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| Ammon Goode Hancock A bad copy of a copy of a photograph handed down by my Great Aunt Lillian, his great-granddaughter |
I'm going to post biographical sketches of my ancestors as I fill in their wikitree.com pages, so I can use the blog as a way of organizing the information and creating a more coherent narrative. I'm currently working on the Hancock line, so let's start with my great-great-great-grandfather, Ammon Goode Hancock.
The Hancock line is Virginian. Like really, really Virginian. As in, we-go-back-to-Jamestown Virginian. They definitely count as family "skeletons in the closet": they were Southern gentry, slave-owners, and supporters of the Confederacy.
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| Harriet Walden Hancock Another awful copy |
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| Again with the awful copies |
The 1973 Historic Map of Bedford County, which includes information from 1750-1865, shows multiple Hancock farms south of Flint Hill, off Goose Creek (2). I don't know which of these farms belonged to Justus.
Ammon's unusual name comes from his paternal grandmother, Ann Ammon Hancock, and was repeated many times in the family. His middle name, Goode, may come from John Goode (or another member of that family), whose farm is visible on the historic map, east of Lowry, near the small town of Goode. I don't know if there was any connection by marriage or descent between the families. Other names appear on the map that are prominent in Hancock family records, for example, Read and Fuqua. Clearly, these were the prominent families of the county.
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| Close-up of the historic map. Click to enlarge. |
Ammon (or at least someone Ammon's age) appears in the household of Justus Hancock through the 1840 census, always living in southern Bedford County (3). We don't know much about his childhood, however, his sister, Martha (Hancock) Wheat kept a journal beginning in 1850. I have not read the journal myself, but it was the subject of an interesting academic paper on evangelical women in rural Virginia (17). Martha was born again as a young woman, during a wave of evangelization in the 1840s, and married an equally pious man. Her journal states that she attended school at the Antioch Methodist church, but, like many of the Virginian founding fathers, such as Washington and Jefferson, Justus Hancock was only nominally Christian. This indifference toward institutional religion appears to have continued in her brothers, as well, since Martha relates attempts to convert her brothers' households. Her spelling, grammar, and penmanship show her to have been better educated than the average woman of her time and station. Ammon, therefore, grew up in a family that valued education for all of its children, although it did not much value religion.
Ammon's father died in April of 1845. As mentioned above, Ammon was the executor of his will, and probably spent a good deal of time putting his affairs into order. He was also beginning his own business and tobacco plantation, as we can see by the events of the 1850s.
Ammon's father died in April of 1845. As mentioned above, Ammon was the executor of his will, and probably spent a good deal of time putting his affairs into order. He was also beginning his own business and tobacco plantation, as we can see by the events of the 1850s.
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| 1903 Advertisement for Hancock Bros. Co. This comes from Lynchburghistory.com, which charges way too much for their images, so I screen-shot it and we'll just have to put up with the watermark. |
Around 1853, Ammon built a large factory at the end of Cabell street, in Lynchburg. The factory is still standing, as part of the historic Daniel's Hill neighborhood. (6). Later, around 1855, Ammon and Charlotte built a home on the same lot as the factory. The Daniel's Hill neighborhood first opened up in the mid-1840s, when a large plantation from a century earlier was divided into plots and sold, mostly to wealthy businessmen and landowners. A number of 19th century mansions still line the streets, but the cross streets - one of which is named Hancock St. - were filled with "vernacular architecture" (aka shacks) for the people who worked in the big houses and the factory. The neighborhood was one of the most well-to-do suburbs of the city.
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| Charlotte Elizabeth Hewitt Hancock |
Lynchburg, at the time, was booming. By 1850, it had the second-highest per capita income of any city in the nation. The reason for this was tobacco (and, apparently, the first mass-produced, mass-marketed enema). Lynchburg was a transportation hub, where the railroads met and trade boomed between the North and the South.
Despite their house in a fashionable neighborhood, the Hancock family didn't live in the city of Lynchburg year-round. It appears they spent the summer on their plantation in Campbell County, just south of Lynchburg. In both the 1860 and 1870 censuses, the growing family is shown as living in Campbell County (7)(8), and not until 1880 did the census taker actually find them on Cabell St.(9). An 1860s map of Campbell County shows the Hancock plantation in the far east of the county. They were presumably growing tobacco.
The 1860 census recorded Ammon and Charlotte and three sons: James, Ernest Justus (my great-great grandfather), and Edwin (7). Two other whites were living in the household, an R.L. Bigby (male) and an E. Roberts (female). They may have been boarders, employees, tenants, or family.
In addition to the white household, Ammon's slaves were recorded on the 1860 slave schedule (but he is not on the 1850 slave schedule)(10). He is listed as having three "slave houses" (I put that in quotes because I'm not sure what it means, in terms of actual accommodations), with a total of 34 slaves. These men, women, and children ranged in age from 6 to 50 years of age, but the vast majority were under 25, most in mid-adolescence. Their names are not listed, we only have their age and their color, but we can imagine their lives were difficult, and the large number of young people suggests many had been taken from their families far too young. It's painful to see a list of 12 year old children and know they were probably crying themselves to sleep at night, as were their mothers.
The article about Martha (Hancock) Wheat, mentioned above, confirms that the ownership of 34 people put Ammon Hancock among the economic elite of the city. Although most white landowners in the area did own slaves, the vast majority owned fewer than five people.
Presumably, the statistics that tout Lynchburg's per capita wealth didn't include slaves as "capita". Their labor produced the tobacco that fueled the economic boom - and the wealth of the upper class - but they did not share in that wealth.
Ammon was 46 years old when the Civil War began in 1861. His sons would have been 9, 7, and 4. (The last child, a daughter named Lily, was born near the end of the war, in 1864.) I have very little information about the Hancock family during the war. Ammon appears on a list of privates in the Lynchburg Rifles (11). However, since he had cousins and nephews who were also named Ammon Hancock, it is possible that he is not the person in the war record. We know from letters written to Charlotte that three of her Hewitt nephews were officers in the war, on the Confederate side.
Unsurprisingly, given its importance as a transportation and trade hub, Lynchburg became a critical resupply and hospital location for the Confederacy. It even served as the state capital for four days, April 6-10, 1865, which history buffs will recognize as the time between the abandonment of Richmond and Lee's defeat at Appomattox. The largest women-run hospital in the Confederacy, the Ladies' Relief Hospital, was in Lynchburg (12). I cannot find documents from that hospital, but it is possible that Charlotte and Ammon's sisters volunteered there.
The Battle of Lynchburg was fought just outside of town in June of 1864. Jubal Early, the Confederate commander, used the local population to mislead the Union commanders into believing they were outnumbered, eventually pushing them into retreat. Early ran a train up and down the line, while the population stood at the station and cheered, as if they were receiving reinforcements. The local prostitutes also helped by misleading their Union clients with false reports of reinforcements (13). We will probably never know if the Hancock family participated in that battle, or in the deception, in any way.
What we do know is that Ammon was not financially or personally ruined by the loss of his free labor supply, or by the ravages of war. In 1865 he signed a loyalty oath and received a pardon from President Andrew Johnson (14). In the 1870 census, he reported land holding worth $2,500 (about $50, 000 in today's money), and a personal estate of $1,800 ($32,000). Not bad for someone who, only five years earlier, had backed the losing side in a war, and as a result lost control over the people upon whom he relied for free labor. I suspect the former slaves who had earned him that fortune were considerably less well off.
One indication of changed circumstances can be seen in the 1870 census. Ammon and Charlotte are living with Ammon's mother, Harriet, who was 75 at the time, and with his sister, Lucy V. (Hancock) Haynes, 34, who was presumably widowed, although I have not found any information about her husband. The household also had one Black servant, Mary Shelton, aged 25, from Virginia.
By 1880, the family's circumstances may have improved further, although the family didn't report their net worth in that census. In addition to the family, and Harriet, another ten people are living in the household, or perhaps are tenants in small workers lodgings around the house and factory. These additional people include one white grocer, Walter H. Wilson, 24, and two married couples, William and Laura Carter, and Humphrey and Frances Sherman. William and Laura Carter were 50 and 40 years old, respectively. William was a black man who worked in the tobacco factory (presumably the Hancock Company factory), and his wife, who was described as mulatto, worked as a servant. Humphrey Sherman, age 62, was a servant, as was Frances Sherman, age 35. Both are listed as married, but given their age differences, it is possible that Frances was Humphrey's daughter, rather than his wife. Humphrey was categorized as Black, Frances as mulatto. Another Black woman, Sallie Johnson, 28, worked as a servant and was listed as married, but her husband doesn't appear on the census record as part of this household. A single young woman, Laura Preston, 23, working as a servant, was also Black. Finally, Mourning Paige, 100, a widow, Black, was living in the household. Charlotte's grandmother's name was Mourning, and I wonder if there is a connection. If all of the people listed as servants were actually working for the Hancocks (which isn't necessarily the case), then they had seven servants.
Another change had occurred by 1880: Their second son, Ernest Justus, then 25, was no longer living with the family. James, the eldest, was living with his father and working in the family business. He's listed in the 1880 census as married, although his wife does not appear on the census roll as a member of the household, unless his wife is Sallie Johnson. Edward and Lilly, ages 23 and 16, are also still at home, with Edward working in the family business and Lilly in school. Ernest Justus, however, had emigrated to Whidby Island, Washington, in 1879. Although he returned home briefly in the early 1880s, he moved west permanently in 1883 (15).
Ammon Goode Hancock died May 15, 1888, in Lynchburg (16). The Lynchburg Daily Virginian has no fewer than three obituaries listed for him in their index. However, they charge far too much for a copy, so I have not read them. Ammon was buried in Spring Hill cemetery. Ernest Justus, with new wife and child in tow, traveled across the country to help his brothers settle the estate. The family business lived on for many years, as did his wife, Charlotte, who died in 1894.
UPDATE: My mother called to tell me she has Ammon's original pardon from President Johnson, a huge certificate that is (apparently) actually signed by the president. This prompted me to look into Confederate pardons. Surely the president didn't have to sign a certificate for every able-bodies man in the Confederacy? Turns out, no, most ordinary soldiers could just take an oath and be done, but certain individuals had to appeal directly to the president (ex., higher-ranking officers, West Point graduates who had defected to the Confederacy, and citizens with personal value over $20,000). Since Ammon had a personal fortune over $20,000, he wrote a petition to President Johnson. It's a two-page document detailing his role in the war, which is available through an on-line database. I'm sure it will be fascinating, once I figure out how to read the horrible handwriting. Hopefully, I'll have more on this later.
The article about Martha (Hancock) Wheat, mentioned above, confirms that the ownership of 34 people put Ammon Hancock among the economic elite of the city. Although most white landowners in the area did own slaves, the vast majority owned fewer than five people.
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| Ammon and Charlotte with their three youngest children (l-r) Edwin (Ned), Ernest, and Lilly. Around 1865. Even by standards of the day, their expressions are pretty miserable. Must be their guilty consciences. |
Presumably, the statistics that tout Lynchburg's per capita wealth didn't include slaves as "capita". Their labor produced the tobacco that fueled the economic boom - and the wealth of the upper class - but they did not share in that wealth.
Ammon was 46 years old when the Civil War began in 1861. His sons would have been 9, 7, and 4. (The last child, a daughter named Lily, was born near the end of the war, in 1864.) I have very little information about the Hancock family during the war. Ammon appears on a list of privates in the Lynchburg Rifles (11). However, since he had cousins and nephews who were also named Ammon Hancock, it is possible that he is not the person in the war record. We know from letters written to Charlotte that three of her Hewitt nephews were officers in the war, on the Confederate side.
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| Ammon's sons, Edward, Ernest, and James Late 1860s? |
The Battle of Lynchburg was fought just outside of town in June of 1864. Jubal Early, the Confederate commander, used the local population to mislead the Union commanders into believing they were outnumbered, eventually pushing them into retreat. Early ran a train up and down the line, while the population stood at the station and cheered, as if they were receiving reinforcements. The local prostitutes also helped by misleading their Union clients with false reports of reinforcements (13). We will probably never know if the Hancock family participated in that battle, or in the deception, in any way.
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| Historic photograph of the Hancock Tobacco Factory. This was also taken from lynchburghistory.com with watermark |
One indication of changed circumstances can be seen in the 1870 census. Ammon and Charlotte are living with Ammon's mother, Harriet, who was 75 at the time, and with his sister, Lucy V. (Hancock) Haynes, 34, who was presumably widowed, although I have not found any information about her husband. The household also had one Black servant, Mary Shelton, aged 25, from Virginia.
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| Historic photo of the Hancock house in Lynchburg lynchburghistory.com |
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| Google maps image of the Hancock factory today |
Another change had occurred by 1880: Their second son, Ernest Justus, then 25, was no longer living with the family. James, the eldest, was living with his father and working in the family business. He's listed in the 1880 census as married, although his wife does not appear on the census roll as a member of the household, unless his wife is Sallie Johnson. Edward and Lilly, ages 23 and 16, are also still at home, with Edward working in the family business and Lilly in school. Ernest Justus, however, had emigrated to Whidby Island, Washington, in 1879. Although he returned home briefly in the early 1880s, he moved west permanently in 1883 (15).
Ammon Goode Hancock died May 15, 1888, in Lynchburg (16). The Lynchburg Daily Virginian has no fewer than three obituaries listed for him in their index. However, they charge far too much for a copy, so I have not read them. Ammon was buried in Spring Hill cemetery. Ernest Justus, with new wife and child in tow, traveled across the country to help his brothers settle the estate. The family business lived on for many years, as did his wife, Charlotte, who died in 1894.
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| Monument for Ammon and Charlotte Hancock Photo from http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=5608949&PIpi=5143818 |
References:
1. "United States Census, 1820", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHLC-TSW : accessed 27 October 2015), Justus Hancock, 1820.
2. The map
2. The map
3. "United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH54-LYN : accessed 27 October 2015), Justus Hancock, Bedford, Virginia, United States; citing 139, NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 194; FHL microfilm 29,673.; and "United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHBM-ZQK : accessed 27 October 2015), Justice Hancock, Southern District, Bedford, Virginia, United States; citing p. 258, NARA microfilm publication M704, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 550; FHL microfilm 29,683.
4. "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M88P-K7F : accessed 27 October 2015), Harriet S Hancock, Bedford county, Bedford, Virginia, United States; citing family 607, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
4. "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M88P-K7F : accessed 27 October 2015), Harriet S Hancock, Bedford county, Bedford, Virginia, United States; citing family 607, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
5. http://www.vagenweb.org/bedford/bedf-m_h.htm
6. "Daniel's Hill Historic District", National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form.
7. "United States Census, 1860," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M41F-4JY : accessed 25 September 2015), A G Hancock, Western District, Campbell, Virginia, United States; from "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Population," database, Fold3.com (http://www.fold3.com : n.d.); citing p. 7, household ID 43, NARA microfilm publication M653 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 805,338.
8. "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFLK-NVT : accessed 25 September 2015), S G Hancock, Virginia, United States; citing p. 62, family 468, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 553,137.
9. "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCPP-H7P : accessed 1 October 2015), Jennie Davis in household of Ammon G Hancock, Lynchburg, Campbell, Virginia, United States; citing enumeration district 194, sheet 378D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1359; FHL microfilm 1,255,359.
10. 1860 slave schedule
11. http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/campbell/military/history01.txt
12. http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/lynchburg_during_the_civil_war#start_entry
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lynchburg
14. http://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/guides/civil-war.htm
15. "An Illustrated History of the State of Washington" by Harvey Kimball Hines, p. 568
16. "Virginia, Deaths and Burials, 1853-1912," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X5YY-7L7 : accessed 25 September 2015), Ammon G. Hancock, 15 May 1888; citing Lynchburg, Campbell, Virginia, reference Image #236; FHL microfilm 2,048,589.
17. Kierner, Cynthia A. 1992. Woman's Piety within Patriarchy: The Religious Life of Martha Hancock Wheat of Bedford County. The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 100:79-98.
6. "Daniel's Hill Historic District", National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form.
7. "United States Census, 1860," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M41F-4JY : accessed 25 September 2015), A G Hancock, Western District, Campbell, Virginia, United States; from "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Population," database, Fold3.com (http://www.fold3.com : n.d.); citing p. 7, household ID 43, NARA microfilm publication M653 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 805,338.
8. "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFLK-NVT : accessed 25 September 2015), S G Hancock, Virginia, United States; citing p. 62, family 468, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 553,137.
9. "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCPP-H7P : accessed 1 October 2015), Jennie Davis in household of Ammon G Hancock, Lynchburg, Campbell, Virginia, United States; citing enumeration district 194, sheet 378D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1359; FHL microfilm 1,255,359.
10. 1860 slave schedule
11. http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/campbell/military/history01.txt
12. http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/lynchburg_during_the_civil_war#start_entry
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lynchburg
14. http://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/guides/civil-war.htm
15. "An Illustrated History of the State of Washington" by Harvey Kimball Hines, p. 568
16. "Virginia, Deaths and Burials, 1853-1912," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X5YY-7L7 : accessed 25 September 2015), Ammon G. Hancock, 15 May 1888; citing Lynchburg, Campbell, Virginia, reference Image #236; FHL microfilm 2,048,589.
17. Kierner, Cynthia A. 1992. Woman's Piety within Patriarchy: The Religious Life of Martha Hancock Wheat of Bedford County. The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 100:79-98.
2 comments:
Hello!
Ernest Justus Hancock is my great-great grandfather as well which makes us fourth cousins. The lineage is Ernest Justus Hancock-Justus Lee Hancock-Robert Lee Hancock-Carolyn Hancock Brazas-Me, Jennifer Lee Brazas. My Aunt, Elizabeth Hancock is married to Robert's son, Alan. She is working on genealogy for our family and would love to be in touch with the author of this post. We would be so excited to be in contact with you!
Hi, cousin, thanks for your comment! I'm the great-granddaughter of Vera Hancock Dean. She would be Justus Lee Hancock's sister. I'd love to share information. Please have your aunt email me at rebecca_m_dean at yahoo dot com. I just posted today about the Hancock ancestors from Manakin Town, Virginia. That may be of interest to you.
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