Alone Until the End

In the 1850 census, Littleberry is living alone.  He is recorded as an 84-year-old farmer with real estate valued at $300¹ and thirteen slaves.² Although some of his children have moved out of North Carolina, he still has relatives in the area so he is not totally alone.  His sons Major, Thomas and Littleberry O. are still living in Halifax County along with a host of grandchildren.  Littleberry’s last remaining sister, Nancy Ann, died in 1851 in Maury County, Tennessee.  Her husband, Chiles McGee, had died many years before and left her a wealthy woman.  She left her fortune to many nieces and nephews, including all of Littleberry’s children.³  The following year Littleberry’s son, Robert, died in Mansfield, Louisiana,⁴ leaving a wife and several children.

In January 1855, Littleberry deeded lot number 123 Granville Street in Halifax to his son Littleberry O. Willcox for $1.⁵  It is presumed that this was a house, possibly the house pictured below.   Littleberry O. was to hold the property for the use and benefit of his brother, Dr. M. A. Willcox, during the term of his natural life.  Dr. Willcox was not to have any interest in the property, meaning that he could not sell it for his debts.  At the time this contract was written, Dr. Willcox was the “putative” father of eight children born to Catherine Hill.  Although Dr. Willcox was not married to Miss Hill, it was commonly accepted that he was the father of her children.  The contract stated that upon Dr. Willcox’s death, the property was to be conveyed to those children and also to any children born thereafter to Dr. Willcox whether born in or out of wedlock.  Dr. Willcox went on to marry Catherine Hill a few months later in July 1855.⁶

In August 1856, Littleberry sold to his son, Littleberry O., a slave named Jack for $1.⁷  The slave was in the possession of Dr. M. A. Willcox and just like the land, Jack was for the use of Dr. Willcox during his natural life and after his death for the use of his children. 

In both of these transactions, it seems that Littleberry was concerned that his son, Dr. M. A. Willcox, could lose any assets bequeathed to him.  However, Littleberry wanted to ensure that his grandchildren were provided for and he trusted his son, Littleberry O., to see that it happened. 

The photos below were found at the Halifax County Library in Halifax, North Carolina in 2022. They were identified as the “Wilcox House” that was “no longer standing.” I presume that this is the house on Granville Street.

DEATH AND PROBATE

Littleberry died on September 15, 1856 in Halifax County at the age of 90.  The only public notice I have found of his death was in the Richmond Whig newspaper.  It read, “In Weldon, N.C., on Monday, the 15^th instant, Maj. LITTLEBERRY WILCOX, in the 90^th year of his age.”⁸  It is unknown where Littleberry is buried but it is highly likely that he was buried in the Halifax town cemetery.  It was the first cemetery in Halifax and many who lived from the 1700s and 1800s are buried there.  Unfortunately, most of those older gravestones have not survived.⁹  Today the cemetery is called Colonial Churchyard and Littleberry’s son, Major Alston, is buried there along with his wife, Catherine, and all of their children.

In regards to the “Maj.” in front of Littleberry’s name, there have been other instances in newspapers where Littleberry is referred to as a Major.  He could have been in the United States military or a local/regional militia although I have found no evidence of this.  However, I believe this is a military title and not his first name (like his father).  Other instances include:

• Reported as having letters in the Halifax post office in 1827 (Maj. Littl’y Willcox)¹⁰
• Announcement of the marriage of his daughter, Susan, in 1831 (Maj. Littleberry Wilcox)¹¹ 
• Appointed Chairman of the Stockholders of the Wilmington and Raleigh Rail Road Company in 1847 (Major Littlebury Wilcox)¹²
• Reported as having lost property valued at $1,200 in a fire in Weldon, N. C. in 1849 (Major L. Wilcox)¹³

Littleberry lived the longest of all of his siblings.  His last sibling, John Vaughn Willcox, died in 1863.  He was arguably the wealthiest and most well-known of all the siblings.

Littleberry died intestate, meaning he did not leave a will which is curious, considering that he owned slaves and land and had so many heirs.  However, not everyone left a will.  Some people did not own enough to make the estate worth probating and others distributed their assets before they died.  Perhaps this is why one of Littleberry’s last acts was the transferring of the property on Granville Street and Jack the slave to his son, Littleberry O.  It is likely that he knew the end of his life was near.  We have a hint that he was ill as he was unable to sign his name to the legal document where he sold the slave, Jack.  Instead, he could only make a mark.  He died the following month.

Probate

The following narrative is based on probate records available at FamilySearch.org which were digitized from microfilm housed at the North Carolina state library in Raleigh, North Carolina. There are 113 document images in Littleberry’s probate record but I do not provide references to specific document images. In writing this narrative, I examined each document image and created a timeline based on the dates on the documents or other information that pointed to a specific timeframe. The intent was to give a summary of the probate of Littleberry’s estate and not to address each document image available. You may examine the document images for yourself if you wish to get into the nitty gritty details.¹⁴ 

The earliest available probate document is dated May 1858.  It is a petition to the court on behalf of Littleberry’s daughter, Susan, and her husband Thomas Watts, for an accounting and settlement of Littleberry’s estate so that they could be assigned their share.  The probate records do not indicate any sales of Littleberry’s property before the filing of this petition.  However, records show that some of Littleberry’s personal property, slaves and real estate were sold during the years 1858-1861. 

The records also show that some of the heirs had been advanced more of the estate than others.  In particular, Thomas W. Jenkins (husband of Susan Alston Jenkins and son-in-law of Elizabeth Willcox Alston, Littleberry’s daughter), inquired of the family attorney in 1875 how much Littleberry’s sons, Thomas and Littleberry O. had received from the estate or how much they owed to the estate. It would seem that there was some dissension among the family members over property distribution.

Two particular parcels of land that were originally sold during this time were defaulted on by the original buyers.  Over the course of next twenty years, these two particular tracts of land (referred to as “the mill” and “New Ruin/River”) were sold and defaulted on multiple times by multiple buyers.  Finally, in 1883, they were sold to Littleberry’s daughter-in-law, Catherine Willcox (wife of Dr. Major Alston Willcox).  She purchased the two parcels of land (about 92 acres total) for $25.  The purchase price of these lots fluctuated wildly from over $1,000 in 1861 to $135 in 1876, and $305 in 1882.  It is unknown why Catherine was able to purchase the land for such a low price.  It is apparent that none of the family was interested in owning the land or they would have already attempted to acquire it.  There were no other probate records dated after the sale of this property in 1884. 

The next post will be a longer summary of the settlement of Littleberry’s estate for those interested in more details.

---

1. 1850 U. S. Census, Halifax County, North Carolina, population schedule, page 43 (stamped), dwelling 809, family 809, Littleberry Willcox; imaged, “1850 United States Federal Census,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8054/ : accessed 28 June 2026). ↩︎
2. 1850 U.S. Census, Halifax County, North Carolina, slave schedule, no township, page 183 (penned), Littleberry Willcox, owner; imaged, “1850 United States Federal Census,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8055/ : accessed 29 July 2026. ↩︎
3. Maury County, Tennessee, “Clerk & Master’s Office Chancery Court Minute Books, Vol. 6, September 1853-March 1857,” 463, Alexander Orr, Executor vs. L. H. Wilcox and others, 14 June 1855; imaged “Minute books, 1822-1909; enrollment books, 1818-1877,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS54-79T8-Y: accessed 13 July 2026) > Minute books, v. 4-6 1843-1857 > image 1017 of 1186; citing Maury County, Tennessee, Chancery Court. ↩︎
4. Dallas County, Arkansas, “Deed Record B, Dallas County,” 413-4, Jane Wilcox, 18 November 1853; imaged “Deeds, 1845-1887; index, 1845-1931,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C37F-Y3PK-5: accessed 29 July 2026) > Deeds, v. B 1847-1855 > image 278-9 of 361; citing Dallas County Courthouse, Fordyce, Arkansas. ↩︎
5. Halifax County, North Carolina, “Halifax County Register of Deeds, Record of Deeds, Vol. 18, 1796-1802,” 434, Littleberry Willcox, 17 January 1855; imaged “Deeds 1732-1934; index to deeds and mortgages 1732-1934,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99DD-69S2-6/: accessed 8 July 2026) > Deeds, v. 33-34 1850-1860 > image 637 of 780; citing North Carolina. County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions (Halifax County). ↩︎
6. Halifax County, North Carolina “Register of Deeds, Records of Marriages by J.P.’s and Ministers,” 49, M. A. Wilcox and Catherine Hill, 3 July 1855; imaged “North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011,” database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60548 : accessed 8 July 2026) > Halifax > Marriage Records (1851-1867) > image 45 of 170; citing North Carolina County Registers of Deeds, North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC. ↩︎
7. Halifax County, North Carolina, “Halifax County Register of Deeds, Record of Deeds, Vol. 18, 1796-1802,” 434-5, Littleberry Willcox, August 1856; imaged “Deeds 1732-1934; index to deeds and mortgages 1732-1934,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99DD-69S2-6/: accessed 8 July 2026) > Deeds, v. 33-34 1850-1860 > image 637 of 780; citing North Carolina. County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions (Halifax County). ↩︎
8. “Died: Maj. Littleberry Wilcox,” Richmond Whig, Richmond, Virginia, 26 September 1856, page 2, column 5; imaged, Virginia Chronicle
   (https://www.virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=RWH18560926/ : accessed 13 July 2026). ↩︎
9. North Carolina, and Linda Reeves, Historic Halifax Guidebook, (Division of Archives and History, Dept. of Cultural Resources, n.d.), 15-6; digitized at FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org/library/books/idviewer/790528/ : accessed 29 July 2026). ↩︎
10. “A List of Letters,” North-Carolina Free Press, Halifax, North Carolina, 6 October 1827, page 3, column 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/67869217/: accessed 13 July 2026). ↩︎
11. “Married: Miss Susan A. Wilcox,” Roanoke Advocate, Halifax, North Carolina, 15 September 1831, page 3, column 4; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/66294719/ : accessed 13 July 2026). ↩︎
12. “Meeting of Stockholders”, The Tri-Weekly Commercial, Wilmington, North Carolina, 12 March 1847, page 2, column 3; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/73531503/ : accessed 13 July 2026). ↩︎
13. “The Late Fire at Weldon, N.C.,” Tarboro’ Press, Tarboro, North Carolina, 25 August 1849, page 2, column 3; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/171857085/ : accessed 13 July 2026). ↩︎
14. Halifax, Halifax County, North Carolina, estate file, Littleberry Wilcox, 1857; imaged “North Carolina, Estate Files, 1663-1979,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKBP-TJZ7: accessed 29 July 2026) > Halifax County > W > Wilcox, Littleberry (1857); Halifax County, North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh. ↩︎