Week 20's theme for +Amy Johnson Crow and NoStoryTooSmall.com's 52 Ancestors in 52 Week is "Black Sheep." As one pursues building a family tree, it does not take long for the so-called black sheep to start appearing throughout one's tree. My tree, like everyone else's, has its fair share of such individuals. For this post, I have chosen to write about my maternal second great grand uncle, Ed Ashby, who was a violent individual.
James Ashby and Angeline Thomas Poteet Ashby of North Carolina welcomed a son, Charles Edward "Ed" Ashby, in June 1887.1 (Note: I wrote a post about Angeline's father, Thomas Jefferson Poteet, Jr., in early February of this year.) The first record available for Ed is the 1900 U.S. Census in which he is residing in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, with his parents, four siblings, and two servants.2
He next appears at age 15 in a 03 April 1903 article entitled, "Boy Shoots His Father."3 According to the article, James "Jim" Ashby, the father, was punishing his daughter for not getting up early enough that morning, and Ed intervened in an attempt to protect his sister from their father. At some point, the interaction escalated, James threatened to kill Ed, and Ed "sent a load shot into his father's abdomen."4 An article from the 08 April 1903 Concord Times indicates that, just before James died on 04 April 1903, he expressed that his son was justified in killing him.5 The article goes on to say that it is the general impression that this is "a case of justifiable homicide."6 Another 08 April 1903 article from the Charlotte Observer indicated that the jury deliberated for less than an hour before coming back with a not guilty verdict in the case against Ed Ashby.7
On 16 June 1907, Ed committed murder a second time. This time, he killed his brother-in-law, Daniel "Dan" S. Overcash, for allegedly having an intimate relationship with his neighbor's wife, Mrs. Reece Pethel.8 After 13½ hours of debate, the jury convicted him on 31 August 1907 of second degree murder and perjury and then sentenced him to ten years in the North Carolina state penitentiary in Raleigh.9
To date, I have not been able to find any type of death record for Ed Ashby. In the 1930 U.S. Federal Census taken in Kannapolis, North Carolina, on 04 April 1930, his wife, Margaret (a.k.a., "Maggie) Overcash (née Pethel), is recorded as being widowed.10 Based on records found thus far, I must make the assumption that he died prior to the aforementioned 1930 census date.
1 James A. Ashby household, 1900 U.S. census, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, population schedule, township No. 4 Cooks Cross Roads, enumeration district [ED] 0016, sheet 9B, family 159; National Archives micro publication T623, roll 1185.
2 1900 U.S. census, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, population schedule, No. 4 Cooks Cross Roads, ED 0016, sheet 9B, family 159.
3 "Boy Shoots His Father," the Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.), 03 April 1903, transcription; GenealogyBank (http://www.GenealogyBank.com : online search, 23 May 2015), Newspaper Archives collection.
4 "Boy Shoots His Father," the Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.), 03 April 1903.
5 "James Ashby Killed by His Son," the Concord Times (Concord, N.C.), 08 April 1903, transcription; Ancestry.com (http://www.Ancestry.com : online search, 24 May 2015.
6 "James Asby Killed by His Son," the Concord Times (Concord, N.C.), 08 April 1903.
7 "Ed. Ashby Not Guilty," the Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.), 08 April 1903, transcription; GenealogyBank (http://www.GenealogyBank.com : online search 25 May 2015, Newspaper Archives collection.
8 "Ed Ashby Kills Dan Overcash," Greensboro Record (Greensboro, NC), 17 June 1907, transcription, GenealogyBank ((http://www.GenealogyBank.com : online search 26 May 2015, Newspaper Archives collection.
9 "Murder in Second Degree. Ten Years Given Ed Ashby,” the Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.), 01 September 1907, transcription, GenealogyBank ((http://www.GenealogyBank.com : online search 26 May 2015, Newspaper Archives collection.
10 Margaret Ashby household, 1930 U.S. census, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, population schedule, township No. 4 unincorporated Kannapolis town, enumeration district [ED] 0009, sheet 6A, family 98; National Archives micro publication T626, roll 1677.
©Amy Wood Kelly, 2015 - I am happy to share my genealogical research and writing with others, as well as to help others with their research efforts. However, please do not reprint this post in full or in part or use excerpts from this post without giving full credit to me, Amy Wood Kelly, as the researcher and author as well as providing the permalink to this post. Thank you, in advance, for showing respect for my request and the work I put into creating this post.
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| Relationship between Ed Ashby and me. My grandmother and mother, both living, and I would be listed after Murl Sanders Litaker, Sr. |
James Ashby and Angeline Thomas Poteet Ashby of North Carolina welcomed a son, Charles Edward "Ed" Ashby, in June 1887.1 (Note: I wrote a post about Angeline's father, Thomas Jefferson Poteet, Jr., in early February of this year.) The first record available for Ed is the 1900 U.S. Census in which he is residing in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, with his parents, four siblings, and two servants.2
He next appears at age 15 in a 03 April 1903 article entitled, "Boy Shoots His Father."3 According to the article, James "Jim" Ashby, the father, was punishing his daughter for not getting up early enough that morning, and Ed intervened in an attempt to protect his sister from their father. At some point, the interaction escalated, James threatened to kill Ed, and Ed "sent a load shot into his father's abdomen."4 An article from the 08 April 1903 Concord Times indicates that, just before James died on 04 April 1903, he expressed that his son was justified in killing him.5 The article goes on to say that it is the general impression that this is "a case of justifiable homicide."6 Another 08 April 1903 article from the Charlotte Observer indicated that the jury deliberated for less than an hour before coming back with a not guilty verdict in the case against Ed Ashby.7
On 16 June 1907, Ed committed murder a second time. This time, he killed his brother-in-law, Daniel "Dan" S. Overcash, for allegedly having an intimate relationship with his neighbor's wife, Mrs. Reece Pethel.8 After 13½ hours of debate, the jury convicted him on 31 August 1907 of second degree murder and perjury and then sentenced him to ten years in the North Carolina state penitentiary in Raleigh.9
To date, I have not been able to find any type of death record for Ed Ashby. In the 1930 U.S. Federal Census taken in Kannapolis, North Carolina, on 04 April 1930, his wife, Margaret (a.k.a., "Maggie) Overcash (née Pethel), is recorded as being widowed.10 Based on records found thus far, I must make the assumption that he died prior to the aforementioned 1930 census date.
1 James A. Ashby household, 1900 U.S. census, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, population schedule, township No. 4 Cooks Cross Roads, enumeration district [ED] 0016, sheet 9B, family 159; National Archives micro publication T623, roll 1185.
2 1900 U.S. census, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, population schedule, No. 4 Cooks Cross Roads, ED 0016, sheet 9B, family 159.
3 "Boy Shoots His Father," the Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.), 03 April 1903, transcription; GenealogyBank (http://www.GenealogyBank.com : online search, 23 May 2015), Newspaper Archives collection.
4 "Boy Shoots His Father," the Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.), 03 April 1903.
5 "James Ashby Killed by His Son," the Concord Times (Concord, N.C.), 08 April 1903, transcription; Ancestry.com (http://www.Ancestry.com : online search, 24 May 2015.
6 "James Asby Killed by His Son," the Concord Times (Concord, N.C.), 08 April 1903.
7 "Ed. Ashby Not Guilty," the Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.), 08 April 1903, transcription; GenealogyBank (http://www.GenealogyBank.com : online search 25 May 2015, Newspaper Archives collection.
8 "Ed Ashby Kills Dan Overcash," Greensboro Record (Greensboro, NC), 17 June 1907, transcription, GenealogyBank ((http://www.GenealogyBank.com : online search 26 May 2015, Newspaper Archives collection.
9 "Murder in Second Degree. Ten Years Given Ed Ashby,” the Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.), 01 September 1907, transcription, GenealogyBank ((http://www.GenealogyBank.com : online search 26 May 2015, Newspaper Archives collection.
10 Margaret Ashby household, 1930 U.S. census, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, population schedule, township No. 4 unincorporated Kannapolis town, enumeration district [ED] 0009, sheet 6A, family 98; National Archives micro publication T626, roll 1677.
©Amy Wood Kelly, 2015 - I am happy to share my genealogical research and writing with others, as well as to help others with their research efforts. However, please do not reprint this post in full or in part or use excerpts from this post without giving full credit to me, Amy Wood Kelly, as the researcher and author as well as providing the permalink to this post. Thank you, in advance, for showing respect for my request and the work I put into creating this post.
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