Jim Baucom's research on his great grandmother, Mettie Lambert

CHARLES E, BAUCOM [008]                                       METTIE LAMBERT [009]                    

b. SEP 1858 Baucom, Coffee Co., TN                    11 JUN 1869 Baucom, Coffee Co., TN

d. 16 JAN 1924 Huntsville, AL                               31 DEC 1945 Huntsville, AL

m. 1884 Coffee Co., TN

The information presented here on this couple, my great grandparents, came mainly from their son, Estell (Doc) Baucom. Charles Baucom ancestry has been described in the previous pages so now it is time for his wife and her ancestors to be detailed. Doc said that his mother was Mettie Lambert whose father was James Lambert, for whom my father was named. He further stated that Mettie’s mother was The Widow Johnson who had married James Lambert after her husband was killed in the Civil War. Furthermore, James Lambert first wife had recently died so when they married they brought their children from their earlier marriage with them. Doc did not know Widow Johnson’s first name, nor her maiden name. They were found in the Coffee Co., census:

1870                                                                                            1880

James Lambert       55 Farmer b. VA             James Lambert                 61   VA VA VA

Matilda        “        40      TN                         Matilda   “                        40   TN TN TN

Robert Johnston       7      TN                         Leeroy    “                       15   TN VA TN

William        “        18      TN                         Martha         “                  14   TN VA TN        

Sis               “        14      TN                         William        “                    9    TN VA TN

Lee Lambert            5 TN

Arametta “               3 TN

One observation to be made is how different the information is between the 1870 and 1880 census. James has aged 6 years, Matilda’s age unchanged. The Johnston children are gone, the spelling of Arametta’s name is changed to Martha and there is a new son, Willam, since 1870 who is 9, so he did not exist in the 1870 census.

Next, I checked the 1860 Coffee Co. census I found S; B. Johnson, his wife Matilda and children  Hugh 10, William 7, and Lucretia  2. After that the 1850 Bedford Co., TN census provided a clue as to Matilda Johnson’s maiden name.   

Listing 102

Johnson       Nancy          60  SC

                    Delila           34  TN

Listing 103

Mongomery H.T.             42  NC  Methodist Minister  ( Hugh, on some marriage records)

                    Lucretia       47  VA                          

                    Pheba H.      20  TN

Listing 104

Johnson       Samuel         22  TN

                    Matilda F     18  TN    (No children)

    

So two of Matilda Johnson’s children had the same first names as the couple next door and that leads to a high probability that Matilda was the daughter of Hugh and Lucretia Montgomery.  But it became a fact when I obtained a copy of Hugh’s will in Coffee Co. at the court house. He had named as his heirs daughter’s Phoebe and Matilda and his second wife Cassa.

Still later I discovered a web site www.justcallbob.com belonging to a man in St. Louis whose ancestors included Phoebe Montgomery, Matilda’s sister. This is what I received from him:

Name Hugh Tayton Montgomery Rev

Birth abt 1808, North Carolina

Death abt 1887

Burial New Hope Ch. Cem. Fairfield Bedford, Co.

MILI Christen: "Descendants of Jessee Shelton"

Misc. Notes

Rev. Montgomery and Lucretia Howard (widow of John Gregory) lived in Bedford Co., Tn., in 1850 in the 3 Civil District; Beech Grove, Coffee Co., in 1860 and 1870. and in 2 Civil District Bedford Co., Tn., in 1880 and 1900. He married 2nd Effie Jane Walls, Born May 1853. 2 Children by first wife and 2 children by 2nd wife. Montgomery was ordained as a Minister July 4, 1850. The parents of Hugh T. Montgomery had not been documented at this time, however, it is believed that he was the son of John Montgomery, b ca 1781 in Va., who lived next door to him in 1850 in Civil District 1, Bedford Co., Tn., and his wife Matilda, b N.C.. H.T. lived in Bedford Co. until after 1870 then moved to Coffee Co., 3 Civil District by 1880. (SCS note: this info was taken from two different sections from the same soure. It appears to give conflicting statements as to where he lived.) On Dec 12, 1829 Hugh T. and Lucretia Montgomery of Rutherford Co, rec'd from Alexander P. Richmond, administratior, Deed, (Book BB Pg 168, Bedford Co., Tn.) "....Lucretia H. Montgomery, the late wife of John Gregory, deceased, said land being in Bedford Co....34 acres...$100..." This was her dower from John Gregory and included her 1/3 share of his estate...indicating that she may have had 2 children by Gregory, but not stated as such. In deed book M, pg 265, John Gregory rec'd Deed from Archibald Chaffen on July 10, 1820, for 100 acres, $1200, for land in 2 civil district, Bedford Co., located on West Wartrace fork of the Duck River, formerly owned by Jesse Chaffen. "Descendants of Jessee Shelton" Cecil and Louise Shelton

Spouses

1 Lucretia Howard

Birth 15 Jun 1803 

Children Phebia Howard (1830-1893) 

With this additional information Mettie’s ancestor chart can be made as shown on the next page.

Of interest in passing is that on Mettie’s headstone her birth date is June 11, 1869 yet she was 3 years old when the 1870 census was taken. My dad, and several of his brothers said that Mettie was a mean woman and put others before her grandchildren and husband. My dad told me that his grandfather, Charles [008] would re-sole his shoes with leather purchased with his tobacco money because if Mettie would not allow him to buy anything for the grandchildren. And dad and his brother Jesse told me that on Sunday when the preacher came for dinner, with his family the grandchildren had to wait outside until they were finished eating and the got anything that was left over. Dad’s sister Bea said that Charles would bring popcorn to the house for the children. From the few pictures I have seen of Charles and Mettie she appears to be a head taller than him. I would guess that he was just over 5 feet tall.

Charles Emerson Baucom & Mettie Lambert Baucom 

From what I can tell Charles Baucom was a share cropper and a mill worker and it appears tht he never owned any property. They lived in mill housing until he retired, the he and Mettie moved in with their only daughter Lulu Baucom Stolz.  He died in 1924, 67 years of age and Mettie died December 31, 1945 which is ironic since my dad, who disliked her so much died exactly 45 years later on December 31, 1970. There will be a bit more discussion on Charles and Mettie in Doc’s section which is next.