Robert Larkin Rubin Lindsey, called Larkin after his grandfather, was the 2nd of 3 or 4 sons born in Madison County, NC to Reuben A Lindsey of Macon County, NC and Elender "Sade" Shelton - Gillespie - Rogers - Lindsey of Madison County, NC. On the 1900 census, Larkin was living with his parents & two brothers on Meadow Fork Creek in Madison County, NC. Both of Larkin's parents had been married before so he had many half brothers & sisters in the area, and he also had many aunts & uncles in the area.
On 3 February 1907 in neighboring Cocke County, TN, Larkin married Betty Jackson Sigmon of Cocke County, but by 1910 Larkin was back living with his mother on Spring Creek, he had been married for 3 yrs but their marriage had evidently already ended. Larkin had a son listed as Larkin R Lindsey on the census living with his wife Betty who was living with her mother and siblings at Drayton Mill, Spartanburg, SC. Larkin and his mother and brothers were all listed as a "laborer" working "out". (His son Larkin Jr.'s name was evidently later changed because after 1910 he was always listed as James Paul Lindsey.)
In 1918, Larkin's WWI draft card at Monaghan Mill in Greenville, SC lists him as Larkin Rubin Lindsey with a contact (wife?) named "Annie Rubin", Larkin was described as white, with medium height & build, blue eyes & black hair. (I have not found a marriage or any other record for Larkin and "Annie Rubin".) For some unknown reason, Larkin said his father was a naturalized citizen which is not true as Reuben was almost certainly born in Cowee TWP, Macon County, NC to Larkin Lindsey & Rachel Stiles - Lindsey, both of whom were always listed as born in the USA. (Was Larkin trying to claim Cherokee heritage?) The fact that his contact was listed as Annie Rubin instead of Annie Lindsey plus the fact that he lied about his father's birthplace leads me to question whether Annie was his wife.
A year later Larkin married Frances Young, daut of George R Young and Mollie Hagen - Young of Madison County, NC on 30 Sept 1919 in Hickory, NC, he listed his parents as Jake & Ellen Lindsey. Both their fathers were labeled deceased, and both their mothers were still alive.
I cannot find Larkin and/or Frances on the 1920 census.
On 8 Oct 1921, Larkin & Frances were living in Beaverdam, Haywood County, NC with his brothers Will & Coleman when his daughter Lottie was born.
In 1924, Larkin & Frances had a daughter they named Althea.
On 12 January 1926 in Henderson County, NC Larkin and Frances had an unnamed son born prematurely, he died the next day and is buried in Hendersonville.
In 1930, Larkin & Frances were renting a farm at Burningtown, Macon County, NC with 2 daughters: Lottie 8 yrs & Althea 5 yrs 4 months. I do not know where Althea was born.
In October 1934, Larkin, Frances & Lottie were living in the New Prospect community of northern Spartanburg County in a "cotton house", probably a rental house next to the cotton fields for tenants to live in while they picked cotton for the landlord. An altercation ensued between Larkin & his wife after dark & a neighbor ended up killing Larkin with a .22 rifle, felling him with 3 shots. J Richard Gosnell obtained a copy of the newspaper report. The neighbor T.W. Webb was tried & sentenced later that month to 10 yrs in prison under the charge of manslaughter, not murder. Larkin's wife Frances & his oldest daughter Lottie testified in court that Larkin had been drunk & abusing Frances & threatening to kill her with an ax while dragging her to the chopping block by the hair of her head when Lottie ran to get help & appealed to Mr Webb, a neighbor. Webb came & told Larkin to stop, upon which Larkin threatened Mr Webb. The 2 women ran to a nearby area called "the bottom line" twice for safety while Webb appealed to Larkin & then Webb went to a neighbor's & borrowed a rifle, came back, & after Larkin threatened to kill him again, shot Larkin 3 times, Webb claimed in self defense. Larkin's body was later found dragged into a field. When asked why he shot him instead of simply leaving to get the sheriff, Webb said "Damn the police" and stated that it was 5 miles to the nearest phone, he also said that his wife was away visiting and was supposed to return shortly and he was afraid that Lindsey would come to his house & kill his family in his drunken mean state.
A cousin and former Sheriff of Madison County, NC Dewey Foster stated to J Richard Gosnell that he was told Webb was a Negro man, which makes his sentence all the more unusual as most black men who killed white men in the South at this time were lynched, or at least given life in prison at hard labor. I figure that if Webb had been a white man he would probably never have been charged, and in this case the charge of murder was reduced to manslaughter & 10 yrs prison. Dewey Foster also stated that he was told that Mrs Frances Lindsey was also part Negro. (Larkin and Frances were always listed on records as white. Race labels were subjective, if you looked & behaved white, you were labeled white. If Frances were darker, or if for instance her family had Native American blood, it would explain why the court was not willing to sentence Webb to execution; a white court would've considered a non-white defending a non-white more acceptable, whereas a black killing a white otherwise would have been punished to the extreme. To me the jury's decision shows a lot about how they felt about Larkin's bad behavior, aided by the fact that his wife and daughter spoke up for Webb in court.)
A family source says Larkin is buried in the New Prospect Baptist cemetery, I have not yet looked for a stone but I don't expect to find one. His wife & children left the area after his death. Lottie moved to Asheville, NC & first married a Kuykendall & then an Allen & died in 1966 of abdominal cancer, Althea married an Anderson and died in 1990 in Asheville. His wife Frances remarried to a Ball & according to her death certificate died 19 Oct 1970 in Asheville at Mission Memorial Hospital of cardiovascular problems and diabetes and is buried in her mother's family cemetery, the Hagen cemetery on Route 7, Marshall, Madison County, NC.
--Jeni
Robert Larkin Rubin Lindsey, called Larkin after his grandfather, was the 2nd of 3 or 4 sons born in Madison County, NC to Reuben A Lindsey of Macon County, NC and Elender "Sade" Shelton - Gillespie - Rogers - Lindsey of Madison County, NC. On the 1900 census, Larkin was living with his parents & two brothers on Meadow Fork Creek in Madison County, NC. Both of Larkin's parents had been married before so he had many half brothers & sisters in the area, and he also had many aunts & uncles in the area.
On 3 February 1907 in neighboring Cocke County, TN, Larkin married Betty Jackson Sigmon of Cocke County, but by 1910 Larkin was back living with his mother on Spring Creek, he had been married for 3 yrs but their marriage had evidently already ended. Larkin had a son listed as Larkin R Lindsey on the census living with his wife Betty who was living with her mother and siblings at Drayton Mill, Spartanburg, SC. Larkin and his mother and brothers were all listed as a "laborer" working "out". (His son Larkin Jr.'s name was evidently later changed because after 1910 he was always listed as James Paul Lindsey.)
In 1918, Larkin's WWI draft card at Monaghan Mill in Greenville, SC lists him as Larkin Rubin Lindsey with a contact (wife?) named "Annie Rubin", Larkin was described as white, with medium height & build, blue eyes & black hair. (I have not found a marriage or any other record for Larkin and "Annie Rubin".) For some unknown reason, Larkin said his father was a naturalized citizen which is not true as Reuben was almost certainly born in Cowee TWP, Macon County, NC to Larkin Lindsey & Rachel Stiles - Lindsey, both of whom were always listed as born in the USA. (Was Larkin trying to claim Cherokee heritage?) The fact that his contact was listed as Annie Rubin instead of Annie Lindsey plus the fact that he lied about his father's birthplace leads me to question whether Annie was his wife.
A year later Larkin married Frances Young, daut of George R Young and Mollie Hagen - Young of Madison County, NC on 30 Sept 1919 in Hickory, NC, he listed his parents as Jake & Ellen Lindsey. Both their fathers were labeled deceased, and both their mothers were still alive.
I cannot find Larkin and/or Frances on the 1920 census.
On 8 Oct 1921, Larkin & Frances were living in Beaverdam, Haywood County, NC with his brothers Will & Coleman when his daughter Lottie was born.
In 1924, Larkin & Frances had a daughter they named Althea.
On 12 January 1926 in Henderson County, NC Larkin and Frances had an unnamed son born prematurely, he died the next day and is buried in Hendersonville.
In 1930, Larkin & Frances were renting a farm at Burningtown, Macon County, NC with 2 daughters: Lottie 8 yrs & Althea 5 yrs 4 months. I do not know where Althea was born.
In October 1934, Larkin, Frances & Lottie were living in the New Prospect community of northern Spartanburg County in a "cotton house", probably a rental house next to the cotton fields for tenants to live in while they picked cotton for the landlord. An altercation ensued between Larkin & his wife after dark & a neighbor ended up killing Larkin with a .22 rifle, felling him with 3 shots. J Richard Gosnell obtained a copy of the newspaper report. The neighbor T.W. Webb was tried & sentenced later that month to 10 yrs in prison under the charge of manslaughter, not murder. Larkin's wife Frances & his oldest daughter Lottie testified in court that Larkin had been drunk & abusing Frances & threatening to kill her with an ax while dragging her to the chopping block by the hair of her head when Lottie ran to get help & appealed to Mr Webb, a neighbor. Webb came & told Larkin to stop, upon which Larkin threatened Mr Webb. The 2 women ran to a nearby area called "the bottom line" twice for safety while Webb appealed to Larkin & then Webb went to a neighbor's & borrowed a rifle, came back, & after Larkin threatened to kill him again, shot Larkin 3 times, Webb claimed in self defense. Larkin's body was later found dragged into a field. When asked why he shot him instead of simply leaving to get the sheriff, Webb said "Damn the police" and stated that it was 5 miles to the nearest phone, he also said that his wife was away visiting and was supposed to return shortly and he was afraid that Lindsey would come to his house & kill his family in his drunken mean state.
A cousin and former Sheriff of Madison County, NC Dewey Foster stated to J Richard Gosnell that he was told Webb was a Negro man, which makes his sentence all the more unusual as most black men who killed white men in the South at this time were lynched, or at least given life in prison at hard labor. I figure that if Webb had been a white man he would probably never have been charged, and in this case the charge of murder was reduced to manslaughter & 10 yrs prison. Dewey Foster also stated that he was told that Mrs Frances Lindsey was also part Negro. (Larkin and Frances were always listed on records as white. Race labels were subjective, if you looked & behaved white, you were labeled white. If Frances were darker, or if for instance her family had Native American blood, it would explain why the court was not willing to sentence Webb to execution; a white court would've considered a non-white defending a non-white more acceptable, whereas a black killing a white otherwise would have been punished to the extreme. To me the jury's decision shows a lot about how they felt about Larkin's bad behavior, aided by the fact that his wife and daughter spoke up for Webb in court.)
A family source says Larkin is buried in the New Prospect Baptist cemetery, I have not yet looked for a stone but I don't expect to find one. His wife & children left the area after his death. Lottie moved to Asheville, NC & first married a Kuykendall & then an Allen & died in 1966 of abdominal cancer, Althea married an Anderson and died in 1990 in Asheville. His wife Frances remarried to a Ball & according to her death certificate died 19 Oct 1970 in Asheville at Mission Memorial Hospital of cardiovascular problems and diabetes and is buried in her mother's family cemetery, the Hagen cemetery on Route 7, Marshall, Madison County, NC.
--Jeni
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
