Susan R. Vinson Howell (1848-1910)

Source cleanup for Susan R. Vincent 
Sometimes you know that you have done wrong. I had a lot of information regarding Susan R. Vincent/Vinson and as I looked at her information I saw that many of my sources were missing and were cited poorly in other cases. Much of what I had was done on Ancestry years ago and the citations pointed to Ancestry.Com, but didn’t have enough detail for someone without access to my Family Tree Maker or without access to my tree on Ancestry to access find the information. Not good. So, I decided to clean up my sources and make sure that they stand on their own. I left the links that Ancestry puts in to the source document but I also added a copy of the document into the attached media. I set the media to “private” because I don’t care to have my copies of the data uploaded back to Ancestry. I really hate it when I do a search on someone and the search results include other people’s copies of census pages. I also wish that Ancestry wouldn’t return things I’ve posted in my searches, or I wish that at least they’d give me a button to turn that off. So anyway, for Susan I cleaned up my sources, changed my preferred name for her from Vincent to Vinson, and did some more research to add a bit more detail into what I know about her life.

Bio – Susan R. Vinson Howell (1848-1910)

No Story too Small

Susan R Vinson was the third child of John and Lenora Busbee (possibly Beasley) Vinson in Halifax County, North Carolina, on 22 August 1848.[i] The only source for this date is her grave marker, however, the date is consistent with the 1850, 1860, and 1900 Census records. I have been unable to find her or her husband Peter F. Howell in the 1870 Census. The 1880 Census indicates that she was 33 and she should have been 31 at that census date. I believe this to just be an error in that census.

In the 1850 Census, she and her family were listed with the surname “Vincent” and were living in Halifax County, North Carolina. The 1850 Census does not describe relationships, however, it appears that their family consisted of both her parents, her siblings, Virginia and Elizabeth, and an aunt, Eliza Beasley. It also appears that her grandmother Elizabeth Vincent (Vinson) and another aunt, Nancy Vincent (Vinson) lived next door. Her father was farming the land.[ii]

Halifax County Courtesy: Wikimedia

There is a name change for her mother in the 1860 Census, from Lenora to Ellenior [Eleanor?] and a change in birth years from c. 1818 to c. 1825, which indicates to me a different wife. There is also a four-year gap between Susan and her next younger brother, James. Because of this, I believe that Susan had a stepmother and the rest of her siblings were half siblings. The 1860 Census also indicates the family surname as Vinson and that they were living in the “Western District,” Halifax County. (Again note the 1860 Census does not indicate relationships within the household.) Their post office was Weldon, which probably was the closest town.

I am sure that the Civil War was a difficult time for a young teenage girl. Shortly after the war, on 10 Dec 1866, the 18 year old young woman married Peter Fletcher Howell. Peter was a CSA Veteran who, although from Halifax County, had joined up in Virginia to be part of Virginia’s 61st Infantry Regiment. As might be expected, 10 months later they had their first child, Anna Lee [or Annalee] on 8 October 1867.

(I have been unable to find the family in the 1870 Census.)

There is a six-year gap between Anna Lee and John D. That would make me think that there may have been another child born to Susan between 1868 and 1872, however, the 1900 Census indicates that she had five children all of whom are living. So, now I am really confused because I’m pretty sure that she had seven children.

Snapshot of 1900 Census showing Susan R Howell as having 5 Children From

Anna Lee         8 Oct 1867
John D              about 1873
Augusta            about 1875
Martha F           about 1877
James D            2 Sep 1879
David B            3 Oct 1881
G. C.                 — Feb 1884

I speculate, that she had more than the five children noted in the 1900 census and that she actually had eight children, three of whom had passed before 1900. I certainly need to do more research to prove this speculation.

During the 1880 Census, they are living in Faucetts [Faucett] Halifax County, North Carolina, USA. Susan is keeping house for Peter and their first five children.[iii] In 1886, her oldest daughter, Anna Lee was married.

(There is no 1890 Census, so we aren’t sure where the Howells were then.)

In 1892, Susan had mail that was unclaimed at the Weldon Post Office.[iv] I believe this is evidence that the Howells moved to Conocondy [Conoconnara] township before 1892. Certainly, they are in Conocondy during the 1900 Census.[v]

Her son, David Bushrod Howell, was married on 26 December 1907.

Marker for Susan R Vinson wife of P. F. Howell Courtesy: Find a Grave

Susan R Vinson Howell died in her home in Tillery (which is Connoconnara township) the night of 28 Feb 1910,[vi] probably sometime after midnight early in the morning of March 1st.[vii] Her body was shipped by train from Tillery to Weldon[viii] (approximately 17 miles). Her funeral was “held at the Baptist Church,” conducted by pastor, Rev. J. G. Blalock.[ix] Today there are four Baptist Churches in Weldon. Further research is necessary to determine which church the funeral was held at. Interment was at Cedarwood cemetery.[x]

Susan R Vinson Howell led a simple life. She was the daughter of a Halifax County farmer, married a Civil War veteran who farmed the land in Halifax County after the war, She had fat least five and probably 8 children, and died at age 61 in Halifax County as simple farmer’s wife.

List of Greats

Susan A Vinson
John Vincent

Things to do

Search for a timely and/or primary source for Susan’s birth.
Research Susan R. Vinson Howell’s children closely for a missing 8th child and for the deaths of several of the children before 1900.
Research which of the Baptist Churches Susan’s funeral was held at.

Footnotes:

[i] FInd-A-Grave,
Memorial# 82126013 – Susan R Vinson Howell. https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&grid=82126013.

[ii] 1850 United States
Federal Census Ancestry.Com,
1850; Census Place:  , Halifax, North
Carolina; Roll: M432_633; Page: 34A; Image: 73.
[Family 636   – John Vincent

[iii] 1880 United States
Federal Census, Ancestry.Com,
1880; Census
Place: Faucetts, Halifax, North Carolina; Roll: 966; Family
History Film: 1254966; Page: 627C; Enumeration
District: 137; Image: 0720. Family 175.

[iv] Roanoke News
(Weldon, NC, ), Newspapers.Com, 1892-04-28, Pg 5
–  Unclaimed Letters. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1156575/.

[v] 1900 United States
Federal Census, Ancestry.Com, 1900; Census
Place: Conocondy, Halifax, North Carolina; Roll: 1199; Page: 2B; Enumeration
District: 0027; FHL microfilm: 1241199. Howell, P. F.

[vi] Roanoke News
(Weldon, NC, ), Newspapers.Com, 1910-03-03, Pg 3
– P. F. Howell. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1156689/the_roanoke_news/?.

[vii] FInd-A-Grave,
Memorial# 82126013 – Susan R Vinson Howell. https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&grid=82126013.

[viii] Roanoke News
(Weldon, NC, ), Newspapers.Com, 1910-03-03, Pg 3
– P. F. Howell. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1156689/the_roanoke_news/?.

[ix]
Ibid.

[x] FInd-A-Grave,
Memorial# 82126013 – Susan R Vinson Howell. https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&grid=82126013.

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