Thomas Perry Cantrell Sr. (1811 - 1897)

Born 1811 in Henderson County, North Carolina

Ancestors

Husband of Charlotte Arcadia Williams — married 30 Jun 1867 in Transylvania County, North Carolina, United States

Descendants

Died May 1897 at about age 86 in Boone County, Arkansas, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Glenn Cantrell [send private message]

Biography

[Category The Cantrell Family Project

Descendant of William Cantrell, the first Cantrell in North America. William arrived from England with Captain John Smith in Jamestown, Virginia on April 20, 1607 Thomas Cantrill was born in 1803. Enumerated in the U.S. Census, 1860, he is listed as being 57 years old. [1]

By his late twenties, Thomas had become a "Long Hunter" and worked with the famed long hunters of the Appalachians: James Fisher, Jr., John Green, Anderson Smith, Nathan Lankford and others. [2] Although most of these men were listed "farmers" in the census records, as long hunters they would trek from the Dark Corner of South Carolina over Hogback Mountain and into the wilderness of Transylvania. They would spend the winter hunting and the game they killed would be dressed and salted in the field and sold to consumers in Greenville and Asheville.

Sometime around 1839, he married the daughter of James Fisher, Jr. and Darcus Bowling, Mary "Polly" Fisher. He and Polly had ten children together; James Henry, b. 1841; Alexander, 1844; Elizabeth, 1846; Francis Marion, 1848; William, 1850; Alfred, 1852; Calvin, 1854; Milly, 1855; Alben, 1856, and Thomas, 1858. [1][2]

In 1842 and again in 1844, Thomas filed for land on the waters of the Toxaway River in Macon County NC. by 1854 he had 100 acres of land on Flat Creek, waters of the French Broad River. This land is over in the Quebec area close to Oak Grove Baptist Church. The previous land was in the old Toxaway section. [2]

With the coming of the War Between the States, James, Alex, and William enlisted to serve in the 25th Regiment N.C.T. James died 21 Aug 1864 in the fighting around Petersburg VA. Charlotte Arcada "Kady" Williams was engaged to James and she was always around the house and then married the elder Tom Cantrell. They were married on 30 Jun 1867 in Transylvania Co NC. [3]^[1]

Thomas sold his land in the newly-formed county of Transylvania to John Fisher prior to 1870 and made the move to the Lead Hill area of Boone County, Arkansas. His older sons helped the family move and then they returned to the Carolinas. Thomas entered for 160 acres in Boone County in 1878 [2]

Kadie Williams Cantrell was included in the 1880 census^[2] and died in Boone County sometime between the birth of Noah (1882) and the death of Thomas (1897). Thomas' will was probated in Boone County on 14 April 1897. The will was dated 27 March 1897 leaving something to each of his children except Elizabeth and Francis Marion. Frank's children were to get his share. Elizabeth must have died without issue.

It is not known where Thomas Cantrell and Kady Williams Cantrell are buried in Boone County. Polly Fisher Cantrell is buried at the old cemetery at Toxaway in an unmarked grave near her son Francis Marion Cantrell. [2]

Sources

[1] "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD6D-ZZJ : accessed 22 February 2016), Thomas Cantrill, 1860.

[2] Cantrell, Joseph, ''Transylvania County Heritage-North Carolina: Vol. 2, 2008, Transylvania Genealogy Group and County Heritage, Inc., 2008 pp. 110,111; credit is given in this article to "Census Records, NC Land Records, Bureau of Land Management Records, research of Patricia Cantrell, Rachel Cash York, Marcella Rye, and James Cantrell

[3] Letter from Cantrell genealogist Patricia Cantrell, 20 Aug 2012

• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MN7Y-P88 : 14 July 2016), Thomas Cantrell, Sugar Loaf, Boone, Arkansas, United States; citing enumeration district ED 22, sheet 603D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0039; FHL microfilm 1,254,039.
• "North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979 ," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F8GW-YN5 : 22 December 2016), Thomas Cantrell and C. A. Williams, 30 Jun 1867; citing , Transylvania, North Carolina, United States, p. 840181_00024, Office of Archives and History, Division of Archives and Records. State Archive of North Carolina and various county Register of Deeds; FHL microfilm 840,181.

1. ↑ North Carolina, County Marriages
2. ↑ 1880 Census

See also:

• "Tennessee, Death Records, 1914-1955," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NSFX-QY1 : accessed 16 May 2015), Tom Cantrell in entry for Elexander Cantrell, 14 Feb 1934; citing Oak Hill Cemetery, Lawrence County, Tennessee, cn 3364, State Library and Archives, Nashville; FHL microfilm 1,876,810.

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