the victims.
George Washington Solomon was my Second Great GrandUncle. He was the brother of Margaret Solomon Mauldin, my Grandma's Grandma. George was born mid-18th century on October 9, 1850, the last of the 9 children of Rev. William S. Solomon and his wife, Tabitha Marks Solomon. He grew up during the days before and after the Civil War, just a young preteen boy as it began. His father, Rev. Solomon, was a conscientious objector to the War, and had tried, legally, to avoid duty. He never saw battle, but was drafted and places as a minister and guard at the prison in Salisbury, NC.
After the War, many a healthy young person moved away from the devasted and deserted farmlands and on to greener pastures. One of those greener pastures was Richmond County, NC, just south of Stanly County, where the Solomons were raised, and the reason was the textile industry. The Cotton Mills would come to Stanly in a few decades, but by 1870, they had already arrived in Richmond.
 |
| Richmond County Mills, NC genweb.org |
By the late 1860's the carpetbaggers were moving down from the industrial north to take advantage of the South's abundant resources and desparate populations of widows, orphans, destitue yeoman farmers, and newly freed slaves. They took over the growing of crops, like cotton, under corporate control, and built factories along the Pee Dee to turn that crop into cash.
One of those people was George Washington Solomon. In 1865, when the war was over, he was 15. I'm not sure exactly when he left Stanly County, but between then and 1869, when he was only 19, and married Martha Jane Ussery in Richmond County.
| Name: | Martha Ussery |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Female |
| Marriage Date: | 4 Apr 1869 |
| Marriage Place: | Richmond, North Carolina, USA |
| Spouse: | George Solomon |
| Spouse Gender: | Male |
| Event Type: | Marriage |
Martha Jane was the daughter of James B Ussery and Mary Ann Baldwin of Richmond County. Born November 15, 1947, she was a few year older than George, and the Ussery's oldest child.
The 1870 census has George and Martha as a young married couple, working as farm laborers and living near or next to her parents, James and Mary Ussery. With them is a 5 year old girl, Mary "J" or Mary "S", but the just got married in 1869. Thus began mystery number one, who was the little girl? She doesn't appear in the family ten years later, in 1880, which is where I had to begin the analysis of George and Martha's family. The children in the 1880 census did not exactly, or even nearly, line up with their actual children taken from the childrens own records in later life, designating themselves as members of this family.
| Name: | George Solomon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age: | 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | Abt 1850 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birthplace: | North Carolina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home in 1880: | Steeles, Richmond, North Carolina, USA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dwelling Number: | 359 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Race: | White | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gender: | Male | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Self (Head) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marital Status: | Married | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse's Name: | Martha Solomon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father's Birthplace: | North Carolina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother's Birthplace: | North Carolina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation: | Laborer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Neighbors: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Above is the census record for 1880, showing George and Martha as the parents of 7 chidlren between the ages of 10 and 1.
| Name: | George Solomon[George Solimon] | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age: | 49 | ||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | Oct 1850 | ||||||||||||
| Birthplace: | North Carolina, USA | ||||||||||||
| Home in 1900: | Rockingham, Richmond, North Carolina | ||||||||||||
| House Number: | 10 | ||||||||||||
| Sheet Number: | 29 | ||||||||||||
| Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation: | 849 | ||||||||||||
| Family Number: | 508 | ||||||||||||
| Race: | White | ||||||||||||
| Gender: | Male | ||||||||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Head | ||||||||||||
| Marital Status: | Married | ||||||||||||
| Spouse's Name: | Martha Solomon | ||||||||||||
| Marriage Year: | 1869 | ||||||||||||
| Years Married: | 31 | ||||||||||||
| Father's Birthplace: | North Carolina, USA | ||||||||||||
| Mother's Birthplace: | North Carolina, USA | ||||||||||||
| Occupation: | Farmer | ||||||||||||
| Months Not Employed: | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Can Read: | Yes | ||||||||||||
| Can Write: | Yes | ||||||||||||
| Can Speak English: | Yes | ||||||||||||
| House Owned or Rented: | Own | ||||||||||||
| Farm or House: | F | ||||||||||||
| Neighbors: | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
The next census, taken twenty years later, in 1900, shows only one child at home, Mary, born about 1882.
Was this the same Mary who was shown as being born in 1878 20 years earlier?
| Name: | James Ussery | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age: | 62 | ||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | Abt 1818 | ||||||||||||
| Birthplace: | North Carolina | ||||||||||||
| Home in 1880: | Steeles, Richmond, North Carolina, USA | ||||||||||||
| Dwelling Number: | 285 | ||||||||||||
| Race: | White | ||||||||||||
| Gender: | Male | ||||||||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Self (Head) | ||||||||||||
| Marital Status: | Married | ||||||||||||
| Spouse's Name: | Ann Ussery | ||||||||||||
| Father's Birthplace: | North Carolina | ||||||||||||
| Mother's Birthplace: | North Carolina | ||||||||||||
| Occupation: | Farmer | ||||||||||||
| Cannot Read: | Yes | ||||||||||||
| Cannot Write: | Yes | ||||||||||||
| Neighbors: | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Notice that there is no child born in or around 1865 in the 1880 census, however, in the home of Martha's parents, James and Mary Ann Ussery, is a 14 year old granddaughter, Sophronia. Could Mary J or S have been Sophronia?
Below is my listing of the actual children of George W. Solomon and Martha Jane Ussery Solomon based on the childrens records of marriage, death, service in the military, and other records naming their parents and place of birth. With the exception of James/Jimmie, the names and ages do not coincide at all with the 1880 census. While its quite possible that a child listed in the 1880 census could have died of a childhood malady and be buried in some illegibly marked grave with no other record of its existence, it is not plausible or possible that a child who was living prior to 1880 just popped up out of nowhere as a living, breathing adult.
Sophia B. Ussery Freid Beck b 18 Oct 1865
Sarah Jane Solomon Perry b 13 Aug 1870
James Benjamin Solomon 15 Jane 1873
Florence Solomon Simpson 1874
Mandy Cornelia Solomon Ussery b 3 June 1877
William Terrell Solomon b 3 June 1879
George Thomas Solomon 2 May 1880
Mary Elizabeth Solomon Collins 1882
Another hint on how many actual children this couple had is given in the 1900 and 1910 census records, which asked how many children a woman had given birth to and how many were still alive. It also asked how many years a couple had been married.
| Name: | Martha Salman[Martha Solomon] | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age in 1910: | 63 | ||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 1847[1847] | ||||||||||||
| Birthplace: | North Carolina | ||||||||||||
| Home in 1910: | Wolf Pit, Richmond, North Carolina, USA | ||||||||||||
| Race: | White | ||||||||||||
| Gender: | Female | ||||||||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Mother-in-law | ||||||||||||
| Marital Status: | Widowed | ||||||||||||
| Father's Birthplace: | North Carolina | ||||||||||||
| Mother's Birthplace: | North Carolina | ||||||||||||
| Native Tongue: | English | ||||||||||||
| Able to read: | Yes | ||||||||||||
| Able to Write: | No | ||||||||||||
| Number of Children Born: | 10 | ||||||||||||
| Number of Children Living: | 8 | ||||||||||||
| Neighbors: | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
In 1910, her last census, Martha Jane Ussery Solomon was widowed, and living with her younget daughter, Mary, and Mary's husband, Julius Collins. She reported to have been the mother of 10 children, with 8 still living. All of the above listed children were still living in 1910.
To make possible since of the two lists, I made a side by side comparison of the two'
1880 list of children in the home Actual Known Children of the Couple
1870 Connie 1865 Sophia B.
1872 Jimmie 1870 Sarah Jane
1874 George 1873 James Benjamin
1876 Martha 1874 Florence
1877 Sarah 1877 Mandy Cornelia
1878 Mary 1879 William Terrell
1879 Lizzie 1880 George Thomas
1882 Mary Elizabeth
Add Mary J 1865 from 1870 census and you have 8 in both lists.
Now, looking at this, it's possible 'Connie' may have been Mandy Corneila, who went by her middle name of Cornelia or "Nealie" , for short, but there is that 7 year age gap. Jimmy was no doubt James Benjamin, and was only off a year. George may have been George Thomas, but I don't know how a possible newborn was mistaken for a walking talking 6 year old. Sarah 1877 may have been Sarah 1870, but again, a 7 year age difference. The real Mary was later dated to not even have born yet, but then we have a Mary in 1878 and a Lizzie, short for Elizabeth, in 1879, either of which could have been Mary. Not listed at all were Sophia, William Terrell and Florence. I considered the fact that maybe Martha and Florence were the same girl, only a two year difference in age, awhich in those days seemed to float, but William and Lizzie do not match up at all.
Two of the above may have died as children, but where were the ones who were not listed at all?
 |
| Photo of The Old Scottish Cemetery from Find-a-Grave taken by contributor "Sandy". |
The Old Scottish Cemetery lies decaying in the woods northeast of Rockingham, in Richmond County near the intersection of Rockingham and Roberdel roads.It dates back to the arrival of the earliest Scots settling along the Pee Dee River and most of its graves have lost their markers or the wording on them. Some of the oldest still existing stones are those of Alexander George Watson , Aug. 1780- Aug . 23, 1828, Mary Currie Watson, 1782- 1825, Finlay McSween 1765- 29 August 1829 and Elizabeth "Mollie" Murphy Watson, died 25 Sept. 1811. So it was well in use before my 3rd Great Grandmother, Tabitha Marks Solomon, who was born on January 12, 1805, in Chatham County and migrated to Montgomery County, NC, settling on the now Stanly County side of the river, was buried there. She had married Rev. William Solomon, son of Rev. Bennett Solomon and Ava McGregor Solomon, and had raised her family there, near the birth of the Pee Dee River where the Yadkin and Uwharrie Rivers became one. She had followed two of her children to Richmond County, having survived her husband by nearly two decades, and dying there on May 28, 1891.
George and Martha Ussery Solomon are buried there, too, along with many of their children and grandchildren.
One of those children, Sophia, is the focus of this post.
| Name: | Sophia Beck |
|---|---|
| Birth Date: | 18 Oct 1865 |
| Birth Place: | North Carolina, United States of America |
| Death Date: | 16 Jul 1921 |
| Death Place: | Richmond County, North Carolina, United States of America |
| Cemetery: | Scottish Cemetery |
| Burial or Cremation Place: | Rockingham, Richmond County, North Carolina, United States of America |
| Has Bio?: | Y |
| URL: | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/54389534/sophia-beck |
The Find - A- Grave memorial for Sophia Beck states that she was the wife of B. H. Beck and the daughter of George and Martha Solomon, who lie near her. She was born on October 18, 1865 and died on Jul 16, 1921 in Richmond County, NC, being buired in the Scottish Cemetery.
Her death certificate gives her name as Mrs. B. H. Beck. She was born in North Carolina and father was named as George Solomon and her maother as Martha Ussery, both also born in North Carolina. She was a widow, and worked as a Domestic, or housewife. She died of Uterine Cancer, and here is where things take a left turn. She had been diagonosed approximately 12 months earlier in Montgomery, Alabama. Not Montgomery County, NC, but Montgomery Alabama. The signing physician was Dr. L. D. McPhail. To corroborate the Alabama connection, the Informant on the death certificate, or the person who had given the pertinate personal information, was one J. P. Freid of Montgomery, Alabama. A note scribbled next to his name said '3rd floor Empire bldg'. I wondered who J.P. Freid was.
The death of Sophia had given us one more clue, she had an obituary, of sorts, printed in the Richmond County newspaper, The Rockingham Post Dispatch. There was one problem with the obituary, it gave her name as 'Bessie' Beck, not Sophia. It claimed she died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Ussery (another Ussery connection) in Pee Dee 2. She had been living previously with her son, J. P. Fried, in Montgomery, Alabama. So that explains who J.P. Fried was and the Alabama link. The old Scotch cemetery near Roberdel was correct. The age, 55, was correct, the only thing variant from the death certificate was the name. So now we had two names for ths lady, Sophia, and Bessie. We also know she had at least two children, J.P. Fried and Mrs. Ussery.
The problem is, besides her death records, I found no trace of Sophia or Bessie at all. No records that she had ever existed, except those related to her death. So I decided instead, to search for her children. There were a number of Mrs. Ussery's in Richmond County at the time, and several young enough to have been her daughter, but none of those panned out anywhere. I went on a search for her son, J. P. Freid, and with him, had to start at the end, likewise. So, now I knew Sophia was married at least twice, as her son was a freid and she was buried as Mrs Beck. Still no trace of Sophia Solomon Freid Beck.
| Name: | James P Freid |
|---|---|
| Birth Date: | 1884 |
| Death Date: | 1952 |
| Cemetery: | Greenwood Cemetery |
| Burial or Cremation Place: | Montgomery, Montgomery County, Alabama, United States of America |
Luckily, I discovered that Freid was a very uncommon name in Montgomery, Alabama, and that J. P. stood for James Pinkney. He was born on November 3, 1884, in Richmond County, North carolina and died on January 23, 1952, in Montgomery, at the age of 68.
According to his obituary, he was married when he died. His pallbearers, Maxie Meyer Reddick, Switchman; William Roy Dawson, Switchman; Leonard E. Lampkin, Switchman; John Fuller Parker, Switchman; and Albert G. Hudson, Yard Manager for Seaboard Rail Road, all appear to have been Co-workers with the Railway.
| Name: | J Freid [James Pinkney Freid] |
|---|---|
| Birth Date: | Nov 1885 |
| Death Date: | 1952 |
| Claim ID: | A447318 |
| SSN: | 416221322 |
| Industry: | Railroad |
I found him in the Railroad Retirement Pension Index.
| Name: | James Pinkney Freid |
|---|---|
| Birth Date: | 3 Nov 1884 |
| Birth Place: | Rockingham, North Carolina |
| Claim Date: | 27 Sep 1950 |
| SSN: | 416221322 |
| Notes: | 21 Oct 1977: Name listed as JAMES PINKNEY FREID |
I found his Social Security Application, which verifeid tha he was born in Richmond County, NC, meaning, his mother probaly met and married his father in Richmond County.
| Name: | Pinkney Fried |
|---|---|
| Birthyear: | abt 1882 |
| Birthplace: | North Carolina, United States |
| Enlistment Age: | 21 1/12 |
His U.S. Army Register of Enlistments gave further information on him, like the fact that he was living in Opelika, Alabama at the time and working as a blacksmith. He had brown eyes, black hair, dark skin and was 5 foot 6 inches tall, which I saw from his other military records, put him in the 'Medium' height category for the time, which was 1906. He served in the 7th Calvary as a Private adn was discharged in December, 1906 at Fort Oglethorp, Georgia.
| Name: | James Pinkney Freid |
|---|---|
| Race: | White |
| Birth Date: | 3 Nov 1884 |
| Residence Date: | 1917-1918 |
| Street Address: | 9 S Mc Donough St |
| Residence Place: | Montgomery, Montgomery, Alabama, USA |
| Draft Board: | 1 |
| Physical Build: | Medium |
| Height: | Medium |
| Hair Color: | Bl |
| Eye Color: | Brown |
| Spouse: | J P Freid |
By the time he had to register for World War I, he was married and living at 9 S. McDonough Street in Montgomery, Alabama. So, I looked and discovered that he had married in 1913.
| Name: | J P Freid |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Male |
| Marriage Date: | 7 Mar 1913 |
| Marriage Place: | Montgomery, Alabama, USA |
| Spouse: | Lizzie Lawrenson |
| Film Number: | 002358482 |
His bride at this time was Elizabeth "Lizzie" Lawrenson. In March of 1913, he was 28 and she was 23.
| Name: | Lizzie Lawrenson[Lizzie Lawrence] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age: | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | Nov 1889 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birthplace: | Alabama, USA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home in 1900: | New Decatur, Morgan, Alabama | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ward of City: | 3rd | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Street: | Sherman Street | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| House Number: | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sheet Number: | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation: | 184 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Family Number: | 208 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Race: | White | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gender: | Female | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Daughter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marital Status: | Single | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father's Name: | David Lawrenson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father's Birthplace: | Canada English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother's Name: | Francis Lawrenson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother's Birthplace: | Canada, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attended School: | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Can Read: | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Can Write: | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Can Speak English: | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Neighbors: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lizzie was born in Alabama, her parents, David and Francis Lawrenson,were from Canada. Above is her family in 1900.
| Name: | Elizabeth Lawrenson[Elizabeth Laurenson] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age in 1910: | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 1890[1890] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birthplace: | Alabama | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home in 1910: | Montgomery Ward 4, Montgomery, Alabama, USA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Street: | S Mc Donough St | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Race: | White | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gender: | Female | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Boarder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marital Status: | Single | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father's Birthplace: | Canada[Canada English] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother's Birthplace: | Canada[Canada English] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Native Tongue: | English | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation: | Laundress | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Industry: | Laundry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Employer, Employee or Other: | Wage Earner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attended School: | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Able to read: | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Able to Write: | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Out of Work: | N | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of Weeks Out of Work: | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Neighbors: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
By 1910, Lizzie had lost her Dad, and she, along with her mother Francis, aka 'Fanny' and her sister, Jenny, moved to the city of Montgomery, where they found work in a laundry. They were boarding with a Hicks family and living on S. McDonough Street. Remember J. P. Freids address as 9 S. McDonough Street in his WWI draft papers? This is probably where he met Lizzie and they were married 3 years later.
| Name: | John P Fried |
|---|---|
| Age: | 36 |
| Birth Year: | abt 1884 |
| Birthplace: | Alabama |
| Home in 1920: | Montgomery Ward 4, Montgomery, Alabama |
| Street: | South Mc Donough Street |
| House Number: | Empire |
| Residence Date: | 1920 |
| Race: | White |
| Gender: | Male |
| Relation to Head of House: | Lodger |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Father's Birthplace: | Alabama |
| Mother's Birthplace: | Alabama |
| Able to Speak English: | Yes |
| Occupation: | Watchman |
| Industry: | Steam Rail Road |
| Employment Field: | Wage or Salary |
| Able to read: | Yes |
| Able to Write: | Yes |
They're found together in 1920, and this is the frist census I could find J. P. Freid in. Her name is listed just under his, and the birthplaces are switched. It gives hers as North Carolina, which is incorrect, and his as Alabama, also incorrect. There's a very long list of people at this residence, so I did not copy further. What I find very interesting wasthat under house number it says 'Empire', which I relate to be the Empire Hotel, named in Sophia's death certificate as James address.
| Name: | Elizabeth Fried |
|---|---|
| Age: | 34 |
| Birth Year: | abt 1886 |
| Birthplace: | North Carolina |
| Home in 1920: | Montgomery Ward 4, Montgomery, Alabama |
| Street: | South Mc Donough Street |
| Residence Date: | 1920 |
| Race: | White |
| Gender: | Female |
| Relation to Head of House: | Lodger |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Father's Birthplace: | North Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace: | North Carolina |
| Able to Speak English: | Yes |
| Occupation: | None |
| Able to read: | Yes |
| Able to Write: | Yes |
Also incorrect in this census is that they have him as 'John' instead of James, but i'm fairly ceratin it was him, as the age is right, the place and address is right, the career, as a watchman for the Steam Railroad is right. And Elizabeth is right.
| Name: | James P Fried |
|---|---|
| Birth Year: | abt 1885 |
| Gender: | Male |
| Race: | White |
| Age in 1930: | 45 |
| Birthplace: | North Carolina |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Relation to Head of House: | Roomer |
| Home in 1930: | Montgomery, Montgomery, Alabama, USA |
| Map of Home: | |
| Street Address: | [] |
| Ward of City: | 1 pt of |
| House Number: | 311 |
| Dwelling Number: | 131 |
| Family Number: | 212 |
| Attended School: | No |
| Able to Read and Write: | Yes |
| Father's Birthplace: | North Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace: | North Carolina |
| Able to Speak English: | Yes |
| Occupation: | Foreman |
| Industry: | Railroad |
| Class of Worker: | Wage or salary worker |
| Employment: | Yes |
In 1930, James is single and still working for the railroad. What happened to Lizzie? I can only imagine they got a divorce, as she did not die.
| Name: | Elizabeth Lawrenson |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Female |
| Age: | 35 |
| Birth Date: | abt 1890 |
| Marriage Date: | 7 Jun 1925 |
| Marriage Place: | Montgomery, Alabama, USA |
| Spouse: | William F Gardner |
| Film Number: | 001492091 |
Lizzie had remarried in 1925, and went back to her maiden name prior to that. It must have been difficult to be married to a railroad man.
| Name: | James P Freid |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Male |
| Marriage Date: | 29 Nov 1935 |
| Marriage Place: | Florida, USA |
| Spouse: | Evelyn Denton |
J. P. remarried too, but a decade later, to one Evelyn Denton. But, a mystery occured when in 1940...
| Name: | James Fried | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age: | 54 | ||||||||||||
| Estimated Birth Year: | abt 1886 | ||||||||||||
| Gender: | Male | ||||||||||||
| Race: | White | ||||||||||||
| Birthplace: | North Carolina | ||||||||||||
| Marital Status: | Widowed | ||||||||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Lodger | ||||||||||||
| Home in 1940: | Montgomery, Montgomery, Alabama | ||||||||||||
| Map of Home in 1940: | |||||||||||||
| Street: | South Hull Street | ||||||||||||
| Inferred Residence in 1935: | Montgomery, Montgomery, Alabama | ||||||||||||
| Residence in 1935: | Montgomery | ||||||||||||
| Resident on farm in 1935: | No | ||||||||||||
| Sheet Number: | 11A | ||||||||||||
| Occupation: | Waiter | ||||||||||||
| Attended School or College: | No | ||||||||||||
| Highest Grade Completed: | Elementary school, 8th grade | ||||||||||||
| Hours Worked Week Prior to Census: | 70 | ||||||||||||
| Class of Worker: | Wage or salary worker in private work | ||||||||||||
| Weeks Worked in 1939: | 42 | ||||||||||||
| Income: | 450 | ||||||||||||
| Income Other Sources: | No | ||||||||||||
| Neighbors: | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
He's listed his marital status as widowed, but he's lodging with an Irene Denton, and her son Harry. I wanted to see if there was a relation between Evelyn and Irene, and what I discovered was mind-boggling, and might have expalined why he answered the way he did.
| Name: | Evelyn Klee | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age: | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | Apr 1893 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birthplace: | Kentucky, USA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home in 1900: | Henderson Ward 2, Henderson, Kentucky | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ward of City: | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Street: | South Main Street | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| House Number: | 19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sheet Number: | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation: | 111 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Family Number: | 112 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Race: | White | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gender: | Female | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Daughter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marital Status: | Single | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father's Name: | William F Klee | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father's Birthplace: | Indiana, USA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother's Name: | Josie Klee | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother's Birthplace: | Indiana, USA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation: | At School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attended School: | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Farm or House: | H | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Neighbors: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Irene deserves her own post, as she was an incredibly interesting person. The short version pertinent here though,was that Irene was Evelyn. She was born in Kentucky as Irene Evelyn Klee, married young to a man manamed Harry Denton, had her one son, Harry Jr., and then married to one of Alabama's most notorious Bank Robber/ Politician, Roy Dickerson. She was even sentenced to 12 yers in the pokey herself. This was a fact that James may not have been aware of when he marrid her, and perhaps, had the marriage annuled, although they still co-habitated in 1940, at least for awhile.
1950 found Irene alone with her son, again, and James not seen at all. I know he was alive, somewhere, but, again, he had evaded the census takers. Irene and harry, themselves, were victims of the transcriptionists, adn J.P. may have been ,too. While looking at the actual document, it defineately wsy 'Denton', not Newlin.
| Name: | Irene E Newlan[] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age: | 61 | |||||||||
| Birth Date: | abt 1889 | |||||||||
| Gender: | Female | |||||||||
| Marital Status: | Widowed | |||||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Mother | |||||||||
| Residence Date: | 1950 | |||||||||
| Home in 1950: | Montgomery, Montgomery, Alabama, USA | |||||||||
| ||||||||||
Nowhere in James P. Frieds records had I found his mother .Still, I had not found him before 1920 in a census, and his mother had died the very next year. Having lived in a city, there was another aid for tracking the life of J. P. Freid., the City Directories. J. P. Fried appeared in the City Directory of Montgomery, Alabama from 1912 until 1949. I could not find him in the 1950 edition, although Irene was there, whcih led me to believe maybe he was somewhere else, like a home for Reitred Railroad workers or a hospital.
| Name: | James P Freid |
|---|---|
| Residence Year: | 1912 |
| Street Address: | 28 Madison av |
| Residence Place: | Montgomery, Alabama, USA |
| Occupation: | Fireman |
| Publication Title: | Montgomery, Alabama, City Directory, 1912 |
His first noted career, in his 1906 military record, was that of a blacksmith. By 1912, in Montgomery, he was now a fireman. That career was brief and tragic, as that same year, he suffered a near deathly blow.
J. P. was living on Madison Avenue in 1912, and his accident caused a changed in both residence and career. In 1913, he chose the less dangerous job as a Collector for the John Day Loan Company, or was it? 1913 was also the year he married to Lizzie.
 |
| The Winter House, typical of early S. Mcdonough St. archetechture |
From 1916 to 1925, James is shown as a Switchman, living at the 9 S. McDounough St. address, and living with Lizzie. In 1925, they had moved to North Hull. This was the year they divorced. Mr. Garnder may have already been in the picture, as Lizzie remarried the same year she divorced.
| Name: | James P Freid |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Male |
| Residence Year: | 1925 |
| Street Address: | 518 N Hull |
| Residence Place: | Montgomery, Alabama, USA |
| Occupation: | Switchman |
| Spouse: | Elizabeth Freid |
| Publication Title: | Montgomery, Alabama, City Directory, 1925 |
James was the only Freid in Montgomery at the time, and indeed , the whole area, but in the early years, there was a gentleman of a similiar name, a Mr. J. H. Fried.
They were of different ages and occupations, and spellings, so pretty easy to keep apart, but the above article tells of a second tragedy that befell James P. in the early teens. The article about Mr. J. H. Fried, actually was the story of the mugging of J. P. Freid, they had just spelled it wrong.
After his divorce, Jampes worked as a Foreman at L & N Freight Yard form 1931 to 1933. He was living on King Street. He went back to being a Switchman briefly afterwards and moved to 104 Ryan St. He was living there and had changed careers, going back to his early experience as a Collector in 1913, he was now a Collector for Rice Banking Company. This was the year he married Irene Klee Denton. His professions may have brought them together, or been attractive to her due to her background. It seemed something was fishy there.
By 1940, when Irene had gone back to her first married name, and James was just boarding with her, obviously divorced from her, most likely, he was working as a Clerk for the Smith and Cloud Furniture Company. The later years of his career, from 1945 through 1949, he had returned to being a Railroad Switchman and living on South Lawrence.
 |
| Historic storefronts in Opelika, Alabama |
I had discovered quite a bit about James Pinkney Freid, but no more about his mother. As the earliest census record I had found was dated 1920, when he was nearing 40, I knew I had to work more diligently to find him earlier, if I was to find Sophia. Returning to one of the earliest reocrds I had found of him, his 1903-1906 military reocrds, I recalled he had been living in a town called Opelika, Alabama.
Opelika was in Lee County, about 60 miles northeast of Montgomery, and after searching just for the name 'Freid', I found them.
| Name: | Ben L Fried | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age: | 46 | |||||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | Aug 1853 | |||||||||||||||
| Birthplace: | Germany | |||||||||||||||
| Home in 1900: | Opelika, Lee, Alabama | |||||||||||||||
| Sheet Number: | 15 | |||||||||||||||
| Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation: | 345 | |||||||||||||||
| Family Number: | 354 | |||||||||||||||
| Race: | White | |||||||||||||||
| Gender: | Male | |||||||||||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Head | |||||||||||||||
| Marital Status: | Married | |||||||||||||||
| Spouse's Name: | Sophia Fried | |||||||||||||||
| Marriage Year: | 1883 | |||||||||||||||
| Years Married: | 17 | |||||||||||||||
| Father's Birthplace: | Germany | |||||||||||||||
| Mother's Birthplace: | Germany | |||||||||||||||
| Occupation: | Pedler | |||||||||||||||
| Months Not Employed: | 0 | |||||||||||||||
| Can Read: | Yes | |||||||||||||||
| Can Write: | No | |||||||||||||||
| House Owned or Rented: | Own | |||||||||||||||
| Farm or House: | H | |||||||||||||||
| Neighbors: | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
The only 'Freid' family in all of Alabama in 1900 was that of peddler, Ben L. Freid, born in Germany, his wife, Sophia, born in North Carolina the same year as our Sophia, and their two teenaged children, both born in North Carolina. Granted, the son in this record is labeled 'Joseph', but because of the age and palce of birth, I am pretty sure tha was probaly James, as he had to be somewhere. There are no other reocrds of Ben Fried in Alabama or North Carolina.although there were multiple Bens up North. He probably came from Germany via New York or Pennsyvania, and like a carpet bagger, made his way south selling his wares.
Little country girl form the Grassy Islands, Sophia, had probably never seen or heard anyone as different as Ben, and met him and married him in or near Richmond County, NC, although I can't find a record.
The census gave the year of marriage as 17, or 1883, and Rose was born in 1887, so sometime after 1887, the family had made their way south to Alabama.
 |
| Lee County in 1911 |
Finding Sophia in Alabama probably meant that Ben died there and she remarried to B. H. Beck there.
Still not finding a death record for Ben Freid, or a marriage record for Sophia to B. H. Beck, I instead switched to look for her daughter. From the census reocrd, we know her name was Rose A., or we hope her name was Rose A., becuase they had labeld James as Joseph. From the obituary of Sophia "Bessie" Beck, we know her daughter was Mrs. Ussery by 1921, and living in Pee Dee 2, Richmond County, NC.
The 1920 Census of Richmond County was the one closest to the 1921 death of Sophia Solomon Beck. There was no Rose Freid Ussery living there. There were 7 Mrs Ussery's within an age range of having being her daughter:
1) Correna Smith Ussery, wife of William Thomas Ussery and daughter of Isaac and Eliza Smith,
who often got confused with..
2) Cornelia 'Nealie' Solomon Ussery, wife of another W. T. (William Tell) Ussery, and Sophia's younger sister.
3) Lillie Mae Gibson Ussery, wife of Armand.
4) Eliza Baldwin Ussery, wife of John.
5) Johnsie Ledbetter Ussery, wife of John V.
6) Annie Lee McRae Ussery, wife of John Ernest.
7) Ada Laphalia Hutchinson Ussery, widow of Henry.
Not one was her daughter. Switching gears, I went back through James P. Frieds records and attempted to try to find him in 1910 again. I couldn't, but there was one thing I had missed.
| Name: | James P Fried |
|---|---|
| Residence Year: | 1913 |
| Street Address: | B H Beck |
| Residence Place: | Montgomery, Alabama, USA |
| Occupation: | Collector |
| Publication Title: | Montgomery, Alabama, City Directory, 1913 |
In the 1913 City Directory of Montgomery, his residence was given as that of "B. H. Beck"., which made alot of sense as this was the year after he was in the fire. It was also the year he maried Lizzie.
 |
| Historic photo of Downtown Montgomery from Alabama History page. |
So, the next step was to locate B. H. Beck, knowing he was alive and in Montgomery in 1913.
There were two men named 'B. Beck' in the 1910 census of Montgomery. One, Benjamin, was African -American, which, considering the year, was not a likely candidate. The other was a man named Bascombe Beauchamp Henry Beck, who most definitely went by 'B.H.', understandably, considering the ostentacious moniker he was saddled with.
B. H. Beck was born around 1864 in Alabama, the son of Mathew W. Beck and Elizabeth Altha Beck. He is found in the 1870 and 1880 census reocrds with his parents in Opelika, Lee county, Alabama.
| Name: | B. H. Beck | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age: | 16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | Abt 1864 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birthplace: | Alabama | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home in 1880: | Opelika, Lee, Alabama, USA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Street: | Washington | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| House Number: | 61 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dwelling Number: | 354 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Race: | White | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gender: | Male | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Son | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marital Status: | Single | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father's Name: | Mathew Beck | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father's Birthplace: | South Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother's Name: | E. J. Beck | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother's Birthplace: | Georgia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation: | Clerk Butcher | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Neighbors: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opelika. Remeber Opelika? That's where the Freid family was found in 1900. In 1880, Bascombe was clerking at a butcher shop. His father, born in South Carolina, was a Butcher, meaning they lived in town. They were city folk. Mathew's parents, B. H.'s grandparents, were noted to have been born in North Carolina, perhaps Davidson County, where I had been looking for B. H. His mother was born in South Carolina, and his Grandmother, Mary A. Altha, who died that very year, was from Georgia, her parents from Virginia.
In 1884, the eligible young bachelor of 20, attended his sisters wedding. Three years later, on December 5, 1887, B. H. married a lady named L. I Williams.
| Name: | B. H. Beck |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Male |
| Spouse: | L. I. Williams |
| Spouse Gender: | Female |
| Marriage Date: | 5 Dec 1887 |
| Marriage Place: | Lee |
| Surety/Perf. Name: | W. E. Loyd |
| OSPage: | 67 |
She either died immediately, or it was a big mistake, likely the latter, and the marriage was annuled, because just 20 days later, on Christmas Day, of the seme month and year, he married Mary Eva Mills.
| Name: | B. H. Beck |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Male |
| Marriage Date: | 25 Dec 1887 |
| Marriage Place: | Lee,Alabama |
| Spouse: | M. E. Mills |
| FHL Film Number: | 1287154 V. B-C |
Mary Eva Mills was a few years younger than Bascombe and the daughter of George Thomas Mills and Martha Ann Williams. I believe Miss L. I. Williams, may have been her cousin, Laura. Whether or not it was, something certainly interesting had occured in the life of B. H. Beck in Decemeber of 1887.
B. H. and Eva quickly added to their family and a daughter, Flora, or 'Florrie', was born 10 months later on October 20, 1888. Florrie lived a very long life and died in 1984. She married a Kirkland.
| Name: | Eva Beck[Eva Mills] | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age: | 30 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | Aug 1869 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Birthplace: | Alabama, USA | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Home in 1900: | Atlanta Ward 2, Fulton, Georgia | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Ward of City: | 2st | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Street: | Pryor Street | |||||||||||||||||||||
| House Number: | 161 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sheet Number: | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation: | 22 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Family Number: | 27 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Race: | White | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Gender: | Female | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Daughter | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Marital Status: | Widowed | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Father's Name: | George C Mills | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Father's Birthplace: | Georgia, USA | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother's Birthplace: | Georgia, USA | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother: number of living children: | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother: How many children: | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Can Read: | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Can Write: | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Can Speak English: | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Neighbors: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
The marriage was obviously not a happy one and there were no more children. As I will shortly show, Bascombe wasnot a happy person. The 1900 census shows Eva and Flora living with Eva's father, George Mills, in Fulton County, Goergia. She gave her marital staus as "widowed', probably out of embassment, because Bascomb was not dead, and divorce was a shameful thing back then.
| Name: | Buscal H Beck[Buscal Beck] | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age: | 39 | |||||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | Sep 1860 | |||||||||||||||
| Birthplace: | Alabama, USA | |||||||||||||||
| Home in 1900: | Coleta, Clay, Alabama | |||||||||||||||
| Sheet Number: | 10 | |||||||||||||||
| Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation: | 182 | |||||||||||||||
| Family Number: | 182 | |||||||||||||||
| Race: | White | |||||||||||||||
| Gender: | Male | |||||||||||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Boarder | |||||||||||||||
| Marital Status: | Single | |||||||||||||||
| Father's Birthplace: | South Carolina, USA | |||||||||||||||
| Mother's Birthplace: | Alabama, USA | |||||||||||||||
| Occupation: | Farm Laborer | |||||||||||||||
| Months Not Employed: | 0 | |||||||||||||||
| Can Read: | Yes | |||||||||||||||
| Can Write: | Yes | |||||||||||||||
| Can Speak English: | Yes | |||||||||||||||
| Neighbors: | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
In 1900, Bascombe Beauchamp Henry Beck, is working as a farm laborer in Clay County, Alabama, for an old lady named Delilah Macon. He lists his marital status as Single. Sometime between then and 1909, he would remarry, although no license can be found. In 1909, B. H. was so distraught and out of his mind, they said, that the following happened.
What led to his insanity? Another paper gave a different accounting and stated that he had 'felt the sting of arres', however, I do not know what the arrest was for.
In 1910, B. H. was still alive, and the census revealed he had married a woman named Bennie. It also claimed they had been married 10 years, so somewhere around 1900.
| Name: | Bascom H Beek[Bascum H Beck] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age in 1910: | 51 | |||||||||
| Birth Date: | 1859[1859] | |||||||||
| Birthplace: | Alabama | |||||||||
| Home in 1910: | Montgomery Ward 6, Montgomery, Alabama, USA | |||||||||
| Street: | Shell St | |||||||||
| House Number: | 103 | |||||||||
| Race: | White | |||||||||
| Gender: | Male | |||||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Head | |||||||||
| Marital Status: | Married | |||||||||
| Spouse's Name: | Bennie Beck | |||||||||
| Father's Birthplace: | South Carolina | |||||||||
| Mother's Birthplace: | Alabama | |||||||||
| Native Tongue: | English | |||||||||
| Occupation: | Foreman | |||||||||
| Industry: | Brick Mill | |||||||||
| Employer, Employee or Other: | Wage Earner | |||||||||
| Home Owned or Rented: | Rent | |||||||||
| Farm or House: | House | |||||||||
| Able to read: | Yes | |||||||||
| Able to Write: | Yes | |||||||||
| Years Married: | 10 | |||||||||
| Out of Work: | N | |||||||||
| Number of Weeks Out of Work: | 0 | |||||||||
| Neighbors: | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
He was working as a foreman at a Brick Mill. The couple were living in Ward 6, in Montgomery, the City.
| Name: | Bascomb Beck |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Male |
| Spouse: | Bennie Beck |
| Publication Title: | Montgomery, Alabama, City Directory, 1919 |
The couple appeared in a number of City Directories too.
| Name: | Bramcomb Henry Beck |
|---|---|
| Birth Date: | abt 1861 |
| Birth Place: | Alabama |
| Death Date: | 1 Feb 1917 |
| Death Place: | Montgomery, Montgomery, Alabama |
| Burial Place: | Salem, Alabama |
| Death Age: | 56 |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Race: | White |
| Marital status: | Married |
| Gender: | Male |
| Father Name: | Mathew Beck |
| Father Birth Place: | North Carolina |
| Mother Name: | Jane Beck |
| Mother Birth Place: | North Carolina |
| FHL Film Number: | 1908186 |
Bascombe Beauchamp Henry Beck only made it another 7 years. He passed away on February 1, 1917, of unknown causes. So, for Sophia to have been his widow in1921, she would have had to marry him between 1910, where he was with a Bennie, and 1917, when he died.
| Name: | Bennie Beck[Bronie Beck] |
|---|---|
| Age: | 54 |
| Birth Year: | abt 1866 |
| Birthplace: | North Carolina |
| Home in 1920: | Montgomery Ward 4, Montgomery, Alabama |
| Street: | South Mc Donough Street |
| Residence Date: | 1920 |
| Race: | White |
| Gender: | Female |
| Relation to Head of House: | Lodger |
| Marital Status: | Widowed |
| Father's Birthplace: | North Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace: | North Carolina |
| Able to Speak English: | Yes |
| Occupation: | None |
| Able to read: | Yes |
| Able to Write: | Yes |
Then there was the issue of his 'other' widows. Bennie, or 'Bronnie' was still alive in 1920
As was Eva. B. H. was even named as her husband on her death certificate. The Informant was her son-in-law, E. R. Kirland. he may not have known the whole story.
But what about Sophia? Where was she? And where was she in 1920?
I harkened back to her Obituary in the Richmond County, NC newspaper. She had been staying with her son , J. P. Freid, for a year before she moved back to North Carolina.
I revisited the 1920 census in which J. P is living on South McDonough St. with his wife, Lizzie. Then I saw it!
In the above clipping of the list of residents of the Empire Building on South McDonough Sreet. in Montgomery, Alabama, J. P. Freid (mistakenly labled John)and his wife, Elizabeth, are seen third from the top. Seventeen entries later, down the row, is Bennie Beck. Bennie Beck was living in the same building as J. P. Freid. Could Bennie have been Sophia?
So, I re-examined the two census records I had for 'Bennie', which were the only records I had for her at this point. Pictured prevously in this post, they do state that she was born in North Carolina and that her parents were born in North Carolina. In 1910, it also reveals she was had been married to B. H. for 10 years, or 1900, and that she was the mother of 2 children, one living. That would have been J. P. Freid meaning Rose had died before 1910. Still, it was possible that Bennie (or Bronnie as one transcriber deciphered it) was the same woman as Sophia, if so, that was a third name.
I returned to trying to find more information on B. H. Beck, to find a marriage certificate for him and his last wife. I never did, however, I did find the very first City Directory entry for B. H. when he moved to Montgomery town.
| Name: | B Henry Beck |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Male |
| Residence Year: | 1911 |
| Street Address: | Shell rd 1 s of limits |
| Residence Place: | Montgomery, Alabama, USA |
| Occupation: | Laborer |
| Spouse: | Sophronia Beck |
| Publication Title: | Montgomery, Alabama, City Directory, 1911 |
Around 1911, shortly after he had married 'Bennie or Bronnie', B. H. Beck is shown as married to a woman named Sophronia. That's when everything started to come together. Recalling the very first census that George and Martha Solomon were in together, 1870, they had a 5 year old daughter, Mary S. In 1880, there was a 14 year old Sophronia Ussery living with Martha's parents, James and Mary Ussery, listed as their granddaughter.
| Name: | Sophronia Ussery |
|---|---|
| Age: | 14 |
| Birth Date: | Abt 1866 |
| Birthplace: | North Carolina |
| Home in 1880: | Steeles, Richmond, North Carolina, USA |
| Dwelling Number: | 285 |
| Race: | White |
| Gender: | Female |
| Relation to Head of House: | Granddaughter |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Father's Birthplace: | North Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace: | North Carolina |
| Occupation: | Labor |
| Cannot Read: | Yes |
| Cannot Write: | Yes |
| Neighbors: | |
I had to reckon back to the fact that George and Martha Ussery Solomon were married back in 1869, about 4 years or so before 'Mary Sophronia' was born. It's clear she was Mary's daughter before Mary and George married, but was she also George's daughter? That I can't say. There is not a bastardy bond found in Richomnd County records for Martha Ussery.
So, if Benny and Sophia were the same person, 'Sophronia', then who was the daughter, "Mrs. Ussery", who she returned to Richmond County to visit, and where she then died?
 |
| W. T and Cornelia Ussery |
I looked for who Mrs. Ussery who had lived in Pee Dee 2, where Sophia had died at, in 1920-1921, and kept coming up with one person; Cornelia Solomon Ussery. Nealie was Sophia's sister, however, not her daughter. She was only 11 years younger, and on all of Nealie's documents, including her marriage certificate to William T. Ussery, and on her death certificate, she gave her parents as George and Martha Solomon.
I believe the newspapers just got it wrong this time. I believe she had been at her younger sisters home.
So, knowing Sophia was actually Sophronia and was born 4 years before Martha and George Solomon were married, thus carrying the surname 'Ussery', at times and having added the surname 'Solomon' by virtue of her mother's marriage, we can now extneded her name to Mary Sophronia Sophia Bronnie Bennie Bessie Ussery Solomon Fried Beck , but hold up, there was one more.
The Arrowood Connection.
Showing up as Mary, a 4 year old , in the home of George and Martha Solomon in 1870, and as 14 year old granddaughter, Sophronia, in 1880, the third document I actually found of Sophronia's life was a marriage 3 yerars later to James R Arrowood. He's from York County, South Carolina and named his parents as Riley and Rosa Arrowood.
The bride was 'Mary Sofrona Ussery' and gave her parents as Jim and Mary Ann Ussery, who were actually her grandparents. They must have raised her after George and Martha's home became full of children. but she was not their daughter. Not only was she named as a granddaughter in 1880, she named George and Martha Solomon as her parents on other documents, not to mention an unlikely age difference.
James R Arrowood was a Civil War vet and previously unmarried. He gave his age as 34 on the marriage license, but was actually about 41. Sophronia was about 18. The date of the wedding was September 5, 1883.
The birthdate of James Pinkney Freid was November 3, 1884. Ben Freid was not his father. Was that possible? Yes, follow along.
Interestingly, I had found his name in one other place.
Witnesses to the marriage of James and Sophronia were Neaty Baldwin, Mrs. R Garrett and B Freid. James Arrowood claimed residency in Richmond.
Ben Freid was someone they knew.
Of course, there was no 1890 census, and I've found no other record of peddler Fried in Richmond, but let's take a closer look at the Arrowoods
Above is James R. Arrowoods request for pension dated 1901, in Richmond County. So we know he lived there until at least then. He was born in York District, York County, South Carolina, son of John Riley 'Dink' Arrowood and Rosana 'Rosie' Marie Henson Arrowood.
His parents were local characters and there a a few stories about them surviving. For instance, how Dink got his nickname.
And how his mother and siblings had an unusual accent.
James is shown in the 1850, 1860 and 1870 census records living with his family. His father died in 1853, so James stayed with his widowed mother, even after the War.
Dink and Rosie has 7 children: Dulcinea who married John "Tied Up" Childers, Joseph Pinkney Arrowood who married Mary Talley McCutchen, Margaret Elmira who married Archibald T Smith, James Riley, our subject, who married Sophronia Ussery -Solomon; Thomas W. who died in the Civil War, Esther Jane, who married James M. "Jesse" Smith.
Then there was John Albert Arrowood who was born around 1854 or so. Some have him as the child of Dulcinea or Margaret instead of Rosie. He was born after the death of John Riley 'Dink' Arrowood in Hawkins County, Tennessee. It is thought he may have been scouting to move there.
I find it interesting that the 1900 showed James Pinkney Freid as "Joseph", now knowing he was not a Freid at all and his father's oldest brother was named Joseph Pinkney.
James was entering his twenties when the war started. Sophronia had not been born yet. He enlisted as a Private in the 12th Regiment of the South Carolina Infantry. He was taken prisoner at Lynchburg, Virginia after being injured slightly in the wrist.
| Name: | James B. Arrowood |
|---|---|
| Age: | 30 |
| Birth Date: | Abt 1850 |
| Birthplace: | North Carolina |
| Home in 1880: | Union, Randolph, North Carolina, USA |
| Dwelling Number: | 23 |
| Race: | White |
| Gender: | Male |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Father's Birthplace: | North Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace: | North Carolina |
| Occupation: | Miner |
1880 had him working in Randolph County as a miner. By 1883, he had made his way to Richmond County and married Sophronia. It wasn't a happy marriage, at least not after James began aging and seemingly depending on a pension.
In 1889, it was reported that the young Mrs. Arrowood had ran off with William N. Gibson.
Then she was found. The newspapers reported she had two young children. John Pinkney had been born in 1884 and Rose, obviously named for her actual paternal grandmother, in 1887. The children were actually Arrowoods, not Freids.
W. N. Gibson was possibly this unmarried Miller who lived in Robeson County. There probably was some sort of relationship between them and Sophronia was obviously looking for an escape route.
| Name: | W. N. Gibson |
|---|---|
| Age: | 40 |
| Birth Date: | Abt 1840 |
| Birthplace: | North Carolina |
| Home in 1880: | Burnt Swamp, Robeson, North Carolina, USA |
| Dwelling Number: | 8 |
| Race: | White |
| Gender: | Male |
| Relation to Head of House: | Self (Head) |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Father's Birthplace: | North Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace: | North Carolina |
| Occupation: | Miller |
Sometime during the mysterious years between 1889 and 1900, Sophronia had made good her escape from Richmond County NC to Lee County, Alabama with Peddler Ben. When she reported she had been married for 17 years in 1900, it was true, but not to Ben. She even changed her childrens surnames. I don't know if she and Ben ever legally married.
| Name: | James Arrowood | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age: | 64 | ||||||
| Birth Date: | Oct 1833 | ||||||
| Birthplace: | North Carolina, USA | ||||||
| Home in 1900: | Lilesville, Anson, North Carolina | ||||||
| Sheet Number: | 6 | ||||||
| Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation: | 96 89 | ||||||
| Family Number: | 96 | ||||||
| Race: | White | ||||||
| Gender: | Male | ||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Head | ||||||
| Marital Status: | Divorced | ||||||
| Father's Birthplace: | North Carolina, USA | ||||||
| Mother's Birthplace: | North Carolina, USA | ||||||
| Can Read: | No | ||||||
| Can Write: | No | ||||||
| Can Speak English: | Yes | ||||||
| House Owned or Rented: | Rent | ||||||
| Farm or House: | H | ||||||
| Neighbors: | |||||||
| |||||||
James is shown in Anson County in 1900. His marital staus is Divorced. Recall,Sophronia is shown as married to Ben Fried in 1900 and was living in Lee County, Alabama with her children.
Sophronia last shows up in North Carolina in 1891, when she is shown as recieving $1.80 in witness fees. I wonder what court case she was part of? Possibly a situation that led her divorce? I will attempt to find out more from the state archives, but not hopeful. I'm still waiting on requests placed months ago.
So, she was still Sophronia Arrowood in 1891, Sophia Freid in 1900, and Bronnie Beck by 1910.
James R. Arrowoods last appearance in records was as a pensioner in Anson County in 1907. I can't find him in 1910, so it appears he must have passed away between 1907 and 1910, most likely in Lilesville, although I can't find his place of burial and death certificates were still just a few years away.
Mary Sophronia Sophia Bronnie Bennie Bessie Ussery -Solomon Arrowood Freid Beck had collected a lot of names in her lifetime. She had no living descendants as her daughter Rosa appears to have died young and her son J. P. (Arrowood) Freid, whose name she changed, had no offspring.
Genealogy and DNA research deals with those individuals who passed their DNA on down. However, there were many dead-end roads who lived and died and became part of our history. The Lady with the long name was just one of them.
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