Margaret W. Corley

Notes:

(Research):
Census Listings:

1910 Census
Texas, Kaufman County, Precinct 3, Terrell City
Enumerated 17 and 18 Apr 1910
SD 3 ED 30 Ward 3 Sheet 5A
Griffith & Johnson
605-89-89
Corley, Thomas Hd M W 37 m/7 Tx New York? Tx Auditor? Railroad
Corley, Mary C R Wf F W 30 m/7 2/2 Tx
Corley, Anna P Dtr F W 7 S Tx Tx Tx
Corley, Margaret W Dtr F W 1 S Tx Tx Tx
Brewer, Lewis Servant M Mu 45 D Miss Miss Miss Servant House
Martin, Anna Sister-in-law F W 37 Wd Tx
Martin, Louise Niece F W 10 S Tx

Thomas married Mary C. Roberts about 1903. Mary (daughter of Benjamin Thomas Roberts and Anna Wigglesworth Cartwright) was born on 19 Aug 1878 in San Augustine County, Texas; died on 21 Dec 1936 in Terrell, Kaufman County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JDDB-7J6
Name: Mrs. T. E. Corley
Death Date: 21 Dec 1936
Death Place: Terrell, Kaufman, Texas
Gender: Female
Race: W
Death Age: 58 years 4 months 2 days
Estimated Birth Date:
Birth Date: 19 Aug 1878
Birthplace: San Augustine, Texas
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name: T. E. Corley
Father's Name: Benjamin T. Roberts
Father's Birthplace:
Mother's Name: Anna W. Cartwright
Mother's Birthplace:
Occupation: Housewife
Place of Residence:
Cemetery:
Burial Place: Terrell
Burial Date: 23 Dec 1936
Additional Relatives: X
Film Number: 2117124
Digital Film Number: 4166733
Image Number: 2664
Reference Number: v X cn 72431
Collection: Texas Deaths, 1890-1976

Notes:

FindAGrave indicates he was a son of Noel Gil Roberts (1813-1864) and Maria Thomas Roberts (b. 1816-), and grandson of Elisha Roberts

Henson and Parmelee have a photo of Benjamin Thomas Roberts in uniform, and note that he served alongside his future brother-in-laws, Leonidas and Americus Cartwright during the Civil War. On May 25, 1861, Lon, Meck "and twenty other volunteers rode to Shelby County, where Captain Short lived, to enlist...Short's company left in June to rendezvous near Dallas, where along with other East Texas units, they were sworn into Col. Elkana Greer's mounted regiment....(and) eventually were designated as the Third Texas Cavalry, and Short's company became Company E." (Henson & Parmelee, THE CARTWRIGHTS OF SAN AUGUSTINE, p. 200, p. 202) Upon reorganization of the regiment on May 8, 1862, Ben T. Roberts became second sergeant of Company E. (ibid, p. 215) He was taken prisoner at Iuka, and paroled, but had to remain in Iuka to care for wounded Confederatte prisoners. (ibid, p. 218).



(Research):

Census Listings:

1870 Census
Texas, San Augustine County, PO San Augustine
Enumerated 5 Aug 1870
Page 90
40-40
Roberts, B T 33 M W Farmer 10,000 8,000 Tx
Roberts, Anna W 26 F W Keeps House Tx
Roberts, Mathew 5/12 M W Tx Jany
Roberts, Felix G 21 M W Merchant Tx
Roberts, Maggie 17 F W At Home Tx
Kirkley, E 20 F B House Servant Ala

1880 Census
Texas, San Augustine County, San Augustine
Page 2 SD 1 EDF 80
Enumerated 7 Jun 1880
20-20
Roberts, B. T. W M 43 Farmer Tx Mi NC
Roberts, Anna C W F 35 Wf Keeping House Tx Tx/Tn?
Roberts, Mathew W M 10 Son At School Tx Tx Tx
Roberts, Amanda W F 9 Dtr At School Tx Tx Tx
Roberts, Anna W F 7 Dtr At School Tx Tx Tx
Roberts, Benjamine W M 6 Son At School Tx Tx Tx
Roberts, Felix M W M 4 Son At Home Tx Tx Tx
Roberts, Claud W M 3 Son At Home Tx Tx Tx
Roberts, Mary W F 1 Dtr At Home Tx Tx Tx
Smith, Chas B W 21 Laborer Tx Tx Tx

Benjamin married Anna Wigglesworth Cartwright on 10 Jan 1869 in San Augustine County, Texas. Anna (daughter of Matthew Cartwright and Amanda "Mandy" Holman) was born on 6 Apr 1844 in San Augustine County, Texas; died on 27 May 1903 in Kaufman County, Texas; was buried in Oakland Memorial Park Cemetery, Terrell, Kaufman County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:

Anna and her sister Mary had commenced writing letters to "care-worn soldiers" other than their brothers. One of these soldiers was Benjamin T. Roberts, seven years older than Anna and a neighbor since childhood, whom had asked her to begin a "friendly correspondence." Although she "never corresponded with young gentelmen before the war...(and) said I never would, She decided it was a 'duty imcumbent of the fair sex' to contribute to the soldier's happiness." (Henson and Cartwright, p. 227) in October 1868, Anna finally gave in to Ben Roberts's ardent courtship and set the wedding for January 1869. Using money from her father's wedding gift, Anna bought the 1830 Ezekiel Cullen house in December 1869, registering the transaction in her own name, an unusual practice for married women at that time. (ibid, p. 267). As a young girl, Anna had displayed more independence of mind than many of her friends, even her mother deplored her occasional "contrariness." After her husband died in 1887, Anna applied to the court and was immediately appointed administrator. Although there was not a prenuptial agreement on file, Anna had kept her property seperate from Ben's. (ibid, p. 299). Her youngest brother, Matthew, offered to build a house for Anna on Griffith Avenue in Terrell, and she agreed to make a fresh start in an area that offered business opportunities for her sons. Within eighteen months of the move, she and her eldest son Matthew had opened a real estate and loan office with the aid of her brother Matthew, and they soon opened an insurance agency to augment their income. (ibid, pp. 300-301). Anna later also had her husband's body reinterred in Terrell, Texas.

Notes:

He began clerking and keeping books for his father's store in 1831, and in 1832 they formed a partnership, "Matthew Cartwright & Co." Each contributed $2,000 to the business. The store prospered. (Noble, pages 80 - 81).

In his August 30, 2007 column in the San Augustine Tribune, Harry Noble writes that Matthew was the richest man in San Augustine and the sixth wealthiest in the State of Texas in his era. In 1860, he owned so much land scattered across the state that as he traveled on his big sorrel horse "Red Buck," it was said that no matter where he was, that he could spend the night on his own land.

Noble went on to write that Matthew exhibited maturity at an early age. When he was 14, his father sent him to the unsettled frontier of Texas with one servant to clear land John had acquired two years earlier. John also gave his son power of attorney at age 18 and sent him to Tennessee and Mississippi to settle family affairs.

At the age of 21, Matthew traveled to Wilson County where he enrolled in a local college...late in 1829 Matthew rejoined his father in Texas who was then operating a family farm, cotton gin and store.

Matthew's paid $900 in 1849 for the two-story Isaac Campbell home on Main Street. The New England style home had been built by Augustus Phelps, a master carpenter, in 1839. The palatial dwelling was still standing in San Augustine, and is owned by Matthew's direct descendants, as of 2007. Never a large slaveholder, Matthew's slaves were all employed inside or around the house, taking care of the livestock, firewood, garden and orchard.

The home was purchased by Americus "Meck" H. Cartwright and his wife, Minnie Clementine Sublett in 1898, after Amanda was forced by ill health to move in with her son Lon, and remained in the hands of Meck and Minnie's descendants. (Henson and Parmelee, p. 302).

At the time of the 1850 census Matthew's land alone was worth $165,000, and he had only seven slaves, considerably lower than most other wealthy families. The 1850 slave schedule listed the number of male and female slaves, as well as their ages, but not their names. Matthew Cartwright's bible, however, shows them as Nancy, b. 1810 and her four children, Dick, b. 1836, Emeline b. 1838, Virtue b. 1840 and Walker, b. 1846. It also lists Jane, b. 1830 and her daughter, Harriet, b. 1849.

In 1860, Matthew's occupation was listed as "land trader" and it was estimated that his real estate was worth $500,000 and personal property near $75,000, with 13 slaves. Henson and Parmelee point out by way of contrast that brother-in-law and "planter" William Garrett had a $171,651 estate, including 132 slaves, and that "Farmer-Merchant" Iredell D. Thomas had $166,000 in accumulated wealth, and 52 slaves. (Henson and Parmelee, p. 191).

After the war, the president Andrew Johnson issued an amnesty proclamation restoring citizenship to those who would pledge future loyalty to the United States; however, those holding high military or civil offices in the Confederate government, as well as those with taxable property valued over $20,000, would have to petition him directly for individual pardons. Matthew, the pragmatic businessman, wanted to get his special pardon as soon as possible so that he could resume his activities and protect his property. He took his amnesty oath on August 28, 1865 in the Caddo Parish District Court and received a copy to carry with him in order to conduct business. He later recorded this in the San Augustine District Courty. (ibid, pp. 239-243). Unlike many of their neighbors, the Cartwrights survived the Civil War without the loss or maiming of a son. The emancipation of their few household slaves was not an economic loss comparable to those suffered by neighbor planters who possessed numerous field hands. And by carefully guarding their gold and silver reserves, as well as utilizing his long business experience to carefully buy, sell and barter during the war, the family was able to resume business activities relatively unhampered. (ibid, p. 247).

His funeral notice card read:

The friends and acquantances of
MATTHEW CARTWRIGHT, Sr.
are respectfully invited to attend his funeral tomorrow
morning at 10 o'clock, A.M. He will be buried with Masonic
honors, at this late residence in the town of San Augustine.
SAN AUGUSTINE, TEXAS, April 2, 1870

Amanda chose a burial plot several hundred feet east of the house.

No copy of the obituary that surely ran in the San Augustine paper can be found. The San Antonio Daily Express carried a brief obituary on May 1: "DIED at his home in San Augustine, first day of April, Matthew Cartwright, one of the pioneers of Texas, and one of the largest, if not the largest, land holder in the state." (ibid, p. 275).

When the inventory of his estate was compiled, it was shown that he owned 298 parcels of land in 56 counties, totalling 361,632 acres with a value of $356,304. Amanda inherited one-half as his widow, and the rest was to be divided equally among his six children.

At the time of the 1870 census, Amanda reported owning real estate worth $343,281, and personal property valued at $75,529, which ultimately placed the Cartwright estate as the fourth-largest in Texas, following those of Richard King in South Texas and Galveston Merchants, J. J. Hendley and George Sealy. (ibid, pp. 278-279).



(Research):
Census Listings:

1860 Census
Texas, San Augustine County
61-61
Cartwright, Mathew 52 M Land Trader 500,000 75,000 TN
Cartwright, Mandy 42 F TN
Cartwright, A.P. 20 M TX
Cartwright, Leonidas 17 M TX
Cartwright, Anna 15 F TX
Cartwright, Mary 14 F TX
Cartwright, Mathew, Jr. 4 M TX

Matthew married Amanda "Mandy" Holman on 18 Oct 1836 in San Augustine County, Texas. Amanda (daughter of Col. Isaac Holman and Anne Wigglesworth) was born on 24 Jul 1817 in Shelbyville, Bedford County, Tennessee; died on 26 Jun 1894 in San Augustine County, Texas; was buried in Oakland Memorial Park Cemetery, Terrell, Kaufman County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

In both 1870 and 1880. Amanda Cartwright was living in a household with her son Leonidas "Lon" and his family.

Amanda died in Lon's home at age seventy-seven. The family gathered for her funeral and, as she had wished after almost a quarter century of widowhood, she was buried next to Matthew in the little private graveyard east of her old house. Lon composed suitable facts about her life on a sheet of paper entitled "In Memoriam" for use of the minister. Besides providing her birthdate, parents' names, date of arrival in San Augustine, and marriage dated, and noting the loss of one of her six children, Lon added, "She was one of the Kindest of Mothers and devoted wife, a faithful Christian, charitable to all in need and beloved by all who know her. She had joined the Methodist Church in 1858, and, he added, she had been a faithful and consistent member...Two weeks later, Lon, who once wrote poetry for Ludie, wrote six stanzas praising motherhood. (Henson and Parmelee, p. 305).



(Research):
Census Listings:

1870 Census
Texas, San Augustine County, PO San Augustine
Enumerated 6 July 1870
Page 20
121-121
Cartwright, A 52 F W Keep House 343291 15529 Tenn
Cartwright, M 14 M W At School Tx
Cartwright, A. P. 30 M W Merchant Tx
Cartwright, Ophelia 23 F W Tx
Cartwright, Mathew Jr 7/12 M W Tx
Jones, Tom 20 M B Svt Tx
Burl, Elvira 15 F B Svt Tx
Sexton, Qunn? 10 F B Tx

Notes:

Married:
In "The Cartwrights of San Augustine,' a transcription of a stilted, formal note written by Matthew Cartwright to his future bride reads as follows:

Miss Amanda Holman,

Please allow me to address you for the first time with the most profound respect. I admire your person, your addrss and appearance....I have come to the conclusion that of all other objects met with in this life...you are the one. Therefore I now address you for the purpose of requesting permission to pay my suit on that of which is the most importance to me and I hope not indifferent to you. Please reply as soon as convenient and relieve the suspense of one who is desiorous to unite his fate and happiness in life with yours.
Your obedient servant,
Matthew Cartwright

Amanda soon accepted Matthew's proposal, scheduling the ceremony for Octobe 18, 1836. Some months prior to the wedding she bought seven yards of French muslin and two bonnest at Matthew's store, and later pink silk and gauze ribbon, all suitable for a wedding.

The couple was married nearly thirty-five years before Matthew's death, and Amanda survived him for nearly twenty-five additional years. They were buried side by side in a small family plot near their home in San Augustine. Youngest son Matthew later made arrangements to have his parents reinterred in Terrell, Texas, with a suitable marker, in September 1896. (Henson and Paremelee, p. 308).