Rebecca Wyatt Caton

The Caton Family of Rowan/Davie County, NC:
Rebecca Wyatt (1793-1846)

Wife of Charles Caton (1780-1834), daughter of Cornelius Wyatt
By Karen C. Caton ©2022
On 27 Feb 1810 a marriage bond was recorded in Rowan Co., NC in connection with the marriage
of Charles Caton to wed
Rebecca Wyatt.1 Although
many researchers have
assumed that this ‘Charles’
was Charles Caton (1760-
1818)(“Chas2”),2 son of
Charles Caton (1733-
1815)(“Chas1”) and his wife
Jemima Caton, the better
inference is that the groom
was his nephew, Charles
Caton (1784-
1834)(“Chas3”), the son of
John Caton (17583-1830)
(“John2”), 4 who was the
son of Chas1 and brother of
Chas2. This article
examines evidence for the
proper placement of
Rebecca in the Wyatt family
tree, and the proper
placement of her husband
Charles, in the Caton family
tree.5
1
Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:
Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015; Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds, Microfilm Record
Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC (Reel 20, p. 1631).
2
See, e.g., https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/s/a/p/Howard-W-Sappington/GENE3-0002.html.
3
Registry of Births, Saint John’s Parish, Prince Georges, Maryland (7 Dec 1758), FHL Film No. 14303.
4
John2 named son Charles in his Will (Rowan Co. Will Book H:492), and he deeded his son Charles 93 acres next to
Philip Dowell (less the meeting house acre). That deed was dated 10 May 1818 and proved in the Aug. 1818 Rowan
Co., Court Sess. by witness Cornelius Wyatt. James Klutz, Abstracts of Deed Books 20-24 of Rowan County North
Carolina 1807-1818, p. 725. This land would be referenced later in the probate of Chas3, in which his children (and
those of his deceased son, Chas4) were named as heirs when the land sold.
5
This is a work in progress by the Caton DNA Project. Additional information is welcome.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/catondna
1|P a ge - - Re be cca Wya tt Ca ton – Wi fe of Ch arl es ( 1 7 80 -1 8 3 4)

The first consideration is the age of the bride and the groom. In February 1810 (when the Caton-
Wyatt marriage was recorded), Chas2 was about 55 years old.6 His nephew, Chas3, was probably
in his late 20s – close to 30.7 Rebecca was likely no more than 18.8 No other marriage record has
been found for a Charles Caton in or near Rowan Co., but land and probate records referenced
above show that John2 had a son Chas3, that he had a son Chas4 (by a first wife), and that both
Chas3 and Chas4 left descendants. There is nothing in the records that suggests that Chas2 had
descendants, nor any evidence that Rebecca married him. It is far more likely that she married
Chas3, who was much closer to her age.
6
Chas2 received a 1784 land grant in Rowan Co., thus he was apparently at least 21 in 1784, so born in 1763 or
earlier. Two Charles Catons were listed on the 1800 Rowan Co. census, and both claimed to be 45 or older. Assuming
one was Chas2, that puts his birth closer to 1755. U.S. Census, Rowan Co., N.C., Page 431, 436; NARA microfilm
publication M32 (52 rolls). Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
7
There is strong evidence that Chas3 was born around 1780, when John2 was in his early 20s. Probate files for John2,
d. 1830: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-81QY-ZZS?i=3&cc=1911121; his son Chas3, d. 1834:
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9061/images/004848601_01063?pId=992072; and his son, Chas4, d. by
1837, show that Chas4 had five children (b. between 1821 and 1833). In 1851 only his youngest (Letitia) was still
under age 21 (under a guardianship). Her birth date was 16 Nov 1833, as recorded by her descendants.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33425963. Chas4’s oldest child, Eliza, was likely at least 21 by 1842, when
she sold her interest in the land next to the meeting house to a neighbor, thus putting her birth in or before 1821.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-G1QY-C1F?wc=Q6W5-K3G%3A183208101%2C183222301%2C185046201&cc=1911121.
This suggests that Chas4 was born around 1800 (with his first child born in 1821), which puts his father’s estimated
year of birth roughly 20 years earlier, around 1780. With the birth of Chas4 several years before the Caton-Wyatt
marriage, it would appear that Chas3 first married by 1800, making the 1810 marriage to Rebecca Wyatt his second.
8
The 1820 and 1830 census records support this theory. In 1820, Rebecca was listed as 25 or under (if accurate, she
was only 15 when she married). She was probably in her mid to late 20s and Chas3 (born around 1780) was close to
40. They had four children under 10 (born between 1810 and 1820). Chas4 was married and out of his father’s home
(consistent with a first child’s birth in 1821). Two older females (10-15) were in the home of Chas3 in 1820, but their
identity is not certain, for by the time of his estate settlement, Chas3 had (as heirs) only four living children (Jane,
Mary, Cornelius and Levi Wyatt Caton), and five Grandchildren (deceased son Chas4 having left: Eliza, Green Berry,
George, Tolliver, and Leticia). It is not certain whether Mary was a child of the first marriage or the last, but because
Jane was generally listed first in the pleadings, the presumption is that Jane was the oldest of those listed, placing
all four living children as born after 1810 to Rebecca and Chas3, making Chas4 (later his children) the only heir from
the first marriage.
Jane never married. She was a seamstress in Davie Co.
Levi either died young or was the L. Caton that married Eliza ____ later in life and had a son, Henry, b. 1859. The
Levi in Ashe Co., NC was from the Eastern Beaufort/Craven Co. Catons.
Mary “Polly” Caton, 1814-1898 was the mother of Sarah-1836 (and possibly Mary Emeline [m. Sheets] b. 1838).
She was either the second daughter of Chas3 (and Rebecca), having Sarah outside of marriage, or she could have
been the widow of Cornelius, for whom there is no record after his father’s probate case closed.
Chas4 appears to have had his oldest children with a first wife (Eliza, Green Berry, George, Tolliver) who died
soon after Tolliver’s birth. These four grandchildren were with Chas3 and Rebecca in 1830, along with their own
four children, and Chas4 was not in the home. Letitia was born in 1833. All five children were under 21 when
Chas4 died, and initially under a guardianship. The children of Chas4 were fully orphaned, parsed out among
relatives, neighbors, guardians and apprenticeships during through their childhood.
By 1830, Chas3 and Rebecca had been married twenty years. He was in his late 40s and Rebecca was in her mid 30s.
Their four children were still at home, along with four very young grandchildren.

The marriage bond offers clues as to which Charles was the groom. Typically, those witnessing or
acting as a surety on a deed or bond are either relatives or close friends or neighbors of the
parties involved.
• John Stinchcomb signed the bond as a surety.
• John March, Sr. acted as a witness.
• Both men were close neighbors of John2 and Cornelius Wyatt in 1810.
In 1810, Cornelius Wyatt appeared on page 331, just two doors from John March. As will be
discussed below, Cornelius Wyatt was the father of Rebecca Wyatt. Two other March families
appeared on page 332, as did John2 and his next-door neighbor, John Stinchcomb. Just a few
houses from John2, on page 333, was Joshua Caton, who had no children and was very closely
associated with the family of John2. 9
The young couple living with Joshua and his wife in 1810, would not have been their children,
and they were probably Chas3 and Rebecca, who were otherwise unaccounted for in 1810.
Placing them with Joshua – and Chas4 with his grandfather, John2 – fits with the family
composition. The relevant census clips are expanded here, because of the many treasures found
on these pages which may be helpful for further research.10
9
A strong case can be made that Joshua was a brother of John2 who predeceased his father, Chas1, leaving no
children. This would explain why he was not mentioned in his father’s Will. Chas1 and his wife Jemima transferred
253 acres to Joshua in 1794 (Rowan Co., NC, Deed Book 13, Page 702), as they did for several sons. In 1800 Joshua
and his wife appear to have had no children (her mother or sister may have lived with them), and thus the young
couple with them in 1810 was likely Chas3 and his new wife. Joshua probably died before Nov. 1814, when Chas1
wrote his will, but administration was likely deferred until after the death of Joshua’s widow.
John2 and Chas3 were sureties when John2’s son Jesse3 was appointed Administrator of Joshua’s estate (May 1817
Session Minutes for Rowan Co.) There were debts to settle and a lawsuit to defend, thus the administration lasted
several years. In the Oct. 1823 Rowan Co. Court Session, “John Cayton and others” as ‘heirs’ of Joshua Cayton, were
granted leave to sell Joshua’s real estate, creating a strong inference that John2 was Joshua’s brother. The property
was purchased, upon auction, by John2’s son Jesse3 – who had been the administrator for Joshua.
Perhaps a deeper dive into the records will later produce a record of the clerk’s distribution of the proceeds from
that sale, to confirm the full list of Joshua’s heirs, which were likely the children of Chas1. Such a list would offer
insight into whether any of Chas1’s children had died by that date, and if so it should list their children. Even absent
the preservation of such a record from the probate, associated Session Minutes offer strong evidence that Joshua
was a brother of John2.
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9061/images/004848601_01065?pId=992074
10
As an example, several Pack households are listed, including Azariah Pack, a witness on the 1830 will of John2,
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/549370:9061?ssrc=pt&tid=45351461&pid=6835978519.
Azariah and John2 frequently witnessed deeds for one another, he was named as a witness in a lawsuit involving the
estate of Joshua2, and he did business with John2, for he had an outstanding note payable to John2’s estate.
Additionally, Susannah, the wife of John2 at the time of his death, would be seen in later years living within a Pack
household – perhaps a son from a first marriage. John Canatzer was a neighbor in several census years. Enoch Caton,
b.@ 1850 in North Carolina left strong DNA ties to descends of Amelia C. “Milly” Caton, a widow with several children
who relocated from Davie Co. to Alabama, and then Lincoln Co., TN. Enoch’s mother was M.E. Conatzer, b. 1830. In
addition to Cornelius Wyatt, Rebecca’s father, the various Caton families, and the neighbors shown on the marriage
bond, several neighboring families such as Hainline, March, Dowell and others had historical ties to the Catons
through land transfers, boundary calls, and fiduciary ties.

Beyond the age factor, and the hints derived from the marriage bond and 1810 census, land and probate
records offer the strongest evidence that Chas3 (son of John) was the husband of Rebecca Wyatt.
Although all early land transfers in Rowan Co., NC have not survived in the deed records, there are
recorded deeds for three tracts acquired by John2 that appear to be connecting.
• In 1796, Jeremiah and Ann Potts deeded to John2 175 Acres known as Chestnut Run. 11
• In 1801, Phillip Dowell deeded to John2 a 50-acre tract referred to as on Forks of the Yadkin.12
• In 1807, Dowell deeded to John2 a 146-acre tract known as the Forks Meeting House land. From
that conveyance there was an exception for one acre on which the ‘meeting house’ was situated
(the site of a local church), thus netting 145 acres.13 The land description referenced land already
owned by John Caton, and borders with Dowell, Joseph Pack, Joseph Howard. (See Appendix-1).
In 1818, John Caton, Sr. deeded to his son Charles Caton roughly two-thirds of the Meeting House land.
The deed was for 93 acres, excepting only the one acre on which was situated the Forks Meeting House.14
(See Appendix-2). That farm was referred to in the family as the Forks Meeting land, and when Chas3
died, that land was still part of his estate, thus his children (and those of his deceased son, Chas4) were
the ultimate heirs of that tract. The linkage can be seen in several ways.
In April 1840, Jane (who was apparently the
oldest, and already of age), assigned her
interest in the Meeting House property to a
neighbor, Nathan Hainline. Notably, Nathan
was the neighbor listed next to Cornelius Wyatt
on the 1810 census, and Cornelius had been a
witness on the 1818 deed to Chas3. In
November 1841, Levi assigned his interest to
Nathan as well.15 In April 1842, Chas4’s oldest
daughter Eliza also executed an assignment.
She had apparently just turned 21, for earlier
that year she too was included as a minor in the
Guardianship related to her father’s estate.
These three assignments were preserved in the
Court’s file (see Appendix-3), and they include
language that makes it clear that they relate to
the Forks Meeting House land – the same land
that Chas3 received from John2. In the
meantime, the guardian for the minors had
filed a petition in 1839 to authorize the sale of 160 acres (Chas3 had obtained additional land following
the death of his father), which adjoined the land of Susanna Caton (the second wife and widow of John2
received part of his land under John2’s Will). He named and joined the other adult heirs, and filed on
behalf of the minors. (See Appendix-4). Among other things, this petition provides a full name for Chas3’s
son – Levi Wyatt Caton.
11
Deed dated 7 Nov 1796, Rowan Co. Deed Book 15, page 449, Azariah Pack and Jesse Adams witnessed.
12
Deed recorded Rowan Co. Deed Book 18, page 865, Nath’l Peeples, Moses Burk witnessed.
13
Deed recorded Rowan Co. Deed Book 21, page 18, John Stinchcomb, and Charles Caton witnessed.
14
Deed dated 10 May 1818, proved in the Aug. 1818 Rowan Co., Court Sess. by witness Cornelius Wyatt.
15
Court pleadings filed earlier indicated that Levi Wyatt Caton had previously sold his interest, but because the
initial assignment had not been filed of record, the 1841 assignment was recorded.

When Chas3 died, he left no Will, but an administration was opened for estate thus his date of death is
known to be before 18 Aug 1834, when William Wyatt was appointed as his Administrator, and was joined
on the Administrator’s bond by neighbor William March, and by Joseph Sparks (the oldest son of Anna2,
daughter of Chas1, and thus a first cousin of Chas3). As will be shown below, William Wyatt was the uncle
of the widow, Rebecca Wyatt Caton. (See Appendix-5).
The 1800 Rowan County, NC census included a cluster of Wyatt households. Among them were William
Wyatt Sr., a younger William Wyatt, John Wyatt, Cornelius Wyatt, and Aaron Wyatt as heads of household,
all living near the Catons.16
On 6 Aug 1804, William Wyatt Sr. wrote his Will, naming two sons (William Jr. and Cornelius) and four
daughters (Lucrecy, Mary, Unity and Ruth) (See Appendix-6). The Will referenced a tract of land that
would be divided between his sons, and estimated that each son would receive 105 acres.
On 10 Dec 1807, the land, situated on Giles Mill Creek in Rowan County, NC, was surveyed as a 215-acre
tract and it was partitioned between brothers Cornelius and William, each receiving 107.5 acres (See
Appendix-7). Cornelius’ half bordered Arrawood, George Taylor, Joshua Whitehead and Elijah Veach.
William’s half bordered Richard Dowell and Obadiah Smith. From the calls in the partition, it is easy to
place the land in context with neighboring tracts.
16
In 1800 the names were roughly alphabetized; thus John Stinchcomb appears above the Wyatts, but Catons are
earlier on the list. For proximity, see excerpts from 1810 Rowan Co. census, following fn. 10, above.

• The SE corner of George Taylor’s tract touched the NW corner of Cornelius’ tract.
• Elijah Veach was north of
Cornelius, and his tract extended
to as the northern neighbor of
William, over that part of
William’s northern border that
was an extension of Cornelius’
line.
• Joshua Whitehead was to the
South of Cornelius, and
Whitehead and the Arrowood
shared Cornelius’ western
border.
• Richard Dowell shared William’s
northern-most border.
• Obadiah Smith was to William’s
east.
The date of death of Cornelius Wyatt is not certain, but it was before 19 May 1834, when William Wyatt,
his brother, filed an application to serve as his administrator (See Appendix-8).
Little detail is set out in the probate file, although it does include evidence that his Widow survived
Cornelius, and that distributions were made
related to her support. The final account was
recorded in Aug. 1836,17 which may have
coincided with the death of the Widow, but
apparently the land that Cornelius inherited
from his father was confirmed to Rebecca in
the process, for on 28 Dec 1835, Rebecca
Caton deeded Cornelius’ 107.5 acres on Giles
Mill Creek to Ebenezer Garwood.18 (See
Appendix-9). After almost 30 years, the
neighbors had changed, but the directional
calls were the same, and the tract was clearly Cornelius’ tract.
• The NW corner touched the opposing corner of Jonathan Burrell.
• The northern neighbor was then George Mumford.
• The western neighbor was still William Wyatt.
• William apparently had added some land on the south and west of Cornelius.
• Harston was the neighbor on the northern part of the western border.
17
"North Carolina Estate Files, 1663-1979," FamilySearch, Rowan Co., NC, State Archives, Raleigh; FHL microfilm
1,630,229. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5PK-DJW : 8 March 2021
18
Davie Co., NC Deed Book 1, Page 385. The deed was giving in 1835, while this property was still part of
Rowan Co. It was, however, a part of Davie Co. (as was the Caton land) after Rowan Co. was divided in
1836, thus when the deed was later ‘proved’ in Court in 1841, it was done in Davie Co.

The fact that all of Cornelius’ land went to Rebecca confirms that she was his daughter, and that she was
his only surviving child.
Rebecca Caton did not appear on the 1840 census. Caswell Harbin
filed a final account as Administrator of her estate in Davie Co.
Little detail has been preserved in the probate file, but the final
account was retained, showing that the Clerk received sales
proceeds on 29 Jan 1838, and interest on installments. (See
Appendix-10). These details suggest that Rebecca died in either
1836 or 1837.
Putting the pieces together, the evidence is overwhelming that
Rebecca Wyatt was the daughter of Cornelius, and that she
married Charles Caton, son of John2.
• Rebecca was the sole heir of Cornelius Wyatt. She received
all of the land that was partitioned to him following the
death of his father.
• Rebecca’s uncle William Wyatt was the administrator of
Cornelius’ estate, and he also served as administrator for
the estate of Rebecca’s husband, Charles Caton.
• John2, Chas3, Rebecca, and Chas4 all died between 1830
and 1837. The estate settlements were all delayed.
Litigation with John2’s second wife likely final distribution
to his children. Chas3 died before that happened, so
instead his share went to his estate. Chas3’s estate
ultimately passed out to his children, but Chas4 died
before that happened, so his share was payable to the children of Chas4. Further delays related
to long term payouts on some notes, and guardianships for underage heirs.
• Rebecca married a Charles Caton. Chas3 was the father of Levi Wyatt Caton and Cornelius Caton
– strongly suggesting that Rebecca, the only child of Cornelius Wyatt, was the wife of Chas3. There
were other hints. Cornelius Wyatt was involved in real estate transactions with the family of
Chas3. Chas3’s estate was administered by Rebecca’s uncle (her father was deceased).
• The census records bolster the inference, for Chas2 (likely almost 40 years older than Rebecca)
could not have been her husband, for the Charles with a wife and children the ages of Rebecca
and her children was himself born around 1780 – and was the only Charles Caton in the area by
1830. Chas1 died in 1814. Chas2 was not in a separate household after 1810, and disposed of all
of his land before his death. Failure to deed it to children, or leave it to them at death, suggests
strongly that he had no children. The census records in 1830 and thereafter for Rowan/Davie Cos.
show no descendants of Chas1 with the Caton surname remaining in the area, other than
descendants of John2. All probates after 1830 for the area involve descendants of John2. Some
descendants of Stephen Caton of Iredell Co. lingered in the area for a generation after his death,
but after the death of his widow Eleanor around 1821, his descendants moved to Tennessee.
• Chas3 received a specific tract of land from John2, and that tract was part of the estate passing to
Cornelius Caton and Levi Wyatt Caton – children of Rebecca.
The case that Rebecca Wyatt married Chas3 is strong. No evidence points to her marrying Chas2.

Appendix-1
1807 ‘Forks Meeting House’ Deed (146 acres) from Dowell to John2

Appendix-2
1818 ‘Forks Meeting’ Deed from John2 to Chas3
(1 of 2 pages)
10 | P a g e - - R e b e c c a W y a t t C a t o n – W i f e o f C h a r l e s ( 1 7 8 0 - 1 8 3 4 )
Appendix-3
Assignments of interest in Chas3’s Forks Meeting property by his heirs
• Jane Caton assignment to Nathan Hainline, Apr 1840 (Dau. Of Chas3 and Rebecca) --
• Mary “Polly” Caton assignment to Nathan Hainline, May 1840 (Dau of Chas3 and Rebecca)
(Page 1 of 3)
• Levi Caton Assignment to Nathan Hainline, Nov 1841 (son of Chas3 and Rebecca) –
An earlier Agreement signed by Levi W. Caton and filed in the Davie Co. deed records:
(2 of 3)
• Cornelius N. Caton Assignment to Nathan Hainline, May 1840 (son of Chas3 and Rebecca)
•
• Eliza Caton Assignment to Nathan Hainline, Apr. 1842 (dau of Chas4, son of Chas3
Page 3 of 3)
Appendix-4
Petition to sell land of Chas3
(page 1 of 3)
(page 2 of 3)
(page 3 of 3)
Appendix-5
Bond of William Wyatt, Administrator – Estate of Chas3
Appendix-6
1806 - Will of William Wyatt Sr.
Appendix-7
Partition of 215 Acres on Giles Mill Creek - Cornelius Wyatt and William Wyatt
Appendix-8
1834 Bond of William Wyatt in Est. of Cornelius Wyatt
Appendix-9
Rebecca Caton’s 1835 Deed conveying Cornelius’ 107.5 Acres on Giles Mill Creek (Rowan/Davie Co.)
Appendix-10
Final Account – Est. of Rebecca Caton

Rebecca Wyatt Caton

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The Caton Family of Rowan/Davie County, NC:

Rebecca Wyatt (1793-1846)

1|P a ge - - Re be cca Wya tt Ca ton – Wi fe of Ch arl es ( 1 7 80 -1 8 3 4)

2|P a ge - - Re be cca Wya tt Ca ton – Wi fe of Ch arl es ( 1 7 80 -1 8 3 4)

3|P a ge - - Re be cca Wya tt Ca ton – Wi fe of Ch arl es ( 1 7 80 -1 8 3 4)

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6|P a ge - - Re be cca Wya tt Ca ton – Wi fe of Ch arl es ( 1 7 80 -1 8 3 4)

7|P a ge - - Re be cca Wya tt Ca ton – Wi fe of Ch arl es ( 1 7 80 -1 8 3 4)

8|P a ge - - Re be cca Wya tt Ca ton – Wi fe of Ch arl es ( 1 7 80 -1 8 3 4)

9|P a ge - - Re be cca Wya tt Ca ton – Wi fe of Ch arl es ( 1 7 80 -1 8 3 4)

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