Distinguishing Two Joshua Catons:

Josh-1765 of Rowan Co., NC

Josh-1775 of Iredell and Rowan Co., NC

By: Karen C. Caton ©2023

A Joshua Caton of Rowan County, North Carolina (“Rowan Co.”) was born around 1765 (Josh-
1765) and was closely associated with the family of Charles Caton (1733-1815) (“Chas1” or “Chas-
1733”) of Rowan Co. Another Joshua Caton from neighboring Iredell County, North Carolina
(“Iredell Co.”) was born around 1775 (Josh-1775) and was the son of Stephen Caton (1746-
1799)(“Steph1” or “Steph-1746”). Steph1 and Chas1 were the patriarchs of the only Caton
families living in western North Carolina in 1790.
Both Steph1 and Chas1 were from Prince George’s Co., MD, and were likely brothers. Chas1’s
birth was listed in the St. John’s Parish Registry1 there, along with the names of his parents, John
and Eliza Keaton. Several of his siblings are listed in that registry, and with time the name evolved
to Caton. The birth of Steph1 was not listed in that registry, but the births of only some of the
children of Chas1, Steph1, and their father John were recorded in the St. John’s Registry – most
of the children (of all three men) were not named in the Church registry.
Steph1 and his family were listed on the 1776 Maryland Colonial census2 and that record provides
his 1746 year of birth, and a 1749 year of birth for his wife Eleanor. They had three sons, ages 5,3
and 1 – all born after 1770. The name of the eldest son, born around 1771, is not known. He is
referenced as “Son1” for purposes of this paper. Steph1 and Eleanor were listed in the St. John’s
registry as parents of a James Caton, b. 1773, so he would have been the son who was 3 in 1776.
The third son, born around 1775, would be their son Joshua (Josh-1775).
Josh-1765 and Josh-1775 were not the same person. Both men appear in separate census entries
in 1800 and in 1810. This article will (i) set out the evidence that two different Joshua Catons
lived in western North Caraolina from 1790 and at least through 1810, and (ii) examine why that
evidence shows that Josh-1775 was the son of Steph1, and Josh-1765 was likely the son of Chas1.
1. Census Records
The elder Joshua was 45 or older on the 1810 Rowan Co. census (so born by 1765), so he was at
least six years older than Steph1’s oldest child. Josh-1765 was at least 35 in 1800, when he was
listed as a head of household (age 26- 44) in Rowan Co, and at least 25 in 1790, when he was
likely one of the males over 16 in the home of Chas1. Given what is known about the ages of the
four oldest sons of Chas1, Joshua probably was not born any earlier than 1765. Steph1’s wife

1
The Saint John’s Parish Registry is transcribed in "Maryland Births and Christenings, 1600–1995,"
FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2009, 2010.
2
Maryland Records: Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church – from original sources, Gaius Marcus
Brumbaugh, Vol. 1, p. 82 (Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore 1915).
https://archive.org/details/marylandrecordsc01brumuoft/page/82/mode/2up?q=caton

1|P ag e
Eleanor (a/k/a Ellen, or Nelly) was only 16 when Josh-1765 was born, and the 1776 MD census
showed they had no sons born before 1771, so Josh-1765 was not the son of Steph1.
In 1790 there was only one Iredell Co. Caton household. Steph1 was listed with four sons – Son1
and James were over 16, and Josh-1775 (about 15) and newly born Stephen (born 1790) were
under 16. There were four women in the house, likely: Steph1’s wife Eleanor3 (Nelly1), their
daughter, Eleanor (Nelly2), the wife of Son1 and a daughter of Son1.
By 1800 there were two Caton households in Iredell Co.
• James was separately listed with his wife and three daughters, all under age 10.
• Nelly was Steph1’s widow, listed with Joshua (25 but unmarried), Nelly2, the widow of
the Son1, and three children of Son1.
Because of the double listing of Nelly1’s household in 1800 (once under her name, and once
under Joshua’s) 4 Josh-1775 was separately named in the census in 1800.
In 1810, Nelly1, James and Josh-1775 were in three separate households, as discussed in more
detail below. In each census year, Josh-1775 has an age range consistent with the 1775 birth year.
The 1790 Rowan Co. census listed (in sequence): Charles Caiton (Chas1), his son George Caiton
(1764-1852 – known from land records to be George Dent Caton, “Geo2”) and John Hill, husband
of Jemima Caton5 (“Jemi2” – daughter of Chas1). Also listed in the area was another son-in-law,
John Felps/Phelps, who had married “Mary2” -- the oldest daughter of Chas1. Other neighbors
reflect many who would interact or intermarry with the Catons over the years (e.g., Orrell, Sparks,
Dowell, Sheets, Phelps, Hill, Hurley, Wiatt, Deadman, Connatzer, Sheets, Martin).
Eight people were shown in Chas1’s household in 1790: 3 Males over 16, 1 male under 16, and 4
females. The composition would have been Chas1 and his wife Jemima (“Jemi1”), their three
youngest girls (Rebecca, Anna and Elizabeth), William (“Wm2”) -- the only son still under age 16,
and two males over age 16, who were likely Benjamin (“Ben2”) and Joshua.
• Geo2, Jemi2 and Mary2 were out of their parents’ home, but accounted for in Rowan Co.
• Son Charles, Jr. (“Chas2”) was over 45 in Rowan Co. on the 1800 census – so over 35 in 1790, and likely
the oldest child, born in 1755 or earlier,6 so he was around 35 in 1790. He owned multiple tracts of
land in Rowan Co. by 1790 (land held by Charles Caton Jr.), but he was not separately listed in Rowan
Co. in 1790. He may have been the Charles Caton who married Sarah Phelps 10 Feb 1790 in Anne
Arundel Co., MD.
• Son John (1758-1830 – “John2”), was married with children in 1790 (shown by his census entry in
1800), but he was not listed in Rowan Co. in 1790 and clearly was not embedded in his father’s
household. He married Verlinda Riggs in Montgomery Co., MD on 13 Nov 1781. There is no evidence

3
Eleanor is sometimes called Ellender, Ellen, or Nelly. The daughter was her namesake.
4
The 1800 census has both Caton households listed twice – once in the alphabetized listing under ‘k’ and once under
‘c’. The two listings for James are almost identical. Nelly’s household is listed once under her name (with her 25-
year-old son and the others) and then under Joshua as head of household (with his 45+ mother and the others).
5
The marriage bond for Jemima Caton and John Hill was dated 14 Dec 1790. North Carolina Marriage Collection,
1741-2004 (Ancestry.com) (Rowan Co., NC marriage records), so the 1790 census was completed in early 1791.
6
Even if the 1800 entry was in error, transactional history for Chas2 suggests that he was born by 1760 – to have
been an adult on those transactions.

2|P ag e
 that they had moved their family to NC by 1790. It is not unreasonable to infer that his older brother
Chas2 was also in Maryland in 1790.
• Chas1’s son Jesse (“Jess2”) married Esther Sparks in Rowan Co. 1787,7 and had two children by 1790,
but they were not listed separately in Rowan Co. Jess2 was almost certainly in Kentucky by 1790. 8
Both Jess2 (Clark Co.) and Geo2 (Lincoln Co.) were on the Kentucky tax list for 1800. 9
The location of Chas2 and John2 in 1790 is uncertain. It is possible that John2 and Chas2 were
exploring Kentucky with their brother Jess2 in 1790, but returned to North Carolina by 1800,
when they both appeared on the Rowan Co. census.10 Or both may have been in Maryland. In
any event, given their age and history, it is unlikely that either was in Chas1’s home in 1790. In
that case, Joshua and Ben were the two males over 16 still living at home with Chas1 in 1790.
The following chart lists the entries for both Caton groups in 1790 (yellow shows Chas1, Green
shows Steph1). No other Catons lived in the western part of North Carolina in 1790.

7
The marriage bond for Jesse Caton and Ester Sparks was dated 20 Jan 1787. North Carolina Marriage Collection.
8
There are no census records for Kentucky before 1810. The 1790/1800 KY territorial census records burned in the
War of 1812. Jess2 witnessed deeds for family and/or neighbors in 1786 and 1787 (Rowan Co. Deed Book/page
10/433,552; 11/33,271), but not thereafter. He was in the Kentucky militia in Lincoln Co., KY from May 16, 1793 to
June 4, 1794, U.S. Compiled Service Records, Post-Rev. War Vol. Soldiers, 1784-1811.
Jesse’s oldest child, Noah, was born in NC around 1788 (Noah Caton on 1850 and 1860 Censuses, Vernon Co., MO),
but his second child, Elizabeth (1790-1827) was born in KY (according to her son, James Calloway on 1880 U.S.
Census, Audrain Co., MO) as was his third child, Jonas (b. 1793) (see census record for his son, Luther Caton, 1880
U.S. Census, Linn Co., MO.)
9
Clift, G. Glenn, Second Census of Kentucky, 1800 (Genealogical Pub. Co., Baltimore 2005). As noted above, Jess2
moved on to Missouri around 1811, but Geo2 remained in Kentucky for the majority of his life, listed in Mercer
Co., KY on census records from 1810 through 1830, Henry Co., TN in 1840, and Boyle Co., KY in 1850.
10
It is also possible that either of these oldest two sons were still in Maryland in 1790, or in North Carolina but
embedded in a household with the family of a wife or a sibling. An unaccounted for male over age 16 was living
with John Felps and Mary2 in 1790. It is possible that Chas2 owned land, but before marrying he had not yet
built a home, and was living in his sister’s home.

3|P ag e
Indexes for the 1800 census records for Rowan Co. reflected two entries for Caton households.
Charles Caton – 1M/1F over 45,
1M 16-25, 2F 16-25, 2M 10-15, 2F
10-15, 2M 0-9, 1F 0-9 (12 total);
and
John Caton – 1M/1F 26-45, 1F 0-
9, 3M 10-15, 1M 16-25 (7 total).
This “Charles” was probably
Chas2 and “John” was his
brother, John2.
John2’s family was consistent
with his known family group - his
first wife and their five children.
Assuming this “Charles” entry
was for Chas2, note that there is no evidence that Chas2 had children of his own, yet he had a
large household that year. This could be a combination of (1) Chas2 and his wife, (2) Chas2’s sister
Anna, her husband Jonah Sparks, and their three young children,11 (3) his wife’s children or other
family, and (4) other Caton relatives.
As noted below, it is likely that Steph-1790 was not in Nelly1’s home in 1800, nor was he in his
older brother’s home. He may have been part of this household of Chas2 (his older cousin, who
was old enough to have been his father), with another relative.12
The 1800 Rowan Co. census was organized alphabetically. The census official appears to have
taken the information from a group of households, and recorded several pages (perhaps that
day’s work) grouped by the first letter of the last name. This makes it easier to find/index a name
in one respect, but it detracts from the ability to make inferences about how close some
households may have been to one another within the group, or in a separate group.13 This
process may have contributed to the double entries for Steph1’s family in Iredell Co., which was
done the same way, for somehow they were entered twice - under K and under C.
No Catons other than John2 and Chas2 were reflected in this grouping, and no other Catons were
shown in any published indexes for 1800 Rowan Co. Even soundex searches failed to pull up
others. But there appeared to be missing households. A line-by-line read of the Rowan Co. 1800
census found both Josh-1765 and Chas1. They were a few pages away, but in a different
grouping, with their last names spelled Ceaton.

11
Anna and Jonah were closely tied to Chas2. He would be the guardian for their children after Jonah died. They
were not listed in a separate household in 1800, and may have been running Chas2’s farm. Anna and Jonah had
three small children at this time but that doesn’t account for all of the
12
See Appendix-1.
13
If, e.g., the enumerator started at HH 1 and worked first to the east, it could have taken a while for him to
circle back, ending up at the household immediately west of HH 1. Two close neighbors could appear in two
different groupings on the census report.

4|P ag e
Joshua Ceaton (the second entry on the page, and Charles Ceaton (the ninth entry) appear to be
the missing Caton men.14
Josh-1765’s household included: 1M 25-45, 1F 15-24 ,1F 25-44
Chas1’s household has: 1M over 45, 1F over 45, and 1M 26-44, 1M 15-25

The entry for this Charles was more likely Chas1.The simplest construction is that this household
was comprised of Chas1 and Jemima, both over 45, with Ben and William still at home.
Josh-1765 had married during the preceding years, and was about 35 at the time of this census,
but he and his wife had no children. The extra female living in his home was too old to have been
a child of that marriage – perhaps she was a sister-in-law or step-daughter.
This means that there were four heads of household in Rowan Co. in 1800: Chas1, Chas2, John2
and Josh-1765. That is exactly what would be expected, for there was ample evidence of John2,
Chas2 and Josh-1765 in the county records after that date, while Ben2 and Wm2 remained
unmarried in 1800, and the Jess2 and Geo2 were settled in Kentucky.

14
The misspelling of the name, coupled with difficulty in transcribing it, explains the failure to find them in past
publications. The name is listed as “Craton” on indexes at FamilySearch and Ancestry.com and as “Ceaton” in a
published record offered by S-K publications. Even the ‘sounds like’ search on Ancestry.com failed to pull up these
entries – a good reminder that thorough research sometimes still requires a manual read of census records.

5|P ag e
In 1800, the Iredell Co. census listed four Caton households as well, but it is likely that these were
duplicate entries for two households.
James, known to have been born in 1773, was listed twice, with almost identical listings.15
• In one he was shown as 26+ with a wife and three young daughters.
• The second entry was the same, except that James’ age was recorded as under 26.
The other Caton entry was for Nelly1’s home. She was listed as head of a household with 8
people.16 She was shown as under 45 (she was more likely about 51), with a male 16-25 (Josh-
1775), a male under 10 (probably Son1’s son Reuben, born around 1794), 17 and an additional five
females.18 This household was also duplicated, although on the duplicate entry they showed
Josh-1775 as the head of household, with his mother his mother (correctly shown as over 45),
Reuben, and with a better breakdown for the five younger females, which allows a reasonable
inference that they were Son1’s wife, Nelly2, Son1’s first daughter (now over 10) and Son1’s two
youngest daughters who probably 10 and one younger.
One clear finding from the 1800 census is that there was a Joshua in Iredell Co. with Nelly1, and
a different Joshua in Rowan Co. near Charles Caton.

15
It would not be reasonable to assume there were two James Catons at this point… no son of Steph1 was old
enough to have been a grandfather with several grandchildren.
16
Steph1 had died in 1799, thus Nelly1 was his widow.
17
Steph2 was born around 1790, was likely 10 or so in 1800, but this entry was likely for Reuben. Placing Reuben
as Son1’s son seems right, for Josh-1775 was not yet married and James had no sons in his household. Reuben
would remain in this household with Nelly, even after Steph2 was separately listed, and later Reuben followed the
family to Blount Co., TN, which is where James moved.
18
The other females were all lumped together under the column for females under 10, clearly a lazy error.

6|P ag e
In 1810, again there were two Joshua Catons separately listed. Josh-1775 and his brother James
were by then living in Rowan Co. Nelly1 had the only Iredell Co. household.
• James was about 37. He still had 2 of his first three girls at home and between 1800 and
1810 had added 5 more children.
• Josh-1775 was about 35, married with four daughters under age 10.
• Nelly1 still had in her home Nelly2 (who would marry later in life for the first time) and
Son1’s widow, both 25-45, Reuben who was about 16, and the youngest 2 daughters of
Son1 (the oldest would have been over 20 and was probably married).
Year State Co Twp Pg Name Notes1
1M45+ (Chas1), 1M 26-44 (Wm2), 1F 16-25 (Cynthi a Smi th), 1F 0-
1810 NC Rowa n 56/277 (i ma ge 38/67) Charles Caton 9 (da u of Wm2). Ben wa s i n KY, Jemi ma ha d di ed.
James Orrell M/F 26-45, 2F/1M < 10, 1F 10+ (Anna /Ja mes , El i z 10+, Jos eph,
(2d husb of Jemi ma & Na ncy Orrel l < 10…Ja mes R. Orrel l born a fter
1810 NC Rowa n 57/279 Ima ge40/67) Anna2) cens us .
Edger Orrel
(m. Ruth, dau 1M 16-25, 1F 16-25 (Ruth Ca ton Orel l , hi s wi fe, wa s the da u
1810 NC Rowa n 57/279 Ima ge40/67) of John2) of John2 - they ha d m. i n 1810)
1F 26-45 (Ma ry, 43), 2-1-2M (John, Wm, Cha s , Sa m, Ja s per), 2F
1810 NC Rowa n Ca rol i na 21B/326 Mary Phelps 10+ (Ma ry, El i z) (three ol des t out of the hous e)
1M 45+ (John2), 1F 26-44 (1st W), 3M 16-25 (Ba s i l , JohnD,
Jes s e), 1M 10-15 (prob. Cha s 4, not rea l l y 10 yet, s on of Cha s 3 -
1810 NC Rowa n Ca rol i na 83B/332 (i ma ge 27/33) John Caton hi s mom di ed s oon a fter hi s bi rth; Cha s 3 ha d recently
rema rri ed… a nd wa s proba bl y on the fa rm of Jos h2-1765).

1M/1F 45+; a nd 1M/1F 16-45 Josh-1765 and wife, + Chas3 (son

1810 NC Rowa n Ca rol i na 84/333 (28/33) Joshua Caton of John2) - and 2W Rebecca.
1810 NC Rowa n Ca rol i na 75B/316 (11/33) James Cayton 1M 26-44, 1F 26-44, 1F 16-25, 1F 10-15, 2M -10, 3F -10
1810 NC Rowa n Ca rol i na 75B/316 (11/33) Joshua Cayton 1M 26-44, 1F 16-25, 4F -10
1810 NC Iredell 207 (64/65) Nelly Katon 1F 45+, 2F 25-45, 2F 16-25, 1M 16-25

The family of Chas-1733 was largely accounted for as well, with only Chas2 missing. 19
• Chas1 was still living in 1810, although he was a widower. The youngest son (Wm2)
remained at home. He was married and had one daughter.
• John2 and his first wife had their three youngest sons at home (all over 16). The youngest
male with John2 was probably his grandson Charles (Chas4), son of his son Charles (b.
about 1782 “Chas3”).20
• Josh-1765 and his wife were listed in 1810, with a younger couple living with them – likely
Chas3, the son of John2, with his new bride, Rebecca Wyatt.

19
The families of Jess2, GeoD2, Jemima2-Hill, Benj2, Rebecca2-Ridgeway, and Elizabeth2-Ridgeway, had all moved
away. Only John2, Chas2, Josh-1765, Mary2-Felps, and Anna2-Sparks/Orrell remained in the area. Chas2 was living
and likely still in the area, given the terms of his father’s 1814 Will, but Chas2 has not been found on this census.
See Appendix-1.
20
His oldest son Charles, born around 1782 (Chas-1782), had lost his wife after their first child, but he had married
Rebecca Wyatt in early 1810. This young couple was not in John2’s household. They were probably the young
couple with Josh-1765 and his wife, since they had no children.

7|P ag e
In 1810 two people were not accounted for: Chas2, son of Chas1, who was 55; and Steph-1790,
son of Steph1, who was about 20, although both were then living.21
Both Josh-1765 and Josh-1775 were on the 1800 and 1810 census (confirming that there were
two Joshuas). By 1820, neither were listed, because both had died – as had Chas1,22 and Nelly1,23
and several from the next generation.
Steph1’s descendants who were still living in 1820 were as follows:
• On Steph1’s homestead lived his daughter Eleanor (Nelly2), the new head of household
at age 35. With her was Son1’s son Reuben (over 26), and Son1’s two youngest daughters,
both between 20 and 25. The fact that their mother was not with Nelly2 at the old
homestead – where she was living in 1790, 1800 and 1810 – suggests that she too died
between 1810 and 1820.
• James was living in Tennessee by 1820. His 1821 Executor’s deed on his father’s farm
stated that James was a resident of Blount Co., TN, which explains his absence from the
1820 North Carolina census. (The 1820 census for eastern Tennessee was not preserved).
• Steph-1790 (Steph2) appeared in his own household for the first time in 1820, with his
wife Susannah Tatum, an unknown young adult female, and his new son, Thomas R. Caton
(born the prior year).
• Anny Caton, likely the widow of Josh-1775, was listed with three daughters and a son
(born after 1810). Anny was not Son1’s wife (for he had died much earlier and would not
have had children this young). She was not James’ wife – for he was living and in
Tennessee. She was not Josh-1765’s wife, because she was living in Salisbury with young
children. Josh-1765’s farm was near Chas1 on the Forks of Yadkin – plus, he had no
children.24 She was not Chas2’s wife, for he had no known children. Anny had older
daughters whose ages were consistent with those living with Josh-1775 and his wife in
1810.
In 1820, Chas1 was deceased. It is not certain whether Chas2 had died. He was living in 1818
(when he did final business on Ben Dulin’s estate25), but he was not found on the 1820 census.
He may have been living with his sister, Anna.

21
Steph-1790 was also unaccounted for in 1800, likely sent to live with other relatives, and perhaps still with that
same household in 1810. He was likely a newborn and the second son under age 16 in Steph1’s household in 1790.
By 1800 both Steph1 and Son1 were deceased, leaving Nelly1 with a daughter, Josh-1775 and Son1’s family. Because
Reuben could only have been Son1’s child, he was surely the male under 10 in Nelly1’s 1800 household. In that case
Steph-1790, who was probably 10 years old, was not living with her. It is likely that Steph2 was living with other
relatives. Whether it was the Caton cousins across the county line or some other cousins in Rowan or Iredell Co.
22
Chas1 does not appear on the 1820 census. His Rowan Co. Probate case, filed in 1815, confirms that he had died.
23
Nelly1 was not on the 1820 census. In 1821 a deed signed by James Caton, son of Steph1 and Co-Executor of his
estate with Nelly1 (then deceased), sold the farm of Steph1, which had been left to Nelly1 for life. Since she was
not on the 1820 census, she apparently died before that census was taken.
24
See, infra, documentation regarding the probate file of Josh-1765, confirming that he had no children.
25
Rowan Co. Deed Bk 25:722.

8|P ag e
 YR ST Co Twp Pg Name Notes
1M 26-44 (Chas3 40), 16-25 (Rebec 25+), 2F 0-9 (Mary, Jane), 2M
1820 NC Rowan Forks of Yadkin 398 (17/21) Charles3 Caton 0-9 (Cornelius, Levi) [index was not correct - read the census sheet) (Chas1, John2)
M (26-44 James), F(26-44 Anna2), M(45+ - Chas2); 5 children at
1820 NC Rowan Forks of Yadkin 390 (13 of 21) James Orrell (wife Anna2) home: 2M 0-9, 1M 10-15, 1F 0-9, 1F 10-15 (Chas1)
1820 NC Rowan Forks of Yadkin 398 (17/21) John2 Caton 1M 45+ (John2), wife 1F 45+, 1M 26-44 (Basil was 35), (Chas1)
1820 NC Rowan Forks of Yadkin 398 (17/21) Jesse3 Caton 1M 26-44 (Jess3), wife 1F 26-44, 1 M 0-9,1F 0-9 (Chas1, John2)
1M26-44 (JohnD3 was 33), Wife Sarah Euph. 1M16-25 (24), 1F
1820 GA Jones Gresham's Dist. JohnD3 Caton under 10 (Martha was 2), 1M16-25 (Chas1, John2)
1820 NC Rowan Forks of Yadkin 57 (40/67) Edger Orrel (wife Ruth3) 1M 26-44 (Edgar), 1F 26-44 (Ruth3 was 29) (Chas1, John2)
1820 NC Rowan Salisbury Anny Caton Anny F26-44, F10-15, 2F 0-9, 1M 0-9 (Widow of Josh2, Steph1)
1820 NC Rowan Forks of Yadkin Steph2 Caton Steph2 M26-44, F26-44, F16-25, M0-9 (Steph1)
Ellen2 F-26-44 (unm. Dau of Steph1/Nelly - she was 35), M26-44
1820 NC Iredell Ellen Caton (nephew, Reuben, 26) 2F16-25 (Neices) (Steph1)

Jess2 left the area before 1790. Geo2 left between 1790 and 1810. By 1820, Ben2 and Wm2 had
also left North Carolina.26 John2 was the only son of Chas1 listed in Rowan Co. in 1820. His first
wife was still living (she too was over age 45), and his son Basil was still at home – he would have
been about 35.
Jess3, the son of John2, had married neighbor Elizabeth Orrell and started his family.
JohnD3, the son of John2, was living in Georgia with his new wife, Sarah E. Robinson. Ruth3 had
married Edger Orrell and was still in Rowan Co.
Chas3, son of John2, was in his own home with Rebecca Wyatt and their four children (all from
this second marriage.27
Anna2 and her second husband James Orrell had a houseful of children, including children from
her first marriage to Jonah Sparks. The older man (over age 45) in their household may have been
Chas2.
Both Joshuas were deceased by 1820. Josh-1775’s widow Anny was still living in 1820, but Josh-
1765’s wife appears to have died by 1820. It is likely that Josh-1765 died before 1814, since he
was not named in Chas1’s will.
2. Other Records
Apart from census records that show Josh-1775 in Iredell Co. and later in Rowan Co., it is clear
that Steph1 had a son named Joshua because he named that son (along with sons James and
Stephen) in his Will, written February 12, 1799 and probated soon thereafter. 28

26
William “Cayton” was listed in Rutherford Co., TN, 1820 U. S. Census, Rutherford Co., TN, NARA Roll: M33_124,
Image: 107, Page: 175/91; Benjamin originally relocated to KY, but later moved to Howard Co., Missouri with the
family of his wife. There is no 1820 census for that area, but Ben would appear there in 1830. 1830 U.S. Census,
Howard Co., MO, Series: M19; Roll: 73; Page: 182; Family History Library Film: 0014854.
27
Chas3’s son from his first marriage, Chas4, was not in any of these households. He may have been the male (16-
24) living with JohnD3 in Georgia that year, for he would have been about 19 at that time. He would return to
Rowan Co. soon thereafter, where he died in 1837 leaving a wife and four small children.
28
Probate file opened in 1799, Wills and Estate Papers (Iredell County), 1663-1978; Author: North Carolina.
Division of Archives and History; Probate Place: Iredell, North Carolina.

9|P ag e
Josh-1765 was not named in Chas1’s will, but that is probably because he died before Chas1, and
left no descendants.
Josh-1765 was not the same person as Josh-1775. The older Joshua had a presence in Rowan Co.
even before Josh-1775 of Iredell Co. was of legal age. On 12 Jun 1794, Josh-1765 would have
been about 29. He witnessed two deeds from the Thomas Felps Estate to Charles Caton 29 which
he later proved in the County court.30 Also proved in the same session minutes was a deed from

29
Rowan Co. Deed Book 13, Page 755 and 781 (hereinafter, Deed Book references will be listed by County, Book
and Page, e.g., Rowan Deeds 13:781).
30
Court of Equity Quarter Session Minutes (hereinafter “Minutes”), Aug. 1794.

10 | P a g e
Charles and Jemima Caton to Joshua Caton, dated 31 Jul 1794 for 253 acres on the Yadkin River.31
Charles Jr. was a witness. This deed may have been given around the time of Josh-1765’s
marriage, for in 1800 he was listed for the first time in a separate household, with two women,
one 26-44 (likely one his wife, since she was over 45 in 1810) and the other 16-25, perhaps his
wife’s sister, or a daughter from an earlier marriage. Josh-1775 was only 19 years old in 1794. He
lived in Iredell Co. in his mother’s home until sometime after 1800, while Josh-1765 was on the
Rowan Co. tax rolls from 1794.
Deed records and session minutes for Rowan Co. reflect several instances in which Josh-1765 was
called upon as a witness or otherwise given a position of trust. In 1805, Jonas Sparks, Sr wrote a
will in which he named his son David Sparks and Joshua Caton as his executors.32 Among the
primary beneficiaries under that will were Anna Caton Sparks (daughter of Chas1) and her
children. Anna was the widow of his son, Jonas Sparks, Jr. This appointment only makes sense if
Josh-1765 was Anna’s brother -- the uncle Jonas Sparks Sr.’s grandchildren. In 1812, Josh-1765
and Charles Caton were named as Trustees on a deed of Church property. 33
No probate was filed for Josh-1775, but there may have been no need, for there is no evidence
that he owned real estate. A probate file was opened for Josh-1765. He probably died before
1814 (before Chas1 wrote his Will), but the probate for Josh-1765 was not filed until 1817,
probably after the death of his widow.
The 21 May 1817 Session minutes for the Rowan Co., NC Court of Equity, noted that letters of
administration were issued on that date for the estate of Joshua Caton. Jesse Caton was
appointed as administrator, and John Caton and Charles Caton were sureties on the
administrator’s bond.34
• The Jesse appointed to serve as administrator was likely Jesse Caton (1790-1840), son of
John2 (“Jess3”). He was the only “Jesse” living in the area who was old enough to serve
(he was about 27). His uncle, Jess2, had left for Kentucky before 1790, and had moved to
Warren Co., MO by 1811.
• John Caton, the first named surety, was likely John2. He was the close neighbor of Josh-
1765 on the 1810 census.

31
Id.; Rowan Deeds 13: 702. The land deeded to Joshua was from a 275-acre tract previously conveyed to Charles
Caton by Asa Martin and his wife Elizabeth, by a deed dated 26 May 1792, and proved in the Aug. 1792 Session.
Rowan Deeds 12:750.
32
Will Books, Vol C-D, 1780-1807, p. 50.
33
Rowan Co. Deeds 20-24: 628.
34
Id., 31 May 1817. These minutes have been digitized, and while they remain unindexed, they are
available digitally through familysearch.org--
https://www.familysearch.org/records/images/image-
details?place=393035&page=3&lifeEvent=102899&lifeEventRecordTypes=127010&rmsId=TH-1961-
47014-59447-44&imageIndex=1007&singleView=true

11 | P a g e
 • The Charles Caton listed as a surety was not Chas1, for he had died by 1815. It was either
Chas2, the brother of John2, or it could have been Charles Caton, the son of John2, who
was born by 1782 (“Chas3”).
On 19 Aug 1817, Jess3 returned
to the Court and requested
permission to sell a negro man,
Mike, belonging to the estate,
in order to raise funds to pay
the debts.35
The next item of business found
related to this Estate was the
defense of a lawsuit. Josh-1765
had been the Executor for the
estate of Jonas Sparks Sr.,
whose eldest son, Jonas Jr.,
married Anna, daughter of
Chas1. Jonas Jr. died by 1800
leaving her a widow with three
small children. In 1805,
Jonas Sr.’ will was probated,
and it included provision for
Anna2 during her widowhood,
and gifts to her three children,
with the additional gift of the
‘place where I now live’ to her son, Joseph Sparks.
Joshua Caton acted as Executor when Jonas Sr. died in 1805. The grandson Joseph was a small
child at the time, and required a guardian. This petition likely involved disputed issues between
that Guardian and Joshua related to his actions as Executor. The guardian sued Joshua’s estate
after his death, and Jess3 defended that suit. It is possible that this lawsuit was the initial reason
why an administration had to be opened for the estate.
Joshua’s estate prevailed and received a judgment for its costs in defending the case. Items
related to the case are set out on Appendix-2, including the original summons, subpoenas issued
by each side prior to trial - some to neighbors of Josh-1765 and John2, the Court’s judgment in
favor of Joshua’s estate, and an appeal bond filed by the plaintiff after he lost his suit. These
documents are all in a file separate from the probate, in the Superior Court files. Probate matters
were generally held in the lower Equity court, but lawsuits could be severed and heard in the
higher court.

35
https://www.familysearch.org/records/images/image-
details?place=393035&page=3&lifeEvent=102899&lifeEventRecordTypes=127010&rmsId=TH-1961-47014-59447-
44&imageIndex=1036&singleView=true

12 | P a g e
 After all the business was
resolved, the estate could be
settled. In all likelihood Joshua’s
farm was being maintained by
John2 or his sons, who also cared
for Josh-1765’s widow. It would
be typical for the land to remain
in the estate for the life of the
Widow, perhaps longer if there
was no urgency to sell or
partition. Ultimately, the ‘heirs’
did file a petition to sell the
property. If Josh-1765 had any
children, they would have been
his heirs. If Josh-1765 had been a
child of Steph1 (one and the
same person as Josh-1775), then
Steph1’s children would have
been his heirs. But if Chas1’s
children were his heirs, then he
was a child of Chas1.
In the Oct. 1823 Rowan Co. Court
session, an order was entered
granting the earlier petition of
“John Cayton and others” as
heirs at law, ex parte, to sell the
land of Joshua Caton so that the
proceeds could be divided
among the heirs.36
The Clerk and Master proceeded
to sell the property and he filed a report with the Court in the Mar. 1824 session, referencing the
Oct. 1823 order of the court and reporting that the sale was conducted on 10 Dec 1823 and that
Jesse Cayton was the highest bidder. 37
This was likely Jesse3, who had served as administrator. As was typical, Jesse bought the land on
terms, and so the process was drawn out. His final payment was not due for 18 months, and the
Court’s 1824 order provided that once full payment was made to the Clerk, a deed would be
issued to Jesse and the funds, less costs, would issue to the heirs. 38
The fact that John2 was one of the heirs-at-law of Josh-1765 suggests strongly that this Joshua
was either his son or his brother. Joshua was over age 45 on the 1810 Rowan Co. Census, thus

36
Rowan Co. Court of Equity, Sessions Minutes, Oct. 1823.
37
Rowan Co., NC Court of Equity, Court minutes, Mar 1824 Session minutes, p. 108-09 (See Appendix-3).
38
Id.

13 | P a g e
born in 1765 or earlier. This indicates that he was a brother to John2, not his son. There is no
evidence of any other John Caton in the area at this time – other than John2, son of Chas1.
Joshua had originally received a deed for an estimated 253 acres from Chas1 and Jemima Caton
in 1794. 39 When the land of the estate of Josh-1765 was sold to Jesse Caton, the legal description
estimated that the tract sold was only 238 acres, but the legal descriptions for the two tracts are
clearly referring to the same property. Chas1 had deeded 253 acres to Joshua in 1794, from the
275 Acre tract that he obtained from the Martins in 1792. The legal description on his transfer to
Joshua read roughly as follows:
Begin at a mulberry tree on the bank of the Yadkin River,
on the Southeast side of the Mouth of little Branch [of the Yadkin] then
S 70.5 deg W, 10 ch. 20 links to a hickory; then
S 61.5 deg W, 41 ch, 50 links to a stone; then
N 22 [chns?] to Charles Caton’s corner, then
W 13 ch, 39 links to a stone; then
N 22 Ch, 21 likns to a post oak; then
N 27 deg W, 29 ch, 24 links, to a pine at Rhoda Harper’s corner; then
E 43 ch, 64 links to a post oak; then
S 3 ch to a stake, then
E 21 ch, 50 links to the River Bank, a little past a black oak,
Running still east across the river 5 ch, 75 links, to a stone, then down the river along the bank about
S 25 deg E 24 ch, 60 links to a stone, then
W to the beginning for 253 acres of land and water, more or less.

Over thirty years later, in compliance with the Court’s ordered sale of Joshua’s land, the legal
description on the 19 Feb 1827 deed to Jesse3 was as follows:40

On the South side of the Yadkin, Beginning on the bank of the River at a stake, then
__ 71.5 deg W, 10 ch and 20 links to a hickory; then
S 61.3 deg W, 41.5 ch to a stone corner; then
W 16 ch, 89 links to a stone corner; then
N 22 ch, 21 links to a post oak; then
N 27deg W 29 ch, 24 links to a pine; then
E 43 ch, 64 links to a post oak; then
S 3 ch to a stake; then
E 21.5 ch to the river; then
Up the river to the beginning…. Containing an estimated 238 acres

Allowing for a couple of obvious errors in the calls, the land as described is the same tract,
excluding only the slice on the opposite side of the river that was included with the original tract.
The land owned by the Joshua who died by 1817 was the same land owned by the Joshua who
received it from Chas1 in 1794. This suggests that it was the same Joshua. He would have been
at least age 21 in 1794 (so born by 1773) and was likely the same person who was Joshua on the
1810 census and then over age 45 (so born by 1765). John2, who was born in 1758, was an heir
at law of Joshua, but was not old enough to be his father. If Joshua’s siblings were his heirs at
law, then he had no children, and he was a son of Chas1. It is likely that he died before Nov. 1814,

39
Rowan Co., NC Deed Book 13, Page 702-03. See Appendix-4 for a copy of Joshua’s 1794 deed.
40
Rowan Co., NC Deed Book 29, Page 282-83. See Appendix-5 for a copy of the deed from Joshua’s estate.

14 | P a g e
when his father Chas1 wrote a will. A predeceased son with no children would not necessarily be
mentioned in a father’s Will. The administration of Joshua’s estate was likely deferred while a
surviving spouse remained on the property, and administration may have begun after her death.
Josh-1765 died sometime between 1812 and 1814. A deeper review of tax lists, jury lists and local
minute records may offer help in narrowing the exact date of his death. The following
information may be gleaned from the records available online, and suggests that Chas1 was the
father of Josh-1765, who was not the same person as Josh-1775.
• Josh-1765 witnessed deeds from the Felps Estate to Chas1 in 1794. 41
• In Jul 1794, Chas1 and wife deeded Joshua 253 acres, located near their farm.42
• Joshua witnessed Jonas Sparks Sr.’s Will in 1805 (Jonas was actually the father-in-law to two children
of Chas1 – Anna Caton married Jonas Sparks, Jr, and Jess2 married Jonas’s daughter Ester Sparks. In
his will mention is made of Ester Caton). 43
• In 1812, Josh-1765 and Charles Caton were Trustees for Church property, 44 so he died after that date.
• There was room for Josh-1765 in the listing for Chas1 in 1790, and he was listed separately on the
census in 1800 and 1810 in Rowan Co. Josh-1775 fit into Steph1’s listing in 1790, and he was named
in Iredell Co. in 1800 with his mother, and in Rowan Co. in 1810 near his brother James.
• The James and Joshua lived near Nelly1 in Iredell Co. in 1800, and near one another in Rowan Co. in
1810. They were younger -- born after 1765, likely sons of Nelly1 and Steph1. 45
• Josh-1765 was on the census in a separate household (for the first time) in 1800, on the same page
as one the Charles Catons. In 1810 he was still in Rowan Co., just five households down from John2.46
• Josh-1765 was over 45 in 1810, so born before 1765, and roughly of an age to be a child of Chas1. He
was too old to have been a child of Steph2, who had his own son Josh-1775. He died without children
between 1812, and 1814 when Chas1 wrote his will. He left now will, but an administration was
opened on his estate in 1817, probably to deal with the claims filed against him. By 1823 the ‘heirs’
filed to sell the farm (likely after the death of the widow) – and the heirs included John2, suggesting
that the children of Chas1 were the siblings of Josh-1765.
There were two Joshua Catons. One was Josh-1775, the son of Steph1. He lived with Nelly1 in
1800, but was named due to the duplicate census entry. He was also named in his own household
in 1810, living near his brother James in Rowan Co. Josh-1765 was about 10 years older, and he
was separately named in the 1800 and 1810 census. These were two different men.

41
Rowan Co. Deed Book 13:755.
42
Rowan Co. Deed Book 13:702. This was not on its face a gift. The recited consideration (£ 253) was typical market
rate. But when Chas1 and Jemima sold to Geo2, consideration was recited for that tract as well. While the price
may appear to be discounted (£ 100 for 324 acres), if this was part of the Holbrooks tract, it had been purchased
by Chas1 at roughly that same rate (£ 150 for 500 acres). Rowan Co. Deed Book 5:49, 11:751.
43
Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998, Rowan Co., NC Superior Court, Vol. C-D, page 50.
44
The Pleasant Grove Chapel Methodist Episcopal Society. James Klutz, Abstracts of Deed Books 20-24 of Rowan
Co. North Carolina 1807-1818, p. 99.
45
The younger Joshua was 26-44 in 1810, and 16-25 in 1800; no older than 35/36 in 1810 –too young to take title
to land 16 years earlier, and too old to have been a son of John2. U.S. Census-1810, Iredell Co., Roll: 40, Page 207.
46
U.S. Census-1810, Rowan Co., NC, Roll: 43; Page: 333; Image: 00170; Fam. Hist. Lib. Film: 0337916.

15 | P a g e
 Appendix-1
Chas2 was the only Caton household into which Steph2 could have fit in 1800, and both were
unaccounted for in 1810, which raises the possibility that Chas2, as a widower, combined
households with some other relative, keeping Steph-1790 with him, for Chas2 was still living after
1810. He was living when Chas1 made his will in 1814 – and given administrative tasks that
suggested he was still in the area. He sold property after 1810. His last known transaction was in
1818, when he sold land related to Benjamin Dulin’s estate. Ben was the husband of Chas2’s
niece, a daughter of Anna2 who was widowed young and her uncle Chas2 handled the estate.
Anna2 and her second husband may have been living in a household with Chas2 in 1820, when
an unexplained male over 45 was living with them. Meanwhile Steph2 first married Susanna
Tatum in 1817, and reappeared as a married man on the 1820 census.
Although not known to be cousins of Steph-1790, the Summers family was closely connected to
Chas1. His wife was Jemima Summers, and their son John2 married Verlinda Riggs, the niece of
Jemima through Ruth Summers Riggs (Jemima’s sister). They were both children of John
Summers Jr. b. 1685 and his wife Mary Ann Moore. They had brothers that also moved to western
North Carolina. William Summers (1726-1800) and Thomas Summers (1730-1799) both relocated
about the same time as Chas1. In 1790, six households with Summers surnames were in Iredell
and Rowan Co., NC.
1790 NC Iredell 399 Bazil Summers 1-1-1 (Males over 16, Males under 16, females)
1790 NC Iredell 399 William Summers 1-1-1
1790 NC Iredell 402 John Summers 1-3-3
1790 NC Iredell 400 Thomas Summers 1-2-2
1790 NC Rowan 344 Thomas Summers 2-3-5
1790 NC Rowan 298 William Summers 2-3-3
There were even more by 1800.

16 | P a g e
Appendix-1 (Con’t)

In 1810, the Summers still had a presence in Rowan/Iredell Cos.

17 | P a g e
 Appendix-2
Documents related to the suit of Sam Jones, Guardian for Joseph Sparks v. Est. of Joshua Caton

18 | P a g e
19 | P a g e
20 | P a g e
 ]}]]

21 | P a g e
 Appendix-3
Report of Sale on land from Estate of Joshua Caton to Jesse3

22 | P a g e
 Appendix-4
253 Acre Deed – Charles and Jemima Caton to Joshua Caton

23 | P a g e
24 | P a g e
 Appendix-5
238 Acre Deed from Joshua Caton Estate to Jesse Caton

25 | P a g e
26 | P a g e