1850 and Marriage to Caroline Brooks
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| Caroline Calhoun Brooks |
When the census was taken in Elizabethton in August of 1850 Samuel was living with his parents and maternal grandmother Eliza Murray Drake. He was twenty-nine years old and his profession was shown as a physician. The value of the real estate he owned was $1000.
Samuel
married Caroline “Carrie” Calhoun Brooks in Abbeville, South Carolina ca. 1851[1].
Carrie was the daughter of William Butler Brooks (1806-1868) and Almena McGehee
(1810-1877). She was born on September 3, 1833 in Abbeville. Abbeville is 150
miles south of Elizabethton – as the crow flies – a considerable distance in
1860 and two states away. I’d love to know how these two families got connected.
Samuel’s brother David also married a woman from Abbeville.
On April 14, 1852 Samuel and both of his brothers inherited land from their father. This was land that William Stover had received in the will of Mary Lincoln Stover. Samuel was twenty-seven at the time. At the same time William sold several slaves to Samuel for $5700. Their names were Betsy aged 27, Landon 19, Lucas 16, Mason 15, Mariah 12, June 10, Elen 9, and Alexander 8 months. Samuel subsequently sold Lucas to his brother David for $500.[2]
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| Almena McGehee "Minnie" Stover |
In
January of 1853 Samuel purchased three tracts of land from David Nave. All were
located on the north side of the Watauga River – they totaled 225 acres. His
brother David L. Stover was a witness to this deed along with Godfrey Nave.[3]
Samuel
and Carrie’s first child, a daughter named Almena McGehee Stover was born on
August 1, 1854. Belvadora “Bell” Stover was born a little more than a year
later on October 1, 1855, and Amelia Lincoln Stover arrived on August 19, 1857.
On September 27, 1854 the Loudon Free Press in Tennessee published a letter submitted by Samuel M. Stover that recorded his observations about the state of the local crops and prices of hogs, cattle, horses and mules.
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| Article Samuel wrote about crops and livestock |
Samuel
bought another tract of land for the woods and mineral rights from Benjamin C.
Foster for $300 in December of 1854.[4]
The following year he acquired a tract on the south side of Holston Mountain
from William B. Carter and James P.T. Carter who were the executors of the
estate of A.M. Carter. This parcel was also purchased for the woods and mineral
rights at a cost of $17.76, and the following year William B. Carter sold
Samuel another tract for $27. David L. Stover witnessed this deed as well.[5]
In
1857 Christian Carriger sold two tracts on the south side of the Watauga River, near the foot of Lynn Mountain, that was
adjacent to the land owned by David L. Stover. This was a 170-acre parcel. The
other parcel was 55 acres that had been owned by John Carriger. Isaac Nave and
Jacob Cameron were the witnesses. Then in 1858, Silas Ritchie sold Samuel an 88-acre
tract on the south side of Stony Creek for $5. In May of 1858 Christian
Carriger sold Samuel another parcel on Stony Point on Lynn Mountain. This was a
13 ½ acre parcel that Samuel paid $10 for.
The following year Samuel’s older brother David Lincoln Stover died at the age of 53. Samuel’s first son, William Butler Stover was born on February 26, 1859, and a second son Samuel “Sammie” was born April 1, 1860.
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| Sammie Stover 1860-1867 |
In
September of 1859 Samuel formed a partnership with A.J. Tipton and James A. Burrows.
He invested $300 of capitol into Tipton& Burrows, a retail business that in
Elizabethton “to buy and sell all sorts of goods and merchandise.” Tipton and
Burrows would operate the store and draw a salary while all three would share
equally in the profits.[6]
Following
his father’s example, Samuel helped to raise funds to build a parsonage for the
First Presbyterian Church in town. It was to be built on land owned by Jack
Smit. Samuel and other men of the community raised $274.15, as recorded on
April 28, 1860.
When the 1860 census was taken Samuel and Carrie were living in Elizabethton in house number 228, next door to his brother David’s widow and children. Samuel was 36, Carrie, listed as Caroline was 26, and their four children ranged in age from 1 to 5. Rather than being listed as a physician Samuel was identified as a farmer owning $12,500 worth of real estate and a personal estate valued at $15,000.
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| First Presbyterian Church in Elizabethton |
The
year after the 1860 census a daughter named Sarah Drake “Sallie” Stover was
born and was named after her grandmother Sarah Murry Drake Stover. Sallie was
the sixth child born to Samuel and Carrie.
In
August of 1860 Samuel sold a one ninth interest he owned in a slave named Jo to
Samuel W. Williams for $125.[7]
Two months later he purchased another parcel from William C. Carter on the
south side of Holston Mountain that was adjacent to land owned by H.C. Nave,
Benjamin C. Foster, William Duncan and John Nave.[8]
On
December 5, 1861 he sold a 93-acre tract on the Doe River to Samuel B. O’Brien
who was from Knox County, Tennessee, and he received a payment of $1100. This
parcel adjoined land owned by Abraham Tipton and Thomas Johnson.[9]
M.J. Morton sold Samuel two tracts in April of 1862. These were lots No. 1 and 2 and were 13 ¾ and 13 2/3-acre parcels. Samuel paid $450 for both. Previously they had been owned by William Hardin and Henry Hardin.[10]
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| Amelia Lincoln Stover |
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| Belvadore "Belle" Stover |
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| An ad from the day Samuel was mentioned in the Brownlow's Press |
[1]
South Carolina, US compiled Marriage Index found on Ancestry. I have one source
that says they were married in June of 1851 and another showing 1854. Their
first child was born in August of 1854 so either could be correct.
[2] P.
147 Deed Book L or M, 15 April 1852.
[3] 16
Aug 1853, DB M pg. 401-02
[4]
Deed registered 29 March 1855, DB N, p. 98.
[5] 8
March 1856
[6] 9
Sept 1859, registered on the 10th in DB O p. 3. James L. Bradley,
Clerk, John W. Cameron, Deputy Clerk.
[7] 6
Aug 1860, DB O, p. 198
[8]
Registered 13 July 1861 DB O, p. 331.
[9]
Registered 5 Dec. 1981, DB O, p. 367.
[10] Registered 11 April 1862 DB O, p. 402
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