The Moffitt family is one of my favorite families to research. They have been in America since before the American Revolutionary War and not only do they have interesting family stories, but also have interesting family connections.
When researching families in North Carolina, it’s not uncommon to come across a Moffitt. Although they are not considered a so-called “prominent” family (one with political power or wealth), they were indeed a well-known family.
Cora Nevada Moffitt and Pinkney Elcanah Vess
Cora Nevada Moffitt is my 2nd great-grandmother, wife of Pinkney Elcanah Vess, daughter of Rev. James Ivy Moffitt and Nancy Murphy.
She was born in Missouri on March 31, 1873. It is my understanding that her father traveled for his work. Home for the Moffitt family was in McDowell County, North Carolina (BroadRiver Township).
On August 4, 1889, she married Pinkney Elcanah Vess, son of Andrew Logan Vess and Lucy Linnia Malinda Halford. Not much is known about Pinkney, except that he was a farmer. [Below: Pinkney is mentioned in local newspaper 1915].
They lived in McDowell County, NC and had 7 children together: Rev. Lennie Oran Vess, Rev. Arthur Lee Vess, James Elmer Vess, Emmett Flyod Vess, McKinley Vess, Marion Beverly Vess, and William Herman Vess.
Cora Nevada Moffitt died on December 2, 1933 in Old Fort, McDowell County, North Carolina and is buried beside her husband, Pinkney E. Vess in Old Fort City Cemetery.
Top Left: Marion Beverly Vess Right Top Right: James Elmer Vess
Middle Left: Cora Moffitt (children not named) Middle Right: James Elmer Vess “dad Vess” (cannot make out other names) Bottom Right: Rev. James Ivy Moffitt (Cora’s father)
*Photos colorized be author
The Moffitt/Maffitt Story
A publication on Ancestry.com titled, A Letter To Emily and John Maffitt, written by Richard Bird Maffitt, the son of John Moffitt and Matilda Bird, provides us some history about the Moffitt / Maffitt family. Because it is difficult to follow who-is-who in the letter, I will summarize by using Cora Nevada Moffitt as a point of reference on the family history tree; as well, as include additional information I have discovered about the Moffitt family.
John Maffitt (Moffitt) and Sarah Donahue, Cora’s 2nd great-grandparents, came to America before the Revolutionary War from Donegal, Ireland. They had two sons, William and John. Our family descends from John Maffitt (Jr.).
A Letter To Emily and John Maffitt (Summary)
Richard Maffitt writes that John Maffitt Jr. was an indentured servant for General Davidson (Burke County) until he was 21 years old, learning the “art” of tanning. General Samuel Davidson and Benjamin Burgin were prominent land-owners at the time.
John Maffitt Jr. married Sarah Whitaker (Cora’s great-grandparents). Sarah Whitaker’s father was a Whig and a solider of the Revolutionary War. Sarah went to live with General Davidson after her mother had died and her father’s property was destroyed by tories. After John fulfilled his indentured servant contract, they got married and moved to what is now McDowell County, North Carolina.
They had 9 children together:
John Maffitt who married Matilda Bird
Mary Maffitt who married Thomas Curtis
James Maffitt who married Eleanor Mackey
Elizabeth Maffitt (never married)
Sarah Maffitt who married Curtis Saunders
William Maffitt who married Elizabeth Eliza Bird (Cora’s grandparents)
Abagail Maffitt (never married)
Josiah Maffitt who married Sarah Huggins
William Whitaker Maffitt and Elizabeth Eliza Bird
Cora’s grandparents are William Whitaker Maffitt (1795-1874) and Elizabeth Eliza Bird (1804-1885). Elizabeth’s father, Cora’s great-grandfather, Richard Bird, was a traveling Methodist minister.
Ancestry.com submitted by KarenByrd10
William Maffitt and Elizabeth Bird lived in McDowell County, North Carolina. From what I can tell, they had 16 children!
Rev. James Ivy Moffitt & Nancy Elizabeth Murphy
James Ivy Moffitt (1843-1921) and Nancy Elizabeth Murphy are Cora Nevada Moffitt’s parents. They lived in the BroadRiver Township (Buncombe County/ McDowell County). They were married on November 2, 1865 and had 9 children together:
Cicero Stuart Moffitt (1866-1946), Olive Antoinette Moffitt (1868-1898), Ulysses Sherman Moffitt (1877-1953, Cora Nevada Moffitt (1873-1933), Wilson Albert Moffitt (1874-1877), Nancy Elizabeth Moffitt (1877-1961), Gemma Alephair Moffitt (1881-1972), Gertrude Moffitt (1882-1928), and James Frederick Moffitt (1885-1906).
James Ivy Moffitt and Nancy Elizabeth Murphy divorced, with James leaving North Carolina for Texas. It is said that he didn’t want to divorce Nancy and that he tried to get her to come with him to Texas, but she refused (I don’t know if this is true or not).
Children of James Ivy Moffitt and Nancy Murphy
Top Left: Gemma Alephair Moffitt Top Right: Olive Antoinette Moffitt
Middle Left: Cora Nevada Moffitt Middle Right: Cicero Stuart Moffitt
Bottom Left: Ulysses Sherman Moffitt and wife, Harriett “Hattie” Bell Lydia Clubb
Big Jim Burgin and Gertrude Moffitt
James “Big Jim” Burgin married Gertrude Moffitt, daughter of James Ivy Moffitt (Cora’s sister).
He worked on the Mount Mitchell Railroad. I believe Gertrude’s nephew, James Elmer Vess, son of Pinkney E. Vess and Cora Moffitt, also worked on the Railroad with James Burgin.
James Burgin is related to the prominent Burgin family of North Carolina; distantly related to Pioneer Ben Burgin. The Burgin family not only had large tracts of land, but also held positions in local government.
The Murphy Family : William Albertus Murphy Stories
Nancy Elizabeth Murphy is Cora’s mother. Nancy’s parents are William Albertus Murphy and Zillah Owneby (Granny Duck), Cora’s grandparents. The Murphy family is connected to many well-known families in Vess Genealogy, such as Ledbetter, Owenby, Hodge, Searcy, Dalton, Elliott, and many, many, more. There is a publication on Ancestry.com, titled William Albert Bertus Murphy, in which I would like to share:
Ancestry.com 3/7/2014 johnfbays William Albert Bertus Murphy
Interesting Story Between William and Zillah (Summary)
William Murphy and Zillah Owenby had an interesting beginning together.
Zillah Owenby and Squire Tom Ledbetter had a child together, but Ledbetter did not want to marry Zillah; so he paid William Albertus Murphy to marry her instead (abt. 1840). Zillah and William did not live together and William took a job as a stagecoach driver. As the story continues, he came back and opened a store in which Zillah and her daughter (Ledbetter’s child) appears to have visited often in which a true relationship started to form. After awhile, Zillah and William eventually moved in together (although already married).
James “Jim” Westly Murphy (Summary)
Ancestry.com 3/7/2014 johnfbays William Albert Bertus Murphy
During William Murphy’s time as a stagecoach driver, he got a woman pregnant by the named of Fagans. William brought the boy, named “Jim,” home with him for a visit when the boy was 12 years-old. The story continues that (Nancy) Fagans, came after her son, but her son refused to go back home with her. She had brought a man with her to help take back her son. She told the man to help her “tie” up her son. William stopped them from tying up the boy and told them, “Don’t you lay your hands on my SON, he can stay with me if he wants to!” The boys mother left without him and Jim took on his father’s surname: Murphy.
The publication, William Albert Bertus Murphy, available on Ancestry.com, has a few more stories on it that I recommend you checking out!
Top Left: Nancy Murphy on the porch Top & Botton Right: Zillion “Granny Duck” Murphy (Ownby)
On Ancestry.com, you can find pictures of what is left of the house above.
This is only a tiny glimpse of some incredible family history. I can write about the Moffitt and Murphy families all day long! They are one of oldest families in McDowell County and a family with many other fascinating family connections!
Learning their family histories has helped me learn more about the other families in the area in which Peter and Catherine Vess once lived. Everyone seems to be related! Even if your Vess line has no direct connection to the Moffitt family, I bet if you dig deep enough, you’ll find that one is either a distant relative, close neighbor, or part of a family members story!
Vess Genealogy 