OAK TREE COULD FALL ON CHURCH, HISTORIC GRAVE High Shoals United Methodist members seek help removing it HIGH SHOALS, NC - The old cemetery doesn't belong to High Shoals United Methodist Church, but members look after if anyway. For decades, it has been :a volunteer effort; and now they need help. The burying ground of 1826 vintage is one of Gaston County's most historic the, final stop for John Fulenwider, Swiss immigrant; Revolutionary War patriot and founder of a local. iron industry that supplied cannonballs to Americans during the War of 1812. An N.C. historical marker identifies his grave, located in the cemetery on Old U.S. 321 right beside the small church: Although High .Shoals United Methodist doesn't own the cemetery, which has at least a dozen other grave markers, members mow the grass and pick up litter and large tree limbs. Outoftown Fulenwider relatives used to send money for the services, but their checks and inquiries. stopped coming about 20 years ago, members say. Meanwhile, the oncethriving church is down to about 36 members, who are mostly elderly. They think it's time for someone to take over the abandoned cemetery, now threatened by the collapse of a 100yearoldplus oak tree. They estimate it would take thousands of dollars to remove the dead tree, which could fall and uproot Fulenwider's grave and even damage the church building, erected in 1902. "People have always assumed the cemetery was ours, but it's not," says Charles Alexander, 79; a 40year church member. "The cemetery is not just about the history of High Shoals," she says. "It's about the history of the whole county and this part of the country. It should be taken care of." High Shoals Mayor, Pat Yarbrough will ask Gaston commissioners for help with the cemetery's upkeep. She says the financially strapped town of 600: might provide some assistance; but it would. first need an OK from somebody presumably the county: Wilma Craig of the Gaston Historical Society estimates there are more than 100 abandoned family cemeteries in the county.. Some are maintained by private groups, but others are in bad shape: "They get preserved only when there are people around who give a hoot," she says. "These cemeteries need a lot of tender, loving care and a lot of hard work." She calls the cemetery keepers from the church unsung heroes. State Rep. Dan Barefoot of Lincolnton mentions John Fulenwider in his book "Touring Revolutionary War Sites in North Carolina." He calls Fulenwider a "very remarkable man, one, of our earliest settlers and a pioneer industrialist." Gaston Commission Chairman Gene Kimbro says interest in abandoned cemeteries is growing. Under N.C. statutes, the responsibility for abandoned cemeteries , rests .with counties, but, Kimbro says, "It's a very old law." The original statute; passed in 1917, authorizes commissioners to appropriate from the general fund of the .county "whatever sums may be necessary" for, preservation of abandoned. cemeteries. It also authorizes appointment of a fivemember board of trustees that can accept gifts and donations for upkeep. Last year, commissioners appointed a cemetery committee, but the group hasn't held a meeting yet. Kimbro thinks commissioners would take a close look at the High Shoals cemetery situation and "do whatever we can." Lincoln County Historical Coordinator Darrell Harkey has volunteered to help preserve the High Shoals cemetery. The Fulenwider foundry was once inside Lincoln County, and Harkey says the operation played an important role in Lincoln history. He's planning to check out the cemetery and dead tree. "Maybe we can recruit some labor. I've got a number of people I could call,": Harkey says. "I'll certainily see what I could do about removing the tree." The big oak towers inside a afoothigh rock wall surrounding John Fulenwider's .large, flat grave marker. Also within the wall is a large holly tree and a tangle of poke weeds and poison ivy where tree frogs and cicadas drone. Despite their age, the rock wall and gravestone are still impressive testaments to the high regard in which Fulenwider was held in the frontier community. Born in Switzerland in 1756, Fulenwider first settled in Rowan County and got caught up in the Revolutionary War. Fighting on the Patriot side, he took part in the battles of Ramsour's Mill and Kings Mountain. In 1795, Gaston, County's rich iron deposits attracted him and he started the High Shoats Iron Works on the South Fork River. Fulenwider also had furnaces in what is now Lincoln County and transported iron to the South Fork finishing plant in muledrawn carts that rolled along wooden tracks. During the War of 1812, cannonballs manufactured at his foundry were floated downriver to Charleston for use by American forces. The Fulenwider operation also turned out nails, horseshoes, wagon tires and farm tools. Fulenwider married Elizabeth Ellis, the aunt of N.C. governor John W. Ellis. They had eight children. When Fulenwider died in 1826, he owned 20,000 acres in the GastonLincoln area. Over the years, the iron works changed hands and finally shut down after the Civil War. High Shoals United Methodist Church members will keep doing what they can to make the cemetery look nice. Says Alexander, "No matter who owns the property, it's still a sacred place." [Charlotte Observer, Saturday, July 22, 2000, pg. 2B]

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Looking for some clarification on the Ikerd family information on the County website and other queries. 1. Johann George Ikerd (23 Apr 1759-bwt 1830 and 1840 or Aug 1836) s/o Peter Ikerd marries abt 1780 Mary Barbara Fry (abt 1762- aft 1800) d/o Phillip Fry. Does anyone know how they proved the relationship between Phillip and Mary Barbara? 2. Susannah Ikerd (28 Jan 1757- aft 1826) d/o Peter Ikerd marries Phillip Fry s/o Nicholas Fry. Is there some proof of this marriage? I am hoping someone can help me out with these folks. Thanks, Karen

Hi everyone! I am hoping to find some information on my great-grandfather's siblings. My great-grandfather, James H.L. Clarke was born June 10, 1888. His parents were James A. Clark and Maggie Farr of Burke County. James H.L. Clarke's brothers and sisters are: Mary S. Clarke- born Sept. 29, 1882 Arthur B. Clarke- born July 22, 1884 Lewis A. Clarke- born December 5, 1886 Lollie B. Clarke- August 22, 1890 Ellie Clarke-born September 6, 1899 Ruth Clarke-born March 24, 1901 They were all born in Burke County. Anyother information is greatly appreciated! Denise Clarke

I wish to thank Derick Hartshorn, Kurt Hahn, Martha Knapp and Sharon Sustar for answering my search on Fannie Cline White. Late this afternoon I drove my 78 yr. old mother to Fairview Cemetery in Hickory, NC. We visited the graves of her grandparents and of her ggrandmother Fannie Cline White. Fannie's monument reads wife of P. H. White b. July 6, 1824 d. Nov. 1, 1914 aged 90 y 3 mo. 25 d. My mother had visited these graves many times. Then we drove up 321, crossed the Catawba River Bridge just into Caldwell Co. to visit a graveyard we had never seen. We turned onto Grace Church Rd. then on to Rocky Mt. Rd. and discovered a very old cemetery, which overlooks a beautiful section of Lake Hickory. My G-Aunt tells me that Pinkney Henderson White fought in the War Between the States, died of the fever and is buried in an unmarked grave in this very old cemetery which appears to maybe have been a Sherrill Plantation Cemetery (?). Sharon Sustar provided me with Regiment and Co. information on my gggrandfather. Thanks to all of you my mother & I had a wonderful evening together exploring our heritage. Linda

Thanks Cousin Agnes. Well said. My father had a box of old photographs stored in his garage. In this box, there were photographs and documents well over one hundred years old. There was a flood and fortunately, the photos weren't damaged. He continued to store the box in the garage until I rescued it and took it to my home. I have spent the past two years scanning and retouching and identifying the old photos. Also, I've been preserving old newspaper and yellowing photos with an archival solution to neutralize the acids in the paper. Since then, I have been acquiring other old photos and letters from many family members. My work continues... This is truly a labor of love. Kurt > Subject: [Catawba-West] record preservation > Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 12:19:03 -0600 > From: "Agnes E. Cloninger" <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > > Malinda and Emma and all of you, > > Ladies, ladies please be a bit more circumspect - nothing we get alarmed > about now will help preserve records ruined by the uninformed. They will > always be with us. Some of the things that are destroyed by understaffed > libraries, however well educated that staff may be, would make your blood > run cold. Our only salvation through the years has been the volunteers who > rush to such scenes of disaster and rake through the ruins to preserve > anything they can fine. > > We - you and I and anyone else who reads these messages are the ones > responsible for salvaging and preserving records. We do not pay civil > employees at the librarian level enough money to allow them to do such > archival chores. Most archivists (small places may not even hire one) have > a full time job just keeping up with the day to day obligations. Preserving > records that are waterlogged and in danger of contaminating everything else > in sight is not possible, in most areas. > > Incensed as we may be at the staggering amount of lost records, we > absolutely must place the blame where it belongs: On a general public who > do not give a hoot, and who would refuse to raise their own taxes enough to > hire more staff for the area archives, so as to assure there are enough > bodies to cope with disaster. > > Please - enough finger pointing, support your local genealogical society, > become active in that society, pay your dues, offer your help, give them > some cash, whatever it takes - the internet is great for sharing > information but no matter how hard we try there is no way to preserve > records without being where they are and helping HANDS ON. > > End of lecture > > Agnes E. Cloninger > > ______________________________ > >

Sorry Folks about sending this to the list, but I have lost his Email address. Phillip: Here is the information you asked about: John Simmerly b. 4 May 1753 Altdorf, Germany Came to SC at age 13 Enlisted in RW in Lincoln Co., NC and received Land grant in Washington Co., TN 1778 for 300A. Applied for RW pension #R9573 25 Nov 1844 age 92, in Blount Co., TN after having lived the first 10 years in Carter Co., TN. I could not find the Simmerly book locally, but contact Frank Simmerly, 4531 Hillard Ave. La Canada, CA 91011... This came from the Carter Co., TN Heritage book... and RW pension abstracts. Sorry this is the best I could do... Lorena ____________________________________________________________________ Get your own FREE, personal Netscape WebMail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com.

My brother-in-law, who is an Overman, tells me his German Ancestors came from Conn.>Penn>NC, settling in the Pasquatoc (sp???) Co. Area (old Albemarle). These Overmans came to Rowan Co. and eventually moved on to Indiana about 1800 or so. He says that there was a band of preachers making the rounds in our fine western counties preaching anti-slavery and urging folks there to migrate to river valleys in indiana and Ohio, in an effort to escape farming amidst this practice. This was interesting to me because my Moses Hearne's (of Lincoln Co. 1782/185?) father was a James Hearne of Rowan Co. who migrated from Maryland>NC>Ohio migrating to Ohio about this same time, 1802, Leaving the sons of his first wife in North Carolina. I have always wondered why he would have moved off north instead of a more southerly migration as the rest of the Hearnes have done. Does anyone know anything about these "anti-slavery" preachers?? Would this be a connection to a possible Quaker or other such sects influence in the Catawba Region, if any ??? Mike Hearne Merritt Island fl.

Am about to have the Engle/Lackey family reunion at Flay and my brother-in-law ask me to get information on his family so he could find them while he is there. He was born out of wedlock in 1944. His father was Fred Matthews from Newton. He never met the man and understands he might have brothers and sisters in the area. Fred died in 1984 and is buried in Newton. If you have information please let me know so I can let him know. Sally Roberts

Extremely well put - thank you! Diane Smith - Tennessee ----- Original Message ----- From: "Agnes E. Cloninger" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, July 16, 2000 2:19 PM Subject: [Catawba-West] record preservation > Malinda and Emma and all of you, > > Ladies, ladies please be a bit more circumspect - nothing we get alarmed > about now will help preserve records ruined by the uninformed. They will > always be with us. Some of the things that are destroyed by understaffed > libraries, however well educated that staff may be, would make your blood > run cold. Our only salvation through the years has been the volunteers who > rush to such scenes of disaster and rake through the ruins to preserve > anything they can fine. > > We - you and I and anyone else who reads these messages are the ones > responsible for salvaging and preserving records. We do not pay civil > employees at the librarian level enough money to allow them to do such > archival chores. Most archivists (small places may not even hire one) have > a full time job just keeping up with the day to day obligations. Preserving > records that are waterlogged and in danger of contaminating everything else > in sight is not possible, in most areas. > > Incensed as we may be at the staggering amount of lost records, we > absolutely must place the blame where it belongs: On a general public who > do not give a hoot, and who would refuse to raise their own taxes enough to > hire more staff for the area archives, so as to assure there are enough > bodies to cope with disaster. > > Please - enough finger pointing, support your local genealogical society, > become active in that society, pay your dues, offer your help, give them > some cash, whatever it takes - the internet is great for sharing > information but no matter how hard we try there is no way to preserve > records without being where they are and helping HANDS ON. > > End of lecture > > Agnes E. Cloninger > > > > > ==== CATAWBA-WEST Mailing List ==== > 781,000+ surnames =|= Archives =|= 16,100 discussion listss > Your gracious donations to RootsWeb makes this all possible. > RootsWeb Gen. Data Coop. Box 6798 Frazier Park, CA 93222 > > ____________NetZero Free Internet Access and Email_________ Download Now http://www.netzero.net/download/index.html Request a CDROM 1-800-333-3633 ___________________________________________________________

Just discovered that I have a Cline ancestor. Can anyone give me any information on Fannie Cline that married Phillip White. Phillip White fought in the War Between the States and died of the fever. Fannie Cline White later married a Hahn. She was my gggrandmother and I was told this information this afternoon by a great aunt who is 85 yrs. old along with other wonderful oral history stories. One story went this way: she recalls a former slave that was owned by the Winkler family, whose farm was across the river from the White farm. After the Proclamation the former slave frequently visited the White family until he died. She remembers him always saying he wished slavery would come back because then he had plenty to eat and a good place to stay. Linda

Malinda and Emma and all of you, Ladies, ladies please be a bit more circumspect - nothing we get alarmed about now will help preserve records ruined by the uninformed. They will always be with us. Some of the things that are destroyed by understaffed libraries, however well educated that staff may be, would make your blood run cold. Our only salvation through the years has been the volunteers who rush to such scenes of disaster and rake through the ruins to preserve anything they can fine. We - you and I and anyone else who reads these messages are the ones responsible for salvaging and preserving records. We do not pay civil employees at the librarian level enough money to allow them to do such archival chores. Most archivists (small places may not even hire one) have a full time job just keeping up with the day to day obligations. Preserving records that are waterlogged and in danger of contaminating everything else in sight is not possible, in most areas. Incensed as we may be at the staggering amount of lost records, we absolutely must place the blame where it belongs: On a general public who do not give a hoot, and who would refuse to raise their own taxes enough to hire more staff for the area archives, so as to assure there are enough bodies to cope with disaster. Please - enough finger pointing, support your local genealogical society, become active in that society, pay your dues, offer your help, give them some cash, whatever it takes - the internet is great for sharing information but no matter how hard we try there is no way to preserve records without being where they are and helping HANDS ON. End of lecture Agnes E. Cloninger

Thank you Emma.....so was I malinda [email protected] wrote: > Hello, > I did not get the idea that this gentleman was the cause of any of these > decisions. I think he was simply trying to explain what happened and offer > his services in any way he could. > Thanks - Emma > > In a message dated 7/15/2000 10:32:08 PM Central Daylight Time, > [email protected] writes: > > << Dear Mr Futch..... > > I am appalled that these treasures would be treated in such a manner ! If > you'll forgive my saying so, it is a no-brainer that wet anything put in > plastic bags will rot. > > Do you all have any Archivists that know any thing about Archival > preservation > ? If not , I would be happy to recommend someone to you. > > malinda jones >>

I was utterly sincere .....if they don't know how to archive antique documents...or restore them, there are other people who do know how. For all I know, some of my ancestral documents might have received such cavalier treatment at their hands. And I didn't destroy anything. Perhaps my "searing comments" might wake someone up ! malinda [email protected] wrote: > Malinda: > > Equally as destructive are your searing comments! > > Alta Mitchem Durden - [email protected]

Hello, I did not get the idea that this gentleman was the cause of any of these decisions. I think he was simply trying to explain what happened and offer his services in any way he could. Thanks - Emma In a message dated 7/15/2000 10:32:08 PM Central Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: << Dear Mr Futch..... I am appalled that these treasures would be treated in such a manner ! If you'll forgive my saying so, it is a no-brainer that wet anything put in plastic bags will rot. Do you all have any Archivists that know any thing about Archival preservation ? If not , I would be happy to recommend someone to you. malinda jones >>

Malinda: Equally as destructive are your searing comments! Alta Mitchem Durden - [email protected]

Dear Mr Futch..... I am appalled that these treasures would be treated in such a manner ! If you'll forgive my saying so, it is a no-brainer that wet anything put in plastic bags will rot. Do you all have any Archivists that know any thing about Archival preservation ? If not , I would be happy to recommend someone to you. malinda jones [email protected] wrote: > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > Subject: Catawba County Courthouse > Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2000 15:27:37 -0400 > From: Jeff Futch <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > > Dear Ms. Durden, > > I received an e-mail from Kim Cumber who works at the N.C. State Archives > located Raleigh. I too work for the State Archives out of our western > office located in Asheville. I believe you mentioned my name in an e-mail > you sent back on July 6, 2000. I've been out of the office on vacation and > didn't read your e-mail till today (Kim forwarded it to me). Here is the > story as I know it. Sometime ago there was a water problem at the old > Catawba County Courthouse in Newton. I don't know if it was the result of > a flood or simply a water line break. Many of the loose wet records > (civil, criminal, estates, etc.) were placed in large plastic bags and > stored in the basement of the courthouse in Newton. I am not aware of any > courthouse located Maiden. You might want to contact Sid Halma (828) > 465-0383 and see if he knows anything about a courthouse in Maiden. He > runs the Catawba County Historical Museum located in the old courthouse in > Newton. In 1993 I was contacted by the clerk of court regarding the > transfer of older records to the State Archives. All the loose paper > records that still existed from the mid 1800s to around 1960 were still > stored in the old courthouse in Newton, even though the county had moved > all its offices to the new courthouse (just down the road from the old > courthouse, but still in Newton) several years earlier. We have boxed > around 35 cubic feet to date. There are still more records stored there > and we hope to complete the transfer later this summer. During the course > of boxing we came across the large plastic bags I mentioned. We went > through these records as best we could, but they were by then covered in > mold and beginning to rot. Many of these records were destroyed by us with > the approval of the clerk of court because they simply could not be saved. > Several of the boxes sent to Raleigh contained mold covered records which > may or may not have been saved, I've never check into it. I would be happy > to discuss this situation over the phone if you like. (828) 274-6789 If I > knew what records you were looking for perhaps I could look into that as > well. Kim Cumber knows what is stored in Raleigh, but she doesn't know > what is still in the old courthouse in Newton awaiting transfer. Hope this > is helpful. > > Jeff Futch > Western Office - Asheville

--part1_68.57996d4.26a2741f_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit --part1_68.57996d4.26a2741f_boundary Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Disposition: inline Return-Path: <[email protected]> Received: from rly-zb01.mx.aol.com (rly-zb01.mail.aol.com [172.31.41.1]) by air-zb02.mail.aol.com (v75_b1.4) with ESMTP; Thu, 13 Jul 2000 15:22:50 -0400 Received: from ncsl.dcr.state.nc.us (ncsl.dcr.state.nc.us [204.211.39.14]) by rly-zb01.mx.aol.com (v75.18) with ESMTP; Thu, 13 Jul 2000 15:21:34 -0400 Received: from jfutch (sys5.dcr.state.nc.us [208.143.90.246] (may be forged)) by ncsl.dcr.state.nc.us (8.9.3/8.9.3) with SMTP id PAA09717 for <[email protected]>; Thu, 13 Jul 2000 15:18:57 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <[email protected]> X-Sender: [email protected] (Unverified) X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Light Version 3.0.1 (32) Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2000 15:27:37 -0400 To: [email protected] From: Jeff Futch <[email protected]> Subject: Catawba County Courthouse Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Dear Ms. Durden, I received an e-mail from Kim Cumber who works at the N.C. State Archives located Raleigh. I too work for the State Archives out of our western office located in Asheville. I believe you mentioned my name in an e-mail you sent back on July 6, 2000. I've been out of the office on vacation and didn't read your e-mail till today (Kim forwarded it to me). Here is the story as I know it. Sometime ago there was a water problem at the old Catawba County Courthouse in Newton. I don't know if it was the result of a flood or simply a water line break. Many of the loose wet records (civil, criminal, estates, etc.) were placed in large plastic bags and stored in the basement of the courthouse in Newton. I am not aware of any courthouse located Maiden. You might want to contact Sid Halma (828) 465-0383 and see if he knows anything about a courthouse in Maiden. He runs the Catawba County Historical Museum located in the old courthouse in Newton. In 1993 I was contacted by the clerk of court regarding the transfer of older records to the State Archives. All the loose paper records that still existed from the mid 1800s to around 1960 were still stored in the old courthouse in Newton, even th

--part1_c.7f18151.26a27304_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit --part1_c.7f18151.26a27304_boundary Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Disposition: inline Return-path: <[email protected]> From: [email protected] Full-name: AltaMDurden Message-ID: <[email protected]> Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 22:02:33 EDT Subject: Re: Catawba County Courthouse To: [email protected] CC: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], rl[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: AOL 5.0 for Windows sub 109 Bless you, Mr. Futch (and Kimberly Andersen Cumber, too), for your great deal of patience and care of old records. I have been on vacation in North Carolina for the last week or so and am just now attempting to respond to my e-mail (so you'll know it's not from a lack of interest that I have not answered.) For many years, we have searched in vain for a finalization of the estate of our ancestor, Nathaniel Mitchum, 1780-1838. He died that year in Lincoln County; however, before settlement of his estate, the county lines were changed (more than once?), and what began as administration of his estate in Lincoln County was transferred to Catawba County sometime before March 11, 1846 when his property was sold before the courthouse door in Newton by Sheriff Andrew H. Shuford, the buyer being Major Hull (coincidentally Administrator of Mitchum's estate). We have received from the Clerk of Court at Newton copies of some of the Catawba County records (including the Sheriff's Sale Deed, recorded in Book 3, pages 589-591.) His heirs-at-law were sons: Logan, Lawson, James Nathaniel, Henry, Banks, Bartlett, Murrell, twins John Robert and Aaron, as well as Sally (Mrs. Henry Johnson); Jemima (Mrs. Daniel Linn - Lynn); and Narcissa, together with the heirs of Joshua Mitchum (deceased), and the widow, Jemima Reynolds Mitchum. >From the Archives at Raleigh (and Ms. Cumber), we have many pages of the LINCOLN County estate administration, which began not long after his 1838 death, consisting of affidavits and vouchers for payment of debts, and lists of items sold (and buyers), at personal property estate sales. WHAT WE HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO LOCATE is a FINAL ACCOUNTING that may have been (or should have been) filed by Major Hull as A

> Hi everyone; > > Does anyone have the census records for Burke Co. for 1870and 1880. I am > looking for Peter Swink, he is listed in the 1860census as the son of > David Swink at the age of 13. I am looking also for a Mary Hudson, but > in the 1860 census there are 3 of them. I am hoping that in 1870 or 1880 > it may have them listed as married. They had my ancestor Omey Elizabeth > Swink Tallant in 1882. > > Thanks for any help anyone can provide. > > Kirk Cronland > Lincolnton, NC >