Visit to Chester & York Counties in South Carolina

In late August, my husband & I took a trip over to South Carolina to visit the area where Josias Lock lived (grandfather of Josiah Locke & great grandfather of Gus Thomas Leon Locke). We also hoped to find some more information/clarification on the children of Josias Lock. And information we did find... Despite my delay in posting any of the details, we were able to handle the originals of Josias' probate documents (1820s!), land transfers for Joseph & Mary Lock, land transfer with the signatures or marks of the heirs of Josias Lock, obits of the children of Levi Locke & more.

I have scans of photocopies of some, photographs of others--all will be posted soon...

We visited:
Chester Co. Probate Court
Chester Co. Courthouse (for land transfers, deeds, etc.)
SC Archives
Historical Center of York Co. (This place wins my own personal award hands down for being the most helpful!)
York Co Library at Rock Hill (for obits in the Rock Hill Herald)
Catawba Baptist Church cemetery

Here are some brief snapshots of the trip:

The Courthouse in Chester County

The basement of the Courthouse, there was a single light & it was so dirty & musty. The books were just everywhere...



On the way to Rock Hill, York Co.
The Catawba Baptist Church
(Levi Locke's family were one of the original families)

The adventurous amateur family historians

P.S. You can enlarge the images by clicking on them.

Counties in Eastern Tennessee

For those wanting to have an easy reference to the locations (and county records) in Eastern Tennessee, here is a nice map that I use. It will actually link you to the GenWeb sites for each county.

Linkable map of Eastern Tennessee.

The Lockes initially moved into Meigs County from South Carolina. Meigs County is located between Chattanooga and Knoxville along the Tennessee River and was Cherokee country. It was also the origin of the infamous "Trail of Tears". In the 1860 census, Josiah and Elizabeth lived in the area called Limestone Post Office west of Cleveland TN.

The children of Josiah later moved to the Jasper area of Marion County, just west of Chattanooga. McMinn and Bradley counties as well as Hamilton County are also locations with family ties.

-- David

Mary Culp, the mother of Josiah Locke

Mary Culp Reeves Locke was born about 1795 in Chester, South Carolina to John Culp & Elizabeth Hyatt [source #1,3]. She married William Cook Reeves and had at least 4 children with him [source #1-3]. William dies in 1818 leaving her with 4 young children, Rhoda, Mary Y., Ruth, and Linsey [source #1]. She remarries Joseph Lock between 1819-1822 [source #2, 3]. It is possible that there was some family link prior as Joseph's sister-in-law was a Culp [Nancy Agnes Culp, wife of Jesse Lock], but there is no direct evidence for this yet.

Joseph & Mary have 5 additional children: Sarah Ann Lock (1823), Nancy M. Lock (1829/1830), Josiah Lock (1830), Martha Lock (1835), and Jonathan Lock (1836). Sometime before 1837, 3 of Mary's daughters are married: Mary Y. marries Henry W. Horne; Ruth marries Levi Lock; and Rhoda marries Stephen Lock [source #2]. The other daughter, Linsey, dies sometime between 1818-1837 as she is not listed in the land conveyance as an heir [source #2]. Linsey may or may not have been married before her death, but would not have had children if she was married. Levi & Stephen Lock are relatives of Joseph--Stephen is Joseph's brother and Levi is a cousin (the son of Joseph's uncle Stephen to be exact). This is not unusual as marrying cousins/relatives was a common practice in that time.

Below is the 1840 York, SC census that shows Joseph & his 2 step-son-in-laws, Henry W. Horne & Levi Lock all listed as living next door to each other:

Around 1845-1849, Joseph & Mary moved their family to Meigs, TN. Rhoda & Mary Y. also both move their families to Meigs, TN during this time period. Ruth does not move, but dies between 1848-1850 [Not listed in 1850 census, but daughter Ruth A. born in 1848]. It is possible Ruth Reeves was pregnant or already deceased at the time of the moves. Ruth Reeves' widower, Levi Lock, remarried Malinda Shurley before the 1850 census. Rhoda's husband Stephen dies sometime between 1840-1850 [He is listed in the 1840 Chester census, but not in 1850 Meigs, TN census--only Rhoda is listed].

The 1850 Meigs, TN census shows Josiah Locke, his half-sister Mary Y. Horne & her family, and Joseph Lock's families are all living next door to each other. Rhoda is listed on the following page. In 1860, Josiah's family is living next door to his half-sister Rhoda & her family (cont. on next pg of census).

Between 1850 & 1860, Josiah marries Mary Elizabeth McClellan, Joseph dies, and the Hornes move to Morgan, AL. Below they are listed in the Morgan, AL census for 1860 & 1870. Henry dies before 1870 & so is not listed in the 1870 census.

Mary Culp is last listed in the 1860 census as a widow with the 2 youngest children at home. I cannot find any evidence of her after that so she likely died 1860-1868.

The Culp family & Reeves family in South Carolina has had much published & done on it, so all I had to do in FamilySearch was to add Joseph Lock as the 2nd husband of Mary Culp and add Mary & William Reeves' daughters. The information on Henry W. Horne was also complete in FamilySearch, except for his wife Mary Y. Reeves' maiden name.

Other Sources:
1. The LWT of William Cook Reeves lists John Culp as his father-in-law, his wife Mary and his four surviving children Rody, Mary, Ruthy & Linsey (dated 18 Oct 1818; filed for probate Mar 1819).

2. Deed BB287- Land conveyance by Joseph & Mary Lock, Stephen & Rhoda Lock, Henry W. & Mary Y. Horne, Levi & Ruth Lock, the heirs of W.C. Rieves, dec. to Sarah Walker (dated 20 Oct 1837).

3. "A Genealogical Sketch of the Rives Family of Chester County, S.C." by William Boyce White, Jr. in "The Bulletin" produced Chester District Genealogical Society, Vol 12:3, 1989. pg 81, notes that "Mary (Culp) Rives, after William Cook Rives' death, married second Joseph Locke." It also lists Elizabeth Hyatt & John Culp as Mary's parents. Spouses of the 3 daughters are also listed.

The Ancestry of Josiah Locke

Kate Locke's paternal grandparents, Josiah Locke & Mary Elizabeth McClellan, have been somewhat of a "family history dead-end" until recently. Josiah & Mary Elizabeth both died very young, with Josiah dying at 38y in 1868 & Mary Elizabeth dying at 34y in 1866. Their deaths left their four young children as orphans, the oldest child only 11 years old. They were placed into multiple homes and raised apart until the oldest sister was able to bring them back together. It is still not known why the children were not placed with family members [more details to follow].

The death of their parents, leaving the Locke children orphaned at young ages, is likely where the gap in information came. The children were too young to have much information passed down to them, so it is no surprise that the parents names and death dates were all that was really known. Birth locations were inferred from census records, and diligent efforts over the years to gather information on the Lock line in South Carolina resulted in some basic information and a few pieces of the puzzle.

Using the prior information gathered in the 1970's, along with the added help of online census records and other information, I have been able to confirm or find the following information on the ancestry of Josiah Locke:

1. Josiah was born in Chester, SC in 1830.
Sources: 1850/1860 Meigs, TN censuses.

2. Josiah was the son of Joseph Locke & Mary Culp Reeves Locke. Mary Culp was the widow of William Cook Rives/Reeves. [See this post for more info on Mary Culp.]
Source: Land conveyance for the heirs of William Cook Rives (20 Oct 1837); LWT of William Cook Rives (18 Oct 1818). Notation also made in article titled "A Genealogical Sketch of the Rives Family of Chester County, S.C." by William Boyce White, Jr. in "The Bulletin" produced Chester District Genealogical Society, Vol 12:3, 1989. pg 81, notes that "Mary (Culp) Rives, after William Cook Rives' death, married second Joseph Locke."

3. Other children of Joseph & Mary include: Sarah Ann (born abt 1823), Nancy M. (born abt 1830), Martha (born abt 1835), Jonathan (born abt 1836).
Sources: 1850/1860 Meigs, TN censuses.

3. Joseph Lock was born about 1796 & died between 1850 and 1860. Mary Lock was born about 1795 & died between 1860 and 1870.
Source: Joseph Lock listed in 1850 Meigs, TN census but not in 1860 or later. Mary Lock listed in 1850/1860 Meigs, TN censuses but not in 1870 or later. Birth year is estimated from ages on the 1850/1860 Meigs, TN censuses.

4. Joseph Locke (father) was a son of Josias Lock and a sibling of Benjamin, Asa, Jesse, Sarah & Priscilla Lock.
Source: Land conveyance for the heirs of Josias Locke (25 Nov 1826).

5. Josias Lock (grandfather) died in Chester, SC in 1826.
Source: Land conveyance for the heirs of Josias Locke (25 Nov 1826), Josias Lock listed in 1810/1820 Chester, SC censuses but not in 1830 or later.

6. Between 1845-1849 Joseph Lock moved his family to Meigs, TN. Two of the married Reeves daughters from Mary Culp Reeves Locke's first marriage also moved to Meig, TN during that period.
Sources: 1830 York, SC census; 1850/1860 Meigs, TN censuses.

7. Joseph's brother, Jesse Lock, had moved from Chester, SC to Meigs, TN earlier between 1832-1836.
Sources: 1830 Chester, SC census; 1850 Meigs, TN census- Indicates 19y son born in SC & 14y son born in TN.

Hopefully that helps as a summary,
Kristen (great granddaughter of Kate Locke)

P.S. The films have been ordered for the documents listed. So as not to have too much source info, I have not included the full reference for the various probate/land record books. Scanned copies will be posted as soon as they are obtained. Otherwise you can contact myself or my dad (David) for the exact film source, or look on new.familysearch.org under the various individuals.

The 3 Josiah Lockes

In my recent research on Josiah Locke's roots in Chester, S.C. I have come across some confusion on various family history sites' message boards. So this post is to help eliminate this confusion & prevent further misidentification.

There are 3 Josiah Lock(e)s born in Chester, S.C. from 1830 to 1840. They are NOT the same person, as you will see below, but it is very likely that all 3 are related. It was very common for family names to get used again & bestowed on grandchildren, sons, nephews, etc. I think this will prove to be the case with these 3 Josiah Lockes. Additionally, a older Josias Lock dies in Chester, S.C. between 1820-1830 (as he is listed in 1810 & 1820 census but not after 1820), so it is very possible that all 3 were named in honor of this recently deceased relative.

Note: Click on the census images to see them larger

Josiah Lock #1
Son of Joseph & Mary Lock & grandson of the above mentioned Josias Lock. Husband of Elizabeth McClellan. Born in 1830 & dies in 1868. Moved to Meigs, TN as a teenager. This is the Josiah Lock of whom Kate Locke is a descendant. He is living in Meigs, TN in 1850 & 1860.

1850 & 1860 Meigs, TN census

Josiah Lock #2
Son of Levi Lock & Ruth Reeves. Ruth Reeves or Rives is the half-sister of Josiah #1 [see this post on Mary Culp Rives Lock]. Stepson of Malinda Shurley Lock, whom Levi married after Ruth's death. Born in 1839. He is living in York, SC in 1850 & 1860.

1850 & 1860 York, SC census

Josiah Lock #3
Son of Mary & Benjamin Lock [more to come later]. Husband of Dorothy White. Born in 1834 & killed on June 17, 1864 in VA as a Confederate soldier. He is living in Chester, SC in 1850 & 1860.

1850 & 1860 Chester, SC census: In 1850 Josiah is living with his mother, while in 1860 he is listed with his wife & daughter.