Re: Biddy's of Georgia
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In reply to:
Re: Biddy's of Georgia
Donald E. Fry 8/07/01
The following information is primarily from Ted Biddy with some input from me:
My GGGGrandfather Meshach and GGGGrandmother Nancy (Sarah) Ledbetter Biddy had a huge family of 13 or 14 as follows:
1. Elias Watus Biddy, my GGGrandfather, born 8/21/1824 in NC and died 12/17/1876 in Pickens County, GA.He married Mary Polly Brooks, born 4/16/1827 in NC, died 5/21/1901 in Pickens County.Both Elias Watus and Mary Polly are buried at the 4 Mile Baptist Church Cemetery in Pickens County.
2. Ruthy – Born 1825, died 1876, married Andrew J Eaton who died 1885. She was also married to William Allen the bigamist.
3. Caroline – Born 1826, died 12/29/75, married her cousin James Sams who died about 1862. He was the son of Lewis Sams and Peggie (Margaret) Biddy
4. Elisha
5. Tolbert
6. Moses J. (Joe ?) – Unmarried, migrated to California in 1862 and died there a few years later. He also lived in Idaho.
7. Noah H. – Born 8/7/1838 in Pickens County, GA, married Harriet A ?
8. Louisa – Born 1830 Pickens County, GA, died 1878,married John Richard Brooks, born Forsyth County, GA, died Oct 1887.
9. Richard
10. Jackson – Born 1835
11. John R. – Born 12/15/1840 in Cherokee County, GA, married Susan Elizabeth Hardin who died 7/4/1900. This individual states his father's name is Meshack McFarland Biddy.
12. George W. – Born 1843/5
13. Zack
14. Eliza
15. Nicie - Born NC, died circa 1900, married Thomas Blackwell.
By the 1850 census, Meshach Biddy, at age 60, has moved to Cherokee County, GA with his family and now lives next door to his eldest son Elias Watus who is 26 years old and is married to Mary Polly Brooks.Meshach dies in 1851 at age 61 and the 1860 census shows his widow, Nancy Ledbetter Biddy, age 65, as head of household with sons Jackson, John P, and George W. Nancy and family have now migrated to nearby Pickens County along with Elias Watus and family.Nancy Ledbetter Biddy dies in 1866.
During his lifetime, Meshach Biddy was born in 1790 in Union County, SC,migrated to Rutherford County, NC by 1820, migrated to Hall County, GA by 1830, had moved to Forsyth County, GA by 1834 and to Cherokee County, GA by 1850.As a farmer with a large family, Meshach apparently moved from county to more fertile county as the soil played out from constant one crop (cotton) farming.Hall, Forsyth, Cherokee, Pickens and Bartow are a cluster of counties in North Georgia about 35 to 60 miles north of Atlanta and are the primary counties where many of the descendants of Meshach have lived from 1830 to the present time.
John T Ross