The Ratliff/Ratcliffe Family

Publisher Vann Helms Volume Number 1 Issue Number 1 July 2016

Family Reunion set for October 16th

Mark your calendars now for Sunday, October 16th, when we’ll gather again at

Bethel United Methodist Church Community Hall, at the intersection of Highway

742 and Gatewood Station Road south of Wadesboro, North Carolina. You can

arrive anytime after 11 a.m., and we’ll eat about 12:30.

The Community Center began life as the local school, and many Ratliff

children attended class inside this historic red brick schoolhouse.

Bring your favorite Southern delicacies, and especially those Banana Puddings and

Cobblers. We’ll have plenty of ice tea, and even some soft drinks if you prefer.

Jack Ratliff will assemble the family history area, with vintage photos and

memorabilia. Please bring your own photos to share, along with anything else that

might have been passed down through your own family.

Because many people drive from far away, plan to stay after lunch and after our

annual business meeting so everyone can visit and share colorful Ratliff stories.

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Past Ratliff Reunions

Ratliff Reunion in October, 2013

Reunion 2015

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Bill Ratliff

Class photo made from same spot as group photo on previous page.

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Was William Ratliff Murdered?

Up to now, all we’ve known about the death of our oldest proven Ratliff ancestor, William, is

that he wrote a Last Will and Testament in 1777. He was only 50 years old, which even for

those times, was considered young. He had brought his family down from the Eastern Shore

of Maryland to Anson County around 1760. His children were still relatively young, and it

must have been a terrible shock to lose their father when his grandchildren would have been

so young. The following information comes via Ed Ratliff, a descendant of William Ratliff.

He has done an incredible job researching the early Anson County Ratliffs, and this story

may be his best to date.

The May, 2015 edition of the “North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal” (Vol. XLI, No.

2, pages 169 and 170) contains information reported by Larry W. Cates regarding several

coroner’s inquests. One item mentioned an item of interest regarding a coroner’s inquest held

in 1784 on the body of William Ratliff. What made this of interest were the date and the

manner of death.

According to Mr. Cates’ report of the inquest, a William Ratliff was killed while pursuing a

robber. He was shot 5 times in the left hip and died from his wounds. As we have no firm

death date for our William Ratliff (1777 Anson Co., NC will) this raised the question of

whether this would have been our William or possibly some other William Ratliff. So a

request for a copy of the actual inquest report was made to the North Carolina Archives who

have provided a copy of this report. The report is difficult to read but in an attempt to make

the information clearer to the reader, time was taken to copy it down and it follows.

(Corrections have been made for spelling and grammer.)

This inquest taken at the home of John Cotney in the county of Anson on the 30 day of August and in 9th year of American Independence over the body of William Ratliff ——- We the jurors do say on our oath that the said William Ratliff was wounded on the 29th day of August, he being with a lawful officer in search of George Burlew, suspected of having committed a robbery, and in searching the woods near suspected water splashes (?) was heard to say “George, surrender”, at which time a gun was heard to fire by the rest of the party which was in search of the said Burlew. Then, running to the place, they saw a man running from the said Ratliff, who lay wounded with five shots (pellets) in the left hip, of which from these mortal wounds, the said William Ratliff died on the 30th day of August and the jurors further note that Elisabeth Burwell was there, present in the woods with the person that committed the murder, which we believe to be George. This inquest taken before John Dejarnett, one of the Justices of the said County, this 30th day of August , 1784(?).

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Listed on the inquest were the following named jurors….

John Ingram, Samuel Philips, William Yeo, Thomas Tallant, George Dood, Gorge Harrel, John Huton, John Bloodwworth, Thomas Lawhed, Abner Lefever, Ralph Vickers, and Joshua Birmingham.

Again, there were spelling errors in the list of jurors, but further research revealed very

interesting connections of these men to our William Ratliff. First, a definite crime has been

committed – murder. There has to be some type of a criminal report on this matter and

George Burlew had to have been given a trial. This obviously needs to be researched further.

An examination of the land transactions for the Ratliff family in Anson Co., NC reveals

similar names where a possible relationship could be made with the parties named in the

inquest. Three transactions could lend some support to the idea that relationships did exist

between our William (1777 Anson Co., will) before he died in 1784.

Nov 1790: George Dodd sold Mary Ratliff 150 acres on Spring Branch of Cedar Creek. One

of the adjoining land owners was Abraham Belew (similar to Burlew?). Notice the Abraham

Belyeu as a witness in the following land transaction.

Nov 1791: Richard Ratliff sold Maliciah Gould 100 acres on branch of flat fork of Brown

Creek adjoining Ralph Vickers (one of inquest jurors) land. One of the witnesses was

Abraham Belyeu.

Oct. 1810: George Dodd sold Jesse Ratliff 65 acres of land lying on N/S of Savannah Creek

surveyed by John Newton (possible father or brother of Mary Newton).

The Justice of the Peace at the inquest was John Dejarnett (how it is spelled in the article and

the handwritten coroner’s inquest report). Did the Dejarnett family have any possible

connection to the Ratliff’s? There are some “interesting” possibilities.

John DeJarnette (how we have it spelled) may have been John Thomas DeJarnette (1748-

1799). He married Jemina Owen (1752-1821).

One of their children was Phoebe DeJarnette (1778- 1840). Phoebe married James Watkins

(1770-1840).

One of their children was John Fletcher Watkins (1794-1859). Guess who he married? Sarah

Ratliff (1800-1852). Her father was William Ratliff (1760-1819) the son of our William

(1777 Anson Co., NC will), who married Mary (Polly) Henson (1764-1841). Thus the

grandson (John Fletcher Watkins) of John Thomas DeJarnette married the granddaughter

(Sarah Ratliff) of our William (1777 Anson Co., NC will). This son, William, immigrated to

Wilcox Co., Alabama after 1810 where he died about 1819.

According to our records, Sarah Ratliff and John Fletcher Watkins were married about 1821

in Alabama (site is undetermined).

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So this would at least provide some “circumstantial” evidence of at least an acquaintanceship

between the DeJarnette and Ratliff families. But then was our John Thomas DeJarnette a

Justice of the Peace in Anson Co. in 1784?

Looking through Mary Medley’s “History of Anson County, North Carolina” we find

mention of a Captain John DeJarnette joining the Anson militia along with Captain James

Marshall (page 41). Mention is also made of General Francis Marion (Swamp Fox) visiting

Capt. DeJarnette’s house (on page 61).

Page 63 mentions a Captain John DeJarnette, along with other able leaders turning their

attention to the creation of a new county seat after the revolution. Obviously Capt.

DeJarnette was someone of high standing within the population and it could be conceivable

that he would have been appointed (or elected) as JP.

On Page 64 we find reference of Capt. John DeJarnette again assisting in the creation of the

new county seat of Anson. In looking through the appendix for Medley’s book, I cannot find

any listing of the Justices of the Peace. I would strongly “suggest” that the John DeJarnette

who presided over the coroner’s inquest for William Ratliff in 1784 was the same Capt. John

DeJarnette who was prominent in the Revolutionary War in North Carolina and in the

establishment of the new county seat of Anson.

This is certainly “very interesting” regarding the relationship of the party’s mentioned in this

inquest. While it’s not definitive proof that the inquest is for our William (1777 Anson Co.,

NC will), there is certainly strong “circumstantial evidence” of this possibility.

Two Generations of Ratliffs

The photo on the left was made at the Ratliff Reunion

in 2013. In the center is Ashley Ratliff, son of

Washington “Watt” Ratliff, grandson of Francis

Ratliff, and great-grandson of John Perry and Susan

Ratliff Ratliff (half first cousins). On Ashley’s left is

his daughter, Phyllis Ann, and on his right is his niece,

Mary Grace May. My mother, Virginia Ratcliffe

Helms (1924-1994), was Ashley’s first cousin.

Watt and Ashley

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Visiting Ratliff Burial Grounds

Rural southeastern Anson County, North Carolina, could be called the cradle of the Ratliffs,

for it was here that William Ratliff settled when he arrived from Maryland, and it was here

where his children and grandchildren raised their families. Two historic burial grounds have

survived the farming, clearcutting, and residential development for almost 200 years.

Although they have seen better days, the stone markers have survived storms, war, and the

encroachment of trees and wild vegetation.

Recently, with the guidance of Ray and Barbara Morgan, I visited the Thomas Ratliff burial

ground southeast of their home near Morven. Here are two images made years ago, when the

iron fence was still standing, and the trees were smaller.

Thomas Ratliff (1827-1880) was the son of Elijah Ratliff (1787-1865), grandson of Thomas

Ratliff (1755-1845), and great-grandson of William (1727-1784). Ray Morgan is on the left.

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Complete Thomas Ratliff stone. Thomas’ wife, Mary (1825-1869)

Other graves inside the grounds: T.J. Ratliff, son of Thomas, and his wife Eliza (1848-

1915).Also B.F. Ratliff (1852-1877), son of Thomas, and G.B Ratliff (1875-1899) grandson

of Thomas. Thomas’ grandfather, also named Thomas (1765-1845) might also be buried

here, but his name does not appear on a stone. A number of graves are marked with only

large rocks, which was the custom in the old days. Elijah was buried elsewhere when he died

during the Civil War. William, Elijah, and Thomas were known as “River Rats” because

they lived near the Great Pee Dee River. Miles to the west, near the crossroads known as

Cason’s Oldfield, and the area of Deep Creek, is the other Ratliff burial ground. Here, you’ll

find the graves of the “Upland Rats”, who descended from James (1763-1833), the other son

of William (1727-1784). These two sons were from two different mothers. When “half first

cousins”, Susan, daughter of Elijah, and John Perry, son of James Jr., married, the two sides

John Perry’s stone is in the front. Cousin Ted Moore. John Perry’s stone detail.

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Family Sayings Unique to the South

We’ve all heard them. We all use them. They are so much a part of us that we take them for granted. They

are known as colloquialisms. Without them, our family would be missing a big part of its history. They have

been passed down from generation to generation like recipes and family bibles. Naturally, this is just a start.

It’s very important that you write down the ones that your mother and father used. You need to send them to

me so they can be included in a future article. Mountainvann@gmail.com . They will be lost to future

Ratliff generations if you don’t. I’ve decided not to put the “translations” alongside the sayings. Use your

imagination, and ask the older members of your family what they mean. Let’s have a little fun with this, and

pardon the spelling and usage. Remember, this is the South!

Wherebouts? How ‘bout that! It’s just about 4 o’clock. Not nairy a one. Step ins. It’s right airish tonight. A month of Sundays.

…while I pat my foot. Scooter Pootin’. He has that down pat. Bless your heart! You had better change your tune…. Play pretty.

What-not. Over yonder…. Sweet milk Light bread Tit-for-tat High on the hog. That don’t make no never mind. Livin’ in high cotton.

Pee-pie! Give me some sugar. I’m sick and tired of….. If the creek don’t rise. You’re hard headed! Fixin’ ready to…

Do you want what Paddy gave the drum? You don’t know your a** from a hole in the ground! Get you’re a** off your shoulders. Get me a

switch, and it better not be a little one! That’s a layover to catch meddlers! Sweatin’ like a whore in church! It ain’t fit to eat.

Would you stop cuttin’ the fool? Sunday go-to-meetin’ clothes. Pitched a fit! Chiggers I’m gonna slap the fire out of you! I did it all

by myself! You’ve made your bed….. You sleep with dogs…… He

ain’t got no sense! He ain’t got sense enough to……. Going to bed with the chickens. Chickens are coming home to roost. Don’t get uppity

with me! He never was no account. That just ain’t fittin…. He’s nigh on to 80 years old! My nose is itchin. Company’s coming. Sick

with a cold. The baby has the kroop…. I’m making you a mustard plaster. Snotty nosed kid. She got up on the wrong side of the bed.

Hold you tongue! Going barefooted…. He can sure cut a rug! Get your ears lowered. I’m going to knock you winding…. Back

hand lash. I have one laid up for you! He couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. Don’t no grass grow under his feet. Step lively!

…like a herd of turtles. That coffee has legs. She’s not all there. Get a move on…. They don’t have a pot to pee in! You’ve got

champagne taste and a beer pocket. The devil’s beating his wife behind the door. Say the blessing! She’s always poor mouthin. I’m afraid

you’ve come to a goat’s house for wool. He’s a spittin image of his

Daddy. Well I’ll Suwannee! Running around like a chicken with his head cut off. Sit a spell. Grandma had another spell. You ain’t

just whistling Dixie! That dog don’t hunt. You don’t believe cow horns hook. He was moving like Blaylock’s bull. Boogers

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Sherman’s March through North and South Carolina

In early March, 1865, the army of Gen. William T. Sherman, under the command of Major-

General J. Kilpatrick, moved south through Anson County, North Carolina, into Chesterfield

County, South Carolina, on its way to join Gen. Sherman in Savannah. The following letter

was written by my great-great uncle, George Cotton Ratliffe (1838-1920), just before his

death. He lived in Anson County.

My Dear Mrs. Howard, On Friday, March 3, 1865, I being one of the home guard, started out with a message to Chesterfield, S.C., that the Yankees were expected in town at any time. My desire was to let my own family and neighbors know as I went by. The route was too risky, for I ran right into Kilpatrick’s Brigade. They, of course, made me a prisoner and brought me back to Wadesboro. Spies were out, and the Yanks were sighted. As they were, only Kilpatrick’s Brigade, about fifty citizens of town, and about three hundred negroes were lined up. From a little distance, they looked like quite a little company. There was a small skirmish in which one of Kilpatrick’s men was killed. They soon took their dead man and we prisoners south where the large army had gone. We were taken to the late David Tillman’s home in whose front yard they buried their dead man. (Mr. Tillman later had him moved) My horse had been taken from me. I had been forced to exchange my shoes with a Yankee for his old ragged dirty black boots. (I have never liked Yankee blue since) There was nothing for me to do but watch them burn gin houses and cotton piles, and destroy everything they could lay hands on. What corn they could not carry off with them was poured out on the ground for the horses to trample on. All wheat, flour, meat, and molasses, and provisions of any kinds, were either carried off, or destroyed. They even took quilts, silverware, and everything of any value. That whole country around Deep Creek was blue with Yankees. Many was the cow and sheep that was killed. They gathered up every horse that was any good, and were so afraid they would leave one that we might use, that they, on being persued by Wheeler’s men, killed more than a hundred horses in and around Miss Ratliff’s yard. So great was the stench that my aunt had to leave her home for months. On Sunday, Wheeler’s men could be seen coming from White’s store. ‘Twas then the Yankees pulled out in the direction of Morven. Between Lowry’s Store and Deep Creek, Wheeler’s men began to cannonade the Yankees. There were a number of cannons fired on each side, but no one was killed. I thought surely I could get away then, but not until we reached Fayetteville did our men become strong. Mrs. Howard, I am an old man, and soon will pass to the “great beyond”. Before going, I want to leave this message. The South was never whipped! They outnumbered us. They destroyed our property. We saw starvation for our wives and children. For this reason alone, Lee surrendered. Sherman paid. It makes the blood boil in my old veins every time I hear the words, Sherman’s Raid. If he had stayed out of the South, with the noble women (God bless them) at home doing their part, we would have won the victory, or still been fighting today.. Tell the rising generation we did our best. Very sincerely yours, George C. Ratliffe

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This is the 1842 home of Ann Ratliff (1811-1881), near Deep Creek, N.C., south of Wadesboro. After the Yankees killed hundreds of horses, they left them in her front yard, and she had to move out for months because the stench was so strong.

Report from General Kilpatrick made the Same Day

HDQS. CAVALRY COMMAND, ARMY OF INVASION, In the field, S.C., March 3, 1865 Major L. M. Dayton, Asst. Adjt. Gen., Military Division of the Mississippi MAJOR: The enemy appeared in a considerable force this morning from the direction of Monroe, on the road to Blakeny’s, and skirmished with Colonel Spenser’s command, which crossed that road at 10 a.m. today at a point about six miles north of Blakeny’s. After striking the Chesterfield and Monroe Road, I moved down to This is the 1842 home of my GreatGreat Aunt, Ann Ratliff (1811-1881), near Wadesboro, N.C.. After the Yankees killed hundreds of horses, they left them in her front yard, and she had to move out for months because the stench was so strong. 9 Hornsboro Post Office, then out upon the Wadesboro road to within ten miles of that point, where my own headquarters now are. My scouts have felt the enemy all day upon the left. I think Allen’s division of cavalry is now on the road from White’s Store to Wadesboro. I do not know what

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other forces of the enemy may be with him. I send you a map indicating my encampment and country watched by my troops. I have had a horrible road to march on today. Tomorrow I shall move to the vicinity of Sneedsboro unless I hear from you. Five miles of this road will be red slate and firm. After that, sandy and, of course, good. I have a scouting party in Wadesboro who will bring me information of the enemy in that direction. Artillery firing is now heard north of, and near to Clay’s Creek. Spencer, an hour since, had passed the road coming in from Meltonsville and White’s Store, and should be at this moment in position, covering that road where I directed him to encamp tonight. My command is all in camp, and I believe my position a good one; covering, however, as I do so many roads, I shall have comparatively but a small force to resist any determined attack upon either one. I will be massed, however, at an early hour tomorrow morning on Chesterfield and Wadesboro Road, at a point just north of the North Carolina line. Please inform me what operations you require of me tomorrow, and, if possible, for the next day. Very respectively, your obedient servant, J. KILPATRICK, Brevet Major-General, Commanding/Cavalry

Civil War era map of the battle area. Charlotte is at upper left.