Awards

Walking with Ghosts..........

a website for the descendants of Angus and Nancy McCutchen MacLeod~~

~~~~~~~

Alexander McLeod and Harriet Yates
son of Alexander and Sarah McIntosh McLeod

This page is the intellectual property of the web site owner. It may not be re-published on any website, genealogical database, or any other media without the express permission of same. Visitors are welcome to copy this for use in their own records, however, please remember to give credit where credit is due and to use the following sourcing information: !Source: Lori McLeod Wilke; Walking With Ghosts Research 2000 - 2009

First Generation American

Alexander E. McLeod was the son of Alexander and Sarah McIntosh McLeod and the grandson of Angus and Nancy McCutchen McLeod. Will of Alexander McLeod Will Book K page 147 Volume 2; E - D, accessed by Lori McLeod Wilke and David Jay Wilke June 2003 at the Camden Courthouse, Kershaw County, South Carolina, USA

According to a 1920 interview with one of Alexander II"s sons, his parents were married in (Fayetteville District, Richmond County) North Carolina around the year 1810 and by 1812 had migrated into the Kershaw and Sumter area of South Carolina, where they again settled on the border of two counties. North Carolina research into the McLeod and McIntosh families is in its earliest stages and it is hoped that additional information will be available shortly. 1920 Oral Interview with Alexander E. McLeod's son, Albert John McLeod, great grandson of Angus and Nancy McCutchen McLeod

For more information regarding the previous generations:

Angus and Nancy McCutchen McLeod / Alexander and Sarah McIntosh McLeod

---

YDNA Matches

Galtrigal Branch - the Deduced Ancestral Haplotype of two cousins is a 67-1 match to the Deduced Ancestral Haplotype of our family. Descended from Donald the Faithful Pilot who is credited with helping Bonnie Prince Charlie and Flora MacDonald flee after Culloden, the family occupations are Milling and Fine Carpentry as they are in our own family. Galtrigal is located across the loch from Dunvegan Castle. 95% of the time a Common Ancestor will be found between this Branch and our Family in a generation born about 1700.

Colbost - Norman MacLeod, heriditary Galley Maker (Fine Carpentry) to Dunvegan, born about 1700 in Colbost located near Dunvegan. His descendant is a 67-2 from our family haplotype and a 67 - 1 to the Galtrigal Branch. 95% of the time a Common Ancestor will be found between this Branch and our Family in a generation born about 1700. The descendant tested was born in Scotland.

Norman MacLeod - born before 1775 in Scotland; immigrated to Virginia then to Gallia County Ohio - descendants of this man match our Deduced Ancestral Haplotype on markers 1 - 25 perfectly which is unusual in any one other than close relations; however one of the two descendants tested upgraded to the 67 marker level where his results showed 2 mutations in markers 26 - 37 and 2 mutations in markers 38 - 67. 95% of the time a Common Ancestor will be found between this Branch and our family in a generation born between 1530 AD and 1700 AD. One of his mutations are either unique to his paternal line within the larger related group and another is shared with Colbost above; another mutation is on a volatile marker known to mutate in very recent generations. The testing of other cousins and the upgrading of the cousin who tested only 25 markers could tell us more about this match.

To read more about our YDNA results; see YDNA Page for Angus MacLeod

---

1815

Alexander E. McLeod was born April 6 1815 on the homestead property located on Horsepen Branch, a tributory of the Beaver Dam Branch of the Scape Or River in Kershaw District. His father had purchased the land in November of 1812 from Micajah Woodward, whose wife had inherited it as her portion of her father, Issiac Lenore's, estate. This 1812 deed was witnessed by a John McKay who may have migrated with Alex's parents from North Carolina and who would later marry Alexander's Aunt Mary, known as Polly to the family.The property actually lie on the border of Kershaw and Sumter Districts and today is included in the Ionia, Egypt, Hickory Hill and Turkey Creek area of Lee County. His father, Alexander, was a cooper (an artisan who was a maker of barrells) and probably a Miller. Records for Alexander E. McLeod and his wife, Harriet Yates McLeod, can be found in both Kershaw and Sumter County courthouses today. Family Bible of Alexander E. and Harriet Yates McLeod formerly in the possession of Jay Frank McLeod, present location unknown, copy of birth, marriage and death page on file at the Sumter Genealogical Society, Sumter South Carolina; Deeds and Conveyances, Kershaw District, South Carolina; Dated November 17 1812, Recorded May 25 1814. !Source: Lori McLeod Wilke copyright © 2000-2006 All Rights Reserved http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~formyfamily/AlexanderMcLeodII.htm

He was one of five all of whom were still minors when their father (Alexander I) died between January 15 and March 6 1824, the date Alexander I wrote his will and the date it was first probated in the Kershaw Court. Although their mother, Sarah McIntosh McLeod was alive at the time of Alexander I's death, the estate was administered by their Uncle, Daniel McLeod, the husband of Catherine McLean and their Uncle Norman(d) McLeod. Eight years old at the death of his father, the extent of Alexander's inheritance from the estate of his father is not clear. The Will is written in a very confusing way, unlike other wills that I have researched, and the estate file does not give much information to clear up the confusion. This is most likely due to the fact that the estate was managed by his uncle Daniel for eleven years, until the eldest of the children reached majority at which point they would legally inherited their property. His father's will, which spells the last name both "MacLeod" and "McLeod", states that he bequeths to his "beloved wife Sarah McLeod all my plantation or tract of land" and at her remarriage his youngest son Angus "if he should survive" would inherit the land. Will of Alexander McLeod Will Book K page 147 Volume 2; E - D, accessed by Lori McLeod Wilke and David Jay Wilke June 2003 at the Camden Courthouse, Kershaw County, South Carolina, USA

What is confusing is that although this appears that Alexander has left his entire estate to his wife and/or his youngest son (about 4 years of age at the writing of the will), the next paragraph reads "I give and bequeath to my beloved Sons John and Alexander McLeod the said tract of land equal divided between them...and all real and personal Estate equally divided amongst my beloved children that is to say John McLeod Alexander McLeod and Katherine (spelled Catherine on her gravestone) McLeod and Jean (transcriptionist error - her name is Jane on all other records) McLeod when they come of age." but then in the same paragraph goes on to say that " also Angus McLeod if he should come of age then he should have the property above assigned him and if not then the said property to the use of Sd. children". Will of Alexander McLeod Will Book K page 147 Volume 2; E - D, accessed by Lori McLeod Wilke and David Jay Wilke June 2003 at the Camden Courthouse, Kershaw County, South Carolina, USA

So the question is "who inherited the estate after the death of Sarah?". Angus McLeod, the youngest son of Alexander and Sarah did in fact "come of age"; did he then inherit all of the land and all real and personal property of his father to the exclusion of his siblings? I had hoped that accessing and reading the actual records of the probate of the estate would make the division of property more clear, but unfortunately, it did not. The children's uncle Daniel McLeod executed the estate from the years 1824 - 1835, a period of eleven years. By 1835, the four oldest children, Alexander E., John N., Catherine and Jane had all "come of age" and likely would have come into their portion of the inheritance at that time, but the estate file does not specify what took place after the last appearance in the court of their uncle on February 20 1835. It is of course possible that their mother, Sarah McIntosh McLeod died on or around February 20th 1835 as she is not found in the 1840 Kershaw or Sumter Counties of South Carolina at which point her estate would likely have begun probate as well, but no record has been found to date that would indicate this took place. If in fact, her estate was probated then her intent for division would have been followed as she was basically the sole heir of Alexander's estate until her death or remarriage.

In any event, it does appear from later land records of the children that the land was divided amongst the children at some point and in fact that there was more land than that indicated in the only deed of purchase to date. In later years, Alexander's children have deeds in which they sell property located on either the Horsepen Branch or the Beaverdam Branch.

It should be noted however, that Angus MacLeod appears to have begun dispursing his estate in lieu of a will cr. 1827 with the sale of acreage and tools to his daughter's Margaret and Catherine and with the 1831 sale of the McLeod Mill Pond to Daniel. It is possible that the Beaverdam acreage we find the children of Alexander and Sarah owning in the 1840's was part of their grandfather's estate.

---

Childhood Years 1824 -1835

Evidence exists that a Mill was located on the Horsepen Branch property where Alexander grew up. Records indicate that as many as four McLeod Mills were operating in the area surrounding where his home was located and the homes of his grandparents and aunts and uncles. However, despite the evidence that the Horsepen Branch of Alexander's father contained a mill at one time, the dates of its placement and operation are not certain.

An 1878 Map of Sumter County shows a McLeods Mill located on the Beaverdam Branch between it and Horsepen Branch. The book, Lee County Past and Present Vol. II page 123, confirms the presence of this third McLeod Mill, however, in the 1821 Mill Map by Stephen H. Boykin (improved in 1825) no Mill is shown there. There are two possibilities....either it was in fact there but located in what was Kershaw District and not Sumter District in 1821 but by 1878 constantly changing boundary lines caused it to be considered Sumter County OR it was placed there after Alexander I's death in 1824 by one of his children.

Trish Sanders Brown, a 4x's great granddaughter of Alexander and Sarah McIntosh McLeod, located what she believes to have been the remains of a home on the Horsepen Branch property during a 2001 research trip. She states that there was also evidence of gravesites and a Mill on the property. But again, the date of establishment and operation of any mill located on the estate of Alexander I is unknown.

In any event, much of Alexander E. McLeod's childhood would have been spent around mills, learning to operate both the mill itself and quite likely the stores which were located near them. Mills and the community stores were places for grand social gatherings; families woud travel to the mill to have their corn and wheat ground or to cut their lumber and to purchase those items they were unable to provide for themselves on their own farms. Traveling the miles by horse and buggy was long and tedious and so the trips were made into day long socialization events with picnicking and swimming in the mill races. During the years his Uncle Daniel administered the estate and affairs of Alexander's own farm, it was likely they used the mill of their grandfather, Angus McLeod and socialized with their extended family quite often.

His grandfather's Mill, seen today on Lee County Maps as McLeods Mill Pond in the Spring Hill/Ionia area, was purchased in December of 1820 from Edward Reynolds and operated through the years by our family members until approximately 1940. Sold by Angus to his son Daniel in April of 1831, it was passed down through inheritance until the present time (2007).

There were actually two mills on the property until the 1940's, when one mill pond washed out and became part of the present day much larger pond. The lower mill pond (which washed out) contained a steam powered sawmill which the community used for lumber while the upper pond's Mill was a "grist mill" which ground corn into meal and wheat into flour. The property contained a store and a "crude" cotten gin.

---

McLeods Mill Pond

From the time Alexander was 8 years old until he was 19 or 20, his Uncle Daniel continued to execute the estate of his father, Alexander I; the estate file shows that crops continued to be grown as monies were paid to a Joseph (whose last name as written in the Record of Expenditure's is illegible but begins with a C) and to Stephen Lee as "hirelings, to work in the crops". Blacksmithing by William Arrants or J. Shriver and metal forging by (what looks to be) J. Barnes of plantation tools continued as did the breeding of mares to Thomas Davis's "stud" and the sale and purchase of horses from and to various residents of the area until 1835. Estate File 1775; copied June 30 2003, Camden Courthouse, Camden, Kershaw County South Carolina by David and Lori McLeod Wilke It would appear that their crop was potatos and that they purchased their corn as on July 22 1825 the estate paid Wm. B. Larkin for five Bushels of Corn at $4.00 and paid a Mr. Swinn for another nine bushels on the same date of the next year. In 1827, it woud appear they purchased potatoe plantings from Gates Goff, indicating their own harvest was lost the year before. It woud also appear that Daniel McLeod did an excellent job of managing the estate until his neices and nephews could take over management of their own portions of the inheritance. The records of Alexander II and his siblings and those of Daniel's children, John Robert and Annie McLeod Boykin, indicate that the children remained close throughout their lifetimes, supporting each other in times of sorrow, owning properties together and even a business venture or two. Such would not have been the case had there been any hard feelings regarding the handling of the estate.

---

Marriage - March 06, 1838

Alexander E. McLeod married Harriet Yates on March 06, 1838; Alexander born in 1815 would have been about 23 years old. Also around this time, his brother, John N McLeod had married Katherine "Kitsy" Davis, the daughter of Thomas Davis; his sister Catherine McLeod had married John C. Moseley, and his sister Jane, had married the brother of Kitsy Davis, Alfred Davis. The youngest brother, Angus, appears to have married Eliza Ann Arrants, the daughter of William Arrants sometime in the next few years; their only surviving child was born in 1843. Family Bible of Alexander E. and Harriet Yates McLeod formerly in the possession of Jay Frank McLeod, present location unknown, copy of birth, marriage and death page on file at the Sumter Genealogical Society, Sumter South Carolina; Deeds and Conveyances, Kershaw District, South Carolina; Dated November 17 1812, Recorded May 25 1814. Census Records of Sumter and Kershaw Districts 1840/1850

Harriet was the daughter of Willis Yates and Martha Josey. Her father's name is shown written as Willis Yeates in a work entitled "The House of Josey (Jossey)" presented at a Josey Family Reunion in 1927. Document "House of Josey (Jossey)" by Robert A. Josey, presented at a Josey Family Reunion on June 2 1927, held at Bethany Church, Sumter County South Carolina; provided to Lori McLeod Wilke by Col. Purdy Belvin McLeod Jr. - "a lawsuit which one of the children of William Jossey had filed on January 25th 1833 - "Noah Scarborough and wife, Margaret, daughter of William Josey vs. Robert Josey, administrator of the estate of William Josey, Robert Josey, James Josey, Willis Yeates and wife, Martha....." At the time of their marriage, both Alexander and Harriet were members of Antioch Baptist Church which is located 8 miles east of Camden. Although the records of the church have not confirmed an attendance prior to 1856; the shared tombstone of Alexander and Harriet states that they were members of that church for "65 years". Harriet's father is shown on a membership roll from 1845. Tombstone at Antioch Baptist Church, Kershaw, South Carolina, Photograph taken in October of 2000 by Lori McLeod Wilke and Donald Ross McLeod Jr.; Record of Antioch Baptist Church Male Members in full fellowship up to the first of Nov. 1858 - Record of Antioch Baptist Church Members in full fellowship up to 1877; From other family records, it would appear that Alexander's grandfather, Angus McLeod, had now passed away. In 1830, he and his wife Nancy McCutchen had been found enumerated in the home of their daughter, Nancy McLeod, the wife of Roderick Bethune. The last known record of Angus was in April of 1831 when he sold the McLeod Mill Pond property to his son, and Alexander's Uncle Daniel. Sumter County Land Deeds Book MM page 58 4-7-1831 referenced in the Von Hacke Works, deed accessed and copied June 2004 by Lori McLeod Wilke and David Jay Wilke at the Sumter Courthouse, South Carolina

In 1838, the Bethune's and Alexander's other Aunts, Mary aka Polly McKay, (w/o John) and Betsy McLeod (w/o Norman McLeod) had begun to sell off some of their properties and by 1840 are all found in the Macon County Alabama Census. His grandmother, Nancy, appears to have migrated with the Bethunes as there is a woman aged 60-70 in their home in Alabama.

It also appears to be possible that his youngest brother, Angus II, had traveled with the Aunts and grandmother. No record has been found of him in the census records of Kershaw and Sumter for 1840 despite numerous searches. His only known surviving child was born in 1843 (although a gravestone exists in Antioch Baptist's cemetery reading "Sacred to the Infant of A. and E. McLeod; this infant is likely to be his and his wife, Eliza; no dates given). Angus would have been around the age of 18 or so in 1840. Macon County Alabama Census, 1840/Tombstones at Antioch Baptist Church - Note - the McLeod Family Reunion sponsored a tombstone project and replaced the deteriorating stone of this infant...it was mistakenly inscribed as the infant of Alexander and Harriet instead of Angus and Eliza.

1840 - 1850

Alexander, Harriet and their first child, Norman A. McLeod are found enumerated on page 31 in the 1840 Sumter District census; apparently the Kershaw District Residents were included in the Sumter District in this year. Also on page 31 were his sister, Jane McLeod and her husband Alfred Davis, living in a plantation home Alfred would inherit from his father, Thomas Davis on July 23, 1841. Harriet's brother, Jesse Lazarus Yates and her parents, Willis and Martha Josey Yates are found on the same page. Other neighbor's shown were Roxanna James, several Davis's, Michel Watson and Edwin Barnes. Kershaw District South Carolina Census 1840 - Page 31 (included in the Sumter District Census) Found October 2003 LDS Research Center, Orange Park Florida by Lori McLeod Wilke - 1 male 0-8 (Norman A. born April 6th 1839; 1 male 20-30 (Alexander born April 6th 1815); 1 female 20-30 (Harriet born November 6 1817); 1 slave; 2 agricultural workers

Alexander's brother John N. McLeod is shown on page 30 and is known to have been living on part of his father in laws estate which lay near the plantation of Roxanna James, the widow of Holloway James. Like his sister, Jane, John was living in a plantation home his wife would inherit from her father, Thomas Davis on July 23, 1841. Alexander's sister Catherine McLeod and her husband John C. Moseley are on page 32 as is his Uncle Daniel McLeod and his wife Catherine McLean and their children. Kershaw District South Carolina Census 1840 (included in the Sumter District Census) Found October 2003 LDS Research Center, Orange Park Florida by Lori McLeod Wilke/Will of Thomas Davis

No record of his mother, Sarah McIntosh McLeod, widowed in 1824 and present as a head of household in 1830, has been found. It woud appear that she was deceased by 1840; perhaps in 1835 when the estate of her husband Alexander I was settled

On January 1 1841 Alexander mortgaged some property to Roxanna James, shown as his near neighbor in the 1840 Census and also as the owner of a plantation. The property mortgaged was 100 acres more or less sitiuated on the Sumter Scape Or in the fork known as Beaverdam Fork. This Mortgage appears to state that Alexander owed Roxana James two hundred and twenty five dollars and so they mortgaged the Beaverdam property. If he didn't pay her and defaulted, she got the property (including a "Negro girl"). If he paid, then the mortgage would be released. The first part states that he does "grant, bargain sell and release Convey and Confirm unto the said Roxanna James her heirs and assigns forever all that plantation or tract of land containing 100 acres more or less situated in Sumter District and State aforesaid on the west side of the Scape Or in the fork known by the name of the Beaverdam " ; the latter part states that if he pays to or causes to be paid $225 to Roxanna James "then from thence forth these presents shall be utterly null and void any things herein contained to the contrary " in other words, the mortgage debt would be satisfied. Sumter Deed Book KK page 297 & 298-Mortgage January 1 1841 Alex McLeod to R. James accessed and copied by Lori McLeod Wilke, David J. Wilke and Trish and Elizabeth Brown on June 25th, 2004 at the Camden County Courthouse, Kershaw County, South Carolina.

This deed is important to our research as it clarifies a portion of the 1920 interview with Albert John McLeod. In that interview, Albert stated that Alexander owned two tracts of land on Beaverdam. Although we don't know whether Albert John was referring to his father, Alexander E. McLeod as the one who owned "2 grants of land on Beaverdam" or to his grandfather, Alexander McLeod, the husband of Sarah McIntosh, this does confirm his interview statement. It is possible that Alexander received this from his father or his grandfather Angus of whom we have proof he owned 574 acres of land on Beaverdam. Further research is needed to determine how Alexander II acquired this property.

1850 - 1860

The 1850 Kershaw District Census shows Alexander, Harriett and 6 children from the age of 6 months to 12 years of age. Although enumerated in the last census in Sumter, they are now found in Kershaw District and will be in each census forward. In later census records, they are shown in DeKalb which is an area now found in Lee County in the Turkey Creek Township. Census Place: Kershaw County, South Carolina; Census Year 1850, Page 116 Family 708, Alexander aged 35 occupation Farmer; Harriett age 30; Norman (Norman A.) age 12; Martha (Martha A.) age 10; Angus (Anguish R) age 8; Sally (Sarah) age 6; Clife age 2; (this should be Jesse Lazarus, a lower case "F was used to signify a "double S" in earlier times, so this is a misprint by a transcriber) John age 6 months (according to our records, John was born in September 1848 - this was taken from the Family Bible; however, the page is faded, and may have been misread)

Present Day Location of the Beaverdam Land of Alexander E. McLeod - Turkey Creek Township was created in 1902 when Lee County was formed from parts of Kershaw, Sumter and Darlington Counties; it includes the following: "so much of that part of DeKalb Township now in Kershaw County.....lying east of the Scape Or Swamp and west of Lynches River to Harrison Hal Mill." The Mill side of Turkey Creek borders the Lucknow Community. Lee County South Carolina Past and Present Volume II copyright 2002 Lee County Chamber of Commerce; produced by the Fine Books Publishing Company; page 32/33

Although enumerated in different townships and even counties in this years census, the family members remaining are still living in close proximity to each other, for example, all of Alexander's siblings (John, Catherine, Angus, and Jane) attended the same church, Antioch Baptist in Kershaw. Means of travel being what they were, this confirms that although they are found in different counties, they lived in the same general area. Their Uncle Daniel McLeod remains living near and operating the McLeod Mill in the Bradford Springs/Spring Hill section of Sumter County, now in Lee County. His family appears to have attended a different church, New Hope Presbyterian, which was operating on the land just next to the Mill Pond, land previously owned by Angus McLeod I, his daughter Margaret, then his daughter Nancy McLeod Bethune which was sold to John Boykin in 1838/9. Daniel's son, John Robert, now aged 23 likely helped him in the Milling Operations as there were two mills located on the property as well as a store and cotton gin.

Between June 5th and July 01, 1852, Daniel McLeod apparently died suddenly without leaving a Will. I write that his death was apparently a sudden one due to the fact that he would know the importance of leaving a will for the management of his estate as he himself had executed his brother's estate for 11 years. On July 1, his widow, Catherine McLean appeared in the Sumter Probate Court to swear the oath of administration. Her nephew by marriage, John C. Moseley (husband of Catherine McLeod, daughter of Alexander and Sarah McIntosh McLeod) was assigned as one of the appraisers of the estate. Estate File of Daniel McLeod, mistakenly indexed in the Sumter County Courthouse under DAVID McLeod, executrix Catherine McLeod/ also part of the estate is filed with the estate of Daniel McLeod, Husband of Jane Christmas McLeod accessed and copied June 2004 by Lori McLeod Wilke, David Jay Wilke, Trish Sanders Brown and Elizabeth Brown

Just a little over one year later, on September 10th 1853, Daniel's widow, Catherine made her own Will and it was proven in the Probate Court of Sumter County on November 12th. Angus McLeod, the youngest brother of Alexander II, was present to swear that he saw Catherine make the will. Angus II was among the appraisers of the estate and it would appear that his brother, John N. McLeod was another; Daniel and Catherine's son, John Robert was the Executor of the estate and therefore it is unlikely that he would also be assigned an appraisorship. Will of Catherine McLeod, Recorded Will Book D-2, page 513 Recorded November 1853 W. Lewis, Ordy Bundle 140, Package 1 Will transcription provided by Sumter Will Project / Estate of Catherine McLeod filed with the estate of her deceased husband Daniel McLeod / a portion of the estate of Catherine McLeod is found mistakenly filed with the estate of the other Daniel McLeod, husband of Jane Christmas

Again, just about a year later, November 06, 1854, another member of Daniel's family passed away; this time, his daughter Mary who was unmarried at the time of her death. Her brother, John Robert was the executor and his signature to such position was witnessed by his first cousins, Alexander McLeod II, John N McLeod . Estate of Mary McLeod State of South Carolina - Administrative Bond accessed and copied by Lori McLeod Wilke, David J. Wilke and Trish and Elizabeth Brown on June 25th 2004 at the Camden County Courthouse, Kershaw County, South Carolina

On May 08, 1856, Alexander and Harriet's son, Angus R. McLeod, passed away at the age of 13. The cause of his death is unknown. He is buried in the McLeod Family Plot at Antioch Baptist Church. In 2004 and 2005, a collection for restoration of the family stones at Antioch was taken from attendees at the annual Jesse Lazarus McLeod Family Reunion. The stone of Angus was one of the stones replaced during 2005 and 2006 by the reunion collection. Mary McLeod Bradham was the chair of the replacement/restoration committee. Family Bible of Alexander E. and Harriet Yates McLeod formerly in the possession of Jay Frank McLeod, present location unknown, copy of birth, marriage and death page on file at the Sumter Genealogical Society, Sumter South Carolina / Tombstone of Angus R. McLeod located at Antioch Baptist Church, Kershaw County South Carolina.

On August 28th 1856 Alexander sold a tract of land containing 100 acres on the Horsepen Branch. The land was bounded by Robert Arrants on the south west and East by himself, northwest by John Blyther. He retained the rights to raise a mill dam and flood the 100 acres if he should ever choose to do so. The land was sold to Michel Watson who was a neigbor of Alexander's according to various census records. This land was likely part of the inheritance Alexander received in 1835 upon the settlement of his father's estate and upon his reaching his majority. The Beaverdam land mortgaged in 1841 to Roxanna James was also likely part of his inheritance. The witnesses to the deed were his brother, John N. McLeod and Harmon Arrants a close family friend. Sumter Deed Book T page 271 - Conveyance August 28 1856 - Alexander McLeod to Michel Watson accessed and copied by Lori McLeod Wilke, David J. Wilke and Trish and Elizabeth Brown on June 25th, 2004 at the Camden County Courthouse, Kershaw County, South Carolina. Delivered to E. Barnes Dec. 4th/58

---

Religion:

During a research visit to the Camden Archives in 2003, a partial record of Antioch Baptist Church was found in the Myers Family File. A research trip in 2004 to the Genealogical Society in Sumter revealed a few more records of the church and a Church History Bulletin, given to me by my father in 2000 has given us a few more details regarding the 65 year membership of Alexander and Harriet. The following records pertain to this decade:

Alexander and Harriet are both shown on membership rolls for October 1856 and November 1858. In April of 1859, Alexander was appointed with C.I. Shriver to raise a library for the Sabbath School and between 1859 and 1865, Alexander served as treasurer. The last membership roll found to date is for 1877, but their tombstone at the church shows they were members until their deaths {Alexander in 1895 and Harriet in 1902}. Unfortunately, inquiries at the Church itself as to the location of its complete records has been met with little result. Apparently, the records were in the possession of an elderly lady who was in ill health in 2004/5 and the ability to meet with her to view the records were impossible due to her illness. At this point (2006), the status of the complete records of Antioch Baptist Church are unknown.

It was obvious that the family were originally Presbyterian - it is believed that the children of Alexander and Sarah McIntosh McLeod began to attend Antioch Baptist after the death of their father in 1824, which was the year the church was established. There appears to have been a close friendship to the Davis and Arrants families both of which also attended this church; it is unknown whether the minor children attended Antioch or if attendance began after their marriages into these families.

1860 - 1870

Alexander and Harriet are found in the 1860 Kershaw District Census with nine children between the ages of 21 and 1; all of the children were shown as students indicating that the two eldest Norman A. and Martha A. were attending higher education institutions although no record has been found to confirm this to date. Kershaw District South Carolina Census Camden Post Office 1860 Alexander aged 45 Plant Real Estate Value $1524 Personal Value $1050 Born South Carolina Harriett aged 44 born South Carolina Norman aged 21 Student Martha aged 19 Student Sarah aged 15 Student Jesse aged 13 Student J.B. aged 11 Student Nancy aged 9 Albert aged 7 Mary aged 5 Katherine aged 1 Note: Angus had passed away in 1856

A deed for a James Dunlap dated March 6 1860 shows Alexander McLeod as a land owner bounding 78 acres Mr. Dunlap was platting. The locations named are Scape Whore Swamp, Horsepen and Davids Branches in the Sumter District...this deed again confirms that the land of the family members crossed the border of Kershaw and Sumter District AND shows that Alexander II likely inherited some of the Horsepen property of his fathers 1824 estate. Series Number:S213192 Volume: 0058 Page: 00093 Item: 00 Date: 1860/03/06 Description: DUNLAP, JAMES, PLAT FOR 78 ACRES ON SCAPE WHORE SWAMP, HORSE PEN AND DAVIDS BRANCHES, SUMTER DISTRICT, SURVEYED BY STEPHEN H. BOYKIN. Names Indexed: DUNLAP, JAMES/BOYKIN, STEPHEN H./CROFT, STEPHEN/MCLEOD, ALEXANDER/ Locations: SUMTER DISTRICT/SCAPE ORE SWAMP/HORSEPEN BRANCH/DAVIS CREEK/BLACK RIVER/CEDAR CREEK Type: PLAT/ Topics: / South Carolina Archives Online /

In August of 1861, Alexander and his brothers, John N. and Angus, were the bondsmen for the estate of James Holland. Elisha Holland was appointed the administrator. (On March 3 1869, Elisha Holland testifies that all of the vouchers for the estate were destroyed in the raid by General Shermans' Army). Elisha M. Holland was a contemporary of the three men, born in 1812. It is unknown whether James Holland was Elisha's father or his son who was also a James (Lewis) Holland. It is more likely to have been his father. Research Notes (transcription) of Col. Purdy Belvin McLeod Jr. provided to Lori McLeod Wilke in June of 2003-although I have seen references to this estate file in the courthouses, I have not yet accessed the actual record.

In September of 1861, the call to form what would be known as the "The 15th South Carolina Volunteer Infantry" was heard. The 15th was the last of the regiments called to fulfil a quota of 3000 men set down by the Confederate States of America for the state of South Carolina. The new quota was established after the battle of First Manassas. Some of the men who formed the 15th had previously served with the now disbanded 1st South Carolina Volunteer Infrantry for the first six months of the war. After the enlistment period, the men mustered at Lightwood Knot Springs in Columbia South Carolina.

Alexander and Harriet's eldest son, aged 22, was one of those men who joined the 15th. Norman A would serve under Col. W.D. DeSaussure until his death on January 18, 1863 from Typhoid Fever. Illness would plague Norman as it did the other Confederate men who served. Shortly after being mustered in at Lightwood Knot Springs, Norman would fall ill with what appears to have been pnuemonia; Alexander traveled to Columbia and brought Norman home to recover. He soon returned to the regiment and was present at Beaufort South Carolina and "discharged the duties of a soldier" in the various camps on the coast and to Charleston. Obituary in the CAMDEN CONFEDERATE MAY 15, 1863, copy provided to Lori McLeod Wilke by Donald Ross McLeod Jr. in January of 2000

In July of 1862, the Regiment, with others, was ordered to Richmond, Virginia from where they moved into Maryland. Norman participated in the battle of Sharpsburg, on the 17th of September, 1862, where he received a slight wound on the side of his face.

In Fredericksburg, Virginia for the battle which took place on the 14th of December 1862, Norman escaped the battle unhurt Soon afterwards, he was again diagnosed with pneumonia, and sent to a hospital in Richmond. On January 18, 1863, Corporal Norman A. McLeod lost his battle with pneumonia and was buried in Richmond Virginia.

Hearing of his son's death, Alexander traveled from South Carolina to Virginia where he exhumed his eldest son's body and carried him back home to be buried in the family plot at Antioch Baptist Church arriving back home on April 14th with the funeral taking place on the 16th. The Rev. James E. Rogers preached the funeral before a "large and sympathising congregation". Obituary in the CAMDEN CONFEDERATE MAY 15, 1863, copy provided to Lori McLeod Wilke by Donald Ross McLeod Jr. in January of 2000

According to his obituary, Norman's Captain wrote to his parents...."He was one of the best soldiers in the Confederate army-none excepted-a man of sterling worth, and of the strictest integrity. In action he was cool, deliberate and brave, as a soldier and officer, faithful in the discharge of every duty. Beloved and respected by his companions in arms, his loss will be severely felt and deeply lamented. Such men as Norman A. McLeod can hardly be spared at a time like the present"

On January 24, 1864, Alexander and Harriet buried a third son, John B McLeod who was about 16 years old at his death. The cause of John's death is unknown but one could speculate whether he had been a member of the Confederate forces himself. Many children did in fact serve who were of the same age. In fact, although no record has been located to positively confirm the service of another of Alexander II"s sons, Jesse Lazarus McLeod, such as a pay stub or roster, his obituary stated the although "a mere child" he fought all the years of the war. His name is also included in Sumter County War Veterans documents as a Civil War Veteran. This entry was made based on his membership in The Dick Anderson Chapter of Confederate Veterans. Only a year older than his brother John, this leads one to wonder if in fact John served as well. Family Bible of Alexander E. and Harriet Yates McLeod formerly in the possession of Jay Frank McLeod, present location unknown, copy of birth, marriage and death page on file at the Sumter Genealogical Society, Sumter South Carolina copies provided to Lori McLeod Wilke by Col. Purdy Belvin McLeod and Donald Ross McLeod Jr. / Tombstone at Antioch Baptist Church, photographed October 2000 by Donald Ross McLeod and Lori McLeod Wilke

---

After the War between the States

On August 20th 1864, Alexander appeared in the Kershaw Court of Common Pleas to testify regarding the estate of his deceased younger brother, Angus McLeod. To read about this case, see Angus McLeod II.

On August 29, 1867, Norman A McLeod's estate entered probate. What is strange is that his father, Alexander, who had traveled through war torn country to retrieve this child's body, was not present in the Probate Court. Neither was Jesse Lazarus McLeod, Alexander's son who had survived the war. The estate was executed by a Willis Gaylord, a deputy sheriff for Kershaw, who had married one of Alexander's daughter's, Sarah aka Sally, in 1866, two years after Norman's death. Family papers have been found on which "U.A." is witten next to Willis F. Gaylord's name. Although nothing has been found to date to confirm this, it would appear that Willis F. Gaylord, husband of Alexander and Harriet's daughter Sarah, was a Union Army Soldier - other records indicate he was a Deputy Sheriff at that time. Estate: Kershaw County Probate Court Index File #50 Estate 1775 Est Norman A. McLeod. Admr. Oath. Willis F. Gaylord South Carolina Kershaw District In Ordinary K. D. August 29th 1867/ Lawsuit J.E. Rogers vs Stephen M. Boykin for the estate of Angus McLeod.

In the aftermath of the war, southerners were denied all rights as a Citizen of the United States until such time as they swore the oath of loyalty to the government. To date it is unknown when the citizens of Sumter and Kershaw Counties in South Carolina were asked to swear this oath, but it would appear from later records, that Alexander and perhaps even his son Jesse Lazarus McLeod never did swear the oathof loyalty.

Although I can not yet prove the theory, it is increasingly credible, based upon their names being omitted from any future voting registration and the fact that to date, no further records have been found in either of their names, yet records exist for their wives, buying and selling property.

One may be wondering why they would not swear the oath that would reinstate their rights as citizens of the United States .....the oath was one in which the swearer stated that he had never voluntarily served the Confederacy. Alexander lost at least one son who was serving the Confederacy and possibly a second, and a third fought through "all the years of the war". Many nephews both of blood and of marriage had served and lost their lives; many friends had either served and also lost their own lives or those of their children and in laws. Alexander had lost two brothers in addition to his son(s) in the War; I find it perfectly understandable that as a Christian, who had watched his children and his nephews and his brother enlist voluntarily, he would find it difficult to swear that oath that he had not voluntarily served and believed in the Southern cause and as a parent, perhaps impossible.

1870 - 1880

Census - To date, I have been unable to find several of our family members, including Alexander and Harriet; they have apparently been left out of the index located on Ancestry.com's Census pages. At least one gentleman, a fellow researcher of our family, has stated that the 1870 census appears to have itself been incomplete; a fact that if true, is not all that surprising considering the country and the state of South Carolina was recovering from a war. The 1870 was referenced in the Resume of McLeods done in cr. 1960 so apparently the enumeration can be found in microfilm. Research will however continue in an attempt to locate our family in this census. Using other census records, both from earlier and later years, we would find them in the DeKalb or Buffaloe Townships of Kershaw, or in the Spring Hill and/or Bradford Springs areas of Sumter.

No records have been found regarding Alexander and Harriet during this decade; however, at some point, they adopted two children who are found in the 1880 De Kalb, Kershaw County, South Carolina Census along with Alexander and Harriet.

Sally Francis born about 1868 - the 1880 census states that her biological father was born in Georgia and her biological mother in South Carolina

Robert Augustis TAYLOR was born about 1870 in South Carolina and he died about 1942 in Lee County, South Carolina. Robert was married to Mary Nancy Boykin, who was the daughter of John Thomas Ellison Boykin and Janie Rogers Arrants. One researcher states that Robert was the son of Francis Asbury Taylor b. 5 MAY 1824 in North Carolina d. 2 OCT 1876 and Mary Laura Bridges b. ABT. 1842 d. unknown. Robert and Mary had two known children:

i) Bertie Taylor McLeod b. unknown d. unknown married to William Estes Sr. b. unknown in Winnsboro, South Carolina

ii) Ottie Taylor McLeod b. unknown d. unknown

Robert remarried before 1910 and had two more children with Irene Unknown:

Census Place: Ionia Township, Lee County, South Carolina; Census Year 1910, Taylor, Robert A age 40 married 2 years; Irene Wife age 18; Bertie daughter age 12; Ottie son age 9; Lillie daughter age 6; Lenie son age 6/12. Census Research by Lori McLeod Wilke, Ancestry.com subscription,

Note: Excluding the census information which was found by the author, the information on Robert August Taylor McLeod was found on line at Rootswebs World Connect. Although I have attempted to re-locate the database in order to include it as a source on this page and in my FTW software program, the database no longer exists on WorldConnect. Please contact me if you have any information on this missing database as I would like to give credit where credit is due for the research.

1880 - 1902

The 1880 Census shows Alexander and Harriet in DeKalb Township of Kershaw County (now Lee County). In this census Alexander states that both his parents (Alexander and Sarah McIntosh McLeod) were born in Scotland. Present with them are Sally Francis aged 12 and Robert Augustus Taylor aged 10. Census Place: De Kalb, Kershaw County, South Carolina; Census Year 1880, "Electronic," Alex'd. MCLEOD M Male W 65 SC Farmer {Father's POB - SCOT.} {Mother's POB - SCOT.}; Harriet M. MCLEOD Wife M Female W 62 SC Keeps House {Father's POB -SC} {Mother's POBS - SC}; Sallie FRANCIS Dau S Female W 12 SC {Father's POB - GA} {Mother's POBS -SC}; R. Augustis TAYLOR Son S Male W 10 SC {Father's POB - SC} {Mother's POBS - SC} Census research by Lori McLeod Wilke at Ancestry.com Census images on line

On the "Sixth day of February 1880" a case was adjudicated in the Kershaw Court of Equity and on the "fifth day of April 1880" Harriet M. McLeod purchased 110 acres from auction on the steps of the Camden County Courthouse. The deed stated that the Rev. James E. Rogers had "on or about the 22nd day of April (?) in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty seven, exhibited his complaint in the Court of Equity for the county aforesaid against Stephen M. Boykin and others praying for a settlement of the Estate of his testator, Angus McLeod, and for the sale of the real estate". Kershaw Deed FF 544 "Title To Real Estate" Recorded June 2 1880 Estate of Angus McLeod, Harriet M. McLeod J.D. Dunlap Receiver to Harriet M. McLeod accessed and copied by Lori McLeod Wilke, David J. Wilke and Trish and Elizabeth Brown on June 25th, 2004 at the Camden County Courthouse, Kershaw County, South Carolina.

We immediately were curious regarding the lawsuit referenced in the 1880 deed but our research trip was coming to a close for 2004 and there was no time to head to the archives of the Equity Court. We had copied the estate file of Angus the previous year (2003) and had found nothing to indicate that a lawsuit had resulted from the settlement of the estate. The truth of this purchase of what appeared to be the lands of Angus McLeod II by his sister in law would have to wait until the next year.

In June of 2005, David and I returned to Camden and visited Room 113 of the Kershaw County Courthouse.....and with the help of the lady in charge were able to access the actual papers of the lawsuit, which had not been indexed at that point. Although some of the documents were faded or torn beyond the ability to be read, there were enough pages remaining to piece together the story.

Alexander's youngest brother Angus and his wife Eliza's only child, William, had died in 1862, also while serving the Confederacy under Col. Boykin and his cousin, Captain Alexander Moseley, therefore, in his will, in 1864 Angus had left his entire estate to his "beloved wife Elizar" and stated that if she made no disposition of it at her own death, then half of his estate should pass to his brother, Alexander McLeod, and half to the children of his brother in law, James William Arrants. For most of the next two years, Eliza McLeod worked the estate herself with what hired labor was available, at least 6 of whom were freed slaves with whom she negotiated (Note that with both her son and husband away at war, it is likely that Eliza ran the estate, working the fields etc, for more than just the two years detailed in the court case). Kershaw County Probate Court Index, (1775-1913?) File 50/Estate 1776 accessed and copied June 2004 by Lori McLeod Wilke and David Jay Wilke Camden Courthouse, Kershaw County South Carolina

Angus McLeod's estate entered probate in July of 1864; the appraisers were Edwin Barnes, William Fries and John R. McLeod (brother of Annie McLeod Boykin and first cousin of Angus). Although his signature on the Warrant of Appraisment is illegible, along with James E. Rogers, Alexander was also one of the appraisers as he appeared before Alex McDonald on the 29th of July when the estate's appraisal was submitted to the court. Angus had, at the time of his death, 500 acres valued at $4.00 per acre.

On March 01, 1866, Eliza McLeod, widow of Angus McLeod, married Col. Stephen Madison Boykin, the widower of Angus and Alexander's first cousin, Annie McLeod (daughter of Daniel and Catherine McLean McLeod). Annie had died in 1865 while Col. Boykin was held in a Yankee Prison Camp. It is likely that the two families had been close prior to the war as they were not only related but were neighbors as well. As a child, I had been told that the family's original land (inherited by Angus II at his majority) had been lost through the second marriage of a McLeod Widow and this marriage of Boykin and the widowed Eliza McLeod appeared to be that couple of the family story. It was important to follow the trail of this lawsuit. Marriage records of the Rev. James E. Rogers / Tombstone near her first husband in the McLeod Family Plot at Antioch Baptist Church /

On January 20th 1867, James E. Rogers appeared before the court and declared the estate of Angus McLeod, insolvent, or bankrupt and requested that the estate property be divided. He stated that Eliza McLeod now Boykin desired to take her "dower" in land. Eliza elected to take as her dower 1/3 of the land of the estate and to give the remaining 2/3rds to Rogers, as its executor. The petition for division was granted and the following men were appointed as commissioners to oversee the division: William Price; W.W. Stokes; W. Lewis Cook; Joseph Stokes; and Jesse Atkinson. On January 21st, the commissioners went to the property with Eliza's then husband, Boykin, who was a surveyor and divided the land.

• They gave to Eliza {McLeod} Boykin 109 acres on the East side of the Tract bound South East by the land of Harmon Arrants and Jesse Atkinson, West by the lands of the Estate of Angus McLeod, North by lands of S.M. Boykin and James William Arrants (her brother). It is assumed but not proven that the plantation house and outbuildings were included in this portion of the property, as that was the custom of the day.
• The remaining two thirds or 209 acres on the North West side of the Tract were given to J. E. Rodgers, bounded South by the lands of Jesse Atkinson and J. E. Rogers himself, West by lands of William Price and M. Parriett?, North by lands of S.M. Boykin.

On February 23rd 1867, one month and two days later, Rogers sold his 2/3rds of the estate to Col. Stephen Madison Boykin for $75.00.(!) To this point, the family story of the original property of our Alexander McLeod being lost to Boykin fit - he bought 2/3rds of the land at pennies of the actual value of the land, and his second wife brought the other third into the marriage. But no family story included a lawsuit against the estate. It was only with the discovery of the 1880 land deed that we became aware of it.

The Grievance brought against Stephen M. Boykin and others by the estate of Angus McLeod, represented by James E. Rodgers on the 22nd day of April 1867, heard in the Court of Equity that date, heard again by the Court of Common Pleas on Febrary 6th 1880 revealed the whole story. Documents accessed and copied by Lori McLeod Wilke and David Jay Wilke Room 113 Camden Court House June 2005

After the estate of Angus had been divided and after Rogers had sold his 2/3rd of the estate to Boykin, Roger's paid what debt of the estate he could. Those who were owed money by the estate but did not recieve full payment came to Roger's as its executor to complain that they did not believe the estate to be insolvent. When the case came to court in April of 1867, numerous testators spoke to the fact that they had witnessed Eliza McLeod, prior to her marriage to Boykin, working the estate "as well as any man". They testified to bountiful and profitable crops during the time that Eliza ran the estate herself.

When the estate first entered probate, Rodgers felt certain that Eliza would be able to eventually inherit the entire estate. Therefore, he allowed Eliza to continue to live on and farm the property. By February of 1866, the plantation was showing no profit and the business left behind by Angus and his brother, John N. McLeod was in bankruptcy and therefore, Rodgers took control of the estate in order to settle its debts. A sale of the plantation tools, crops and all household furniture was held that month. Family and friends purchased the household goods for Eliza but were given, as were all purchasers, twelve months to pay the debt. Rodgers apparently did not receive the monies and was unable to clear all the debt of the estate and business.

In 1867, neighbors and businesses all were feeling the financial devastation of their own estates and several came against Rodgers, as the executor of Angus's estate/business, demanding that they be paid. These folks apparently began to file legal suits against Rodgers personnally leaving him no choice but to file suit against those who had purchased at the February sale but failed to make payment. It is interesting to note that he also filed suit against the executor of Angus' brother, John N. McLeod's estate, John S. Bradley which leads one to believe that he felt it unfair that the estate of Angus was being held responsible for the debts of what had been a jointly owned business.

The court took over control of the estate and paid a percentage to each of the proven creditors of the estate; although there were many claims, the exact number of those that were eventually proven is unknown due to the deterioration of the file itself. It would appear that some of them were fraudulent to me due to the age and amounts of the monies claimed, but this is only speculation. Although the final decree of the court was not found, an 1880 decree stated that since Eliza Arrants McLeod Boykin was now deceased, her dower had reverted to the estate and would be sold to pay a percentage of the debts that remained.

Therefore, we find that on April 5th 1880, Harriet McLeod, wife of Alexander McLeod and the sister in law of Angus McLeod, stood on the steps of the Camden County Courthouse after the death of Eliza Ann Arrants McLeod Boykin and purchased Eliza's dower, thereby returning the land to the McLeods.

To read about the Greivance in more detail - please see the following pages: Stephen M. Boykin and Angus McLeod II

---

The truth about a family legend:

Poor Col. Boykin has been cast as somewhat a villian by our family; he married two of the McLeod women and perhaps as a result held more of our family land than we even know about today. But, the discovery of the 1867 Lawsuit and the 1880 deed in which the dower lands of Eliza Arrants McLeod Boykin were returned to family hands shows a different side to Boykin, at least in my opinion.

Although it has been said that Annie's parents, Daniel and Catherine McLean McLeod disapproved of her marriage to Boykin, I almost wonder now if that rumor itself came out of the "loss" of family land. Because, I see Boykin in a different light.

Married to Annie McLeod, Col. Boykin fought for the Confederacy in the 20th SC Company G. Fighting with him were his cousins by marriage, William McLeod, Alexander Moseley, George Moseley and William Moseley. While a prisoner of war, his wife died in childbirth and after the close of the war, he came home to find his neighbor and relative by marriage facing the sale of all her household goods and plantation tools, and in what what was likely very close to total destitution.

Boykin not only married the destitute widow, but he, along with other concerned friends and family, purchased the contents of her house for her at the auction held in 1867. He purchased the remaining 2/3's of the land which provided monies to attempt settle the estate's debts. Was it greed or was it concern?

Reading the testimony of Alexander McLeod during the lawsuit, I no longer believe it was greed. Eliza continued to attend Antioch Baptist Church of which James E. Rodgers was the pastor until her death as did Alexander and Harriet and the Moseley's. And at her death, Col. Boykin buried Eliza Ann Arrants McLeod Boykin beside her first husband and her only child at that church. And at the very least the loss of our family land to Boykin was disproven, Harriet Yates McLeod purchased back the Dower Lands on the steps of the Camden Courthouse on February 6th 1880.

---

1880 - 1902 con't

On November 20th 1883, Harriett sold for $2000.00 to Margaret A Phillips a "tract of land containing Four hundred (400) acres lying on the dividing line of Sumter and Kershaw Counties, three hundred acres more or less lying in Kershaw County. The whole tract bounded on the North by lands of James Reynolds, on the East by Scape Or Swamp on the West by lands of Wm Blyther and lands of Ezekiel Deas, and on the South by the public road leading to Camden. The sale of this land was witnessed by her son, Jesse Lazarus McLeod and by J. A. Stafford - it was recorded on March 12 1883. Kershaw Deed Book HH page 682 - Title to Real Estate Recorded March 12 1883 Delivered to Henry G. Carrison Harriet M. McLeod to Margaret A. Phillips accessed and copied by Lori McLeod Wilke, David J. Wilke and Trish and Elizabeth Brown on June 25th, 2004 at the Camden County Courthouse, Kershaw County, South Carolina.

Note that from the boundary description of this land, the land that was Eliza McLeod Boykin's dower right lay near this property that Harriet is selling in 1883 - James Reynolds was one of those whose property bounded both tracts. Harriet was not however, selling the 110 acres she purchased in 1880, a 1898 deed shows she sold that at later date. The history of the tract of land sold by Harriet is unclear. The deed of sale was not done in the normal way; it was signed and witnessed to in front of a Trial Justice from Sumter County more than a month after the sale was recorded in Kershaw. In addition, the release of dower was not signed by Harriet, it was signed by a Mrs. Ann D. Leitner, wife of W. Leitner who it appears had sold the tract of land or at least a portion of it to Harriet at some point prior to November of 1883. It is interesting to note that one of the witnesses to Harriet's 1880 purchase of Eliza McLeod Boykin's dower lands was a W. Leitner.

Obviously, another deed exists which would explain more fully the history of this tract of land which was first owned in whole or in part by the Leitners, then by Harriet McLeod, and finally by Margaret A. Phillips. It is possible that the Leitners mortgaged the property to Alexander and Harriet, much as Alexander did to Roxanna James in 1843 and upon default of the debt/loan, Harriet took possession and sold it to regain the monies.

On April 28th 1886, Harriet sells for $150.00 to Franklin P. Rogers of Kershaw County 88.5 acres "all that plantation or tract of land lying and being in Kershaw County in the State aforesaid, on the Public Road leading from Camden to Arrants Crossing, containing eighty eight 1/2 acres, more or less, being a part of a tract of land originally granted to John N. and John R. McLeod, bounded N. by the Public Road and R. Adkinson's land, East by A. Atkinsons's Land, South by County Line, west by Est. D. Atkinsons Lands and E. Brogdon's lands." On the 1st day of February 1886, S.J. Yates swore that he and Lizzie K. Gaylord had witnessed the sale of the property. The deed states that the land was originally owned by John N. (Alexander's brother) and John R. McLeod (Alexander's first cousin by Daniel McLeod). The deed which was recorded after the grant was given to the Johns' has not yet been found; however, it is named in Vol 54 pg 490 Jan 23 1847 State Plats 1784-1840 and Vol 86 pg 265 17 Jun 1847 State Land Grants. From this it can be assumed that John R and John N. were granted the land sometime between January 23 1847 and June of that same year (John N. aged about 37 and John R about 20). How Alexander and Harriet acquired the property is unknown at this time. Kershaw Deed Book KK page 627 Recorded July? 1886 Delivered to P. Rodgers A.M. McLeod to Franklin P. Rodgers accessed and copied by Lori McLeod Wilke, David J. Wilke and Trish and Elizabeth Brown on June 25th, 2004 at the Camden County Courthouse, Kershaw County, South Carolina.

Lizzie K. Gaylord was most likely Alexander and Harriet's granddaughter by Sarah McLeod and Willis Gaylord (executor of the estate of the eldest son, Norman A. McLeod in 1868); Lizzie was about 19 years old in 1886. The identity of S. J. Yates is unknown to date (2006) however, he was likely related to Harriet in some way as she was herself a Yates by birth. Obituary of Jesse Lazarus McLeod "son of A. E. McLeod and Miss Yates", found at the Jesse Lazarus McLeod Reunion June 2004 in the files of William "Bill" Johnson, grandson of Katherine "Kate" McLeod McLeod (daughter of Jesse L. McLeod and Maggie Josey and the second wife of William Thomas McLeod, son of John R. McLeod and Sarah Cason).

On what appears to have been June 25th 1892, Harriet sold to Henry G. Carrison for $264.38 "all that tract or parcel of land lying and being situated in the County of Kershaw, State aforesaid, contianing one hundred and ten (110) more or less, bounded North by lands of the late George Alden, deceased and S.m. Boykin, East by lands of William Hunt, south by lands of J. W. McCaskill and west by lands of Michel Watson" S. (Note: Alexander sold Michel Watson land in 1856 - this land noted as bounding the deed property on the west, may have originally been part of Alexander's property).

Mc Moore and C. U. Meyers were the witnesses and they appeared in court in 1895 and again on the 12th of October 1898 to swear to such. This appears to be a portion of the same property or property that bordered that dower land of Eliza Arrants McLeod Boykin which Harriet bought at Public Auction in 1880 as a result of the grievance brought against S.M. Boykin and others by J.E. Rodgers; Note the boundaries of the 1880 deed: bound north by lands of S. M. Boykin and James W. Arrants; east by the lands of James Reynolds and south by the lands of J. McCaskill and west by the lands of Michel Watson. Kershaw Deed Book page 208 Title to Real Estate Recorded Oct. 18 or 15 1898 Harriet McLeod to Henry G. Carrison accessed and copied by Lori McLeod Wilke, David J. Wilke and Trish and Elizabeth Brown on June 25th, 2004 at the Camden County Courthouse, Kershaw County, South Carolina.

In 1851 Angus McLeod II had sold to William and Margaret Hunt 190 acres on the Horsepen Branch - This was likely part of his father, Alexander I's, estate. and as this deed shows a William Hunt as a bounder of Harriet's land (that being sold). This possibly indicates that the land of William Hunt in 1892 was part of the original estate of Alexander I (husband of Sarah McIntosh and this Alexander's father). There was some missing acreage in the estate file of Angus McLeod II as well as the lawsuit - as stated, several pages of the lawsuit were badly damaged and illegible - it is possible that Alexander and Harriet purchased this land from the estate of Angus McLeod II. Kershaw Deeds Book S page 32 accessed by Lori McLeod Wilke June 2005 at the Camden County Courthouse

The dates on this deed cause some confusion...note that Harriet states that she received the payment for the land in 1892, but the deed itself is dated for 1895 and was not recorded until 1898. Charles Usher Myers, son in law of Harriet married to her daughter Kate, appeared in 1895 and then again upon the date it was recorded in 1898. There are two possibilities:

1) the deed was transcribed at some point and the first date, on which the payment was received, was written as a 2 and not a 5. Where the deed reads 1895 it is written out in long form which on the old documents is typically easier to read than numbers/digits. In this case, the fact that three years passed before it was recorded is not that unusual

2) this was a transaction which took place before Alexander's death (1895), but as part of the settlement of his estate, it was not brought to the attention of the courts until 1895 and then again in 1898.

I believe the first possibility is the more likely. Alexander passed away March 30, 1895. It is likely that in June, Harriet may have needed to sell some property to settle some of his debts. The fact that he was in debt is shown in the Oath of Administration for his estate which was not sworn until August 18, 1915. In that record, their sons Jesse Lazarus McLeod and Albert John McLeod, the only surviving children at the time, stated that the estate had no debt except one for a cotton crop that had passed the statute of limitations. Estate file of Alexander E. McLeod, August 18 1915 accessed and copied by Lori McLeod Wilke and David J. Wilke June 2005

More about Swearing the Oath of Loyalty

It is interesting to note that Alexander is never seen on any deed from the close of the War between the States to his death in 1896. One must wonder why due to the nature of Women's Rights during this era. A woman whose husband is alive is not usually found buying and selling property; it is much more likely that researchers would see them signing release of dower rights on the deeds of their husbands. Yet we find Harriet apparently handling all the business of land buying and selling from the close of the war and for the remainder of both their lives.

There are two possibilities....the first is that in order to regain citizenship and its rights, Southern men were asked to swear an oath of loyalty to the United States. It is my understanding that this oath required the men to state that they had never voluntarily served the Confederacy. As Alexander is not found on any Voters Registration lists after the war, one could assume that he never swore the oath therefore never regaining the right to buy/sell properties.

Knowing that Alexander was a strong Christian, one could assume that he felt he could not in honor swear that he had never voluntarily served the Conferacy; a Confederacy in which the service of his brothers, his sons, his son's in law, and his nephews and nephew's in law resulted in the loss their lives and the destitution of their widows. Following that line of thought however leads to the second possibility....

Research of the probate records of the courts of Kershaw and Sumter Counties has revealed that Alexander was present in the probate court for almost every one of those who lost their lives. Perhaps the almost constant attendance at the probate of his family members' estates and the mourning that obviously he was experiencing caused him to be somewhat "broken". I wonder if life just became too burdensome for the gentle nature of this Christian man, a man who served his church faithfully, who adopted two orphaned children in his senior years, a man who traveled to Charleston to exhume the body of his eldest son in order to bring him home for burial.

Whatever the answer is to why we never see him on deeds and other records after 1868; one cannot help but be moved by the experiences he found himself in during the years 1861 - 1868 and wonder how he dealt with the grief he must have felt.

Death of Alexander E. McLeod and Harriet Yates

Alexander E. McLeod died on March 30, 1895 and was buried in the McLeod Family Plot at Antioch Baptist Church. He lies next to his younger brother, Angus McLeod, his nephew, William McLeod, and just in front of the grave of his brother, John N. McLeod. Several of the children of his nieces and nephews and the graves of his own children who died before him are nearby. Not far away, his sister Catherine McLeod Moseley and two of her children are buried and a little bit further one finds several of the families that he associated with throughout his life. Harriet Yates McLeod lived another 7 years, dying on July 01, 1902. Harriet and Alexander share a grave and a tombstone.

In 1864, the Will of Angus McLeod (II) contained a bequest for $1000.00 to be left to Antioch Baptist Church for the maintenance of the McLeod Family Plot. This bequest was apparently never fulfilled, and even if it had been, the bulk of Angus' estate was in Confederate Dollars, worthless shortly after his death. The church today is not a perpetual care cemetery; the gravestones are all maintained by family members of the deceased. The old stones, made mostly of concrete, are rapidly deteriorating with many of them having broken and fallen down several times despite numerous repairs. Dotted throughout the cemetery are stones that have been replaced; some still have the original stones leaning against the new one.

Of those stones that mark the burial of our extended family, many of them have been replaced by unknown persons; i.e. Catherine McLeod Moseley (sister of Alexander), her daughter Eliza Moseley Brown, and her son, Capt. Alexander Moseley. John N. McLeod's stone is cared for and maintained although it appears that due to its fading inscription it will need replacement in the near future.

Alexander and Harriet's original concrete tombstone, which was repaired over the years, has recently been replaced with a marble stone on which all the original inscription has been carved. The new stone was placed with monies raised at the annual Jesse Lazarus McLeod Family Reunion (to which all related McLeods are invited regardless of their line of descent!). During the reunions in 2004 and 2005, collections were taken up consisting of money donations or funds from the sale of items made by Col. Purdy Belvin McLeod Jr. to aid in the fund raising, or Seven Nations CD's and PBS Videos offered for sale by Donald Ross McLeod Jr. and his son, Kirk Alan McLeod. The committee for replacement was headed by Mary McLeod Bradham.

Also replaced this past year (June 2005 - present 2006) were stones for:

• Angus Robert McLeod, son of Alexander and Harriet Yates McLeod, died 1856
• John B. McLeod, son of Alexander and Harriet Yates McLeod, died 1864
• Infant of A. and E. McLeod, believed to have been a child of Angus McLeod and Eliza Ann Arrants (McLeod Boykin)

Children of Alexander and Harriet Yates McLeod

1. Norman A. McLeod born April 6, 1839 in Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States of America buried at Antioch Church Hwy 34 and Rd 596 to RD 22, 8 miles east of Camden Kershaw District near parents, and Uncles Angus McLeod and John N. McLeod, Aunt Catherine McLeod Moseley and other family members. died January 18, 1863 in Richmond Virginia, Confederate States of America Family Bible of Alexander and Harriet McLeod formerly owned by J. Frank McLeod, current whereabouts unknown, copy of Birth, Marriage and Death page on file at the Sumter Genealogical Society in South Carolina. Obituary in Camden Confederate Newpaper, tombstone at Antioch Baptist Church, Lee County South Carolina photograph taken October 2000 by Lori McLeod Wilke and Donald Ross McLeod JR.)

2. Martha A McLeod b. Feb 16, 1841 Near Beaverdam Area of Sumter District, near the current area of Little Egypt, South Carolina, United States of America d.Bef. 1915 married Oct 22, 1861 at Antioch Baptist Church Kershaw District South Carolina to Robert English Huggins b. Abt. 1840 d. Aft. 1880 Family Bible of Alexander and Harriet McLeod formerly owned by J. Frank McLeod, current whereabouts unknown, copy of Birth, Marriage and Death page on file at the Sumter Genealogical Society in South Carolina.

3. Angish R McLeod born Feb 05, 1843 died May 08, 1856 buried Antioch Baptist Church Family Bible of Alexander and Harriet McLeod formerly owned by J. Frank McLeod, current whereabouts unknown, copy of Birth, Marriage and Death page on file at the Sumter Genealogical Society in South Carolina.

4. Sarah "Sally" H. McLeod b.Sep 09, 1845 Near Beaverdam Area of Sumter District, near the current area of Little Egypt, South Carolina, United States of America d.Bef. 1900 married Feb 15, 1866at Anitoch Baptist Church, Kershaw Co South Carolina, USA to Willis Gaylord b. Unknown d. Aft. 1900 Possibly Swimming Pens Sumter South Carolina Family Bible of Alexander and Harriet McLeod formerly owned by J. Frank McLeod, current whereabouts unknown, copy of Birth, Marriage and Death page on file at the Sumter Genealogical Society in South Carolina.

1880 Source Information: Census Place De Kalb, Kershaw, South Carolina Family History Library Film 1255232 NA Film Number T9-1232 Page Number 64C

Willis GAYLORD Self M Male W 38 SC Farmer SC SC Sarah H. GAYLORD Wife M Female W 34 SC Keeps House SC SC Elizabeth GAYLORD Dau S Female W 13 SC SC SC Albert GAYLORD Son S Male W 11 SC SC SC Hattie GAYLORD Dau S Female W 9 SC SC SC Willis GAYLORD Son S Male W 6 SC SC SC Rosley GAYLORD Dau S Female W 4 SC SC SC John GAYLORD Son S Male W 1 SC SC SC

Year: 1900; Census Place: Swimming Pens, Sumter, South Carolina, ; Roll: T623 1543; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 133.

Willis Gaylord was a Sheriff's Deputy following the war. He served as administrator of the estate of Sally's brother, Norman A. McLeod in 1867 and also served subpeona's for the Lawsuit James E. Rodgers for the Estate of Angus McLeod vs. S.M. Boykin, Eliza Boykin and Others also in 1867. One set of family papers shows the initials U.A. after Willis's name.....Union Army?

Children of Sally McLeod and Willis F. Gaylord

1. Elizabeth Gaylord b. Abt. 1867
2. Albert Gaylord b. Abt. 1869
3. Hattie Gaylord b. Abt. 1871
4. Rosley Gaylord b. Abt. 1876
5. John Gaylord b. Abt. 1878
6. Willis McLeod Gaylord b. Abt. 1874 d. unknown married to Celia Burgess daughter of Paul Burgess and Mary J.W. (--?--) - Celia's half sister, Sarah J. Burgess married Thomas S. Ross, her sister Johanna Irene Burgess married Dalton L. McLeod son of Angus Davis McLeod and grandson of John N. McLeod, after the death of her first husband in the Cleveland School Fire.

5. Jesse Lazarus McLeod b. February 20, 1847 d. Mar 12, 1922 married first to Maggie Josey married second to Mary Rosa Ives Family Bible of Alexander and Harriet McLeod formerly owned by J. Frank McLeod, current whereabouts unknown, copy of Birth, Marriage and Death page on file at the Sumter Genealogical Society in South Carolina.

6. John B McLeod born Sep 28, 1849 died Jan 24, 1864 buried Antioch Baptist Church Family Bible of Alexander and Harriet McLeod formerly owned by J. Frank McLeod, current whereabouts unknown, copy of Birth, Marriage and Death page on file at the Sumter Genealogical Society in South Carolina.

7. Nancy "Mamie or Nanny" McLeod - wife of Sidney Hurst Family Bible of Alexander and Harriet McLeod formerly owned by J. Frank McLeod, current whereabouts unknown, copy of Birth, Marriage and Death page on file at the Sumter Genealogical Society in South Carolina.

8. Albert John McLeod b. 21st of December in 1853 in either Kershaw or Sumter District South Carolina died in Hancock County Mississippi - founder of McLeod Park currently known as McLeod Water Park Family Bible of Alexander and Harriet McLeod formerly owned by J. Frank McLeod, current whereabouts unknown, copy of Birth, Marriage and Death page on file at the Sumter Genealogical Society in South Carolina.

9. Mary J McLeod b. 30 Sept 1855 Kershaw District, South Carolina d. 1912 Kershaw District, South Carolina buried Pisgah Baptist Church married October 27, 1875 James D. Evans b. December 10, 1854 Kershaw District, South Carolina d. September 09, 1907 Kershaw District, South Carolina buried Pisgah Baptist Church gravestone at Pisgah Baptist Church Family Bible of Harriet and Alexander E. McLeod, formerly owned by J. Frank McLeod, current owner unknown, tombstone photograph taken October 2000 by Lori McLeod Wilke and Donald Ross McLeod Jr. Sumter Courthouse Marriage Records M243 E 152

10. Eliza "Kate" McLeod - wife of Charles Usher Myers Family Bible of Alexander and Harriet McLeod formerly owned by J. Frank McLeod, current whereabouts unknown, copy of Birth, Marriage and Death page on file at the Sumter Genealogical Society in South Carolina.

11. ADOPTED - Sally Francis McLeod - born about 1868 - the 1880 census states that her biological father was born in Georgia and her biological mother in South Carolina - No further information

i) Bertie Taylor McLeod b. unknown d. unknown married to William Estes Sr. b. unknown in Winnsboro, South Carolina

ii) Ottie Taylor McLeod b. unknown d. unknown

Census Place: Ionia Township, Lee County, South Carolina; Census Year 1910, Taylor, Robert A age 40 married 2 years; Irene Wife age 18; Bertie daughter age 12; Ottie son age 9; Lillie daughter age 6; Lenie son age 6/12. Census Research by Lori McLeod Wilke, Ancestry.com subscription,

---

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~formyfamily/index.htm
!Source: Lori McLeod Wilke copyright © 2000-2011 All Rights Reserved