Sarah ¹

  Death Notes:

Death Notice from Fayetteville Observer, May 28, 1863: "Died: In this county, Sunday, 3d inst., Mrs. Sally Strong, relict of John Strong, aged about 65 years."

[Since May 28, 1863 was on a Thursday, the previous Sunday was May 24.]

  Noted events in her life were:

1. Church Membership: 1833, Lincoln County, Tennessee. ³

Sarah Strong was listed as a member of the Mount Moriah Primitive Baptist Church in Mulberry as of the first Saturday in July, 1833.

[This would seem to indicate a presence in Lincoln County that predated the family's move from Smith/Cannon/DeKalb County sometime after 1836. Might the family have made an exploratory move to Lincoln County about 1833 and then returned to Smith County to settle their affairs before moving permanently? See the Research Note for Martha Strong, which suggests another possiblity, i.e., that Sarah may have accompanied a pregnant Martha and her husband, Samuel Little, when they moved to Lincoln County.]

[Note that although the Benjamin Strong family of South Carolina and Lincoln County, Tennessee had a daughter named Sarah, she was born 29 Mar 1821, and thus was probably too young to be this Sarah. Furthermore, the South Carolina Strongs were associated with Prosperity Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, whose register shows their Sarah listed in 1838 as a young communicant, along with some of her siblings.]

2. Estate Administration: 1835-1836, Smith County, Tennessee. ⁴

Sarah Strong and Mary Strong filed claims in the Estate of Benjamin Scrivner, Dec'd. [For details, see Events for Benjamin Scrivner.] Benjamin was the grandfather of Rebecca Scrivner, who married Hiram Strong, and Margaret Scrivner, who married Martin Strong. While the basis for the claims was unstated, it is suspected that Sarah and Mary may have rendered household services to Benjamin and his wife at a time when most of their family had moved away and when they were old and infirm. They were also poor, having lost everything when their home burned in 1825. It was not until Benjamin received his Revolutionary War pension in 1833, that he appears to have had any means of support.

3. Church Membership: 1843, Lincoln County, Tennessee. ³

On the first sabbath in Aug 1843, Sarah Strong was received as a member of the Mount Moriah Primitive Baptist Church in Mulberry by letter, as opposed to by experience (that having initially been entered and then crossed out), from the Norris Creek Church.

[No letter of dismissal from her earlier noted membership was found.]

4. Church Membership: 1848, Lincoln County, Tennessee. ³

Sarah Strong appears on the 1 Jan 1848 membership list of the Mount Moriah Primitive Baptist Church.

[This list was apparently used to record later dismissals and deaths. "Decd" was later added besides Sarah's name.]

5. Tax List: 1849-1850, Lincoln County, Tennessee. ⁵

1849, District 4: No. 107, Strong, John's heirs; 158 acres, value $600; no poll; $1.26 tax.

1850, District 4: No. 115, Strong, John's heirs; 158 acres, value $600; no poll; $1.20 tax.

6. Census: 1850, Lincoln County, Tennessee. ⁶

Dwelling 659, Family 659
Sarah Strong, age 64, female, real estate valued at $1,000, born in Tenn.
Mary Strong, age 45, female, born in Tenn, cannot read or write.
Catherine Strong, age 27, female, born in Tenn, cannot read or write.
Dorthula Strong, age 19, female, born in Tenn.
Matilda A. Strong, age 17, female, born in Tenn.
Parlee J. Strong, age 15, female, born in Tenn.
Thomas Jane, age 13, male, born in Tenn.

[I suspect Thomas' last name might have been James, and that he may be the Thomas A. James, age 21, born in Tennessee, who appears in the 1860 census for Lincoln County. At any rate, his omission from the list of children who still lived at home when John Strong wrote his will in 1845 means he was not a Strong.]

7. Census: 1860, Lincoln County, Tennessee. ⁷

Dwelling 948, Family 921, District 4
Sarah Strong, age 60, female, spinning, real estate $2,000, personal estate $240, born in Tenn, cannot read or write.
Mary Strong, age 45, female, spinning, born in Tenn, cannot read or write.

8. Tax List: 1865, Lincoln County, Tennessee. ⁵

1865, District 4: Strong, Sarah's heirs, 187 acres, value $800, $4.00 tax.

9. Estate Administration: 1865-1868, Lincoln County, Tennessee. ^{8 9 10}

[See the Estate Administration Event for John Strong for some background information pertaining to the administration of the Estate of Sarah Strong, Dec'd.]

Appointment of Administrator, 4 Sep 1865
The Court made a determination that Sarah Strong was deceased and left no will. W. D. Moorehead presented his bond of $1,000, with W. A. Carter and Jas L. Thompson as his securities, whereupon W. D. Moorehead was appointed Administrator of Sarah Strong, Dec'd.

Account of Estate Sale, Page 334
Wm D. Moorehead, Adm, submitted a list of property sold 19 Sep 1865 at the late residence of Sarah Strong, Dec'd, which was sworn to and submitted to the clerk of the court on 22 Feb 1868. The items sold, to whom and the sale price are set forth below:
1 red heifer to James Thompson for $8.00 [James was probably the wife of daughter Matilda]
1 roan heifer to Catherine Hedgepeth for $8.00 [Catherine was a daughter]
1 calf to Catherine Hedgepeth for $2.00
1 oven and kittle to Catherine Hedgepeth for $1.00
1 large jar to Catherine Hedgepeth for $0.25
1 shovil to Catherine Hedgepeth for $1.50
1 bedsted to Catherine Hedgepeth for $7.50
1 pair of Stutyard to Catherine Hedgepeth for $0.25
1 loom to Catherine Hedgepeth for $5.00
1 sifter to Catherine Hedgepeth for $0.15
2 slays to Catherine Hedgepeth for $0.50
1 inch auger to ? for $0.90
1 bull to J Brady for $8.50
2 shackles to J Brady for $0.50
1 bed and bantster to A. B. Carter for $19.50
1 bed and pillows to D. B. Cooper for $18.00
1 fine counterpaign to D. B. Cooper for $6.00
2 sack of feathers to Julius Snellin for $1.55
1 fine counterpaign to Julius Snellin for $5.75
1 bed quilt to Julius Snellin for $3.75
1 big pot to W. A. Carter for $1.50 [Willis was the husband of daughter Elizabeth]
1 pot rack to W. A. Carter for $0.50
1 oven and pot hooks to ? for $2.10
1 small oven to ? for $0.85
Total Proceeds of Sale was $103.10. [The proceeds of sale were ultimately accounted for in the Estate Settlement for John Strong, Dec'd.]

A Notice of Insolvency of the Estate of Sarah Strong, Dec'd, per W. D. Morehead, Adm, was published 6 Feb 1868 in the Fayetteville Observer. [Such notice may have been given because it had been determined that the above proceeds of sale did not belong to the Estate of Sarah Strong, Dec'd.]

Sarah married John STRONG, son of James STRONG and Mary. (John STRONG was born in 1770-1775 in North Carolina ^{11 12 13 14 15} and died before 4 Dec 1848 in Lincoln County, Tennessee ¹.)

  Marriage Notes:

It is clear that John Strong had a different wife in the 1820 census than in the 1830 census. Thus, John's first wife appears to have died after 1820, and he then married Sarah before 1830. The difference between their ages also suggests Sarah was a second wife. John and Sarah presumably married in Smith County, Tennessee.