Books about Hicks- Harmon- Ward Families

 Books About Hicks- Hix

[Immediately below is an excerpt from Western North Carolina: A History (from 1730 to 1913) by John Preston Arthur, 1914 who also wrote "A history of Watauga Co." on 1915. In both books Arthur confuses David Hix with his eldest son Samuel "Big Sammy" Hicks because both men moved to Valle Crucis around the same time c. 1770. According to these local stories, David was a loyalist trying to avoid serving in the Revolutionary War- a duty that was performed by Harris Hicks, his nephew. This has been proven by a document mentioning his brother Absalom, and their brother-in-law, Solomon Whitlow. This is the only document proving David was Absolom's brother and therefore Samuel Hix's (b. 1695 d. 1772- Goochland, VA) son. David Hix was a neighbor of Benjamin Ward both receiving land grants about 1770 when it was called Washington, Tennessee.

R. Matteson 2014]


The Valley Of Cousins.
Valle Crucis is also called the Valley of Cousins because of the kinship between most of its inhabitants. Ex-Sheriff David F. Baird, a descendant of Bedent, says that all of Valle Crucis between the ford of the river on the road to Cove creek up to the ford at Shipley's home was sold by the original Hix who came to this section, for a shot-gun, a pair of leggins and a hound dog. A man named Hix was drowned in a "hole" of water in Watauga river below D. F. Baird's farm, and the place is called the "Hix Hole" yet. This original Samuel Hix was the first settler of this valley, but Bedent Baird was not long behind him. Bedent's son Franklin was the father of David F. Baird, who was born June 10, 1835, and was sheriff from 1882 till 1886, and from 1890 till 1894. He went with his uncle Joel Moody to carry the body of Rev. Wm. Thurston from its place of temporary burial at Valle Crucis to Pittsboro, N. C., in 1856. Another prominent family of this section, which has intermarried with the Baird family, is that of the Shulls. Frederick Shull and his wife came from Germany about the year 1750. He was a weaver and paid for their voyage by weaving while his wife worked in the field. Her name was Charity. Simon Shull was a son of this marriage, and the father of seven children by his wife, Mary Sheifler, a daughter of Phillip and Mary Ormatenfer Sheifler. She was born in Loudon county, Va., May 5, 1772. Simon Shull was born in Lincoln county, October 24, 1767. Simon ShulFs children were Mary, Sarah, Phillip, John, Joseph, Temperance and Elizabeth, born between March 19, 1793, and April 10, 1808. Joseph was the father of James M. Shull, and Phillip of Joseph C. Shull. Simon Shull was married on Upper creek, Burke county, by Rev. William Penland, March 25, 1790, and died February 12, 1813.

Other Closely Related Families.

Reuben Mast first lived where David F. Baird now lives, but the place had been settled before Mast went there. Reuben Mast sold it to John Gragg about 1849, and moved to Texas, where he died. Gragg lived there till 1867 and sold to David Wagner, and moved to Tennessee. David Wagner divided the place among his three sons, and David F. Baird bought the shares of John and Daniel Wagner on the east side of the river, about 1874. He had married a sister of these two Wagners in 1870. Joel Mast lived below the road at the place where T. Hardee Taylor lives. David Mast lived where Finley Mast now lives. John Mast lived at Sugar Grove, while Noah Mast lived on Watauga river where Wm. Winkler now lives. These were brothers. Henry Taylor came to Sugar Grove from Davidson county about 1849 and went into merchandising there. He married Emaline, daughter of John Mast, buying the Joel Mast farm at public auction. Taylor then moved to Valle Crucis, and bought the place where his son, T. Hardee Taylor, now lives from Joel Mast about 1850 or 1851. He made his money by selling to those who earned wages by the building of the turnpike. He was born August 20, 1819. His wife was born January 5, 1826. They had six children. After her death, September 21, 1880, he married Rachel Gray, by whom he had four children. He died March 6, 1899, and his last wife died March 3 of the same year. He bought the Ives land from Robert Miller before the Civil War. Into the valley of Cove Creek in 1791 came Cutliff Harmon, from Randolph county, and bought 522 acres from James Gwyn, to whom it had been granted May 18, 1791, his deed from Gwyn bearing date August 6, 1791. Cutliff married Susan Fouts, and was about ninety years of age when he died in 1838, his wife having died several years before, and he having married Elizabeth Parker, a widow. He had ten children by his first marriage, none by his second. Among his children were Mary, who married Bedent Baird; Andrew, who married Sabra Hix; Eli, who married the widow Rhoda Dyer (born Dugger); Mathias, who married and moved to Indiana; Catherine, who married Benjamin Ward, and went west; Rebecca, who married Frank Adams and moved to Indiana; Rachel, who married Holden Davis; Sarah, who married John Mast; Nancy, who married Thomas Curtis, and Rev. D. C. Harmon, born April 17, 1826, and died December 23, 1904. Among those who came about the time Cutliff did were the Eggers, Smith, Councill, Horton, Dugger, Mast and Hix families. The farm Cutliff' bought is now owned by M. C., D. F. and D. C. Harmon. "Patch farming" was the rule, the settlers going to the Globe on Johns river for corn, as they raised only rye, buckwheat, Irish potatoes, cabbages, onions and pumpkins on the new and cold land of Watauga river. A common diet was milk and mush for breakfast and soup and cider for dinner and supper, according to Malden C. Harmon in the Watauga Democrat of April, 1891. The intermarriage of these families has brought about a neighborhood of closely related citizens, and Cove Creek and Valle Crucis are spoken of as the Valley of Cousins, Sugar Grove being also a part of Valle Crucis. Just down Watauga river from Valle Crucis is another settlement called Watauga Falls. Among the first to settle there was Benjamin Ward, who had seven sons, Duke, Daniel, Benjamin, Nicodemus, McCaleb, Jesse and James. He also had three daughters, one of whom was named Celia. Benjamin Ward, Sr., was a most enterprising and worthy man, and his widow lived to be 105 years of age, while their son Ben lived to be 110. Duke married Sabra, widow of Andrew Harmon, and moved to [Tennessee first] Illinois. Ben. Jr., went to Cumberland gap, and his son Duke came back and married Lucy Tester; while Amos, son of Duke, Sr., came back from Illinois and married Sally, sister of Lucy Tester. They had two sons, L. D. and John, the latter having been killed before Richmond in 1863.

Samuel Hix, Loyalist. [This should be David Hix throughout]
According to Rev. L. W. Farthing, who was born April 18, 1838, and has lived in Beaver Dam township and at Watauga Falls postoffice all his long life, Samuel [David] was the name of the first Hix who came to what is now Watauga county. He got possession of all of what is now known as Valle Crucis, including the Sheriff Baird farm, either by grant from the Crown or from the State, and was there during the Revolutionary War. Being a Loyalist he kept himself concealed by retiring to a shanty near Valle Crucis, still pointed out as his "Improvement." He sold the Valle Crucis land for a rifle, dog and sheepskin to Benjamin Ward, the latter later selling it to Reuben Mast. Hix then got possession of the land at the mouth of Cove creek, but Ward got this also and sold it to a family named Summers. This family, consisting of man and wife and five children, were all drowned in their cabin at night during a freshet in the Watauga river, and their dog swam about the cabin and would allow no one to enter till it had been killed. This is still spoken of as the "Summers Fresh"— the highest anyone now remembers. The bodies of the family were recovered and are buried on the opposite side of the river from the mouth of Cove creek. Samuel Hix [This is big Sammy or Little Sammy] in 1816 obtained a grant to 126 acres, on part of which Rev. L. W. Farthing now lives, and his grave-stone still stands three miles below St. Judes postoffice, and a quarter of a mile below Antioch Baptist church. Benjamin Howard took the oath of allegiance to the American government in 1778 (Col. Rec., Vol. 22, page 172), but Samuel [David] Hix seems never to have become reconciled. Even after the war he hid out, coming home at dark for his supplies. His five boys were mischievous, and they manufactured a pistol out of a buck's horn, which they fired by applying a live coal to the touch-hole, when their father returned from the house carrying his rations, thus frightening him so much that he would drop them and return to his concealed camp in the mountains. The children of Samuel [Big Sammy] Hix were Golder, David, Samuel, Harmon and William; Sally, who married Barney Oaks; Sabra, who married Andrew Harmon, who was killed by a falling tree on L. W. Farthing's present farm, and Fanny who never married. Samuel Hix cared more about hunting than anything else, and it was said he knew where there was a lead mine in the mountains out of which he ran his own bullets. James Hix and James (?) Tester, were drowned in what is still known as the Hix "Hole" in Watauga river below Sheriff Baird's farm, and Sam Tester rode his bull into the water in order to recover the two bodies, about 1835. Samuel Hix had a negro slave named Jeff, and two apple trees planted soon after his removal to the L. W. Farthing place, one at Samuel's cabin and the other at Jeff's, lived till within recent years.

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Some books:

GENEALOGICAL DICTIONARY OF THE FIRST SETTLERS OF NEW ENGLAND, SHOWING ... By JAMES SAVAGE 1860

"The Hicks Family of Western North Carolina (Watauga River Lines)" by John Henry and Mattie Hicks. Was published by Minors Printing of Boone NC. Is available from Mattie Hicks,5206 US Hwy 321, North Sugar Grove, NC 28679. This is an amazingly detailed book on our line of the Hicks family. Has almost 500 pages. Is full of details on over 300 years of Hicks and Teaster family history. Most complete book that I have found dealing with family.

"A History of Watauga County, North Carolina" by John Preston Arthur. This book was first printed in 1915. It is available from Southern Historical Press, P.O. Box 738, Easley SC. Fascinating book, however, much of this book is at variance with other sources. It has lots of stuff about the Hicks and less about the Teasters.

"An Appalachian Medley: Hot Springs and the Gentry Family" by Jacqueline Burgin Painter. Published by Biltmore Press, Asheville , NC. Book is available from the author at No. 12 Jones Street, Sylva, NC 28779. This is a very interesting book about one of Hiram's Hicks and Jennie Teaster’s descendants who was a famous collector and singer of mountain folk music. Has lots of info about Hick and Teasters. Discusses family move from Watauga to Fines Creek/Max Patch area.

"The Last Chivaree - The Hicks family of Beech Mountain" by Robert Isbell and published by the University of North Carolina Press, P.O. Box 2288, Chapel Hill, NC. Story about the families role in preserving folk tales and music. Has lots of family history.

"Jack in Two Worlds" edited by William Bernard McCarthy from the Publications of the American Folklore Series, published by the University of North Carolina Press, P.O. Box 2288, Chapel Hill, NC . Has more info about Hicks family and lots of genealogical information.

McGee, Marty.Traditional Musicians of the Central Blue Ridge: Old Time, Early Country, Folk and Bluegrass Label Artists, with Discographies. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co., 2000. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 106. U4 B66.

Fussell, Fred C. Blue Ridge Music Trails. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 2003. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 3551.7 B58 F8 2003.

Koon, William Henry. Folk Songs of Watauga. Phd Dissertation, University of Georgia.  Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International, 1979. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 3561.f64 k6 1979.

"Valle Crucis- a History of an Uncommon Place" by Harding Hughes. It is distributed by Mast General Store, Highway 194, Valle Crucis NC 28691. (The store is located at the base of Tester Mountain). This is a very interesting book and has lots of info on the early Hicks relatives that were among the first settlers of this part of NC.

"Smoky Mountain Family Album" published by and available from Gladys Trentham Russell, P.O. Box 250, Alcoa, Tennessee 37701. This book contains over 1000 photographs of mountain families. Has photos of Grandpa Ransom’s brother William (Bill ) Council Teaster and his wife and children. Also has photos of some of their descendants.

"The Heritage of Watauga County, 1849-1984". Samuel's family, married to Mary Foster, is listed as no. 523 in this book. There are also a number of other Tester (Teaster) families listed in the Watauga County book. This book states that the name was originally spelled Teaster rather than Tester.

"The History of Johnson County, 1986". This county is in Tennessee. Samuel's family, married to Mary Foster, is listed as no. 608 in this book. There are also a number of other Tester (Teaster) families listed in the book. It is not sure how most of these other families are related to Grandpa Ransom’s line.

"Carter County Tennessee and Its People 1796 - 1993". A descendant family from Samuel's family, married to Mary Foster, is listed as no. 583 in this book. The family is that of Martha Tester (Teaster) Heaton. Martha was the great granddaughter of Samuel and Mary. There are also a number of other Tester (Teaster) families listed in the book. As is the case with the Johnson County book, the connections to most of these other families with Grandpa Ransom’s line has not yet been determined.

"History of Washington County, Tennessee - 1988". A descendant family from Samuel's family, married to Mary Foster, is also listed in this book. The family is that of Herman Harrison Tester (Teaster). Herman was the grandson of Samuel and Mary. There are also a number of other Tester (Teaster) families listed in the book. As is the case with the Johnson County and Carter County book, the connections to most of these other families with Grandpa Ransom’s line has not yet been determined.

"Colonial Soldiers of the South , 1732 - 1774" by Murtie June Clark published by Genealogical Publishing Co. , Inc. 1983 in Baltimore. Lists militia service of Nathaniel Teaster , thought to be father of Samuel Teaster.

"These My People, Wards of Watauga County" by Lennis D. Isaacs. Detailed listing of the Ward family and their many connections with the Teasters and other families. Book is available from Genealogical Society of Watauga County P.O. Box 126 (DTS) ,Boone, North Carolina 28607