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Ancestry of Catherine (McRae or Davis) Howcott
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Catherine
McRae married “Henry Howcott Jr” [1] on 10 February 1876 at Macedonia AME
Church, Lees Mills Township, Washington county. Benjamin B Bonner conducted
the ceremony. Catherine was described as aged 20. However, there are a number
of slightly different accounts of her age or birthdate:
Catherine’s maiden name has sometimes been given as
“Davis” rather than “McRae”. The evidence below shows that the reason for
these two surnames being used is that:
Unless otherwise stated, all places referred to
are in North Carolina. Stephen Davis (c1834-1867) Much of the information found about Stephen comes
from his military record and applications by his wife Dinah and daughter
Catherine for pensions because of his military service. The applications
contain inaccuracies that may to some extent be explained by the fact that
both Dinah and Catherine were recorded in the 1900 census as being unable to
read or write. A particularly important mistake is that when Catherine Howcott
applied for a pension in 1898, she stated that Stephen Davis had left no
widow surviving him. This was not so, as Dinah did not die until 1913. Stephen was born at “Columbia, North Carolina”
about 1834. Columbia is the seat of Tyrrell county. The 1860 records only one
slaveholder in that county with the Davis surname – a 29 year of farmer named
Zephaniah Davis, who held two women (aged 85 and 50) and two men (aged 50 and
22) with three slave houses. Zephaniah was recorded in that census as a 29
year old farmer, with personal estate valued at $2,237. Stephen was referred to as “my Negro boy Stephen”
when David Clayton of Tyrrell county left him to his grandsons Zepeniah Davis and Thomas Davis in his will in 1857. [2]
When Dinah McRae applied in September 1892 for a pension as Stephen’s widow,
she stated that they had been married on 15 January 1856 at Tyrrell county by
“Clayton (Master)”, who was presumably David Clayton. On 17 January 1865, Stephen enlisted as a private
soldier in the 37th regiment of the United States Colored Infantry
at Norfolk, Virginia. He was described as a 30 year old blacksmith, 5ft 7ins
tall, with black hair and complexion. Evidently Stephen was unable to write,
as he made a mark instead of signing his enlistment papers, which committed
him to serve for three years. When he was mustered at Newport Mews, Virginia
three days later, Stephen’s bounty amounted to $100. He appears in the muster
rolls of Company E from March 1865 to December 1866. [3] These are summarised
in returns each of which cover two months and provide additional details
including:
Stephen
was mustered out of service at Raleigh on 11 February 1867. Records
differ as to when Stephen died. When his daughter Catherine applied for a
pension in May 1898, she said that her father had died at Wilmington in 1866.
The year given by Catherine is clearly wrong, as Stephen was not discharged
from the Army until 1867. When
applying for her widow’s pension, Dinah stated that Stephen died at
Washington county on 13 August 1869 and that she remarried on 10 July 1870;
neither of these dates is consistent with the date recorded in Washington
county’s own records of her marriage to Willis McRae, which has the date 25
August 1867. Whilst
we cannot be sure exactly when Stephen died, there is no doubt that his death
took place in 1867, between his discharge from the Army on 11 February and
his widow’s remarriage on 25 August. Three
pension applications are listed in the Civil War Pensions Index in connection
with Stephen’s military service:
There
are no further details of Fannie Swinger’s application; it is quite possible that
it relates to another soldier with the same name and was misfiled. Dinah Ann Clayton
(1837-1913) The
1870, 1880, 1900 & 1910 censuses record that Dinah was born in North
Carolina. Those for 1880-1910 add that both her parents were also born there.
The indications of Dinah’s date of birth are set out in the following table.
The ages recorded are not totally consistent but the precise date of birth
inscribed on her tombstone seems likely to be the most reliable.
The
1860 census slave schedules do not include an owner named Clayton in
Washington county. However, in Tyrrell county Thomas A Clayton held a total
of five slaves, living in three slave houses. These included a woman aged 22
and a girl aged 2. It is most likely that they were Dinah and her daughter
Catherine. Thomas A Clayton was a 43 year old farmer with real estate worth
$8,072 and personal estate worth $5,473 and was mentioned in the will of his
father David Clayton, who held Stephen Davis. On
25 August 1867, Dinah Clayton married Willis McRae, son of Willis Spruill and
Dilca McRae. Shaderack Moore, an Elder of the
African Methodist Episcopal Church, performed the ceremony. Willis was also a
Civil War veteran, who had enrolled in H company, 36th regiment US Colored
Infantry on 13 July 1863. He was then described as a 21 year old farmer, born
in Martin county, 5 ft 8 inches tall with dark
hair, eyes and complexion. He was mustered at Fort Monroe, Virginia on 6 June
1864 and mustered out at Brazos Santiago, Texas on
13 July 1866, having served as a private. The
1870 census lists Willis and Dinah McRae at Plymouth township, along with
Catherine (aged 13), Dilsey (aged 50) and George
(aged 18). Willis was described as a farmer aged 26 and Dinah as “keeping
house” and aged 28. “Dilsey” was presumably the
same person as Willis’ mother “Dilca”. Ten years later, the 1880 census of
Plymouth township gives Willis McRae’s age as 40. He was still a farmer,
living with his wife Dinah (45 years old) and son Ellis (aged 9). The
household details from the main 1890 census have been destroyed. However, a
special enumeration of surviving United States Civil War soldiers does
survive; the list of such residents of Lees Mills includes Willis McRae.
When
he was discharged from the Army, Willis was suffering from varicose veins of
the left leg. By 5 December 1896, his health was so poor that he was admitted
to the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers at Hampton, Virginia.
His admission record states that he was 56 years old, 5ft 10in tall, of
coloured complexion with dark eyes and black hair. He was unable to read or
write. His religion was Protestant and he had been working as a labourer. The
residence of his wife Dinah Ann McRae was recorded as Roper, Washington
county. [4] In
the 1900 census, Dinah was recorded as “Daner
McRae” living at West Lees Mills and having been married for 40 years.
Nothing was entered in the parts of the schedule for recording the number of
her children and how many were still living. The same census includes Willis
McRae amongst the inmates of the Soldiers’ Home at Hampton, stating that he
had been born in February 1840 and that he had been married for 35 years. Dinar
McRae appears in the 1910 enumeration of Lee Mills township
in the third dwelling after that of her widowed son-in-law William Henry
Howcott. Her age was given as 60 and the duration of her marriage, which had
produced a single child (who was still living) was said to be 40 years. The
only other person listed at her home was 66 year old “Wallis Mccray”, who was described as head of the household. This
part of the record seems more of a courtesy than reality, as the same census
includes 70 year old Willis McRae from North Carolina amongst the inmates of
the Soldiers’ Home at Hampton. No
civil registration record been found for Dinah’s death. However, a tombstone
in the burial ground of Macedonia AMEZ church records: “Dina Ann McRae Born Feb.20.1837 Died Mar.25.1913. She has gone to the mansion of rest”
Willis
survived Dinah by more than six years and did not die of “old age and general
disability” until 19 August 1919. The death was registered as having taken
place at Plymouth, though he was described as “Inmate at Soldiers Home”. He
was buried two days later in Washington county, presumably within the fenced
area that encloses Dinah’s monument. Notes [1] “Henry
Howcott Jr” was William Henry Howcott (1855-1932). [2] Will of David Clayton dated 1 June 1857,
Tyrrell county wills, Book 3, page 49.
Copies at: http://www.ncgenweb.us/tyrrell/CLYT1857.HTM and https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S7WF-S12D-B9?i=297&cc=1867501&cat=339698 The will was proved at Tyrrell
County Court in the July Sessions 1857. [3] From its organization in March 1864
until June 1865, E Company was with the main regiment. The battles in which
37th regiment USCI was engaged during the time after Stephen
enlisted were Sugar Loaf (12 February), near Wilmington (21 February) and
North-East Station (22 February). The campaign including these engagements
resulted in the Confederacy losing control of Wilmington, which was its only
remaining port with access to the Atlantic. From June 1865 until the latter
part of September 1865, E Company was part of the Provost Guard for the city
of Wilmington. On 30 November 1865, E Company was ordered to join the
garrison of Fort Fisher. See also “History of the 37th
Regiment USC Infantry” https://sites.rootsweb.com/~ncusct/37usct1.htm [4] Records of United States National Homes
for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9PDN-9FLL?i=291&cc=1916230 All hyperlinked sources were consulted on 25
October 2018. |
