Stroup Family Mystery Number Two

This mystery is about Mary “Polly” Stroup. Although we know Mary (Polly) Stroup was born in 1844/5 (DC and headstone have different years), I have been unable to find her in the 1850 or 1860 census. Her death certificate states that she was born in Gaston Co., NC, so she should be in the census. It would be nice to find since it might help determine her parents.
According to her death certificate she was born 1 Aug 1844 in Gaston Co., NC and died 22 Dec 1922 in Lincoln Co., NC. She is buried at Fairfield Church Cemetery, Lincoln Co.

The earliest census report we found her in was the 1870 census of Dallas Township, Gaston Co. She is in the household of 60 year old Elizabeth Stroup. Also in the household are two girls: Elizabeth, 8; and Julia Ann, 6 (this is how we knew it was our subject).

In the 1880 census of Ironton Lincoln Co., NC Mary appears as Polly, head with the following children: Julia, 16; Ella, 3; and twins William and Eva, 11 months old. (My husband is a descendent of William).

In the 1900 census of Catawba Springs, Lincoln Co., NC Mary is the head with the following children: Lizzie, 36, b. Apr 1863; Julia, 30, b. Apr 1869 (note on this discrepancy: from the 1880 and 1870 census we know that Julia’s age would be about 35 and her DOB 1864); Ida, 26, b. Jan 1874; Ella, 21, b. Jan 1878; the twins Eva and William, 20, b. July 1879; and Walter, 17, b. Sep 1883.

In the 1910 census of Catawba Springs, Lincoln Co., NC Mary is again listed as Polly, age 65. Eva, 27 is the only child residing with her. Polly reports having born 7 children with 5 still living, so two of her children have died.

Although we know she was living in 1920, we have been unable to find her in the 1920 census.

So, we know that she lived from 1844/45-1922. She had seven children: Elizabeth, Julia,
Ida, Ella, Eva, William, and Walter.
William Ellis’ wife said she never married.
The mystery is to which Stroup family Mary belongs. In the hopes that someone reading this may be able to provide a clue to unlock this puzzle, I have included as much detail as I could about our research findings to this point. We would really like to find her in the 1850 and 1860 censuses.
Although I would like to know the fathers of all her children I am most desirous of learning the father of the twins since my husband and children are descended from William Ellis Stroupe.

Our research has yielded some good information on her children, which follows:



William
William Ellis Stroupe (at some point he added the terminal e) married Connie V. SHERRILL. They had six sons survive to adulthood. William, Connie and their children all stayed in the Lincoln/Gaston Co. area. William died in 1962.
Their children were:
James “Roscoe” Stroupe (1905-1979) md. 1) Lola Estelle NIXON, 2) Lorean NIXON
William “Glenn” Stroupe (1909-1990) md. Estelle Virginia WOMAC
Samuel “Roy” Stroupe (1908-1997) never married
Clarence Stroupe (1911-1996) md Thelma E. LOCKMAN
David “Walter” Stroupe (1914-___) md Lois Inez JETTON
Paul Shellem Stroupe (1923-1974) never married

Eva
William’s twin sister Eva married Julius Middleton LONG who was also from Lincoln Co. Eva died in 1957 in Lincoln Co.
Their children:
Wilma whose married name was WILSON
Mattie whose married name was BEAL
Ruby
Willis or Willie

Walter
Walter’s full name was David Walter Stroup (he did not add the terminal e).
Walter moved to High Point, Guilford Co., NC where he remained the rest of his life.
He married Sarah Elizabeth “Lizzie” WITCHER in 1912. Walter died 1963 in High Point.

Their children:
Mary Elizabeth Stroup (1922-____) md J. Carson SOUTHERN
Charlie Ellis Stroup (1914-___)

Elizabeth
Elizabeth married Aaron PIERCE. Elizabeth appears twice in the 1900 census. The one cited above with her mother Mary, and in Gastonia with husband Aaron and their 4 children: Marna, Sarah A, Julia T, and Loolah (sic) E.
Reasons I believe this is the same woman: 1) In both cases the women report having born four children with four still living. Her children are not with her in the Lincoln Co. census. 2) Her brother William Ellis said his sister Lizzie married Aaron Pierce. 3) By the 1910 census Aaron has remarried and the youngest girl from the 1900 census is with him. I could not find Elizabeth in the 1910 and that year Mary reports having born seven children with five still living. It seems possible Elizabeth is one of those two deceased children.
Elizabeth was not in her mother’s household in the 1880 census. There is an 18 year old Elizabeth Stroup listed as a servant in the household of Albury DILLON in the 1880 enumeration of East Dallas Township, Gaston Co. I believe this may be Mary’s daughter.

Ida
We have been able to determine that Ida was fathered by Jacob TRITT (Gaston Co. Bastardy Bonds) and that her full name was Ida Frances Tritt. In the 1880 census of River Bend, Gaston Co., NC seven year old Ida Tritt appears in the household of M. Rufus JENKINS with Jacob and his wife Mary and 5 year old son Charly (sic).Note: marriage records show Jacob married Mary (Mollie) HELTON 6 Jun 1875 in Dallas, Gaston Co., NC. Ida is not listed with Mary/Polly Stroup in 1880, but she is in 1900. Ida’s DC was issued in the name of Ida Griffin Long and states she was born 15 Aug 1873, d/o Jacob Tritt and unknown mother. She died 24 Mar 1960.
William Ellis said his sister Ida was married three times.
Marriage records exist for the first two of them.
1)William F. HOFFMAN 21 Apr 1889 in Dallas, Gaston Co., NC. JoAnn Sizer has an entry at rootsweb.com in which she cites Gaston County, North Carolina Bonds and Licenses, by Goodnight, Bell, and Carpenter. From it the marriage record of Ida Tritt and William F. Hoffman names her parents as Jacob Tritt and Polly Stroup.
2) J. Elijah GRIFFIN 6 Nov 1895 in Gastonia, Gaston C., NC. A record also exists for this marriage.
3) She married George L. LONG before Jan 1920.
These are her children:
William Arthur HOFFMAN (1892-1967) md. Bertha SPARGO
Ralph Ray GRIFFIN (1896-____) md Nell HEFNER
Erla Eulala GRIFFIN (1898-1980) never married
Myrtle James GRIFFIN (1900-___)
Doyt Guilford GRIFFIN (1905-1962)
Paul McGee LONG (1912-1967) wife’s name Helen
Carl (Carroll?) B. LONG (abt. 1915-___)

Ella
William Ellis Stroupe said his sister Ella married Jim Cline. Census records of Gaston and Lincoln Counties, NC show a James M. Cline, wife Mary E. and family in 1900 and 1920. In 1900 James’ wife is listed as Mary Ella, b. 1877. In all others she is Mary E. Mary is a widow in the 1930. There is a DC for Mary E. Stroupe Cline, born 12 Mar 1873, Lincoln Co.; died 21 Nov 1948. She was the widow of James M. Cline and her parents were unknown to the informant Ora Bell Cline.
The birth year on the DC and the middle name from the 1900 census lead me to believe there is a strong possibility this is Mary/Polly’s daughter.
James M. Cline and Mary Ella Stroupe Cline’s children were:
Dewey Hobson Cline (1898-1974)
Joseph Cline (1891-___)
Clarence Alexander. Cline (1900-1935)
*Lizzie O. Cline (abt 1903-___)
T. C. Cline, female (abt 1906-___)
James H. Cline (abt. 1910-___)
John H. Cline (abt. 1920-___)
*This person and Ora Bell Cline, informant on DC, may be one and the same. The 1920 census lists Lizzie O., 17. The 1930 shows Ora B., 24.

Julia
It appears to me that Julia may have never married and may be one of the two deceased children indicated by Mary’s listing in the 1910 census that she was the mother of 7 children with 5 still living.

That is what we know about Mary/Polly’s children.

We do not have much information on Mary’s siblings, but believe she may be the sister of Sarah (Sally) Stroup who was the first wife of Ephraim Sylvanius TRITT. Sarah and Ephraim are next to Mary/Polly in the 1860 census (Mary, age and two girls in household of Elizabeth Stroup, age 60). Sarah evidently died before the 1900 census.
Children of Sarah Stroup and Ephraim Tritt were:
Mary Tritt (Jan 1871-___)
Lela A.Tritt (May1873-1936) md W. G. WHITE
Virginia (Jennie) Tritt (Aug 1876-1963) md Dallas BLACK
Anna M. Tritt (Aug 1880-____)
William Augustus Tritt (May 1878-1950)
Charles T. Tritt (Jan 1880-1947) wife’s name Alice
Urias R. Tritt (Feb 1884-1939)
Doras Benjamin Brevard. Tritt (Feb 1886-____) md. Emily ABERNATHY

William Ellis Stroupe, son of Mary/Polly, mentioned Uncle Wesley, Aunt Sally, and Uncle Dave.

A special thanks to Ramona for writing this article.

Mike Stroupe