Col. George
Augusta
County to Pendleton District:
Col. George Rankin (1782-1854) and Mary “Polly” (Rankin)
(1787-1873)
compiled and copyrighted by Linda Sparks Starr May
2010
George, born 4 February 1782, was only five years old when his father,
Thomas
Rankin, died. Thomas, as one of the movers and shakers of Augusta
County, Virginia, was frequently away from home and the culture of the
time didn’t encourage fathers to play with their young
children. Unless Thomas was an extraordinary father, George
probably had little memory of him. Two uncles, John Rankin and
John Crawford, took special interest in the plight of this orphaned
family; but whether either took special interest in the individual
children is not known. Thus the man who made the most lasting
impression on the young George had to be his Uncle William Rankin.
Records discussed elsewhere suggest, when Thomas’s widow died
probably early fall 1791, the six orphaned children moved in with
family and friends. Evidence is compelling that George, and
perhaps his brother John, moved in with their Uncle
William Rankin and his wife Letitia (Robertson.)
This was only the beginning of several changes for the ten-year-old
George. He went from being the youngest or next to youngest child
in a family of six children to being the oldest in a family of three or
four. George’s brother John will always be the unknown factor in
discussions concerning events in these years.
George is documented in South Carolina by September 1803, the date of
the estate sale for William Orr, merchant. George Rankin
purchased
Horseman’s Cap, 1 Regimental Coat &
Pants, and 1 Lot Locks, scissors, brass ___. And in the
Estate Accounts record dated 21 December 1804, George owed the estate
$3.83. William Rankin is listed as surety for the
then 20 year old George. Clearly, George was living with William
and Letitia in 1803 and 1804. Since he was living with them in
1803, it is not unreasonable to assume he was the male, aged 16 to 26
(born 1774-1784), with them when the census taker made his rounds in
1800.
The discussion of probable members of William and Letitia’s
household in 1800 isn’t complete without comments about the
probable identity of the female born between 1784 and 1790. The
birth date for George’s wife, Mary (but usually referred to as
Polly) is given in a DAR application as 5 June 1787. As discussed
elsewhere, this female was
identified by early Rankin researchers as the daughter
of William and Lettice (Robertson) Rankin, who was also the future wife
of George. Once George and Polly’s marriage bond, identifying the
bride’s father as James Rankin, some researchers refused to
give up Lettice/Letitia Robertson as Mary’s mother. Their
explanation: Lettice was
married first to James Rankin and after his death, she married William
Rankin. They continue:
Lettice as her mother explains the multiple use of ROBERTSON as the
middle name for children in George and Mary’s line. This also
explains why the two came to South Carolina after the marriage.
Several questions are raised. Why did they marry in Virginia?
Were William and Letitia opposed to the wedding? The writing on the
back of the bond suggests other family members had no problems with
it. If elopement was the plan, they had only to cross the state
line into Georgia. The larger question in my opinion: Would two
people who had lived in the same household for roughly 15 years -- ever
since one was barely ten and the other almost five -- have thought of
themselves as anything but siblings?
Marriage
Bond
The marriage bond raises
several questions. Dated 22 September 1806, the copy of original
sent to me does not have a returned date or signature of the
minister. However another’s note says they were married by
the Rev. William Wilson. George is referred to as a bachelor; the
word means the same today as it did in 1806. Polly Rankin is
identified as a spinster. Spinster
had two meanings in the colonial period: an unmarried woman or a
spinner of yarn. [Evans p. 248] Although it is possible she was
learning to spin yard as a way to make her living as a single woman,
there is no indication Polly did anything more with yarn than the
ordinary housewife. Perhaps the term was used to hopefully
disguise her real age?
1932 A. M. Prichard notes shared by Henry Rankin: DAR records show that Mary (Polly) Rankin
was born 5 June 1787. She was, therefore, under twenty one years
of age at the date of her marriage in 1806. Her father being dead, as
stated in the marriage bond, the consent of her guardian was necessary
before license could issue for her marriage. No such consent appears in
the files, but it may have been lost.
Prichard appears to be correct in his statement that in 1806 the age of
consent to marry for both genders was a full 21 years. See here or here.
Polly as the Daughter of James
Rankin decd. is discussed within the narrative for him. The
James Rankin who signed as bondsman with George could be one of two
men: George’s Uncle James
or George’s brother
James. Prichard identified the surety as his Uncle.
Letter A. M. Prichard to Henry Rankin Sr. 1932; copied by Henry Rankin
Jr. and sent to LSS 1990s: “A
comparison of signatures seems to indicate that it was James Rankin,
the surety, who married Jane Russell, daughter of Andrew Russell on the
15 Sept 1806. The following is a tracing of the signature to his
bond.”
The back page of the bond is where the larger mystery lies.
One can only wonder
at what event led to this response: $112__Paid
Be it rem’d [crossed out that M Polly Rankin w] to all whom
it may concern that the amiable M Rankin was sold for the above sum and
let future generations know the generosity of the Rankin family ==
1988 Katherine Bushman made these comments when she mailed the bond to
LSS: “I do not think this
notation refers to an actual sale. The money probably refers to the
amount of the bond for the marriage, although they did not pay that
much to the clerk. It was simply a guarantee that the marriage was to
take place. Somebody was trying to be humorous.”
1932 notes A. M. Prichard shared by Henry Rankin Jr.: “The sum $112.00 which appears on
the back of the bond may have presented a liability claimed by
Mary’s guardian for support, or something of like nature; and the
guardian probably withheld his consent to her marriage until the groom
discharged the obligation. This would naturally have aroused his
indignation and caused him to vent his spleen according to the
endorsement on the bond. Whether that be the cause of the endorsement
or not, it is certain that George and Mary Rankin shook the dust of
Virginia from their shoes shortly after their marriage and took up
their abode in Pendleton District of South Carolina ....”
Some researchers share Ms. Bushman’s sentiments about this being
a practical joke. I personally have problems with someone taking an
official court document so lightly. Other comments include the
possibility Polly was an indentured or apprenticed servant, and this
was payment for her remaining service time. One wondered if William and
Letitia sent her to relatives in Virginia to put distance between their
budding romance. One ostensible excuse was furthering her
education; the payment was the remaining tuition. Answers to all
the above questions will have to wait until the identity of
Mary’s parents is resolved.
Pendleton
District
George and Polly didn’t tarry long in Virginia after their
marriage the fall of 1806. By September 1807 they were proud
parents of a son, Thomas Franklin, and by October they were land
owners. They purchased two
tracts, totaling 368 acres from John
and Nancy Cross.
The 200 acre lot adjoined property
owned by Benjamin Smith, John Wilson, Rankins’ Mill and the Wagon
Road. The 168 acres lot adjoined Hugh Warnock and the above plot.
No mention is made in either deed of a house and / or buildings.
George and Polly probably moved into their own home not long after this
purchase.
By March 1810 George had decided to sell his land holdings in Virginia.
He and Mary signed a power of attorney
to Matthew Blair,
resident of Augusta County, but more importantly, husband of
George’s sister
Elizabeth “Betsy” (Rankin).
Specifically, the POA gave Matthew the
power to sell all their lands lying on the middle fork of Shenandoah
River. All their interest included one-fifth interest in every
tract owned by Thomas Rankin at the time of his death plus the land
owned by their Uncle John Crawford. Crawford provided in his will
that if he should not have a child who lived to maturity his land would
go to the children of his sister, Mary Rankin. The POA was
filed in the court records of both
Pendleton District, South Carolina and Augusta County, Virginia.
The sale of land to James Bourland in 1814 was a simple grantor deed
from George and Polly (by their attorney) of their one-fifth interest
in 405 [450?] acres. It was the sale of the plot their father
Thomas received from his father and the tract they inherited from their
Uncle John Crawford where a minor problem developed. March 1813
the four appear as co-grantors, along with their brother James Rankin,
on a deed
to their Rankin uncles, James and Robert. The unexpected death of Uncle
Robert in 1815 created the need for a follow-up deed to James and the
heirs of Robert.
During these years Polly was busy with their growing family. Sons
William Robertson and James Crawford arrived in 1809 and 1811.
Daughters Letitia K. and Elizabeth Blair joined them in 1813 and 1815
respectively. The name of this second son and their eldest
daughter is the first point made by researchers arguing for Letitia
(Robertson) Rankin as Polly’s mother. The names of
eldest son Thomas, James Crawford and Elizabeth Blair are names from
George’s side of the family, as is the next daughter, Margaret
Poage.
The earliest weather
records for South Carolina show that in the year
1818 some streams in the state went dry. Perhaps that was the
underlying factor behind so many
area inhabitants moving west. George seems to have money to
spare, or perhaps just good credit. 7 February George purchased
two tracts from William Givens.
The 110 acre lot included the
house where Nathaniel Bailey then lived and adjoined Benjamin
Mullikin’s plantation and a lot owned by Matthew Warnocks and
land of said George Rankin. The other plat was for 40 and ¾
acres bounded by lots owned by Mullikan and Robert Lemon.
In July George purchased
James Rankin’s interest in the tract once owned by William Rankin
deceased. It was bounded by land left to George Rankin and
William Rankin Jr. by the Last Will and Testament of William Rankin and
also land where Wm McMurray then lived. George presumably now owned
two-thirds, thus controlling interest, in the mills. (Without the will
itself, we don’t know the exact terms.) In December he
purchased 238 acres more or less from
Solomon Boatner.
This plot lay on the West branch of Twenty Three Mile Creek and was
bounded by lands of William and Isaac Newton and David Milton.
Many of the above names were repeated in an article published in The
Anderson Intelligencer 10 March 1887:
“This section was ceded by the
Cherokee Indians to South Carolina in 1777. Soon thereafter
Robert Pickens of Revolutionary fame settled on Three & Twenty
Creek in the vicinity that afterwards became Slabtown, and was the
first pioneer settler therein. He was soon followed by Job and Benjamin
Smith, Alexander Oliver, Peter McMahan, Thomas Hamilton, George (sic)
Rankin and others. ... Rankin erected a saw mill and as slabs became
abundant they were utilized in building sheds, stalls and out houses to
such an extent as to attract the attention of some waggish traveler,
who remarked that he had reached Slabtown. ... the name stuck and hence
the origin – a town of slabs.
The second generation .... were sons of the pioneer settlers. Such
were Col. G. Rankin, Col. D. K. Hamilton, Dr. James Oliver,
Robert Pickens, Jim Smith and many others. Their necessities
required a store and a Post office, and Ex-Sheriff James McKinney, Col.
G. Rankin and William McMurry formed a partnership and began a retail
business at Slabtown and a Post office had been granted with the name
as given by the passing wag. .... a stage road opened from
Pendleton to Greenville C. H. passed directly by Slabtown at the
crossing of Three and Twenty Creek ten miles East of Pendleton C. H. ...
The second generation, above named,
were succeeded by their sons and others .... Maj. G. W. and Thomas
Rankin, Capt. James Orr, Stephen Martin, A. P. Watson, Benjamin
Mullikin and others deceased ....”
According to the 1820 Pendleton District census, George and
Polly’s household consisted of: one male under 10 (James
Crawford); 2 males 10-16 (Thomas Franklin and William Robertson);
and 1 male 26-45 (George). The four females under 10 were Letitia
K., Elizabeth Blair, Margaret Poage and Mary Jane (born 1820).
The one female 26-45 was Polly. Children born after this census
include: George Washington born 1822; John (1824-1826) and
Martha Ann born 1827. Reportedly there was one other child, gender
unknown.
George was the highest bidder at
the Sheriff’s Auction for the goods and Chattels, Lands and
Tenements of Wm M. Rankin, deed dated 30 September 1822.
William M.’s goods and chattels included “one-third part
[of the] undivided third part ... willed to the said Wm M. Rankin by
his father in remainder after the death of Mrs. Lettice Rankin
...” Thus George acquired with this purchase, all the
land his Uncle William owned at the time of William’s
death.
Anderson County
Woodworth page 710 under Descendants of Elizabeth Poage P-15:
#1534 George Rankin farmer b.
Augusta County Va Feb 4, 1782 died Anderson Co. SC Aug. 22, 1854
colonel of militia married Sept. 24, 1806 Mary Rankin, dau James R. and
Letitia Robertson (?) who died Mar. 18, 1873. – Seven children
George is referred to as Col. George Rankin in several records, and
perhaps there was a reason besides “desire” for his
purchase of the regimental accouterments at the estate sale of William
Orr in 1803. The inventory list described the outfit as Regimentals (coat, cap & pantaloons)
and the sale list as: 1
Horseman’s Cap and 1 Regimental Coat & Pants. To date
no service record or militia company with his name as commander has
been located. Specifically his name is missing from the War of 1812 pay
and muster rosters. [Sams] In the South the honorary title
Colonel is sometimes given lawyers. The nearest
“suggestion” that George might be a lawyer is his
appointment as guardian for the minor, William M. Wilson, in the 1836
division of the father’s estate. Guardians were usually
members of extended families; but the marriage that creates a
connection between the RANKIN and WILSON family is four years away.
Meanwhile, “Col. George Rankin”
is listed as an appraiser for estates in Anderson County as late as
1845. [Alexander, Elliott, Willie] The same source
tells us that George paid taxes every year between 1835 and 1848.
Some years the payment of taxes was easier than others. A
Charleston, SC paper reported the year 1845 was most “unpropitious for the planter
throughout the State, not only has the Cotton crop fallen short, but
the Corn also, and other products necessary for food; so that a
scarcity of provisions is anticipated. The same is likewise the case,
though perhaps not to an equal extent, in North Carolina and Georgia;
and it is feared that the ensuing winter will witness much suffering
among the poor in all of the above States.” [
Ancestry Newsletter citing Alton Telegraph and Democratic Review
Alton, Illinois, 20 September 1845, page 3 ]
According to the History of Weather in SC site, drought was so bad in
1848 that fish in the smaller streams died from lack of water.
The 1850 census records the George Ramkins’ (sic) household
#1083/1084 consisted of Virginia born 68 year old George, farmer, and
63 year old Mary. All others in their household were born in South
Carolina: Lettecia 37; Eliza B. 35; Margaret P. 32;
Mary Jane 30; George W. 28 mechanic; Martha
23; and 20 year
old white male Sidney Pilgrim, Laborer.
At age 72, George died 22 August 1854 intestate (without a will) in
Anderson County, South Carolina. He is buried
in the Old Rankin Cemetery near his Uncle William and Aunt
Letitia Rankin. He was
preceded in death by his sons William Robertson (1809 – before
1855 for not named in list of heirs) and John (1824-1826) and
reportedly one other child. Two grandchildren also preceded
him: Josephine (1841-1852) and Thomas Franklin Jr. (Jan-March
1853). His surviving children were: Thomas F., James C. and George W.
Rankin; Letitia K. Garvin, Elizabeth B., Margaret P., Mary J. and
Martha A. Rankin. This list of surviving children is found
in the (recorded) 10 October 1873 deed
heirs of George Rankin deceased to Mary Rankin et al.
Mary “Polly” outlived George by 19 years. A short
recitation of historic highlights during her life span includes:
She was born the year delegates from the original 13 colonies were
writing the Constitution of the newly created United States. There were
37 stars on the American flag when she died. She lived during the
Presidential terms from George Washington to Ulysses S Grant.
Polly bravely sent a son and two grandsons from South Carolina to fight
battles in the North. Unlike many, she welcomed all three home.
One was wounded in tidewater Virginia, but her son George W. and one
grandson surrendered with Lee at Appomattox. The fate of their
descendants in Mississippi and Texas is unknown.
Polly’s last few years were saddened by the loss of her
daughters, Letitia Garvin (1870) and Mary
Jane (1871) and then
her eldest son Thomas
(1872).
News of Polly’s death was
published in the Thursday morning March 27, 1873 edition of the
Anderson Intelligencer, Anderson C. H. S. C. paper. Her tombstone is
shown in this picture provided by Theresa Bowen:
Polly’s will, dated
9 January 1873 and signed with "x" mark was filed for probate 17 April
1873. After the usual requests for a decent burial and payment of
debts, she left her one-fifth
interest in land whereon I now live ... 410 acres .... plus [whatever] by the laws of inheritance I am
entitled ... of my daughter Mary J. Rankin ... to my beloved daughters
Eliza B. Rankin, Margaret P. Rankin and Martha A. Rankin ... I give to
my son Thomas F. Rankin or his legal heirs one dollar. to James C.
Rankin or his heirs one dollar. to Geo. W. Rankin or his heirs one
dollar. to F. N. Garvin & wife Letitia Garvin or their heirs one
dollar.
Entries in the estate
papers of Polly and Mary Jane are enlightening. Although Mary Jane died
in July 1871, her estate wasn’t entered for probate until the end
of January 1873, about two weeks after her mother’s will was
signed. Immediately after his appointment as administrator of Mary
Jane’s estate, George W. Rankin asked for permission to partition
and sell Mary Jane’s “small personal estate, perishable in
its nature.” Mary Jane also had one-fifth interest in 410
acres on 23 mile creek along with her mother and three sisters.
In order to force a partition George W. Rankin filed a “friendly
lawsuit” against George A. Rankins et al.
All of Mary Jane’s siblings or their heirs were named in this
undated suit; but, other records allow us to date it between 18 March
and 6 September 1873. Those named as defendants and the spouses
of the married females were:
mother Mary Rankin now dec’d;
Thomas F. Rankin now Dec’d whose children are Wm R. Rankin living
in Calhoun Ga., Geo. A. Rankin, Mary (A) M. Blassingame resident of
Pickens Co., Wilson N. Rankin, Jas C. Rankin and Margaret A.
Blassingame, all of whom are of age except (B) Margaret A. Blassingame
resident of Pickens Co.; Jas C. Rankin, a resident of Marion Co.
Mississippi, Geo. W. Rankin, Eliza B. Rankin, Margaret P. Rankin and
Martha A. Rankin, all of age & residents of Anderson County &
(x) May Boggs and (P) Sarah Orr, daughters of Letitia K. Garvin, a
dec’d sister reside in Pickens Co.
X Benj Boggs
P Frank Orr
(A) David Blassingame
(B) Addison Blassingame
News of the 6 September death of George Washington Rankin was
published in the Thursday September 11, 1873 edition of the
Anderson
Intelligencer. Administration of Mary Jane’s estate
was turned over to George W.’s widow, Mrs. L. J.
Rankin. As the new administrator, she had to start over with a
new friendly suit to partition off Mary Jane’s portion of the
land. Appraisers J. M. Smith and Jacob R. Gambrell reported 29 July
1874 the homestead tract couldn’t be partitioned without manifest
injury to the whole. Therefore,
the Probate Judge ordered the Sheriff to sell
the entire 410 acre tract. The highest bidders were Margaret P.
and Eliza B. Rankin at $300.
The photos below of George W. Rankin and Louisa Jane (Gambrell) Rankin
(wife of George W.) were shared by Theresa Bowen:
An undated
list of
names and birth dates for this family was prepared by Mary Jane
Rankin for family in Mississippi and shared by, I think, Barbara Eades.
Presumably Mary Jane was transcribing from George and Polly’s
family Bible. I identify the writer as Mary Jane (as opposed to her
mother Mary “Polly”) for the list refers to Father, Mother and our ages.
Additional information given below comes from several sources:
Thomas
Franklin (1807-1872) married Sarah Ann Orr
William Robertson (1809-before 1855) reportedly went to Mississippi,
but he might be their other child buried in the Old Rankin
Cemetery. His death date is based on no mention of him in the
list of George’s heirs dated January that year.
James Crawford (1811 – after 1873) went to Marion Co.
Mississippi. He married Harriet Emily Tynes. He was living at the
time the list of Mary Jane’s heirs was drawn up.
Letitia K. (1813-1870) married F. N. Garvin after the 1850 census was
taken, but before the 1855 division of George’s real
estate. She is buried in the Old Rankin Cemetery
Elizabeth
Blair (1815-after June 1886) never married; buried Old Rankin
Cemetery
Margaret
Poage (1818-1884) never married; buried Old Rankin
Cemetery.
Mary Jane (1820-1871) never
married; buried Old Rankin Cemetery.
George Washington (1822-1873) married Louisa Jane Gambrell.
John Rankin (1824-1826) buried
Old Rankin Cemetery. Theresa Bowen's tombstone picture is
here.
Martha Ann (1827-1877)
never married; buried Old Rankin Cemetery
SOURCES
Alexander, Virginia, Elliott, Colleen Morse, and Willie, Betty,
compilers. Pendleton District
and Anderson County South Carolina Wills, Estates, Inventories, Tax
Returns and census Records. 1980 Southern
Historical Press, South Carolina
Evans, Barbara Jean, compiler.
A to Zax: A Comprehensive Dictionary for Genealogists & Historians.
3rd edition. Hearthside Press, Alexandria, VA 1995.
Prichard, A. M. compiler. Rankin
Relations. Dedicated to Henry Preston Rankin Sr. (father of Henry
Rankin Jr.) who prepared all data relating to this branch of the Rankin
Family.
Sams, Mrs. J. Hagood, compiler. Pay Rolls and Muster Rolls of South
Carolina Militia 1812-1815
Willie, Betty, compiler. Pendleton
District, S. C. Deeds 1790-1806 Southern Historical
Press, Greenville, South Carolina 2001
Woodworth, Robert Bell, editor.
The Descendants of Robert and John Poage: Pioneer Settlers in Augusta
County, Virginia, A Genealogy based on the
Manuscript
Collections of Professor Andrew Woods Williamson, Henry Martyn
Williamson
and John Guy Bishop. The McClure Printing Co., Staunton, VA 1954.
The original marriage bond is located at Augusta County, Virginia
Courthouse, Volume II Restored
Marriage Bonds Book, page 47.
Linda Sparks Starr
copyright May
2010
lsstarr@pilgrimage.us
Home: http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lksstarr/
