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(1822-1892)
« return to database listMargaret Graham Kerr Glass Scott was the mother of Burwell School student Mary Elizabeth Glass .
Margaret Graham Kerr was born June 23, 1822. The daughter of Samuel Kerr and his first wife Mary White, Margaret grew up on her father’s farm on Haw Creek in what was then Orange County, North Carolina but would become Alamance County in 1849. She had four or five siblings (accounts vary), including her brother, David White Kerr (1819-1879). Margaret’s mother died in 1828, and not long after, Samuel married Jane Currie. Samuel and Jane would go on to have six children, among them Annie Hazeltine Kerr (1836-1913), who attended the Burwell School, and was a favorite of Margaret’s daughter Lizzie. In 1840, Margaret joined Hawfields Presbyterian Church located one and a half miles north of her father’s farm.
On June 25, 1841 Margaret married Richard C. Glass, a local merchant and farmer. Richard operated a business that went by the name Glass & Caruthers, and he and Margaret made their home near what would become Melville in Alamance County. They welcomed their first child, Mary Elizabeth “Lizzie” on January 5, 1843, and had her baptized at Hawfield’s Presbyterian Church on April 28, 1843. In December of that year, Richard became more involved with their church, taking on the role as treasurer from his father-in-law, Samuel Kerr. The family continued to grow, and their second child, Ann Graham was born in January 1846. Margaret and Richard had Ann baptized on May 10, 1846 at Hawfields, but sadly she died in November 1846 at the age of only 11 months. The family would continue to endure tragedy when Richard died unexpectedly on February 14, 1847 at the age of 28. His obituary described him as an “amiable and excellent man…an affectionate husband and father...”
At the age of twenty-five, Margaret found herself widowed. Her father and brother served as executors of her husband’s estate, and ensured she received her dower rights which included 183 acres of land. She was financially cared for, and had the support of nearby family, but Margaret was still left alone to raise her daughter.
In 1849, Margaret married Henderson Scott, a merchant and farmer who lived in Burnt Shop, which was just east of the home she had shared with her first husband. Henderson Scott was 35-years-old when he married, and he built a new house for his 27-year-old bride. The home was also built to accommodate boarders for the newly created Melville School run by Dr. Alexander Wilson, and soon Burnt Shop would come to be known as Melville in honor of the school. Henderson had convinced Dr. Wilson to move from Hillsborough and establish the school, and the family would have a close association with him for many years.
In 1850, Margaret and Henderson welcomed their first child, Samuel Kerr Scott (1850-1897). They would go on to have eight more children together. Their next child, Alice Jane (1851-1852), died in infancy, the second child Margaret would bury. Henderson traveled regularly for his business, leaving Margaret home alone with the children. Members of the family would often stay with her during his absences, which was a great help. Margaret suffered from chronic poor eyesight and she struggled to recover after the birth of her third child, Fanny Josephine (1853-1883), in May 1853. Nearly a year later, Henderson wrote to his nephew, John Allen, that Margaret “has not been in good health for the last 12 months.”
In the late summer of 1854, her then 11-year-old daughter, Lizzie, left home to attend Mr. and Mrs. Burwell’s School for Young Ladies in Hillsborough, NC. Margaret and Lizzie exchanged letters during this time, shedding light on what life was like for both mother and daughter. The family had close ties to Hillsborough. Dr. Wilson’s daughter, Alice, had married Edwin Heartt, the son of Dennis Heartt, the publisher of the Hillsborough Recorder newspaper. It is likely that Lizzie initially boarded in the household of the Hearrts, under the direct care of Dennis’ daughter, Henrietta. In September 1854, Margaret wrote to Lizzie, “My thoughts are much on you, but knowing that you are so pleasantly situated makes my anxieties about you less than they would be otherwise. You are placed in such a pious good family, where I know your religious education will not be neglected and which I think of more importance than all things else. Your opportunities for improving in other respects are so much better than they would be with me and you must try to learn fast and be a good girl.”
Margaret obviously missed the company of her daughter, and Lizzie mentioned that she “want[s] to go home but recon[s] there is no chance”. Lizzie was also concerned about her mother being alone while her step-father traveled for work, “I suppose Pa is going to the North next week. Mother you must get Aunt Annie and Mary to stay with you. I wish I could be home with you.” Margaret’s health issues had to be set aside a month later when her husband suffered great injury after a fire in one of their boarding houses. Henderson rushed into the burning building, nearly cutting off two of his fingers on one hand and badly burning the other. His nephew documented the episode stating, “He cannot use his hands. Aunt Margaret has to feed him.” Henderson eventually healed, and family life continued. They added another son, David Henderson (1855-1860) in July 1855.
Even with her constant ailments, traveling husband, sick children and family obligations, Margaret was still an affectionate mother to her daughter. She wrote frequently in her letters checking on the status of Lizzie’s clothing, sent her money and fripperies, and consistently asked after Lizzie’s character. After receiving a care package from her mother Lizzie wrote, “Mother, I can’t express all my thanks or words for the things you and Pa sent me. I know I have the best Parents in the whole world.”
Lizzie had been attending school consistently since beginning in 1854. She boarded for about 15 months in the household of Julia Minor, and then started what would be her last session at school in July 1856, probably in the home of Reverend and Mrs. Burwell. On July 26, 1856, Lizzie wrote to her mother, “Miss Nannie Burwell has been very sick. She is some better now. Mrs. Burwell has three children sick besides Miss Nannie. A little black child died here yesterday.” Lizzie ended her letter, “So good bye, write soon to your affectionate daughter, Lizzie.” Those may have been the last words she shared with her mother. Lizzie contracted an unknown illness, and after a sickness of about three weeks she died in Hillsborough at the age of 13. The only known reference of her passing comes in a letter from her step-father Henderson to his nephew John Allen in January 1857, “Perhaps you have heard of the death of Mary E. Glass, before this time. She died in Hillsboro at Mr. Burrels (sic) at school. She died last August 18. She had just left home about two weeks when she was struck sick, and she was sick about three weeks…She had been going to School in Hillsboro about three years, and would have been through her education in about a year.” Her obituary spoke of her disposition as being “amiable, gentle and affectionate, and was beloved by all the household.” Lizzie was buried at the Hawfields Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Mebane, NC next to her father, Richard Glass.
Margaret was once again faced with the death of a child. From the close relationship they shared it must have been very hard for her, but with three small children at home she had to move forward with life. In the spring of 1857, her husband Henderson was once again injured. He was thrown from a mule and suffered a bad ankle break. Margaret gave birth to another child, Margaret Graham (1857-1860), in July, but it wasn’t until September that Henderson was up and about again, walking on crutches. In addition to her husband’s injury and new babies, the family had been dealing with other challenges as well. Mary Jane Allen writes of these to her brother John in August 1856, “Uncle H. has had bad luck with his black folks. They have typhoid fever. He has lost several children and Mary and Julia…Uncle looks almost like a shadow, but is lively as ever.” His ankle would plague him for the rest of his life.
Financially, while the family was not destitute they struggled. There was a financial depression in the country in the late 1850s. In December 1857 Henderson wrote to his nephew, “We have hard times here in the way of money. I have been in business about 21 years, but have never seen such a pressure in my life as at this time.” Margaret was also feeling the pressure as she had care of most of the boarders the family kept. Henderson writes, “Your Aunt says she wishes you were at our old place helping her to take borders…” Henderson’s opinion of his situation was not necessarily shared by others in the community. A letter probably written by Stephan A. White in 1859 to John Allen (Henderson’s nephew) indicates that many elders of Hawfields Church believed that Henderson had too much influence over the minister, Mr. Hughes. He continued to discuss Henderson’s character, “H. Scott is now in independent circumstances, has had a great deal of bad luck for the past two years, but with all that, he has increased in wealth and is now as grasping as if he had nothing in hand or a trade. He says he has $4,000 now more than he has any need for and intends putting up a tobacco factory.”
Despite the opinion of others in the community, Henderson’s business and family continued to grow. In 1859 the family added another child, James Edwin (1859-1888). However, in 1860, the Scotts suffered a devastating loss. In a letter to her brother, John Allen, Mary Jane Allen told of the tragedy, “Uncle Henderson has met with a great trial. Within the last month, he has buried two of his children, the two next to the youngest. They died with throat diseases [possibly diphtheria]…I was there when David died. He jumped up in the bed on his knees and said, Oh, Pa, I want to go to my God. He then fell over in his Pa’s arms and died. They suffered dreadful before they died.” Margaret, who had already suffered the loss of three children, was forced to bury two more, David Henderson and Margaret Graham, aged four and three respectively. By this point she had endured so much, it appears she expected nothing less from fate, “Aunt is as resigned to it as any person I ever saw,” Mary Jane wrote. “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away.”
The Civil War descended upon the country and Margaret’s family continued to endure. Henderson’s tannery provided leather for the shoes of the Confederate soldiers and the family added three more children, Robert Walter (1861-1929), Sue Lizzie (1863-1907) and Mamie White (1865-1953). In 1870, there was a large presence of the Ku Klux Klan in Alamance and Caswell Counties, including the area where Margaret and Henderson lived, and the state government was unable to subdue the Klan activities. Then governor, W.W. Holden, enlisted the help of Union soldier George W. Kirk to bring suspected members to trial; among them was Henderson Scott. The trip to Yanceyville Courthouse in Caswell County was arduous, a distance of about thirty miles, many of which the prisoners were forced to walk, and Henderson reinjured his ankle in the process. Henderson was eventually released, but the injury to his ankle was so severe that it was determined it must be amputated. Henderson was in the home he shared with Margaret when Dr. Strudwick of Hillsborough commenced the surgery, but the anesthesia ran out during the procedure, and they had to continue without it. On October 11, 1870, three days after surgery, Henderson Scott died of shock.
Margaret now found herself widowed again, this time with five children to support. In 1880, she listed in the census as the head of the household with an occupation of keeping house. Later that year, her son Robert Walter Scott, then only 18-years-old, bought out 668 acres from his brothers and sisters, leaving Margaret with 213 acres as part of her dower interest. Margaret continued to live in the home, but Robert now had the responsibility of maintaining the farm. In 1888, she lost yet another child, her son, James Edwin Scott. Margaret’s niece, Mary Jane Allen Thompson wrote about the death in November 1888, “Ed Scott is dead, left a wife and one child. Aunt Margaret takes it hard. She had eleven children, and has buried seven of them. She has four left.”
Margaret and her daughters, Sudie (Sue Lizzie) and Mamie lived with Robert and his wife Lizzie, whom he married in 1883, until her death in 1892 at the age of 70. Her obituary offers insight into her nature, “[She] was a faithful and consistent member of the same church from very early life. Her piety was beyond question. Every act of her life tended to prove this assertion. Her kindness to the poor and suffering was proverbial…She was one of those who did not boast of her liberality or good deeds, but ‘did not let her left hand know what her right did.’”
Throughout her life, Margaret Graham Kerr Glass Scott had endured incredible loss. She buried two husbands and seven children, all while staying an active and engaged member in the lives of her family and friends. Her descendents would go on to make names for themselves as educators, physicians and politicians. Her grandson, William Kerr Scott (1896-1958), served as Governor of North Carolina from 1949-1952 and his son, Robert Walter Scott (1929-2009) served as Governor of North Carolina from 1968-1973.
Margaret G. Scott is buried at Hawfields Presbyterian Church in Mebane, NC beside her husband, Henderson Scott, and several of her children. More information about the family can be found at The Scott Family Collection, located at Alamance Community College in Graham, NC, http://www.scottcollection.org/.
Carrie V. Currie 7/2018, updated 1/2019
References:
Session Notes: Hawfields Presbyterian Church, Volume One (Mebane, Alamance County, North Carolina) 1836 - ?, Hawfields Presbyterian Church.
Glass, Richard C. Wills, 1663-1978, Estate Papers, 1754-1944 (Orange County); Author: North Carolina. Division of Archives and History (Raleigh, North Carolina); Probate Place: Orange, North Carolina
The Scott Family Letters. From the Scott Family Collection; Alamance Community College Library, Alamance County, NC.
Grandfather’s Letters: Letters written to John Mebane Allen by relatives and friends of the Hawfields from 1852-1889, ed. Elizabeth White Furman (North Carolina: n.p., n.d.).
The Hillsborough recorder. (Hillsborough, NC), 20 Aug. 1865. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. Of Congress.
Thomas, Harry. “The Kirk-Holden War of 1870.” Documenting the American South. Publication/Updated July 15, 2018. https://docsouth.unc.edu/highlights/.
Microfilm: Obituary – Margaret Graham Scott, Dec. 15, 1892. Alamance Gleaner, (Graham, NC), Jan. 1, 1891 – Dec. 26, 1895. May Memorial Library (Burlington, NC) [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8].
Margaret Graham Kerr was born on June 22, 1822 [1], in North Carolina. She died on December 8, 1892, and was buried in Hawfields, NC.
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