Notes |
- Occupation: Farmer
Census 1800: (free wh male 0-10)
Census 1800: 4 Aug 1800, Lexington District, SC, Unaccounted for is 1
female 0-10., Head of Family=John Culpepper
Census 1810 (free wh male 10-16)
Census 1810: 6 Aug 1810, Richland District, SC, Unaccounted for are 1
male 0-10 and 1 female 16-26., Head of Family=John Culpepper2,3
Tax roll*: bt 1822 - 1824, Baldwin Co., GA4
1830 Census 1830 1 Jun 1830, Upson Co., GA,
Unaccounted for is 1 Male 5-10., free wh male 15-20=John J. Culpepper,
free wh female 10-15=Mary Ann Elizabeth Culpepper, Catherine Culpepper
1832 Land Lottery Upson Co., GA, lot 380/19/3 in what became Paulding
Co., GA.
1840 Census 1840 1 Jun 1840, Chambers Co., AL:
free wh female 40-50=Catherine Bell, free wh male 05-10=William
Washington Culpepper, free wh male 05-10=Robert Jefferson Culpepper,
free wh female 15-20=Mary Ann Elizabeth Culpepper
1850 Census Chambers Co., AL., p. 413, family 435:
John Culpepper 53 SC farmer $300 real estate.
1860 Census Almond P. O. near Louina (now Wadley), Randolph Co., AL.,
p. 838, #1526:
John J. Culpepper 63 SC.
1870 Census Louina P. O. (now Wadley) Randolph Co., AL., p. 572, #6:
John J. Culpepper 72 SC.
1880 Census Randolph Co., AL., ED111-2:
John Culpepper 82 SC SC SC.
Mrs. J. W. (Ira Gay) Deam of Gay, GA, preserved John Jefferson
Culpepper's birth data from John Culpepper, Senior's Bible and Mrs. D.
W. (Lavyn Wright) Sisco transcribed the information as follows: "John
J. Culpepper b. November 4, 1797 on Saturday at 10 o'clock A.M.
John Jefferson's parents are believed to have been living in
Orangeburg District, SC at the time of his birth in an area which was
designated Lexington District in the 1800 census and which later
became Lexington Co., SC. In the 1800 census, John Jefferson's father,
John Culpepper, was listed as a head of household with his young
family, including, John Jefferson Culpepper, in Lexington District,
SC. By 1810, John Jefferson's parents had moved the family back across
the Congaree River to Richland District, SC. Possibly this took place
in 1807 when John Jefferson's father, John was made an administrator
of Daniel Peek's estate. John Jefferson was recorded with his parents
in the 1810 census of Richland District, SC. Some time after this
census, John Jefferson would have moved with his parents to Edgefield
District, SC which shared a portion of its eastern border with
Lexington District, SC.
Although no record has been found, John Jefferson Culpepper is
believed to have married Catherine Bell by 1816 in Edgefield District,
SC where their parents owned land. A son, born circa 1817, gave his
place of birth as Georgia in the 1850 census. Although it is possible
that the couple moved to Georgia and returned by 1820 when their next
child was born, it is more likely that the son, who was not living
near his parents at the time of the 1850 census, simply knew that he
had grown up in Georgia and said that he had been born there.
Unfortunately, neither John Jefferson nor his father, John Culpepper,
has been located as a head of household in the 1820 census of South
Carolina or Georgia. However, since John Culpepper, Senior was granted
land in Edgefield District, SC in 1814 and he sold land there in 1823,
the family is presumed to have still been in South Carolina in 1820
and it is possible that John Jefferson and Catherine were still in
Edgefield District, SC in 1820 as well, living near Catherine's
widowed mother, Barbary Bell, but overlooked in the census.
John Jefferson's father, John Culpepper, is known to have moved his
family to Georgia when son, Lewis P. Culpepper, was about seven years
old meaning that the family probably moved in the Fall of 1823. John
Jefferson and Catherine (Bell) Culpepper presumably moved their young
family to Georgia about this same time although when Barbary Bell,
Catherine (Bell) Culpepper's mother, died in 1826, John Jefferson and
his wife apparently returned to South Carolina to settle the estate.
A land lottery was held in Georgia in 1827. In order to take part in
the lottery, John J. Culpepper would have to have been in Georgia for
at least three years, i.e., at least since April 1824. As a married
man and a citizen of the United States and who had lived in Georgia
for three years, John Jefferson would have been eligible for two draws
in the lottery. According to Land Lottery Register No. 11 published by
Grantland & Orme, on April 2, 1827 "John J. Culpepper" from Captain
Turner's District, Monroe Co., GA drew lot #230 which was 202 ½ acres
in District 5 of Section 1, Lee Co., GA. The land was in Randolph
County, GA when John sold it: "JOHN J. CULPEPPER of Upson Co. to
REUBEN BYNAM of Randolph Co. Lot #230, 5th
Dist. Wit.: Eldridge Glabonip, William Caper, J.P." (Randolph Co. GA
Deeds)
John moved to Upson Co., GA where he is found in a 27 Feb 1829 land
record (A 434/5) deeding the Lee County land to his father, John
Culpepper, for $5.00: Georgia_______This Indenture made the 29th day
of February Upson County__in the year of our Lord one Thousand eight
hundred and Twenty nine between John J. Culpepper of the State and
County aforesaid of the one part and John Culpepper of the State
aforesaid and county of Monroe of the other part. Witness that the
said John J. Culpepper for and in consideration of the sum of five
dollars to him in hand paid at and before the sealing and delivery of
these presents the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged - and also
for the better securing the said John Culpepper against the payment of
several promisory notes made payable to Benjamin Richardson by the
Said John J. Culpepper for thirty Dollars Each dated on the sixth day
of May eighteen hundred and Twenty Eight and due Six months after date
for thirty Dollars each and if not punctually paid interest from date
and to which Said notes the Said John Culpepper is security with the
Said John J. Culpepper. And also for the better Securing the Said John
Culpepper the payment of a promisory note given to him by the Said
John J. Culpepper for the Sum of twenty five dollars having even[?]
date with these presents and due one day after date hath bargained
sold conveyed and confirmed to the Said John Culpepper his heirs
Executors administrators and assigns the following real and personal
property that is to say Lot Number two hundred and thirty in the
fiftheth[?] district of Lee County Containing two hundred two and a
half acres more or Less and Drawn by the Said John J. Culpepper in the
last land Lottery of this State To have and to hold the Said bargained
premises to him the Said John Culpepper his heirs Executors
administrators and assigns to his and their own proper also[?] and
beproof with all and singular the members rights and appertinances
thereof in fee simple. And the Said John J. Culpepper states[?] his
heirs and assigns will warrant and defend the right title and
possession of the Said Lot tract or parcel of Land to him the Said
John Culpepper for and in consideration as aforesaid has this day
bargained and Sold to the Said John C. Culpepper [this is the only
document which has been found which assigns a middle initial to John
Culpepper, Senior. Apparently the clerk was trying to distinguish John
Culpepper, Sr. from John J. Culpepper and, since John Culpepper was
living in another county, perhaps did not realize that he was John J.
Culpepper's father and therefore, John Culpepper, Sr. Since John
Culpepper, Senior was literate and at least two copies of his
signature are known to exist, it is unlikely that the "C" was his
mark. If the middle initial was "C." the name was not passed on to any
of his sons although there was a grandson and a great-grandson named
Charles William Culpepper. There was a John Cowan Culpepper, a son of
Sampson Culpepper, but he is believed to have been living in Laurens
Co., GA at this time and he had no known connection to John Jefferson
Culpepper] the following Personal property to wit, one brown mare colt
about Two years old, one bay mare colt about three years old, five
cows & Calves now in the possession of the Said John C. Culpepper and
the yearlings also five Sows & Pigs in the possession of the Said John
C. Culpepper together with all and every part of the said income of
the income Mentioned [aforementioned?] Stock of Cattle horses and hogs
and the Said John J. Culpepper will warrant and forever defend the
right and title of the Said personal property to him the Said John
Culpepper his heirs and assigns. Now the foregoing Indenture is upon
the following condition and it is expressly understood between the
Said John J Culpepper and the Said John Culpepper that if the Said
John J Shall at all times hereafter hold the Said John harmless
against the payment of the three notes here in before mentioned given
to the Said Benjamin and against the payment of any part thereof and
Shall also well and truly pay to the Said John the note given to him
for twenty five Dollars and here in before mentioned according to the
tenor of Said state together with all lawful interest accruing thereon
then the above indenture and all rights and benefits arising therefrom
to be utterly null and void as though the same had never been made
otherwise to remain in full force and virtue. In Witness whereof the
Said John J. Culpepper has hereunto Set his hand and affixed his Seal
the day and year first above written. Signed sealed and delivered in
the presence of ______his Thomas X Bulman__________________John J.
Culpepper [seal] ______mark John Gardner J.P.
________________________Recorded this 12th May 1829
"John J. Culpepper" was listed in the 1830 Upson Co., GA census with
his wife and 1 male 10-15 years of age, 1 male 15-20 years of age, and
1 female 10-15 years of age. The older boy has not been identified. If
a son, then John Jefferson and Catherine (Bell) Culpepper would have
to have married when they were 11-16 years of age and the son has not
been identified in later census records. But the age would also match
that of John Jefferson Culpepper's younger brother, William Henry
Culpepper, who has not been found in the 1830 census and who married
in 1831 in Upson Co., GA.
As a fortunate drawer in the 1827 lottery, it is not clear that John
Jefferson Culpepper was eligible for the 1832 Gold Lottery unless for
some reason he was considered NOT to have "taken out a grant for said
land lot." In any event "John J. Culpepper" won Gold Lot 380 in
district 19 of section 3. This would have been a 40 acre lot near the
lower center border of Paulding Co., GA. It is not known if John
Jefferson ever mined his Paulding Co., GA land or if he sold it but by
1840 he had moved on to Chambers Co., AL. Possibly the family moved in
1835 or 1836 along with John J. Culpepper's brothers, Francis and
James. Or perhaps the family moved in 1837 after the marriage of John
Jefferson's son, John J. Culpepper. The elder John J. Culpepper was
listed in the 1840 census of Chambers Co., AL. One male and one female
40-50 were recorded, presumably John and his wife, Catherine. Two
males 5-10 and one female 15-20 were listed in the household,
presumably the three younger children, Robert, William and Elizabeth.
The "John J. Culpepper" recorded in the 1840 census of Upson Co., GA
(1m 0-5 1m 20-30 1f 15-20), was a son of John Jefferson and Catherine
(Bell) Culpepper who was born approximately 1817, who married
Elizabeth Stallings in 1837, and who would have had a son, Lewis L.
Culpepper, who would have been approximately two years old in 1840.
The John Jefferson Culpepper family remained in Chambers Co., AL at
least until 1850 when John Culpepper was listed as a farmer in the
1850 Chambers Co., AL census with his wife, Catherine, and son,
William. Their daughter, Elizabeth, who had married Robert Johnson,
was living next door.
In the 1850 census, John Jefferson Culpepper was listed as having real
estate valued at $300. However, 22 Aug 1850 "John J. Culpepper" bought
or was granted 139 46/100 acres of land (Certificate or Warrant
68.157) in the South East part of Section 3 of Township 22 South,
Range 10 East of Randolph Co., AL. This land appears to be to the
northwest of what is now Wadley and southeast of Almond. The land
appears to be split from the southeast corner to the northwest corner
by route 77. Presumably, John Jefferson Culpepper moved with his wife
and youngest sons to Randolph Co., AL about this time. However, the
second marriage of William Washington Culpepper, John Jefferson and
Catherine (Bell) Culpepper's youngest son, took place in Chambers Co.,
AL Dec 1855 at the home of William's brother, Robert J. Culpepper, and
John Jefferson Culpepper was a bondsman. Possibly, since John
Jefferson lived close to the Chambers Co., AL border, he just went
back for the occasion. In 1860, John J. Culpepper was listed with his
wife, Catherine, and grandson, John J. Culpepper, at Almond P. O. near
Louina (now Wadley), Randolph Co., AL. John J. Culpepper was listed in
the 1870 census of Louina P. O. (now Wadley) Randolph Co., AL. John
was living near the families of his two sons, Robert and William and a
grandson, John Jr. According to p. 112 of Historical Records of
Randolph County, Alabama 1832-1900 from the 12 Feb 1875 issue of the
Randolph Enterprise the following had their land sold for taxes: On
March 1, 1875 the property belonging to the following named persons
was to be sold at public auction to the highest bidder from the Court
House in Wedowee... BEAT VIII _____Township 21, Range 10... John J.
Culpepper... W. W. Culpepper....
John Jefferson Culpepper would have been 77 years old when he lost
this land which was north of the land he purchased or was granted in
1850 and John Jefferson apparently still owned land nearby since he
was noted in the 1880 census of Randolph Co., AL. John William
Culpepper wrote in an 18 Aug 1994 letter that Mrs. John (Edith
Champion) Zuber, a great-great granddaughter of John Jefferson
Culpepper, told him that John Jefferson Culpepper lived on the land
which Mrs. Zuber's mother's sold in 1950.
John William Culpepper wrote 18 Aug 1994 that he had located Mrs. John
(Edith Champion) Zuber, a great-great-granddaughter of John Jefferson
Culpepper. John William believes that the land that Edith's mother,
Mrs. M. A. (Inez Culpepper) Champion, sold in 1950 was the land that
had originally belonged to John Jefferson Culpepper's father, John
Culpepper. The land appears to have been a 58.84 acre lot which was
noted as Fraction C of section 14 in Township 22 Range 10 of Randolph
Co., AL. The land is south of Wadley on the Chambers County line and
Route 22 crosses diagonally through the bottom half of the land. It
was originally granted to William Culpepper 21 Feb 1850. Mrs.
Champion's grandfather, William Washington Culpepper, a son of John
Jefferson Culpepper, would have been only 15 years old at that date so
it is assumed that William Henry Culpepper, John Jefferson Culpepper's
brother, was granted the land. John Culpepper, Sr. is known from
census records to have been living near present day Wadley in 1850 and
an extant letter from him to a son, Francis G. Culpepper, indicates
that he owned land in the area but only his sons show up in land
records. Since John Culpepper, Sr. had "broken up housekeeping" by
1853, it is assumed that he was living on one of the parcels that was
in the name of one of his sons. John William wrote of a visit to Mrs.
Champion's former property: You will see that rt. 22 leaves Wadley in
a Southwesternly direction. The home of current residents, Mr. and
Mrs. J. T. Edge, is approximately 3/4 of a mile from Wadley, on Rt. 22
[near the Chambers Co., AL line]. I don't know how far east the
property extends [it appears to extend to a point where a secondary
road branches south to Chambers Co., AL], but I believe it extends
north to Hutton Creek [it appears to cover about 2/3 of the distance
from the Chambers Co., AL border to Hutton Creek].... Mrs. John Zuber,
(Edith Champion Zuber) daughter of Inez Culpepper Champion [Mrs. M. A.
Champion], daughter of Robert Benjamin Culpepper, son of William
Washington Culpepper, son of John Jefferson Culpepper advises that her
mother sold the property to Mrs. Edge's father in the 1950's.... She
said that John Jefferson Culpepper lived at the place with his wife
and two sons and remained there after their sons moved to Sand
Mountain [Marshall Co., AL]. John and his wife are buried at the
Concord Baptist Church Cemetery, located half way between Wadley and
Roanoke, Alabama [John Jefferson Culpepper and his wife, Catherine,
are not listed in an index to Concord Church Cemetery records possibly
because the graves were unmarked or because the markings can no longer
be read].... Mrs. Zuber stated that her mother lived at the home place
until her husband died and a few years after but found it too much
work and moved. It was after she moved that the house on Rt. 22 burned
to the ground.
In a 3 May 1994 letter, John William Culpepper wrote of attempting to
locate the location of the house: We located the owner of the property
and his wife a Mr. J. T. Edge and his wife Marian.... J. T. Edge took
up back of his home over a hill and a short way down the other side of
a dirt road where a house used to be. We found the well and a few
cedar trees but no visible ground parks of a home. This was the
location site mentioned by a lady they talked with who identified the
Edge Place as being the former Culpepper property and residence of
John and Nancy [Nancy appears to have died in Georgia before John came
to Alabama]. We noticed that about 150 yards east of the Edge house,
which fronts on State route 22, there stands two tall rock chimneys
approximately 45 to 50 feet apart. He took us to the site and said the
log house was large with a dog trot in the middle and when they came
here there were people still living in the house. He said a nearby
well which was covered with branches is 90 feet deep. The Edge house
is the location of the original house but a few feet further back from
the semi circular drive. The original house burned and scorched the
nearby trees which he said were planted by Charles Culpepper the
botanist who moved to the Washington area. The old road used to go
between the inside of the drive and the current road, Rt. 22. Facing
the Edge home on the left of the house but on the other side of the
old road was a carriage shop and on the east side of the drive was a
blacksmith shop. Mr. Edge said the property was a Culpepper land
grant....
Mrs. Deam and Mrs. Sisco preserved the Bible record of John Jefferson
Culpepper's death: d. May 4, 1885.
The Concord Baptist Church cemetery is about 3 ½ miles east of where
John Jefferson Culpepper was living, on Route 22, on the opposite side
of the Tallapoosa River. It is on the same side of the river as the
now defunct town of Louina which was replaced about 1900 as a
population center by Wadley on the opposite of the river. Is it
possible that this is also where John Culpepper was buried?
Photograph: say 1855, Randolph Co., AL, This photo was provided by
Mary Lillian Butler Pierce (1915-2000) of Albertville, and later of
Huntsville, AL. The owner or location of the original is unknown. Mrs.
Billy Wendell Dunn (Marina Sylvia Hiscock) of Arab, AL, may have more
information.
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