|
Miles Howcott (about 1830-1905) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Miles Howcott was a soldier and farmer. He is an
ancestor of a large proportion of the present-day Howcotts in America. Miles
and his son William Henry were politically active during the decades after
the end of the American Civil War. The available records do not entirely agree about
the date of Miles Howcott’s birth but indicate that it took place around 1830
[1]. The 1880 census states that both of Miles’ parents were born in North
Carolina. When on 15 June 1895 he applied for a licence to marry his second
wife, Miles stated that his parents were Henry Bartee and Mariah Howcott, both
coloured and by that time dead [2]. Sources differ about Miles’ place of birth. The
army descriptive book compiled in 1863 records Miles’ birthplace as Duplin, which is a county about 120 southwest of Chowan
county. The death certificate for William Henry Howcott says that both he and
his father were born in Roper, NC. It has been established that Henry Bartee
(c.1807-1874) lived in Chowan and Perquimans county and that in 1845, Miles
was living in Chowan county, where he appears in a list of 18 slaves held in
the estate of Charles R Howcott, who had died on 13 April of that year [3].
It is therefore probable that the reference to Duplin
was a mistake and that Miles was born in Chowan. The will of Charles R Howcott [4] did not refer
to Miles by name but, by implication, bequeathed him to Charles R’s two sons
Charles H and Clinton. In 1849, Miles married Adeline Walker. The 1880
census records that Adeline and both her parents were born in North Carolina.
Many marriages of slaves that took place before the end of the Civil War were
not formally registered until afterwards. The register of acknowledgements of
Freedmen’s marriages in Washington county includes that of Miles Howcott and
Adeline Walker, which was recorded on 11 August 1866. Miles and Adeline were
the parents of these known children:
At the time of the 1850 census, Charles H and
Clinton Howcott were living at Plymouth with their guardian, Joseph C Norcom
(1797-1866). The slave schedules for Washington and Chowan counties do not
record any slaveholders with Howcott or a similar surname in that year and
they do not usually contain the names of the slaves themselves. It is likely
that Miles was included in one of two lists of slaves who were held by Joseph
C Norcom in Washington county; one list refers to 13 people and the other to
6. It is feasible that the reason for there being two lists for the same
person is that one was of slaves whom he was managing in his role as guardian
of the Howcott children. Charles H was the only brother to survive to
adulthood, as Clinton Howcott died in 1852. The 1860 census records “Charles
A Hocott” (i.e. Charles H Howcott) as living with
his wife and daughter at Plymouth. He held 22 slaves with two slave houses.
Charles was described as "living on income", which suggests that at
least some of the slaves were being hired out. North Carolina was the last of the 11 states to
secede from the United States and did not do so until 20 May 1861. The United
States occupied the area around the Albemarle Sound early in 1862 and, apart
from a brief period in December 1862, remained in control of Plymouth until
April 1864. President Lincoln abolished slavery in North Carolina and the
other states that were then in rebellion with effect from 1 January 1863, so
it was presumably around that date that Miles obtained his freedom. On 8 July 1863, he enrolled in company H, 2nd
regiment, North Carolina colored infantry (later
called 36th
regiment, US Colored Infantry). Miles enlisted
for a term of 3 years’ service [5]. The company description book states that
Miles was a farmer, 5ft 71/2 inches tall with dark
complexion, dark eyes and black hair. Records of Miles’ military service spell his
surname as “Hookett” and include the following
incidents:
Further details of the history of Miles’ regiment
can be found online. [6] Miles is one of the 209,145 soldiers who are
commemorated on the African
American Civil War Memorial at Washington DC, where his name is written
as “Miles Hooket” on the panel for his regiment
(see below).
Plymouth was badly damaged during heavy fighting that
took place from 17 to 20 April 1864 and resulted in the town falling to the
Confederates. Despite the devastation, from the time of his discharge from
the Army until January 1868, Miles lived in the town of Plymouth, after which
he continued to reside in Washington county [7]. The reason for Miles’
departure from the town in 1868 was, no doubt, that he had taken a lease for
10 years ending on 1 January 1878 of uncleared
land, his landlord being Redding W Peacock [8]. The plot had an area of
approximately 10 acres, which Miles undertook to clear and put into a good
state of cultivation at the rate of at least one acre a year. For the first
five years, he did not have to pay any rent and for the remaining five years
the rent was set at one third of the whole general crop grown on the cleared
land. This land lay on the west side of Kendrick Creek, which runs north from
Roper to Swan Bay. The deed is accompanied by a plat map that shows the
dimensions and distinctive shape of Miles’ land. However, the precise
location of the land is uncertain. It was not long after his return to Plymouth that
Miles became involved in local politics. The 3 August 1867 issue of “The
tri-weekly Standard”, a newspaper published at Raleigh, includes a notice
announcing the formation of a Union Republican Club at Plymouth. Miles
Howcott was a member of the Executive Committee of the Club. The first census in which former slaves were
identified by name was taken in 1870. The schedule for Lees Mill township
includes the following household:
Miles, Adeline and John were recorded at that time
as not being able to read or write. For Miles, that was still the case on 8
February 1879, when he made his mark to confirm agreement with J M Reid to
secure an advance by which Reid provided Miles with a mule named Mike and
supplies of up to $85 to enable him to cultivate his crop for the year 1879.
In exchange, Miles granted Reid a lien on “Two five hundred bales of cotton”
that he would raise on Wood Lawn Farm, adjoining the lands of James Freeman,
W Ambrose and others. The debt was to be repaid by 1 December or Reid could
exercise powers of sale. On 8 July of the same year Miles sold the same mule
to Reid for $42.50. [9] The 1880 census of Plymouth township records
Miles Howcott as a farmer aged 50 and Adeline as being aged 45 (an age that
does not accord with the one noted ten years earlier). The previous household
on the census list was that of their son John with his family and the
household before that was of their son William with his family, so they
presumably all lived near to each other. Most records of the 1890 census do not survive.
However, a special enumeration was taken in June of that year of civil war
veterans who had served in the Union Army. These records escaped destruction
and include Miles Howcott at Plymouth township. On 23 March 1888, Miles had been granted a
military pension of $4 per month because of rheumatism resulting from the
effect of exposure in February 1864. This pension was increased to $6 from 8
April 1891 and to $8 from 6 February 1895, by which time he was also suffering
from resultant disease of the heart. During the 1890s, Miles also reported
partial deafness and failing eyesight. Although these ailments were not all
accepted as reasons to increase his pension, by the time of his death it
amounted to $12 per month. Adeline Howcott died on 9 March 1895 in
Washington county [7]. Miles’ second marriage was to Roxanna Hassell, who was
44 years old. The ceremony was conducted by C M Billip,
minister of the Colored Missionary Baptist Church,
and took place on 16 June 1895 at the home of the bride. Records conflict as to whether Roxanna Howcott
passed away in 1902 or 1904. [10] However, it is clear that Miles believed
Roxanna was still alive in 1904, as he placed an advertisement dated 14 March
in the “Roanoke Beacon” to give her notice that he had started an action in
the Superior Court of Washington county for a divorce and that a hearing was
to be held on the third Monday in April 1904. In view of the evidence from
Mary Allen in 1905, it is feasible that Roxanna had moved away to New York
and was already dead by the time the divorce proceedings commenced. Miles’ third marriage was to Mary Allen. The
ceremony took place “at home” and was conducted by Rev M Linyear,
an AME Zion minister, on 20 April 1905. Mary was considerably younger than
Miles, having been born at Plymouth on 22 December 1851. This union was
short-lived, as Miles died at Plymouth on 17 May 1905; he was buried on the
following day [11]. On 30 January 1922, Mary Allen Howcott applied
for a widow’s pension because of Miles’ military service. Mary (Allen) Howcott died at Plymouth on 4
October 1930. The death certificate gives her usual residence as “8 E Water”.
On 4
August 1898, Miles stated that William Henry Howcott was his only child still
living. Details of the families of Miles and Adeline’s two known children
appear below. John C Howcott (about 1850- ) Like his father, John C Howcott was farming at
Wood Lawn Farm in 1879, when he entered into an agreement on 20 May by which
he would receive up to $27 worth of supplies from L H Hornthal
and L Hornthal. This was to be repaid by 1
November, failing which the lenders could take and sell John’s crops and
personal property including four hogs, one barrow and all of his household
and kitchen furniture. John made his mark to confirm the deal. [12] The 1880 census of Plymouth includes John C
Howcott, a farmer, living with his wife Ellen (aged 29) and children Charles
E (aged 8), Henry (aged 6), Miles F (aged 3) and Daniel A (aged 4 months). At
the time, John was suffering from gout. The known children in John and Ellen’s family
are:
John’s widow was Ellen Howcott of Plymouth
township (aged 44) who married Henry C Gregory of Chowan county at Plymouth
on 17 January 1897. In 1900, Henry and Ellen were living at West Church
Street, Edenton, along with her son, who was recorded as “James Hogart”. The 1900 census says that Ellen had bourn a
total of three children and that they were all still living. However, this is
not consistent with the list of six children listed above. At the time of the 1910 census, Ellen and Henry
were living at Church Street, Edenton. On 4 April 1919, Ellen died at Edenton of
apoplexy and was buried at Vine Oak cemetery on the following day. In the 1920 census, Henry Gregory was living with
his stepson James Howcott and his family at Carteret Street, Edenton. William Henry Howcott (1855-1932)
William Henry Howcott was born on 12 June 1855
[13]. He married Catherine McRae.
[14] The marriage licence records of Washington county state
that Benjamin J Bonner, minister of the Gospel of Zion’s Church, at Macedonia
AME church, Lees Mill, performed the marriage on 10 February 1876. The couple
were described as Henry Howcott aged 21 and Catherene
McRae aged 20. The 1880 census records William Henry as a
farmer, living with Catherine and their children (Annie, William and Frank)
in Plymouth township. William Henry and Catherine’s oldest son does not seem
to have survived for long as there is no record of him after 1880 and his
brother, born in 1885, was named “William Henry”. No records from the 1890 census survive to record
William Henry and his family. The 23 September 1898 issue of “Roanoke Beacon”
reported that the Republican and Populist County Convention, which had been
held at Pleasant Grove three days earlier, nominated “W H Howcutt” as a
County Commissioner. The report described him as an “old line Republican”.
Evidently his election campaign in 1898 was successful, as the 13 January
1899 issue of the same newspaper reported that on 2 January the Board of
Commissioners for Washington County had allowed various claims, including the
sum of $2.27 to “W H Howcutt” for “one day as County Commissioner plus
mileage”. The Republican Party and Populist (or People’s)
Party were separate organisations that co-operated to secure control of the
North Carolina state legislature in 1894 and hold it in 1896. The Democrats
recovered control in 1898 on a platform of white supremacy and retained power
in 1900. In that year, the North Carolina constitution was amended to require
voters to pass a literacy test and pay a poll tax. These restrictions
severely reduced the number of black voters in the state and so ended any
opportunity for William Henry to achieve elected office again. At the time of the 1900
census, William Henry and Catherine’s children were living in two households
in Plymouth township. They are numbered 323 and 303 in order of visitation:
The details recorded in
these returns contain a number of inaccuracies. These errors are: (A) Catherine is recorded as
having been married to “Henry W Howcott” for 24 years and having had 8
children (4 still living). However, a total of 12 children of the family have
been identified. (B) According to her death
certificate, Della A Howcott Purkett was born on 6
September 1887. (C) Annie Mariah Howcott was
born at Plymouth on 23 May 1876 (Washington county Index of Delayed Births).
She was the older sister, not the mother, of the five children who were
living with her in 1900. (D) “Nellia”
was Nona. (E) “Etha”
was Ethel. (F) “Boy” was presumably
Herman. On 14 July 1909, William
Henry was appointed administrator of the estate of Pritchard T Howcott [15].
The records do not specify their family relationship but it is clear from the
accompanying records that Pritchard was William Henry’s son. William Henry
listed Pritchard’s heirs as Annie M Downing, F L Howcott, L J Howcott, Mary F
Downing, W H Howcott, Della A Puckett, Nona Howcott, Ethel Howcott, Sarah Howcott & Herman J Howcott. This provides a
useful roll call of the brothers and sisters who were still living at that
time. In his role as
administrator of Pritchard’s estate, William Henry sued Harry Walcott and
Hugh M Kerr, who were receivers of Norfolk and Southern Railway Company. The
only records in the estate papers of this case are a list of questions that
were issued by Washington County Superior Court in January 1910 which state
that the claim was that Pritchard had been killed by the defendant’s
negligence. Further details of the claim and its outcome may be available in
the relevant Superior Court records. This table gives an
overview of William Henry and Catherine’s 12 children:
Catherine died between the 1900 census and the
next one, which was held in May 1910 and listed her husband as a widower
residing in Lees Mill township. William Henry’s occupation then was given as
“school” – he taught at the schoolhouse that stood immediately to the east of
the Macedonia church building. Five of his children were living with him at
the time - “Henry” (i.e. William H), Nona, Ethel, Sarah and Herman. The General Index to Real Estate Conveyances for
Washington county provides 101 references to W H Howcott during the period
1902-1924. In all but three of these, he was the grantor rather than grantee,
80 of the agreements taking the form of a deed. By the 1930 census, William Henry was living at
NC Highway 90, Lees Mill in the household of his daughter and son-in-law,
Annie & Louis Downing.
Close to his grave stand monuments to his
daughter Mary Florence Downing (1884-1980) and her daughter Maude Downing
(1914-2011). A long concrete strip, bearing the word “Howcott”
covers William Henry’s grave and also several adjacent plots that lack
individual markers. The names “Lawrence” and “Herman” appear on the western
edge of this concrete and probably refer to two of his sons.
Notes Much of the information about Miles comes from
the files about his military service and the pension applications that he and
his widow submitted in later years. These are held by the National Archives
and Records Administration, Washington DC. It is necessary to register and
sign in before getting access to some of the records at FamilySearch – there
is no charge for this. [1] Records that give an age for Miles are as
follows:
[2]
Marriage licences for Washington county, 1894-1902, vol 3-4 : https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G94V-SHJK?mode=g&i=134&wc=QZM2-SQN%3A1588773525%2C1588773524%3Fcc%3D1726957&cc=1726957 [3] The list is image 9 in a file relating to
the administration of Charles R Howcott’s estate that can be seen at: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-23038-33227-60?cc=1911121 [4] A transcript of the will of Charles R
Howcott can be seen at: http://www.howcutt.org/charles%20r%201845.htm [5] On 29 June 1902, Miles stated he had been
enrolled at New Bern, North Carolina but his military record says that Miles
was enlisted at Plymouth by Captain Jones. [6] The Forgotten
Sons: North Carolina in the Union Army – Part III From Contraband into
Soldiers. [7] As stated by Miles on 4 August 1898. [8] Washington county courthouse: Deed book
N, pages 483-484. [9]
Washington
county NC real estate conveyances. Book R, pages 347-8 & 351. [10] On 31 July 1922,
Samuel Wiggins (aged 80) and W H Howcott (aged 67) testified that Roxanna
Hassell, Miles Howcott’s second wife, died in May 1902. On 25 January 1923,
other witnesses testified that Roxanna had died in or about 1904. When Mary
Allen Howcott applied on 1 July 1905 to receive the pension accruing until
Miles’ death, she said that Roxanna had died in January 1904 at New York. [11] Evidence in the
pension application by Mary Allen Howcott. [12] Washington
county NC real estate conveyances. Book R, pages 560-1. [13] Miles confirmed
his son’s date of birth in a statement that he made on 4 August 1898. [14] When Catherine married, her
surname was given as McRae (her step-father’s name) but other records have it
as Davis (her father’s name). [15] https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-28095-10806-42?cc=1911121&wc=MM5Q-6SG:132925572 [16] Date of death from William
Henry’s death certificate. However, the death certificate inaccurately says
that he was aged 65 years 7 months 18 days and gave his birth year as 1866.
The certificate identifies Miles as his father. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
