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Note: Information from several sources. Family composition, marriages, e t c . , from the Family Bible belonging to Ruth Gillam Ballance (decea se d ) o f Norfolk, Va and from Mrs Thomas C. Williams of Littleton, N C w h o pro vided information in 1940. Other information taken from Th e Be rt ie Cou nty, NC GenWeb site
1870 Census//Bertie Co, NC as Gillham
The last Census listing Ben Gillam and family is in 1880 wherei n h e a n d family are residing in "Snakebite" Township of Bertie Coun ty i n Ju n e of that year.
Snakebite Community Article by Francis Speight. April 1963. Berti e C o u nty Historical Association
SNAKEBITE
When Bertie County was subdivided into townships in 1868, the town s h i p in its west central area was named SNAKEBITE after a crossro a d o f th e same name situated near the center of the area which ha d pr obab ly be en, as it was later, a polling place.
[Another version is from B.F.Bazemore from his niece, Sarah. He s a i d t he name of Snake Bite came to be named that because, a man wa s w al kin g at the cross roads when a Water Moccasin Bite him and i t mak e hi m s o mad he grab the snake and bite his head off and the y name d the p lac e SnakeBite.. This is a story that was told by al l the ol d timer . He w ould be about 90 if he was still a live. ]
The crossroad is called SNAKEBITE because, according to legend , o n e o f a group of men waiting for the muster of the militia, havi ng n ot hin g better to do, bit off a snake's head. The muster of wha t mili tia , o r when, is not made explicit in the legend. The name SN AKEBIT E i s ment ioned in deeds dated around 1840.
HOMES
Homes in Snakebite township, large or small, that were built in t h e 1 8 th century and the first 60 years of the 19th were, as a rule , w el l de signed and finished. A large number of these, of course, h av e dis appea red. A few are still standing; only 2 or 3 or still occ upi ed b y thei r owners. Others are empty or used for storage of far m pro duc e and som e are hardly more than ruins.
One was destroyed by fire in March 1962. This was the W.C. Askew h o u s e which at one time was the home of Dr. George O. ASKEW, a memb e r o f t he NC State Senate (1827-32) The house was located about 5 1 / 2 mil es e ast of Lewiston, 1/4 mile south of Route 308. The Askew l an d adjo ine d the Ben GILLAM land.
The (David) Ben(jamin) GILLAM house is of special interest as the b i r t hplace of Thomas GILLAM and John GILLAM of Windsor, banker and m er ch an t respectively. The house probably was built around 1825.
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