AVERY COUNTY, NC - BIOGRAPHIES - Colonel Waightstill Avery
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Contributor's Note:  These sketches were originally written by Col Thomas 
George Walton (1815-1905).  1st published in the old Morganton Herald in 1894.

The AVERY Family 
"The life and character of Col. WAIGHTSTILL AVERY, his patriotism, love of 
liberty, and activity in all measures that availed to the beginning and 
success of the struggle for independence, have been so well set forth and 
portrayed in Wheeler's History of North Carolina, that I will only write of 
such incidents characteristic of his sterling worth, kindness of heart, 
benevolence, etc.  His family, of English origin, emigrated early to the 
colonies and settled in New England, and are known there as the AVERYs of 
GROTON.  They must have been of Puritan stock, as the name WAIGHTSTILL 
indicates.  From a letter in the possession of a descendant of one of Col. 
AVERY's brothers, dated "Groton, the 5th of ye 3 Mo. A.D. 1794", I learn that 
there were five-- LEMUEL, JAMES, LATHAM, ISAAC, and WAIGHTSTILL AVERY.  The 
writer, LATHAM, was a Quaker, his letter written in a beautiful, round hand 
and quaint style, peculiar to his sect.  In closing the long letter, he 
writes, "My son and daughter, with myself concluded last fall to set out to 
the Genesee country, and from that down to see WAIGHTSTILL and thee; three 
times were set, but Providence forbid; so we laid it by.  Desire to hear from 
thee. Inform us about WAIGHTSTILL if thee can, of whom we have not heard these 
many years; ISAAC, I remember thee.  LATHAM AVERY."

"WAIGHTSTILL and ISAAC,  (Rev. ISAAC never came to N.C.) are the ancestors of 
the North Carolina AVERYs, the remaining brothers of the New England states, 
and known, as before said, as the AVERYs of Groton.  Two descendants of this 
branch of the family visited relatives in North Carolina a short time previous 
to the late War; they were ladies, highly accomplished, HARRIET and LILY 
PUMPELLY.  The former, after her return to New York, married THEODORE 
FRELINGHUYSEN, who was a candidate for the Vice Presidency in 1844 on the 
Henry Clay ticket.  ISAAC AVERY, of Virginia, lived on the peninsula that 
divides York and James Rivers, in Warwick County.  He was an Episcopal 
clergyman, and was ordained priest and deacon by RICHARD YERRICK, Bishop of 
London, England, Oct 18 in 1769.  His letters of ordination are now in the 
possession of his granddaughter, HARRIET L. WALTON, given to her by her 
mother, MARGARET STRINGER MURPHY, nee AVERY.  He preached before the War in 
the old Bethel Church, where the first battle of the late War was fought by 
the First Regiment of North Carolina, under the command of Col. D.H. HILL.   
ISAAC AVERY died in Norfolk, Va., and is buried in the Cross Church, built in 
colonial times.  Col. ISAAC T. AVERY, nephew, of Swan Ponds, was named for 
him."

"Col. WAIGHTSTILL AVERY, after the death of his brother, invited his orphan 
children to make their home with him.  Embracing this affectionate offer of 
their uncle, the two daughters, MARGARET AND ELIZA, lived happily until the 
marriage of MARGARET to (1st) JOHN MURPHY (2nd) JOHN COLLETT.  ELIZA afterward 
married Col. J. Mc.K ONEAL."

"JAMES AVERY, the son of ISAAC, came to North Carolina from Virginia with his 
sisters.  He married a Miss ELIZABETH BROWN, of the North Cove; she was a 
lovely character, esteemed by all who knew her."

"Col. WAIGHTSTILL AVERY was somewhat eccentric although full of the milk of 
human kindness.  He was in the habit of taking his dinner, when in town, at my 
grandfather's, and was fond of a very rich pudding; before eating, he would 
invariably ask the writer, "Does this pudding have any butter in it?  I cannot 
eat anything that has butter in it."  The servant, who was prompted, would 
answer, "Oh, no, sir."  Eating heartily of the pudding, although rich in 
butter, he never discovered the fact.  My grandfather McENTIRE became blind 
several years before his death, so that he couldn't read.  His good friend, 
Col. AVERY, sympathizing deeply with him on account of his bereavement, would 
read to him for hours the newspapers of the time, always beginning with the 
name of the paper, where published, editor, date, etc., including every item, 
and ending with advertisements."

"......Col. AVERY was very fond of honey and ate it in unusual quantities.  On 
one occasion he met a woman on the road as he was traveling; discovering she 
had a bucket of honey, he asked what she would charge for as much as he could 
eat.  Supposing he could not eat more than a pound, she said, "Twelve and a 
half cents."  Getting off his horse, seating himself under a tree, he began 
eating from the bucket.  The owner, seeing her honey was rapidly diminishing, 
said: "Stranger, if you will stop, I will charge you nothing for what you have 
eaten."  "That was not the bargain", he said, finishing; he gave her double 
the amount promised."

"Swan Ponds", the home of Col. WAIGHTSTILL AVERY and his son (the only one), 
Col. ISAAC T. AVERY, was always distinguished for it's profuse hospitality, 
and par excellence for the delightful entertainments enjoyed by young and old; 
and this may be truthfully said, to a large extent, of the homes of many 
citizens of "Auld Lang Syne".  I can remember when a citizen might travel 
through the length and breadth of the county and could not offer to pay for a 
meal or night's lodging without insulting his host, unless it was a public 
boarding house."