Samuel DeBarris Lance was born in North Carolina and mved to Union County (Blairsville), Georgia. His mother was Rebecca Hunter, who was the daughter of John Hunter (1775-1848), who is the earliest Hunter ancestor that I know for sure.
The Lance family was the kind of family that movies and books are made from. For instance, this is what I have on Debarris's father, Samuel R. Lance:
A friend of his (Samuel R. Lance), whose name has long since been forgotten, was to have a duel with a fellow from Union County, and as fate would have it he became sick, not being able to fill the appointed date. Dueling custom has it that if you are sick you have the right to name a replacement, so Samuel Lance, being noted as a fighting man, was chosen to fight in his stead. He came to Union County by request, to uphold the honor of a friend, fought the duel and won, leaving his adversary, against whom he had no malice, lying motionless up the ground.
He came to Union County in the Spring of 1839. He returned to Buncombe County and told his brothers and moved his family one year later.
- From BLOOD MOUNTAIN COVENANT, A SON'S REVENGE pp7-8, by Charles E. Hill
August of 1870 - Sam Riley Lance; his sons James Debarris, Andrew, and John; and his son-in-law John Frady did call on Joseph Henson, and as the indictment in court did say, "Fight, whoop, holler, and curse, and attempt to go into the house of said in a violent and tumultuous manner" because of what he said about one of the members of the family.
-From BLOOD MOUNTAIN COVENANT, A SON'S REVENGE, p168, by Charles E. Hill.
And this is what I have on Samuel DeBarris:
Samuel had naturally curly hair.
In the Civil War he was wounded in the line of duty. He was holding a stallion during drill and was kicked in the right leg. The wound never entirely healed.
As a young man he traveled to Missouri with his friend and companion, Sid Wright. He staked out a claim for many acres of land, which he never returned to farm.
Here is something I find confusing. Based on the information I have DeBarris was only 19 years old when the Civil War ended in 1865. In the Civil War he was in DeBarris Co. A, a 6th Regiment CSA under Robert E. Lee. With his unit named DeBarris one would think it was named after him. If so, what an early age when that came to be, probably 17 or 18.
That is one of the things I have on my to-do list, is check out Samuel DeBarris Lance's military records to see if everything I have jives with the real facts.
DeBarris married twice had 17 children by his first wife and none by his second wife.
His brother, the Rev. John Henry Lance was beheaded for preaching against moonshine in those North Georgia Mountains, but that will be another posting.
So true. He indeed was a great man. I myself did not know him. However he is a grandfather of mine. My great grandfathers', Neal Lance, who is the baby in the picture, dad. His wife my great grandmother who is 94 years old and still kicking tells us about em every chance she gets. And that spirit of a kind hearted, be there when ya need em, fightin' man, is still imprented in us all after all these years. 'You'd be better off to catch lightning in a bottle.' Thanks for honoring my grandfather. -Trista-
ReplyDeleteTrista,
ReplyDeleteIt was my pleasure. It seems at that time, all those Lances in Union County had the adventurous spirit.
Samuel Debarris Lance is my Grandfather and maybe I can clarify some things.
ReplyDeleteHis civil war service was under Robert E Lee but his company was not known to be called DeBarris. He was a very young soldier that was assigned to hold the horses and was injured as stated by a large stallion.
He was called Debarris and has many descendants named after him.
His first marriage was to Tennessee Elizabeth Anderson, 1852-1890. She lived in Ivy Log, Ga. Union county when she was eight with her father, H. Morgan Anderson and her mother, Elizabeth Mathis per 1860 US Census. Debarris and Tennessee had eight children. Tennessee died giving birth to Charlie in 1890.
His second marriage was to Elizabeth Malinda Davenport, 1874 -1959. Malinda, as she was called was born to Mary Patton and Dan Davenport. Debarris and Malinda had ten children including, Harve Lance, my father and Trista's gg Grandfather, Woodrow Neal Lance.
Debarris was said to be a tall, handsome man. He did seem to be continually looking for greener pastures. As he made the venture to Missouri and also Texas to search out better for his family.
He bought a large farm in the Lance Cove, Sweetwater community near Hayesville, NC. But still he picked up his family and moved to Woodstock, Ga. to try his hand at raising cotton in 1920.
But he returned home to Lance Cove and died there in 1929.
He was a proud man and he and his children made their own way in this world. In 1925, he bacame so disabled that he filed for his civil war penson and got it. His widow,Malinda also recieved a small widows penson for the rest of her life which was of great benifit to her.
Debarris' daughter, Lura, told me that her father run a respectable home. She said he did not allow drinking alcohol,profanity,card playing or other undignified behaviors. He was said to be master of his home until his death.
Lura said he did not drink hard wiskey but when he grew old he did drink homemade grape wine in the evenings that she would fetch for him.
Samuel Debarris lies under a civil war headstone near his two wives, Tennessee and Malinda in the Hayesville,N.C. First United Methodist Cemetery. With many of his children and his childrens children.
A good way to go, I think.
Louise
Louise,
ReplyDeleteThank you for that very good report of DeBarris Lance.
I had my doubts if he was in a unit named DeBarris, he being so young and all but that is what I had. I am glad you clarified that.
I'll change my records.
Thanks.