James Matlock (1781-1868)





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See: The Heritage of Caswell County, North Carolina, Jeannine D. Whitlow, Editor (1985) at 372-373 (Article No. 470 "Nicholas Matlock"). Death date also seen as 4 April 1867.

John Peter Powell apparently had a great granddaughter named Mary Kathleen Powell, who married a Greenfield. She provided the following:

These copies of newspaper clippings, and the letter, and the personal note came from Mary Kathleen (Powell) Greenfield. She was the great granddaughter of John Peter Powell, the third son of Peter Powell, Sr.)

Copies of news clippings of 1956 and 1960

Madison Edmond Dies at Home in Thomas Hill.

Madison (Mat) Edmond, 73, died at 12:30 o'clock yesterday morning at his home in
Thomas Hill. He had resided in Thomas Hill the past 50 years. Surviving are his wife, one son Henry Allen Edmond, a sister, Mrs. Lon Nowling of Los Angeles and a brother, Joe Edmond of Des Moines. Funeral services will be conducted at 2 o'clock Wednesday afternoon at the Thomas Hill Baptist Church by the pastor, the Rev. LeRoy Toliver. Burial will be in the adjoining cemetery. (1956)

The body of Henry A. Edmond arrived in Huntsville from Chicago, Ill. Saturday night and funeral services will be held at 2 o'clock Monday afternoon by Rev. J. V. Roberts. Burial in the adjoining cemetery. He was the son of Kay Edmond and Mat Edmond who passed away four years ago, the 14th of this month (Oct. 17, 1960).

[Mat Edmond told me some twenty five or thirty years ago that he was the descendant of a slave brought to Missouri by one of the Powells. I feel that it would be the one spoken of in the letter written by Sterling Gunn, Sen. -- Mary Greenfield]

Caswell County, N. C.
Jan. 7, 1844
Dear Children James and Martha Matlock;

Mr. Brazillai Powell is just now about to leave this part of the country for Missouri with Edmond's wife among his other property. As Edmond wishes to follow his wife I have consented to send him to you as a gift as he will be able, I understand, to be near enough to his wife. Mr. Powell is to charge you twenty dollars for carrying Edmond to you provided that Edmond is of no service to him along the way. If he can do Mr. Powell any service on the road then he is to redeem his charge accordingly. This you and him can settle. This you must reasonably .... This might be reckoned as my last gift to you. As .... according to nature I cannot be in the land of the living a great deal longer.

I shall continue to hope to hear a good account from you all.

Affectionatelly

Sterling Gunn, Sen.
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James Matlock apparently moved his family to Missouri c.1830: 1838 Oct 8 EE 179 James Matlock about to move to Missouri gives Power of Att. To Thomas L. Lea (neighbor) to sell 152 acres Adj William Holcomb, Thomas Pass Oct 8 1838.
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Letter Tells of Post-War Troubles 100 Years Ago

Mrs. Charles Moore, Huntsville, has in her possession a 100-year-old letter that was written to her great-grandparents, James and Martha Gunn Matlock by the Matlocks' son-in-law and daughter Ansel and Elizabeth Ware, who were living in Caswell County, North Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. Matlock came to Missouri in 1838 and settled in what is now the Ft. Henry community, northwest of Huntsville. The letter, dated March 15, 1866, is as follows:

Dear Father and Mother, I received your very kind letter by Mr. Winsor, which gave us great satisfaction to hear that you was all alive, for the time has been so gloomy that I thought it doubtful we should ever be permitted to correspond again, things have become a little more quiet for the present and I hope we can correspond if we can't see each other. I do not suppose it is necessary to dwell much upon the disturbing time all have seen in the last four years, for you yourselves can well imagine how it was with us; it took all we could spare and more to keep up the army and now we have lost all except our land and I do not know how long we will be permitted to keep that.

All my negroes left but two, a man and a woman; three has come back since and all appear to be well satisfied at present. Some are working for part of the crop and some for their support. I have heard four more wishes to come back but I will not permit them to come. We are all well at present. Elizabeth has been sick more or less all the time for the last three years, the excitement was more than she could stand. I have my regular spells of asthma spring and fall, not so bad as it was. I weighed when you left Caswell 123 pounds. I now weigh 240 pounds, my flesh is burdensome to me. My children are all living and well at present. Harriet lives in Danville and had the misfortune to lose three of her children in about four weeks with diphtheria, three yea alive. I think they are the most interesting children I have seen. We had fixed up their likeness to send to you four years ago but the mail stopped. I now send them by Mr. Winsor. It would be a great pleasure to me to see you all. it is entirely out of my power to come the distance.

It seems tobacco is much in demand, great preparation making for the next crop. I am working five fellows and a boy this year. They seem to work very well so far. Provisions are very high with us. corn $7.50 per barrel, wheat $3 bushel, bacon 28-30 cts., tobacco from 50 to 75 dollars pr cwt., oats one dollar a bushel. We have but few hogs in the country, the negroes and deserters distroyed them during the war. Our cattle and horse principally was taken for government purposes but we have not agreed to give up yet. We will try and live yet if providence will permit. I have worked hard to make a living for my family and I had a plenty but it is gone. I lost ten thousand dollars in good money and that was all I had but I feel much resigned to my fate now than I did a few months ago.

I will close my letter. I wish for us to keep up a correspondence. Write soon, give my respects to all the children.

Your affectionate son and daughter,

A. & E. Ware

Source: Moberly Monitor-Index & Evening Democrat (Moberly, Missouri), March 15, 1966, Page 7.

• Married: 16 JAN 1810 in Caswell County, North Carolina
• Note:

  Marriage Bond Record
  Groom: James Matlock
  Bride: Patsey H. Gunn
  Bond Date: 13 January 1810
  Bondsman/Witness: Benjamin Matlock
  Location: Caswell County, North Carolina
  Source: Caswell County, North Carolina Marriage Bonds, 1778-1868, Katharine Kerr Kendall (1981) at 68.

1. Elizabeth Matlock b: 02 JAN 1811 in Caswell County, North Carolina
2. Susannah Matlock b: 14 NOV 1813 in Caswell County, North Carolina
3. Mary Matlock b: 1816 in North Carolina
4. George Matlock b: 11 MAR 1818 in Tennessee
5. Barbara Matlock b: 12 MAR 1818 in Caswell County, North Carolina
6. Nicholas Gunn Matlock b: 22 JUN 1820 in Caswell County, North Carolina
7. Sterling Burnette Matlock b: 1822
8. James Adams Matlock b: 04 MAY 1824 in Caswell County, North Carolina
9. Martha Owen Matlock b: 19 OCT 1827 in Caswell County, North Carolina
10. Minerva Allen Matlock b: 06 APR 1831
11. Sarah Ann Matlock b: 04 SEP 1834 in Caswell County, North Carolina

1. Citation Text: The Heritage of Caswell County, North Carolina, Jeannine D. Whitlow, Editor (1985) at 373 (Article #471, "Nicholas Gunn Matlock" by Shirley Henderson Corlew)