1873 Fugitive Family of Northampton County: The Branches that became Bells.
This tale starts way back in 1873 and involves formerly very wealthy people reduced by the Civil War. “Mud Castle” is the evocative name of the plantation near the Roanoke River. Sounds pleasant doesn’t it? The map of the nearby Verona plantation in Northampton County tells a tale of remote desolation. And the newspaper articles of the tragedy tell an even sadder story.
We are going to start with the previous generation, John Thomas “Thomas” Branch Sr. (1788 -1847) and Emily Bynum (1785-1820), whose marriage is announced in the 1808 Raleigh Register. He owns 8,000 acres of land and 80 enslaved persons. His plantation appears to be in north Northampton county just cross the Virginia line from Branchville VA.
John T. and Emily first have two children:
- John Thomas Branch Jr. (1811-1886) is the son who is age 9 at his mother’s death in 1820. He later marries Eliza Jane Jordan and remains in Northampton NC and they have three children: Emily, Benjamin, and George.
- Sister Mary Ann Branch Williams (1813-1884) she is age 7 at her mother’s death. Mary marries Nathaniel Thomas Williams in 1827 and moves to Missisippi in 1838. Around 1840, they are in Louisiana; we are not sure she had children.
Between 1820’s death of Emily and the next census of 1830, John T. Branch marries Frances Rogers (1790 – 1857) who was likely from Northampton County Rogers family.
John T. and Frances have one child:
- Joseph Franklin “Frank” Branch (1830-1881) This story involves his family only.
(Note there are three women named Frances (one called “Fanny”) in this story.)
By the 1830 Census, John T. Branch Sr. and Frances have those two sons, John T. Jr. and Joseph F. as well as the daughter Mary Ann as well as 84 enslaved persons of all ages.
In the 1840 Census John T. Sr. and Frances “Fanny” have a son (Joseph Franklin) and a daughter (Mary) because the oldest John T. Jr. has his own family. And 76 enslaved persons.
In the 1850 census Frances Rogers Branch is alone. With 7240 acres. She dies in 1857 around age 67. Her stepson, John T. Jr. has his own family with a personal value in real estate of $6685. Her son, Frank, is married with his own household.
In 1860, John T. Branch, Jr. is in the census with a real estate value of $8000 and a personal wealth of $20,100; Son Ben is in the household and son George is next door. His brother, Frank Branch, has a real estate valuation of $8000 and personal wealth of $24,000 in Green Plains, Northampton County with a household with four children. The mother Eliza is in the household of her daughter, Emily Goodwyn.
In 1862, Joseph Franklin Branch Jr. “Frank” (age 32) served with 3rd NC Battalion-Light Artillery and was in Wilmington at Fort Fisher. This may figure in their escape later in the story.
During the war, John Thomas Branch Jr. dies leaving only two adult children surviving Emily Ann Branch Goodwyn and George Robert Branch.
After the war, in the 1870 Census, Frank Branch’s worth after the war has plummeted drastically and only has a valuation of $100 in Rapides, Halifax County with a household of seven children. (Note that in the 1870 census there is a transcription error. Joseph Franklin Branch shows as “I.S. Branch”, age 40, and Joseph Franklin Branch Jr. is shown as “I.S.S. Branch” age 16. So many name problems make this story hard to follow.
On Jan 31, 1873 John Deloach Edwards, age 30, (Son of Etheldred Edwards and Elizabeth) married Mildred W. Branch, age 16, but in less than four months it would be over.
So these are the players at the scene in 1873 at Mud Castle Plantation in Northampton County NC, 9 family members plus John Deloach Edwards who was shot:
- Joseph Franklin Branch Sr.. (1830-1881) (called Frank)
- Frances L. “Fanny” Waddell Branch (1830-?)
- Thomas Morris Branch (1852-1930) (bachelor in 1873)
- Joseph Franklin Branch Jr. (1853-1919)(called Joseph or sometimes Ben Franklin)
- Mildred or Mellaree Branch Edwards (1857- ?)
- and new husband, John Deloach Edwards (1843-1873)
- Frances Mary Branch (1860-1943) (later marries Burgard)
- William S. Branch (1864 ?)
- Frederick L. Branch (1866-?)
- Josephine Sophia (1868 – ?) (Janpine in the census)
Of course the political and social climate of the time in 1873 is full of tension and anger. This is less than seven years after the end of the Civil War. This family in people were once very wealthy in land and enslaved persons in northern Northampton County near Margaretsville and Branches Bridge. All of that was lost at war’s end. Now the family of Joseph Franklin Branch are living at another location- “Mud Castle Plantation” – in southwest Northampton County in poverty and working their own fields. It is a desolate agricultural area really. It is across the Roanoke River from Halifax NC.
Mr. Edwards, head of the place “Mud Castle Plantation”, is living there with his new wife, Mildred, his mother-in-law, Frances Waddell Branch, his father-in-law, Frank Branch, and along with the rest of the family. Two brothers of Mildred are named Joseph Franklin Branch Jr. (age 20) and Thomas Morris Branch (age 19) and they apparently work the fields. John Edwards, the head of house, has an African-American person in the house removing a tooth so no doubt Mr. Edwards day was not going well. Mrs. Branch, his mother-in-law Fanny, complains loudly about a former slave being in the house. John talks back to Mrs. Branch and she vows revenge. She finds her sons, Joseph Franklin Branch and Thomas Morris Branch, demand they take revenge. The two shoot Edwards dead as Frances is “cheering them on”. Of course the two young men leave as soon as possible to escape being charged with murder. And as the family can no longer be found in North Carolina records the question becomes where are they? The Edwards family mourn the death of their son, John Deloach Edwards, but no one from the Branch family can be found.
Seven years later in Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia: The Census of 1880 lists this curious family found with the same mix of names:
- Joseph Bell 26 Head of Household, Railroad Conductor
- Mary Bell 17 (new wife of Joseph Bell) Keeps House
- Fannie Bell 8/12 (new baby)
- Frank Bell 50 father (wife Fanny died) Clerk in Woodyard.
- Morris Bell 29 (brother) Street car driver.
- Mildred Bell 23 (sister) dressmaker
- Mary Bell 20 (sister) dressmaker (marries 1885 Burgard )
- Frederick Bell 14 (brother) At School
- Sophia Bell 12 (sister) At School
We don’t know where William Branch or “William Bell” (b. 1864) lives at this point; he would be age 16.
Thus the Branch family of Northampton County, circa 1873, have become the Bell family of August Georgia, 1800. Augusta, Richmond County Georgia is over 370 miles from Jackson, Northampton County, NC. I think the story is a planted tale and that they fled by train from nearby Weldon NC south to Augusta GA.
Also note that a newspaper announcement appeared when Frank (Branch) Bell died in 1881. It placed his death in Richmond which for NC newspapers generally is assumed to mean Richmond VA. So even in death they were continuing to evade the law.
Newspapers.com April 1, 1873 Charlotte