Arabella (Twitty) Magness (abt. 1769 - abt. 1850)

Born about 1769 in Lincoln County, Province of North Carolina

Ancestors

Wife of Joseph Magness — married 3 Aug 1787 in Lincoln, North Carolina, United States

Descendants

Died about 1850 at about age 81 in North Carolina, United States [uncertain]

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Biography

Arabella was born about 1769 in North Carolina. She was the daughter of William Twitty and Susanna Bellars.

Arabella married Joseph Magness on 3 August 1787 in Lincoln County, North Carolina; William Magness was bondsman.^[1] In 1789 Zachariah Magness was convicted of raping Arabella Twity Magness, wife of his brother Joseph. Arabella also accused Joseph of aiding and abetting the act. The papers of Morgan District Superior Court show that on 12 March 1789, the sheriff of Rutherford County, North Carolina, was commanded to seize 54 pounds and 9 shillings from the property of Zachariah Magness for debts and costs in the Morgan Superior Court of Law and Equity "in that case expended whereof the said Zachariah Magness is convicted and liable of record." His sentence for the crime has not been found. Joseph and Arabella apparently divorced following this court case, the exact date is unknown but it was before 1794. Joseph and Arabella had no children.^[2]

On 3 January 1794, "Annabella Magness" formerly Annablla Twitty [sic] of Rutherford County, North Carolina, sold David Miller 85 acres of land adjoining William Twitty's old corner, same having been granted Annabella Twitty, grant No. 156, dated 20 December 1786.^{[3] [4]}

No further information has been found for Arabella/Annabella. It is possible she remarried after 1794.

Arabella Magness Birth Date 1769 Death Date1850 Cemetery Miller-Twitty Cemetery Burial or Cremation Place Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States of America Has Bio? Father William John Twitty Mother Susannah Twitty Graham

• Fact: Burial (about 1850) Miller-Twitty Cemetery, Rutherfordton, Rutherford, North Carolina, United States
• Fact: http://familysearch.org/v1/LifeSketch (copied from the Life Sketch of Zachariah)

The following is a negative but important narrative about incidents in Zechariah's life (Posted in Ancestry: Posted 24 Jun 2014 by kyleigh Magness)

6. Zadchariah Magness was probably born about 1759 in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and appears to be the son of Peregrine Magness and wife Mary. More research needs to be done on Zachariah, but the records of Morgan District Superior Court of North Carolina reveals quite a bit. In 1789 Zachariah was convicted of raping Arabella Twity Magness, wife of his brother Joseph; She also accused Joseph of aiding and abetting the act. The papers of Morgan District Superior Court (in Bucked County?) show that on March 12, 1789, the sheriff of Rutherford County was commanded to seize 54 pounds and 9 shillings from the property of Zachariah Magness for debts and sossts in the Morgan Superior Court of Law and Equity “in that case expended whereof the said Zachariah Magmess is convicted and liable of record.” He was convicted, but his sentence has not been found at this time. In 1789, long prison terms were seldom given; the usual sentences were whipping, branding, or hanging. Was Zachariah executed? or did he receive other punishment and move away? His name has not been found further in the North Carolina records. No claim was made on the estate of his brother William Magness who died in 1816, so we assume that Zachariah had died without heirs by that time.

Sources

1. ↑ "North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979 ," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSCX-PRYC?cc=1726957 : 28 November 2018), > image 1 of 1; North Carolina State Archives Division of Archives and History.
2. ↑ Webb, Thomas G., DeKalb County Historian.Magness History.
3. ↑ Whitley, Edythe. Cantrell - Potter - Magness, ancestry of Alvin Edward Potter, Sr. Nashville, Tenn., 1938. Page 25
4. ↑ Ancestry Image, 1786 Grant

• Magness Migration 1733-1986, compiled by Verna Magness, 1986.
• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 10 August 2020, 02:26), entry for Arabella Twitty (PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:G9CR-N7X ); contributed by various users.
• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 10 August 2020, 02:26), entry for Arabella Twitty(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:G9CR-N7X); contributed by various users.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/90330495/arabella-magness: accessed 24 December 2022), memorial page for Arabella Twitty Magness (1769–1850), Find a Grave Memorial ID 90330495, citing Miller-Twitty Cemetery, Rutherford County, North Carolina, USA; Maintained by McFadden - Foy (contributor 49010767).

Acknowledgment

• Thanks to Nancy Snow for starting this profile.