| The Forsyth County Historical Association is a non-profit organization located in Forsyth County, NC. |
FORSYTH COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
Forsyth County, NC
Forsyth County, NC
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| COLONEL ABSALOM BOSTICK by Harry Z. Tucker Published date unknown Also includes Dalton Family |
The BOSTICK family was founded in England by Owen de Bostock, and was one of the early families entitled to bear
arms. The name is recorded in the ancient Doomsday Book, compiled by William the Conqueror, and the BOSTICK
family being of noble descent, has been traced back to the days of the Conquest, for the Baronetcy is one of the finest.
Descendants are entitled to be enrolled in the "Americana of Noble Descent." They are also eligible for membership in
the very exclusive society, "The Colonial Order of the Crown," and other select and patriotic societies.
One of the outstanding leaders on the Dan River during and after the Revolutionary War was Colonel Absalom Bostick,
brave soldier and patriot. He was a son of John Bostick and wife, Nancy Wilson, a daughter of the great and historic
pioneer settler, Captain Peter Wilson who settled on the Dan River in 1740. Captain Peter Wilson was a soldier in the
French and Indian War, and died in 1762. His wife was Ailcey Hairston who was killed by the Cherokees in 1758, it is
said. They were the ancestors of more prominent people than any other couple known to have settled on the Dan in
primitive times.
Colonel Absalom Bostick was born about 1740; he died in 1803. He was married to Bethenia Perkins, June 22, 1762,
the daughter of Nicholas Perkins and wife, Bethenia Harden, who was a lineal descendant of the House of Buccleugh,
whose members were dukes or lords. Bethenia Perkins was born August 30, 1789, and died after 1809.
Nicholas Perkins raised a large family of children, all of whom distinguished themselves by making brilliant marriages.
None was more talented or of greater ability than his oldest son, Colonel Peter Perkins who inherited the old home,
"Berry Hill," which is still standing, and which he threw open for a hospital during Green's maneuvers In the South in
1781. This historic estate has been the seat of the Perkins family for generations, descendants of the Perkins family.
Colonel Absalom Bostick was a versatile man, and a great advocate for independence, giving both of his time and
fortune to rid the South of the British. He was a member of the staff of Colonel Joseph Winston during the Revolutionary
War, and was assigned the task of drilling the soldiers, for he was skilled in military tactics. He was a well educated
man, and was a member of the Convention that met at Hillsboro in 1788, also a member of the Fayetteville Convention
of 1739. He served as magistrate, sheriff, and coroner, and was elected many times to the General Assembly at
Raleigh, where he served in both Houses.
Colonel Bostick’s home, "Shoebuckle Plantation," is one of the largest and most historic plantations on the Dan. At this
noted estate, which is near Pine Hall, Colonel Bostick was wont to entertain in a lavish manner, since, by blood or
marriage, he was connected with all the important families along the Dan. The Bostick’s owned thousands of acres of
land and many slaves, and they were wealthy and influential planters and men of prominence. Colonel Bostick is buried
here.
The children of Colonel Absalom Bostick’s wife were: John, who married Mary Graves; Bethenia, who married Captain
Samuel Hampton; Absalom II, who married Nancy Dalton, and then later married Susannah Dalton; Don Ferdinand, who
married Elizabeth Rand; Susannah, who married William Blackburn; Anne, who married Thornton Preston Guinn;
Manoah Harden, who married Dilcie Scales; Christina, who married David Dalton.
John Bostick, who married Mary Graves, served in the Revolution. He was born June 18, 1765, and died in 1849, and is
buried at Turine, Tennessee. He was the first sheriff of Stokes County, and was the father of twelve children.
Bethenia Bostick, who married Captain Samuel Hampton, August 19,1785, was born on March 18, 1767, and died in
1832. Captain Samuel Hampton was born before 1760, and died December 19,1802. Besides being a brave
Revolutionary soldier, Captain Hampton was a member of a distinguished Southern family. His father, James Hampton,
settled on the Dan River about 1750, served in the Indian Wars, and was a member of the Surry County Committee of
Safety in 1775. Captain Anthony Hampton, a brother of James Hampton, was a noted colonial soldier and leader of the
rangers, and was the father of General Wade Hampton who removed to South Carolina, and there founded a
distinguished house. These are the children of Bethenia Bostick and Captain Samuel Hampton: James, born
September 16, 1786; Samuel, born October 14, 1790, and married Elizabeth Barnett, December 23, 1812; John B.,
born January 12, 1793, and married Polly E. Guinn, December 15,1812; Mary, born May 14, 1795; Susanna, born
March 27, 1797, and married Hampton Bostick, November 15, 1812; Manoah, born July 25, 1799.
Absalom Bostick II, 1769-1823, married Nancy Dalton in 1794, who died early; he then married her sister, Susannah
Dalton, December 19, 1817, and had issue: Dr. Jonathan Bostick, who married Sarah A. Smith, November 9, 1840;
Sarah, 1823-1850, who married Peter Webster, December 6, 1841; Elisabeth, who married Harden Guinn, a large
planter of Stokes County; Nancy who was never married. This family lived in Rockingham County, but when their
negroes were freed they removed to Tennessee. Nancy and Elizabeth lived to old ladies, and came annually to
visit in Stokes County, a favorite place being the home of General Poindexter near Germanton.
Don Ferdinand Bostick, who married Elisabeth Rand, of Halifax County, Virginia, died in 1824, and left several children.
Only one is known, William Rand Bostick, who married a Miss Browder, a descendant of Captain Isham Browder, a
soldier of the Revolution. William Rand Bostick was the father of James, who married May Tuttle; John W., who married
Milly Tuttle, January 9, 1862; Jesse, who married Nancy Green, February 9, 1852; Mary, who married Ed Vaughn; Anne
and Louise, both of whom were married to Coy Tuttle, Anne having died. Many descendants of this line live in Surry
and Forsyth Counties, and in Winston-Salem.
Susannah Bostick married William Blackburn, a son of the brave Tory fighter, Ambrose Blackburn, who fought also in
the Revolution, and was a man of ability and good circumstances. His old home, known as “Covington Hall," today
stands north of Walnut Cove. Their children: Bethenia, never married and is buried at the old home; Madison; John T.,
who married Margaret Pryor, a member of a very good family; Mary C.; Samuel; Gabriel; Absalom B.; Winnifred; William;
and Elizabeth, who married another Absalom Bostick, a son of John and Mary Graves Bostick, April 1, 1809, and went
to Tennessee.
Anne Bostick, who married Thornton Preston Guinn, a son of Almand Guinn, lived on the Box Mountain Road in Stokes
County. They owned many slaves and had a large plantation. Thornton Preston Guinn died in 1831. Issue: Absalom,
who married Bethenia Bostick, August 4, 1823; Thornton, who married Frances Jane Hill, July 27, 1849; Manoah, who
married Elizabeth Bostick, September 22,1835; Anne, who married Alpha Moore; Polly E., who married John Hampton,
December 15, 1812; Duke, who married Susannah Davis Bostick, September 27, 1817; Bethenia, who married David D.
Bostick, December 14, 1816; Christina, who married James M. Hampton, January 28, 1837; Susanna, who married a
Mr. Petree; Melissa, who married a Mr. Hampton; Nancy, who married a Mr. Petree; and David B. Guinn, who married
Narcissa_____.
Manoah Harden Bostick was married to Dilcey Scales, December 14, 1803. He inherited the manor house and the
family heirlooms and portraits, but, in observance to the wishes of his wife, sold his thousandacre farm to his relative,
Captain Peter Hairston, and removed to Virginia, where he served as a major in the War of 1812. He died in Illinois in
1843, a wealthy man. Issue: Bethenia, Mary Frances, Sarah Elizabeth, Jinny Caroline, and Peter Lewis. His second wife
was Frances Harvey, who had issue: Manoah Thornton, Frank, and Mary Ann. Peter Lewis Bostick was born in
Montgomery County, Tennessee, December 6, 1818, and died May 6, 1884, at Fayette, Illinois.
Christina Bostick, the youngest child of Colonel Absalom Bostick, was born about 1785 and died in 1863. She married
David Dalton, Jr., about 1800, who was a lieutenant in the War of 1812. He was born January 15, 1781, and died March
19, 1847. Issue: Absalom Bostick Dalton, who married Nancy Poindexter, October 11, 1824; Isaac Davie; who married
Susan Marshall, May. 13, 1836; David Nicholas, who settled in the West; Perkins, who married Betty Neal and settled in
Texas; Don Ferdinand, who married Amanda Jane Doub, April 26, 1840, Susannah, who married John P. Smith, and
soon died, and then her sister, Mary Dalton, married John P. Smith; Melissy, who married Dr. Cole, of Walnut Cove,
whose children removed to Texas; Bethenia, who never married; and John A. B. Dalton, who married Mary Ann
Matthews, and died in 1789, leaving no issue: Absalom Bostick Dalton, oldest child of Lieutenant David Dalton and wife,
Christina Bostick, was born August 28,1804, and died June 6, 1880. His wife, Nancy Poindexter, died June 22, 1856,
age 50 years and 6 months. She was a daughter of Captain David Poindexter and wife, Frances Chisholm. Captain
Poindexter fought in the Revolution, and was at Yorktown. Issue: George; William; John Fox, who never married; David
Nicholas, who founded the town of Dalton; Gabriel; Robert F.; Christina; and Susan, who married John Z Dalton and
had two children, Scott and Lena.
David Nicholas Dalton, founder of the town of Dalton, was a wealthy, planter and slaveholder, and was one of the first
men to manufacture tobacco successfully in Stokes County. He also kept the stage station on the noted thoroughfare
to Tennessee. His stockyards offered accommodations for 2,000 heads of cattle, horses, and turkeys. His old home,
"Halfway House," is still standing, a picturesque heritage of a past days. His first wife was Melissa Rives, of Chatham
County, a daughter of William Rives, who was a man of affairs, and a descendant of the Revolutionary Alstons. She
died about the close of the Civil War, and David Nicholas Dalton then married Rebecca Westmoreland, May 2, 1867.
Seven children were born to the first union: William, Robert; Rufus I.; Dr. David N.; Nancy, who married Dr. Jones, of
Walnut Core; and Margaret, who married , Dr. Phillips, who settled at Dalton. To the second marriage was born nine
children. Several members of the family moved to Winston-Salem, where they are an addition to the city's best citizenry.
Gabriel Dalton married Virginia Robertson, May 26, 1855, a daughter of Archibald Robertson, whose old brick home
still stands near Pine Hall. Issue: Nannie, who married John Martin; James, who married a Miss Harris; and Lena, who
married a Mr. Fuqua. Robert F. Dalton married Ruth Dalton, a member of the Rockingham County family of Daltons.
Descendants live near live near Madison, among them the Johnsons and Ratlidges.
Isaac David Dalton, second son of Lieutenant David Dalton, married Susan Marshall. Issue: Thornton Preston who
married Sarah E. Webster; Christina, who married Harden Haizlip; Nancy, who married John Strader, and had no issue;
Anne, who married Tom Caffey; Sue, who married Mike Caffey; Mary, who married John Caffey; and Isaac, who never
married. This family of Daltons lived on Oldfield Creek, lands inherited from the early lawyer, old Issac Dalton, and
which is still in the family. Of the children of Isaac David J. Dalton, none had issue except Thornton Preston and his
sister Christina, who was the wife of Harden Haizslip.
THE DALTONS
Captain David Dalton, the founder of the Stokes County Daltons, was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, about
1742, the son of Samuel and Anne Redd Dalton. Captain Dalton served under General Washington in the
Revolutionary army, and was present at Yorktown. He married before 1770, in Albemarle County, Susan Davis, a
daughter of the valiant and patriotic Revolutionary soldier, Issac Davis, who was born in Henrico County before 1715,
and died in Albemarle County in 1805, "nigh on to a hundred years old." He was one of the early magistrates of
Albemarle County, and was one of the Gentlemen Volunteers who marched to Williamsburg on July 11, 1775, under
Lieutenant George Gilmer, who said in a letter to Thomas Jefferson: "Old Isaac Davis, marching at the head of his
troops, is an indication of the determined and zealous spirit that animates the people." Isaac Davis was a signer of
" A Declaration of Independence" signed by Citizens of Albemarle County, April 21, 1779. He was also a member of
the Committee of Safety.
Isaac Davis was married before 1732 to Sarah Winston, whose mother was Sarah Henry, a sister of Patrick Henry.
Sarah Henry and her illustrious brother, Patrick, were the children of Colonel John Henry and wife, another Sarah
Winston, who was the daughter of Isaac Winston and wife, Mary Dabney, a member of the distinguished Huguenot
family of that name.
Susan Davis, who married Captain David Dalton, was born about 1745 and died about 1810. They were wealthy land
owners in Albemarle County, and were prominently connected. They had as their friends James Madison, Thomas
Jefferson, and Dr. Thomas Walker, the explorer. Some of their land deeds were signed by Thomas Jefferson, and by
the Thorntons, who were own cousins to George Washington, a friend of David Dalton. David Dalton bought land in
what is now Stokes County as early as 1779, and removed here about 1785. Issue: Elisabeth, Isaac, Isham, Eliza,
Jonathan, Charles, Mary, Nancy, Susanna, and David.
Elisabeth married John Fendall Carr, January 1, 1783, and came to Stokes County; Isaac, a learned lawyer, married
Susanna Garth in 1787, and also come to Stokes County. He was born February 12, 1770, and died without issue in
1824. His tomb is on Oldfield Creek. He represented Stokes in the General Assembly several times; Isham married
Elisabeth Walton, and removed to Tennessee; Eliza married John Smith, and had two children, Susan and John P.
Smith; Jonathan married a Miss Scales, and removed to Tennessee; Charles married Sally Winston, November 1, 1795;
Mary married Thomas Carr, and was the mother of three children; John F. Carr, Jr., Nancy, who married Christopher
Ladd, March 10, 1819, and William Carr, who married Susan Dalton Smith, September 26, 1816; Nancy married
Absalom Bostick II, and died soon, and then her husband married her sister, Susanna Dalton; David married Christina
Bostick.
Some Distinguished Relatives
Woodrow Wilson, Patrick Henry, General J. E. B. Stuart, General Jubal A. Early, Colonel Joseph Winston, Colonel John
Wilson, Colonel Peter Perkins, Colonel Isaac Coles, Governor Wilson Lumpkin, Governor Gabriel Moore, Congressman
George Marr, Governor Alfred M. Scales, Governor Robert Glenn, Lady Nancy Astor, General Joseph E. Johnson, Mrs.
Wade Hampton, Congressman William Allen.
This article was found in the Family History section of the NC Room of the Forsyth County Library. It was donated by
Mr. Tom Mundy of Decatur, GA who found it in the Atlanta Journal on July 1, 1979.