01-John
1790 NC Rowan none p297
1810 NC Rowan none p63
1820 NC Rowan none p209
1830 NC Ashe none p15
1840 NC Wilkes Lewis Fork p99
Strong circumstantial evidence indicates John Trevit was the son of Elizabeth Jones and the stepson of her
husband, Solomon Jones. Solomon's will,
mentioned below, is the strongest evidence of this relationship. Also, the fact that they lived close
together, as shown in U.S.census records, and the fact that they attended church together, as shown in Bear Creek
Baptist Church
records (62), make their relationship a virtual certainty.
It is also highly probable that John had a brother, named
Richard. John and Richard attended
church together at the Bear Creek Baptist Church, in what is now Davie County,
beginning in 1792 (62). He does appear
in the 1800 U.S. Census of Rowan County as Richard Tribute.
I have found no documentation of the existence of John,
Richard, or Solomon and Elizabeth Jones dated prior to the 1790 U.S. Census, so
it can only be a guess where they came from and when. I have reviewed the Rowan County deed, tax,
and court records going back to its origins in the mid-1700's looking for them
without success, so its possible they came to North Carolina shortly before
1790. But from where is an open
question.
A John Trevit appears in the 1790 North Carolina census, Rowan County,
Salisbury District, living alone. The
entry is on handwritten page number 297.
The household of Solomon Jones is listed nearby, containing two males
over 15 and eight females. That entry is
on handwritten page number 298. Numerous
names of people living nearby are also found in legal documents John was
involved with, and are seen in records as fellow church members.
In 1793 John, along with brother
Richard and Solomon Jones, signed a petition directed to the North Carolina
General Assembly asking for a separate polling location closer to where they
and their neighbors lived because the trip to Salisbury was too far and often cut off by
high water (27).
March 26,
1798. Rowan County Deed Book
17, p.11. Elijah (X) Bedwell
sold to John Trivit for "100 pounds NC
currency" 100 acres on waters of Dutchmans Creek
adjacent to James Bedwell and Aquilla
Beck (8).
July 13,
1799. Rowan County Deed Book
17, p.24. John Trivett
witnessed a land sale from William Bedwell to Thomas Bedwell (8).
1800. John Trevit is not found in the 1800 census. However, he probably was living in Rowan County
at the time since legal documents show him there on July 13, 1799 and in April, 1803.
October
7, 1801. Rowan County Deed
Book 18, p.81. Peter Glascock Sr. sold
to Scarlet Glasscock 150 acres on Howards Branch
adjacent to Solomon Jones. It was
witnessed by Richard Trivett and Peter Glasscock Jr.
(8).
April 14,
1803. Rowan County Deed Book
24, p.58. John Trivett
sold to Samuel Beck 100 acres on Dutchmans creek for
$160 (9).
1804. An important
document mentioning John Trivett is the Will of
Solomon Jones of Rowan
County, which is filed in
the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh. Solomon died March 1, 1804, and specifically mentions his
wife Elizabeth and stepson John Tribbit, along with
four of his daughters. This John Tribbit is almost certainly the John Trevit
found in the 1790 Rowan
County census.
John Trevit is found in the 1810
census in Rowan County.
Richard Tribbit and Eliza Jones are listed
nearby.
February
8, 1811. Rowan County
Deed Book 21, p. 931. John served as
witness to the bill of sale of two Negro men from John Powell to his son,
Ransom Powell, as a gift (9).
October
26, 1811. Rowan County Deed
Book 24, p.651. Moses Estep sold to John
Trivett 46.5 acres on the north fork of Bear Creek
for 30 pounds (9).
September
10, 1814. Rowan County Deed
Book 24, p.570. William Hattox sold to John Trivett 104
acres on Bear Creek for $62, witnessed by R. Powell, Moses Estep (9).
September
10, 1814. Rowan County
Deed Book 24, p. 645. John Trivett witnessed a sale of 243 acres on Bear Creek to
William Hallox Jr. for $245 (9).
1815. John Trevitt was listed in the 1815 Rowan County Tax list as
having 220 acres (28).
December
8, 1815. Rowan County
Deed Book 24, p. 69. John received state
grant #3079 for 70 acres adjacent William Haddox,
Lewis Jenkins, and Vachel Ijams
(9).
October
17, 1817. Rowan County Deed
Book 25, p.353. John Trivett
witnessed the sale of 243.5 acres on the north fork of Bear Creek from Moses
Estep to Samuel Gray for $179.85.
December
3, 1821. John and wife
Elizabeth were received as members of Bear Creek Baptist Church,
which is now in Davie
County. Solomon and Elizabeth Jones were already
members of that church, appearing in the initial membership list on March 30, 1792.
October
16, 1827. Deed
Book 29, p.675. Moses Estep sold
to Daniel Casey for $250 three tracts of land.
The first was 243.5 acres adjacent to John Trivet; the second was 54
acres "where motherinlaw Jones live," the
third was 46.5 acres where grantor lived and which he wished reserved for motherlaw during her natural life [Moses Estep had married
a daughter of Solomon and Elizabeth Trivett
Jones. Since Elizabeth probably was not born later than
1751, she had to be at least in her mid-70s at the time of this transaction]
(10).
In 1833 John Tribet and Elizabeth
Trivet were listed as members by "association" at South Fork Baptist Church. 1833 was the founding year of this church, so
perhaps it was closer to their home.
Many of their children are also listed as members at one time or another
(51).
John Trivet is found in the 1840 Wilkes County
census in the Lewis Fork district, which was enumerated on June 16, 1840:
M70-80
- 1 F40-50 - 1
F60-70 - 1
This oldest female child does not appear in the 1830 Ashe County
census in John’s household, but in the 1840 Ashe County
census she does, appearing in the 40-50 age group. Also, the number ‘1’ is entered under the
heading "persons deaf and dumb 25 and upward included in the
foregoing." Apparently she had a
disability.
It’s interesting that nearby is the household of Thomas Trivet,
probably a son:
M10-15 - 1
F5-10 -
1
M40-50 - 1
F15-20 - 1
F40-50 - 1
Four of John's sons also appear in the 1840 census, but in Ashe County. Owen and David live quite close
together. William and Solomon also live
in that county.
John Trivet does not appear again after the 1840 census.
From these census records, it can be deduced that John was
born between 1765 and 1770:
(1) From the 1810 census where he was 26-45, he could not
have been born before 1765.
(2) From the 1830 census where he was 60-70, he could not
have been born after 1770.
If it is assumed that everyone living in John's household in
the 1810 and 1820 censuses was John, his wife, or a child, and that no
surviving child has left the household before the 1810 census, then John had a
total of 12 children. The 1810 census
shows 11 people in the household; the 1820 census shows three children under 10 years of age.
This does not include, of course, any children who were born and died
between two censuses - a not uncommon occurrence. Identifying them by name is very difficult,
if not impossible, because the U.S.
census did not start naming all household members and ages until 1850.
There were only three Trivette's
in the 1820 North Carolina
census: John Tribett, Thomas Trivett,
and Richard Trivett.
Thomas lived five households away from John in the 1820 census and is
listed in the 16-26 age group. He is very likely John's oldest or second
oldest son. The third Trivett, Richard, is supposedly John's brother and is shown
in Ashe County.
When comparing John's 1810 and 1820 census entries, it can be seen that
there are three fewer males in 1820 after taking Thomas into account. They
could have died, moved to some else's household, or have moved out and not been
picked up in the 1820 enumeration.
Similarly, there is one less female in 1820. She could have died or married.