HAMBY/CROSS HISTORY

NOTE: All names are in bold type

Henry Hamby (b. abt 1785NC - d. abt 1847TN) Sarah Cross (1788-1860) Married: 29 Nov 1810, Wilkes CO, NC

No one knows the exact year or the exact place of birth of Henry Hamby. It could have been Wilkes or Rowan County, North Carolina or even South Carolina. Early Hambys were found in all three places.

His parents are also unknown. Good candidates were William Hamby or John Hamby who lived in Wilkes County, North Carolina in the latter part of the 1700's and early 1800's. However, it is my feeling that Henry's father was Isaac Martin Hamby of South Carolina. Why? Because every one of Henry's proven children (except his son Isaac M. who had only one daughter)named a child Isaac Martin. The name Isaac Martin Hamby is also found in other Hamby lines. This convinces me even more that there was an earlier Isaac "Martin" Hamby.

At least some North Carolina Hamby's found their way into South Carolina in the mid-1700's. Among them were William (jr) and Thomas Hamby, believed to be two of the sons of William and Martha "Simpson" Hamby of Maryland. William (jr) had at least three sons - John, Isaac and William (jr2).

Isaac received a SC land grant in 1774. He married a girl named Ellener (last name unknown).

Isaac, Jeremiah, John, Nathaniel and Thomas, loyal to the crown of England during the Rev. War were convicted of sedition on 15 Nov 1776, and sentenced to be hanged. They were all pardoned on 22 May 1777.

An Isaac Hamby was living in Bedford County, Tennessee by 1812. Could this be the same Isaac Hamby who was living earlier in Pendleton, SC?

By 1830 an Isaac Hamby (age 70)was living in McMinn County, Tennessee. (Our Henry would have been around 45 years of age in 1830). Some of this Isaac's descendants moved from McMinn County to Gasconade County, Missouri. One of them was none other than (you guessed it) Isaac Martin Hamby.

There was a Martin Hamby listed as head of household in Wilkes CO, NC in 1840. An Isaac Martin Hamby fought in the Civil War in Arkansas. Also, there were two brothers named Isaac and Martin Hamby, who were sons of Micajah "Cage" and Martha "Powell" Hamby of Andersonville, Arkansas. Cage lived earlier in Pendleton CO, South Carolina. With so many Isaac Martin Hamby's around, it is logical to conclude that they were named for a parent or grandparent. About the Maryland connection - there was another Henry Hamby, about the same age as our Henry who lived and died in Wilkes County, NC. We know that he descended from Samuel Hambywho came from Maryland. See Wake CO, 1790 US Census). This Henry Hamby married Frankie Norris sometime before 1818.

Another proven Maryland connection is a William Hamby who died in Blount County, Tennessee in the 1830's. He was over 90 years of age. He was born in Maryland in 1744, fought in the Revolutionary War, lived in Rowan, then Burke, then Buncombe counties, North Carolina, before moving to Tennessee. No children are mentioned in public documents so it is unknown if he had a family.

Our Henry Hamby married Sarah Cross in Wilkes County, North Carolina, 29 Nov 1810. Sarah was the daughter of Asel (Asahel) Cross and Temperance Deadmon (Deadmond). When Henry and Sarah "Cross" Hamby moved to Morgan County, TN, Sarah's widowed mother, her sisters and their spouses, and one brother came with them. It appears that they made a clean break with North Carolina after the death of Sarah's father, Asel.

At least two Hambys with their families moved to East Tennessee between 1820 and 1830. They were Henry and John Hamby. They first lived in a place called Hamby Gap, which is located on the Morgan and Scott County line near the head of Brimstone and Little Creek between Landrum and Justice Mountains. Henry owned at least 75 acres of land. Henry sold his land on Brimstone in 1844 to his wife's brother Abraham Cross. Henry, Sarah and their Children moved north to the Tennessee/Kentucky in Campbell County which is now Scott County. John Hamby eventually settled in the southern part of Scott County near the Morgan/Campbell County lines.

A third Hamby moved to Hamby Gap between 1830 and 1840. His name was Reuben. He is closely related to Henry and John. They eventually settled in what is now Cumberland County. By 1850 the US Census shows several Hambys as heads of households in E. Tennessee. Most were descendants of Henry,Johnand Reuben. A fourth Hamby,Eli William Hamby, settled in Grundy County, Tennessee. There is a theory that he is the fourth brother to Henry,John and Reuben,. It is safe to say they were closely related for all came from Wilkes County, NC around the same time.

In 1846, Henry Hamby began disbursing his land among his children and their spouses. Was he ill and no longer able to farm? After 1847 no more records have been found for Henry. It is believed that he died sometime before 1848. In 1850, his widow, Sarah and her elderly mother, Temperance Cross were living with her son Isaac Martin Hamby in what appears to be Henry's old home place. In the 1860 US Census, the house stood empty.

No gravestones have been found for either Henry or Sarah. There are several graves in the area marked only by field stones. It is possible their remains are among them. A likely place of burial would be at the Davis Baker Cemetery, near Winfield, where their daughters Nancy Chitwood and Rebekah Trammell are buried. This would have been the closest cemetery to their old home place.


CHILDREN OF HENRY AND SARAH "CROSS" HAMBY

PROVEN
1. Nancy Hamby b. 1815, married James Chitwood
2. Isaac M. Hamby b. 1818, married Nancy Trammell/Cross
3. >B>Temperance HambyWilliam Griffith
4. Cloah Hamby b. 1820, married Dauswell Trammell
5. Abraham E. Hamby b.1822, married Elizabeth Chitwood
6. Rebekah Hamby b. 1826, married James Trammell

The following Hambys are believed to be closely related to Henry. Some on the internet have listed them as his children. There is no documentation that indicates a connection. Census records before 1850 do not name children but do number them. When the 1820,1830 and 1840 US Census' were taken, only six children are indicated (see above).
Evidence does exist that at least Joel, Sarah and Adaline are siblings. Ivory is assumed to also be a sibling but nothing recorded links him to the others.
1. Joel Hamby b. 1815, married Francis Triplett
2. Ivory Hamby b. 1820, married Sara Bodkin
3. Sarah Hamby? b. 1821, married John Griffith
4. Adaline Hamby b. 1823, married Pleasant McCart





Excerpts from
Henry Hamby Land Records
Found in
Campbell and Scott County Court Records




(To his brother-in-law)
Henry Hamby sold three tracts of land estimated to be 75 acres
at Brimstone, Morgan County, TN (now Scott CO) to
Abraham Cross for $600, on 6 July 1844.
Witness: Joel Hamby
Scott CO Deed Book A-B-E

A note of interest: On the 26th of November of the same year (1844), Abraham Cross sold land to Joel M. Hamby on Brimstone Creek for the amount of $225. This land was originally conveyed to Cross from William Lewellan. One of the witnesses was Hugh B. Holdaway. The Holdaways were related through the Cross family.

(To his son-in-law)
Henry sold an estimated 50 acres on Roaring Paunch Creek, a branch of the Cumberland River, Campbell County, Tennessee (now Scott CO,TN) to John H. Chitwood for $15.00, on 12 September 1846.
Witness: Robert Ross & Joel Chitwood
Campbell CO Deed Book K, pg 139

(To his son)
Henry sold 150 acres on Roaring Paunch Creek, a branch of the Cumberland River, Campbell County, Tennessee (now Scott CO,TN) to Isaac Martin Hamby for $100 on 12 September 1846.
Witnesses: Wm. Dickson, Andrew Boling & Allen McDonald

(To his son-in-law) Henry sold 160 acres to Dauswell andJames Trammell on Roaring Paunch Creek for $50 (each) on 15 September 1846
Witnesses: David Trammell, Josiah Smith, Allen McDonald

Scott County Surveyor's Book 1, p. 142)
In pursuance of entry no. (blank) and dated Jno. H. Chitwood and Henry Hamby...on Jno. Cordell's line...Gum Fork of Jellico Creek...surveyed 28 Aug. 1856.
Note: Henry Hamby did not appear in the 1850 US Census. It is more than likely that he was deceased.





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THE CROSS FAMILY


The Surname Cross or Crosse is of English origin, designating "one who dwelt by or near the roadside or market place." John atte Cross was listed in the writs of Parliament in 1302; Johannes del Cross appeared in the Roll Tax for Yorkshire in 1379, and Thomas Atte Cross, Rector of Bexwell, was recorded in the History of Norfolk. Another form of this surname is Crouch.
Here is what is known of the ancestors of Asel Cross, father of Sarah Cross who married Henry Hamby. Our ancestral line is printed in bold letters.
William Cross, an early settler of Windsor, Connecticut, fought in the Pequot War in 1637. About 1644 he moved to Wethersfield. William seems to have been a seafaring man, and in 1644/5 was fined 40 shillings for having wine sold in his shop without a license. He eventually moved to Fairfield, and in 1649/50 was defendant in suits brought in the court at Hartford by Richard Butler and Thomas Olcott. His wife was Margaret (last name unknown). William died at Fairfield in 1655. Margaret remarried Robert Bates on 26 June 1657.

Children of William and Margaret Cross:
1. Nathaniel Cross
2. Captain Samuel Cross, of the North Co. of Windsor. He married Elizabeth "Fox" Chapman, widow of Edward Chapman. Samuel died 3 Nov 1686
3. John Cross, first married Mary "Hull" Grand, 3 Nov 1686, at Windsor County. Mary was the widow of John Grant. John Cross' second wife was Mary (last name unknown).
4. Sarah Cross, married John Bates. She died at Stamford, CT, 18 Feb 1711 or 1712
5.Hannah Cross, married John Pickett Jr, on 9 Jan 1672 or 1673. She died at Stratford, CT, 7 Oct 1687

Nathaniel Cross, the first child of William and Margaret Cross, first married Abigail Holly. He married his second wife, Hannah Knapp on 6 Nov 1696 at Stamford. Nathaniel died at Stamford, CT 28 Oct 1714. The administration of his estate was given to his widow, Hannah on 2 Feb 1715. Hannah remarried Samuel Palmer on 31 Mar 1715.

Children of Nathaniel and Hannah Knapp:
1. Deborah Cross, b. Jan. or Feb. 17, 1702/3, married John Knapp 23 May 1723, died 4 Dec 1735
2. Nathaniel Cross b. 13 April 1703
3. Sarah Cross abt 1705, married Israel Holly 25 Feb 1724/5
4. John Cross (16 Jan 1707/8 - 1764), married Dinah (last name unknown). John died in Baltimore, MD.

Children of John and Dinah Cross:
1. Solomon Cross
2. John Cross
3. Benjamin Cross
4. William Cross (had a son named Abraham)
5. Zachariah Cross
6. Richard Cross (in Cherokee CO, TN 1797 - Taylor by trade)
7. Asel Cross (see further entry below)
8. Ruth Cross married a Colo

Asel Cross (1760 - 18 Oct 1818), married Temperance Deadmon (Deadmond) 21 Mar 1782 in Rowan County, NC, before a justice of the Peace named Menater.
Asel fought in the Revolutionary War. He died in Wilkes County, NC. Temperance applied for a widow's pension, claiming that Asel's death was caused from health problems incurred during the war. Temperance was living with Henry and Sarah in 1840, and with her grandson, Isaac Martin Hamby in 1850. She died 19 Aug 1853, outliving her son-in-law Henry by about six years.

Surviving children of Asel and Temperance, as listed in the Pension application were:
1. Rebecca Cross b. 1783, mar. John Holdaway 18 Nov 1805, Wilkes CO, NC
2. Sarah Cross b. 1788, mar. Henry Hamby
3. Nancy Cross mar. Joseph McPeters (1761-15 Feb 1846 Scott CO, TN). Joseph may have been married several times. His first wife was RUSS. He married Nancy Cross 28 APr 1833. She was 18 years younger than Joseph. Note: Nancy's mother, Temperance Cross, was living with her when the 1850 US Census for Scott CO, TN was taken.
4. Abraham H. Cross b. abt 1804 5. Frances (Fanny) Cross b. 1808 NC, mar. William Douglas Dixon (Dickson) who was born in Virginia. They had three known children: MARTHA,JAMES and ELVIRA