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Howard, family prominent in English history. Its head is the duke of Norfolk and earl marshal of England; other titles held by members of the family have been the earldoms of Northampton, Arundel, Nottingham, and Carlisle. The Howards trace their ancestry to Sir William Howard or Haward of Norfolk, who lived about 1260-1308 and was made a justice of the common pleas in 1297. His descendant, John Howard, was made 1st duke of Norfolk by King Richard III in 1483. Thomas Howard, 3rd duke of Norfolk, was England's most powerful peer during the reign of Henry VIII; two of his nieces, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, were married to Henry. After Thomas Howard, 4th duke of Norfolk, was beheaded (1572) for treason under Queen Elizabeth I, the Howards were deprived of the dukedom, but it was restored to them in 1660
Howard, Catherine (1520? -42), queen consort of England (1540-42) as the fifth wife of King Henry VIII. She was a granddaughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd duke of Norfolk. Before Catherine was 20 years old, she had frequent meetings with Henry, arranged by Stephen Gardiner, bishop of Winchester. Henry divorced his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, on July 9, 1540, and married Catherine on July 28. In November 1541 she was accused of immoral conduct both before and during her marriage. She admitted to premarital relations, and her accusers produced witnesses to testify to her adultery. Two of her accused lovers were beheaded in December, and Parliament passed a bill of attainder against her. On February 13, 1542, she, too, was beheaded in the Tower of London.
Norfolk, Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of (1443-1524), English military commander and courtier, the only son of John Howard, 1st duke of Norfolk. He was created earl of Surrey in 1483 when his father was made duke of Norfolk. At the Battle of Bosworth Field, where his father was killed, he was wounded and taken prisoner. As he had fought on the losing side, his titles were attained and he was imprisoned until 1489. On his release his earldom was restored; he was placed in command of the defense of the Scottish border and soon recognized as the chief general in England. In 1513 he led the forces that defeated the invading Scots at Flodden Field, and in the following year he became duke of Norfolk. When King Henry VIII went to the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520, Norfolk was left to guard the kingdom. The following year he presided at the trial for treason of his friend Edward Stafford, 3rd duke of Buckingham, on whom he passed a sentence of death. He retired in 1523.
"Norfolk, Thomas Howard, 3d.Duke of (1473-1554), English nobleman and court intriguer during the reign of Henry VIII. The eldest son of Thomas Howard, 2nd duke of Norfolk, he commanded the English vanguard at Flodden Field and was made earl when his father regained the family dukedom. On the death of his father he succeeded to the dukedom and became the most powerful peer in England. Norfolk led the party opposed to the policies of the Lord Chancellor, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. He favored Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragón and his marriage to Anne Boleyn, who was Norfolk's niece. As Henry's pliant tool, however, he also presided at Anne's trial and execution in 1536. That same year he repressed the rebellion of the Pilgrimage of Grace, a protest against the confiscation of monastic properties, from which he profited handsomely. In 1540 Norfolk arrested Henry's secretary, Thomas Cromwell, earl of Essex, who had lost favor with the king. With the execution of his niece, Catherine Howard, Henry's fifth wife, in 1542, Norfolk lost his influence at court. When his son, the poet Henry Howard, earl of Surrey, was arrested for treason, Norfolk was charged with complicity; and was condemned and attainted with his son. His son was executed in 1547, but the subsequent death of the king prevented Norfolk's execution. He remained a prisoner until the accession of Mary I in 1553, when his lands and titles were restored.
Nottingham, Charles Howard, 1st Earl of (1536-1624), English statesman and naval commander. He succeeded his father, William Howard as Baron Howard of Effington in 1573 and was made knight of the Garter in 1574. In 1585 he became lord high admiral and in 1588 commanded the English fleet in the defeat of the Spanish Armada. With Robert Devereux, 2nd earl of Essex, he commanded the English naval expedition that in 1596 sank the Spanish fleet and sacked the city of Cádiz. Howard was created earl of Nottingham in 1597. In 1601 he took a leading part in suppressing the rebellion of Essex against Queen Elizabeth I. He served on many royal commissions, including those for the trial of Mary, queen of Scots, in 1586, for the trial of Essex in 1601, for the union of England and Scotland in 1604, and for the trial of the conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot in 1606.
Howard, Oliver Otis (1830-1909), American Civil War general, who subsequently became deeply involved in helping the former slaves. Born in Leeds, Maine, he was educated at Bowdoin College and at the U.S. Military Academy, where he taught mathematics from 1857 to 1861. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Howard resigned his regular army commission and became colonel of the Third Maine Volunteers of the Union army. He took part in the Battle of Bull Run (1861); the Peninsular campaign (1862), where he lost an arm; the Battle of Antietam (1862); and the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg and the Chattanooga campaign (all 1863). The following year he commanded the right wing of the celebrated march to the sea from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia, under General William Tecumseh Sherman. He was eventually promoted to major general in the regular army.
As commissioner (1865-74) of the Freedmen's Bureau after the war, Howard was a weak administrator, unable to prevent many abuses, but he succeeded in providing greatly needed food and medical and employment aid to millions of people. He was also instrumental in founding Howard University (named for him) and was its third president (1869-74). He later served as superintendent (1880-82) of West Point and founded the Lincoln Memorial University (1895) in Harrogate, Tennessee.
"Howard," Microsoft (R) Encarta. Copyright (c) 1994 Microsoft Corporation. Copyright (c) 1994 Funk & Wagnall's Corporation.
DESCENDANTS OF JAMES HOWARD
James Howard was born September 28, 1765 in England; he married Rosanah Barbee April 8 1781. They had four children, three boys and one girl. James died September 26, 1840. We believe James Howard came to North Carolina and settled in Wake County.
Myrick Howard was James and Rosanah Barbee Howard's oldest son. He was born October 12, 1782 in England and came by way of Virginia and Wake County to Stanly County. He married Milea Yates December 1, 1803 in Wake County, North Carolina. They had 12 children and eventually settled in Stanly County. Many of their descendants are still living in that area. Most of them now go by the name of Harward instead of Howard.
Myrick Howard bought possibly 1000 acres of land on the Rocky River in the south central section of what is now Stanly County. It is said he purchased the land from a man named Sneed who had received a large land grant from the King of England. The family story also states that the price paid for the land was 10 cents per acre. Perhaps this early Sneed was connected with the English family that settled old Sneedsboro, on the Pee Dee River between Wadesboro and Cheraw, South Carolina. Myrick Howard lived in the Rocky River-Long Creek Valley and is buried in the old Harward cemetery near the forks of these streams and about three miles east of Oakboro. Well-preserved headstones mark the graves of he and his wife Milea. He was a member of a Baptist Church and Milea a Primitive Baptist Church.
The 1850 Stanly County census lists Myrick's last name as Howard, the 1860 Stanly County census lists his last name as Harward. The same thing happened to all his sons that lived in Stanly County. Malekiah Howard another one of Myrick sons lived in Anson County and his name remained Howard. Malekiah Howard is James Thomas Howard's father and Thomas Arthur Howard's grandfather. I have not been able to determine why the family changed their name. Malekiah is buried in the Harward Cemetery with his father Myrick.
James Thomas Howard born in 1837 and his wife Rebecca Jane Allen were born July 24, 1837. They are the parents of Thomas Arthur Howard who many of us remember.
James and Rebecca had a colorful and very difficult life. He was a veteran of the Civil War and was severally wounded. All indications are that he eventually died from this wound. Rebecca was born in Tennessee and her father Miles Allen was killed by a prisoner he had in custody when she was a young girl. The 1850 census shows she and her brothers and sisters were living in Anson County, North Carolina with her mother Eliza Morris Allen Brooks and her stepfather Alexander Brooks.
James volunteered for service in the Confederate Army May 10, 1862. He was a Private in Company K. 26 Reg. North Carolina Infantry (State Troops). He was 5 Ft. 8 1/2 in tall and had black hair, gray eyes and a fair complexion. He was 25 years old at this time,
On September 15, 1862, he was admitted to the Episcopal Church Hospital at Williamsburg VA. He was released for duty on October 14, 1862. He was wounded at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863. Admitted to the Hospital (Richmond General ) July 15, 1863. Transferred to CSA General Hospital in Danville, VA. He deserted the hospital August 18, 1863 and returned to the battlefield. His name was placed on the honor roll.
On September 24, 1886, he was admitted to Broughton Hospital, Morganton, North Carolina. At this time he was 49 years old and they had 10 children. He remained in the hospital until his death on June 5, 1893. He was buried in the hospital cemetery, Grave 29, Row S. The wound at Gettysburg was diagnosed as "Vulerus Sclopet" and evidently caused his death.
James T. Howard volunteered for three years of service May 10, 1862. He re-enlisted and was paid a $50.00 re-enlistment bonus. Time of service was May 10, 1862 to June 19, 1865.
The 1870 census of Anson County taken on September 1, 1870 gave this information: James T. Howard age 33, wife Rebecca Jane age 33, Children; Martha age 13, Mary Catherine age 11, William Henry age 8, Norflet E. age 4, Maliciah Edd age 1.
The 1880 Census of Anson County taken on June 10, 1880 gave this information. James T. Howard age 43, wife Rebecca Jane age 42. Children; Martha age 22, Mary Catherine age 20, William Henry age 18, Norflet E. age 14, Maliciah Edd age11, Benton M. age 8, Hetty V, age 6, Robert F. age 3, Thomas A. 6 months. Jessie was the baby of the family, he died at age 5, and no information is available on his date of birth or death.
Rebecca Jane Allen Howard died on September 27, 1915 and is buried at Silver Springs Baptist Church in Stanly County, North Carolina age 78 years 2 months 7 days.
Thomas Arthur Howard was born December 10, 1879 in Anson County, NC and died January 7, 1951 in Union County, NC. He married Mollie R.Parker, born October 30, 1881 in Anson County, NC and died July 25 1965 in Union County, NC. She was the daughter of Hartswell Parker and Sophronia Allen. Hartswell and Sophronia are buried in the Rocky Mount Baptist Church Cemetery, Burnsville Township, Anson County NC.
Thomas and Mollie raised 5 children, three boys and two girls. The youngest daughter, Frannie was adopted as an infant in Richmond County, NC. They bought a farm on Highway 205 approximately three miles east of New Salem, NC and raised their family at this location. Thomas was a farmer and Mollie a homemaker. All indications are that he was an excellent provider for his family. He had many fruit trees and grape vines on the farm and made cider and wine every year.
For reasons not completely clear they moved their family and all their belongings to Richmond County, North Carolina during the fall of 1916. My father, Fulton Martin Howard was a young boy of 6 years old at the time of this move. He remembered many of the things that happened during the trip and he relayed them to me. They encountered many hardships but the thing that stands out most in my mind was the story about the mules refusing to cross the PeeDee River Bridge. The bridge across this large river did not have a solid floor. As soon as the mules pulling the wagon started to cross they could see through the cracks and this scared them so much they refused to cross. They tried blindfolding them and this did not work either. Apparently they remembered where they were and again they refused to enter. After much thought and delay they decided to take the wagons back up the road for a mile and camp for the night. Before daylight they set out again. They walked in front of the mules' carrying a lantern, holding it in a position to blind them. This time they crossed the bridge and the mules never knew when it happened. The trip was only about 50 miles but moving all the household furniture, farming equipment, canned food and food for the livestock made it a real challenge. They moved to the small community of Eagle Springs, NC. I suspect Thomas had relatives that lived in that area because there are a lot of Howards living in Stanly and Richmond Counties. They stayed there for only one year and then returned back to their home on Highway 205, in Union County.
Grandfather Tom's death was sudden; he left their home on the morning of January 7, 1951 going to visit friends who lived in the Pleasant Hill Church area. When he did not return home in several hours his wife Mollie got worried and went looking for him. She found him lying on the edge of their clover field about 150 yards from the house. It looked as if he sat down to rest and then lay back and went to sleep. The area where he was found was not disturbed as if he had struggled with pain. Soon after his death Mollie sold the farm and built a house across the road from her daughter, Beatrice Howard Brooks on Highway 218, two miles south of New Salem, NC. After her husband's death she lived for 14 years 6 months and 18 days and died July 25, 1965. They are both buried in the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church cemetery, Union County, NC.
Cora Rachel Howard was born November 3, 1896 she was the daughter of William Henry Howard who was the brother of Thomas Arthur Howard. She married Jonah Nance when she was 20 years old and Jonah was almost 40 years of age. They had 8 children and all lived except for one daughter, who died as an infant. As a young boy my best friend was Lyvon (Von) who was their youngest son. The thing that still stands out in my mind was how Aunt Cora made me feel so welcome when I visited their home. I spent many weekends with Von and we always had a great time. Clay and Wilson were both grown men and they acted like they were my older brothers. When they would go on dates with their girlfriends they would take Von and me along and place us in the movie theater in Monroe while they went about the serious business of courting. Every year when the County Fairs came to Monroe and Albemarle they would always carry us to see them. They never left us home, if they went some place they would take us with them.
Jonah inherited a large farm that contained three hundred acres of land when he was a young man. This is where they raised their family. It was located on the banks of the Rocky River, at the end of Army Road in New Salem NC. In his later years Jonah became ill and was hospitalized and this left Aunt Cora and the children to run this big farm without him. They did a great job and there was always plenty at their household. I remember one year that was especially bountiful. It must have been around 1950. This year the weather cooperated and all the crops they planted produced well. After the harvest they were able to have the house wired for electricity. Then they bought a new electric range, refrigerator and washing machine. They had indoor plumbing installed, which gave them running water. What a great convenience this was and it all happen at the same time!
One of the highlights of my young life happened when I was fifteen years old. Wilson allowed me to go with him and some of his older friends to Myrtle Beach South Carolina for a three-day weekend. Back in those days we considered Myrtle Beach to be as close to heaven as you could possibly get. I will always be grateful to Wilson for taking me on that trip. This pretty much typifies how the older boys treated Von and me.
Note; Aunt Cora is not my real aunt but I always called her that out of the great respect and love I felt for her.
Jessie Earl Howard was born June 29, 1904 and was Thomas and Mollies' oldest child. He married Mary Chloe Crisco. They had a large family, 11 children, 8 boys and 3 girls. Earl worked most of his life in the sawmill business. He was considered to be one of the very best "Sawyers" in that part on the County. Chloe was a homemaker and anyone who has raised a family knows what kind of job it must be to care for 11 children. They made their home in several different locations in the New Salem area before moving back to her parents' home place to settle. Earl died on December 7, 1957 at the relatively young age of 53 years old. Like his father he died suddenly, with very little warning. This left Chloe with several small children at home to raise by herself. My mother Rudy Drye Howard always considered her to be one of her very best friends. They both lived in the New Salem area and visited and talked by telephone often. She lived for another 39 years after her husband died and passed away November 2, 1996.
Beatrice Lillian Howard was born September 25, 1905. She was the oldest daughter of Thomas and Mollies' children. She married Fulton Lee Brooks on August 7, 1923. They made their home on land that Fulton inherited from his family. The property is located two miles south of New Salem, NC. They had two daughters, Jolly and Virginia. They were farmers and remained on that property for the rest of their lives. Fulton was a great hunter and fisherman. He was referred to as that era's Daniel Boone because of his great skill and knowledge of wild game and the woods. Fulton was a good provider and they had a good and uneventful life. Fulton Died on September 26,1978 and Beatrice followed him on October 19,1985.
James Hart Howard was the second born boy. He married Carrie B. Brooks. She inherited property on the east side of Highway 218 two miles south of New Salem, NC and they built their home at this location. They had five children, all boys. The first two children Glenn and G.W. were normal healthy, children. The last three were born severely mentally and physically handicapped. Carrie and Hart suffered through all parents worst possible nightmare: they saw all their children die. Bobby died October 27, 1934; at age six months. Wayne died November 6, 1945; nine years old. Emit died May 8, 1950; nineteen years old. G.W. was killed in an automobile accident November 18, 1950. He was 21 years old. Glenn died March 15, 1960; of cancer; he was 32 years old. Glenn married Doris Presson and they had one daughter, Vickie Howard. Carrie and Hart had some input in rearing their granddaughter Vickie. She was a godsend to them especially after having lost all their children.
Fulton Martin Howard was born February 24, 1909, he married Ruby Lee Drye in 1931. They had two children, Edward Dimpy and Reece Haskel Howard. Soon after their marriage they assumed total care for Ruby's two younger sisters, Mildred and Doris Drye. They raised those two girls until they were grown. They were treated just as if they were Fulton and Ruby's daughters. They bought an old, one room schoolhouse from Dora Godwin that is located one half mile south of New Salem, NC. They remodeled the building and made this their home. Fulton was a mechanic by trade and worked hard to help support his family. He suffered from emphysema from the time he was a young man until it caused his death October 23, 1964. Ruby was an extremely dedicated and hard working individual. She worked at public jobs all her life to help support her family. They were both products of the Great Depression of the Thirty's. Being willing to work in those days were not enough because it was almost impossible to find a job. Although material things were not always plentiful in this household in the early years of their marriage, there was always an abundance of love. Maybe that is the most important aspect of any family in the long run anyway. Ruby passed away October 15, 1982.
Frannie Elizabeth Howard was the youngest child and she was adopted as an infant in Richmond County, North Carolina. Her parents, brothers and sister loved her just the same as all the other children. She married Heath Paul Purser who is from Union County, NC. They had one child, Karen Joretta (Tis) Purser. Shortly after their marriage they moved to Concord, NC, where they worked and raised their family. Frannie and Heath kept in touch with the other family members by frequent visits back home. She died November 21,1996 in Concord, NC.
Doing the genealogy research to complete this project was a very rewarding experience for my wife and me. The motivation for doing this report was to help the young people learn who their ancestors are. Also and even more important, if we remember our dead parents and grandparents, our uncles and aunt's and all our ancestors who came before us, we too, will be remembered when we are gone. The thing I enjoyed most was the opportunity to re-establish relationships with friends and relatives that I had not talked to in years. Every one of them was very helpful. I want to give special thanks to my wife Judy Thomas Howard who helped with all the research. The reason genealogy reports are called trees is because they never quit changing, new members are born and old ones pass away. So we can keep this Family Tree current please notify me of any new members or deceased ones and I will add it to our master record. There have been hundreds if not thousands of hours spent doing research and recording the information that went into this report. I want to give special thanks to some people who played a large part in getting this information together.
Margaret C. Pressley of Monroe, North Carolina provided me with all the information on James Howard and his son Myrick, including the location of the homestead, graveyard and so much more. Her research helped me associate Malekiah Howard to his father Myrick Harward. I can't over emphasize her importance in locating and recording the early family members.
Marge and Fred Bishop of Charlotte, North Carolina recorded the war record of James Thomas Howard and all his children, their wives and grandchildren. This information found its way to me by way of Carol Ploff of Standfield North Carolina to Steven Martin Howard of Monroe and then to me. Again, their research helped make this document much richer and more thorough. Thank you Marge and Fred.
Family members who helped with the research and provided family members names are Edward
D. Howard and his wife Fannie Lou Howard, Jolly Brooks Presley, Teresa Brooks Watkins, Virginia Brooks Napier, Karen Joetta Purser Lambert, Doris Presson Howard, Nelly Jeannette (Polly) Howard Robinson, Betty Jo Hill Howard, Mildred Katherine Huggins Howard, Viola Arbutus Howard Efrid, Gary Donald Howard, Charles Kenneth Howard, Keith Douglas Howard. Also Addie Blair Nance Witmore, Betty Vann Nance Jackson, Carrie Nance Price, John Wilson Nance, Henry Hoover Nance and Lyvon Hampton Nance. Thank you all very much.
When this report is finished it is my hope that every member of the family who wants a copy will receive one. I plan to donate 30 copies to family members and hope they intern reproduce copies for other family members. I will also donate a copy to the Family Tree Makers of the World. They will provide a copy to the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. for their records. I will donate a copy to the Union County Genealogy Society. It may be viewed in the Heritage Room at the old courthouse building in Monroe, North Carolina.
Reece H Howard
215 Hillside Drive
Monroe NC 28112
E-mail address: rhoward@interlink-café.com
