UNION COUNTY,
NORTH CAROLINA
POOR HOUSE
The Union County Poor House
Listing from the 1850 Census.
The Union County Poor House Listing from the 1860
Census.
Paupers & Poorhouse Ledger (Miscellaneous & Incomplete Pages 1867-1871)
The Union County Poor House Listing from the 1870
Census.
The Union County Poor House Listing from the 1880
Census.
Miscellaneous References
An excerpt from Looking Back At Monroe’s History
by Virginia A. S. Kendrick
(a great book available for sale at the Heritage Room in
Monroe, and also at City Hall):
From a letter dated March 20, 1867, John D. Stewart wrote
the following about life in Union County, NC during Reconstruction, just after
the Civil War: “The poorhouse is over-flowing with paupers and it is beyond
the power of the magistrates in the greatly exhausted condition of the country,
to furnish the means to support their poor. The short and simple truth is that
we are smitten with a famine and those who are able to sustain themselves can
do but little to sustain their starving neighbors. What is to become of our
famished poor – our helpless poor, and there is still more helpless orphan children
– the God of widows and fatherless children can only tell.”
1850 CENSUS, MONROE, UNION COUNTY, NC page 96B:
“Poor House”
Daniel Snead - age 47 – Overseer of the Poor - born in NC
Martha Snead – age 44 – born in NC
Daniel Snead – age 23 – born in NC
Jemima Snead – age 13 – born in NC
Soloman Snead – age 11 – born in NC
Elizabeth A. Snead – age 6 – born in NC
Danl. J. Snead – age 9 – born in NC
Elder O’Cain – age 78 – born in NC
John Allen – age 73 – born in NC
John Phillips – age 74 – born in NC
Wm. Fincher – age 45 – born in NC
Phone Hemby – age 45 – born in NC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1860 CENSUS, MONROE,
UNION COUNTY, NC page 449
Enoch Yandles 40
Overseer of Poor
Delilia Yandles 42
Domestic
Joseph P Yandles 5
Tho Watts 65 Pauper
Polly Watts 50 “
William Foord 65 “
Eliza Helms 45 “ Idiot
James Newell 20 “ “
Melinda Hogler 19 “ “
Margaret Cuthbertson 7 “ Idiot
James H Belk 7 “ Deaf
& dumb
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Miscellaneous pages from the Paupers and Poorhouse
Ledger:
Report made to July Court 1867 which shows a balance due
J.D. Stewart
of sixty-three 48/100 Dollars on his disbursements.
Rec’d
from C. Austin on poor tax for 1866 $38.80
Sept 1867 Amt.
rec’d for E.W. Richardson on case of
Bastardy
against Malinda Brooks $5.00
Oct. 3rd Amt.
rec’d from C. Austin,
Shff.
On the Poor Taxes for 1867 $500.00
Oct 6th Amt.
rec’d from John A. McCall on
License
Tax to retail Liquor $10.00
Oct 8th Amt.
rec’d from P.H. Benton Esqr. on case
Of
Bastardy against Jane M. Harget $5.00
Nov 14th Amt.
rec’d from C. Austin, Shff on the Poor
Taxes
for the year 1867. $239.87
Dec. 7 Amt.
rec’d from C. Austin, Shff on
The
Poor Tax for the year 1867 $307.50
Dec. 14 Amt.
rec’d from C. Austin on poor taxes 1867 $206.50
“ 27 “ “ “ “ “ “ $500.00
1868
Jany. 3rd “ “ “
E. Richardson on
Case
of Bastardy against (Cate Holmes?) $5.00
Jany. 7 Amt
rec’d from P.H. Benton, Esqr.
On
a case of Bastardy against L. (Burnett?) $5.00
“ 8 Amt. rec’d from J.P. Houston on case of
Bastardy
against Pheby Crooks $5.00
Jany. 11 Amt.
rec’d from C. Austin on Poor Taxes 1867 $100.00
[END OF THIS SECTION]
LIST OF PAUPERS ON OCT 4, 1870
Charge of John Hargett
Names Age [Census data]
Piety Gibson 75 [1870 Census: white, age 74,
born in NC, a pauper]
Sarah McQuistien(?) 74 [1870 Census: white,
“C.”McQuistian, age 75, born in NC, pauper, blind]
Elizabeth Harmon 70 [1870 Census: white, age 65,
born in NC, a pauper]
Rebecca Phillips 54 [1870 Census: white, age 50,
born in NC, a pauper]
Sarah Chapple 60 [1870 Census: Sarah
“Chapel”, white, age 60, born in SC, a pauper]
Esther Fincher 42 [1870 Census: white, age 40,
born in NC, a pauper]
Elizabeth Polk 35 [1870 Census: white, age 30,
born in NC, a pauper]
Malinda Heglar 30 [1870 Census: Melinda
“Haler,” white, age 30, born in NC, a pauper]
Margaret Cuthbertson (dead) (20?) [1870 Census: white, age 19, born in NC, a pauper,
idiotic]
Martha Norkett 12 [1870 Census: Martha
“Norcott”, white, age 9, born in NC, a pauper, idiotic]
Mary J. Griffin 6 Bastard
William Fincher 65 [1870 Census: white, age 60,
born in NC, a pauper, idiotic]
Sebe Jenkins 53
Moses Porter Col. 80 [1870 Census: black, age 75,
born in VA, a pauper, blind]
Lewis Griffin 23 [1870 Census: black, age 20,
born in NC, a pauper, idiotic]
Thos. Medlin 6 Bastard [1870
Census: black, age 3, born in NC, a pauper]
1871
John Polk 1 “ [1870
Census: mulatto, age 6 mos. (born in Dec.), born in NC, a pauper]
Apr 29th
Elijah Moore 88
May 24th
Mary Hooks white
insane 24
Clara Laney
Col. insane 40
Joe Horn
“ insane 17
Apr 4th
A. B. Rice
white 45
July 29
James Medlin insane 32
Sept 4
Eliza Moore (Moon?) returned 88
Sept.18
Matilda Craige
[--------------] 4
Sept. 23
Corsanna “ “ 18
months
John Presley “ 5 years
Margaret “ “
bastard 2 years
Oct 23
Hannah Bullard 63
Amy “
bastard 50
Oct. 28
Abraham Brown 60
Nov 25
Andy D[-------] 74
Dec 2
Seigler bastard 23
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1870 CENSUS, MONROE, UNION COUNTY, NC “POOR HOUSE”
John E. Jenkins -
age 46, white, pauper, born in SC
Mary Trull -
age 40, white, pauper, born in NC, blind
James Fincher -
age 7, white, pauper, born in NC
Mary Jane Polk -
age 5, white, pauper, born in NC
Thomas W. Medlin -
age 2, mulatto, pauper, born in NC
Elizabeth Wise -
age 22, white, pauper, born in NC
Margaret Hagler -
age 18, white, pauper, born in NC
Emeline Hagler -
age 10 mos. (born in Aug.), white, pauper, born in NC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1880 CENSUS, MONROE, UNION
COUNTY, NC
“County Poor House”
John A. HARGETT -
age 60, white, Steward of Poor House, Born in NC
Nancy HARGETT -
age 51, white, wife, Keeping house, Born in NC
Sarah FREEMAN -
age 75, white, Boarder, Widowed or Divorced, Maimed or Crippled, Born in NC
Hannah BULLARD -
age 86, white, Boarder, Single, Inflammation of Bowels, Maimed or Crippled,
Born in NC
Sarah CHAPEL -
age 80, white, Boarder, Widowed or Divorced, Old Age, Blind, Insane, Born in NC
Melinda HAIGLER -
age 41, white, Boarder, Single, Laborer, Idiotic, Born in NC
Jane STARNES -
age 47, white, Boarder, Single, Insane, Born in NC
Parmelia HELMS -
age 27, white, Boarder, Married, Confined in Cell, Insane, Born in NC
Miranda STARNES -
age 22, black, Boarder, Single, Confined in Cell, Insane, Born in NC
Columbus WHITLEY - age 11, black, Bound boy, Single,
Servant, Born in NC
Louis GRIFFIN -
age 22, black, Servant, Single, Idiotic, Born in NC
Ellison MEDLIN -
age 23, white, Servant, Single, Laborer, Kidney Disease, Idiotic, Born in NC
James W. BAKER -
age 65, white, Boarder, Single, Insane, Maimed or Crippled, Born in NC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Baptisms held at the Poor House, from the Parish Book of
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Monroe, N.C.,
published in Carolinas Genealogical Society Bulletin
Vol. 39.4, Spring 2002-2003.
Feby 8, 1885--Baptized at the Poor House: Hattie Wise
bastard child of Elizabeth Wise born Jany 2nd 1885. No sponsors. E.
A. Osborne, Priest
Sept 26, 1897--At County Poor House, Horace
Plyler, child (illegitimate) of Martha Keziah Plyler,
born Feb. 18, 1896. Private form. F. W.
Hilliard, Priest
Sept. 26, 1897--At County Poor House, James Mashall
Benson, child (illegitimate) of Venie Benson,
born May 9, 1895.
Private form. F. W. Hilliard, Priest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sources:
-Microfilm located at the N.C. Archives: Minutes, Wardens
of the Poor, 1851-1881
-1870 Census, Union Co., NC, page 605
-1880 Census, Monroe, Union Co., NC, page 324D
-Looking Back At Monroe’s History by Virginia A.
S. Kendrick
To see a photo of the Union County Home as it was in
1912, click HERE.
Read more about
the History of Poorhouses in the U.S.
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