WILLIAM CHARLTON WESTBERRY

(JOSIAH2, MOSES1) was born October 16, 1825 in Appling Co, Georgia, and died Bet. May 1862 – May 1869. He married MARTHA ANN BENNETT, daughter of WESTBERRY BENNETT and ELIZABETH PADGETT. She was born 1838 in Georgia, and died Aft. 1897 in Georgia.

Notes for WILLIAM CHARLTON WESTBERRY:
Westberry, W. Charlton — Enlisted as a private in Company A, 1st Regiment, 1st Brigade, Georgia State Troops October 3, 1861. Mustered out April 1862. Enlisted as a private in Company K, 54th Regiment Georgia Infantry April 18, 1862. Deserted at Savannah, Georgia May 25, 1862.

Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia
Charlton served in Co K, 54th Reg, Georgia Infantry. He was killed near Charleston in May 1862. According to family tradition, he was killed in a ditch beside a small stone church.

Administrator of Charltons estate was Westberry Bennett, his father-in-law. May 8, 1869, book MM, page 511, division in kind.

Holmesville, Georgia.
Martha Ann Westberry (Grantor) to Henry Bennett (Trustee) Interest in Estate on June 7, 1869. In consideration of natural love and affection has and bears to her son Henry Westberry, $5 paid by Henry Bennett in trust for Henry Westberry until he is of 20 years in age, all my part and interest in the estate of Charlton Westberry, deceased. Book F page 563.
Martha Ann Westberry (Grantor) to Henry Westberry by deed Interest in Estate on June 7, 1869. Book F page 564.

This accounts for four of the children of Charlton. It is known that Justina “Tiny” was a daughter of Charlton. There are numerous documents on that as well as pictures of her with her brothers Lemuel and John Walter. There is no Mary Elizabeth nor any evidence to show that she was a member of this family. This is not to say that she did not exist under this family. Strange things do happen here.
Stories are that one child was adopted out to a Nichols family and his name was changed to George Nichols. That is true. (See Obit for Tiny)
His name was George H. Nichols and he was living in Chicago in April 1949. Is “H” for Henry?

*Notes for Henry/George submitted by Robert Westberry.                                            George Westberry Nicholas/Nichols was the illegitimate child of Charlton’s wife and a neighbor Mr. Nicholas (who was also in the same Regiment with Charlton when Charlton died). Mr. Nicholas’s wife at one point demanded the baby from Martha Bennett Westberry after Charlton’s death during the Civil War. Charlton was NOT the child’s father but is wife was the natural mother. George also resided with Bennett relatives whenever he ran from reported abuse from Mr. Nicholas. There is a typed family story dating back many years that explains in some detail the circumstances although there are some minor errors. George Nichols was the father of Anne Nichols, the famous playwright (Abie’s Irish Rose and others). If you study the census, you can see the that Nicholas family had two children too close to the same age to have been full siblings. Also, they already had a son named Henry, which was George Nichol’s birth name.

Notes for MARTHA ANN BENNETT:
From the Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia.
Martha left her small children with her parents and went to Hamiliton Co, Florida where she married an unknown Padgett. Her parents were unable to care for the children so they were raised by relatives and neighbors in the area.
She eventually returned and made her home with her daughter, Tiny. Martha met a violent death. Her gown caught fire and burned her severely. She died a few days later.

Editors Note: On June 7, 1869, Martha is still a Westberry. She deeds interest to property to her youngest son, Henry Westberry.

Martha’s father, Westberry Bennett, was born in Bulloch County, June 25, 1815, son of Henry Bennett. His wife was Elizabeth Padgett, born 1825, in Georgia; her parents’ names unknown. They were married in 1839, and had fourteen children.
Mr. Bennett came with his parents to Appling County in his youth, and he lived there in the 4th land district until his death in 1897. His home-place was on lot of land 398, 4th district. He was placed in Wayne County when the 4th district was detached from Appling and added to Wayne about 1870. His son, Richard, was the administrator of his estate. On Dec. 28, 1897, all the children as named above except Nancy, deceased, signed an agreement for the administrator, their brother, to divide the estate lands between them subject to their mother’s dowry (see deed book “W”, p 591-2, Wayne County).
Extracted from the Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia.

So it seems that Martha was still alive in 1897-98.

Children of WILLIAM WESTBERRY and MARTHA BENNETT are:

i. LEMUEL WESTBERRY, b. March 22, 1856, Appling Co, Georgia; d. June 02, 1949, Ware Co, Georgia; m. (1) KEZIAH TAYLOR, January 08, 1880, Georgia; b. 1856, Ware Co, Georgia; m. (2) NANCY ROWELL, March 29, 1888; b. 1853, Georgia; m. (3) GUSSIE BRYANT, 1916; b. October 11, 1897, Georgia; d. October 21, 1993, Bacon Co, Georgia.

ii. MARION WESTBERRY, b. 1858, Wayne Co, Georgia.

iii. JOHN WALTER WESTBERRY, #, b. May 1860, Georgia; d. December 31, 1939, Georgia; m. (1) ROXSEY ANN CARTER, December 05, 1878; b. 1863, Georgia; m. (2) MARY ELIZABETH GROOVER GRUBER, Abt. 1886; b. August 1851.

iv. JUSTINA ‘TINY’ WESTBERRY, b. April 1862, Georgia; d. April 1949, Georgia; m. MALACHI HARPER, JR, November 02, 1876, Georgia; b. 1857, Wayne Co, Georgia; d. August 30, 1929, Wayne Co, Georgia.

v. HENRY WESTBERRY, b. Abt. 1863.

1860 Census, Appling Co, Georgia.
Charlton Westberry 32; Martha 22; Lemuel 2; Marion 1; John W. 1/12