OLD SETTLES – SERIES No. 1: BARWELL HADDOX
Wilcox
Progress
Camden, Wilcox County, Alabama
March 12,
1890
Transcribed
by Gail Luker Allred
Barwell Haddox
was born in Edgefield District, South
Carolina, January
4th 1798. His
father was W. M. Haddox, and married Miss Catherine Stalnaker. His father was English and his mother was of Scotch
descent. His father died aged, 76 years,
and his mother died, aged 86. the family consisted of seven daughter, and four sons, in
all eleven children. All now died except
two sisters. Mrs. Jared Sessions, and
Mrs. Ann Woodson, widow of Mr. J. W. Woodson. Mr. Haddox was married on Feb. 9th
1821, to Miss Elenora Harrison, of Abbeville
District, South Carolina, but
residing in this county. The union was
blessed with nine children. Catherine
married Mr. H. B. Harper, Bettie, Rachel and Emma, died young. Simeon B. Haddox died when grown.
John J. Haddox died in Tippa County, Miss.,
7 years ago. Those surviving are, Mrs.
Ann Johnson, Mrs. H. B. Harper, Rosebud, and Dr. Wm T. Haddox, of Pine
Hill. Mrs. Haddox died June 21st 1878 and Mr.
Haddox has never remarried. He was
married 57 years.
Mr. Haddox is now 92 yrs old – the
oldest citizen in the county. Came to Alabama
Dec. 25th 1819,
after the territory had become a state. Came to Monroe
county and lived on Flat creek about 8 miles form Claiborne
resided there 2 yrs and came to Wilcox in January 1821. He says of his life as follows:
“I was a wild fellow but never
stole anything, my conscious is clear as an infants on
that but I loved to fight. When I first
came to this county, people beat their corn in mortars for meal and then
afterwards ground on a hand mill. There
were plenty Indians in the county and we net them in the woods often. I was a pretty good hunter.
I hunted and have killed as many as six deer
in a night and once killed three deer in one fire with a shot gun, having a pan
of fire on my shoulders, when they would shine their eyes on me. Have killed many a black
bear, and three panthers. Never had
any bear fights and there is no danger in a bear until he is wounded. Once when John Jenkins (father of the late
Dr. Luck, Mit and Tom Jenkins) and I were hunting, a black bear came towards me
with open mouth, and after one fire my flit failed me – but John Jenkins
planted him between the eyes with a bullet and killed him.”
“Corn was planted when I was a boy, by driving
a hand spike into the ground, or digging a hole in the ground and covering it
with the foot. There were no plows then
we worked the crops with the hoe. Cotton
was not planted when we first came to this county, a few years later it
was. Don’t remember where we got our
seed then cotton seed was picked by fingers from the cotton. We would have cotton picking at nights and
would call them finger pickings. The
people would come around for miles, pick awhile and then dance the balance of
the night. Cotton was then ginned but
there were no presses then. Cotton was
then shipped by flats to Mobile,
was worth from
25 to 30 cents. Corn was worth form 100
to 150 and had been $2.00 per bushel. Oats were not planted here at that time.
The first crab grass that ever grew, in Wilcox was brought here by old
Billy Smith, who went to Monroe county between Limestone and Flat creek for the seed.”
“There were then a few – very few –
negroes in the county. My neighbors then were John Jenkins, Billy Owen, Billy Smith, Billy Bonner did not live here then.
My other neighbors were Jonathan Newberry,
Solomon Sprawles, Peter Armstrong. Have never been in any war. I was captain of the militia in my
neighborhood for about year never held any political office. I was a whig when I
was a boy and until 1831, and I was a whig and nullitler / millitler [?] on
unconstitutional laws, I am so now. I
became a democrat in 1831 and 1832 and have clung to that party in every trial
it has to undergo and I have been a fighting democrat ever since.”
“I was in Camden
when the general count was had in 1880 that restored the county to our won
people and I have always been in the Democratic Campaigns since.”
Mr. Haddox is strong and healthy
but is suffering somewhat from an injured limb caused by a fall from a horse
seven years ago; otherwise his health is good – his memory and faculties are
strong and unimpaired. He is now living
in a little home near his son Dr. W. T. Haddox, of Pine Hill, and with Mrs.
Johnson a widowed daughter, and the Progress trusts after awhile to
congratulate the old gentleman on his one hundredth birthday.
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Wilcox
County, Alabama Genealogy