Lenoir County, NC – Collections – Elizabeth Washington Grist Knox Papers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ELIZABETH WASHINGTON GRIST KNOX PAPERS Abstracted by Martha Mewborn Marble Collection #4269 at the Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, UNC - Chapel Hill, NC Additional information on the Collection can be found at (but not the letters themselves) http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/inv/k/Knox,Elizabeth_Washington_Grist This Collection consists of a fairly extensive number of letters written by the Washington family who moved from Craven County to Lenoir County. Elizabeth (Eliza) was the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Betsy) Heritage Cobb Washington and sister to the well known John Cobb Washington who lived where the Bentley is present located. A number of this family is buried in the old Caswell Cemetery behind the house. Elizabeth was born 10 February 1808 and married first Richard Grist on 18 June 1827 and 2nd Dr. Reuben Knox in July 1840 and they eventually moved to St. Louis. Dr. Knox first married Olivia Kilpatrick in 1829 of Kinston and circumstantial evidence from these letters and other sources indicate she was the daughter of Alexander and Susannah Cobb Kilpatrick. Elizabeth had siblings James Augustus and Susannah Sarah who married William A. Graham, Gov. of NC and US Senator. The letters were only briefly scanned for genealogical information and they need to be further abstracted. Some of the letters had previously been transcribed and typed by the donor and due to a lack of time I only scanned the typed transcripts. Elizabeth was a good friend of Dorothea Dix and there are several letters between the two in the Collection. It appears the papers of her first husband, Richard Grist, are also in the Southern Historical Collection and a book has been published on the papers of her 2nd husband. The Washington family was well connected in both Lenoir and Craven Counties. Series 1.1 Folder 1 Mostly letters from John Washington 1814, 1815, and 1817. Some of the letters were to his wife Betsy while he was traveling to Philadelphia with instructions of what needed to be done on the farms. FOLDER 2 1. letter to daughter Eliza - everyone is sick. Also mentions Mrs. Gatlin and Mrs. Lovick are sick. Mrs. Felton and Mr. Cobbs family are well 2. Mr. Armstrong is not doing well 3. 27 Jan 1830 - Mrs. Hatch was married Thurs evening 4. 6 Sept 1835 - Mr. James C. Thomson was sick FOLDER 3 1. 28 Thus 1823 - J. A. Washington to sister Eliza - Elias the blacksmith was killed by his wife, Lizza - she said it was an accident - some doubt about that - give love to cousin Nancy 2. 27 June 1823 - J. A. to sister Eliza - Mr. Gatlin's family is well as is Uncle John Cobb. Cousin Betty Felton returned from Greene last week. Will be a ball here next week - Ann Bryan, Maria Moseley, Sarah Hatch, Eliza I. Garland and about 20 other ladies to attend - the ladies here do not compare to the ones in Raleigh but we do have some smart and fine girls in Lenoir Co. The male society is superior to the adj counties 3. 18 July 1823 - J. A. to sister Eliza (she is in Raleigh) - Cousin Eleanor left Raleigh to travel for her health - a report on the July 4th Ball (mentioned above) - couple of Mr. Lewis Whitfields daughters, Miss Garland, Miss. Finveil, Miss Pearce, Misses Lovicks, Miss Branton and Miss Eliza Croom your old friend who was the most agreeable young lady at the Ball. "I would have been happier at the Raleigh Ball." 4. J. A. to Eliza - sister Ann not going to Raleigh to school - cousin Susan Gatlin been unwell 5. 19 Aug 1823 - J. A. to sister Eliza - Isaac Croom and Wm. Kilpatrick elected to House of Commons - a note by the transcriber says - Reuben first married a "Miss Olivia Kilpatrick" of Kinston. One of the Washington plantations called Egypt. (located near Washington, NC) 6. Cousin Susan Gatlin recovering and cousins Eliza Felton and her daughter are healthy now 7. 30 Sept 1823 - J. A. to Eliza - Kinston is dull - Miss Fonville is in Kinston; aunt Olive Cobb and her daughter Nancy were here 4 or 5 weeks ago and she looks like cousin Susan Cobb; cousin Nancy expects to go to Williamsborough to school; cousin Olive Kilpatrick is going to Williamsborough to school next year; cousin Betsy Cobb also to Williamsborough FOLDER 4 1824 - letter from James A. to Eliza - he is in Philadelphia and mentions Layfayette is coming to Philadelphia FOLDER 5 1. Letter from James - he is still in Philadelphia 2. he mentioned some misunderstanding between Uncle John and our family NOTE: Assume he is referring to John Cobb 3. 5 Aug 1827 - Eliza is now married to her first husband 5. 4 Nov 1827 - Boaz Whitfield is now in Philadelphia and is going to attend medical lectures - James H. Sasser and Jno Whitfield arrived yesterday. Sasser is a brother of Lemuel or Samuel Whitfield's wife FOLDER 6 There was a lengthy letter from John Washington to his daughter Elizabeth who was in school admonishing her to mind her studies and not spend her time in social activity. He instructed her to take such courses as Latin, Greek, math etc instead of those subjects usually taught to young ladies. He did not wish to waste his money. (No doubt the same type of letter has been written by many parents over the years and could just as easily have a date 175 years later). That letter was followed up by a stronger letter to Elizabeth from her brother James on the same subject. Did not read folders 7-11 as they had not been transcribed and time was short FOLDER 12 Letter from Elizabeth - 1846 - 1850 - not transcribed and did not read most of them 1. letters to her son Franklin at Yale - Elizabeth was living in St. Louis in 1846 2. mentioned aunt Ann Bryan; aunt Betsy, Margaret Grist; mentions Olivia is married; Harriett Peebles has a 2nd daughter named Ann Cobb 3. in 1850 Elizabeth was visiting in Hillsborough FOLDER 13 Elizabeth appears to be on an extensive trip to eastern NC as her husband has gone to California and had been gone for a year. In 1850 she was also in New Bern 1. Mentions in letters - cousin Susan Holland; cousin Nancy Coleman; cousin Mary Clark is in Madriel Bend??; cousin Laura W.; cousin Caroline; cousin Betsy Blount; cousin Mary (Nancy) Coleman; William Holland (was he Susan's husband?) 2. Doctor Woodly gave his wife a shameful beating in court because of her shameful conduct 3. Cousin Jesse is near Memphis - he may be kind to cousins Betsy and Nancy 4. Cousin Richard Cobb is living with his mother 5. Heritage Board has taken Richard Cobbs house for the year - his house was Mrs. Gatlin's old place - his mother is still alive and sister Susan may be living with her 6. Elizabeth wrote a letter to her husband, Reubin, in 1851 but he never received it. He drowned 28 May 1851 in Calif 7. One letter was transcribed and a note was added by the transcriber that Susan Holland was related to Reubin Knox's first wife - Olivia Kilpatrick. NOTE: In one letter Susan Holland was called cousin. No doubt she was the daughter of Alexander and Susannah Cobb Kilpatrick and a sister to Dr. Knox from his first marriage. Susan Kilpatrick Cobb would have been a cousin to Elizabeth Washington Grist Knox on the Cobb side of the family. 8. 13 July 1851 - in court last week - affray took place between Wooten the lawyer and Jacob Parrott and his son John - old Judge Wooten stabbed old Mr. Parrott in the left arm near the shouldar and John Parrot in 7 different places and he is in critical condition NOTE: No indication of what the affray was about and Wooten was probably Allen Whitfield Wooten 9. cousin Eliza Clark lives at Scotland Neck 10. from letters it appears Elizabeth had a sister Susan, who married William Graham in 1836 FOLDER 22 1. letter from Aunt Eliza Cobb to Mrs. Susannah Gatlin - 21 Aug 1818 - arrived safely at Jesse Cobb's in Williamsborough, NC 2. 1825 - letter from cousin Mary Ann Washington in Waynesboro to Miss Eliza H. Washington FOLDER 14 Mostly letters from Reubin Knox - 1840 to 1849. Not transcribed either and did not look at many of them The letters to and from Elizbeth's son, Franklin Grist, were not abstracted. __________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Martha Mewborn Marble ___________________________________________________________________