Over the last few weeks at work, I have had two different people to come in researching the Gatlin family. One was seeking the parents of Rhoda Gatlin and the other was searching for several Johnson sisters who married Gatlin men in the mid-to-late-1700s. In an effort to help them, I started going through my Gatlin files at home.
One 1805 summons caught my eye, so I decided to see where it would lead me. The summons, found in the estate papers of Hardy Gatlin, reads:
State of North Carolina
To the Sheriff of Craven County, Greeting. You are hereby commanded to summon Stephen Harris, Enoch Harris, William Harris, Benjamin Pearce & Sealey his wife, Stephen Gatlin & Polly his wife, John S. West and Sidney his wife, Thomas A. Green & Hollon his wife – Spence Hall and Mary his wife, James Gatlen, Elizabeth Gatlin, Levi Gatlen, Stephen Gatlen, John Black Gatlen, Edward Gatlen, Weeks Chapman & Sarah his wife, Jesse Chapman & Esther his wife, William Tooke & Polly his wife, James Roach & Elizabeth his wife, John Gatlen, Slade Gatlen, Thomas Gatlen, Major Gatlen, William J. Carman and Sarah his wife, William Croom & Polly his wife, Frederick Baker & Louisa his wife, and also Stephen Harris administrator &c of Hardy Gatlen decd. Personally to appear before Justices of the Court of Pleas and quarter Sessions to be held for the County of Craven…to answer the petition of Joseph Rhem and Penelope his Wife. [Summons, Hardy Gatlin 1804 estate file, Craven County Estate Papers, North Carolina State Archives found online at “North Carolina Estate Files, 1663-1979,” database with images, FamilySearch]
The summons is dated March 11, 1805 and was issued May 25, 1805. At the bottom of the summons were a few notes penned by the clerk, including “Jno. Harris, Alfred Gatlin, Theresa Gatlin} Infants have no Guardian” meaning they were under age and had no guardian to look after their affairs.
To determine who everyone was, I started with Joseph Rhem and Penelope, since they were the ones who started the procedure. Joseph Rhem applied for a marriage bond with Penelope Gatlin (widow) on December 22, 1804. A search of marriage bonds of Gatlins marrying Penelopes found Hardy Gatlin and Penny Dunn with a marriage bond dated May 31, 1799. [Sharon Guthrie, Craven County Marriage Bonds (Morehead City, N.C.: Guthrie, 2007).]
So, Penelope Dunn Gatlin Rhem and her now husband, Joseph, were suing all these other people over the estate of Hardy Gatlin, but just who were all the other people? Looking over the names, you notice some Harrises, Gatlins, Chapmans, Roaches, Wests, Greens and other surnames. Again, using the Craven County marriage bonds for the names not Gatlin and the wife’s first name, I discovered the following:
Benjamin Pearce married Sealy (Celia) Harris
Stephen Gatlin married Mary (Polly) Harris
John S. West married Sidney Gatlin
Thomas A. Green married Hollon West. She was the widow of Stephen West and was previously Hollon Gatlin.
Spence Hall married Mary (Polly) Gatlin
There was no marriage in Craven for Weeks Chapman married Sarah
Jesse Chapman married Esther Gatlin
The following marriages could not be found in Craven County marriage bonds: William Tooke married Polly
James Roach married Elizabeth
William J. Carman married Sarah
William Croom married Polly
and Frederick Baker married Louisa
Next, I turned my attention to the Gatlin wills I had in my files. The 1781 will of Edward Gatlin (the Captain) listed his children as Levy, Shadrach Gatlin Salter, Sarah Chapman, Stephen Gatlin, Edward Gatlin, John Gatlin, Easter Gatlin, Elizabeth Gatlin, Mary Gatlin, and Lewisey Gatlin. He also named a brother James as the executor. So using these names and looking at the names on the summons, the last named people seem to fit the family of Edward Gatlin.
Another will in my file, the 1793 will of Thomas Gatlin named children John, Slade, Mitchel, Sarah, James, Thomas, Major, Mary, Elizabeth, and Teresa, plus an unstated relation with Sarah Curmon (Carmon) and brothers James and Hardy. A few, but not all, of these names matched names on the petition, including Sarah Carmon, wife of William J. Carman. So more of those summoned seemed to fit the family of Thomas Gatlin.
Thomas named brothers James and Hardy and this was Hardy’s estate that was being probated. Edward also named a brother James, so could some of these people be children of James? James has an 1801 estate file which mentions he left a will; however, the will cannot be found in Craven County records. James was mentioned as the executor of the will in the estate file, and Alfred Gatlin was mentioned as a minor. A letter in the estate file from James Gatlin [Jr] to John S. West requests a loan of money for his brother Alfred and mentions his Uncle Hardy’s estate. So more of the people listed above are the children of James Gatlin.
But who were the Harrises? That is where another will comes in, the will of John Gatlin dated April 21, 1766 and probated in July Court 1766. In the will John names his wife Mary, a son James, a son Thomas, a son Hardy, a son Edward, and a daughter Mary Harris. So the Harrises appear to be the children of Mary Harris.
What does all of this mean?
Hardy Gatlin and his wife Penelope had no children. Penelope remarried Joseph Rhem and was suing the heirs of Hardy (his nieces and nephews) for her dower right in the property of Hardy Gatlin. Based on this summons, the wills, estate papers, deeds, and marriage records for Craven County, the family of John Gatlin, who died in 1766 can be reconstructed.
1. John Gatlin married Mary (–?–). He died between 21 Apr 1766 and Jul 1766 at Craven County, North Carolina.
Children of John Gatlin and Mary (–?–) were as follows:
+ 2 i. James Gatlin was born say 1740. He died circa 1801.
+ 3 ii. Thomas Gatlin was born say 1742. He died between Jul 1793 and Dec 1793.
4 iii. Hardy Gatlin was born say 1744. He married Penelope “Penny” Dunn on 31 May 1799 at Craven County, North Carolina. He died circa 1804.
+ 5 iv. Mary Gatlin was born say 1745. She married (–?–) Harris say 1765.
+ 6 v. Edward Gatlin was born say 1748. He married Elizabeth (–?–). He died between 19 May 1781 and Jun 1781.
Generation Two
2. James Gatlin (John) was born say 1740. He died circa 1801.
Children of James Gatlin include:
7 i. James Gatlin [Jr.] died circa 1810.
+ 8 ii. Sidney Gatlin married John Spence West on 12 Jun 1788 at Craven County, North Carolina.
+ 9 iii. Hollon Gatlin married Stephen West on 8 Mar 1788 at Craven County, North Carolina. She married Thomas A. Green on 4 Oct 1803 at Craven County, North Carolina.
+ 10 iv. Mary Gatlin married Spence Hall
11 v. Elizabeth Gatlin died circa 1806.
12 vi. Alfred Gatlin.
3. Thomas Gatlin (John) was born say 1742. He died between Jul 1793 and Dec 1793.
Children of Thomas Gatlin include:
13 i. John Gatlin.
14 ii. Slade Gatlin.
15 iii. Mitchel Gatlin.
16 iv. Sarah Gatlin married William Jackson Carman.
17 v. James Gatlin.
18 vi. Thomas Gatlin.
19 vii. Major Gatlin lived in 1814 at Morgan County, Georgia.
20 viii. Mary Gatlin married William Croom. She married Lewis C. Bryan before 1815.
21 ix. Elizabeth Gatlin.
22 x. Teresa Gatlin was born between 1777 and 1793. She married Reuben White in 1808 at Craven County, North Carolina.
5. Mary Gatlin (John) was born say 1745. She married (–?–) Harris say 1765.
Children of Mary Gatlin and (–?–) Harris were as follows:
23 i. Stephen Harris died circa 1813.
+ 24 ii. Enoch Harris married Sidney Dunn on 31 May 1799 at Craven County, North Carolina. He died circa 1807.
25 iii. William Harris lived in 1814 at Telfair County, Georgia.
26 iv. Celia Harris married Benjamin Pearce on 30 Dec 1788 at Craven County, North Carolina. She and Benjamin Pearce lived in 1805 at Green County, Georgia.
27 v. Mary “Polly” Harris married Stephen Gatlin on 4 Apr 1786 at Craven County, North Carolina. She and Stephen Gatlin lived in 1805 at Green County, Georgia.
28 vi. John Harris.
6. Edward Gatlin (John) was born say 1748. He married Elizabeth (–?–). He died between 19 May 1781 and Jun 1781 at Craven County, North Carolina.
Children of Edward Gatlin and Elizabeth (–?–) are as follows:
29 i. Levy Gatlin lived in 1814 at Morgan County, Georgia.
30 ii. Shadrach Gatlin.
31 iii. Sarah Gatlin married Weeks Chapman.
32 iv. Stephen Gatlin.
33 v. Edward Gatlin.
34 vi. John Gatlin.
35 vii. Esther Gatlin married Jesse Chapman on 8 Feb 1785 at Craven County, North Carolina.
36 viii. Elizabeth Gatlin married James Roach. She and James Roach lived in 1805 at Green County, Georgia. She and James Roach lived in 1814 at Pulaski County, Georgia.
37 ix. Mary Gatlin married William Tooke. She and William Tooke lived in 1805 at Green County, Georgia.
38 x. Lewisey Gatlin married Frederick Baker before 1805. She married William Moseley before 1815 at Lenoir County, North Carolina.
I had originally thought that Edward Gatlin (d. 1781) and John Gatlin (d. 1766) were my ancestors. This second look at the summons and the corresponding research proves that is not the case. I guess I will have to keep looking for the ancestors of my John — Gatlin (the — is his mark) who married Esther Tingle.