The Descendancy of

Charles Medaris (5)

(John Thomas 4, Charles 3, Charles 2, Domingo 1)

This information has been donated by the listed contributors and compiled by Brian Kelly Madaris

for the

Madaris, Medearis, Medaris, McDaris, McDearis, Medaries

Family Tree Home Page.

http://www.mindspring.com/~kellcin/index.htm

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Charles Medaris (5) (John Thomas 4, Charles 3, Charles 2, Domingo1)  (What's in a name? Charles)  was born abt. 1745, in Essex County, Virginia in the area known as Dragon Swamp. He married Elizabeth "Betsy" Gregory in 1765. Charles was a Saddler by trade. The Medaris brothers kept close together during the 1700's and they all moved to Chatham County, North Carolina by the 1770's. By 1789 Charles and his brothers moved to the Belews Creek District of North Carolina on 200 acres purchased on 04 Nov. 1789. By the 1790 Census he was in Guilford County, Salisbury District.

    Most of what is known about Charles is found in his WILL , which was written 15 March 1793. Charles died in July or August of 1793, as that is when his will was probated. Charles apparently died from a long illness as he mentions at the writing of his will in March that he was in very poor health. He is most likely buried in Guilford County, NC. It would be amazing to be able to locate his place of burial. It is interesting to note that in his will he mentions his "Sorrel Mare" who he named "Bet". I wonder if Betsy knew the Mare's name before the will was read?

Chatham County Court Of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1774 - 1779

Chatham County Deed Bk. A.

pg 20,

7 June 1773

Charles Medearis, Sadler, of Chatham Co., N.C. to Alburt Siers of Orange Co., N.C. (for 12 pounds), 100 acres, lying in the fork between Panter (Panther?) Creek and Middle Creek.Signed by Charles Medearis and Betty Medearis, his wife.

Witnessed by Chas. Abercrumby and Wm. Campbell

pg. 62,

Court of Aug, 1778

"A road be laid out the best way from Orange County line near Henry Beazleys down by Gray Barbys crossing the North East branch of Newhope above the mouth, and from thence near Archibald Cains into the road that leads by Robert Cobbs to Atkinses ferry on Cape fear and any twelve of the following persons be a Jury to lay out the same- Presely George, Henry Beazley, Lewis Wimberly, Jacob Wimberly, John Little, Elisha Cain, Gray Barby, Dunkin Bohannon, Elliot Bohannon, John Pitts Sr., Wm. Cain, John Gregory, Charles Medearis , Matthew Davis, Henry Kelley, Francis Sypart, Sr., John Dockery and James Christian, Jr."

The road being laid out went through all of the above named, lands. All the members named above were later assigned to the road crew for it's construction.

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"Land Transaction N. C. Bk. 2,

p. 350"

4 Nov. 1780

Charles Medearis of Chatham Co., North Carolina buys 200 acres of land on Belews Creek from William Woods of Washington Co., North Carolina. Witnesses: Justain Knott, Isham Bobbitt. Nov. 4, 1780

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From the Abstract of Guilford Co., NC Deed Book 2 1779-1783

Page 30,

4 November 1783,

William Woods of Washington County, NC to Charles Medeares of Guilford, eighty pounds, two hundred acres on the waters of Balues Creek on both sides of Mill Branch (granted to sd Woods by patent date 1 March 1780), begin at white oak in the Surry County line S crossing sd branch and another branch 200 p. to Andrew Hannah'a (sic) corner white oak,  E to his corner, same course crossing a branch 160 p. to a white oak, N crossing Mile (Mill) Branch 200 p. to a black jack, 160 p. to the first station.  Signed William Woods; witness Juston Knott, Isham Bobbet, Hugh McKilip; proved August Court 1783 by Isham Bobbet.

    Charles and Elizabeth had the following children:

1. John Medaris (6) b. abt. 1765; d. 1823. He married 1) Susannah Waggoner, 2) Mary Pegram.
2. Thomas Medaris (6) b. 16 Feb. 1767; d. 1849, Clermont Co., Ohio. He married Nancy Sanders.
3. Sarah "Sally" Jane Medaris (6) married Joseph Jean married on 10 Dec. 1796 in Guilford Co.,  N.C.  They moved to Clermont County, Ohio, across the river from Bracken, Kentucky. He had first bought land at Milford Ohio. Joseph died in Bracken, Kentucky.
4. Shadrach Medaris (6)
5. Mary Medaris (6)
6. Millie Medaris (6)
7. Malachi Medearis (6) b. 1778; d. in the 1850's in Conecuh County, Alabama.
8. Elizabeth "Betsy" Medaris (6) married William Lain (Lane) in Stokes County, North Carolina on 10 Apr. 1798.
9. Stephen Medaris (6) b. abt.. 1779 married Betsey Jean.
10. William Medaris (6) b. 1786 in NC. He married Nancy Jean
11. Nancy Medaris (6) b. Jan. 1788 in North Carolina; d. 23 May 1832 in Batavia, Clermont Co., Ohio. She married Jesse Ellis, 08 Oct. 1806 in Chatham Co., North Carolina. They moved to Ohio with the rest of the family. Jesse was b. 04 Jan. 1784 in Chatham Co., North Carolina; d. 09 Sept. 1845 in Batavia, Clermont Co., Ohio. They had 13 children.

    It appears that Stephen and William had a double Wedding. Betsey and Nancy Jean were the daughters of William and Hulda Jean.

(CR: 1790 Guilford Co., North Carolina; 1800 Rowan Co., North Carolina)

( credits 00, 10, 50, 51 )

Generation 6

John Medaris (6) ( Charles 5) born abt. 1765, He died in 1823 in North Carolina.  John married Susannah Waggoner on 29 Apr 1797 in Stokes County, NC. Susannah died in 1808, it appears she died in or after childbirth with Alfred. John and Susannah had the following children:

1. Thomas J. Madaris (7) b. 1798, married Sarah Jane Preddy.
2. Mary Madaris (7) b. 1800
3. Elizabeth "Betsy" Madaris (7) b. 01 Mar. 1801 in NC; d. 17 Sept. 1823 in Ohio. She married William Barrow.
4. Alfred W. Medearis (7) b. 1808 married Mary Marshall.

    After Susannah's death John married Mary "Polly" Pegram in 1808 in Stokes County, NC. Mary was the daughter of Daniel and Agnes Jones Pegram. She was b. 28 Nov 1783 in Warren Co., North Carolina.

    John and Mary had the following children:

5. John Fletcher Medearis (7) b. 16 Nov. 1809, d. 16 Nov. 1909. He married Caroline Abrams in 1838.
6. Charles R. Medaris (7) b. 1812
7. Emsley Thomas Medearis (7) b. 1815 married Mary Ann Dougherty.
8. Martha Medearis (7) b. 1816, d. 23 June 1911. She married John W. Keys in 1841. He was b. 1816, d. 12 Jan. 1907. They are buried in the Crown Hill Cemetery , in Wayne County, Indiana.
9. Nancy Medearis (7) d. 1919 married 1) William Smith Woods 2) Thomas Crooks .
10. William Jefferson Medearis (7) b. 02 Jan. 1822 in NC., d. 25 Dec. 1911. He married Martha Marilla Sacket.

    In 1828, after John's death in 1823, Mary and the children from this second marriage moved to Indiana. They traveled with all of their belongings in two, one horse wagons. They settled in the site of Old Salisbury, then later moved to Centerville. Their descendants have lived in the area of Wayne County ever since. The children from John's first marriage to Susannah, moved to Carroll County, Georgia around 1826 as the land was purchased from the Creek Indians.

    Mary died on 07 July 1877 in Indiana at the age of 93Y  7M  9D. She is buried in the Crown Hill Cemetery , in Wayne County, Indiana.

Deed Abstracts, Guilford County, NC

9 January 1819 /  WM. PEGRAM to JOHN PEGRAM for $166.66 & 2/3 - two tracts on waters of Balews Creek..being part of land formerly owned by EDWARD PEGRAM decd. Who devised that said land would be publicly sold at yongest child being of age...etc. WILLIAM PEGRAM purchased said land 11 Nov. 1816 - Tract 1) 43 & 3/4 acres..begin at a black oak in JOHN MEDEARES line...to a stump & stake in a field near to a stable (formerly EDMOND JEANS) now DEMSY  McKINNEYs).. thence N on SOLOMON WARREN's line (formerly McKILLESS)..; Tract 2) 58 acres..begin at a white oak on head of a branch...to black oak in JOHN MEDEARES line...to large Hickory at corner of WM. PEGRAM's field... Wit: GEORGE PEGRAM, TRAVIS JONES Proved Feb. 1819. (DB 13:257)

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1 Feb. 1834 - JOHN F. MEDEARIS of Wayne Co., IN., by virtue of a Power of Attorney from his brother, CHARLES D. MEDEARIS of Wayne Co., IN., dated 17 Sep. 1833, to JOHN PEGRAM of Guilford Co., N.C. for $ 85 - 98 & 1/2 acres on waters of Belews Creek - begin at a hickory grub in the Widow NOTT's line...S with EMSLEY MEDEARIS 's line...W with D. McKINNEY's line...to black oak in JOHN PEGRAM's line .....N to large hickory in sd. PEGRAM's line and Widow KNOTT's corner...

Wit: FRANCIS JONES, GEORGE PEGRAM. Proved May 1835. (DB 22:87).

(CR: 1810, 1820 Guilford Co., North Caroina; Mary Pegram Medearis 1840, 1860 Wayne Co., Indiana)

( credits 00, 01, 10, 18, 50, 146 )

Thomas Medaris (6) ( Charles 5) b. 16 Feb. 1767 in North Carolina, d. prior to Sept. 1849 in Clermont County, Ohio. Thomas married Nancy Sanders, daughter of Nahum and Susannah Sanders.

    Thomas and family moved to Clermont County, Ohio in 1803 with the family of Oliver (5), and many of their North Carolina neighbors. The women and children traveled by flatboat from Pittsburgh. The men traveled by wagon and horseback and drove the livestock overland by way of Chillicothe.  Thomas remained in Clermont County, Ohio Township for most of his life.

    Thomas and Nancy had the following children:

1. John Medaris (7) b. abt. 1790 married Frances Jones. 
2. Elizabeth Medaris (7) b. abt. 1795 d. 21 Aug. 1858 married Elijah Mattox Jr.
3. Charles Medearis (7) b. abt. 1804, and d. abt.. 09 December 1858. Married Matilda Maddox. After Charles death she married Elijah Mattox, Jr., the widower of Charles sister Elizabeth.
4. Martha "Patsy" Elizabeth Medaris (7) b. abt. 1805, d. 04 January 1892, she married John Behymer. 
5. Malachi Medearis (7) b. abt. 1805; d. bef. 1846. He married Ann Wood.
6. Emilia Medaris (7) b. abt. 1810, she married Joseph Smith, 3 Jun 1830.
7. Nancy Medaris (7) b. 05 Oct. 1811, in Ohio, d. 25 Sept. 1899, Ohio. She  married Rueben Laycock.
8. Sarah Medaris (7) b. abt. 1812 married Stephen J. Lewis 21 Jan 1830
9. Elias Medaris  (7) b. abt. 1808.  He first shows in the Ohio census, then re-appears in 1850 Ohio.

    Nancy died 03 Dec. 1856. Thomas, his daughter Elizabeth and her husband Elijah Mattox are buried in the Medaris Family Cemetery, Old Apple Farm, Pierce Township. Thomas' will was probated in Sept. 1849.

( credits 00, 10, 50, 51, 97, 113, 256)

Malichi Medaris (6) ( Charles 5) was b. 1778 in North Carolina, d. in the 1850's in Conecuh County, Alabama. He married Elizabeth Lane on 22 Jul. 1798. Elizabeth was b. in 1769.  In 1803, Malachi along with his brother Thomas and their families moved to Clermont County, Ohio.

    Malichi's life is a bit of mystery as Malachi moves to Iowa around 1810. He returns to Ohio by 1820, but he is in the Mississippi census from 1830 to 1840 and ends up in Alabama by 1850 married to Nancy ???? .  Nancy was born in 1780.  It us unknown when Malachi and Nancy married but it is likely that it was in the 1820's.

    One must suspect that Haywood is the first child born to Malachi and Nancy as he and the remainder of the children were born in either Iowa or Mississippi. It is possible that Haywood, was born to Nancy while Malichi was still married to Elizabeth, which would explain the breakup.  It would also explain why Haywood, who was born in 1810, went with his father and the remainder of the children, who were born after 1820.

    Elizabeth continued to live in Ohio with her children until her death. Malachi and Elizabeth had the following known children:

1. Charles Medearis (7) b. 27 Jun 1799, North Carolina married Lydia Gest.
2. Samuel Medaris (7) b. 1800 - 1810
3. Shadrach Medaris (7) b. 1802 in North Carolina, married Sarah E. Ferree.
4. Sarah Medaris (7) b. 1806 in Ohio. She married John W. Gest, brother to Lydia wife Sarah's brother Charles. They lived in Clermont County, Union Township in 1860. Sarah's mother Elizabeth lived in the household with them at the time.

    Malachi and Nancy had the following children

5. Haywood Medearis (7) b. abt. 1810, married Elizabeth ????.
6. Malachi Medearis (7) b. abt. 1825 in Mississippi. He married Mary Hassy, 24 Jan. 1852 in Conecuh County, Alabama.
7. M. A. C. Medaris (7) b. abt. 1825, a daughter, married Arrington Phelps. They lived in Mississippi in Clarke Co., with her parents in 1840. Malachi lived with this daughter and family in 1860.
8. Louisiana Medaris (7) b. abt 1830, married W. C. McDonald a physician from Georgia. She has a Sarah living with her in 1860 who was born about 1845. She may be a sister or a niece to Louisiana.
9. Daniel Medaris (7) b. 1830 in Ala. 
10. Eliza Medaris (7) b. 1832 in Ala. 

(CR:  1820 Clermont Co., Ohio; 1830 Warren Co., Mississippi; 1840 Clark Co., Mississippi; 1850 Conecuh Co., Alabama; 1860 Clark Co., Mississippi)

( credits 00, 50, 51, 170, 171 )

Stephen Medaris (6) ( Charles 5) b. abt.. 1779 married Betsey Jean in Sept. ?? 1806 in Stokes Co., NC. They moved to Ohio about 1803 with the rest of the family.  They eventually moved to Kentucky before 1815.  Stephen shows back up in 1850 Hamilton County, Ohio with his daughter Mary.  It appears that Betsey has died prior to this time.

    Stephen and Betsey had the following children:

1. Mary Medaris (7) b. abt. 1810.  First shows in 1820 Ohio census and is still living with her father in 1850 when he returned to Ohio.
2. Female (7) b. 1804 - 1810.  Shows in 1820 Ohio census, currently unidentified.
3. Unknown son (7) b. 1815 - 1820, likely in Kentucky.  He married Catherine ????.  He died prior to 1850 and Catherine and the children show up in Hamilton Co., Ohio near her father in law, Stephen.  It appears that they had the following children:
1. Angelino Medaris (8) b. 1834 in Ohio
2. Elizabeth Medaris (8) b. 1837 in Missouri
3. Ellen Medaris (8) b. 1839 in Ohio.

(CR: 1820 Clermont Co., Ohio)

William Medaris (6) ( Charles 5) b. 1786 in NC. He married Nancy Jean on 11 Sept. 1806 in Stokes Co., NC. They moved to Harrison Township, Vigo County, Indiana. 

    William and Nancy had the following known children:

1. Pryor Medaris (7) b. abt 1807. Shows in 1820 Ohio census as child in this family.
2. Hyatt Medaris (7) b. abt 1810 in resided in Indiana in 1840.  He married Elizabeth ????.
3. John W. Medaris (7) b. 22 Oct. 1814 in Clermont County, Ohio.
4. Female (7) b. 1810 - 1820. Shows in 1820 Ohio census, currently unidentified.
5. Female (7) b. 1810 - 1820. Shows in 1820 Ohio census, currently unidentified.
6. Female (7) b. 1810 - 1820. Shows in 1820 Ohio census, currently unidentified.
7. William S. Medaris (7) b. 1822 in Ind. Listed as a Preacher but insane in the 1850 Ind. census.
8. Andrew Medaris (7) b. 1823 in Ind.
9. Narcissus Medaris (7) b. 1828 in Indiana.  She married William Simmons on 29 Sept. 1850 in Vigo County, Indiana.

(CR: 1820 Clermont Co., Ohio; 1830, 1840 Sullivan Co., Indiana; 1850 Vigo Co., Indiana)

( credits 00, 50)

Generation 7

Thomas J. Madaris (7) (John 6 , Charles 5 ) was born 1798 in Guilford County, North Carolina. Although we do not know for sure, Thomas' middle name is most likely "Jefferson". He married 1) Sarah Jane Preddy (sometimes spelled Priddy) 29 Sept. 1819 in Guilford County, NC.

    Thomas and Sarah had the following children:

1. William Fletcher Madaris (8) b. 1820 Guilford County, NC. He married  Barbara Allen Buford.
2. Haywood Madaris (8) b. abt. 1821 in Guilford County, NC. He married Lucinda Adams.
3. John Madaris (8) b. about 1822. John apparently never married. He went into business with his brother Haywood. With the help of their brothers John and Haywood built a Lumber Mill in Buckeye on the Madaris land. It was evidently a prosperous business for many years. They helped to build other mills in the area of Buckeye and Sargent, Georgia. John died 29 November 1853 in Pike County, Georgia. The area known as Buckeye today no longer exists. In fact there is not even a water source there anymore with the changes in the Chattahoochee River. Some of the houses in the local area however contain remnants of the old mill. One house was built with a 22' wooden beam as the main support of it's sub floor. This solid timber was drug from the woods and was obviously a part of the old mill that had fallen to ruin after the War for Southern Independence. Another local man says that he pulled the stones from the site and another uses the millstone for steps at his home.
4. Franklin Madaris (8) b. 1828 Carroll County, Ga. Franklin married Margaret Davis.
5. Jefferson Madaris (8) b. 1832 Carroll County, Ga.  Little is known about Jefferson's military history, he was only discovered when Franklin was traced to the Port Society Cemetery on the Ashley River. (See listing for Franklin) Jefferson was a member of the Confederate States Navy. (CR: 1850 Carroll Co., GA)
6. Delona Jane Madaris (8) b. 1834 Campbell County, Ga.  Delona married Abraham Ballard.
7. Elizabeth M. Madaris (8) b. 1836 Carroll County, Ga.
8. Jackson Madaris (8) b. 1838 Carroll County, Ga., Jackson was in Company  K. of the 30th Georgia regiment, known as the Chattahoochee Volunteers. He was captured near Nashville Tennessee and sent to a POW Camp in Camp Chase Ohio. 
9. Thomas P. Madaris (8) b. 1840 Carroll County, Ga. Thomas married 3  times and has 13 children. He moves to Louisiana after the War for Southern Independence and changes his name to Medaries.

    Thomas and Sarah moved to Georgia as the lands were relinquished by the Creek and Cherokee Indians during the mid to late 1820's. The first document found to place this family in Carroll County, was dated 04 Nov. 1829 when Alfred W. "Medearis", brother to Thomas, witnessed a deed in Carroll County, Georgia for George Aderhold. Sarah's brother, Lemuel Preddy, was married to Margaret Aderhold, daughter of this George.

    Thomas and family moved into frontier Western Georgia, looking for rich farmlands and abundant water supplies found in there. It is possible that they originally moved into part of the Cherokee Nation, with many settlers from North and South Carolina looking for prosperity. Gold had been discovered in 1829 by Benny Parks who stubbed his toe in a creek and found the first gold in the area now known as Dahlonega, starting the first gold rush in the nation. Gold was also found in Carroll and Douglas Counties and many settlers started moving into these areas. In fact there were several gold mines in the areas around where Thomas and his family lived but it is unknown for sure if they operated one of them.

    This period of settlement was tough and times were hard. Though most of the settlers in this region were well to do and owned vast amounts of property there were also hardships to deal with. Many squatted large portions of land that Indians still claimed was rightfully theirs. Settlements were sparse and it was difficult to sell your crops when there were so few people to sell to. There was also no way to move your crops and no markets to sell them in. This infant country was for the most part lawless and the settlements to the north in Cherokee land fell under no ones rule since it was outside of the US jurisdiction. The dealings with the Indians caused many of the settlers to band together. It appears that Thomas was one of these frontiersmen and he too joined the band of settlers who became known as the notorious "Pony Club". These settlers would raid Indian homes, stealing Indian ponies that were of a much better breed than any other available. This created a market for the ponies and brought a lot of money to the club members. The Pony Club became the law of the land and they became essentially a frontier mob. Some would even steal from their neighbors and there are many stories of travelers being robbed of their horses and bobbles. Although they were a lawless group they mostly went unpunished because they had members who they elected as Judges, who then placed Pony Club members on juries. They made sure their members were elected to and held positions of power. Being protected by their members they ran unchallenged for nearly two years causing what some described as terror in the land.

    The Pony Club ruled over land that soon became Paulding and Carroll Counties in Georgia. As the area settled, some law abiding citizens became fed up with the lawlessness and were tired of having their livestock stolen. Some of these citizens banded together to create a counter group to the Pony club calling themselves the "Slick Company". The Slicks organized in Alabama and had members of the Cherokees in their party. The Slicks eventually ran the Pony Club out of the Cherokee lands, starting with Paulding county. As the resistance grew stronger and law started entering the land the Pony Clubs set their headquarters and stronghold in Carroll County. The tensions between the Pony Club and the Slicks culminated on Election Day of 1832 in Carrollton. A large fight broke out in the streets. According to one witness no guns were used, just fists, rocks and sticks. The Slicks, headed up by then Sheriff Giles S. Boggess, were victorious and this was the beginning of the end for the Pony Club.

    At the September / October meeting of the Grand Jury, Sheriff Boggess was presented before the court as the aggressor in the may lay by the Pony Club controlled court. The jury was stacked with Pony Club members and the officer of the court was John A. Jones, also a member of the Club. Several members of the Club were also on trial for other charges. To the surprise of many it appeared that even the Club members were tired of the lawlessness. Perhaps like any other gang, membership was not always a choice. The Grand Jury did not file charges against Sheriff Boggess, but instead congratulated him and his Slicks for helping to bring peace and law to the area. Judge Colquitt disbanded the court as he knew that Jones "would have been justified in breaking up the court by any means he may have chosen…the judges duty to protect him as an officer of the court". No one was charged that session of the jury; Slick Company or Pony Club.

    Other members who had been brought before the Jury were: "Edward Hall and Joel D. Hicks for keeping a Gambling House at the Gold Mines….Thos. Medaris for keeping a disorderly & drunken company about his house…selling liquer on Sabbath & allowing fiddling & dancing on Sunday, having work of various kinds done…selling spiritous liquers to Negroes and trading with them…Thusly corrupting them to the great misry of their owners the county at large.:" All identified as members of the Pony Club. Many members of the Pony Club were run out of Carroll County afterwards and peace and law was brought to the area. Many members of the Club remained in Carroll County and became respectable and productive citizens.

    The Madaris family left Carroll County after the disbandment of the Pony Club. According to a Campbell County deed, Thomas was a resident of Warren County, Georgia, in 1834 when he sold 202 1/2 acres in Campbell County, to Burgess Gentry.  On 06 Sept. 1843, Thomas purchased 101 1/4 acres of land in Coweta County, directly across the Chattahoochee River from the McIntosh Indian Reserve. This area was known as "Buckeye". The only evidence of this small community left today is the old one room school house that is now a residence. Thomas' children John and Haywood also purchased surrounding land in Buckeye where they built a Lumber Mill and operated a very successful business for a number of years until John's death in 1853. By 1848 Thomas has sold almost all his land in Coweta County to his children John and Haywood and he was again residing in Campbell County on property he retained in the 1834 transaction.

    Thomas became a respectable member of the community where he worked as a Miller by trade. In 1847, he operated a mill on Cedar Creek in an area to be known as Sewell's Mill an industrial community near the present community of Roscoe. This was discovered by a newspaper article in the Newnan Times Herald detailing hangings in early Coweta County. One of the hangings was "a white man named William Harris who killed a Mr. McCollum at Thomas Medaris' mill (a place later called Sewell & Petty's Mill)." This mill stood until the 1980's. The ruins are still visible from the bridge over Cedar Creek on Sewell Mill Road just south of Roscoe. This area later became known as the Panther's Creek District of Coweta County.

    Thomas and his sons built several mills and it is believed they may have built many of the mills in the area's of Coweta, Carroll and Campbell counties along the Chattahoochee River. At one time Thomas owned several hundred acres in these counties on both sides of the Chattahoochee River.

    In 1860 the War for Southern Independence came to the country. All of Thomas's surviving sons joined the Confederacy, all but two would return home.

    The Cities of New Manchester and Campbellton, lying just west of Atlanta, were attacked and shelled during Sherman's March to the Sea. We know that Thomas and Sarah's residence was near the city of Campbellton in 1856. They likely fled for their safety as Sherman's Army marched through the area. Residents of nearby New Manchester, whose factory made Confederate Uniforms, were taken prisoner and sent to the prison camp in Camp Chase, Ohio. ( credits 00, 01)

    Thomas moved to Decatur County in South Georgia sometime in the 1860's. This is along the Georgia - Florida line near Chattahoochee Florida. It is unknown what happened to Sarah at the time of the move but it appears that she either died in Campbell County or she died shortly after the move. The next record of Thomas shows him across the line in Gadsden County, Florida where he married 2) Nancy Kelly Smith McAlily on 31 Dec. 1868. 

    Nancy Kelly had originally married Daniel Andrew Smith, 26 Nov. 1856. She and Daniel had two children: Alfred Smith, born 03 June 1857; and Andrew Smith, born 04 Sept. 1859 in Decatur County, Georgia. He died May 04, 1939. There may have been a girl named Grace that was just younger than Andrew who was killed by lightening who appeared in a newspaper article about the incident. Daniel Smith died in 1863 in the War for Southern Independence leaving Nancy a soldiers widow.

    Nancy secondly married a Confederate veteran; John McAlily who was born about 1796 in Chester, South Carolina. John and Nancy were married 20 Jul. 1866 in Gadsden, Florida. John was 70 and Nancy was in her 30's. Because of the loss of men in the war, there were so few young men in the area it was not uncommon for younger women to marry much older men.

    It is suspected that John McAlily died in October or November of 1868. He and Nancy did have two children: Tommus Smith McAlily, whose birth date is unknown.and Nancy was about two months pregnant at the time that her and Thomas Madaris married. Seven months after their marriage, Nancy gave birth to John Medaris / Darus who was born July 26, 1869 in Gadsden, Florida.

    Although Nancy's son John is listed in her bible as John Medaris, he and his descendants went by the surname Darus. It is unknown why they chose this particular spelling, but it could merely be a phonetic take on Medaris. Being married at the time of his birth it is likely that John was given Nancy's married name of "Madaris". It was originally thought that John was a child of Thomas Madaris but DNA testing of his descendants have ruled that out.

    John Darus married 1) Onie Hand. 2) Mary Jane "Mollie" Cone 3) Polly Ann Walden Taylor.

    Thomas operated a sorghum mill in south Georgia. Sorghum was the principal sweeteners used by our early ancestors. Sugar as we use today was not common and Sorghum made the food more tasty and nutritious as sorghum contained such hard to find nutrients as calcium, iron, potassium and phosphorous. It was necessary for baking items such as pies, breads, cakes and cookies. Sorghum syrup is made from the cane like plant by squeezing the juice from the cane and cooking off the excess water to obtain a sweet, sticky syrup.

    Thomas Madaris died in Decatur County, Georgia on 13 April 1869 only four months after his marriage to Nancy.  In August of 1869, Thomas' oldest son, Fletcher filed in Campbell County, Georgia, to administer the estate of his father which included 100 gallons of syrup, 50 acres of land "in the lower part of this state" (GA), and an estate worth approximately $150. Nancy is not mentioned in the records in Campbell County relating to the estate.

    It is unknown where Sarah or Thomas are buried.

    Nancy lived with her son John until her death in Cairo, Georgia in 1906. She is buried there in Midway Cemetery.

Carroll County Georgia Tax Digest 1842

(CR: 1820 Guilford Co., North Carolina; 1830, 1840 Carroll Co., Ga, 1850 1810 Rockingham Co., North CarolinaCampbell Co., Georgia)

( credits 00, 01, 34, 232, 233 )

Elizabeth "Betsy" Madaris (7) (John 6 , Charles 5) b. 01 Mar. 1801 in North Carolina; d. 17 Sept. 1823 in Ohio. She married William Barrow on 19 Feb 1818. William was b. 11 Nov 1795; d. 01 Oct 1823. William was the son of Moses and Jemina Gates Borrow.

    Elizabeth and William both died of "the great western epidemic fever" that prevailed in the Ohio Valley in 1822 and 1823. It was said to sweep the Ohio area with "great virulence, few persons escaping it's attack". It is described in writings by Dr. Samuel Prescot Hildreth who treated many of the patients at the time. Although most texts describe it as an unknown fever, others described it as "malignant malarial fever". The death rate in Ohio was quite high from this un-treatable epidemic.

    After the death of Elizabeth and William, the children lived with their Barrow grandparents.

    Elizabeth and William had the following children:

1. Louisa Borrow (8) b. 15 Nov 1818
2. Susanna Borrow (8) b. 13 Feb 1821

( credits 00, 236)

Alfred W. Medearis (7) (John 6 , Charles 5) b. 1808 in North Carolina, d. 05 Jan 1877 in Drakesville, Iowa.  Alfred moved to Georgia around 1826 with his brother Thomas. On 04 Nov. 1829 Alfred witnessed a deed in Carroll County, Georgia. He apparently returned to North Carolina shortly afterwards where he married Mary Marshall on 11 May 1831 in Stokes County, NC. The daughter of William and Mary Connerly Marshall, Mary was b. 01 May 1811 in VA, d. 02 Mar 1883 in Davis County, Iowa. Alfred and family move to Iowa around 1850 or 1851. Alfred and Mary are buried in the Drakesville Cemetery , Davis County, Iowa.

    Alfred and Mary had the following children:

1. Susan Medearis (8) b. 1832. She married William Henry Morgan. William was the son of Enoch and Jane Hester Morgan and was born 30 Jan 1828 in Guilford County NC.  Susan and he were married on 17 Oct 1858 at the house of her parents in Davis County, Iowa.  This was her first marriage and his second.  William had a son named Calvin by his first wife.  It has not been determined who his first wife was or what happened to her.  (CR: 1860 Davis Co., Iowa; 1860 Green Co., Iowa)
2. Elizabeth Medearis (8) b. 1834
3. John Wesley Medearis (8) b. 1844 in NC. John later lived in Drakesville, Iowa where he enlisted into Company G, 2nd Iowa Infantry on May 6, 1861.  He died of sickness while in the army on 05 Dec 1861, in Drakesville, Iowa at the age of 18. He is buried in the Drakesville Cemetery , Davis County, Iowa.

4. James E. Medearis (8) b. 1848

---

Real Estate records for Davis County, Iowa

For $300 Alfred W. Mediaris and Mary sold Lot 1 in Block 8 of Drakesville to Samuel Holt on 5 Nov 1855.

For $425 Alfred W. Medearis and Mary sold SE ¼ of the NE ¼ of Section 22 Township 69 North of Range 15 West in Davis County on 16 March 1857.

A. W. Maderis and E.W. Reynolds bought S ? of the SW ? of the NE ? and the N ? of the NW ? of the SE ? of Section 9 Township 69 North of Range 14 West containing 40 acres from Alexander Fouts and Elizabeth Jane Fouts.  Subject to the following conditions: A.W. Maderis and E.W. Reynolds have this day signed with the said Alexander Fouts three promissory notes to Alexander Breeding as securities for the said Alexander Fouts two notes for the sum of fifty five dollars each and the other for ten dollars due twelve months after date dated June 18th 1861 with ten per cent interest from maturity.  Now if the said Alexander Fouts shall pay or cause to be paid the said notes to the said Alexander Breeding at their maturity then this obligation shall be null and void.

(CR: 1840, 1850 Guilford Co., North Carolina; 1856 Iowa; 1870 Wapello Co., Iowa)

(credits 00, 10, 18, 166 )

John Fletcher Medearis (7) ( John 6 , Charles 5 ) b. 16 Nov 1809, d. 16 Nov. 1909. He died on his 100th birthday. John married Sarah Caroline Abrams in 1838.  Sarah was b. 02 May 1822, d. 22 April 1902. John and Sarah are buried along with some of their descendants at Crown Hill Cemetery , in Centerville, Indiana. In 1844, "Fletcher Medaris" is listed as a grocer in Wayne County. He is listed as the Post Master of Oliver Hill, 14 June 1861.

    John and Sarah had the following children:

4. Mary Adeline Medaris (8) b. 29 Aug 1839 in Wayne Co., Indiana. She died on 16 May 1862 in Wayne Co., Indiana. Mary married Caleb King on 28 Mar 1861 in Wayne Co., Indiana. She died just 14 months later after her marriage. Caleb was b. 02 Nov 1838, d. 09 Aug 1911 in Wayne Co., Indiana. They are buried in  Crown Hill Cemetery, Centerville, Indiana.
5. Martha A. Medaris (8) b. 1842 in Indiana. She married Allen Cotton.
6. William A. Medaris (8) b. 1843.  Little is known about William.  He was living in the National Military Home, Montgomery County, Ohio in 1880.  William was first enlisted in the 8th Indiana Regiment Infantry for the period of three months; April 21 - August 06, 1861.  The 8th was re-organized for a period of three years from Aug. 20th 1861 - Aug. 28, 1865.  He was a private in Company C. (CR: 1880 Montgomery Co., Ohio)
7. Israel A. Medaris (8) b. 1844. Israel married Martha Curtis b. 1848 in Indiana, d. 1906.
8. Sarah C. Medearis (8) b. 1846, married 22 Feb. 1869 to Joseph T. Russell.
9. Daniel B. Medearis (8) b. 17 Sept. 1848 in Indiana, d. 1921 in Indiana. He married Eveline Kem.
10. Amanda Medearis (8) b. 30 Dec. 1850 in Indiana, d. 09 Oct. 1933 in Indiana. She married John Martindale, abt. 1874 in of Clay Twp, Wayne, Indiana. John was b. 10 Oct. 1849, d. 12 Dec. 1932. This was John's second marriage. They are buried at Crown Hill Cemetery , in Centerville, Indiana.
11. Gertrude Margaret Medaris (8) b. 1852. She married Jasper Newton Gunder
12. Lizzie Medaris (8) b. unk, married Lafayette Jackson.
13. John F. Medearis (8) b. 1856
14. Luella A. Medearis (8) b.Aug. 1857; d. 24 May 1932 in Wayne County, Indiana. She married 1) John Wickersham, 2) DeWitt Clinton Russell.
15. Charles W. Medaris (8) b. 1862 in Indiana. He married 1) Nola Endsley, 2) Florence Smith.
16. Fannie Medearis (8) b. 1864 in Indiana.

Nora Medearis (9) b. 1875 is listed in this household in the 1880 Indiana Census. It is unknown who her parents are.

The Cambridge City Tribune
Cambridge City, Indiana
June 25, 1908

The oldest resident of Wayne County, Fletcher Medearis, aged 99 years, is enjoying good health and quite active.  He often leaves his home at Greensfork and visits friends at other places.  He enjoys reading and takes a lively interest in the general affairs of the day. 

Cambridge City Tribune
Cambridge City, Indiana
October 28, 1909

The citizens generally of Greensfork and vicinity are taking great interest in the proposed public celebration of the 100th birthday anniversary of Fletcher Medearis, of Greensfork, the oldest resident in Wayne County and among the few in the state.  The date is Tuesday, November 16, will be an all day observance, a big dinner and a great event.

The Weekly Sentinel
Wayne County, Indiana
November 17, 1909

CENTENARIAN CELEBRATES
John Medearis and Family Keep Day at Greensfork, Ind.

Richmond, Ind.,   Nov. 16. -- John Fletcher Medearis is 100 years old today and the members of his family and hundreds of his friends are celebrating his centenary at Greensfork.  He and his relatives had dinner at the home of one of his daughters, Mrs. John Martindale.  Covers for 200 were laid on a long table in the town hall.  Medearis is said to be the oldest Methodist in Indiana.  He joined the church eighty-five years ago.  He has been a citizen of Wayne County eighty years.  He was married in 1838 to Caroline Abrahams, of Centerville, who died eight years ago.

Cambridge City Tribune

Cambridge City, Indiana

November 18, 1909

John Fletcher Medearis of Greensfork, closed his hundredth year Tuesday, and in honor of the occasion a public reception was held.  Mr. Medearis had been in failing health for several weeks, but his only wish was that he live long enough to greet his many friends on this occasion.  His wish was realized, and his feebleness coupled with the excitement, caused a change for the worse and at 4 o'clock that day he died.  Mr. Medearis has lived a long and useful life and was respected and loved by all.  He was the oldest man in Wayne county.

(CR: 1850, 1860, 1880 Wayne Co., Indiana)

( credits 00, 43, 50, 131, 146)

Charles R. Medearis (7) ( John 6 , Charles 5 ) b. 18 Feb. 1812 d. 15 Nov. 1889. Married Harriet S. Owens , 21 Jan 1834. She was b. 5 Dec 1814 in Barnwell Co., SC., d. Jul. 1899, the daughter of James and Harriet Henrietta Stanyarne Owens .

    Charles and Harriet are buried in the Drakesville Cemetery , Davis County, Iowa. Most of their children are buried in the Crown Hill Cemetery , in Wayne County, Indiana.

    Charles and Harriet had the following children:

1.  John I. Medearis (Fletcher) (8) b. 30 Nov. 1834 d. 11 Mar 1862 possibly in War for  Southern Independence. He is buried in the Drakesville Cemetery , Davis County, Iowa. He has been listed as John Fletcher in family group sheets, but the Iowa Cemetery index states John I .
2. Waldo J. Medearis (8) b. 5 May 1837 in Indiana. He enlisted May 6, 1861 into Company  G, 2nd Iowa Infantry . He mustered first on 27 May 1861. The 2nd Iowa Infantry was ordered to take control of the lines of the Hannibal and St. Joseph and North Missouri Railroads in June 1861. Waldo was apparently injured in the conflicts that occurred there. He was discharged for disability 21 Aug 1861 in Missouri. He spent time in the Marshalltown Iowa Soldiers Home around 1900. Waldo married Ella Jenkins 23 Dec 1864. Had son listed as G. E. Medearis (9).
3. Mary Elizabeth Medaris (8) b. 23 Apr 1839 d. 23 Mar 1899 married John Alexander Hancock.
4.  Alfred M. Medearis (8) b. 19 May 1841 in Indiana, d. 1911, he married Martha R. ????.  She was b. 1844, d. 1913 (or 18). Living in Davis County, Iowa when the War Between the States started, Alfred enlisted 31 Aug 1861 into the 3rd Iowa Cavalry . He was wounded 25 May 1863, at Popes's Farm Ark. Alfred and Martha are buried in the Crown Hill Cemetery , in Wayne County, Indiana.
5. Emma Medearis (8) b. 3 Nov. 1843
6. Martha J. Medearis(8) 16 Jul. 1846 married Robert M. Bryant.
7. David C. Medearis (8) 7 Feb. 1849 d. 23 Feb. 1874 married Lydia Jinks.
8. Charles W. Medearis (8) 24 Mar. 1851, d. 27 July 1853. Buried in the Crown Hill Cemetery , in Wayne County, Indiana.
9. Josephine "Jose" Medearis (8) b. 25 Aug. 1855 married George Breeding 10 May 1874.
10. Charles W. Medearis (8) b. 1858, d. 1932 married Alice ????.

( credits 00, 18, 43, 146, 166 )

Emsley Thomas Medearis (7) ( John 6 , Charles 5 ) b. 1815. He married Mary Ann Dougherty.

    Emsley and Mary had the following child:

1. John Medearis (8) b. 1831, he was admitted to the Indiana Asylum for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb in December 1847.
2. Emsley Thomas Medearis Jr. (8) b. March 1836. He married 1) Martha Jane Fouts. 2) Cynthia E. ????.

(CR: 1850 Wayne Co., Ind)

( credits 18, 101 )

Nancy Medearis (7) ( John 6 , Charles 5 ) b. 1819, d. 13 Nov. 1913. She married 1) William Smith Woods.

    Nancy and William had the following children:

1. Adaline J.  Woods (8) b. 1840, d. 01 May 1914. She married Addison H. Harris on 14 July 1859. Addison was b. 18 Apr. 1826, d. 25 Jun 1915. He was the son of Benjamin and Lydia Hiatt Harris . Adaline and Addison are buried in Williamsburg, Indiana .
2. Andrew Woods (8) b. 1842 in Wayne County, Indiana.

    Nancy married 2) Thomas Crooks, b. 1809, d. 1886. They are buried in the Crown Hill Cemetery , Wayne Co., Indiana. Nancy and Thomas had the following children:

3. Mary Crooks (8) b. 1852 in Wayne Co., Indiana.
4. Martha Crooks (8) b. 1855 in Wayne Co., Indiana.

Cambridge City Tribune
Cambridge City Indiana
November 20, 1913

The death of Mrs. Nancy Crook, age 94, at her home in Olive Hill, removes one of the oldest pioneer settlers of Wayne county where she has resided since coming form Dearborn county, North Carolina in 1830.  She was a sister to John Fletcher Medearis who died a few years ago on his one hundredth birthday.  Funeral services Sunday and interment in Crown Hill cemetery at Centerville.

(CR: Crooks 1850, 1860 Wayne Co., Indiana)

( credits 00, 146)

William Jefferson Medearis (7) ( John 6 , Charles 5 ) b. 02 Jan. 1822 in NC, d. 25 Dec. 1911. There is a listing for William in the International Genealogical Index that lists his birth as 1823 in East Greenwich, Connecticut, and as a relative of Samuel A. Sackett. The date listed here is from the headstone transcript of  02 Jan. 1822.

    William married Martha Marilla Sackett , 04 Dec. 1845.  They lived in Wayne Co., IN, in 1850.  She was the daughter of Dr. David Filer and Martha Milliken Sackett.  Dr. Sackett was the son of Dr. Samuel and Sarah Manning Sackett.

    Most of the family is buried in the Crown Hill Cemetery , Wayne Co., Indiana.

    William and Martha had the following known children:

1. Cornelia M. Medearis (8) b. abt. 1846 in Wayne Co., IN.
2. Alice Medearis (8) b. abt.. 1848 in Wayne Co., IN.  She apparently never married and dies in 1936 in Centerville, Indiana.
3. Albert B. Medearis (8) b. 09 Nov. 1848 in Wayne Co., IN, d. 29 July 1852. He married Josephine ????.
4. Oran B. Medearis (8) b. 1851. He married Henrietta Righter.
5. Margaret Elmira Medearis (8) married Dr. Joseph N. Study.
6. Martha Caroline Medearis (8) married Dr. James S. Blair.
7. Charles William Medearis (8) b. 1858, married Emma A. Stroam.  Lived in St. Louis in 1910 but returned to Indianapolis, Indiana by April 1911.
8. Fletcher C. Medearis (8) b. 1860, married Mabel B. Bendere. She was the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Henry C. Bendere who lived in Phiadelphia, Pennsylvania.  In 1911, the Medearis family lived at 1025 Oxford street in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1913 their address is listed as 135 North Rural street.
9. Oscar H. Medearis (8) b. 1865 d. 12 Dec. 1937. He married 1) Cora M. Owens 2) Effie E. Siliven.
10. Katherine Medearis (8) married Ted Myers, the creator & owner of the Indianapolis Speedway. She is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery , Wayne Co., Indiana.
11. Theodore E. Myers was b. Feb 1874 in Indiana.

Cambridge City Tribune

Cambridge City, Indiana

June 26, 1902

William Jefferson Medearis, living at Indianapolis, celebrated his 80th birthday anniversary Friday.  A family dinner, attended by six of the children, two of whom live in Richmond, and one, Mrs. J. N. Study, in Cambridge City, was enjoyed at noon.  Three children live at Indianapolis.  The affair was in the nature of a reunion.  Friday afternoon a number of old acquaintances of the octogenarian called to pay their respects.  Mr. Medearis's earlier years were spent in Centerville, this county.  there he learned the saddler's trade in the same shop that Oliver P. Morton leaned to be a hatter.  He and Morton was a member of the famous Centerville band that campaigned with Henry Clay when he was a candidate for the presidency.  Mr. Medearis went to Indianapolis in 1898. 

Mrs. Jefferson Medearis, 84, died Monday at Centerville.  She is survived by her husband who is 89, four sons and three daughters.  Fletcher Medearis of Indianapolis is a son.

Cambridge city Tribune
December 30, 1909

Mrs. Jefferson Medaris, aged 84 years, died at her home in Centerville, Monday after a long illness from a broken hip and other ailments.  Mrs. Medearis is the mother of Mrs. Dr. J. N. Study, of this city, is well known in this county and is held in high esteem.  She is survived by her husband, four sons and three daughters.

Cambridge City Tribune

May 05, 1910

Obituary

    In this brief life-struggle amid the rush and whirl of business and the many cares incident to living, we are apt to omit the recognition of the virtues and noble qualities of our beloved friends.  This omission may be largely due to our belief in the beautiful thought, "I shall be remembered for what I have done."  In this respect we have but to mention the name of Mrs. Margaretta E. Study to recall the many virtues of her life and to say, the world has been better for her brief sojourn here.  But life is so varied we cannot ascribe the  same virtues to all.

    When we think of Mrs. Study and stop to analyze her character, how instantly we recall her modesty, a virtue so becoming in a woman.  Again, we recall her love of music, when in her early life with her harp and beautiful voice, she entertained her friends.  Very much in keeping with this love of music was her appreciation of flowers, which she deftly handled in growth.  Nature to her was ever beautiful and in her last sickness expressed a longing desire to visit again a beautiful spot not far distant, that was especially pleasing to her.  Love of humanity, too, was strong in her nature, having the keenest sympathy as well as a helping hand for the unfortunate and distressed.

    Childhood to her was a special delight in which she had interest and keen appreciation, so that many a child hs been able to discern in her more than an ordinary friend.  But in the welfare of her home, her husband, and the only child centered her greatest ambitions to which her refinement and consistent life gave an atmosphere uplifting and inspiring for the good and noble.

    Events in a life are not so important, perhaps, as the deeds, yet they shape one's life to some extent and it is interesting to know that Margaretta Medearis was born at Greensfork, this county, January 19, 1854.  Mrs. Katherine Myers and Miss Alice Medearis, her two sisters, of Centerville, shared her childhood days in this county, as well as her brothers, Oran, of Centerville, William C., of St. Louis, Fletcher, of Indianapolis, and Oscar, of Richmond.  Her mother preceded her four months ago, but the aged father, Jefferson Medearis, now 87 years old, survives her.  That she should be taken at the age of 56 years when descending from a family noted for longevity, is one of the mysteries of our physical being.

    Her girlhood days were spent at Williamsburg, and it was here that she met her husband, Dr. Joseph N. Study, who has been a devoted companion.  Their marriage occurred March 13, 1873, thus gracing her home for 37 years.  The only child, Mrs. Mae Boden, widow of the late Walter Boden, brought up under these influences of a devoted mother, shared her tastes and home ideas, making them most companionable.

    Relatives, as well as our community, can ill afford to  lose such a sweet spirited personality.

    Funeral services were held at the family home Monday afternoon.  The attendance of relatives and friends from Indianapolis, Richmond, Centerville, New Castle, Williamsburg, Hagerstown, Connersville, Greensfork and this city and vicinity was very large and spoke the esteem and love in which Mrs. Study and her family are held.  The floral tributes were many and of great beauty.  Rev. Graham, of Richmond, conducted the services, assisted by Rev. Coffin.  The burial was in Riverside.

(Cr: 1850, 1880 Wayne Co., Indiana)

( credits 18, 50, 146)

John Medaris (7) (Thomas 6, Charles 5) b. abt. 1790 married Frances Jones.  They moved to Hancock County, Indiana in the 1830's.

    John and Frances had the following known children:

1. Elizabeth Medaris (8) b. abt. 1815, married Andrew Jarrett.
2. Rachel Medaris (8) married Ryley Tayler (Tyner?) on 26 Jul 1839 in Hancock County, Indiana.
3. Rebecca Medaris (8) married Henry Spoon on 17 Sep 1846 in Hancock County, Indiana.
4. William Medaris (8) (CR: 1840 Hancock Co., Indiana)
5. Robert Edmundson Medaris (8)
6. John R. Medaris (8) b. Sept. 1826, d. Oct. 2, 1903.  He married Sarah Permilia L. Julian.
7. Charles Bonnier Medaris (8) b. 31 Dec. 1831 in Hancock County, Indiana. He married Elizabeth A. Myers.
8. Isaac N. Medaris (8) b. 1834
9. Levi Medaris (9) b. 1838
10. Sarah Medaris (9) b. 1843

(CR: 1830 Franklin Co., Indiana; 1840 Hancock Co., Indiana; 1850 Hendricks Co., Indiana; 1860 Morgan Co., Indiana)

(credits 00, 50, 204)

Elizabeth Medaris (7) ( Thomas 6 , Charles 5 ) b. abt. 1795 d. 21 Aug. 1858 married Elijah Mattox.  Elijah was b. 1791 and moved to Ohio to what was to become Pierce Township in 1810. He served in the War of 1812. After Elizabeth's death, Elijah married Matilda Medearis widow of Charles, Elizabeth's brother.

    Elizabeth and Elijah had the following children:

1. Amelia Mattox (8) b. 21 July 1814 in Clermont Co., Ohio, d. 02 Oct. 1896 in Fulton Co., Ill. She married Henry Bonnell on 30 Oct. 1834.
2. Thomas Mattox (8) b. 17 June 1817, Ohio, d. abt. 1886. He married Nancy Ellis 23 April 1840.
3. Susanah Mattox (8) b. 19 June 1819. She married Adam Behymer, 18 Jan. 1838.
4. Alice Mattox (8) b. 21 Mar. 1822. She married William West, 13 Aug. 1842.
5. William Mattox (8) b. 21 Aug. 1825
6. Benjamin Mattox (8) b. 28 Feb. 1828

( credits 50, 51 )

Charles Medearis (7) ( Thomas 6, Charles 5 ) b. abt. 1804, d. bef. 09 Dec 1858. He married Matilda Maddox who was b. 20 Mar 1807 in Bracking Co., Ky and d. 13 Sept. 1895 in Clermont County, Ohio. She is buried in Mt. Matiah cemetery there.

    After Charles death, she married Elijah Mattox , the widower of Charles' sister Elizabeth. They were married 09 Dec. 1858.

    Charles and Matilda had the following children:

1. Male (8) b. 1825 - 1830. Shows in 1830 Ohio census, unidentified at this time. He likely died as a young child before 1840.
2. Elias Medearis (8) b. 1828 Clermont Co., OH, d. 27 Nov. 1902 in Appanoose Co., IA.
3. Martha A. Medearis (8) b. abt. 1837 in Ohio. She married William Monjar.
4. Emeline Medearis (8) b. 11 Mar. 1840 in Clermont County, Ohio, d. 11 Feb. 1926 in Clermont County, Ohio. She married Benjamin Mattox on 27 Oct. 1889. She was his second wife.
5. Hester A. Medearis (8) b. abt. Oct. 1843 in Ohio, married George Clem.
6. Elizabeth Medearis (8) b. 31 Aug. 1845 in Pleasantville, Ohio, d. abt. 1940. She married Emery (Bidle) Cramer (Craner) and gained some religious notoriety as "Mother Craner".
7. George Medearis (8) b. abt. 20 Oct. 1850, Ohio. Moved to Iowa.

(CR: 1830, 1840 Clermont Co., Ohio, Matilda with family in 1850 Clermont Co., Ohio) (Elijah Mattox and family in 1880 Clermont Co., Ohio)

( credits 00, 50, 51, 97 )

Martha "Patsy" Elizabeth Medaris (7) (Thomas 6 , Charles 5 ) b. abt. 1805, d. 04 January 1892 at Nine Mile, buried at Mt. Moriah Cemetery. She married John Behymer 14 Oct. 1830. He was born 21 Jun 1807 near Locust Corner, Clermont Co., Ohio.

    Martha and John had the following children:

1. William S. Behymer (8) b. 10 Dec 1833 in Pleasant Hill, Clermont Co., Ohio. He married Nancy S. Woodlief.
2. Jacob M. Behymer (8) b. 20 Sep 1838 in Clermont Co., Ohio. He married Harriet L. Durham.
3. Sarah L. Behymer (8) b. abt. 1846 in Clermont Co., Ohio. She married Alex P. Felter.
4. Elizabeth M. Behymer (8) b. abt. 1844 in Clermont Co., Ohio. She married Elisha B. Eppert.
5. Albert W. Behymer (8) b. abt. 1846 in Clermont Co., Ohio.
6. Westermann Behymer (8) b. abt. 1849 in Clermont Co., Ohio.
7. Rosella Behymer (8) {b. 20 Apr 1852 in Clermont Co. Ohio. She married Charles H. Troy.
8. Nancy Behymer (8) b. 21 Aug. 1831 in Clermont County, Ohio. She married John Fletcher Monjar.
9. Harriet L. Behymer (8)

( credits 113, 256)

Malachi Medearis (7) ( Thomas 6 , Charles 5 ) was born abt. 1805, and died before 1846. He married Ann Wood, 25 August 1825 in Batavia, Clermont Co., Ohio. Malachi's name is spelled Madaris on his marriage bond. He lived in Ohio Township, in Clermont County, Ohio his whole life.  Malachi shows in the 1840 Clermont Co., Ohio census alone.  Unsure where the remainder of the family was at this time.

    Ann and Malachi had the following children:

1. Paulina Medearis (8) b. 02 May 1826 in Ohio; d.16 Oct 1877. She married James M. Roudebush.
2. John Medearis (8) b. Ohio.
3. Sanders Medearis (8) b. abt. 1826, Clermont Co., Ohio; married Clarinda Redmon.
4. James Wood Medearis (8) b. 18 May 1828, Clermont Co., Ohio; d. 07 Mar 1923, Toronto, Woodson Co., Kansas.

(credits 50, 51)

Nancy Medaris (7) ( Thomas 6 , Charles 5 ) b. 05 Oct 1811, in Ohio, d. 25 Sep 1899, Ohio. She married Rueben Laycock 18 Nov. 1830. He was born 11 May 1809. They are buried at Mt. Pisgah Cemetery, Mt. Pisgah, Ohio.

    Nancy and Rueben had the following children:

1. Stephen A. Laycock (8)
2. Malissa Laycock (8) b. 15 Apr 1839. She married Bennet French Lindsey, who was born in 1834.
3. Martha Laycock (8) b. 1840, married O. O. Behymer.
4. Malvina Laycock (8) b. 23 Nov. 1841, she married Wesley Calhoun who was b. 1834.
5. Sarah J. "Sallie" Laycock (8) b. 1845, she married Nathan H. Hatfield who was born in 1842.
6. Nancy B. Laycock (8) b. 1846, she married Hamer Swem, who was b. 1848.
7. Dr. Rueben L. Laycock (8) b. Aug. 1850, he married Mary E. ????.
8. Leonora V. Laycock (8) b. 12 Sep 1857, she married Dr. Frank Pierce Witham who was b. 14 Apr 1853.

(CR: 1850 Clermont Co., Ohio)

( credits 00, 50, 256)

Charles Medearis (7) ( Malachi 6 , Charles 5 ) was born 27 June 1799 in North Carolina, and died 21 Feb. 1876. He married 1) Lydia Gest 02 August 1821, daughter of Enoch Gest . They moved to Ohio in 1803 with the other members of their family.

    Charles and Lydia had the following children:

1. Melinda Medearis (8) b. 1822, d. 1894.
2. Arthur E. Medearis (8) b. 08 Feb. 1824, d. 30 Aug. 1845, age 21y 6m 22d
3. Female (8) b. 1825 - 1830. Shows in 1830 Ohio Census, so far unidentified.
4. Female (8) b. 1825 - 1830. Shows in 1830, 1840 Ohio Census, so far unidentified.
5. Idy G. Medearis (8) b. 18 Nov. 1831, d. 19 Oct. 1836, age 5y 1m one
6. Keziah Medearis (8) b. 04, April 1834, d. 31 Oct. 1836 age 2y 6m 27d
7. Shadrack Medearis (8) d. 27 May 1837
8. Melville C. Medearis (8) b. 11 May 1838, d. 15 Jan. 1839, age 8m 4d 
9. Enoch G. Medearis (8) b. abt. 1840, Ohio. Married Sarah ????.
10. Edna A. Medearis (8) b. 25 May 1843, d. 01 Aug. 1861, age 18y 10m 8d. Listed as Emma in 1880 Ohio census.
11. Leonidas H. Medearis (8) b. 3 Aug. 1844, in Ohio, d. 18 June 1898.

    Lydia died 28 May 1860 and Charles then married 2) Phoebe Hill abt., 1851 in Clermont Co., Ohio. She was b. 27 June 1830; d. 16 Jan 1899. Phoebe is found in the 1880 Ohio census with the following children:

10. Charles Elmer Medearis (8) b. 1866 in Ohio, he married Irene Pearl Neiswender.
11. Mary L. Medearis (8) b. 1869 in Ohio

    Arthur, Edna, Melville, Idy, Shadrack, Keziah, Lydia, Phoebe and Charles are all buried in the Cemetery of I.O.O.F Boston Lodge in Clermont County, Ohio.

(CR: 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870 Clermont Co., Ohio; Phoebe and family in 1880 Clermont Co., Ohio)

(credits 17, 50, 51)

Malachi Medearis (7) ( Malachi 6 , Charles 5 ) b. abt. 1825 in Mississippi. He married Mary Hassy, 24 Jan. 1852 in Conecuh County, Alabama. It appears that Malachi and his wife Mary died sometime in the 1860's.  It is unknown if perhaps they fell victim to the devastation of the War for Southern Independence or if they died of disease.

    What we do know is that they had two children:

1. Phillip Napier Medearis (8) b. 04 Aug. 1853, d. 13 Dec. 1921. He married 1) Elizabeth Charity Tisdale, 2) Tillie Mae Bird.
2. Nimua Medearis (8) b. 1864 in Alabama. Nimua and her brother Phillip were adopted by a minister, Phillip Hawkins Napier and his wife Sarah, apparently after the death of their parents sometime prior to 1870.

(credits 00, 170, 171)

Samuel Medaris (7) (Malachi 6, Charles 5) b. 1800 - 1810.  It is unknown who he married at this time. What we know about Samuel comes from some early census records.  The 1830 Ohio census lists Samuel and family but it appears to be two families listed in one family unit.

(CR: 1830 Clermont Co., Ohio)

Shadrach Medaris (7) (Malachi 6, Charles 5) b. 1802 in North Carolina, married Sarah E. Ferree in 22 March 1827. They are buried in the Rose of Sharon Cemetery in Clermont County, Ohio.

    Shadrach and his family lived at Olive Branch in Clermont County. According to their web site, Olive Branch is believed to have received its name because of its peaceful location along Shaylor Creek in Batavia Township. It is one of the five oldest existing communities in Clermont County. Olive Branch's first post office opened in February of 1845 with Shadrach Medaris as the first postmaster. It remained open until December, 1922.

    Shadrach and Sarah had the following known child:

1. Female (8) b. 1820 - 1825. Shows in 1830 Ohio Census, so far unidentified. Likely died very young.
2. John P. Medaris (8) b. 1838 in Ohio; d. 20 Jan. 1909 in Hamilton County, Ohio. Married Mary E. ????.

(CR: 1830, 1840 Clermont Co., Ohio, 1860 Hamilton Co., Ohio)

(credits 00)

Haywood Medearis (7) ( Malachi  6 , Charles 5 ) b. abt. 1810, married Elizabeth ????. They lived in Iowa and then Mississippi. Haywood purchased 40 acres of property on 13 Nov. 1859, at Washington County, Mississippi. He is listed as a resident of Lawrence County, Mississippi at the time.  This land was located of the city of Bogue Chitto, MS.  The area where he purchased the property contains the current landmarks of Big Creek where it goes under hwy 55 and Cavalry Church on Cavalry Church Rd.

    Haywood and Elizabeth had the following known children:

1. Nancy Medearis (8) b. 1837 in IA
2. Henry B. Medearis (8) b. 1840  in IA
3. Lydia A. Medearis (8) b. 1842 in IA
4. Samuel Medearis (8) b. 1846 in IA

(CR: 1850 Warren Co., Mississippi)

(credits 00)

Pryor Medaris (7) (William 6, Charles 5) b. abt 1807.  He married ???? ????.  They lived in Hamilton County, Cincinnatti, Ohio in 1840.  Prior Madaris was born abt. 1810 in New Jersey according to his death record. He died in March 1850 of consumption in Cincinnatti Ohio, 2nd Ward. Hamilton County. He shows in the 1880 mortality census of Ohio. Pryer fits as the unidentified male child in the familiy of William 6, Charles 5 and was placed there as the likely candidate.  It appears that he had no male offspring and therefore his lineage has been lost to time so far.

Pryor and his wife had the following unidentified children:

1. Female (8) b. 1830 - 1835
2. Female (8) b. 1835 - 1840
3. Female (8) b. 1835 - 1840

(CR: 1840 Hamilton Co., Ohio)

(credits 00)

Hyatt Medaris (7) (William 6, Charles 5) b. abt 1810 in resided in Indiana in 1840.  He married Elizabeth ????, born 1811.

    Hyatt and Elizabeth had the following children:

1. Julia A. Medaris (8) b. abt. 1835 in Indiana.  She married David Byers 04 July 1850 in Vigo County, Indiana.
2. Lydia A. Medaris (8) b. 1842 in Indiana
3. Samuel Medaris (8)  b. 1845 in Indiana

(CR: 1840 Sullivan Co., Indiana; 1860 Vigo Co., Indiana)

(credits 00)

John W. Medaris (7) (William 6, Charles 5) b. 22 Oct. 1814 in Clermont County, Ohio; d. 21 Sept. 1911 in White County, Ohio.  John married 1) Martha ????   

John had the following known children:

1. Harry L. Medaris (8) b. 1850 (Listed as Henry in the 1850 census).
2. Samuel Medaris (8) b. 1853
3. Martha Medaris (8) b. 1855

4. Alta M. Medaris (8) b. 1862
5. Wilber F. Medaris (8) b. 1866

    Very little is known about John except what was found in the following article:

A Standard History of White County Indiana

DR. JOHN W. MEDARIS

Doctor Medaris, although a physician of middle age when he became a resident of Brookston in 1859, continued to make that place his home and the center of his faithful practice, his Masonic activities and his splendid educational work— all tending to the progress of White County—for a period of more than half a century. At the time of his death on September 21, 1911, he was in his ninety-seventh year; the oldest person in White County, probably the oldest Mason in the state (having joined the order in 1846) and the veteran of the White County Medical Society, having survived Doctor Haymond for over a quarter of a century.

Doctor Medaris was born in Clearmont, Ohio, October 22, 1814, was educated in his native state, and received his medical training in the Miami School of Medicine at Cincinnati and the Sterling School of Medicine, Columbus. After his graduation he began practice at Hartford, Ohio, and in 1859 located at Brookston. The town was then very young and the doctor's circuit of practice was often many miles out in the country, over terrible roads and through storms and mud. But, like others of his fellows, he accepted such hardships with good cheer as matters-of-course in the career of the country doctor. No member of the profession was more widely known or beloved than Doctor Medaris.

In 1867, three years after the founding of the county medical society, Doctor Medaris realized another of his ambitions, which was particularly his triumph, in the building of the Brookston Academy, one of the prominent educational institutions of Northern Indiana. During the Civil war he had served as a member of the Indiana Sanitary Commission, having been detailed by Governor Morton to give medical aid and assistance to the Union soldiers of White County detained in the Memphis hospitals. But he was best known throughout the state for his enthusiasm and steadfastness in Masonry, which endured for sixty-five years— from the time he joined the order until his death. Through out its official life he was one of the stanchest and dearest friends of the Old Settlers Association; and at its meeting of August, 1911, held the month before his death, appeared to be in his usual health. A few days before he was called away to the Future which knows no centuries, he received a dispatch announcing the death of his daughter, at her home in Danville. The attendant shock, with a decline in his physical strength which had been noted a short time previously, undoubtedly hastened his end. A strong personality, which was evinced in practical accomplishments, honesty and sincerity, with a generosity which often went far beyond the bounds of self-protection, and an abiding affection for those nearest him, as well as a broad charity for all, were the marked traits in this revered patriarch.

(CR: 1850 Ohio Co., Indiana, 1860, 1880 White Co., Indiana)

(credits 00)

Generation 8

William Fletcher Madaris (8) (Thomas 7 , John 6 , Charles 5 ) b. 1820 in Guilford County, NC. Fletcher married Barbara Allen Buford on 12 May 1842, in Carroll County, Georgia. ( what's in a name? Fletcher )     Fletcher and Barbara had the following children:

1. Harriet E. Madaris (9) b. 1847,
2. William Alfred Madaris (9) b. 1848, married 1) Millie Elizabeth McBurnett 2) Alice Blackwell .
3. Sarah Jane Madaris (9) b. 1849
4. George Washington Madaris (9) b. 1852. He married Naomi J. Shropshire .
5. Mary F. Madaris (9) b. 29 Nov. 1853 in Coweta County, Georgia; d. 30 Dec. 1939 in Fayette County, Georgia. She married C. Jasper Collins .
6. John Thomas Madaris (9) b. 1856, he married Lizzie Johnson.
7. Charles Buchannan Madaris (9) b. 1860, married 1) Fannie B. Richardson, 2) Martha "Mattie" Marselle Tucker .

    All of the children were born in Coweta County, Georgia. Fletcher came to Georgia with his parents around 1826. His father was a miller and Fletcher likely helped in the mills and around the farm. Fletcher worked as a blacksmith and ferrier in the area's of Whitesburg, Handy and Newnan, Georgia.

    When the War for Southern Independence started, Fletcher enlisted on 02 August 1861 at Camp McDonald in Cobb County, Georgia. Camp McDonald was located near Kennesaw where the Big Shanty Museum is now located. He is listed as a private, as well as the unit blacksmith and ferrier in Company D known as "The Coweta Rangers", of Phillips Legion of Georgia, Cavalry Battalion, Army of Northern Virginia, CSA. Phillips Legion was known as "Phillips Volunteers" and "The Georgia Volunteers". Under the command of General James Ewell Brown "JEB" Stuart, they were known as Company K, in Hampton's Brigade under the command of Lieutenant General Wade Hampton.

    In Anderson's Brigade, they were the "Advanced Guard" for this famous Cavalry Unit. They led and cleared the way for Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Gen. Lee once referred to Stuart's Cavalry as his eyes and ears.

    When Fletcher joined the Confederate Army so did his horse. Although no documentation of his horse's name has been found, his companion in battle is documented by Fletcher's pay stubs as he was compensated for the use of his personal horse and gear. Fletcher's horse was lost in either the battle of New Hope Church, Mine Run or Parker's Store, Virginia on November 27-30, 1863. Fletcher himself ended up in Hospital #3 at Lynchburg, Virginia. His records show that he received clothing there on 09 December 1863. Members of the Confederate Cavalry had to provide their own horses. If theirs was lost they were given a furlough in order to go home and obtain another horse, or obtain one locally. He remained dismounted until April 1864, when he obtained a new horse.

    In December 1863, Lt. Gen. Wade Hampton was promoted to General and Fletcher's unit was assigned to Young's Brigade in Hampton's Division, JEB Stuart's Cavalry Corps. During his military tour, Fletcher participated in the following battles:

• Stuart's Famous Raid around McClellan's Army,
• The Picket Affair - Hartwood Church - Va.,
• The Battle of Fredericksburg,
• Chancellorsville
• Operations against Stoneman's Raid.
• The Gettysburg Campaign,
• The Battle of Manassas Gap - Virginia,
• The Bristoe Campaign,
• The Battle of Mine Run - New Hope Church VA,
• The Battle of The Wilderness,
• Battles about Spottsylvania Court House,
• Laurel Hill,
• Ny River
• Fredericksburg Road VA,
• Operations against Sheridan's Raid (against George Armstrong Custer),
• The battle of Yellow Tavern (in which JEB Stuart was killed at the side of Company K, Phillip's Cavalry),
• The Battle of Cold Harbor

     They participated in many other small skirmishes and raids throughout the war. In all Phillip's Cavalry participated in over 100 battles and skirmishes during it's existence. Fletcher was discharged on 08 June 1864 for being over the age of 45. He returned to Newnan, Georgia where he again worked as a blacksmith.

Click here to view his actual discharge papers

Click here for a text interpretation of the discharge papers

    After returning home from the War, Fletcher returned to his family and blacksmith work. Times after the war were tough, there was little or no money and many families had lost everything they had. It is believed that Fletcher lived on the Madaris land once owned by his father and brothers in the area of Buckeye in Coweta County. He had lost two brothers in the war, Franklin and Jefferson, both who died in Charleston, South Carolina and were buried there. Little is found about the time period between 1865 and 1869.

    On 31 October 1869, at about 1:30 pm, an argument broke out between Fletcher and a good friend and fellow Confederate veteran; Sterling Harrison Thomas. Sterling had fought alongside Fletcher's brother Thomas P. Madaris in Co. I, 37th Georgia, Infantry. According to the Thomas family it had been passed down that the argument was over a card game. We rely on their stories for the reason for the argument, but the facts of the incident were recorded in a newspaper article at the time. Sterling became enraged and started cussing and calling Fletcher insulting names. Sterling took his rifle and began to load it and according to witnesses, Fletcher left and went for the Sheriff of Coweta County, who was also Marshall for the City of Newnan. However when Sheriff Hackney determined that the problem was outside the corporate limits of Newnan he did not go. At about 3:00 pm, Fletcher was talking with some friends at a place on LaGrange Road about a mile and a half from the Coweta County Courthouse, when Sterling approached with a large rock hidden in his shirt. As he approached (approximately 5 steps away) he threw the rock at Fletcher with all of his might. It is unclear if the rock struck Fletcher or not, but as Sterling reached for another rock to throw, Fletcher pulled his pistol and fired two shots at his attacker. The first shot missed but the second shot struck Sterling near the backbone and exited the front near his groin. Before he could throw the rock Fletcher fired a third time striking Sterling in the upper arm and lodging near his elbow. Sterling was critically wounded.

    It appears that Fletcher cared for his wounded friend, most likely regretting his actions. Later that day, Sterling asked Fletcher to take him to the home of a Mr. Allen in town. They arrived there at about 10 or 11 pm where he would receive care for his wounds. Unfortunately the wounds would prove fatal and Sterling Harrison Thomas died at the Allen home in Newnan, Georgia at 6:00 pm on Monday, November 01, 1869. Fletcher claimed his innocence based on self defense and reports say he did not try to flee. He was arrested the next day on a coroner's warrant pending an investigation.

    No record has been found to say whether Fletcher served any time for the shooting, but it is believed that he did not. He was at home in the spring of 1870 when the census taker made his rounds.

    Things seemed to go well for the family until the summer of 1871. On 08 July 1871, at about 8 or 9:00 pm, Fletcher went into the woods to gamble with a couple of local men; Gus Ector and Harrison Stephens. According to their story the two black men won Fetcher's watch and then left. A young girl saw them leave the woods and then overheard some arguing and a scuffle in the direction in which they came. She then reported seeing another black man run away carrying a double barreled shotgun. The next morning Fletcher's body was found in the woods propped against a tree. His neck was bruised and broken, and he had been beaten about the head with a hard instrument. The coroner identified the weapon as a double-barreled shotgun based on the wounds he found.

    Ector and Stephens were arrested and tried for the murder of Fletcher Madaris. They were seen in the area and they had his watch on them when they were arrested. They were tried in September of 1871 and were acquitted by an all white jury for a lack of hard evidence to convict them. The mysterious man with the shotgun had not been found and the mostly circumstantial evidence produced enough doubt to free the two suspects. After the trial the jury stated that they felt the two were guilty, but the evidence was not proven.

    Well this murder mystery lasted from 1871 to 2004, when I was contacted by Lauri Martineau, of Dallas, Texas.  She had a letter written 10 Oct. 1972 by Corrine Thomas Sanders the grand daughter of Sterling Harrison Thomas.  Amazingly the details of this letter solved the 133 year old murder mystery in Coweta County, and identifies the man seen running away from the scene with the double barreled shotgun. 

An excerpt from this letter states:

"Newnan was where Sterling was shot in the back by his best friend.  The friend was drunk at the time.  His name was Fletch Mederris.  He got some time in Atlanta prison.  Sterling had a brother named Tommie Thomas.  He lived in Bradley Ark. according to uncle Jeff who visited Tommie Thomas sometimes, he rode a mule from Bradley back to Atlanta, Ga.  He got in a crap game with Fletch Mederris and shot him.  He was poised as a negro.  They never found him because they were looking for a negro.  He regreted having shot the man because he begged for his life when he saw who he was facing.  The riding a mule so far made him go through with it.  Sterling lived 4 days and was taken in by a widow woman that did what she could and sent the bloody clothes back to Harriet and the children.  Sterling was buried at Newnan Ga.  Papa had to ware the coat with the hole in the back.  It hurt him very bad.  Fletch Mederris was killed before Harriet and family moved from Ga. She never knew who did the work just that a negro killed Fletch Mederris."

    This letter lead us to search and find previously unknown news articles about the event. Their family legend states Thomas shot Fletcher, when in fact we now know that he strangled him with the double barreled shotgun, breaking his neck and likely beating him over the head with it. He likely waited for Fletcher, Ector and Stephens to finish playing craps and then disguised as a black man, he killed Fletcher and left the blame for Ector and Stephens. Sterling only lived one day after being shot and Tommie Thomas and Fletcher did not play craps before the murder. Thank goodness Ector and Stephens received a fair trial. The true killer was never caught and lived out his life in Arkansas.

    Although his grave has not yet been found, Fletcher is likely buried in Coweta County most likely near the city of Sargent. There are many Madaris relatives buried in the New Lebanon Baptist Church Cemetery in Sargent, but many are unmarked and no records were are kept at the time. An exhaustive search has not yet located his grave.

    Barbara moved in with her daughter Mary F. Madaris Collins and her family after Fletcher's death. Very little is known about Barbara, though one can imagine that she must have been a dedicated wife and mother.  It is imaginable that she played the important role of running the farm and doing her part in the Confederate war effort.  She probably combined resources with the other women in her family; including Sarah, Fletcher's mother.  My favorite quote about southern women during the Civil War is a quote from the book "The Growth of the American Republic" which says:

"The ruling class in the South, which had most at stake, gave all it had to the cause.  In the North able-bodied young men of means and position could buy substitutes without incurring social stigma: in the South the women saw to it that there were no gentlemen slackers.  The patriotism of the Southern women was only equalled by their devotion.  Left in charge of plantations they had to direct the necessary changes from cotton-raising to the production of food, to revive obsolete household industries such as spinning, weaving, and dyeing, to extract nitrates from the earth of cellars and smokehouses, to care for wounded soldiers, and to feed passing armies.  It was the southern women who made courage from terror and bread from bran."

    It is currently unknown where Barbara died or is buried.  It is likely that Barbara died in the 1890's, but the missing 1890 census make it almost impossible to answer these questions.

For the details on Solving A Murder Mystery in Coweta County, click here

(CR: 1850, 1860, 1870 Coweta Co., Georgia)

(credits 00, 01)

A special credit and thanks to the Thomas family; descendants of Sterling and Thomas Thomas for coming forward with this information. Without the help of Lauri Martineau, 2nd great grand daughter of Sterling Thomas, we would never have solved this murder mystery in Coweta County, and known the real story of Fletcher Madaris.

Haywood Madaris (8) (Thomas 7 , John 6 , Charles 5 ) b. abt. 1821. Haywood was a Private in Vagnon's Company, (Wilson's'), 5th Battalion, Georgia Mounted Volunteers, in the 2nd Seminole War of 1835 - 1842 . Haywood worked on the family farm and helped his father in the mill.  He later was a business partner with his brother John (8) as they went into the mill business themselves. He and John co-owned a Lumber Mill in Buckeye, near Lodi (present day Sargent), just west of Newnan, Ga. When John died in 1853, Haywood was the executor of his estate. Haywood married Lucinda Adams on 24 Oct. 1844 in Newnan, Coweta Co., Ga.,. On 21 Sept. 1847, he was appointed Postmaster of Lodi. In 1850 Haywood was employed as a Penitentiary Guard at Milledgeville, Georgia. He and Lucinda show in the 1850 Baldwin County, Georgia census. The Penitentiary was burned by Sherman on his way to Savannah. This family moved to Copiah County, Mississippi by 1870 and show on the census record there.

    Haywood and Lucinda had one known child:

1. Julia Madaris (9) b. 1852 in Georgia.

(CR: 1850 Baldwin Co., Georgia; 1860 Copiah Co., Mississippi)

 

Franklin Madaris (8) (Thomas 7 , John 6 , Charles 5 ) b. 1828 Carroll County, Georgia, near the city of Whitesburg, d. 1865  at the Naval Hospital, Fort Johnson, Charleston, South Carolina.

Franklin Madaris was born about 1828 in Carroll County, Georgia near the city of Whitesburg.  He was the son of Thomas and Sarah Jane Preddy Madaris. Franklin was born shortly after his parents and  family moved from Guilford County, NC.  His siblings were: William Fletcher, b. 1820, Haywood, b. abt 1821, John b. abt 1822, Jefferson b. 1832, Delona Jane b. 1834, Elizabeth M. b. 1835, Jackson b. 1838 and Thomas P. b. 1840.

    Franklin worked on the farm and in the mills operated by his father and brothers. The Madaris family operated a lumber mill on property they purchased, in 1840, in Coweta County just across the Chattahoochee River from the McIntosh Indian Reserve.

    Franklin married Margaret Davis, daughter of William and Sarah Davis of Carroll County in 1850. They apparently had no children. They were living with William Davis and family in the 1850 census.

    When war broke out in the nation, Franklin took an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy and joined the Confederate Army on March 04, 1861 at Newnan, Georgia. He enlisted for a period of 3 years as a Private in Company E, 1st Regiment Georgia Regulars . From there he traveled with his regiment until it completed its organization at Macon, Georgia in April 1861.  On March 07, 1861 they left on the Southwestern Railroad at 9:00 p.m. on their way to Savannah. The newly organized regiment was assigned duty in Savannah, Georgia, where they received training as soldiers.

    Before seeing action, the regiment was sent to Fort Polaski where they placed the guns in position and readied the fort for action. They were then sent to Tybee Island where they awaited further orders.

    On July 20, 1861 Franklin and his regiment of Georgia Regulars was ordered to Virginia.  They left Savannah enroute to Charleston on board a freight train. They passed through Petersburg, Virginia and ended their journey in Richmond.  They were then ordered to Manassas Junction.  Franklin arrived at Hannover Junction, at the end of the battle of Bull Run.  In his tour with the 1st Georgia Regulars, Franklin participated in the following battles and skirmishes.