My uncle Daniel Fletcher Autry gave me the best explanation that I have heard for them not knowing who Ned Edmund’s brother’s and sister’s were. He said “We didn’t know who our uncles or aunts were”. “We had to call all older people uncle or aunt”. Uncle Daniel is a man that has been around for a long time and is still in remarkable health (knock on wood). I stop and talk to him almost daily for an hour or two. He has told me things about 99% of Ned Edmund’s Bladen County family members that are listed on this page. He didn’t know anything about his great great grandmother Phyllis, his great grandmother Edith, or her brother Archie, but somehow he remembers some things that were said about Archie’s wife, Dora Herring. Daniel, his wife Elizabeth and my aunt Virginia Thomas-Autry’s memories of the past has really helped me with this research. God bless them all.
For almost thirty years I have been wondering who my grandfather’s uncles, aunts and grandparents were. I never took the time to ask the people who could have probably told me. Now there is probably not many living that will acknowledge that these are surely Ned’s brothers and sisters of Bladen County. The records speak for themselves and the records show that they all had the same mother.
I don’t think Edith raised any of her children. I mostly found them living with white families (Joel Jr. Johnson or some of his children), as their servants or with an older sister. I first found Charlotte, Rose, Mary, Lydia and David living with Edith in the Colly township of Bladen County in 1870. Click here and view this information in some records of 1870 Bladen County. By 1880 all of these children were out of Edith’s household. By 1880 Edith was found living in a household with her brother Archie Herring listed as the head of household and her 4 younger sons James, Richard, William Henry and George Fisher Johnson’s.
CHARLOTTE JOHNSON-SYKES
Charlotte was found again in 1880 married and living in The township of Cedar Creek in Cumberland County. She was married to Phillip Sykes. I do not know what happened to her after then. By 1900 Phillip was remarried to a woman that was almost thirty years younger than he was.
Descendants of Charlotte Herring-Johnson-Sykes
1 Charlotte Herring-Johnson-Sykes 1858 –
.. +Phillip Sykes
….. 2 Lessie Sykes 1875 –
….. 2 Margarette Sykes 1877 –
….. 2 William Sykes 1879 –
ROSE ANNA JOHNSON-LOCKE-CARROLL
Records show that Rose was born Rose Anna Johnson in Bladen County and that her parents were Edith Johnson and a man named Charles Hayes. I could not find any information on Rose from 1870-1900. It seems like she left the planet during that time. I found Rose and Joe Gunter a married couple Living in Elizabethtown in 1880. This Rose was also listed as being born in 1862 and Joe was ten years older. No children were listed in this marriage.
In 1900 Rose’s name was listed as Rose Locke and she was listed as being the head of her household. I have often wondered if she had somehow gotten married to John Houston Locklear who was one of Hellen Locklear’s older brothers sometime between 1880 and 1900. I have seen in other research where the name Locke replaced the name Locklear and Roses son was also named John Houston Johnson. Incidentally it has been said that John H. Johnson was a son fathered by Toney Troy Johnson who was one of Ned Edmund’s brother-in-laws. All of this is just a thought and will be looked into one day!
During this time of 1900 a man named Abel Carrol and a younger brother, George Fisher Johnson were living in Rose’s household along with her son Johnny, daughter Stella, and another relative Irving Johnson on or near the Susie Sandhill By 1910 Abe Carroll was listed as the head of Rose’s household and she was listed as being his wife. Johnny and Irving were also listed with Rose as being her sons in 1910. This is the first information that I have come across that referred to Irving as Rose’s son. All previous information showed that Irving was a nephew to Rose. They were still located somewhere around the Susie Sandhill in Colly in 1910.
I found Rose again in 1920 listed again as the head of her household. Her name was listed as Rose Carroll. I could not tell if the records were showing that she lived alone or lived with her son Johnny and his family at this time. Rose has many 3rd, 4th and 5th generation family descendants that are doing very well and still living on the Susie Sandhill.
I also found additional information on Abe Carroll. In 1870 he was living in the Turnbull township of Bladen County with Annie his wife, M. J. his daughter and Caroline another daughter. Like Rose, their was no information found on Abe from 1870 to 1900. Strangely enough Abe Carroll’s mother who was born in 1805 was also named Rose.
Descendants of Rose Anna Herring
1 Rose Anna Herring 1862 – 1921
….. 2 John H. Johnson 1887 –
….. 2 Stella Johnson 1883 –
MARY JOHNSON-RICHARDSON
In 1880 Mary and a younger brother David were found living with a white family in the Colly township of Bladen County as their servants. This family was Sarah P. Johnson’s family. Sarah was the wife of Kinion Johnson who was the brother of Owen Johnson. Her family of 1870 included the following
Sarah P. Johnson born 1840
Mary Johnson born 1859
Willis F Johnson born 1863
Edgar Johnson born 1870
Two years later Mary gave birth to a son that was named William Johnson and who would by 1910 change his name to William Richardson. William was the husband of Idella Powell and the father of Dennis and Robert Richardson. Idella was one of Gabriel and Sophia Hayes-Powell’s older children. Click here for more details on the Powell and Hayes families.
Sometime after this Mary and Troy Richardson were married. They raised their children Lula, Sarah and Thomas and continued to lived in the Colly township of Bladen County NC for the rest of their natural lives.
Descendants of Mary Johnson Richardson
1 Mary Johnson 1864 –
.. +Troy Richardson 1869 –
….. 2 William Richardson 1882 –
……… +Idella Powell 1876 –
….. 2 Lula Richardson 1891 –
….. 2 Sara Rose Richardson 1896 –
….. 2 Thomas Richardson 1900 –
LYDIA JOHNSON-MELVIN-McDUFFIE
Lydia was found again in 1880 living with her sister Charlotte and her family in the township of Cedar Creek in Cumberland County NC. for some reason she was found to be using her sister’s married name of Sykes. Sometime shortly after 1890 she married Phillip Melvin. Lydia and Phillip were found living together in 1900, 1910 and 1920 somewhere close to the Susie Sandhill. I don’t know what happened but records show that in 1930 she was living with a man named A. Vance McDuffie. He was listed as the head of household and she was listed as his wife. The records show that A. Vance was more than twenty years younger than Lydia. In some information on Lydia, I found her also to be listed as a mulatto.
On 12-21-04 I asked some of the children of J D Melvin’s if they knew their great aunt Lubby who is Lydia’s youngest and only child living and presently lives less than 6 miles from them. To my surprise none of them knew of or ever heard of her. I told them that I had stopped and spoke with her several times and that she was a very charming person to meet. She is happy if anyone stops by and chats with her for a while. Incidentally she is also my half brother Mike Evans’ grandmother.
Descendants of Lydia Johnson
1 Lydia Johnson 1866 –
.. +A. Vance McDuffie
*2nd Husband of Lydia Johnson:
.. +Phillip Melvin 1866 –
….. 2 George R. Melvin 1892 –
….. 2 Phillip S. Melvin 1894 –
….. 2 Bessie Melvin 1897 –
….. 2 Mary M. Melvin 1904 –
….. 2 Carrie Ann Melvin 1905 –
….. 2 Elma J. Melvin 1908 –
….. 2 M. Melvin 1909 –
….. 2 Elizabeth Melvin 1913 –
….. 2 Lubby J. Melvin
DAVID JOHNSON
In 1900 David was found still living in the township of Colly with his wife Racheal. Their closest neighbor was his sister Mary Johnson-Richardson and her family. By 1910 David was not listed with his family. All of his children were living together with their oldest brother Walter who was listed as the head of household. My aunt Virginia said that some of the family elders of her younger days said that David walked off from home one day in search of work and never returned. I think I found David again in 1920 living in the township of Burgaw with a woman who was listed as his wife named Berniece, no children were listed in this household.
Note: David was the grandfather of Allice Dale McMillian and her mother’s name was Malicia. I remember Alice Dale and one of her sons who we called Ventell.
Descendants of David Johnson
1 David Johnson 1867 –
.. +Rachel 1870 –
….. 2 Nelson Johnson 1890 –
….. 2 Jane M. Johnson 1891 –
….. 2 Rose M. Johnson 1894 –
….. 2 Willie A Johnson 1897 –
….. 2 Daniel Johnson 1899 –
JAMES JOHNSON – 1871
I do not know anything about James. All I know about him is that he was listed as Edith’s son in 1880. He must have died or moved away from the area before 1900.
RICHARD JOHNSON
I have heard much talk about Richard. He was said to have been a frequent visitor to his brother Ned’s home and Ned’s son Oscar’s home. I have even heard that he may have aided his nieces Sally and Lossie in their plan to move away and live with their brother in Ohio.
Richard and his wife (Lizza) Elizabeth were found again in 1910 and 1920 still living on or near the Susie Sandhill in the Colly township of Bladen County. I never found any children listed with them. I have heard that Richard and his wife moved away to Richmond virginia and was never heard from again.
WILLIAM HENRY JOHNSON
William Henry was found again in 1910 and 1920 living with his wife Amelia in the Colly township of Bladen County on or near the Susie Sandhill. I found William Henry again in 1930 still living with his wife and a son James Palmer Johnson. They were still living on or about the Susie Sandhill. Presently William Henry has many 3rd, 4th and 5th generation family descendants still living on the Susie Sandhill. They are the many children and grandchildren of William Henry’s son James Palmer Johnson and his wife Julia Mae Autry-Johnson. Julia is one of Oscar Autry’s elder daughters and Oscar was one of Ned Edmund Autry’s elder sons.
Descendants of William Henry Johnson
1 William Henry Johnson 1877 – 1940
.. +Amelia Bordeaux 1882 –
….. 2 James Palmer Johnson
……… +Julia Mae Autry
GEORGE FISHER JOHNSON
Some of what I know about George Fisher is that he was Eady’s son and that his wife Bell left with another man and moved to Roseboro NC. George Fisher was also sometimes listed as being a mulatto. He was found living with his sister Rose Johnson-Locke in 1900. He was found again in 1910 with his wife Bell, a daughter and a 5 month year old son living in the Mote neighborhood of Colly. In 1920 George Fisher was found again living almost next door to his older brother, Ned Edmund Autry, alone. I guess he had been taken out by this time. The location of his home at this time was said to be in the area where Leslie Autry’s home is presently located. George Fisher was found again in 1930 living next door to Helen Locklear and her daughter Macy. Aunt Macy’s son, Pete Caviness said that George Fisher was later taken care of by his niece Malicia who was one of David’s daughters. Pete also said that when George Fisher died Malicia had him buried in Johnson Town in a graveyard not far from where Jasper Richardson’s old home place is currently located. God Bless him.
Descendants of George Fischer Johnson
1 George Fischer Johnson 1881 –
.. +Bell
….. 2 Lizzie Mae Johnson 1908 –
….. 2 ? Johnson 1910 –
NED W AUTRY
Here is a strange thing that I found in some 1920 information for the Colly township. I viewed Ned Edmund’s family of 1920. Along with Ned Edmund’s wife and children there was a man named Ned W. Autry living in their household. He was about the same age as James L. and was listed as Ned Edmund’s brother. It has taken me many years but I have new found information on Ned Washington Autry and his maternal relatives that lived in Sampson County NC.