The Heirs of George Cagle

 

David S. Cagle, Son of George W. Cagle

The heirs of George Washington Cagle are a story of their own. The question presented is who exactly were they? Some daughters had protean names, never seen as the same incarnation twice. Others, assumed dead before 1870, are listed in estate papers dated 1887, as alive. Some children were born out of wedlock, and which of these offspring by a promiscuous paramour were his and which were not? Who were some of the mysterious heirs listed twenty years past his death. I will attempt to answer that question in this post.

What is known is that George Washington Cagle had been born along the Rocky River in what is now Stanly County to Charles R. Cage, Senior and wife, Maranda Elizabeth Springer. He was the oldest son and came into the world around 1813, or thereabouts. He married around 1830 to Elizabeth Rose Whitley, daughter of Needham Whitley and Sarah Sides, she being about a year older than he. His family was sufficiently entangled with the Whitelys, and not only the Whitelys, but the Hinsons, Huneycutt's, Thomas's and Smiths.

George W. Cagle was murdered on February 27, 1876, as a result of his nefarious and wanton ways. That shocking end does not encapsulate the life of George W. Cagle at all. He was a farmer, a businessman, a husband and father and a humanitarian as well. Things seemed an easy and steady road for him, as long as he had Elizabeth. She passed away between late 1850 and early 1852. She was fully alive when counted in the 1850 census on October 3, 1850 and passed away before George remarried on January 4, 1852. Elizabeth was still a young woman when she passed, around 39 years old. She may have passed from complications of pregnancy or childbirth. Her youngest, daughter Lucy Catherine, was born in 1848.

Elizabeth seems to have been George's imperturbable, serene influence, his Eupraxia, his muse. George lived large, he gambled high on business deals, he bought and sold real estate and tried his hand at several industries, some successful, others, not so much. He ended up fairly wealthy in terms of comparison with many of his neighbors and seems to have kept a level head, until he lost Elizabeth.

Name	George Cagle
Gender	Male
Marriage Date	4 Jan 1852
Marriage Place	Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Spouse	Nancy Speight
Spouse Gender	Female
Event Type	Marriage

George married Nancy Hinson Speight on January 4. 1852. Nancy was a widow and the daughter of Charles Sampson Hinson and wife, Milly, or Amelia, Clark Hinson. In the estate papers, there are mentions of "the Estate of Charles Hinson". George was an heir of Charles Hinson via his marriage to Nancy, and that inheritance comes into play in the probate. 

Name	Nancy Hinson
Gender	Female
Spouse	Joseph Spate
Spouse Gender	Male
Marriage Date	7 Dec 1847
Marriage County	Union
Marriage State	North Carolina

Nancy did not have the same effect on George as Elizabeth had. Just the opposite, of course, she was a Hinson. If the Cagle's were fire, the Hinson's were gasoline, just a sense of things I've felt going through the old records and lives of these Big Lick citizens.  Nancy had married a Joseph Speights, or 'Spates'. on December 7, 1847, in Union County. 

Name	Nancy Speight
Gender	Female
Race	White
Residence Age	30
Birth Date	abt 1820
Birthplace	North Carolina
Residence Date	1850
Home in 1850	Smiths, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Cannot Read, Write	Yes
Line Number	37
Dwelling Number	688
Family Number	693
Inferred Spouse	Joseph Speight
Inferred Child	Martha Speight; William A Speight

Household members

Name	Age
Joseph Speight	24
Nancy Speight	30
Martha Speight	2
William A Speight	0

Joseph and Nancy were living in Smith's District, in Stanly County, in 1850, the same as George Cagle. Joseph Speight, the son of John Speight and Martha Jane Austin Speight, would die on September 28, 1850. The couple had two children: 

Daniel Cicero Huneycutt and Martha Jane Speight Huneycutt

A) Martha Jane Speight, born April 10, 1848 and married Daniel Cicero Huneycutt. 

William Alexander Speight

B) William Alexander Speight, born October 15, 1849, married Sarah Rebecca Harkey.

George Cagle does not appear to have taken the Speight children in after the marriage to their mother. The why's and ways to this fact may not have anything to do with the character of George or Nancy. Women didn't have the rights they do at present. Children without a father were considered orphans and were normally appointed a guardian by the court. The guardian could be family or not. 

Name	William A Spight
Age	11
Birth Year	1849
Gender	Male
Race	White
Home in 1860	Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office	Albemarle
Dwelling Number	1002
Family Number	1017
Household Members	Household Members Name Age Alexr M McLester 55 Lydia McLester 35 Daniel McLester 22 William A Spight 11 Edmond McLester 71

In 1860, William is found in the home of  Alexander McLester.

Name	Elizabeth Spight
Age	43
Birth Year	1817
Gender	Female
Race	White
Birth Place	North Carolina
Home in 1860	Stanly, North Carolina
Post Office	Albemarle
Dwelling Number	969
Family Number	984
Real Estate Value	75
Cannot Read, Write	Y
Inferred Child	Martha Spight

Martha is found in the home of her Aunt, Joseph's unmarried sister, Elizabeth. This may have been due to Joseph dying insolvent, and Elizabeth in possession of property. 

Nancy Hinson Speight Cagle would have two daughters with George Cagle, Anna Jane in 1854 and Frances Laura in 1857. All three of them would be among those who moved to Iredell County after George's death, with Anna Janes husband, Joseph "Joe" Hartsell in the lead.

Name	Nancy Cagle
Age	60
Birth Date	Abt 1820
Birthplace	North Carolina
Home in 1880	Coddle Creek, Iredell, North Carolina, USA
Dwelling Number	170
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
Occupation	Housekeeper
Maimed, Crippled, or Bedridden	Y
Cannot Write	Y
Neighbors	View others on page

Household members

Name	Age
Joe Hartsell	33
A. J. Hartsell	23
Geo. B. Hartsell	9
W. H. Hartsell	7
Etta Hartsell	5
E. F. Hartsell	3
May Hartsell	9/12
Laura Cagle	22
Nancy Cagle	60

Nancy Hinson Cagle died March 5, 1892 in Coddle Creek, Iredell County, NC, at the age of 74.

She was buried at Pleasant Hill Primitive Baptist Church. Several members of this family are buried there, along with others from Stanly County, primarily the Big Lick area who moved there. Some of them would move on to Mecklenburg County, NC.

Name	Nancy Caroline Cagle
Maiden Name	Hinson
Gender	Female
Birth Date	15 Mar 1817
Birth Place	Montgomery County, North Carolina, United States of America
Death Date	5 Mar 1892
Death Place	Iredell County, North Carolina, United States of America
Cemetery	Pleasant Hill Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place	Statesville, Iredell County, North Carolina, United States of America
Has Bio?	Y
Father	Charles Sampson Hinson
Mother	Milly Hinson
Children	Annie Jane Hartsell; Sion Speight; Martha Jane Honeycutt; William Alexander Speight

In the Find-A-Grave profile for Nancy Hinson Cagle, I discovered an error. Sion Speight is included as a child of Nancy and Joseph. He was not. Sion "Bud" Speight (1851-1922), was the son of Alexander Speight (1824-1851) and Winny Hinson. They also married in 1847 in Union County. Winny was the daughter of Sampson Hinson and Sarah Cagle. Sarah was the daughter of Benjamin Franklin Cagle and Susannah Rebecca Lowder Cagle. Alexander Speight was he son of John Speight and Martha Austin and a brother of Joseph Speight who married Nancy Hinson. So, they were all related in a multitude of ways but were different people.

The similarities do not end there. Alexander and Wincy or Winnie also had a daughter named Martha, also born in 1848, except theirs was Martha Elizabeth and Nancy and Joseph's was Marth Jane. I can see where confusion could ensue. To make matters even worse, both Speight brothers died young.

Alexander died July 9, 1851 at the Rocky River. Joseph would die January 28, 1850. It gets even spookier. Their brother John Speight, would marry Mary Jane Hinson on Christmas Day, 1848. He would die November 6, 1850 at 29 years old. Alexander was only 27 and Joseph only 24.

It gets worse. They had two other brothers named Manasseh and Sion who died in 1850, as young men. The three sisters lived a bit longer, but none grew old, a mysterious family kismet.

The above page is from the estate file of George Cagle titled 'D S Cagle and others against A.G. Morton admin of Geo Cagle decd.'. Dated the Fall Term, 1893, this page tells us the percentage of each heir and also, which children were still living in 1893. The names who received one eleventh were:

Menece A. Hartsell  (Adeline)

Lithana Hinson (aka Ithama Barthena)

D. S. Cagle (David)

Sara Jones

Elizabeth (marked through)

Catherine Baker (Lucy Catherine)

Luthina Hartsell (Beadie Luthina Mathene etc.)

Anna J Hartsell

Laura Cagle (Frances Laura)

Malinda Crisco

The above were all legitimate children of George Cagle. The name of Elizabeth was struck through because she was deceased. This also shows that Adeline was living in 1893. I've not been able to locate her in 1900, or find out when or where she died. Signs point to Mecklenburg County. 

The next two names received one- twenty-second share, or one-half of a child's share each.

Wlm Honeycutt (William)

Bell Baker (Isabelle)

These were the two children of Elizabeth Cagle, by two different husbands. William was mentioned in George's Will, as his Grandfather raised him.

The next names following were under a heading of one seventh-seventh. They were descendants of a lesser degree, grandchildren or great-grandchildren of other deceased children, perhaps.

Susan Thomas

Anna Honeycutt

M. J. Whitley

Ellen Caldwell

James Smith

George Smith

Ila Smith

The next page is similar, but is dated Fall Term of 1887, or about 6 years earlier. Things could have changed in those six years.

It names: D.S Cagle, Sarah Jones, Malinda Crisco, Catherine Baker, Luthina Cagle, Laura Cagle, Ann J. Hartsell, William Honeycutt, 

not of age - Isabell Baker, minor child of Elizabeth, who appears by their next friend William Honeycutt. This statement clarifies two things, Isabell, who was under 21, was the daughter of Elizabeth Cagle, not Catherine, whom she always seems attached to, as Catherine did raise her, and that she was represented in court by her half-brother, William. It continues: Susan Thomas, E.A. Huneycutt, M.J. Whitley, Ellen Caldwell, not of age - James Smith, George Smith and Ila Smith, the last three being minors and appear by their next friend J. A. Crisco, Adeline Hartsell and I. M. Hinson.

vs A.G. Morton admin of George Cagle, deasd., William Parker, J. C. Burris and Evan Morgan.

These were the business partners and executor of George Cagle and the heirs claimed he left a valuable estate, to which they were entitled a part. My next puzzle to solve was, who were the Seventy-sevenths?

There were two known legitimate children who were not named in the papers above, Martha and Mary. Martha was last seen in the 1870 census. at age 29, living in the home of her sister, Malinda Cagle Crisco. Unmarried, she appears to have died as a young woman, leaving no heirs. Her sister, Mary, also seen as Polly, did marry, to Alfred Smith, son of Richard and Susan. They were among those Big Lick citizens who had removed to Iredell County, where Mary died on Marh 11, 1885.

Her tombstone survives. Alfred and Polly had seven children: Susan Adeline, Elizabeth Ann, Mary Jane, Eliza Ellen, James Richard, George W. and Ila. At the time of the probate, Susan had married Jacob Thomas, the brother of David S. Cagle's wife, Sarah. Elizabeth Ann aka "Betsy" had married Calvin Arenas Honeycutt. Mary Jane had married Titus Hillman Whitley and Ellen had married James F. Caldwell, the only one, despite living in Iredell County, had married outside of the western Stanly County gene pool. The younger three were still underage and had not married. But they were not "seventy-sevenths", as the paper stated. They were seven grandchildren, heirs of one child, one of the eleven legitimate children of George W. Cagle. I stress legitimate because George had other children, born from affairs outside of marriage. By law, they had no claim, unless named in the Will, as one had been. However, the shares of Polly Cagle Smith's children should have read as seven-elevenths, as the two children of Elizabeth Cagle shared two-elevenths.

The above page, included in the George Cagle estate papers is titled "D.S. Cagle admin. of Martha Cagle dec. against George Cagle".  It was stated s served against George Cagle on the 26th day of January 1876. David was the administrator of the estate of Martha Cagle, who was named in her father's will, but had predeceased him by months, it appears, and he sued their fathers' estate to cover her expenses, medical and burial.

 George Cagle had his fingers in many endeavors, and when he died, folks from all around wanted a little piece of the pie, so his estate file is massive, consisting mostly of of ragged receipts and affidavits. One interesting one was dated 1876 and was for $7.52 to M. A. Honeycutt on March 27th for the work of her son. The particular son was not named. This was Maniza Honeycutt and she was a mistress of George Cagle. Her children are said to have been his, or at least some of them. Maniza went before a Justice in June of that year and made oath to it, that she was due the money. The receipt that followed was dated November of 1876 and was received by C. A. Honeycutt for Maniza.

Then there was the Baker mystery. The probate papers show Isabella Baker as heir of George Cagle through her mother, Elizabeth. Most have Elizabeth dying as a Honeycutt, after the birth of her son, William. Obviously, that did not happen. Above, I located the marriage certificate of Elizabeth, under her married name of Honeycutt, marrying James T Baker on August 31,1865, in Cabarrus County, after her first husband, John W. Honeycutt, was killed in the Civil War. What cinches it is her brother, D. S. Cagle, signing as a witness. This is the correct Elizabeth. 

Elizabeth was not the first wife of James Tanner Baker, as he had married Mary Sims in July of 1840, in Cabarrus County, again, as he was from Rowan. He had entered the marriage with Elizabeth with his own children. This may be the reason that George took custody of his grandson, William Honeycutt.

What happens after that is a bit tricky. 

On June 9, 1868, James T. Baker comes to Stanly County to marry Elizabeth's younger sister, Lucy Catherine Cagle. 

The next census, 1870, shows 53 year old James, 22 year old Catherine, his youngest daughters by his first marriage, Florence and Dixie, his daughter with Elizabeth, Isabella, age 4 and Vanhoy, his first child with Catherine. Did he divorce Elizabeth, or did she pass away? 

Isabella Baker was born about 1867, the year before James married Catherine. Elizabeth and Catherine are both named as Bakers in one list. I believe this was in error. Elizabeth appears to have passed away after the birth of Isabella. Catherine stepped on and raised her niece. I've not found Elizabeth in 1870, or any documentation suggesting there was a divorce, or that she remarried a third time. One man appears to have married one sister after the death of another.

In addition to the nine children by his first wife, Elizabeth Rose Whitley, and two by his second wife, Nancy Caroline Hinson Speight, George W Cagle had children outside of marriage, possibly five by Maniza A. Honeycutt and maybe one by his other mistress, Mariah Myers Meggs. Only one is mentioned in his Will, shown above, and that was his son, Eli or Ely. 

In the Spring Term of Superior Court, 1889, an addendum to the case of D. J. Cagle and others vs A. G. Morton admin. of George Cagle was included as the Affidavit of Eli Huneycutt.

My transcription of the above page: 

Eli Huneycutt, complaining says, That George Cagle died in the year 1876 and that the Defendants above named administration upon said estate and that the said George Cagle made and published his last Will and testament before his death which has been duly probated and recorded in the Office of the clerk of the Superior Court of Stanly County. That under said will this affiant is entitled as one of the legacies of said will and is not a party to said action. 

II That if the proceeds of said estate which is left for distribution Viz the sum of eight hundred and seventy-three & 29/100 dollars arise from the sale of real estate? by said administration to pay debts which real estate "Vis" the home plantation was devised to this affiant Eli Huneycutt which alleges that he is entitled to .. cont. 

cont. "same. 

III That affiant is entitled to be made a party plaintiff to this one him to the end that an around sixty to taken of his interest in said estate and to have .....paid....order....the provision of the will. (This part is extremely dim and difficult to read). 

He therefore prays the court that he may be made a party Plaintiff and he ..judgement... signed by Eli Huneycutt and S. H. Milton. 

Above, the names of George's surviving,  married daughter were included into a suite, where previously, only their husbands were named, along with the widowed and single sisters, and surviving children of the deceased sisters.

Some of George Cagle's daughters bore unusual names, like Ithama Luthena Barthena, that evolved with time.

Ithama may have been a family name passed down the Cagle line from far back ancestors. Above is the Salisbury announcement of the marriage of Ithamey Cagle, (1826-1902), daughter of James Cagle, a son of Benjamin Franklin Cagle and semi-distant relative of George W. Cagle, who married George Sides. 

In conclusinon, I've compiled a list of the definitive heirs of George Washington Cagle. His two mistresses have their own, very unique stories, and I want to give a closer look at their lives, and if there is any proof to the parentage of their children.

George Washington Cagle was born about 1813 to Charles Robert Cagle, Sr. and wife, Miranda Elizabeth Springer. He died on Februay 27, 1876. His death is a story of its own. He first married Elizabeth Rose Whitley (1812-1860), daughter of Needham Whitley and wife, Sarah Sides.

Ten children:

1) Menece Adelin Cagle, (1832 - unknown) Her father's estate records suggest she was alive until at least 1897. She is not to be found in 1900, and the locattion of her daughter suggests she may have relocated to Mecklenburg County and could possibly be found in a City Directory there in 1898.

Married: Tillman Coley (1827-1856)

Married second: Holden Hartsell (1816-1865) One son: Adam Hartsell born 1864, last seen at age 18.

Daughter, Nelie "Nealie" A. Hartsell, born in 1872, could not have been the daughter of Holden Hartsell. She married Elhannon Mack Ferrell and became the mother of six children: Alberta Lee Ferrell Beam, Addie L. Ferrell Baxter, Tillman Allen Ferrell, Lura M. Ferrell, Inez Iva Ferrell Brown, Delola Neely Ferrell Holshouser. Nealie Hartsell was born in Big Lick, where she is found in 1880 and is in Huntersville, Mecklenburg County, NC in 1900, they then move to Coddle Creek in Iredell, where many of her relatives had relocated to, then to Cleveland County, then to Lincolnton in Lincoln County, then to Hickory in Catawba County, then finally to North Kannapolis in Rowan County, where she died in 1951, and was buried in Mooresville, Iredell County.

2) Ithama Lithana Barthena Cagle (24 Oct 1833-25 March 1812) 

Married William B. Hinson (1830- between 1878-1880). Eight children:

     George LaFayette Hinson (1851-1897) , Nathaniel L. Hinson (1851-1908), Doctor Hinson (1857-1870), Harriett Hinson (1864-1960), John I Hinson, (1874-1923), James Alfred Hinson (1874-1950), Millie Arnette Hinson Crayton (1876-1943). 

The Hinsons moved from Stanly County to Olive Branch in Union County, which was just across the river, then became one of the Big Lick area families who moved to Iredell County, living in Coddle Creek and Davidson, where Ithama was buried. Referred to as Lithana in her father's estate papers, she is seen as Barthena in 1850, Isama in 1860, Lythama in 1870, Lithania in 1880, but Ithamia, or Ithama on most of her childrens documents. As Ithama was a family name, I believe that is actually what her first name must have been.

3) David S. "Dave" Cagle (31 March, 1835 - 11 April 1915) As the only son of George Washington Cagle born within the bonds of Holy Matrimony, Dave was the de facto head of the Cagle family after the death of his father. He seemed stable and steadfast, perhaps only due to the responsibilities thrust upon him, but he was nothing like his father. The settlement of his estate was even more arguementive and expansive than that of his father. William Alfred Cagle was the Administrator of his father's estate and Dave had outlived a few of his adult children, which made involving grandchildren and their spouses neccesary.     

    

The above and below lists are the names of the surviving children and grandchildren whose Cagle parent predeceased their grandfather. 

David S. Cagle married Sarah Thomas on January 10, 1854. Sarah was the daughter of  Jacob Thomas and Betsy Baucom of the Rocky River area. She was born on September 23, 1835 and passed away on April 7, 1908. The 1900 census had reported that she had been the mother of 7 children with 5 living. All seven are known. 

Sarah Thomas Cagle

Sarah's younger brother, Jacob Thomas Jr. married David's neice, Susan Smith, daughter of his sister, Mary, who married Alfred Smith. Their 7 children were James David Cagle (1854-1897), William Alfred Cagle (1856-1933), Alexander A. Cagle (1858-1943), Eliza J. Cagle Nance (1861-1918), Mary Jane Cagle Teeter Turner (married twice) , (1865-1941), Margaret E. Cagle Honeycutt (1870-1901), Rosanna Cagle Edwards (1877-1951). Rosanna would be the child who took care of her aging father after her mother passed. 

Above is part of the distribution to heirs in the estate of David S. Cagle. Dave died on April 11, 1915. He had survived several of his own children. The first four names above are the children who survived him; William Alfred Cagle (W A), Mary Jane Cagle Teeter, Alexander A. Cagle, and Rosanna Cagle Edwards (Rose Ann Edwards). These recieved a full one seventh share of his seven children. The next group recieved one eight of one seventh, meaning they were one of eight children of one of David's chidren. 

James David Cagle

Those eight were the children of James David Cagle, who passed away on December 30, 1897. Sam would have been Samuel Prince Cagle, next is Emma Cagle who married Victor Widenhouse, Travis James Cagle, Ida B Cagle Cagle, who married George Franklin Cagle, a son of Robert Lindsay Cagle and wife Francis Caroline Robbins, and a great-nephew of George W. Cagle. Next is Connie Lee Cagle who married James Seabron Joyner, Daniel Webster Cagle (Dan) , William David Cagle (W.D). The one child of James David Cagle not listed was Walter L K Cagle. He traveled a bit, but would settle back in North Carolina. His obituary states when he passed, he was only survived by two brothers, Sam and Travis. This may have been in error that his name was excluded from being one of the eight.

Above, the continuation of the list shows first, three of sevens, or one third share of a child's seventh. These were the children of Margaret "Maggie" Cagle Honeycutt; Thomas Dewitt "Dee" Honeycutt, Arabella Honeycutt Thomas and Lillie Mae Huneycutt (will be Burris). The final group is one seventh of one seventh and those were the children of  Elizabeth "Eliza" J. Cagle. She had married William Jacob Nance and although she had outlived her father by three years, passing away on March 1, 1918 in New Salem, Union County, by the time of this action, she was deceased. The heirs to her one seventh share were John David Nance, William Alfred Nance, Loretta Emaline "Lou Rettie" Nance Austin, Sarah Elizabeth "Bettie" Nance Austin, Callie E. Nance Mask, Lillie Maggie Nance and James Benjamin Nance.

The Turners came into play in the estate when Mary Jane Cagle Teeter was widowed and chose a second husband in the form of  James Thomas Turner and have one more child, Minnie. 

The above shows distributions.

Actions like these could drag on for years until nothing was left, or any proceeds were held in escrow. Sometimes the government and attorneys just ate it all. 

This shows the case taking until at least 1919. Compare this to the distributions from the estate of George W. Cagle, below.

The fouth child of  George Washington Cagle and first wife, Elizabeth Rose Whitley was:

4) Sarah P Cagle (13 Dec 1836 - 6 August 1905) Note: the middle initials of Sarah and her brother, David are only known by letter. It has been proposed that David's was either Stanly or Sampson and that Sarah's "P" stood for Priscilla. This could be true, but I've found no documentation for that, so I leave them as a simple initial that is documented. As I've mentioned before in other posts, Sarah married Wiley Allen Jones in Stanly County, on June 5, 1853. Three years after his marriage to Sarah, he fathered a daughter, Ellen M. Safely by Sarah Frances Safely. Sarah apparently endured that indiscretion with grace and forgiveness, and gave wily Wiley six legitimate children : James Franklin Jones (1855-1914), Tillman Allen Jones (1858-1942), Margaret Ann Jones Cashion, (1850-1960), Wiley Alexander Jones (1862-1943), Elizabeth Ellen Jones Mills (1867-1947) and Sarah L. Jones (1868-1879). 

Little Sarah and her father both died of Typhoid Fever about the same time. They were buried together at Centre Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Mooresville, Iredell County, North Carolina.

Sarah P. Cagle Jones spent the remainder of her years, 26 of them, living with her children, first with son James F. Jones in Coddle Creek and later with daughter Eliza Mills in Davidson. She died on August 6, 1905, and was buried at Davidson College Cemetery in Mecklenburg County.

5) Mary "Polly" Cagle (16 Jun 1838-11 Mar 1885) Married Alfred Smith, son of Richard and Susan Smith. They lived in the New Salem Community of Union County, just across the river from Big Lick in Stanly County, at first, before moving to Coddle Creek in Iredell County, along with many others of the family and the community. Polly died a young woman in March of 1885, at 46. She and Alfred Smith had seven children, as was seen in the above Probate papers. They were Susan "Sis" Smith Thomas (1858-1898) Sis was married to Jacob C. Thomas, the brother of Sarah Thomas who was married to Polly's brother, David S. Cagle. The others were Elizabeth Ann "Betsy" Smith Honeycutt (1859-1931), Mary Jane Smith Whitley (1863-1930), Eliza Ellen Smith Caldwell (1865-1921), James Richard Smith (1867-1950), George Washington Smith (1868-1937), Ila Smith Honeycutt (1873-1942). Polly Cagle Smith was buried at Willow Valley Cemetery in Mooresville, Iredell County, NC. Her husband, Alfred Smith, outlived her by about 20 years. He lived until January 31, 1905, and was buried at the Fairview United Methodist Church Cemetery in Mooresville. 

Alfred Smith

 6) Martha Cagle (1838- bet 1880 and 1887) Unmarried, burial location unknown. 

7) Elizabeth Cagle (26 June 1842 - bet 1868 and 1870) David S. Cagle recorded his siblings' births in his Family Bible, which may have started with his parents, but not their dates of death. Elizabeth married first, John W. Honeycutt, who perished in the Civil War. One child, William Alfred Honeycutt (1859-1889). She married second to James Tanner Baker. One child, Isabella Baker Huffman. 

8) Malinda Ellen Cagle (2 Aug. 1844- 6 Feb 1917) Married Jacob A. Crisco on July 20, 1858 in Stanly County. They would move to Coddle Creek / Mooresville in Iredell County before 1880, where they raised a family of 8 children: William Crisco (1856-1860), Adam Dawson Crisco (1860-1927),

Araminta "Minty" Evelyn Crisco Russ (1866-1925), Dolly Lupine Crisco Cook (1869-1942), John C. Crisco, (1879-1945), King David Crisco (1872-1945), Mary Magdalen Crisco Christenbury (1878 -1955) and Bingham Caldwell Crisco (1880 -1938) Melinda was buried at the Coddle Creek ARP Church Cemetery in Mooresville. Jacob outlived her by two years and is buried beside her. 

9) Beadie Luthenia Mathene Cagle (26 Sept 1846 - 25 Mar 1912). Never married. One child: Effie Cumi Cagle Wilson (1883-1970). Beadie Luthenia's daughter was supposedly fathered by her brother-in-law, Jacob A. Chrisco. Beadie was living with her sister Malinda's family at the time, and after leaving Big Lick for Iredell County. She was buried at McKendree Chapel UMC in Iredell County. 

Beadie Luthenia Mathene Cagle

10) Lucy Catherine Cagle (3 July 1848- 4 Sept 1899) Lucy became the third wife of James Tanner Baker on June 9, 1868, three years after her sister Elizabeth had married him. It can be assumed that Elizabeth passed away. Catherine raised Isabella Baker, born in 1867, but Elizabeth was her mother. Lucy Catherine and J. T. Baker had four known children: Osbourne Vaughn Baker (1869-1937), David Council Baker (1872-1943). These first two moved to Texas and raised their faimly there. Dominic Baker (1877 -?) Dominic may have died as a child. Nothing else is known about him and I've not been able to locate his burial location. Deborah D. Baker ( 1881-1920) Married William Holden Hartsell, son of Lucy Catherine's half-sister, Anna Jane Cagle Hartsell and grandson of Holden Hartsell, son of her sister Menece Adaline Hartsell's second husband, Holden Hartsell. They remained in Fallstown, Iredell County. 

Lucy Catherine Cagle Baker married second to Jacob Monroe Eudy on December 22, 1887 in Iredell County, both with Stanly County roots. She would pass away two years later on September 4, 1889 and was buried at Willow Valley Cemetery in Mooresville. Jacob M. Eudy would join her on September 4, 1896, seven years later. Lucy was the youngest child of George Washington Cagle with his first wife, Elizabeth Rose Whitley.

George had married his second wife, Nancy Hinson Speight in 1854. Their children were:

11) Anna Jane Cagle ( 7 September 1854- 24 November 1931). Annie married on March 20, 1870, to Joseph Monroe Hartsell, son of her sister Adaline's husband, Holden Hartsell. Joe and Annie raised their family of ten children in Iredell County, moving from Fallstown to Coddle Creek to Davidson. Later in life, they moved to Concord, Cabarrus County. Anna Jane, sometimes called Annie, died on November 24, 1931 and was buried at Pleasant Hill Primitive Baptist Church in Trountman, Iredell County, where her mother was buried. This must have been the families home church when they lived n that area.

The ten children of Anna Jane Cagle and Joseph Monroe Hartsell, who died in 1923, were: George Benton Hartsell (1871-1907), William Holden Hartsell (1872-1943), Etta Roxie Hartsell Smith (1875-1954), Lottie Mae Hartsell Overcash (1878-1957),  Eli Franklin Hartsell (1879-1933), Anna Hartsell Gilbert (1881 - ?), Virginia Alice Hartsell Byers (1883-1956), Olaa Ann Hartsell Thompson (1884-1957), Rufus Reid Hartsell (1886 -1944), Doke Monroe Hartsell (1889-1934).

12) Frances "Fanny" Laura Cagle (1857-1897) Never married, died in Troutman, NC.

Some people attribute an Eli Cagle to Nancy Hinson Cagle, but he was not her child. Eli Cagle and Eli Honeycutt was one person. 

George's children by Maniza Honeycutt. George had a relationship with Maniza Honeycutt outside of marriage. I will explore this relationship closer in a future post as we look at the question of who the fathers of Maniza Huneycutt were. I so believe several of them were the children of George Cagle, but the one we can definately attribute to George Washington Cagle was Eli, as he was named in George's Will.

13) Ellison "Eli" F. Honeycutt/Cagle (3 June 1856-Jan 7 1940). Eli, who is seen by both surnames at varioud times of his life, married Frona  Alice Thomas, daughter of William Green Thomas and Lydia Dry. We will look more closely at Eli's family in a future post, but they had a family of about five children. Eli remarried later in life to Jennie Yow Huneycutt and died in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, NC. 

The boisterous, industrious and lusty life of Geoge W. Cagle tinted the color of the 19th century town and community of Big Lick. He left a large family, perhaps larger than the 13 children mentioned. We will later explore the lives of his mistresses and perhaps add some children to the list above. My next post will take a closer look at the death of George W. Cagle. Was it murder or self-defense?

Sodom, Gommorah and Big Lick

Sometime prior to 1737, a German immigrant family, led by patriarch Leonhardt Kegel, arrived in America, and first, like many other families that would trickel south, settled in Berks County, Pennsylvania. This family would trickle down into North Carolina within a few decades, eventually making their way into Moore, Montgomery, Cumberland, Rowan and Cabarrus Counties. I have one, and possibly two, lines of descent from the the Cagle family, as the name would be angelized to, both from female ancestors. A Rebecca Cagle married Caleb Aldridge, Jr. and they are one set of my 4th Great Grandparents. Rebecca Cagle Aldridge is constantly being merged with a Rebecca Cagle Whitley, who was probably a cousin of some degree, but exactly how, I've not determined, or even tried to. What I do know is that a consanguineous clutch of Cagles settled around the southwestern part of Stanly County, North Carolina. Among them was a man named George Washington Cagle.

I touched on George W. Cagle, briefly, in my last post titled: The Secrets of Adeline, concerning a daughter of his.

While I was imbibing and digesting the old 19th century court records of Stanly County, I was astounded and amused at the pervicacity in which I encountered the citizens of the community of Big Lick. It was presented as an amoral and ruthless place, its citizens holding a general insouciance and lack of propriety. If ever a single individual was the embodiment or the scion of the general population of Big Lick, it was George Washington Cagle. 

George W. Cagle was born about 1813, in what was then Montgomery County, North Carolina, probably along the Rocky River close to where he would dwell for the remainder of his life. He was the son of Charles Robert Cagle, Sr. (1786-1864) and wife, Elizabeth Maranda Springer (1789-1867). He was the grandson of George Cagle and wife, Rebecca, who was no doubt the forebear of a string of granddaughters and great-granddaughters named Rebecca, including my own Rebecca Cagle Aldride and also Rebecca Cagle Whitley, wife and ex-wife of George Whitley III, with whom she is often merged. 

George Cagle, our notorious G. W.'s grandfather, was himself the grandson of the previously mentioned German ancestor, Leonhardt Kegel, via his son Johann Theobald Kegel. Therefore, George Washington Cagle was the Great Great-Grandson of the original immigrant ancestor. He was also the grandson, on his maternal side, of George Springer and wife, Sally Bloom Springer, the ancestors of another proliferant Big Lick family, meaning George had a lot of kin in and around the Oakboro/Red Cross/Stanfield area. 

He was one of nine children and the oldest son of Charles and Maranda. His siblings were, according to accepted Cagle research were:

A) 1810-1890 Sylvia Cagle, who married John Honeycutt. This one is debatable. Some have Syvia as a Burris. Others, a Robbins, due to John's close relationship with the elderly Fanny Whitley Robbins, daughter of George Whitley Sr. and widow of Isham Robbins. I've examined the one death certificate of one of their children that names Sylvia's maiden name and it appears more as Cagle, so I believe this to be correct. 

John Honneycutt and wife Sylvia Cagle  buried on property of Cromer and Polly Burrus, Across the road from Liberty Hill Chruch Cem. ---graves will be moved to Liberty Hill because of hwy. expansion

GRAVES HAVE BEEN MOVED.

1880 Stanley Co,. NC census-- Smith,James A.   22 Maria ,32 wife,  Silvey Cagle- Honeycutt age 72.

-from her ancestry.com profile.

B) 1811-1858 Mary Rebecca Cagle - married Needham Whitley, Jr. 

C) Insert George Washington Whitley, (1813-1876).

D) 1816-1880 Susan A. Cagle, never married, died of dropsy in 1880 per mortality schedule. 

E) 1821-1823 Charles Robert Cagle, Jr. died at age 2.

E) 1824-aft 1880 Charles Robert Cagle, III, married Sarah Yow, fought in Civil War. Found last in Cabarrus County in 1880.

F) 1827-1867 Sina Cagle, married Needham Whitley II.

G) 1828-1915 David M. Cagle , married 'Mikel' Michelle Hinson. Also found in Civil War.

H) 1829-1922 Millie Elizabeth Cagle, married Lewis Brown. 

I) 1830-1889 Eva Lee Cagle, unmarried.

I am not sure I agree with these on all accounts as I have not personally researched this level of this family, and some of it seems a bit conflicting/confusing or contrived. 

There is a George W. Cagle who received a few land grants on Bear Creek, but this was not the same George W. Cagle or the same Bear Creek. This individual, and this Bear Creek, were in Moore and Chatham Counties, and I believe was a distant cousin, as he sprang from the same lineage of Kegel/Cagle's who had migrated down from Berks County, Pennsylvania. 

Book 1 Page 92 Andrew Honeycutt sells to George Cagle and Thomas Long, 200 acres on both sides of Island Creek for $200. This deed was dated 1844, and an older George, G. W. Cagle's uncle, was still alive. His daughter Mary Long, is mentioned in his Will, so I believe this one is the older George. He died in 1851, so after that, George W. was the only George Cagle in the area.

In November of 1855. Isaiah Coley, sold to in a group, George Cagle and several of his close neighbors, found in Book 4, page189, a number of personal items to cover his debts. The others, besides George Cagle, were Solomon Burris, Green D. Whitley, McCamey Willis and Jesse Hathcock. The debt were owed to Nelson Smith, Albemarle Merchant, Daniel Freeman and to the estate of Robert Motley. The goods included oxen, cattle, hogs, crops and the tract of land on which Isaiah Coley lived. 

Later on, not long before his decease, George Cagle would purchase a tract of land from Susan Coley, located on Cucumber Creek, found in Book 7, Page 352. This would have been Susan Green Coley, later Howell, widow of William Coley and daughter of Jacob Green, and just before she would marry Edward H. Howell. The Green family sometime crossed Big Lick and seem to have first landed along the river, but they were of a different cut than most of the later citizens of Big Lick. The Greens were in a class equal to that of the Brooks, and the Austins and even most of the Morgans. Slightly wealthier, steadily devout and for the most part, strongly moral. 

George Cagle would sell more property than he would purchase. On July 2, 1844, he sold 100 acres on Cedar Branch to Daniel Reap, located on the north side of the Charlotte Road, witnessed by J. A. Pless. This is found in Book 2 Page 176.

On the 29th day of December, 1856, George sold to Charles and John W. Hinson, for $800, several tracts on both sides of Stony Run Creek, that met that of John Honeycutt, Solomon Burris, a Deberry, to the "Big Road", to D. W. Burris's corner, and back to George Cagle's own property and John Honeycutts again. 

In Book 4, Page 415, George sold 150 acres and a crop of wheat and oats to George Treece to cover a $1000 debt George Cagle owed to Edmund D. Ingram. This was dated February 13, 1860. 

In March of 1868, George sold to W. A. Morton, a tract of land that bordered John Hartsell's property, of 59 acres, found in Book 6 Page 512.

On April 18, 1873, George sold to Solomon Hathcock, some property located on the Rocky River and Stillwater Creek, that adjoined the lands of William and James Parker, his business partners, Mary Hinson, David Cagle, John Austin, that contained 310 acres. This was in trust to Solomon Hathcock, with the intentions of repayment of the $800. Found in Book 7 589. 

On March 27, 1875, near the end of his life, although he wasn't aware of this factor, George sold to Joseph Marshall, trustee, 160 acres of land on both sides of the Rocky River, placing part of it in Union County, adjoining the lands that George still held, and that of William Parker, in which was located a grist mill, a saw mill and a cotton gin, as part of the partnership of Cagle and Parker Mills, of which George owned half. This was to cover a $250 note. By this time, by 1873, actually, George Cagle's life had started spinning out of control, which we would see later. 

Book 10, Page 96 is a transaction between George Cagle, and his Company, Cagle and Parker, and A. H. Griffin, dated September 11, 1875. Almost completely faded into illegibility, there's a mention of 'articles of said real estate viz a tract of land known as Griffin's Mill and land adjoining E. R. Griffin, ? M. Griffin and J. W. Huneycutt". It mentioned a debt and 20 days, and was signed by George Cagle, with the J. W. Huneycutt as a witness. 

The rest of the deeds involving George Cagle were after his demise. In Book 15, Page 382, a transaction between A. G. Morton and John Brooks involving "the public sale at the Parker Mills and Rocky River", held on the first day of August, 1878. John Brooks became the purchaser for $955. He purchased the Grist Mill and the land around it, known as the Parker Mill tract in the counties of Union and Stanly. It mentioned the north bank of the Rocky River, Joseph Hartsells corner, the Whitley Meeting House, Mineral Springs, then Hartsell's other line to a stake in the road. From the middle of the river to a ford, perhaps old Coble ford, or Ledbetters, across the river to the south bank of the Rocky River, the east edge of the road, to James M. Meggs house, to a stake on the road near the mouth of a branch, then with the bank of the river opposite the Stillwater Branch, then back to Hartsell's line containing 115 acres. Signed A. G. Morton, administrator of the estate of George W. Cagle.

Book 16 Page 1 contains another transaction of A. G. Morton acting as the Administrator of George Cagle's property.  It took place on the 11th day of January, 1878 and involved a man named J. H. Walters. For $250, was the sale of Lot Number 17 on the Plat of the Town of Big Lick, on the north corner of the Crossroads of Big Lick, Iza Hathcock's corner, R. J. Morton's line, to the side of the road leading to Daniel Reaps, an area of 67 square rods. Witnesses were Iza Hathcock and A. M. Cox. 

The sum of all these can give one an idea of George Cagle's situation in life, he bought and traded in large lots of land. Some of what he sold he had purchased, other parts he had inherited through inheritance from his father, other parts from his first wife's father and his second wife's father. He was a businessman, a sucessful one, but still one to find himself in debt. He owned land in two counties, and in a variety of locations in western Stanly County, including a place in the small town of Big Lick. Put this was only one piece of the puzzle of what made George Cagle. 

Other records would tell a different story of the character of the man who colored the Village of Big Lick. 

The Court of Pleas and Quarters of the new County of Stanly, North Carolina held several mentions of a George Cagle

August Session 1842 - State vs George Cagle - Peace Warrant, defendant surrendered and discharged. Edmund Almond to pay costs. Not issued.

November 1842 - Andrew Honeycutt to George Cagle and Thomas Long, acknowledged.

The above two, I believe were referring to the old George Cagle, George W's uncle, as his daughter, Mary, had married a Long, and in 1830, old George is listed next to Ed Almond. 

Any of the below could have been either George.

August Session 1848 -Jury duty, later chosen for Grand Jury in the same session of court.

February 1849 - Jury again in the case of Simeon Smith, and several more times he served as a juror before 1850. Not a troublesome time for George Cagle.

George In the Census Records:  There is one George in the 1830 census of Montgomery County, of which Stanly was a part, but this was not George W. as he would have been only 17, and the oldest male was in his 50's. This was 'Uncle George'.  George was probably in the home of his father Charles, which is seen as:

Name	Charles Cagle
Home in 1830 (City, County, State)	Montgomery, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - Under 5	1 David
Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 14	1 Charles Jr.
Free White Persons - Males - 15 thru 19	1 George W. 17
Free White Persons - Males - 40 thru 49	1 Charles
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 14	1 Susan
Free White Persons - Females - 15 thru 19	2 Rebecca & Sina
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29	1 Sylvia
Free White Persons - Females - 40 thru 49	1 Miranda
Free White Persons - Under 20	6
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49	3
Total Free White Persons	9
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored)	9

1840 - There were three George Cagles in the 1840 census, one was a man in his 60's. This would have been Charles's brother, George II. A second George was in his 30's, and had a family of 5. This George was a cousin and had migrated away before 1850. The third George was in his 20's and had a family of 7. Seen below, this fits George W. Cagle best. 

Name	Geo Cagle
Residence Date	1840
Home in 1840 (City, County, State)	West Pee Dee River, Montgomery, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - Under 5	1 David S.
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29	1 George
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5	2 Sarah & Polly
Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9	2 Adeline, Ithama
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29	1 Elizabeth
Persons Employed in Agriculture	1
Free White Persons - Under 20	5
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49	2
Total Free White Persons	7
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves	7

1850 - There were two George Cagles in the 1850 census. One was George W. Cagle. He is shown here with his first wife, Elizabeth Rosa Whitley. Only one Child is missing, oldest daughter, Menece Adaline Cagle, who married Tillman Coley. She would have been 18.

Name	George Cagle
Gender	Male
Race	White
Residence Age	37
Birth Date	abt 1813
Birthplace	North Carolina
Residence Date	1850
Home in 1850	Smiths, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Occupation	Farmer
Industry	Agriculture
Real Estate	200
Line Number	5
Dwelling Number	714
Family Number	719
Inferred Spouse	Elizabeth Cagle
Inferred Child	Barthena Cagle

Household members

Name	Age
George Cagle	37
Elizabeth Cagle	38
Barthena Cagle	10
David S Cagle	15
Sarah Cagle	13
Mary Cagle	12
Martha Cagle	10
Elizabeth Cagle	8
Methena Cagle	7
Catharine Cagle	3
Melinda Cagle	9
Joshua Honeycutt	15

The other was old Uncle George, with his daughter, Sarah. In 1840, the household was a 60 year old man and a woman in her 20's, same family.

Name	Sarah Cagle
Gender	Female
Race	White
Residence Age	35
Birth Date	abt 1815
Birthplace	North Carolina
Residence Date	1850
Home in 1850	Furrs, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Cannot Read, Write	Yes
Line Number	25
Dwelling Number	541
Family Number	543

Household members

Name	Age
George Cagle	73
Sarah Cagle	35

It is after this date that things begin to change is the life of George W. Cagle, and George along with it. I believe it began the day that his wife died, sometime within months after the 1850 census. Her exact date of death and place of burial is unknown. She would have been around 48 years old. George, at 47, became a hot commodity.

He began a relationship with not just one, but multiple women. He couldn't pick just one, but he married just one. He became infatuated with another, and a third after that. His older children began to marry and build their own nests. Other children were just being born. In the decade between 1850 and 1860:

• 1850 Ithama Barrthena Cagle marries William B. Hinson
• Jan. 4, 1852 George marries a second time to Nancy Jane Hinson, widow of Joseph Speight by whom she had two or three children.
• June 5, 1853, Sarah P. Cagle marries Wiley Allen Jones, who was also the father of Ellen Safely who I featured in my post, The Bad Mother.
• Jan. 10, 1854 David S. Cagle marries Sarah Michell Thomas
• Sept. 21, 1854 Anna Jane Cagle is born to George W. and Nancy Hinson Cagle.
• Jun 3, 1856 Ellison "Eli" Franklin Cagle/Huneycutt is born to Maniza Huneycutt.
• June, 1856 Mary Caroline Huneycutt is born to Maniza Huneycutt. She appears to be a twin to Eli. At this point, Maniza's children seem to be attributed to George W. Cagle. He names Eli in his Will.
• September 6, 1857, James Alfred Huneycutt is born to Maniza Huneycutt.
• 1857 Frances Laura Cagle is born to George and Nancy Hinson Cagle, their last.
• 1857 Mary Polly Cagle marries Alfred Smith, son of Richard and Susan Smith.
• April 1, 1858 Elizabeth Cagle marries John W. Huneycutt, son of George W. and Tabitha Tomlinson Huneycutt.
• July 20, 1858, Malinda Cagle marries Jacob A. Crisco II.

By the 1860 census, George only has only two daughters by his first marriage left in the home, "Mathena", who I covered in "A Rose By Any Other Name", whose name is inconclusive as she is called, Mathena, Luphrenia, Luthena, Lou, Beatie, Beedie, Phenia, Phrenia, among various other combinations and variations. I believe her name was probably Bethania Luphrenia Cagle or Beadie, for Obedience Louvenia Cagle. The other was his youngest with Elizabeth Whitley, Lucy Catherine, very simply. Lucy is sometimes confused with the daughter of Mariah Meggs, Melissa, aka "Lissy", but they were actually about 16 years apart in age, Lucy Catherine Cagle, being born in 1848 and Melissa Ann Meggs in 1865/66.

In the decade between 1860 and 1870: 

George's mother, Malinda Springer Cagle passes away September 11, 1861.

His father, Charles R. Cagle Sr. passes away April 9, 1864. 

Menece Adeline Cagle married second husband, Holden Hartsell on October 13, 1865, and was soon widowed. 

Lucy Catherine Cagle married James T. Baker on June 9, 1868. 

Elizabeth Cagle Huneycutt would pass away before the end of the decade and her husband, John W. Huneycutt would become a Civil War casualty. Her father, George would get custody of their son, William Huneycutt. 

Another unusual event of note took place on October 20, 1860. Maniza Huneycutt, George's paramour, married Gabriel Barbee. Gabriel Barbee would also become a Civil War casualty in 1864, leaving Maniza widowed, however, I believe the marriage may have ended before that happened, as she is never seen with the surname Barbee again. He may have discovered things about her he had not previously known and set her aside, divorced her or had the marriage annulled. They supposedly had a daughter named Martha, born in 1861. 

In 1866, Maniza Huneycutt had to press charges against George W. Cagle due to his lewd and lascivious behavior. The court pages are shown below.  

February Session, 1866 in the Stanly County Court of Pleas and Quarters, the jurors for the State of NC declared George Cagle. " a person of most wicked, lewd, lascivious, depraved and abandoned mind and disposition and wholly lost to all sense of decency, morality and religion." He was accused of, on September 5, 1865, displaying himself naked and with an indecent posture in front of the home of Maniza Huneycutt, in full view of a number of people, and they were appalled and shocked by his behavior. 

It appears that George had gotten drunk, was missing his mistress and started flashing the entire neighborhood. He was dealt with accordingly with fines and minimal punishment. It may have been due to the fact that Maniza was not considered a moral woman, having had children out of wedlock by this man. 

They were apparently neighbors around this time. Maniza's parents had relocated to Catawba County with their youngest son, and left several of their single, but not childless daughters, huddled together at the old homeplace with their collective children. 

In the 1870 census, George Cagle is 58. His household consists of his second wife, Nancy, their youngest daughter, Fannie, his son by Maniza Huneycutt, Eli, a border, Mariah Myers Meggs and her young daughter, and his 11-year-old grandson, William Huneycutt, son of his daughter Elizabeth, who predeceased him, and her husband, John W. Huneycutt, who died in the Civil War. His only legitimate son, David S. Cagle is listed after him. 

In the list above him are the three Huneycutt sisters, Frances, or Franky, and her children, Clara, and her one son, James H. Huneycutt, and Maniza and her children. All of the children by these three sisters were "fatherless", so to speak, although they all had fathers, of course. I believe Maniza was incorrectly transcribed as "Mariah". 

In 1868, George penned a Will. It is unknown what spurred him to do so. A sudden illness he recovered from? His recent run in with the law? Threats by irate and offended neighbors? The deaths of his parents, son-in-laws and neighbors in the War or just after returning from the War in weak and wounded conditions? Perhaps it was a combination of these things, but he felt the desire to ensure his widowed and unmarried daughters were cared for, as well as his orphaned grandson.

George's Will, dated November 30, 1868, is found below. It can be found in the Stanly County Will Book No.  2, Page 176 and 177.

"George Cagle's Will

Be it remembered that I George Cagle of the County of Stanly and the State of North Carolina Concidering myself to be of perfect sound mind and memory and not knowing the length of my earthly existence do make and declare this my last will and testament hereby revoking all former wills made by me (viz).

First I give and devise unto my daughter Menece A. Hartsell fifty acres of land off the Western end of my three hundred acre tract commencing on Dunn's line and running to southwest so as to include the above amount of lands. Also I give and devise unto Ely Huneycutt, my illegitimate son, one hundred and fifty acres of land the whereon I now live, by his maintaining my daughter Beedy M. Cagle during her natural life, in case she does not marry and if she marries, he shall be released from that obligation by his paying her one humdred dollars.

Also I give and devise unto my grandson William Huneycutt, seventy five acres of land adjoining the fifty acres given Menece A. to include The long House place, now in case the abobe Ely Huneycutt and William Huneycutt shall be disobedient to me and not serve as dutiful children till they attain the age of twenty-one years, in that case they shall have none of my property and in such case I direct that my daughter Beedy M have one hundred acres of the lands designated for Ely Huneycutt including the dwelling house and outbuildings and I direct that the remainder of the lands designated for Ely and all the land designated for William, and also all the balance of my lands not herein disposed of after running off my son David S. Cagle's fifty acres, to be divided equally between my daughters Sarah Jones, Mary Smith, Martha Cagle, Any Jane and Fany L. Cagle and Malinda Crisco.

Allso, I direct that my personal estate goods and chattels in every respect to be sold and equally divided between my daughters Sarah Jones, Mary Smith, Martha Cagle, Ann J Cagle, Fany L. Cagle, Malinda Crisco, Menece A. Hartsell and Beedy M. Cagle and my son David S. Cagle and my son Ely Huneycutt and my grandson William Huneycutt   and also my saw mill with the two acres of land for the cite and priveledges of the same adjoining J. A. Criscos line be sold and equally divided between my daughters above named.

I hereby make ordain and appoint S.C. Little my Lawful Executor of this my last Will and Testament in testament whereof I hereunto set my hands and subscribe my name this 30th day of September 1868 

                                                                        George Cagle (seal)

Attest

A J Austin

S C Little

The Will is reiterated above in the estate papers, but what struck me as unusual was that George didn't mention two of his daughters, Ithamia Barthena Cagle Hinson and Lucy Catherine Cagle Baker, or his wife, Nancy Hinson Speight Cagle.  I can't say why.

George Cagle passed away six years after the 1870 census, wherein his son Eli or Ely and grandson William Huneycutt was living with him, along with his youngest daughter, Fanny and a border, Mariah Meggs and her daughter. On February 27, 1876, the man who would flavor the Town of Big Lick with his big personality and indecent behaviour, would be no more.His demise bears a story of its own. His death was not natural and was a result of his wayward and moraless exploits. He was 63 years old and the place of his burial is unknown, but thought to be somewhere in Big Lick, or around Liberty Hill.

On April 6, 1876, six months after his death, we see that A. G. Morton, not S. C. Little, had been appointed administrator of his estate. His heirs at this time, in 1876, were listed as Nancy Cagle, the widow, Adaline Hartsell, named Menece A.Hartsell in the Will, ,Lithany Hinson, (Ithamia Barthena Cagle Hinson, not mentioned in the will, D.S. Cagle, his son David S.Cagle, mentioned in will, Sarah Jones, Mary Smith, mentioned in Will, Elizabeth Baker, his daughter Elizabeth who married John W. Huneycutt and was the mother of William Huneycutt, who is mentioned in the Will. She would later marry a Baker in Cabarrus County as Elizabeth Huneycutt, Malinda Crisco, named in the Will, married Jacob Crisco, B. D. Cagle, can only be Beedie Methena Luphrenia Cagle, unmarried daughter mentioned in the Will. Where did the "D" come from? Catherine Baker, Lucy Catherine, youngest daughter by first wife, Elizabeth Rosa Whitley, Amy J Hartsell, actually Annie Jane Cagle, first daughter by second wife, Nancy Hinson Speight, who married Joseph Hartsell, a son of Holden Hartsell who had married George's oldest daughter, Adaline, so two sisters, one who married the father and another who married the son. Fanny Larceny Cagle, youngest daughter by second wife, unmarried.

Georg'es estate took many years to completely settle. There were lawsuits concerning the mishandling of monies and heirs that were left out of the will and heirs that were mentioned in the Will. A Green Morton would be appointed Administrator instead of S C Little, who George had chosen. The estate file is it's own story, as is the complete story of George's demise. Who were actually the heirs of George Cagle?