John Houston Winchester (1832 - 1928)

Ancestors

Died 4 Feb 1928 at age 95 in Monroe, Union, North Carolina, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Terry Winchester [send private message]

Biography

John was born about 1834. He is the son of Thomas Didymus Winchester and Nancy Houston. He died 4 Feb 1928^[1]

Research Notes

The Winchester Family

Paper by Mr. J. N. Price, Read at the Celebration at Esq. J. H. Winchester’s Last Week – An Ancient Name and a Long Lived People.

(By Hon. J. N. Price)
[James Newton Price (1866-1932)]

(Published 05 Aug. 1913)

[Subject of Article: John H. Winchester]

Transcribed by Terry Winchester

The name Winchester is an old one and has been a prominent name for centuries, both applying to the name of persons as well as to great cities. The origin of the name or when it came in to existence I am not able to say. But I do know that the name is nearly as old as Christ for we get it from history that there was a town or city by the name of Winchester that existed in the year of our Lord 169, that this town or city was located in the country of England and the chief town of Hampshire, or became so, is or was situated in the middle of the county and about sixty miles in a direct line from London. This city of Winchester is a famous and historical city, for we read of its peculiar streets, of its cathedral, the Castle Hill or Royal palace built in the thirteenth century by Henry the Third, of its great hospital known as Cross founded in 1136 by a bishop of Winchester, of its great colleges, one known as St. Mary's, founded in 1387. A church was built in this city in the year 169, destroyed in the year 269 and restored in the year 293 and converted into a temple in the year 495. In the year 633 this church or temple was pulled down, for history says it was polluted, and a new one commenced. I give this brief piece of history to show that the name is old and it is reasonable to suppose that a family and a very prominent one existed at that time in our mother country England and that the Winchesters of our day and generation is the offspring of those Winchesters, for it is a settled fact that all the Winchesters of this country came from England.

There was a noted divine by the name of Elhanan Winchester who was born in Massachusetts in 1751 and died in 1797, who went to England from this country but returned and died here. During his ministry he established or joined what is known as the open communion Baptists, and became a preacher of universal restoration. He published five letters on the Divinity of Christ, Beauties of the Millennium, the face of Moses Unveiled, ten letters to Tom Paine and wrote hymns on the restoration. I mention this last piece of history not only to support our claim that the Winchesters came from England, and one of the first people, but that they were a religious people and that they were leaders centuries ago. It is not every one that can refer back and trace his ancestral honors to old England. America, as you know, today is composed of every nationality, but the proudest of all is those who can say that while "I am an American and that America is the greatest country in the world, yet I am proud of the fact that I am a descendant of glorious old England," known as the mother country of the United States.

So, as I have said before, the record shows that the Winchester family came from England, and that our Winchester family, that is that Esq. John H. Winchester whose eighty-second birthday we are celebrating today is a descendant of England, of that grand and noble people known as the English Bloods.

They are a most noble people and the Winchester family has proven this through their entire generation. The first of whom we have any direct record connecting up and with Esq. John H. Winchester is of William or Douglass Winchester, who had a brother by the name of Daniel, they being the only two that we can trace any direct connection. [Price doesn’t know for sure if the name is William or Douglass]

In this instance we are going to trace the descendants of William or Douglass Winchester leading up to the present time.

We have no record as to when William or Douglass was born or died, but we do know that his wife was Sara Matthews [I have that Douglass married Sarah Matthews] and they had seven children and one of those seven children was Thomas Winchester [ “Great slave holder” - Barbara Breece ], who was born Jan. 10th, 1774, and died April 22nd, 1864, living to be 90 years, 3 months and 12 days old. He was buried at Pleasant Grove camp-ground. His wife, who was, before marriage, Rachael Finney, was buried in an old field north of the late Geo. D. Wolfe old home place about half way between the house and creek. He was a low stout man with black hair and red complexion and had that prominent high Roman or Winchester nose. You can see this feature of the man in the Winchesters of the present day. He started in life a poor man, but before his death accumulated a lot of wealth, owning from 20 to 25 slaves. He was once the largest tax payer in the county. As is the history of all the Winchester family he was a great church man and church worker. He did not swear nor smoke. I am sorry to say that some of his offspring, even down to the third and fourth generation, has not been as zealous in not smoking as he for I have known a few who would smoke occasionally. Thomas Winchester was the father of six children, which we are going to trace further. He was the father of William, John, Polly. Loyer [sic-Leah], Thomas Ditymas, and G. Allison. Thomas Ditymas Winchester, one of the above named, was the father of Esq. John H. Winchester, of whom we are celebrating his eighty-second birth day. Thomas Ditymas Winchester was born on the l0th day of September, 1807, over a century ago, and married Nancy Houston, a daughter of (as we all called him Uncle Johnie [sic] Houston, of sacred memory. Of this union there were born the following children:

1. John H. Winchester, born February 9, 1832.
2. Elizabeth J. Winchester, born November 17, 1834.
3. George Pinkney Winchester, born January 8, 1838.
4. Thos. McCombs Winchester, born December 28, 1841.
5. Nancy Catherine Winchester, born December 28, 1841.
6. James McKee Winchester, born February 28, 1843.
7. Mary M. Winchester, born April 8, 1845.
8. Susan E. Winchester, born November 20, 1847.

All of these are living in this county to-day [sic] except George Pinkney, who died Oct. 30, 1871, and Elizabeth J., who died June 14, 1866, and James McKee, who was killed in the defense of his country, in the battle of Sharpsburg in Maryland, Sept. 17, 1862, and whose body today is still lying buried in the battlefield on which he died.

The subject of this sketch of which I have already mentioned, via, John H. Winchester, was born on Feb. 9. 1832, and only likes six months from the 9th of this month of being 82 years, or four score and two years old. He was first married to Margarette E. Phifer, daughter of the late Matthew Phifer, on Aug. 29, 1854, who died on Aug. 4, 1856, they only being permitted to live together for about two years. She was a sister of the well known Mr. W. H. Phifer of Monroe. Of this union there was one child born, Dora E. Winchester, who married Mr. S.S. Wolfe. She and her husband are still living.

On March 25, 1858, Mr. Winchester was married the second time to Addie K. Timmons, a daughter of the late Col. King Timmons. She died October 6, 1889. Of this union there were born the following children:

1. Margarett[sic] L. Winchester, horn. Feb. 3. 1859.
2. Benjamin T. Winchester, born Jan. 15, 1861.
3. James C. Winchester, born June 24. I866.
4. Ed. J. Winchester, born July 10, 1868.
5. Hugh H. Winchester, born May 6. 1872.
6. Chas. T. Winchester, born Sept 13. 1874.
7. Henry L. Winchester, born Oct. 10. 1876

All of these children are living except Ben. T. Winchester, who died Oct. 25, 1889, and E. J. Winchester, who died July 1, 1902.

On March 16, 1891, J. H. Winchester was married the third time to M. E. Crowell, daughter of Mr. Frank Crowell, and to this union the following children were born:

1. Amanda R. Winchester, born December 31, 1891.
2. Addie May Winchester, born May 8, 1894.
3. Rose Winchester, born March 30 1896.
4. Samuel, born August 1. 1901.

All of these children are living. Out of a family of eleven children all are living except two, which is certainly a good health record of such a large family and sustains the history of the Winchester family that they are a long lived people.

Mr. Winchester has 21 grand-children and 5 great grand-children. All of his living children either reside in this county or this State except one son, Hugh H. Winchester who has honored the Blue Grass state of Kentucky by establishing his citizenship there, but we hope he will soon return to North Carolina, his native State, for North-Carolina has too few such sons to spare.

The humble writer had the honor of marrying a niece [Nancy Catherine Winchester] of Mr. J. H. [John Houston] Winchester and is proud of the fact that this entitles him to call him uncle. Uncle John, you ought to be a happy man. We all know you are a good man. God has dealt justly with you, has proved you with many years and I pray that He will spare you to yet live to be an hundred years old. You have served your day and generation well. Your State, your county, your neighbors and your community have been richly blessed by having you us a citizen and above all your church, of which you have been and are now the main pillar and the one upon whom we all rely upon has been exceedingly blessed. You have reared a noble family who will hand down the rich heritage that you have left them to other generations yet unborn and centuries from now the Winchester family will be traced back just as we have done today and your name will loom up as one of the grandest of the long line of Winchesters that has ever or ever will live. You ought to be happy in the fact that you possess that which so few do and that is a good name. "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches." No doubt God has spared you and is sparing you for some great purpose. These people here are glad to be with you on this occasion, glad to see you so hale and hearty and glad that you promise to live many years to come.^[2]

Obituary of John H. Winchester

"Lacking only six days of reaching his 96th birthday, Feburary 9th, Squire John H. Winchester, the oldest man in Union county, died Friday night at his home two miles east of town.

For a few years he had been living near Monroe, which was the furthest point that he had ever lived from his birthplace near Wesley Chapel on the farm now known as the Capt. Howie place, which was the home of his father, Thomas Didymus Winchester.

Squire Winchester had reached such an age and was so well known that his death causes a wide spread interest outside of his own family and kindred. He had been helpless for 18 mo., and it had been two and a half years since he came to Monroe. Consciousness came and went during the last months, but it was known by his family that he had his recollection at times even up to two or three weeks ago. For twenty-five days prior to his death he had eaten nothing.

Squire Winchester was a man of temperate habits, had little sickness during his life, and never drank ardent spirits of any kind. He both smoked and chewed up until ten years ago when he one day threw down his pipe and said he had quit tobacco. He never used it again. He was a member of Wesley Chapel Methodist church for 72 years and for many years superintendent of the Sunday School. He was taken in his Mother's arms to Pleasant Grove Camp Meeting and never missed a meeting afterwards except during the war and after he became to feeble to go. Of his brothers and a sister, Mrs. Sudie Howie and Mr. McCombs Winchester, both over eighty, survive him.

He was married three times. his first wife was Miss Margaret Phifer and had one child, Dora, who married Mr. Sam Wolfe. His second wife was Miss Addie Timmons of Anson co. whom he married prior to the Civil War. Six sons and one daughter were born to this union, and of them the following survive, J.C. Winchester, G.T. Winchester, Hugh H. Winchester and Miss Maggie Winchester."^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ "North Carolina Deaths, 1906-1930," database with images, FamilySearch ([1] : 21 May 2014 : accessed September 9, 2018), 004163142, image 32 of 3230; State Department of Archives and History, Raleigh.
2. ↑ Price, J. N., Hon. "The Winchester Family" : Paper by Mr. J. N. Price, Read at the Celebration at Esq. J. H. Winchester’s Last Week – An Ancient Name and a Long Lived People. (The Monroe journal, Monroe, N.C., 05 Aug. 1913 Chronicling American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. [2] : accessed August 2018).
3. ↑ Burkholder, Joy (Contributor), "[WINCHESTER-L] obit", (Rootweb WINCHESTER Mailing List  : 18 April 1999 : accessed 27 November 2016). No publication date, or source cited; Rootsweb mailing lists archives are down at this time. - 8/25/2018.

• Marriage John H. Winchester to Adaline R. Tommon, "North Carolina Marriages, 1759-1979", database, FamilySearch ([3] : 14 February 2020), John H. Winchester, 1858.

• John H. Winchester to Margaret Phifer (1854), North Carolina, Union County, marriage records, Marriage index (male), C.097.63003, 1843-1936