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Note: It had seemed probable that Williamson may be the maiden name of the 5 Virgina sisters due to Judith's Aunt Polly Williamson's being apparently single so close to the birth of her daughter Sally (Sally born in 1827/1828, evidence of Polly/Mary's still single status in 1830). Also Sally's death certificate in 1912 names no father but lists the mother's maiden names as "Polly Williamson" (which still needed corroborating evidence, see notes on Mary/Polly Williamson and her daughter Sarah/Sally Williamson that married William Bryant). There were a few other supporting items that are no longer really needed due to the first item below "Act to alter the names". It was also apparent that there was another daughter in the William and Julia Household born on or before 1810. And Judith was named in her Aunt Tabitha's will in 1847 and the bastardy record in 1838 and was at the estate sale of William Dickinson in 1843. But the below General Assembly act and more importantly Guy Pott's posting of it, settled both Judith's place in the family and Julia's (and her full sisters) maiden name as Williamson.
Wayne County, NC Judith Williamson & Narcissa Killingsworth -
Act to Legitimate, 1826
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An Act to alter the names of the person therein mentioned, and to legitimate them. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That the name of Judith Williamson, the illegitimate daughter of William Dickenson and Julia Dickenson, of the county of Wayne, be altered to that of Judith Dickenson; and that the name of Narcissa Killingsworth, of said county, the illegitimate daughter of Blake Hooks and Peggy Hooks, be altered to that of Narcissa Hooks. And be it further enacted, That the said Judith and Narcissa, be, and they are hereby declared to be legitimated, and forever shall be capable to possess, inherit and enjoy, by descent or otherwise, any estate either real or personal, to all intents and purposes, as if they had been born in lawful wedlock.
Source:
NC Archives
Public and Private Laws of North Carolina 1826
Chapter LXXVIII Page 47-48
Copyright. All rights reserved.
http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm
This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by
Guy Potts - gpotts1@@nc.rr.com
There was suspicion of the Williamson name before and seen the original since this posting by Guy Potts, but it would have been a long long time before I would have ever resorted to looking through those Public and Private Laws books, so all thanks to Mr. Potts. (I have since looked through these books for a couple of other missing pieces of other puzzles and turned up nothing) This form of legitimation was ended in 1835 (deferred to the local counties).
This is the first mention of Judith in any records.
The second mention is no less settling for folks looking a tame family tree. Note that while all of Judith's brothers and sisters where literate, she did not sign her name, I assume even 7 days after a birth without epidurals and such, a literate woman would have their whereabouts to sign their name.
C.R.103.102.4 1838 (NC State Archives) State of N Carolina} to any lawful officer to execute
Wayne County } and return
Whereas information hath been made to us two of the justices of the peace for the said County that Judith Dickinson of the said County, single woman, hath been delivered of a child, which child is a bastard and may become chargeable to the county, these are therefore to command you to apprehend and bring before us or any two justices for the county aforesaid the aforesaid Judith Dickinson to answer the matter alleged against her as aforesaid for which this shall be your sufficient warrant. Given under our hands and seals in the county aforesaid the 29th day of January AD 1838.
Gab'l Sherard JP
W D Holland JP
State of N Carolina}
Wayne County } The examination of Judith Dickinson in the said county, single woman, taken on oath before us Gab'l Sherard and Woodard Holland, two of the justices of the peace in and for the said county this 30th day of January AD 1838 who saith that she is delivered of a child which child is a bastard and may become chargeable to the county aforesaid and that Calvin Peacock in the said county, shoemaker, is the father of the said child.
her
Judith X Dickinson
Mark
Taken before us and signed the day and year above written.
Gab'l Sherard JP
W G Holland JP
State of N Carolina}
Wayne County } to any lawful officer of the County aforesaid Whereas upon the examination of Judith Dickinson, single woman, this day taken upon oath before us it appears the she hath been delivered of a child, which child is a bastard and may become chargeable to the said county, and that the said Judith Dickinson hath confessed that Calvin Peacock of the county aforesaid, shoemaker, did beget the said child and hath charged him with the same. These are therefore to command you to apprehend the said Calvin Peacock and bring him before us or any two justices of the peace for the said county him to answer the said charge. given under our hands and seals in the county aforesaid this 30th day of January AD 1838.
Gab'l Sherard JP
W D Holland JP
State of N Carolina}
Wayne County } Know all men by the presence that we Calvin Peacock and Wm H Bizzell both of the county aforesaid are held and personally bound unto the state aforesaid that is the Calvin Peacock in the sum of two hundred dollars and the said Wm H Bizzell in the sum of one hundred dollars to be levied of goods and chattels, lands and tenements if we should make default in the conditions underwritten. The condition of the above obligation is such that whereas the bounden Calvin Peacock hath been charged by Judith Dickinson that he had carnal knowledge of her body and hath been delivered of a child by him the said Calvin Peacock which child is a bastard. Now therefore if the said Calvin Peacock shall personally appear before the justices of the county court of pleas and quarter sessions to be held for the county court aforesaid on the 3rd Monday in Feb'r next then and there to abide by and perform what shall then be enjoined him by the said court then the above conveyance to be void and of no effect otherwise to remain in full force and virtue.
January 30th 1838
Test. Gab'l Sherard JP Calvin Peacock
W D Holland JP Wm H Bizzell
C.R.103.508.48 NC State Archives
An account of sale of the property of William Dickinson Dec'd made by Elijah Coleman his Executor on the 15th day of September 1843 on a credit of six months.
(excerpt)
1 bed, bestead & furniture Elizabeth Dickinson
1 " " " Judith Dickinson
1 " " " Penelope Dickinson
1 " " " James Dickinson
1 " " " Henry Dickinson
1 " furniture & bed clothes Julia Dickinson widow
Will of Tabitha Jones, Wayne Co. NC, Will Book 10 page 479
(Microfilm C.103.80006 NC State Archives)
(excerpt)
And it is my will and desire that the residue of my property not above given off in this my last will to be sold and together with any notes, accounts and money after paying my just debts to be divided in three parts. etc. The other part to be equally divided between Leonard Dickinson son of Judith Hoskins alias Judith Dickinson and Elizabeth Dickinson daughter of Henry Dickinson unto them and their heirs forever.
etc. In witness whereof I have here set my hand and affixed my seal this January 27 AD 1847.
Tabitha Jones
The January 1838 bond regarding Judith Dickinson and the 1847 mention of Judith Hoskins as mother of Leonard Dickinson together with cemetery records of Leonard Dickinson's birth as 22nd January, 1838, as well as 1900 census record of his birth (Jan. 1838), and Leonard's presence in the Dickinson household in the 1850 census (Julia notes, Leonard notes) leave no doubt that Judith married a Hoskins by 1847 ( and apparently by 1846 putting the ages of her apparent children together from the 1850 and 1860 census records) and also that she was no where to be found from 1850 forward and that Penelope Dickinson, her sister, stepped in and acted as mother (see notes on Penelope Dickinson and Susan Hoskins). John or Jonathan S. Hoskins is the only adult male occurrence of this name from this point back for decades and is unmarried in 1850 therefore seemigly the only and most likely candidate for her husband, though not proven (see notes on John S. Hoskins).
The 1850 census shows no Judith but a proven son of hers (Leonard) living with Judith's mother and sister with three younger children as well.
1850 NC Wayne Census page 184b North S. Neuse (half the county) all in Dwelling and family number 583
Julia Dickinson 68 female white $1,500 birth Va reads
Penelope " 37 female white birth NC reads
Leonard " 13 male white birth NC school
William " 4 male white birth NC
Henry " 4 male white birth NC
Susan " 1 female white birth NC
It should be remembered that while William Dickinson claimed Judith as his and it is counter to evidence to theorize otherwise, Judith is the only one of the five children that did not learn to read and write and the only one William Dickinson didn't bother to mention in his will (not even to exclude her). Judith's surviving child born in wedlock to Judith wasn't even considered an heir later when a childless daughter of William died although the other 3 siblings (or representatives) were. There is a tale in this family of olive skin due to somebody being from Poland, and William Dickinson Senior had dealings with man, free person of color with an Eastern European name, Cato Sabo, but on paper, Judith is daughter of William Dickinson junior. This name is so rare in the nation in 1810 and 1820 that this man is the only occurrence of it in the country, in the late 1800's other people of this surname appeared, usually with Hungarian origin, but sometimes, Polish. This is stated just in case anything ever comes to light, here is what is known about Cato Sabo:
Simon Peacock, who was personally appointed executor by William Dickinson Senior, peitioned in 1800 for the freedom of a slave, Cato, in his care. (Possibly the same Cato?) The 1800 census shows one slave in Simon Peacock's home and two free persons of color in William Dickinson Senior's home (he being a Quaker would not have owned slaves). in 1805, William Dickinson sells land to Cato Sabo. In 1807 Allen Rhodes, representative from Wayne County petitions in Raleigh, for Cato Sabo, "free person of color" of Wayne County who practices medicine there to be able to pursue his debts against whites, this does not succeed, Cato soon loses his farm to debts, he can be found in the 1810 and 1820 census then no more. In both census records he is "other free" or "free person of color", but an interesting revelation comes to light also, by 1820 there are people listed as white in the home, appearing as if a free white married into the family and the children of the union were considered white, so whatever the race admixture that incurred the "other free" it may have been marginal to the point that one intermarriage would produce a legal "white", there was no such animal as a "one drop rule" in this era, whether the drop be African or Gypsy or whatever else. Apparently (from living arrangements, land transactions, and notes the Dickinsons, Peacocks, and Yelvertons, traded with and dealt with the Artis, Sabo and other families the same as other families. Hannah Sabo as the lone Sabo present was a member of Black Creek Primitive Baptist as of Oct 26 1811, The Church was integrated but sometimes a descriptive tag behind the names in the list such as "servant of John Doe" or later a racial description, but Hannah had neither, but must be certainly a member of this lone Sabo family. Tabitha Jones was also a member of this church..
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