Hiram S. Edwards
of Alleghany County, NC

Hiram S. Edwards, son of Berry EDWARDS, Sr., & Ruth DAVIS, was born Feb. 2, 1838, in Ashe Co., NC, and died July 3, 1909, in Alleghany Co., NC.  He married  (1) Sarah Willey, daughter of Levi WILLEY & Nancy BILLINGS, Apr. 5, 1866, in Alleghany Co., NC. She was born abt. 1842 in Ashe Co., NC, and died Nov. 11, 1884, in Alleghany Co., NC.  He married (2) Mary Jane Weaver, daughter of James WEAVER & Anne C. JOHNSON, June 29, 1885, in Alleghany Co., NC. She was born Oct. 23, 1850, and died Feb. 12, 1890, in Alleghany Co., NC.  He married  (3) Mary Ellen Cheek, daughter of Henderson CHEEK & Lucy BRYAN, Jan. 1, 1891, in Alleghany Co., NC. She was born Oct. 13, 1857, in Ashe Co., and d. Jan. 26, 1941, in Alleghany Co., NC. Mary Ellen was the widow of Hiram's nephew John C. EDWARDS who died in 1890. Hiram, Sarah, Mary Jane, and Mary Ellen Edwards are buried at the Center Edwards Cemetery, located off Hwy. 21 near Sparta, Alleghany Co., NC.

Children of Hiram S. Edwards & Sarah Willey:

1. Andrew Morris Edwards, b. May 21, 1867, Alleghany Co., NC; d. Mar. 26, 1952, Alleghany Co., NC; m. Matilda J. HALSEY, daughter of Ira HALSEY & Zilpha DIXON, Jan. 11, 1893, Alleghany Co., NC (b. Feb. 9, 1870; d. Sept. 21, 1966); bur. Piney Creek United Methodist Church, Alleghany Co., NC.
2. George Letcher Edwards, b. Aug. 6, 1869, Alleghany Co., NC; d. Aug. 26, 1903, in Oregon.

Children of Hiram S. Edwards & Mary Jane Weaver:

1. James Lonnie Edwards, b. Dec. 1887, Alleghany Co., NC; d. 1928, Akron, OH; m. Lura BOYER (b. 1893, d. Oct. 11, 1912).
2. Ellis Leftridge Edwards, b. Feb. 22, 1890, Alleghany Co., NC; d. Apr. 24, 1960, Burke Co., NC; m. Ruth A. STOLTER, Dec. 27, 1916 (b. Mar. 17, 1888, d. Oct. 12, 1976, Buncombe Co., NC); bur. Forest Hill Cemetery, Morganton, Burke Co., NC.

Children of Hiram S. Edwards & Mary Ellen Cheek:

1. Maude Emeline Edwards, b. 1891, d. 1893; bur. Center Edwards Cemetery, Alleghany Co., NC.
2. Infant Edwards, b. 1897.

Notes

iram S. Edwards was the youngest son of Berry Edwards, Sr., and Ruth Davis of Alleghany County, NC. He enlisted in Company F, 22nd NC Infantry Regiment on May 21, 1861, at the age of 22. He served four years and was wounded at the Second Battle of Manassas. After Hiram returned from the war, he married Sarah Willey and they had two children. Sarah died in 1884 and Hiram remarried to Mary Jane Weaver, with whom he had two more children before Mary's death in 1890. Hiram married a third and final time in 1891 to Mary Ellen Cheek, his second cousin and the widow of his nephew John C. Edwards. (G.H. Latham, Alleghany County Marriages (Heritage Books, 1996)

H.S. Edwards was a prosperous farmer and businessman who bought and sold many pieces of land during his lifetime. A sample of deeds are included below. These are only some of the many transactions that he was involved in over the years. Like his brothers Starling Edwards and Center J. Edwards, and William B. Cheek (Starling Edwards' son-in-law), Hiram Edwards appears to have engaged in a business of property investment. For example, in 1871, H.S. Edwards and a woman named Anny SANDERS paid $15 to Jacob & Ludy HILL (probably Anny's sister and brother-in-law) in return for their interest in the lands belonging to the estate of Wilson ROYAL (probably their father).  (See Alleghany DB 1:496.)  In 1879, H.S. Edwards, Anny Sanders, and her husband Richard Sanders sold a tract of land on Elk Creek for $269—presumably the same land, and at a very tidy profit. (Alleghany DB 1:496.)  H.S. Edwards also had sufficient cash available to loan money to his neighbors and relatives, and he is listed as the lender on a number of mortgages. He appears to have been patient with his debtors, at least where family was concerned. On April 26, 1880, Berry F. Edwards borrowed $150 from H.S. Edwards, secured by a tract of land on Moccasin Creek. The loan was due and payable on Oct. 24, 1880. According to a notation which H.S. Edwards made in the deed book, the loan was not satisifed until 23 years later, in 1903! (Alleghany DB 4:419.)

Hiram, Sarah, Mary Jane, and Mary Ellen Edwards are buried at the Center Edwards Cemetery near Sparta, Alleghany County, NC. (See Alleghany County Cemeteries Through 1986 pub. by the Alleghany Co. Hist-Gen. Society).

Records

1860 Census, Alleghany Co., NC, Gap Civil P.O., p.186 (HH#136):
DAVID EDWARDS, 28, farmer, $1500, $1600, NC

-- Hiram, 21, laborer, NC

-- Elizabeth, 19, NC

-- Cynthia, 17, NC

-- Ruth, 60, NC

BILLINGS, Granville, 25, laborer, NC

Civil War. Hiram Edwards enlisted in Alleghany Co., NC, on May 27, 1861, as a 4th Sergeant in Co. F, 22nd NC Infantry. Native of Alleghany County, NC; resident of Surry Co., NC. Wounded in action at Second Battle of Manassas on August 28-30, 1862. Reduced to ranks by Aug. 31, 1864. Present on military rolls through Feb. 22, 1865. (Source: "Ashe & Alleghany County in the Civil War" by Jeff Weaver.)

Apr. 3, 1862. A deed from Vinson [Vincent] EDWARDS to Samuel EDWARDS describes a piece of property on Fishers River and Roaring Gap Creek in Surry Co., NC, adj. H. EDWARDS' line. (Alleghany DB 11:295.) This may be a reference to Hiram Edwards who was identified as a resident of Surry Co., NC, when he enlisted in the army in 1861. The deed was recorded in Alleghany County in 1897, probably as a result of changes in the location of the county line (which was readjusted several times over the years). Roaring Gap is on the border of Alleghany and Surry Counties. Hiram Edwards was apparently still living in Surry County in 1868 when he purchased 100 acres of land on Big Pine Creek in Alleghany County from Hugh ISOM (the deed identifies him as Hiram Edwards of Surry County, NC). (Alleghany DB 1:259.) However, he had moved to Alleghany County by the time the 1870 census was taken.

Apr. 5, 1866. Hiram EDWARDS & Sarah WILLEY were married in Alleghany County, NC. (Latham, Alleghany County Marriages, supra.)

1870 Census, Alleghany Co., NC, Gap Civil Twp. (HH#57):
HIRAM EDWARDS, 32, farmer, NC

-- Sally, 28, NC

-- Andrew, 3, NC

-- George, 1, NC

HUDSON, Emily, 13, at home, NC

TRUITT, Robert, 22, dom. servant, NC

MOXLEY, Martin, 18, NC

1880 Census, Alleghany Co., NC, Gap Civil Twp. (HH#97):
HIRAM S. EDWARDS, 42, farmer, NC NC NC

-- Sallie, wife, 35, NC NC NC

-- Andrew M., son, 10, " " "

-- George L., son, 7, " " "

WHITED, George, nephew, 10, " " "

RECTOR, Ruth[?], servant, 18, " " "

June 29, 1885. Hiram EDWARDS m. Mary Jane WEAVER, daughter of James WEAVER and Anne C. JOHNSON. (Latham, Alleghany County Marriages, supra.)

Jan. 1, 1891. Hiram EDWARDS m. Mary Ellen CHEEK EDWARDS, age 35, daughter of "HENDER" Cheek & Lucy BRYAN. (Latham, Alleghany County Marriages, supra.)

1900 Census, Alleghany Co., NC, Gap Civil Twp. (HH#284):
ELLEN EDWARDS, Oct. 1857, age 42, m. 25 yrs, 3 children/2 living, NC NC NC, farmer

-- Laina[?], son, Dec. 1887, age 12, NC NC NC

-- Ellis L., son, Feb. 1890, age 10, NC NC NC

Note: Laina and Ellis L. Edwards were Mary Ellen's stepsons, i.e., the sons of Hiram Edwards and his 2nd wife, Mary Jane Weaver. It isn't known why Hiram is absent from the 1900 census. He did not die until 1909, based on his gravestone. Possibly the couple had separated, Hiram was traveling or living elsewhere, or this was just an error by the census-taker.

1910 Census, Alleghany Co., NC, Gap Civil Twp., p.20 (Rufus C. Edwards, HH#33):
Mary E. EDWARDS, mother, 52, wd, NC NC NC

1920 Census, Alleghany Co., NC, Gap Civil Twp., p.12 (Rufus C. Edwards, HH#203):
Mary E. EDWARDS, mother, 62, wd, NC NC NC

Deed Abstracts