This is the last installment in my series of randomness and researching local history. From the last post, we discovered an African American farmer named John Grice buried in the Caucasian Huggins Family Cemetery. I tried to dive in to find his connection to the Huggins family.
John E. Grice the Farmer
John was born between 1883 and 1888. His year of birth is questionable due to different censuses that listed him with different birth years. However, his death certificate stated his birth year as 1888. He was born in Craven County, North Carolina to Moses Grice and Ella Harris Grice, both born in Onslow County. He died 21 Nov 1935 of chronic nephritis. His death certificate stated that he was buried the next day at “Huggins Place by friends.” In order for John Grice to be buried in the Huggins family cemetery plot, there must be some connection to the Huggins/Canaday family. So let’s work this backwards…
Death Certificate of John Grice
Census Records
Since John died in 1935 and we’ve viewed his death certificate, the next document reviewed was the 1930 census. In 1930, John lived on a farm he rented with his wife Lula McLamb Grice and children on Highway 24 (no cross street listed). His children were Susie (b. 1912), Donzie (b. 30 May 1913), Marvin Woodrow (b. 26 Nov 1914), Viola (b. 1918), Daisy Bell (b. 24 Sep 1921) and Eula (b. 1924). From maps viewed, this area was still within the downtown Jacksonville area near Railroad, Ann, New Bridge and Old Bridge Streets.
In 1920, John Grice lived on New Bridge Street in a rented home with his wife and four children – Charlie (b. 1904), Beatrice (b. 17 Feb 1909), Susie (b. 1912) and Donzie (b. 30 May 1913). John worked as a laborer. Old Bridge and Railroad Streets are within the radius of the Huggins Family Cemetery. Were they friends or neighbors? Did John Grice work for the Huggins/Canaday families? Inquiring minds want to know!
Unfortunately, John and his family could not be located on the 1910 census. John was married by 1910 because his son Charlie was born in 1904; however, no record for Lula Grice could be located either. I found a death certificate for their daughter Beatrice who died 29 July 1923 and is also buried at the Huggins Farm (that was a surprise).
In 1900, John lived in the household with his parents Moses Grice and Ella Harris Grice and siblings David (b. 1883), Hannah (b. 1890), and Moses Jr. (1893). His parents got married in 1884. Moses worked as a farm laborer who rented a house eight homes away from the families of John Huggins and Tina Huggins, the African American Huggins! The plot thickens!
Death Certificate of Beatrice Grice
Death Certificates Can Tell A Story
A total of four African American Grices had Huggins Farm listed as their cemetery:
Moses Grice, Jr. (1921-1924)
John Grice (1888-1935)
Beatrice Grice (1909-1923)
Lelly Grice (1900-1923)
This information led me to one conclusion – the Grice family had to be enslaved by the Huggins family (death certificates weren’t required in North Carolina until 1913 so there might have been more Grices buried on the Huggins Farm). We knew from Part 1 that Owen Huggins, inferred uncle of Augustus Cicero Huggins, owned slaves so this should not be a surprise. Because so many African Americans were buried on land that they did not own, this is one reasonable possibility. Another possibility is that the Grice family were sharecroppers on Huggins land. Either way, it is comforting to know that the Huggins family showed kindness by allowing them space to bury their dead.
The Conclusion
Now, do you remember the original question I posed in Part 1 of my randomness (It’s ok if you don’t remember – after all it was 25 March 2022)? My question pertained to wondering if the current resting place for Augustus Huggins in the middle of Downtown Jacksonville in an obscure plot was the family land of the Huggins Family? Well, after reviewing the North Carolina Land Grant Files, 1693-1960 for Onslow County on Ancestry, I found that Owen Huggins owned 370 acres of land in Onslow County, most of it near the New River Inlet and Downtown Jacksonville area. That acreage would be the same area where those gravestones are now. So yes! It was family land. Whew…mystery solved!
Sidebar
Thank you for indulging me with my 4-part series! I encourage everyone to start researching local history in their hometown, either by going to your county/state museum (mine is Onslow County Museum) or your local library which usually has a local history and genealogy section. This goes to show you how far I am willing to research a genealogical question. If you are interested in knowing more about your family history and would like me to do the research for you, click here for more information.
We continue the genealogical research from the last time with two broken headstones left (https://familymattersgenealogy.com/?p=352). This was going to be a challenge. The third headstone, the broken headstone, only had the death date showing. This was a true mystery. However, I know enough about detective work with my extensive training through Law & Orders episodes to be a super sleuth! By inputting the death year and location on www.findagrave.com, I was able to narrow down 5 possible records. Fortunately, only one exact match coincided to the death date. Canelum David Canaday died 10 Sep 1879 – this date matched the broken tombstone. His family buried him in the Huggins Cemetery We know from Part 2 that:
Canelum was the son of Richard Canaday.
Richard Canaday was the father of Laura D. Canaday Huggins, the 2nd wife of Augustus Huggins.
Therefore, Canelum is the brother of Laura Canaday Huggins!
The Brother
Canelum Canaday was born 28 Oct 1849 to Richard and Harriet Burns Canaday in Carteret County, North Carolina. He appeared on the 1850, 1860 and 1870 censuses living in the household with his parents and siblings. There is no military record for Canelum who died 10 Sep 1879 at the age of 30-years-old of consumption (tuberculosis) as recorded on the Federal Census Mortality Schedules 1850-1885. However, he was listed as a seaman who resided in Wilmington, NC at the time of his death. He filed his last will and testament in Onslow County where his parents and siblings lived. He left his estate to his mother Harriet who could share the inheritance with his siblings Henry, Catherine, David and Alexander.
Surprise Discovery
The fourth headstone broke below where the date would have been. I had absolutely no information to go by, therefore I went back to Findagrave.com. When I conducted a search of the Huggins Cemetery, I did not expect to find much…I was wrong! According to Findagrave.com, six people are interred in this little cemetery! Of course, it is possible that headstones were removed from either disrepair or vandalism. Of course, I returned to the site! I looked closely at the area – I did not see any indentations in the earth to suspect the removal of any headstones. This was an amazing discovery. So I had to dig deeper (no pun intended). The broken headstone could be one of three people:
Harriet Canaday, the wife of Richard Canaday, born 28 Feb 1827 – makes sense.
Laura Devane Canaday Huggins, the 2nd wife of Augustus Huggins, born 18 Sep 1851 – makes sense.
John Grice, an African American farmer, was born between 1883 and 1888. Now this does NOT make sense!
Who is John Grice???
Genealogical Research for the Unknown
Million dollar question of the day! Harriet and Laura buried in the Huggins Cemetery makes sense. But why John Grice? How was he connected to the Huggins/Canaday family? Time to do more genealogical research. It will be the final post in this series.
Let’s pick up where we left off, shall we? In the previous post, I was exploring Onslow County history (read https://familymattersgenealogy.com/?p=339 if you need to catch up). I found some random gravestones in a random place; since I love randomness, I had to research it. The second headstone I researched was a flat grave marker located next to Augustus Huggins. It belonged to Richard Canaday.
Richard Cornelius Canaday
His full name was Richard Cornelius Canaday according to his son Alexander’s South Carolina death certificate. Canaday was born 21 Oct 1822 in Carteret County, NC.
Richard was married to Harriet Burns, whose maiden name was confirmed on the death certificates of their sons Alexander and David. NC Historical Records Survey Cemetery Inscription cards recorded his burial at the Canaday Cemetery. However, the US Veterans’ Gravesites recorded him as being buried in the Huggins Cemetery. Well, we know which document is correct…Huggins Cemetery!
1840s through 1850s
According to the 1850 US Federal Census, Richard Canaday lived in Bogue Sound, Carteret County with real estate valued at $500. He worked as a Blacksmith and owned 3 slaves according to the 1850 US Federal Census – Slave Schedules. He lived with his wife Harriet and children:
Henry C. (born about 1845)
Margaret (born about 1847)
Canelum (born about 1849)
Nancy Canaday (born about 1791) lived in Richard’s household. It is most likely she was Richard’s mother. A review of the 1840 census revealed that there was a Cornelius Canaday who lived in Carteret County, NC with his family and children. Unfortunately, this census did not list the names of others living in the household. Reviewing North Carolina Marriage Bonds 1741-1868, there was a Cornelius Canaday that married a Nancy Read on 1 July 1827 in Carteret County. Well, if these were his parents, Richard Cornelius was born out of wedlock. This was a no-no back in the day!
1860s through 1870s
The 1860 US Federal Census moved Richard Canaday and his family to Swansboro in Onslow County (Nancy no longer lived in the household…RIP Nancy). He worked as an engineer with real estate valued at $500. There were two new additions to the family:
Laura (born about 1853)
Olivia (born about 1856)
He served as a Captain in the Confederate States Army, attached to the 21st NC Confederate Militia. After the war, he continued to live in Swansboro with his family according to the 1870 US Federal Census. He worked as a blacksmith with real estate valued at $1000 and personal property valued at $200. Their family kept expanding. Two more children were born into the family:
Catharine (born about 1862)
David (born about 1864)
By the 1880 US Federal Census, Richard moved to Jacksonville Township in Onslow County with his family and worked as a mechanic. Finally, the last child Alexander, was born about 1871. The enumerator noted that he was sick, suffering from the condition carbuncle. Carbuncle is a painful cluster of boils under the skin.
Connections
I couldn’t understand why Augustus Huggins and Richard Canaday were buried together on this little plot of land. What is the connection? Were they family? How were they family? Well, I found out the answers to my questions. The connection between Augustus Huggins and Richard Canaday was through marriage! Richard was Augustus’s father-in-law! Augustus was married to Laura Canaday and Richard was Laura’s father. A double obituary in The Daily Journal (New Bern, NC) had Richard who died 15 Mar 1888 presumably of old age and his daughter Laura Huggins died 17 Mar 1888 of pneumonia.
Two graves down, two more to go! Of course, this will be a post for another day.
Sidebar
You can learn a lot about the living through their death. Obituaries, funeral programs and cemeteries give great amounts of family information. Newspaper obituaries list immediate family members. Unfortunately, they are expensive; family members purposely keep them short. Funeral programs are less expensive; therefore, they are more lengthy than an obituary. This is an excellent source to tell the story of a person’s life. Ancestry has a collection of Virginia African American Funeral Programs which should be a treasure trove of information for Black Virginians (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61906/). Cemetery cards have great information that can be used for genealogy purposes. As a contributor for www.findagrave.com, there are many requests for pictures of headstones to confirm death dates and where people are buried.
I pride myself in being extremely random. I love to learn new things, especially about history. Since I am a transplant to this area, it’s good to know local history. Yeah, I know…kinda geekish but it’s my jam.
I was in downtown Jacksonville NC finishing up some professional headshots on a beautiful Saturday morning. As I started to drive off, I noticed confederate flags sticking out of the ground on a plot at the back corner of a parking lot. I decided to explore why the flags were there. I walked up some rotted wooden stairs and it surprised me to discover four gravestones – two Confederate Army soldiers and two broken headstones. Curiosity killed the cat which led me to do some research. I do this in my spare time to keep my genealogical researching skills sharp. I researched the names on the headstones.
Augustus Cicero Huggins
The first headstone belonged to Augustus Cicero Huggins. He was born in Callabusha, Yalobusha County, Mississippi in 1841 according to his Civil War Soldier Record. His father, Lewis Williams Huggins, Esq (1807-1845) was born in Onslow County, NC. His mother, Julia Anna Armstrong (1820-1850), was born in Florida. A 1845 article in The Constitutionalist newspaper listed his father was one of eight people that died as a result of a fire aboard the steamer Path Finder on the Mississippi River.
After, his father’s death, his mother ran the family farm. The real estate was valued at $2500 and her occupation was a planter, according to the 1850 US Federal Census. Augustus lived in the household of his mother, Julia Huggins and sister Pauline in Yalobusha, Mississippi. Mississippi Wills and Probate records revealed that Augustus and Pauline’s mother died intestate (without a will) in 1850. The children were appointed an estate administrator and a guardian (Hugh Torrance).
Mississippi to North Carolina
The 1860 US Federal Census listed Augustus and his sister Pauline living in the Half Moon district of Onslow County . He and his sister moved from Mississippi to their father’s hometown of Jacksonville, Onslow County. They lived in the household of Owen Huggins (born about 1803), a farmer who owned $70,000 in real estate and $100,000 in personal property. Augustus’s relationship to Owen Huggins is uncertain. However, Owen could possibly be their uncle and the reason that Augustus and Pauline returned to their father’s birthplace. Owen was a wealthy planter who owned slaves according to the 1850 and 1860 US Federal Censuses – Slave Schedules. Augustus and Pauline possessed $16,000 in personal property, presuming that this was their inheritance after their mother’s death.
Farmer of Onslow County
As a 20-years-old farmer, he enlisted as a Private in the 24th NC Infantry Company B of the Confederate States Army (C.S.A.) on 6 May 1861 in Onslow County. By 25 Jul 1863, he was promoted to Sergeant Major. On 17 Nov 1866, he married to Agnes Ward according to the North Carolina Marriage Bonds 1741-1868. I could not find what happened to Agnes Ward Huggins. She must have died shortly after the birth of their daughter Agnes Ward Huggins (born about 1868).
According to the 1870 US Federal Census for the town of Jacksonville, Post Office Onslow Courthouse, he lived with his 2nd wife Laura Devane Canaday Huggins (born about 1854), 2-year-old daughter Agnes, servant Margaret Aman (12-year-old white servant), Leonard Morton (21-year-old white farm laborer) and James Thompson (18-year-old white farm laborer). His occupation was Probate Judge; he owned $900 in real estate and $600 in personal property. There was something strange about his 2nd wife Laura. We will touch on this later.
Scandal??
According to the 1880 US Federal Census for the village of Jacksonville, Augustus was living with his 2nd wife Laura, daughter Agnes and daughter Eugenia (born about 1871) in Onslow County. His occupation was Clerk of the Superior Court. I located a marriage record of Augustus and Laura dated 10 Feb 1890 according to the North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. I was confused! According to the 1870 census, they were cohabitating with 2-year-old Agnes. Was it possible that Augustus and Laura lived in sin between 1870 to 1890? Was she the nanny that became the lover? This was uncommon for this era. Unfortunately, we will never know the truth.
Augustus C. Huggins died in 1896 in Onslow County and was buried in the Huggins Family Cemetery. But wait! I was at his grave in the middle of town! Is it possible that where he is currently buried was the family land of the Huggins Family? The plot thickens!
Hmm…this seems like a good blog post for another day.
If you’re ever in Onslow County, check out the Onslow County Museum! They specialize in local history. I loved volunteering there when I worked on my Masters. http://www.onslowcountync.gov/museum
