Chapter 8
SHAPARD
LIFE IN THE 1800s
ST.
DAVID DISTRICT
Part
2
1806-1808
As the year 1806 was ushered in, it
would mark the beginning of a season of change for the Shapard family - a
season of life, death and adventure that would last a few years. Lewis’ father,
William Shapard, Sr., had been in a gradual decline of health since the death
of his wife in 1804. Realizing the end may be near, William began to distribute
elements of his estate to his beloved children. On January 3, 1806, William
gave Lewis the 220 acre plantation that he had purchased in 1785 when the
Shapard family first migrated to Granville County. Lewis’ father made this
gesture for the “love, good will and affection he has for his son.” The gift
was certainly well-received; however, Lewis was established in Caswell County
and did not foresee himself being able to functionally use this land. A year
later, on March 5, 1807, Lewis sold the land, for the gracious sum of £110, to
his brother Thomas, who lived in Granville County and was the master of a
neighboring plantation.
After Lewis received his gift of
land, his father conveyed the remainder of his estate to his son James Shapard
of Caswell County. This conveyance produced a considerable amount of discontent
among the rest of the Shapard children who suddenly found themselves stripped
of their future inheritance. In order to restore peace and harmony among his
siblings, James agreed to relinquish his right to the full estate, provided
that Mr. John Webb and Mr. James Smith, both of whom were trusted family
counselors, act as mediators to ensure a fair solution.
The mediators discovered that Lewis’
father was struggling with how to divide up his estate among his much loved children;
yet, he was willing to do whatever needed to be done to make it right.
Resolution finally came a year later, on February 2, 1807, when a party of
William Shapard, Sr., both mediators and most of the Shapard children assembled
at the home of Francis Royster in Granville County and placed all of Mr.
Shapard’s estate into a trust. Lewis Shapard’s brother Thomas and his
brother-in-law Francis Royster, both of whom lived in Granville County, were
elected as the trustees of the estate. The Deed of Trust allowed the trustees
to sell as much of the estate as was needed to satisfy all debts. In addition,
the trust also arranged for Mr. Shapard’s care for the remainder of his life.
He was allowed to reside wherever he desired, and every Christmas was to be
given an annuity of $50 by his children for his support. In return, his
children would be compensated through an equal inheritance of his remaining
estate after his death.
Back in Caswell County, Lewis’ sister
Mildred and her husband Anderson Williams were making plans to move to
Virginia. The Williams had been instrumental in helping Lewis get his
plantation in St. David’s District operational, and the two families had
remained very close over the years. The news of their departure from Caswell
County would have been a somber event. Before leaving, Anderson Williams sold
his 382 acre plantation, on March 10, 1806, to Lewis Shapard for the sum of $220.
The plantation was traversed by the Hillsborough Road, as well as, a branch of
the South Fork of Country Line Creek. Although it was located only about a mile
south of Lewis’ home, he decided not to utilize the land but instead to
purchase it as an investment. For ten days in 1806, Lewis Shapard owned the
most land he would ever own in his lifetime, a total of 902 acres between his
own plantation of 300 acres, his land in Granville of 220 acres and his newly
acquired plantation of 382 acres. However, on March 20, 1806, Lewis Shapard
sold the old Williams plantation to Anderson Birk for the sum of £70 (about $120),
most likely to satisfy the greater portion of a debt owed to Mr. Birk.
Anderson Birk [Burke] was the son of
James Birk, Sr. In 1804, Anderson married Nancy Rice, the daughter of Nathaniel
Rice (1757-1800) who owned a 200 acre plantation directly above Anderson
Williams’ plantation. It appears that after the death of Mr. Rice circa 1800,
his children and widow remained on the plantation to keep it operational.
Anderson Birk’s acquisition of the former Williams plantation through Lewis
Shapard was an ideal purchase for growing their family estate. Anderson Birk
remained in Caswell County until the early 1830s, after which he migrated with
his family to Stewart County, Tennessee.
After Lewis Shapard’s sister Mildred and
brother-in-law Anderson Williams sold their Caswell County plantation, they
migrated to Virginia, settling in Campbell County. It appears that Mildred died
between 1840 and 1850, as she was not listed on the 1850 census of Campbell County.
Mildred was 75 to 85 years old at the time of her death. Her gravesite is
unknown. In 1860 Anderson was living with his daughter Elizabeth Garrett in
Campbell County, Virginia. Anderson Williams died sometime after 1860. Anderson
and Mildred had seven children: Elizabeth (born circa 1786) and married Joesph
Garrett, Susannah “Suckey” (born circa 1794 and married John Taylor), Nancy
(married George Fox), Mary (born circa 1804 and married James Collins),
Daughter (born circa 1806 – died circa 1810), Daughter (born circa 1808 – died
circa. 1810), and Anderson (born circa 1810 and married Martha Finch in
Campbell Co., Virginia).
On April 30, 1806, Lewis Shapard
attended court at Caswell Courthouse. He was the plaintiff in a case against
Wylie Yancey; whereby, Lewis petitioned the court to be released from the terms
of a securityship he had entered into with Mr. Yancey. The court agreed with
Mr. Shapard and he was released from further obligation and received his costs.
Interestingly, Wylie Yancey was the husband of Susannah Rice, daughter of
Nathaniel Rice (1757-1800). Mr. Yancey and Anderson Birk (to whom Lewis Shapard
sold the old Williams’ plantation) were married to sisters, and no doubt lived
near one another.
Lewis Shapard returned to the
courthouse for the July session of County Court. This time it was purely for
leisure as he enjoyed witnessing the court cases. On July 29, 1806, Lewis was
placed as a member of the jury on the case between Nathan William vs. Seger
Merchant. A few days later, on August 1, 1806, Lewis returned to the courthouse
and spent the day as a juryman in the trials between Solomon Debow vs. William
Hamblette, John Dranon vs. James Moore, and Darrell Richards vs. John Everett.
As the fall harvest season was coming
to a close, the Shapard family not only rejoiced in the bounty of their crops,
they also celebrated the bounty of their family through the birth of another
son on November 8, 1806. The baby was named Lewis Shapard, Jr., in honor of his
father. At the end of the year 1806, the Shapard family included Lewis and
Martha and nine children, being: Elizabeth Nicholson (age 16), Polly Nicholson
(age 14), Sally Nicholson (age 12), William B. Shapard (age 10), Sophia Shapard
(age 8), James P. Shapard (age 6), Booker Shapard (age 4), Robert P. Shapard
(age 2) and infant Lewis Shapard, Jr.
Lewis Shapard held steadfast to his
commitment as guardian of the Nicholson girls, loving and raising them as his
own. No doubt they loved him too, as the only father they knew, due to the fact
that they were only five, three and one when Mr. Shapard married their mother. Over
the years, Lewis ensured they received the benefit of their late father’s affluence
by sending them to receive a first-rate education, clothing them in fine
fabrics and providing them with quality food and lodging. Periodically, as part
of his guardian responsibilities, Mr. Shapard had to submit an account of his
faithful performance over the Nicholson girls to the justices of the court.
Lewis was called to attend the January 1807 session of Caswell County Court to
give just such a report, detailing the distributions of funds and for what
purpose. A commission of Alexander Murphy, William Gooch, Sr., and John Yancey was
appointed to review and settle the account to the satisfaction of the court.
The Spring of 1807 was supposed to be
the start of a great and joyful adventure for the Shapard and Paine men, as
Lewis Shapard and his brother-in-laws Solomon Paine and James Paine (and
possibly Robert, Jr., and Thomas), as well as, his brother-in-laws William Bird
Brooks and Edmund Shelton had decided to venture, for the first time, into the
Tennessee frontier for land and business speculation. Tragically, however, On
January 18, 1807, Martha (Paine) Shapard’s brother Thomas Paine died unexpectedly
in Person County, North Carolina. Thomas was born on May 29, 1783 and died at
the age of 23 years old. His probate records make no mention of a wife or
children. Martha’s father and siblings decided to let the cold winter pass
before they gathered to tend to Thomas’ estate. Lewis and Martha made plans to
spend a few weeks in Person County with her family beginning in late March. And
the Paine, Shapard and Brooks families decided to all convene there before the men
departed for their great trip westward into Tennessee. Due to the fact that
Lewis’ father, who lived in Granville County, had been in poor health, the
Shapard family made it a priority to visit him first before venturing over to
Person County.
At the beginning of March, 1807,
Lewis Shapard and his family loaded their wagon and ventured to Granville
County to visit his father and the other Shapard relatives, as well as, to tend
to some personal business. They stayed with Lewis’ brother Thomas Shapard who
had acquired most of the old Shapard plantation in the County Line District.
While there, Lewis decided to sell to his brother Thomas the 220 acres of land
that his father had given him the previous year, being the northern portion of
the old Shapard plantation. Lewis’ brother John S. Shapard and a neighbor
William Royster witnessed the deed transaction. Lewis visited his father, who,
by that time, was living at the home of his daughter Elizabeth and her husband
Francis Royster. The Roysters lived on a 680 acre plantation just southeast of
the old Shapard plantation. No doubt, Lewis, his siblings and their father
would have enjoyed much camaraderie and laughter, as well as, cherished in the
rare reunion of family, spouses and children. Unbeknownst to Lewis, this would
be the last time he would see his father. On March 18, 1807, just before they
departed from Granville County, Lewis’ brother Thomas, as trustee of his
father’s estate, issued Lewis cash in the amount of £5.17.5.
From there Lewis, Martha and the
children traveled to Person County to spend time with the Paine family,
finalize the preparations for their Tennessee expedition, and to help tend to
her late brother Thomas’ estate. Although the occasion was somber, the
Shapard’s did provide a source of happiness by introducing their new baby,
Lewis Jr., to the Paine family. On March 20, 1807, the estate sale of Thomas
Paine was held in Person County. Most of his estate was purchased by his family
members, including his father Robert Paine, Sr., and his brothers, Solomon
Paine, Robert Paine, Jr., and James Paine. In addition, his brother-in-laws
William B. Brooks and Lewis Shapard also made purchases. At the sale, Lewis
purchased a set of knives and forks and five barrels of corn.
Around April 1st, the men
were ready and an exploration party of Lewis Shapard, Solomon Paine, James
Paine, William Bird Brooks and Edmund Shelton (and possibly Robert Paine, Jr.)
left the Paine plantation in Person County and commenced with great excitement
towards the western frontier. The caravan of men, horses and light wagons would
have been lively with laughter and stories to pass the time. They traveled over
mountainous terrain and along the rough and dangerous roads of eastern
Tennessee venturing perilously close to Indian lands. The expedition party
ventured as far as current-day Middle Tennessee, which at that time was the
western most boarder of Tennessee, speculating with their own eyes different
locations for possible settlement; as well as, to assess the country for
lucrative farming and business ventures. In all, during their four month
excursion the men traveled over 1,200 miles, returning home to North Carolina
in August or September. Apparently, the trip made a bold and lasting impact on
the men, as Lewis Shapard, Solomon Paine, William Bird Brooks, James Paine, Robert
Paine and Edmund Shelton would all migrate to Tennessee in the coming years
Circa October in the year 1807,
Lewis’ father, William Shapard, Sr., died in the County Line District of
Granville County. At the time, he was under the care of his daughter Elizabeth
Royster and died at her house. He had reached an age of about 67 years. The
life he lived was a tremendous testament to his Christian upbringing, love of
family, fearless perseverance and perpetual optimism. He was a monumental man
at a formidable time in our nation’s history, and his example should stand
forever as a tribute to the essence and greatness of being a Shapard. William
Shapard, Sr., was laid to rest within a day or two of his death, most likely
next to the grave of his wife, Mary. The hallowed site of their mortal remains
has long been forgotten; however, it most assuredly resides in the northern
section of present-day Granville County.
After
William Shapard, Sr., died, Lewis’ brother Thomas Shapard and his
brother-in-law Francis Royster, both of whom lived in Granville County,
attempted to fulfill their duties as trustees in settling his estate and
distributing the remaining property between the heirs. However, a heated
dispute arose between Samuel B. Shapard and the other heirs. Samuel claimed
that the money he received in 1797 as payment for his service to his father
during the Revolutionary War, being the value of 200 acres of land and a slave,
should not have been considered an advancement upon his inheritance, and that
he should also receive an equal portion of the remaining estate. The other
heirs objected, claiming Samuel’s position was contrary to what was stipulated
by their father in the 1807 Deed of Trust. Samuel countered by pointing out
that many of the heirs had received land or chattel from their father prior to his
death, and yet, that property was not being deducted from their expected
portion of the inheritance.
Unable
to resolve the matter, a Bill of Complaint was eventually filed in the
Granville County Court of Equity by the heirs in 1811. After numerous depositions
and court appearances, the case was finally settled on March 4, 1815. It was
determined that William Shapard’s remaining estate had a value of £3,084.0.4,
of which £593.8.10 had been used in the payment of debts, leaving a balance to
the heirs in the amount of £2,490.11.6. It was also determined that William
Shapard had conveyed property, in the form of land, slaves and livestock, in
the amount of £1,272 to his children prior to his death. As a settlement, the
judge ordered that all property conveyed by William Shapard to his children
prior to his death, was to be considered an advancement upon their respective
inheritance and thus to be deducted from each heir’s specific claim on the
remaining estate. When all was said and done, each heir received a total
inheritance valued at £396.0.10.
Only
about three months after the death of Lewis Shapard’s father, the family was
struck with another tragedy when, on January 2, 1808, Lewis’ father-in-law Capt.
Robert Paine, Sr., died in Person County, North Carolina. From all accounts,
Lewis and Martha Shapard had a particularly close relationship with her father,
not only as a loving parent, but, also as an invaluable mentor and trusted
advisor. The grief would have been tremendous, losing both fathers in such a
short duration of time, not to mention the fact that Capt. Paine was the last
surviving parent between their two families. To further sadden the situation,
Martha Shapard was about six months pregnant with her seventh child. The
reality of this child growing up devoid of grandparents would have been
disheartening.
Capt.
Robert Paine (March 3, 1748 – January 2, 1808) had lived a fruitful and
noteworthy life. He was born into one of the finest families of North Carolina.
His father Dr. James Paine is believed to have migrated from England to North
Carolina circa 1740 and settled on Six-Pound Creek in Edgecombe County (which
later became part of Granville County and now located in present-day Warren
County). Over the years, Dr. Paine acquired considerable land holdings and was
elected to the offices of Vestryman of St. John’s Parish, Justice of the Peace
in 1756, and to the North Carolina legislature as a member of the Lower House
from 1754 to 1759. Robert and his three brothers, John, James (Jr.) and William,
were all reared among the privilege of their father’s success. Their
environment, education and instruction were fruitful, as all of the children
eventually acquired significant wealth and respect. Throughout their adult
lives they held prominent military titles, as well as, vocations as judges, legislators,
etc. In 1767, the family, except for James (Jr.), migrated to a 4000 acre plantation
in Orange County about four miles south of Roxboro, in the St. James District,
on the Flat River. The Paine estate became part of Caswell County when it was
formed in 1777, and later fell within the boundaries of Person County during
its formation in 1791.
At
the age of 24 years, Robert Paine married 17 year-old Elizabeth Miller
(September 8, 1755 – February 27, 1788) on October 24, 1772. There is strong evidence
to suggest that Robert was a skilled silversmith, as numerous boys were
apprenticed to him to learn this trade from 1779 through 1782. During the
Revolutionary War, Robert and his brothers, John and William, were all officers
in the Northern Orange County Regiment of Militia. This regiment later became
the Caswell County Regiment of Militia. Robert distinguished himself as Captain
of his company during the war, earning the respect of his peers. After the war
he flourished, not only in wealth and property, but also socially among his
community. In 1786, he was elected as a Justice of Caswell County. From 1788
through 1790, he was elected to serve North Carolina as a State Senator. In
1792, Robert was elected as the first Court Clerk of Person County and also as
one of the first Justices of that county. He and his wife Elizabeth were
blessed with eight children born between 1773 and 1786. Tragically, in 1788,
his wife Elizabeth died at the young age of 33 years old. He married his second
wife, Agatha Perkins on September 21, 1790, yet, had no additional children.
Robert was a devout Christian and attended the Flat River Primitive Baptist
Church from its founding circa 1787 until his death in 1808.
At
the time of his death, Capt. Robert Paine had significant wealth. His estate
consisted of thousands of acres of land, 24 slaves, 8 horses, 47 head of
cattle, 63 hogs, 14 sheep, 18 geese and a tremendous amount of furniture, tools,
household and farm items. His son James became the executor of his estate, yet,
because of its immense value, both Lewis Shapard and Edmund Shelton were also bound
to the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions in the amount of £835.16.4 Virginia
money until the debts and demands of the estate were fully settled. Over the
following several months, estate sales were held to satisfy the debts and for
the support the widow. On January 30, 1808, Lewis Shapard attended a sale and
purchased one side upper leather ad two deer skins for £3.3.1. On March 2, 1808
Lewis attended another sale and purchased for £28.10.0 one bed and furniture, a
small bottle, pot, firedogs, jug of oil, flax basket, a speckled cow, two white
cows, a yoke oxen and a heifer.
On
February 8, 1808, the Last Will and Testament of Capt. Robert Paine was read
before the court and the estate therein mentioned was delivered to the heirs
appropriately. He had given all of his land, animals, furniture and kitchen
items to be divided between his three sons James, Robert and Solomon. He willed
that his slaves shall be divided between all of his sons and daughters, as well
as, any money still owed to the estate. He also made two noteworthy requests in
his Last Will and Testament. First was that his slave named “Jo” be given to
Rev. William Brown, who was the Baptist minister that presided over the
Primitive Baptist Church in Person County from 1793-1828. Second was that he
gave his nine year-old grandson named Robert Paine (1799 – 1882) a slave named
“Lucy.”
He
must have sensed something special in his grandson as this was the only
grandchild to be mentioned in the will. Interestingly, this grandson was
destined for greatness and to be one of the most well-known and influential men
of his era. Robert (1779-1882) became a Methodist minister in 1817 and in 1829 was
elected president of La Grange College in Franklin County, Alabama (present-day
University of Northern Alabama) until 1847. In 1846, he was elected a Bishop and
held that office for 36 years. During that time, the Methodist church split and
he was on the committee in 1845 that founded the Methodist Episcopal Church
South. Bishop Paine spent his life in missionary endeavors, enhancing higher education,
and was largely responsible for the prosperity of the church after the Civil War.
In addition to his Christian endeavors, he was also a trustee of Southern University
and Vanderbilt University. He was an author and also become a planter, owning
3,100 acres and 52 slaves. Even today, well over a hundred years beyond his
death, there are still monuments, churches and a college named in honor of
Bishop Robert Paine.
Through
the settlement of Capt. Paine’s estate, Lewis Shapard received by right of his
wife Martha “Patsy” Shapard, a healthy division of the slaves. In total they
received five slaves: Davey, a man, valued at $425; Denny, a man, valued at
$250; Nancy, a woman, valued at $350; Daniel valued at $200 and Jean valued at
$250. The total Inheritance received by Martha and Lewis Shapard equaled $1,475
or £737.10.0. Although this was a significant sum in the year 1808, the fact
that the inheritance was in slaves made it even more beneficial as it instantly
almost doubled the Shapard’s workforce on their plantation, not to mention
increased their status among their peers in the planter society of the South.
With the 1807 passage of the United States Act Prohibiting Importation of
Slaves, which took effect in 1808, slaves could no longer legally be imported
from Africa. Though by this time, most slaves in the United States came from
domestic sources through husbandry, it did eventually increase their value as
the supply became solely localized. It is estimated that after the disbursement
of Capt. Paine’s inheritance, Lewis Shapard had 13 to 16 slaves.
In April of 1808, approximately three
months after the death of her father, Martha Shapard delivered a healthy
daughter they named Martha. With the addition of their new daughter, Lewis
Shapard now had seven children of his own and three stepdaughters for which to
care.
In the summer of 1808, the old bridge
crossing near Solomon Debow’s mill on the Country Line Creek had had been
destroyed by storm waters or was in a dilapidated condition. The Caswell County
Court appropriated funds for the construction of a new bridge and appointed
Lewis Shapard and thirteen additional landowners the task of surveying,
planning and designing the location of the bridge, as well as, a new road to accommodate
it.
Solomon Debow was born circa 1780 in
Orange County, NC. He was the son of Rev. John Debow who died in the
Revolutionary War and Lucy Rice. Solomon was a medical doctor and married his
first cousin Nancy Murphy in 1804 in Caswell County. In addition to his medical
practice, Solomon acquired about 1,100 acres of real estate scattered
throughout Caswell County. On one of his
properties on the County Line Creek, about 2 and a half miles from Caswell
Courthouse, he established a double-geared grist mill that ran three large
stones for grinding grains, such as wheat, rye and corn, into flour. The property
also contained a saw mill for cutting wood, a distillery for making spirits,
and a cotton machine to quickly separate the cotton fibers from the seed, which
otherwise would have been done painstakingly by hand. His plantation house, which
was set upon an eminence, was 58 feet long and 38 feet wide with ten rooms and
a cellar. Seven of the rooms were plastered and one was elegantly papered. Interestingly,
in 1808, Solomon Debow purchased the old 382 acre plantation originally owned
by John Rice in 1779; who sold it to Anderson Williams (Lewis’ brother-in-law);
who sold it to Lewis Shapard in 1806; who sold it to Anderson Birk in 1806; who
sold it to Solomon Debow. Circa 1815, the Debow mill was destroyed by fire and
Solomon and his family moved to New Orleans, where he lived out the remainder
of his life, dying in 1831.
Because of Lewis Shapard’s experience
in construction presumably during his youth, the Court commissioned him with
the task of building and supporting the new bridge over Country Line Creek at
Debow’s mill, for which the County Trustee allotted and paid Lewis Shapard £90 (pounds)
to complete. A few years later, in 1811, the County Court would again
commission him with the task of building another bridge. Interestingly, in
September of 1808, Lewis Shapard was also appointed by the County Court to
build a road from Shapard’s Pathe to the new bridge over the Country Line Creek.
The Court placed Lewis Shapard as overseer of this road, to be maintained by
his own slaves as well as those of Barzillai Graves, George Martin, John
Richmond, Humphrey Roberts and the widow Rice.
During
this era, political campaigns and elections were becoming increasingly more
popular among the men of Caswell County in terms of debate and entertainment.
The earliest noted legal process for conducting elections in the county was
issued in the Session Laws of 1808, entitled An Act to Establish Four Separate Elections in the County of Caswell.
It stated that, “after the passing of this act, there shall be open and held
four separate elections in the county of Caswell, that is to say, one in each
district, at such places as the commissioners hereinafter named shall appoint
and agree upon, which elections shall be held on the second Thursday in August
annually…” Commissioners were appointed by the legislature for each of the four
districts into which the county was divided, and they were charged with finding
a suitable place to hold elections. The commissioners were directed to open the
polls at 11am and close them at 4pm. After the polls closed, the commissioners
counted the votes and prepared a name list of those who voted. The information
(tally of votes and names of voters) were then delivered to the sheriff by 2 pm
Friday (next day) and by him to the next session of court. Any person who cast
more than one vote would be summoned by the court and fined £10 (pounds). All
elections in Caswell County were to be held in this manner.
In
1808, the legislature appointed the first set of Election Commissioners and
Lewis Shapard was listed as a commissioner for St. David District, along with
Robert Blackwell, Joseph Scott, Malan Stacey and Jethro Brown. Other district
commissioners were: Gloucester District: Robert Parks, William Muzzall, William
Lea, John Hightower and Thomas Turner. Caswell District: Dudley Gatewood,
Gregory Durham, Josiah Womack, John Cobb and John Green. Richmond District: Josiah
Lamuel, John Burton, Thomas Harrison, Capt. John Lea, John Johnson. It is
interesting to consider that Lewis Shapard was an Election Commissioner during
the 1808 presidential vote between James Madison, George Clinton, and Charles
Cotesworth. He would have counted the votes in the election process as James
Madison succeeded Thomas Jefferson to become the fourth President of the United
States from 1809 to 1817.
On December 26, 1808, Lewis Shapard,
Solomon Debow and Daniel Darby became security for Duncan Rose in the amount of
£5000 as administrator of the massive estate of the late William Donoho (1785-1808).
Mr. Donoho’s widow, Eunice Lea Rose, was the daughter of Alexander and Eunice
(Lea) Rose and the granddaughter of William Lea of Leasburg. Apparently, the responsibility
of the administration of her husband’s estate was too great and she
relinquished her rights of administration to her brother Duncan Rose
(1777-1839). Lewis Shapard, Solomon Debow and Daniel Darby bound themselves to
Mr. Rose as his security to ensure that he would faithfully perform his duties
as administrator to the satisfaction of the County Court.
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