Benjamin Lassetter (1778 - 1869)

Born 12 Dec 1778 in Nash, North Carolina, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Hill) Lassetter — married 5 May 1800 in Greene, Georgia, United States

Husband of Divina (Howard) Lassetter — married 19 Feb 1854 in Coweta, Georgia, United States

Descendants

Died 23 Aug 1869 at age 90 in Banning, Carroll, Georgia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Julia Ryan [send private message] and Denise Headrick [send private message]

Biography

Benjamin was born in 1778. He was the son of Tobias Lassetter and Pleasant Sally Bushyhead. He passed away in 1869.

Benjamin Lassetter was born in 1778, in the part of Nash County that became Rutherford County, North Carolina. His father Tobias was 28 and his mother Elizabeth was 18.

Benjamin married Elizabeth "Betsy" Hill April 22, 1801, in Greene County, Georgia.^[1] They had five sons and 10 daughters. They lived in Campbell County, Georgia.^[2][3]

He married Melvina Divine Embry February 19, 1854 in Coweta County, Georgia.^[4] They lived in Campbell County, Georgia.^[5]

He died on August 23, 1869, in Carroll County, Georgia, at the age of 92. He was buried at Saint Paul Methodist Church Cemetery, Whitesburg, Carroll County, Georgia, USA.^[6]

Children

1. Sallie married Bassett Northern
2. Maria married Wesley Camp
3. Hannah married Ben. Watkins
4. Ferraby married William Boone
5. Nancy married Jesse Boone
6. Polly married William Rendon
7. Elizabeth married Lindsay Holland
8. William F married Parthena Brown
9. Jas. Y married Amanda Lasseter
10. Benjamin married Celia Goolsby
11. Cheedle married Martha Mullins

Marriage

Benjamin Lasseter in the Georgia, Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978

Name: Benjamin Lasseter

Gender: Male

Marriage Date: 19 Feb 1854

Marriage Place: Coweta, Georgia, USA

Spouse: Melvina Embry

Spouse Gender: Female

Benjamin Lester in the Georgia Marriages to 1850 Name: Benjamin Lester Spouse: Betsy Hill Marriage Date: 22 Apr 1801 Marriage County: Greene Marriage State: Georgia

Military

Benjamin Lassiter in the U.S., War of 1812 Service Records, 1812-1815

Name: Benjamin Lassiter

Company: 8 REG'T (MAGNIEN'S) VIRGINIA MILITIA.

Rank - Induction: PRIVATE

Rank - Discharge: PRIVATE

Roll Box: 122

Microfilm Publication: M602

Transcription of Document From: Civil Archives Division-National Archives and Records Service, Washington DC 20403

Cherokee Claims-Lasseter et al Affidavit of Lindsay Holland #41938

Georgia, Carroll CO. In the matter of Eastern Cherokee Indian Claims Of Cheedle B. Lasseter #41938 and others claiming a share in the funds in Court of Claims as to the Cherokee origin of Benjamin Lasseter for Tobias Lassiter.

In person appeared before me, M. D. Waktins a [notary public] in and for said county, Lindsay Holland, whom I certify to be a citizen of high refute [sic] and worthy of full credit, who being by me duly sworn, says:

My name is Lindsay Holland. My age is 83 years. I was born Fayette CO, Georgia, on July 28 1824.

I was well acquainted with Benjamin Lasseter. I became acquainted with him about January 1, 1835.

I married his daughter, Elizabeth on Dec. 19, 1841. After my marriage with his daughter, I was closely and intimately acquainted with him to the day of his death, which occurred at his home in Carroll CO, Georgia on August 23, 1869.

I knew every member of his family and whom each of his children married. He had seven daughters and four sons as follows:

1. Sallie married Bassett Northern
2. Maria married Wesley Camp
3. Hannah married Ben. Watkins
4. Ferraby married William Boone
5. Nancy married Jesse Boone
6. Polly married William Rendon
7. Elizabeth married Lindsay Holland
8. William F married Parthena Brown
9. Jas. Y married Amanda Lasseter
10. Benjamin married Celia Goolsby
11. Cheedle married Martha Mullins
12. Every one of them is dead. I am the only survivor of them all.

I was intimate with them all and their families and I know that all descendants from any of them were the direct legal descendants of BENJAMIN LASSETER. I was familiar with all the peculiarities of the ancestor, Benjamin Lasseter, and the points and traits that marked him as of Indian origin.

There were many Cherokees scattered over the county where I first knew him, and my conviction that he was descended from them was based to a great extent on his general resemblance in many respects to the Cherokees, both in his appearance, habits, tasts [sic] etc.

When I first knew him he was rather tall and erect-straight as an arrow--…age left its mark on him. He wore his hair long—sometimes nearly to his waist. His hair was black, straight and glossy, like an Indian’s. His nose was straight. (unreadable) had the peculiar shape common to that tribe. He had high cheekbones. He loved the solitude of the woods and was an ardent and successful gunner and trapper and fisherman.

General tradition was that he was about ¼ Cherokee Indian of the Notoway Tribe, or branch in Rutherford CO, North Carolina. He was said to have been born there on December 12, 1778 as gathered from the family records, and to have married Elizabeth Hill, about the__day of__.

It has been handed down as a well-established tradition from that day to this, that when he married he wore his long black hair plaited to his loins and robed and dressed in Indian trappings. He has often told me about this himself, and prided himself with his oft repeated boast that he didn’t know the exact amount of Indian blood in his vains [sic], that it might be one fourth or more or less, but that he was glad he had some, for he thought it the best blood in him, and was proud of it to the day of his death.

Honesty was a prominent virtue in his make-up. He was faithful to his friends, his promises, and the truth. To illustrate: He was an “upright and most intelligent man”, and although he didn’t know a letter he was in the grand jury box and was called to serve on the grand jury in Henry CO, Georgia (no education).

A law had just been passed making it a crime to shoot deer by firelight. The judge charged the jury especially on their sworn duty to find bills against any violators, as the cattle and stock were being killed rightly. Said he wanted to make an example of somebody and his punishment would be severe.

Now Mr. Lassetter had been out “shining” several nights, and always got the right game, others killed cows, calves etc. but with true Indian instinct he never made a mistake. It was always a deer.

When the jury retired, he said he was guilty that he didn’t know it was against the law but he did now, and that he wanted his case disposed of so he could act in good conscience on others that might arise.

On his insisting they found the True Bill and he carried it to the judge himself.

The judge was astonished: “Are you not the man, Mr. Lasseter?” “Yes, your honor, but I want to plead guilty. I have killed lots of deer that way, but I didn’t know it was against the law ‘til you told us. I want to pay a fine for I don’t feel like voting against my neighbors ‘til I clear my own shirts.”

The judge was so carried away with his frank, honest statement that he said “Mr. Lassetter, your case is a very unusual one. I wish all the jurors in my circuit were like you. We’d put a stop to shooting people’s stock. I wish I could get out of imposing a fine on you, but the law says I must. The minimum fine is $5.00. Mr. Clerk, collect a fine of $5.00 inclusive of the costs, from Mr. Lassetter.”

This circumstance is a true index of the character of Benjamin Lasseter for honesty and the love of truth for truth’s sake.

When I asked him for his daughter, he said, “Lindsay, I have but one objection. You both are most too young.” I told him that we were young, but we suited each other and we thought we could pull together, and get along. And the sooner the better. He replied that, “There was another fact he wanted to tell me. He said if he gave his daughter away he wanted me to know that I was marrying a girl with right smart Indidan blood in her veins, and that now was the time for me to find it out, so that I could back out now if I wanted to, and not wait til I married her and then blame her for what she couldn’t help.” “He said he had told everyone this, who had married his daughters, when they asked for them. I told him she suited me, Indian blood or no Indian blood, and so we were happily married, and I never had reason to regret my choice.

Another circumstance to corroborate the statement of Benjamin Lassetter as to his Indian origin is this. I visited him with my wife in the spring after we were married. Two well dressed young men passed on horseback. “Law, law, law”, he exclaimed (a favorite expression). “How different. Look at them boys, Lindsay. I never had a hat nor shoes, nor pants til I was over fifteen years old.” I asked him how he got along without shoes in winter. “I wore moccasins made of buckskin.” “How did you get along without a hat?” “Oh, I wore and Indian bonnet.” “And you had no pants?” “No I had a slip or robe. It had a hole for my neck, and was all in one piece. It came below my knee and had a band around it. I plowed many a day in one, and barefooted. I was raised by Indians and among them and this was the way they dressed. I never went to school a day and don’t know one letter from another, but I know how to be honest and tell the truth.”

These circumstances and every other fact connected with his life and conduct causes me and everyone who knew him to have implicit confidence in his oft repeated statement and boast that he was a “Cherokee”.

There are very marked traits of the Indian in many of his descendants, the Boones and Lassetter children, especially.

It has been understood all along that Benjamin Lassetter, and his father Tobias L. were on the Government Rolls in Rutherford CO, NC as registered Cherokee and that they had been returned on the US Census Returns as being of 1/8 Indian blood.

The Records of NC are reported to have been burned years ago and the aid of the census records is invoked to show the Cherokee Indian origin of Benjamin and Tobias Lassetter of Rutherford, NC.

I am not personally interested as I have no claim (my wife being dead) but my children and grandchildren are.

[Signed,]

Lindsay Holland

The foregoing affidavit, sworn to and subscribed before me, and I certify the contents of the same were fully made known to the witness before he signed it and that I have no interest in the result of the claims mentioned.

[Signed]

M. D. Watkins (Not Pub.) [notary public] Carroll CO., GA. October 9, 1907

I found this document, referred to as the "Notoway Document", which is a photo copy of a bad carbon copy, fascinating to read. So I took it upon myself to transcribe it in hopes that it would be of use to others. To the best of my ability it is faithful to the original document posted on Ancestry.com to numerous Lasseter family member profiles. Susanne Lasseter June 2012

• Source

Transcription of Notoway Doc 1907, GA Affidavit of Lindsay Holland re Lasseter/Notoway Susanne Lasseter originally shared this on 25 Jun 2012 http://mv.ancestry.com/viewer/8dea99e0-ab60-4e13-8af7-05fbef73efeb/40620418/19927989618?_phsrc=QYh2385&usePUBJs=tru

Research Notes

Conflicting death information in a merge 12/2022:

• Died 23 Aug 1869 at age 90 in Whitesburg, Carroll, Georgia, United States
• Died 23 Aug 1869 at age 90 in Banning, Carroll, Georgia, United States

Sources

1. ↑ "Georgia, County Marriages, 1785-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KXJZ-PQF : 23 July 2019), Benjimon Lester and Betsey Hill, 22 Apr 1801; citing Marriage, Greene, Georgia, United States, Georgia Department of Archives and History, Morrow, FHL microfilm 159,052.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHBC-1JD : 15 August 2017), Benjamin Lassetter, District 757, Campbell, Georgia, United States; citing p. 18, NARA microfilm publication M704, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 38; FHL microfilm 7,042.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZYJ-3VX : 12 April 2016), Benjamin Lasseter, Campbell county, Campbell, Georgia, United States; citing family 493, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
4. ↑ "Georgia Marriages, 1808-1967," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FW4Z-62S : 11 February 2018), Benjamin Lasseter and Melvina Embry, 19 Feb 1854; citing , Coweta, Georgia; FHL microfilm 470,365.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZMH-G3H : 13 December 2017), Benjamin Lasseter, 1860.
6. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 20 November 2019), memorial page for Benjamin Lassiter (12 Dec 1778–23 Aug 1869), Find A Grave: Memorial #59040936, citing Saint Paul Methodist Church Cemetery, Whitesburg, Carroll County, Georgia, USA ; Maintained by Ellece Burns Varnes (contributor 47103719).

• Source Information

Ancesrty.com. Georgia, Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=GAMarriages&h=1184343&tid=11091065&pid=1218342770&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&rhSource=7836

• Source Information

Dodd, Jordan. Georgia Marriages to 1850 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997. http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=eamga&h=108329&tid=11091065&pid=1218342770&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&rhSource=4766

• Source Information

Direct Data Capture, comp. U.S., War of 1812 Service Records, 1812-1815 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999. http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=1812muster&h=9596&tid=11091065&pid=1218342770&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&rhSource=2085

• Source

Transcription of Notoway Doc 1907, GA Affidavit of Lindsay Holland re Lasseter/Notoway Susanne Lasseter originally shared this on 25 Jun 2012 http://mv.ancestry.com/viewer/8dea99e0-ab60-4e13-8af7-05fbef73efeb/40620418/19927989618?_phsrc=QYh2385&usePUBJs=tru

• Family Search