Wilson Newberg Rankin


Wilson Newberg Rankin (1848 – after 1934)
and Esther Lucinda Martin (c1856 -     )
South Carolina to Texas

Compiled and copyrighted  July 2010 by Linda Sparks Starr

Wilson Newberg was the fifth child and third son of Thomas F. Rankin and Sarah Ann (Orr).  Born 12 Dec 1848, little is known about him (by this compiler) after his move to Texas in 1891.   Wilson was nearing sixteen when Sherman’s troops arrived in South Carolina. No tradition has come to us about union raiding parties in the area.  If he managed to avoid conscription before this time, perhaps he joined the local militia at the end.  Otherwise, he likely remained at the home front riding out the storm with the rest of the populace.  And once it was all over, he presumably set about making a new life for himself.  Although not recorded in the Rankin Bible, his marriage to Esther Lucinda Martin is thought around 1870.   Some researchers give her name as Hester and others give his middle name as Newberry. However, court records support her name and the Rankin Bible attests to his. 

In 1854 Thomas Orr set up a trust fund for the benefit of his daughter, Sarah Ann Rankin. Twenty years later, the fund trustees and Sarah Ann agreed it was time one of her sons take over. The oldest, now a resident of Georgia, wasn’t available and the other two sons were indebted to the trust. Therefore, only Wilson N. was free to step in.  Sarah Ann penned a request to the judge and Wilson N.’s agreement to become trustee set off a chain reaction of legal actions. An agreement was finally reached March 1875 and Wilson N. was duly appointed the new trustee. He and his two brothers living in South Carolina signed the surety bond.
3 sons
Signatures on surety bond.

Sarah’s signed receipt  for $570 in 1882 appears to have been written out by the trustee, W. N. The last trust accounting record microfilmed is dated 1887.
Earlier Wilson N. was the highest bidder for a 70 acres tract sold at the Sheriff’s Auction Salesday (first Monday) January 1875. The land was the portion of his father’s estate set aside for sale to pay debts. Thomas F. Rankin had originally received 105 acres as his share in the 1855 division of his father’s, George (1782-1854), land.  In that 1855 division among the heirs, one larger tract around the home site remained in the hands of George’s four unmarried daughters and widow. By 1880 ownership of this larger tract, reduced to a 327 acres plot, had devolved into the hands of Eliza B. Rankin and Margaret Poage Rankin.  They sold this remaining plot to their nephew, W. N. Rankin in September 1880 . Although not specifically stated within the deed, logically the two remaining single ladies would remain in their home the rest of their lives.  Thus W. N. Rankin was slowly acquiring the land his grandfather George once held.

On 12 December 1882 Wilson sold the 70 acre tract (purchased at the Sheriff’s auction in 1875) to his brother, James C. Rankin, who, according to the deed, was then living on the property. The deed additionally describes the tract as once belonging to Col. George Rankin deceased and was part of the distributive share of his son, Thos F. Rankin. E. L. Rankin, as she later signed the deed, is identified elsewhere as Mrs. Hester L. Rankin. Curiously the deed wasn’t filed until December 1888. Perhaps the delayed filing is a clue to the year of death of Eliza B. Rankin, last surviving daughter of Col. George and Mary Rankin. [Anderson DB N-3:207-8] All we know about the timing of Eliza’s death is she was alive in 1886. On the other hand, perhaps James preferred spending his cash otherwise than paying the filing fee.

Using the Grantee Index for Anderson County Deeds we can offer probable proof Esther L. Rankin was a Martin by birth.  On 5 May 1881 Emma C. Martin et al sold to Esther L. Rankin 63 acres adjacent Wm Prater et al.  [Anderson Deed Bk U-2 p. 59]  Without viewing the actual deed, this appears to be a division of land among heirs.  In 1887 E. L. Rankin gave power of attorney to W. N. Rankin; filed in the deeds register it would appear to relate to a land sale. [Anderson Co. Deed Book A-3 p. 375]  It would appear Wilson and Esther were selling their South Carolina lands in preparation for the move to Texas.

However, records show that James and Carrie arrived in Grayson Co., TX before Wilson and Esther.  In March 1889, James, then in Texas, appointed Wilson N. Rankin in South Carolina his attorney to collect monies due and then release the mortgage after payment in full was made.

The last two specific records I have for Wilson N. and Esther is this announcement in the 17 December 1891 issue of the Pickens Sentinel:    The following families left Liberty last Thursday for Texas. Most of them will stop at Sherman and others will go to other parts of the state:  Wilson Rankin and family, Ad Blassengame and family, John Wilson and family, J. B. Carson and family, William Stone and family, E. F. Allgood, James Stone, James Hix, Mrs. Ann Kelley and Miss Mary Jenkins.  The party numbered 75 or 100.  The railroad authorities dropped off a baggage and passenger car the evening before to carry them.”  [Eades]  Then W. N was identified as a resident of Howe, Texas in the 1934 account of the Blassingame’s 62nd wedding anniversary.

By all accounts, W. N. and Esther had five daughters, all born after the 1880 census was taken. As Witts Rankin, age 31, he and Ester J., age 24, are the only ones in their household when the census taker made his rounds.  This list of children came from Ann Jones.
     Mary Alice (Rankin) Robertson
     Sudie Estelle (Rankin) Haizlip
     Leila Belle (Rankin) Roberts
     Bessie Irene (Rankin) Cooper
     Maggie Conyer (Rankin) married John Orr.


SOURCES

Anderson County, South Carolina Index to Deeds – Grantees (Rankin to 1881)

Anderson County records located at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History,  Columbus.

Blassingame family information:  http://www.rowberry.org/rickhsite/blass.htm

Eades, Barbara, descendant via Blassingames, researcher.

FamilySearch.org

Jones, Dr. Ann Norton, descendant of W. R. Rankin, researcher.  She had access to all the family records and photographs of William Robertson Rankin of Calhoun, GA.

Rankin, Randy, poster to RANKIN genforum #1878 September 2001

Wade, Helen Starr, descendant of W. R. Rankin



Linda Sparks Starr    copyright (c) June 2010
lsstarr@pilgrimage.us
Home: http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lksstarr/