Appointment of Sarah Newman as Administrator of the Estate of Edward Newman, deceased, under a bond of £500 specie, dated 20 Jan 1784 in Sampson Co., NC. [On reverse:] Deposition of Sarah (X) Newman before William Odom, Justice of Peace of Sampson Co., NC, 7 Jul 1791, 'that She is the same Sarah Newman to whom the within letters of administration was granted and that the within mentioned Edward Newman, deceased, was a soldier in the North Carolina line on Continental Establishment & served as such & died in the service...' [Below:] Transfer of the right to the above mentioned Final Settlement Certificate by Sarah (X) Newman to James Carraway for 'value received.' Dated 7 Jul 1791.
The Final Settlement Certificate probably refers to the bounty land warrant for 640 acres due to Edward's heirs in compensation for his 84 months of military service (i.e., 1776-1783) and eventually granted on 31 August 1795 (warrant #3848).
After the war, the new Continental Congress ordered a census to be taken, but the legislation was somewhat vague so the timing and scope of this census varied across the newly formed states. I've found few details about the subsequent North Carolina census but the enumeration of Sampson County apparently occurred between 1784 and 1786; Sarah Newman owned 300 acres at that time. Sarah's household in the 1790 census included a son 16 or over (William), 5 sons under 16 (including my ancestor, John) and 1 daughter.
Edward owned land in Duplin County prior to 1780, when it was referenced in a deed transfer record. His father was probably William Newman, who received land grants in Duplin County in 1761 (Bear Branch) and 1768 (Great Coharie Creek and Beaverdam Swamp). According to a transcript of Duplin/Sampson County men serving in the Revolutionary War, William was a millright who was born in 1720, served in the North Carolina Militia and drew two Revolutionary War pay vouchers. William's wife was possibly named Mary and he had a daughter, Elizabeth, who married James Kelly. I didn't find William or Mary in the 1790 census or any of the reconstructed censuses, so both presumably died before then.
- William Newman, b. ca 1774; m. unknown
- John Newman, b. ca 1775; m. Nancy
- Unknown female , b. 1776-1784
- Unknown male, b. 1776-1784
- Unknown male, b. 1776-1784
- Unknown male, b. 1776-1784
- Unknown male, b. 1776-1784
In 1800, William was the only Newman shown living in Sampson County, and his household includes a male under 10 (his son Jacob, born about 1799) and a female 26-44. The female might be William's wife or a 40ish Sarah. She's almost certainly the female aged 45+ living with William and Jacob in 1810, by which time John had married and set up his own household.
In the 1820 census for Sampson County, North Carolina, William is living in Capt. Godwin's District, and his brother John is in Capt. Spill's District. William is 45 years old or older (i.e., born no later than 1775), with a son between the ages of 16 and 26 (Jacob). Jacob lived next door to William 30 years later in the 1850 Sampson County census; according to that record, he was 51 and William was 75 by then. William doesn't appear in the 1860 census so he most likely died in the preceding decade, though I have been unable to locate a will for him so far.
I did find a will for Jacob, written in 1858 and probated in 1869. It mentions wife Mary Ann, son Archibald, and daughters Elizabeth A., Anna Maria (wife of William Reynolds), Mary Ann (wife of Hanson Huneycutt) and Susan (wife of William Huneycutt). Jacob's widow, Mary Ann, was living in Honeycutts, Sampson County, North Carolina in the 1880 census with her granddaughter, Anna E. Huneycutt, 21, and a Jennie Holland, 40, relationship specified as "other."
