Hertford County, NC - Solon Borland's Children ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Solon Borland & FAMILY" Chapter 3: "Solon's Children" THOMAS BORLAND (11/09/08) Solon BORLAND (1811VA-1864TX) may have had seven children? Thomas & Harold ("Little Solon") with first wife Huldah, possibly (?) one with second wife Elizabeth, rumored to have had one (?) by creole lady friend, George Godwin, Fanny Green & Mary Melbourne with third and last wife Mary. We find documentation that the five known children, Thomas, Harold ("Little Solon"), George Godwin, Fanny ("Fannie") Green, twice married Mary ("Mollie") Melbourne plus Solon's two granddaughters Grace ("Darce") Melbourne and twice married Mary Borland BEATTIE, lived lives any parent should be most proud about. We were unable to trace his four grandsons, Russell & Charles BORLAND (Veterans of World War I), Godwin Borland MOORES, or George Melbourne BEATTIE (with Oliver Typrwriter Co in NY, 1903), --- hopefully they too lead good lives. Material used herein from The College of William & Mary archives is noted with (WM). 3A. THOMAS BORLAND: (1833NC-1859AR) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THOMAS BORLAND was first known son born to Solon and Huldah G (Godwin?) WRIGHT (1809VA-1837TN), with documentation of birth during first-half of year, yet to be found. Both of Solon's parents died two or more years before his birth. James M WOODS wrote Solon's marriage with Huldah occurred in 1831, Fay HEMPSTEAD (1847AR-1934AR) wrote 1850, neither one documented. I accept WOODS' date, however, ---- HEMPSTEAD provided incorrect birth date for Solon and WOODS incorrect death date and location. Huldah's children's names were NOT listed in her Memphis Enquire obituary of September 9, 1837 www.rootsweb.com/~tnnews/shelby.htm , but are found with Thomas first in book; "A Pictorial History of ARKANSAS From Earliest Times To Year 1890", by Arkansan Fay HEMPSTEAD. Fay, in 1867, was a student with Thomas' cousins, Euclid, Jr (1844MS-1896VA) and Thomas Roscius (1845NC- 1900VA) at University of Virginia following the civil war in which both BORLAND's were wounded, Euclid several times. http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry- detail.aspx?entryID=2506 Two of us were unable to find, as hard as we tried, any trace of Thomas during early years of research finding his six y/o cousin Thomas in 1850 census but age didn't check, so, incorrectly assumed he may have been brought into the union by Huldah from an earlier marriage, then following her death, returned to his father's family. Much was revealed from our 2006 discovery of The College of William & Mary's Inventory of the Borland Family Papers 1771-1940 Collection Number Mss. 65 B66 which changed my mind! The Borland papers consisted of 521 pages at The College of William & Mary's, Earl Gregg Swem Library, Williamsburg, Virginia and had to have come from Thomas Roscius Borland's files. We selected our limit of 75, mostly letters, documenting much which our several years of research had NOT uncovered. Included was a letter written by the subject Thomas, s/o Solon. Such facts are incorporated within the May 2006 distributed, 200 page, booklet "Solon Borland And FAMILY", which this updates, to libraries at: Little Rock, Fayetteville, Springdale & Dallas county GenWeb in Arkansas, Norfolk & Suffolk, in Virginia, Memphis, Tennessee and New Orleans, universities, William & Mary, Arkansas and Tulane, historical groups, Suffolk, VA, Murfreesboro, NC and Pulaski county, and Rogers, AR. Solon's Thomas is documented from 1837 through 1851 by this newly found, 'William & Mary' material, with Margaret Smith Ross' 1969 book revealing he died January 9,1859 at Anthony House, Little Rock, gained from a brief, unrevealing, death notice of 15th January Arkansas Gazette issue, indicating he's buried at Mount Holly without a marker, where since May Day 1992, his father's memorial stone was placed by the Arkansas Bar Foundation & Pulaski Bar Association in his memory. Thomas was found first listed in two (WM) letters written by uncle Euclid to his uncle George Godwin at Suffolk, Virginia, and as mentioned, in Fay Hempstead's 1890 book. Reviewing births of Borland family children reveals most of seventeen children were born, with at least two years separation. Therefore, and later confirmed by U S Seventh Census (1850) of Nicholas county, Kentucky, Thomas' birth occurred ca1832/33, likely in North Carolina, where brother Harold is documentarily born September 1835 as recorded at United Sates Military Academy. Thomas was four plus y/o when mother died in 1837. Was sent first to childless uncle Euclid's in Mississippi then to Suffolk, Nansemond county, Virginia with those who raised his father, George GODWIN and Fanny GREEN. Thomas at age 12 was taken to Little Rock for father's third marriage returned to Suffolk for schooling at Suffolk Academy under Reverand Charles H DISBROW (1813NY-1857VA), at age 16, attended Alexandria Boarding School, Alexandria, Fairfax county, Virginia under Benjamin HALLOWELL (1799- 1877), then when 17 in 1850 at Blue Lick Springs, Nicholas county, Kentucky in Western Military Institute, where its said many Little Rock boys attended, under Colonel Edwin Wright MORGAN (1814PA-1869PA). In 1851 he was working under Colonel MORGAN building a road (railroad?) in Kentucky, then next found at age 25, dead in Little Rock. First; (WM) letter, 30 May 1837, to George GODWIN from Euclid upon his arrival at Holly Springs, MS that Solon and family visited them from Memphis, Thomas was "delicate". Second; (WM) 16 Apr 1838, after Huldah's death the two boys were staying with Euclid in Mississippi, Thomas was well, but "Little Solon" (Harold) was "delicate". Thereafter, Thomas was raised by George GODWIN and wife Fanny (Green) in Suffolk, Virginia (as was Solon in 1820, Thomas R, 1850 & Euclid Jr, 1851). Harold stayed with Euclid & wife, early we thought it was him in Virginia 1840 census, now sure that is his brother Thomas. Third; (WM) 20 April 1845 letter from aunt Fanny (Green) GODWIN in Suffolk to Solon's oldest brother, Roscius Cicero BORLAND (1807VA- 1845MS), Murfreesboro, North Carolina tells of Solon taking "her Thomas" and was in Philadelphia, on the 1st, Pittsburgh the 5th, Louisville the 10th. Solon married his third wife, Mary Isabel, on the 27th of May at Little Rock where he had moved from Louisville, Kentucky in 1843 (1st to Hot Springs 1842) Fourth; Thomas wrote, (WM) 26 May 1849 letter from Alexandria Boarding School, Virginia, to uncle George GODWIN. Fifth; uncle Euclid's (WM) 12 October 1851 letter to George GODWIN from Solon's Hot Springs, AR home stating Thomas was in Kentucky with a Colonel MORGAN, building a new road. This letter prompted a search via Genforum late 2007 in Kentucky yielding information as to 1850 census with Thomas at Western Military Institute. That in turn caused a follow-up with inquiry of WMI archives who were most helpful furnishing the following. Sixth: Western Military Institute records reveal Borland appears on following dates: 31 Jan 1850 - assignment to Company A (2 pp.) 19 Feb 1850 - assignment to 6th Squad of Mess-Squad under Lt. Hughes (2 pp., including orders) 8 Mar 1850 - exercises in Elocution and Declaration (2 pp.) 19 Apr 1850 - reprimand for disorderly conduct during mess (1 p.) 20 Apr 1850 - assignment to 5th Division of Quarters under Lt. West (2pp.) 23 Apr 1850 - Recitation schedule for classes (4 pp.) under Colonel Edwin Wright MORGAN (1814PA-1869PA) Thomas' name is found in several letters indicating he was with George & Fanny GODWIN during most of his early years. April 2007 Maragaret Ross's 1969 book revealed Thomas died January 9, 1859 in the Anthony House, Little Rock, Arkansas, learned from January 15th issue of Arkansas Gazette. His parents and family had moved from Little Rock (Where Wright's Addition is now located, west of Senator Wm Savin FULTON's homesite "Rosewood" which was later Arkansas School for the Blind, now the Governors Mansion, 18th & Center, since 1949) in February 1858 to Princeton, Dallas county, and father Solon to Memphis June 1859. Total frustration had set in early on concerning lack of documentation on Thomas, --- to say the least, compounding this problem is; Dick JOHNSON's 1855 "printers-ink" political war against Solon in editorial of The True Democrat, 11December 1855, saying Solon had arranged an office for his sons over age 15, 1848 for Thomas and 1850 for "Little Solon", at Washington City, HOWEVER WE FIND ---- Euclid's letter of 12 October 1851 has Thomas working on a new road in Kentucky, ~ ~ ~ I BELIEVE Euclid's letter!! Colonel Edwin Wright MORGAN had left WMI in 1851, becoming chief engineer of Shelby railroad, Kentucky, which was most likely the new road Thomas is said to be building in Kentucky. It was thought brother Harold may have attended WMI but a check of their archivies revealed, not so. ______________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.org/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by William S. Boggess - billboggess@webtv.net ______________________________________________________________________