When A Relative Disappears from the Family Tree

 A few years ago, I was working on a research paper about a friend's request to know what had happened to one of her relatives back in the 1870's to 1880's. She had told me, it was like he had vanished and the family tree didn't really mention him. Even today, there are versions of their family tree that do not mention him. 

So you may be wondering what he did to be blackballed from the family story. 

His name was JC and he was a common thief to start out with. He was married with children at the time as well. But he loved to take things that didn't belong to him. Sheep and hogs mostly. This was in the time period of 1876-1878. 

Now his wife, Amelia, her father Ransom got fed up with the stealing. Ransom gave JC an ultimatum to leave town and never return. Before he left however, JC, had to turn over all of his assets to his father in law for the benefit of his wife and children. He did this on March 16, 1877. He left town but after a few months he returned. No one was happy to see him. He was cornered at his father in law's house and then was arrested and jailed. He went to trial for the stealing and was convicted in 1878. 

From what I was able to find, JC, was locked up from 1878 until about 1881 or 1882. When he was released he went back to his wife and kids. Things go fine until the Summer of 1888. 

In the Summer of 1888, his daughter Esther confides to her mother Amelia that her father has assaulted her in a most horrible way. At first Amelia just tells JC to stay away from Esther. This of course does not work as Esther states JC kept assaulting her. He also attempted to choke Esther in early September of 1888. With this assault, Amelia contacts authorities. JC is hauled away to jail and charged with a capital offense of Rape. If found guilty, he would hang. 

During the trial, Amelia was heavily pregnant with her last child by JC. The trial took place during the first full week of January 1889. His daughter Esther and his son Joseph testified against him. There were two competing expert witnesses, Doctors, with one saying yes she was raped and one saying no she was not and that it was something called leucorrhoea that was affecting Esther. 

JC is ultimately found guilty and he is sentenced to hang on Friday March 26, 1889. He immediately appeals. During this time, JC is maintaining his innocence. He maintains this is a hateful plot against him by Amelia and that she has turned the children against him. His appeal is heard in the September term of the Court of 1889. 

The verdict and sentence are upheld by the NC Supreme Court and so on December 6, 1889 his execution date was set for January 10, 1890. 

JC gives an interview the day before his hanging to the State Chronicle newspaper and again restates his innocence. He is adamant that he was being conspired against and that it was all lies. 

He was executed by hanging on January 19, 1890, being pronounced dead at 1:31pm. It took 11 minutes for him to die from hanging as his neck did not break; he strangled while hanging in the air. His body was cut down and he was buried in the county poorhouse graveyard without a marker. 

AFTER HIS DEATH

His wife Amelia never remarried. She died at age 59. As for his children; Esther married and had one child. Esther died at age 52. Joseph married and had 3 sons. Joseph died at age 63. Reddick married and had three children. Reddick died at age 73. Everett married and had 7 children. He died at age 51. Catherine married twice and had 6 children. She lived to be 86 years old. 

THE GRANDCHILDREN

Joseph's son who was named after him; killed himself in jail in June 1947. I do not know why he was in jail in June of 1947. I haven't been able to find this out yet. 

Reddick's son Isaac killed himself in 1951. 

FINDING WHAT PEOPLE DON'T WANT YOU TO FIND

Secrets are kept in all families. Sometimes people get wiped out of their own family trees. Generally when people do not want to talk about someone, or something that happened in the family's past; there are secrets buried there. Tread lightly when you discover these things. But don't keep the secrets, or the person buried. It just does even more harm. History, even family history, is about learning the past so we do not repeat it.