CHAPTER 7
Chapter 7Margaret Houston Speer Family
WILLIAM SPEER (1747-1830)
ABBEVILLE COUNTY
SOUTH CAROLINA
HIS LIFE, FAMILY AND
DESCENDANTS
Compiled and Written By
Wade Edward Speer
With Special Help From
George William Whitmire, Sr., Jacksonville, Florida
William Arthur Speer, Jr., Atlanta, Georgia
Portraits By Edward Shanon Wood, Asheville, North Carolina
Published By
Wade Edward Speer
Marion, North Carolina
1998
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NOTES FOR ONLINE BOOK VERSION
Original page numbers did not survive the file conversion to the Internet-ready html format.
Some editing of the original text has been done, such as correcting typos and eliminating unnecessary line spaces.
All images, including portraits, tombstone sketches, house sketches, and signature tracings have been omitted; however the text accompanying the images is retained.
The William Speer Descendent report (Chapter 1) has been omitted. A greatly updated version can be found at:
http://www.familytreemaker.com/ftm/s/p/e/Wade-E-Speer/index.html
http://hometown.aol.com/wspeer1161/myhomepage/heritage.html
{Wade E Speer July 20, 2000}
CHAPTER 7
MARGARET HOUSTON SPEER
FAMILY
Margaret Houston Speer2 (William1) was the only daughter and the youngest child of William Speer, Sr. and Eleanor Little (CHAPTER 2). She was born and raised on her parent's wilderness homestead at Cherokee Ford on the Savannah River. From these remote origins, she grew into an educated and cultured lady who married into a family of great wealth. She lived the rest of her life on an equally isolated but much larger plantation across the river from her father's homestead. In her 1926 book, Clarinda Lamar describes Margaret Houston2 as "a woman of beautiful spirit, tender and benevolent, and, with it all, possessed of remarkable common sense."
Birth
Some confusion exists about Margaret Houston's birth date. Her tombstone gives December 1, 1792, as does several other sourcesA. However, the bible of her brother William Speer, Jr.2 indirectly gives December 2, 1792. The bible entry may be incorrect. Likewise, McCall's Revolutionary roster incorrectly gives January 1, 1792, probably a typoB. The tombstone date is considered correct.
Growing Up
Little is known about Margaret Houston. She was raised by her stepmother Martha McBride after her mother died in 1795 when she was two or three years old. She grew up with three older brothers and probably attended the same schools.
Marriage
At the age of 19, she married Joseph Rucker on March 5, 1812. The famous Presbyterian Minister Moses Waddel performed the ceremony, which took place on the Speer Homestead at Cherokee FordC. Joseph and Margaret2 had eight children. See CHAPTER 1 for a list of all of their descendants.
Joseph
Joseph, who was 24 when he married Margaret, was a member of the prominent land-owning Rucker family of Ruckersville, Elbert County, GeorgiaD. He was born January 5, 1788 to John Rucker (1759-1799) and Elizabeth Tinsley. Elizabeth was the daughter of John and Sarah Tinsley. John Rucker was the son of Cornelius Rucker (1735-1761) and Mary White. Mary was the daughter of John White and Anne Wisdom. John White was the son of Conyer and Mary White. Cornelius Rucker was the son of Thomas Rucker (1707-1763) and Sarah E. Reynolds (?-1788). Sarah was the daughter of Cornelius Reynolds and Martha (?-1753). Thomas Rucker was the son of Peter Rucker (1675-1743) and Elizabeth Fielding (?-1752). Peter Rucker was the son of Ambrose Rucker.
Georgia's First Millionaire
Several of the aristocratic Rucker family immigrated from Ruckersville, Orange County, Virginia and acquired large land holdings in the 1700's in Georgia. Joseph was born January 12, 1788 and settled on the headwaters of Van's Creek, Elbert County, Georgia. He named the growing community Ruckersville after his father's hometown in Virginia. At one time, Joseph Rucker owned as many as 12 plantations and was called 'Squire' Rucker. He was also known as 'Georgia's First Millionaire.'E
Plantation Life
Joseph and Margaret2 lived on a large estate known as Cedar Grove. The following passages from various sources illustrate the prosperous eighteen-century plantation life they lived:"In his young manhood, (Joseph Rucker) was fortunate enough to win the affections of Margaret Houston Speer, daughter of William Speer, who lived at Cherokee Falls, on the Savannah River. Early in life, Joseph evinced the strength of character, which marked him a leader among men. Joseph Rucker not only created a fortune great for his day and generations, but displayed such wisdom and executive ability and manifested such high traits of character as marked him as an extraordinary man.
"Joseph Rucker lived the typical life of the Southern planter. Self-centered and independent, he lived at home. He had little to buy and always something to sell, and his great crops of cotton were shipped in Petersburg boats down the Savannah to Augusta. The neighboring community was unusually prosperous. Joseph Rucker's home especially, was the scene of a wide and generous hospitality--a social center which made its impress upon its inmates, and the memory of which abides to the third and fourth generation. He was pre-eminently a good neighbor, counselor, and fiend, for he gave needed help at the right moment. Extremely dignified, grave and reticent, he was also open-handed and generous.
"Living at a time when the country was experimenting with Bank laws, he organized, and, as President, managed, with phenomenal success, the Bank of Ruckersville, under circumstances which would now provoke a smile. We cannot think of a bank, a moneyed institution, with hardly a human habitation in sight, surrounded by original forests. This institution was operated in a small, unpretentious frame building. Its doors and shutters were studded with nails at close and regular intervals to guard against burglars' axe. It had a safe without time lock, opened with a key carried by the President. The furniture was of the plainest, but it issued bills which passed current par throughout the State. It throve and prospered, and with the assistance of the wealthy planters in the neighborhood, became a strong financial institution, contributing to the development and prosperity of that part of the State. In his old age, Joseph Rucker was a man of striking appearance, ruddy cheeks, snow-white hair, clear blue eyes. Dressed in the prevailing style, black broadcloth coat, cutaway to the waist line at the front, beaver hat, turn down collar and stock, and gold fob, he might have posed for the portrait of the ante-bellum planter, one of those who made the old South.
"In manner and bearing Squire Rucker was simple and unpretentious, and by nature thoughtful, quiet and dignified. He enjoyed a good anecdote or story, and possessed a rich store of personal reminiscence, from which he was fond of drawing for the entertainment of others. He told his stories well, and, of course, like all genuine raconteurs, he sometimes repeated himself.
"Squire Rucker's judgment was never known to fail him. Violently opposed to secession, when the final act came at Milledgeville, he said, pointing to one of his slaves: 'See that fellow. A year ago he was worth $1,500; today he isn't worth a silver thrip.' But he accepted the situation--helped to equip a company--took $30,000 of the first issue of Confederate bonds, at par. These bonds were lying in the old Bank of Athens, in the care of the late Albin Dearing, when the war was over; not a coupon had ever been clipped.
"The house was approached through a long avenue of cedars and box planted by Margaret, from which the place became known as Cedar Grove. The fine old trees, the flower garden, the kitchen gardens, the well-house, the smoke-house, the kitchen, the buildings for house servants, and, not far off, the barns, the carriage houses, the quarters, presented a typical picture of the life of the ante-bellum planter who lived at home, making on his own acres all that was needed for those dependent upon him. For there, as in so many other similar places throughout the State, the tannery, the blacksmith-shop, the corn-mill, the flour-mill, the cotton gin, the spinning wheels, the looms and the wheelwright were an essential part of the plantation. It was a hive of industry, and it is not surprising that in time a name should be given to the little center, nor is it strange that it should have been named after the village in Orange County, Virginia, from which John Rucker had come in 1785."
F"Along with {Joseph Rucker's} growing success and the steady enlargement of his landed possessions and the multiplication of his slaves, there was developed another quality which he possessed in an eminent degree, that of governing, directing and managing. The ante-bellum plantation--especially when, as in his case, one man owned a dozen large plantations--required the best qualities of a military General, as well as agricultural and business sense. He possessed these qualities in a high degree... Every plantation was complete in itself, having its own farm implements and mules, its gin house, smoke house and corn houses--its herd of cattle, its flock of sheep, its colts and its hogs--all of which were kept in his mind as perfectly as if the had before him a written list."
G"The house in which Joseph and Margaret Rucker lived was originally a square, frame structure which grew with the growth of the family, and ultimately attained considerable size and dignity. Its distinguishing features were two forward projecting wings connected by four tall columns, which gave it an appearance not unlike that of The Hermitage, the home of Andrew Jackson, near Nashville, Tennessee. It was approached through a long avenue of cedars, lined with boxwood. The house has fallen into decay, and the supposed picture of it on the cover of Mrs. {Corra} Harris' novel, The Recording Angel, in not accurate. But the avenue of tall cedars, from which the place took its name Cedar Grove is still standing with its heavy lining of boxwood, now grown to great size."
HA neighbor of the Ruckers wrote the following:
(Joseph) "...copied after no man on earth. He reflected no borrowed light. What he was he was of himself. He was not a voluble talker. In fact he cultivated listing. All the gifts of speech that {the Rucker family} evinces, came through {William Speer}. The Speers are greatly gifted, but in an antipodal line to the Ruckers. {Elbert Marion Rucker's} fine talk, {Tinsley White Rucker's} versatile mind and acquisitions, (Mary M. Rucker's} love for universal knowledge and learning all come from that side of the family and are greatly to be admired."
I
See Figure 7-1 for a tracing of Joseph's signature.
Figure 7-1
Tracing of signature of Joseph Rucker (1788-1864).
Died During Civil War
The Civil War devastated all of Joseph's plantations, including Cedar Grove. Without slave labor, the plantations could not produce crops for sale. Like thousands of other planters in the South, Joseph and Margaret witnessed the end of a way of life. Unlike many, Joseph was cash-rich and probably managed to save some of the family fortune. Joseph and Margaret2 died during the darkest days of the war; he on August 27, 1864 and she nine days later on September 5.Margaret's brother William Speer, Jr.2 wrote several incorrect dates for his sister's death. His family Bible and the 1874 manuscript give September 6, 1864J; however, his famous 1869 letter gives September 26, 1864. The September fifth date occurs on her tombstone (Figure 7-2) and is assumed to be correct. Joseph and Margaret2 are buried beneath a beautiful white monument in the Van's Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Ruckersville (Figures 7-2 and 7-3). This very historic church was organized in 1785. Several additional family members are also buried here, including William S. Rucker3 and Martha E. Rucker Durrett3 (William1, Margaret2). Some descendants of Elbert Marion Rucker3 (William1, Margaret2) are buried at the nearby United Methodist Church Cemetery (APPENDIX C). This Methodist church is also historic and was organized in 1796.
IN MEMORY
OF
JOSEPH & MARGARET
RUCKER
United during their
long lives, and in
their death they were
not divided
MARGARET JOSEPH
RUCKER RUCKER
Born Born
Dec 1st 1792 Jan 5th 1788
Died Died
Sep 5th 1864 Aug 27th 1864
Figure 7-2
Tombstone of Margaret Houston Speer2 (1792-1864) and Joseph Rucker (1788-1864). Van's Creek Baptist Church, Elbert County, Georgia.
VAN'S CREEK
BAPTIST CHURCH
Van's Creek Baptist Church, established early in 1785 by Rev. Dozier Thornton, Revolutionary soldier and Virginian, was named for an Indian convert, David Vann, famed Chief of the Cherokees. Through the 6th Baptist church in Georgia, it is the oldest in continuous service. Rev. Thornton was its pastor for 43 years. Original members were Rev. Dozier Thornton, his wife, Luck Elizabeth Thornton, Elizabeth Thornton, William Arnold, first Deacon and Clerk, Susan Arnold, Nathan Morgan, Elizabeth Morgan, Thomas Gilbert, John White, Milly White.
052-6 Georgia Historical Commission 1955
Figure 7-3
Historical Marker at Van's Creek Baptist Church, Ruckersville, Elbert County, Georgia.
Will of Joseph Rucker March 12, 1861
Joseph's will, dated March 12, 1861, gives insight into his family and is transcribed belowK. The original document contained no punctuation marks; they have been added here to enhance readability.State of Georgia
Elbert County
In the name of God Amen. Joseph Rucker of said State and County being of advanced age but of sound and disposing mind and memory knowing that I must shortly depart this life desire it right and proper both as respects my family and my self that I should make a disposition of the property with which a Kind providence has (blessed?) me. I do therefore make this my last will and testament hereby revoking and annulling all others by me heretofore made.
First--I desire and direct that my body be buried in a decent and Christian like manner suitable to my circumstances and conditions in life. My soul I trust shall return to rest with God who gave it as I hope for salvation through the merits and (atonement?) of the blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Secondly--I desire and direct that all my just debts be paid without delay by my Executors herein named and appointed.
Thirdly--I give bequeath and devise to my beloved wife Margaret Rucker for and during her natural life only all of my old tract of land south of the road leading from Elberton to Harpers Ferry including my residence and all appertaining to it (except my Beck House and Lot and five acres of land adjoining of it on the east side of the road); also all that portion of my Blackwell Bottoms down to the bridge across the creek above the Ivy Hill and including the Branch Bottoms with a line from the bridge with the road to the big gate on the Petersburg Road; also horses mules and stock of all kinds sufficient for the use of the plantation and provisions sufficient for the support of the plantation for one
year; and all of my household and kitchen furniture, wagons, and such other (tools?) as may be necessary for to carry on the farm; and a carriage or Rockaway as she may prefer; and one thousand dollars in money; and the interest on five thousand dollars annually during her life; and also the following Negroes to wit: Sam and his wife Daphny, Hez and his wife Eliza, Joe Jones, Rueben and his wife Tinissa, Robert and his wife Mariah and their youngest child, Billy Houston and his wife _____ and their child, London and his wife _____, Jackson and his wife Laura and their child, Nelson and his wife Luanna and their two children Clara Harriet a seamstress and Flora a girl, and Sam my carriage driver. The property and money in the foregoing and above articles contained, at the death of my wife Margaret Rucker, is to be divided one third to my son Tinsley W. Rucker and his legal children, and one third to my son Elbert M. Rucker and his legal children, and one third to my daughter Mary M. Lamar and her bodily heirs forever.
Fourthly--I give bequeath and devise to my son Tinsley W. Rucker and his legal children my Negro man Billy a Blacksmith and his wife Harriet and their three youngest children forever.
Fifthly--I give bequeath and devise to my son Elbert M. Rucker and his legal children my Negro man Henry a Blacksmith and my Beck House and Lot containing five acres of land on the east side of the road forever.
Sixthly--I give bequeath and devise to my son Tinsley W. Rucker and his legal children and to my son Elbert M. Rucker and his legal children and to my daughter Mary M. Lamar and her bodily heirs seventy five of my Negroes of their own choice out of the number of my Negroes not otherwise disposed of. One third of said Negroes to go to my son Tinsley W. Rucker and his legal children and one third of said Negroes to go to my son Elbert M. Rucker and his legal children and one third of said Negroes to go to my daughter Mary M. Lamar and her bodily heirs forever.
Seventhly--I give bequeath and devise to my son Alexander R. Rucker all that tract or portion of the Harrelton Place that I gave to James S. Lamar and seven thousand dollars in money in addition to what I have given him in fee simple forever.
Eightly--I give bequeath and devise to the children of my daughters Martha Durrett and Catherine White twenty five hundred dollars in money and twenty five Negroes of an average value of those remaining or not otherwise disposed of to be equally divided among them all; that is all of the children of my daughters Martha Durrett and Catherine White in fee simple.
Ninthly--I give bequeath and devise to the children of my daughters Martha Durrett and Catherine White one seventh part of the remainder of my Negroes not otherwise disposed of, at an average value to be divided between them share and share alike; that is the children of my daughters Martha Durrett and Catherine White in fee simple forever.
Tenthly--I will and devise that my woman Harriet a seamstress named in the article of this my will; that in the division of the property named in the article that it be so arranged as to throw Harriet in the share of my daughter Mary M. Lamar and her bodily heirs.
Eleventhly--I give bequeath and devise that the residue of my property both real and personal wheresoever and what so ever it may be including the remainder of my Negroes and lands money notes Bonds and mortgages not otherwise disposed of; one third of the property contained in this article to my son Tinsley W. Rucker and his legal children and one third to my son Elbert M. Rucker and his legal children and one third to my daughter Mary M. Lamar and her bodily heirs in fee simple.
Twelfthly--I here by constitute and appoint my son Tinsley W. Rucker and Elbert M. Rucker and my friends William M. McIntosh and William M. Haslett as Executors of this my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my name with my own hand this 12th March 1861.
Joseph Rucker
Signed sealed declared and published by Joseph Rucker as his last will and Testament in the presence of us the witnesses who subscribed our names hereunto in the presence of the said Testator at his special instance and request and in the presence of each other. This the 12th of March 1861.
James Lofton
Larkin L. Clark
Andrew J. Cleveland
William B. White
Georgia; Elbert County; Court of Ordinary; September Five 1864. In person appeared before me in open Court James Lofton and being duly sworn said that he was present and saw Joseph Rucker sign the within instrument of writing as his last will and Testament and that he together with Larkin L. Clark, Andrew J. Cleveland and William B. White signed the same as witnesses in the presence of each other and in the presence of the Testator and this _____ believes said Testator to have been of sound mind and disposing memory at the time he executed the same. Sworn to and subscribed in open court before me this 5th day of September 1864. Attest W. H. Edwards, Ordinary(.)
The will indicates that Joseph had already divested himself of all but his Cedar Grove Plantation by 1861. Perhaps he had already transferred the other properties to his children. Interestingly his remaining slaves are too numerous to name all individually. The will indicates there were more than 129. They probably represented an investment of over $70,000!
Children
Margaret Houston Speer2 and Joseph Rucker had eight children:Born Died
1) Catherine E. Rucker3 unknown unknown
2) John Rucker3 unknown After 1850
3) Alexander Randolph Rucker3 unknown unknown
4) Tinsley White Rucker3 24 Apr 1813 8 Jan 1864
5) Martha E. Rucker3 13 Jul 1815 11 Oct 1847
6) William S. Rucker3 28 Jun 1820 11 May 1850
7) Elbert Marion Rucker3 15 Jun 1828 9 Sep 1906
8) Mary M. Rucker3 23 Aug 1833 29 Jan 1904
1) Catherine E. Rucker3
(William1, Margaret2) married David S. White on May 6, 1834. See CHAPTER 1 for their descendants.2) John Rucker3 (William1, Margaret2) graduated from the University of Georgia in 1844 and moved to Florida. He was buried in Savannah, Georgia.
3) Alexander Randolph Rucker3 (William1, Margaret2) married Aurelia Calhoun (1836-?) on June 22, 1859. Aurelia was the daughter of John Calhoun and Sarah Woodward.
4)Tinsley White Rucker3 (William1, Margaret2), oldest son of Joseph and Margaret was born April 24, 1813 and died on January 8, 1864. He is described in the following passage:
"Tinsley White Rucker was the oldest son of Joseph Rucker. Born at Ruckersville, in 1813, he graduated at the University of Georgia in 1833, and soon married Sarah Elizabeth Harris, the daughter of General Jeptha V. Harris, of Farm Hill. He represented Elbert County in the State Legislature in 1836. A man of lofty ideals and of high purposes, his life was without fear and without blemish. Farm Hill, his home, previous to the Civil War, was one of the best known and one of the most beautiful estates in Georgia."
LHis son Tinsley White Rucker, II4 (William1, Margaret2, Tinsley3) married Sarah M. Cobb. Sarah was the daughter of General Howell Cobb, who was the son of John Cobb and Mildred Lewis.
5) Martha E. Rucker3 (William1, Margaret2) was born July 13, 1815. She married J. D. Richard Durrett on January 8, 1833 and had three children. See CHAPTER 1 for their descendants. Martha E.3 died on October 11, 1847 and was buried in the Rucker family plot in the Van's Creek Baptist Church Cemetery, Ruckersville, Elbert County, Georgia (Figure 7-4).
6) William S. Rucker3 (William1, Margaret2) was born June 28, 1820 and died May 11, 1850. He was buried in the Rucker family plot in the Van's Creek Baptist Church Cemetery, Ruckersville, Elbert County, Georgia (Figure 7-5).
Sacred to the Memory
of
MARTHA E. DURRETT
Wife of RICHARD DURRETT
and daughter of
JOSEPH & MARGARET RUCKER
Born the 13th of July 1815
And died 11th Oct 1847
AGED 32 YEARS
The Blessed Savior hath removed her
from Earth
that she may live in Heaven
Figure 7-4
Tombstone of Martha E. Rucker Durrett3 (1815-1847), Van's Creek Baptist Church, Elbert County, Georgia.
7) Elbert Marion Rucker3 (William1, Margaret2) was born June 15, 1828 and married Sarah Frances Whitner on November 3, 1853. They had five children (CHAPTER 1). Sarah was the daughter of Judge Joseph N. Whitner of South Carolina. Elbert Marion3 was a graduate of the University of South Carolina, a signer of the Ordinance of Secession and a member of the Southern Rights Convention held at Milledgeville, Georgia in 1851. He was a Judge in Anderson, South Carolina and served in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. Elbert Marion3, who died on September 9, 1906, is described in the following passage:
Sacred to the Memory
of
Wm. S. RUCKER
Son of
JOSEPH and MARGARET RUCKER
Born
June 28th, 1820
and died
May 11th, 1850
aged 29 years
"Come unto Me ye weary
and heavy laden,
and I will give you rest"
Figure 7-5
Tombstone of William S. Rucker3 (1820-1850), Van's Creek Baptist Church, Elbert County, Georgia.
"Elbert Marion Rucker, another of Squire Rucker's sons, was a man of great learning and of rare oratorical powers. So vast was his information, that General Toombs once declared it to be more varied and extensive that any other living man's."
LOne of Elbert and Sarah's sons, Elbert Marion Rucker, II4 (William1, Margaret2, Elbert3), was born March 15, 1866 and married Susan Elizabeth Kinard (1862-1923) on December 15, 1886. He and Susan had two children (see CHAPTER 1). Elbert, II4 received AB and LL.B. Degrees from the University of South Carolina and was a Representative to the State Legislature from 1900-1910. He was a special Associate Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court. He was a Professor of Law at the University of South Carolina from 1910 to 1926. Elbert, II4's second marriage was to Mary Martin of Florence, Alabama. He died August 16, 1926.
8) Mary M. Rucker3 (William1, Margaret2) was born August 23, 1833 and married James S. Lamar on June 19, 1856. They had three children (CHAPTER 1). Mary M.3 died on January 29, 1904.
Their oldest son Joseph Rucker Lamar4 (William1, Margaret2, Mary3) was born October 14, 1857 on the Cedar Grove Plantation and became our most distinguished Speer family descendant. He attended Bethany College, West Virginia, where he married Clarinda H. Pendleton on January 30, 1879. Clarinda was the daughter of Dr. William K. Pendleton, the president of the college. They moved to Augusta in 1880 and Joseph practiced law. His judicial career here is unknown but it must have been exemplary. In 1886, he was elected Representative to the Georgia State Legislature. In 1902, he was appointed to the highest court in the nation, the US Supreme Court, by President Theodore RooseveltD. He served until his death on January 2, 1916 and was buried in Augusta, Georgia.
NOTES FOR CHAPTER 7
A
DAR, Tennessee Soc, p. 1457; Speer, William, Jr., 1869; and Speer, William, Jr., 1874.B
McCall, Mrs. H. H., 1968, p. 114.C
Austin, J. H., 1985, p. 49.D
Lamar, C. P., 1926; Wood, S. R., 1982; and Rucker, Sr., J. T., 1995.E
Rogers, L., 1929, p. 3.F
Knight, L. L., 1914, p. 713-19.G
Lamar, C. P., 1926, p. 22.H
Lamar, C. P., 1926, p. 19-20.I
Lamar, C. P., 1926, p. 26.J
Speer, William, Jr., family Bible; 1869; and 1874.K
Elbert County Probate Office, Elberton, GA.; Will Book B, p. 81-4, Rucker, John.L
Knight, L. L., 1914, p. 721.