SIXTH GENERATION

50. John Steven Caton (1) was born between 1774 and 76. He died about 1840 in Cocke County, Tennessee. The following is a letter from Von B. Hamrick, Jr. to Ms. Beverly Leatherwood,
2900 El Camino Ave. #173, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89102 in its entirety about the
Caton family: Dear Beverly: I do not know if I can give you much help on
your Stephen Caton. I am not at all satisfied with what I have. When I
started working on the Deadman line, I found that someone had taken a bunch
of names and put them together with no proof of what they did. This one piece
of work had been passed around for years and everyone accepted it. After
proving with Wills, Court Records, Census Records etc. that the original
accepted story was not correct, I came up with my version. I am satisfied
that my account is as accurate as it could be with the records available.
Francis Dedmond, a retired English Professor, told me that the parents of
Sarah Caton were Stephen Caton and Susannah Tatum. His grandfather was the
son of Sarah Caton Deadman and lived with his family when he was a young boy.
I thought he was probably right but I could never find any proof of it. I
didn't find much information on Stephen Caton but from what I did find, I
began to believe there were two of them. On 7/29/1789 Charles Caton deeded
land to his son, Geo Dent Caton and the deed was witnessed by Stephen Caton
and Charles Caton, Jr. If Stephen was old enough to witness a deed at that
time, he must have been born in 1771 or prior. According to your Blount Cty
Census, your Stephen Jr. would have been born between 1790 and 1800. This
deed leads me to believe that the Stephen on the deed could be a brother to
Charles Jr. and the son of Charles, Senior. The Senior's Will did not name a
Stephen. It did name a John and several others. Stephen Caton's Marriage
Bond to Susannah Tatum dated 12/30/1817 was witnessed by John Hill who married
Sally Deadman, one of Thomas G. Deadman's older daughters. On the same date,
Stephen Caton witnessed the Marriage Bond of John Hill and Sally Deadman.
This could mean that John and Stephen went to the Court House together. As we
both know, in some cases, they did not always follow through with the actual
marriage. Do you have any other evidence that Stephen actually married
Susannah Tatum? I found a note in the Pink Tatum (She wrote a book on the
Eatons and Tatums) papers that were given to the Davie County library, that
stated, "Susannah Tatum married a John Caton in Rowan County in 1817. The
Caton's seem to have lived in the same area as the other Tatum families."
From this I began to wonder if his full name could have been John Stephen
Caton? John's Will was probated on 1/21/1830 and the name of his wife was,
in deed, Susannah. According to the 1830 Census, he had a daughter the age of
my Sarah Caton. His parents were Charles Caton, Sr. and Jemima Caton. The
1850 Census lists Susannah Caton as 68 years old and living in the household
of Richard and Martha Pack (her daughter). This would mean she was born about
1782. John Caton shows up on a land transaction dated 11/7/1796 making their
ages right for a marriage. From all of this, I have some major questions.
Was John Caton's full name, John Stephen Caton? Could the Senior Stephen be
the son or brother of Charles Caton, Sr.? Was the Stephen Caton on the
Marriage Bond to Susannah Tatum the same Stephen Caton on the Marriage Bond to
Catherine Hendricks? Which Stephen Caton got land on Reedy Run next to Thomas
G. Deadman and Nicholas Click from Edmond Deadman on 5/28/1824. I'm sure you
noted from my article that a daughter born to Sarah Caton Deadman on June 3,
1848 was named Arkansas Line Deadman. That is a strange name and must have
some significance but I don't know what. Any help you can give me in
answering these questions will be appreciated. Sincerely, Von B. Hamrick, Jr.

Dent Caton

Book 11, page 751, July 29, 1789, Charles Caton (Jemima makes her mark), lets
George Dent Caton, a planter, --both of Rowan County, North Carolina -- have
324 acres beginning at a red oak, going north 40 degrees east 9 chains &
25 links to a post oak, north 40 degrees west 40 chains to a small hickory,
west 40 chains to a stake, south 34 chains & 75 links to a stake, then to the
beginning, for 100 pounds, witnessed by Stephen Caton & Charles Caton Jr. &
proved by the latter in August court of 1789. (This is part of a tract
granted the said Charles Caton, July 29, 1789.
Book 27, page 900 or 944: May 28, 1824, Edmond Deadman (no wife signs) lets
Stephen Caton (both of Rowan County, North Carolina) have 130 3/4 acres on
Reedy Run next Thomas G. Deadman and Nicholas Click, for $300.00, witnessed
and proved by B. D. Haden in August 1824. (I, Danny A. McBee was related in
some way directly or by marriage to all of these people mentioned.)
Stephen Caton moved to Cocke County, Tennessee from Blount County, Tennessee
by 1838. An August 13, 1838 entry in the journal of Rankin and Pulliam early
Cocke County merchants, showed that he bought "1 bale of spun cotton" for
$2.00 and 3 1/2 yards of cotton cloth for $2.62 1/2. (Danny A. McBee).

Stephen Caton and Susannah Tatum were married December 1817; John Hill, bonds-
man; Robert Nanny, Witness. Stephen Caton married Catherine Hendricks, Feb.
2, 1826; John Foard, bondsman; L. R. Rose, J. P., witness. He was married to Susannah Tatum in Dec 1817 in Rowan County, North Carolina.

51. Susannah Tatum(1) was born about 1782 in Old Rowan County, Now Davie Co., N. C.. She died between 1820 and 1826. According to the 1850 Davie County Census, Susannah Tatum Caton was 68 years
old and living with her daughter, Mrs. Martha Pack. According to the 1850
Davie Co. Census there is an Abraham Caton, 42, wife Nancy, 42, children Bill,
19, Mitchell, 17, Martha, 15, Elizabeth, 14, William, 9, Abraham, 7, and
James, 2. I feel that this is the oldest child of John Caton and Susannah
Tatum. Children were:

child i. Thomas R. Caton(1) was born on 24 Dec 1819 in Rowan County, North Carolina. He died about 1910. He was a Methodist Preacher. Thomas R. Caton moved with his father and step-mother to Blount County,
Tennessee when he was 7-8 years old. By the time he was about 20 years old,
the family had moved to Cocke County, Tennessee, and it was about this time
(1840) that Thomas married Margaret McGaha. It appears that they may have
been living with his father at the time of the 1840 Census.

There is a Sarah Caton, 65, born circa 1855, in the 1910 Jerusalem Township, Davie County, North Carolina Census, listed as head of household. Her daughters Maggie, 34,
Cornelia, 32, and Della, 24. are listed with her. I do not know who this Sarah Caton is
and I list her under Thomas R. Caton as I feel sure she is the wife of one of his sons. I list her here so she will not be forgotten. [Danny McBee, April 18, 1998].
child25 ii. Sarah Caton.
child iii. Martha Caton(1) was born in Davie County, North Carolina.

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