Solomon Rountree & Amelia Hudgins

Sally’s great-great Grandparents:

Solomon Rountree 1802 – 1870|his parents
& 1827 Amelia Hudgins 1811 – 1882 |her parents
of near Sunbury, Gates County, North Carolina


This is my working hypothesis – the way I see it as of this moment!!


“The picture of the old Rountree Plantation main house was taken in 1935 by my grandmother, Harriet “Hattie” Ann Rountree. She was born in Aug. 6, 1884.
She recalled that the house had a large wrap around porch on the front and two sides of the house when she was a child. The house had been painted white and had a white picket fence enclosing the property adjacent to the house that kept the animals out of her mother’s rose gardens.
The picture shows the house in bad repair, even though it was a tenant house since 1935. Abner Rountree built The house in 1812, I assume, from the date was on the brick chimney.
It was the home of Abner’s son, Solomon Rountree,
and Abner’s Grandson, William Henry Rountree (Harriet’s father).”
– John Macon

Soloman-Rountrey-home-Sunbu
Solomon’s house in 1944
Kaye Herndon Collection

Solomon Rountree and Amelia Hudgins were married 15 March 1827.
Gates Co. Marriage Bonds. Bondsman Lassiter Riddick
Solomon Rountree, son of Abner Rountree and his wife Nancy Riddick Simons, was born 1802 in Nansemond Co., Virginia.

He departed this life 30 November 1870 at his home near Sunbury, N. C.
He was a farmer.

Amelia Hudgins, daughter of Josiah Johnson Hudgins and his wife Mary Riddick Hudgins, was born 1811, in Gates Co., N. C.
She departed her life 12 March 1882 at her home near Sunbury.

* Note: I know some state this Solomon Rountree married Amelia Worrell. Gates County records plainly show that Solomon’s wife was named Amelia Hudgins, daughter of Josiah and Mary, but Amelia did have a sister Lovicey who married a Worrell. – Sally

E-Mail from John Macon: Today, I received from my cousin Jean Thompson in Portsmouth, Va. the original family record book of William Henry Rountree. He was the son of Solomon Rountree and his wife, Amelia. He was born Nov. 20, 1848. The first page reads: “Be it remembered that Solomon Rountree was married to Amelia Worrel March 15, 1827. May they be blest with honor and virtue as long as they both shall live.”
The original faded pages are folded and stored in the back of the book. They are hard to read as the ink is very faint and the handwriting very elaborate, but they probably date to before William’s birth.
I am very excited to have gotten this book that is in different people’s handwriting done over the years (with much of the information being from the nineteenth century). The record book has a great deal of information that you may want on the Rountree section of your site. If you would like, I will go through it in detail and send any information that you don’t have on the site regarding our Rountree Family. The site now shows that Solomon married Amelia Hudgins and that records? Apparently show it wasn’t Amelia Worrel; however, the fact that my Great Grandfather also remembered that his mother’s maiden name was Worrel makes me think Worrel may be correct. There is an entry where a Sarah Rountree wife of Josiah Hudgins departed this life Dec. 15? 1849

2nd e-mail: In going through William’s Rountree’s Family Records, the oldest of the pages (barely legible because of fading) shows Solomon’s marriage to Amelia Hudgins. Someone scratched through the name Hudgins and Worrel (different ink) inserted above it. Odd

The top of the page reads The Old Family Record Rearranged Nov. 27, 1898
– John Macon

Children of Solomon Rountree and Amelia Hudgins:
1. Mary Ann Rountree 30 Jan. 1829 – 23 Aug. 1829
2. Jane Rebecca Rountree 23 May 1830 – 22 Nov 1893
married 1st 18 Feb 1847 Jacob M. Hayes ca 1815 – bef 1877
brother of John Hayes who was the father of Sarah Ellen
who married Simeon Rountrey

married 2nd 1 Mar 1877 James Hinton
3. Sarah Eliza Rountree 16 Aug 1831 – ca 1862
married 8 Apr 1847 Warner P. Hudgins 1822 –
4. John Abner Rountree 3 July 1833 – 11 Dec 1899

John-Abner-Rountree
John Abner Rountree

married 15 Sept 1867 Emily Jane Sanderlin Walker
5. Media Ann Rountree 13 June 1835 – c.1908
married 22 Nov 1855 John A. Harrell
6. Emily Caroline Rountree 3 Mar 1837 – 23 Oct 1899
married 1st 26 Dec 1854 Fred R. Jones
married 2nd 3 March 1863 Stephen D Ballard 11 Nov 1830 –
son of Richard H Ballard and wife Susan
7. Simeon Joseph Rountree [Rountrey] 9 Mar 1839 – 1 June 1893
bur. in old Berea Cemetery, Great Bridge, Norfolk Co, VA

rountreesj
Corporal Simeon Joseph Rountree CSA 1862
Company B, 5th Regiment, North Carolina State Troops
“Gates Guards”
Residence Gates County NC; he was a 22-year-old Farmer. He enlisted on 6/12/1861 at Halifax County, NC as a Private. On 6/12/1861, he mustered into “B” Co. NC 5th Infantry. He was: POW 5/5/1862 Williamsburg, VA. Wounded 5/5/1862 Williamsburg, VA.
The armies Exchanged him 8/5/1862 Aiken’s Landing, VA.
Returned 9/23/1862 (place not stated). POW 7/1/1863 Gettysburg, PA. Wounded 7/1/1863 Gettysburg, PA,
Confined 7/4/1863 Fort McHenry, MD
Transferred 7/7/1863 Fort Delaware, DE
Transferred 7/18/1863 Johnson’s Island, OH
Moved 3/14/1865 Point Lookout, MD
Exchanged 3/22/1865 Cox’s Landing, James River, VA
Promotions: Corpl 3/30/1862, 1st Sergt 9/23/1862, 2nd Lieut 2/1/1863.
Other Information: born in Gates County, NC

married 17 Nov 1865 Sarah Ellen Hayes ca 1841 – 1896
[dau of John W Hayes Sr ca 1815 – and wife Harriet Rountree ca 1815 -]

childhood-home-of-Sarah-Ell
Childhood home of Sarah Ellen Hayes Rountrey
Kaye Herndon Collection

Gates Co bondsman, John A Rountree, and wit, H L Eure clerk
both buried old Berea Cemetery, Great Bridge, Norfolk County, VA

Sarah-Ellen-Hayes-Rountree Simeon-Joseph-Rountree2
Sarah Ellen Hayes and Simeon Joseph Rountrey
photo Kaye Herndon Collection

  1. Martha Eliza. Rountree 11 Aug 1840 – 9 Nov 1841
  2. Mary Eliza. Rountree 2 Mar 1842 – 13 May 1908
    married 1st 21 Mar 1861 John Randolph Brinkly 22 Oct 1837 – 1884
    married 2nd 26 Jan 1887 Robert Badger
  3. Joseph W. Rountree 13 Mar 1844 – 19 Aug 1845
  4. Julia Amanda Rountree 4 Dec 1845 – 1870/1
    married 8 Oct 1862 William Wilson Sanderlin Jr 9 Jan 1839 – 30 Dec 1885 Camden Co
  5. William Henry Rountree 20 Nov 1848 – 21 May 1909
    married ca 1872 Sarah Isabel “Sadie” Morris 21 Mar 1852 – 6 Feb 1920
  6. Eliza. Alice Rountree 16 Aug 1855 – 2 (6) June 1917
    married 1st 14 Nov 1872 Richard Pearce ca 1842-
    married 2nd _________ Andrew Eason

Feb 1829 – Ordered that Solomon Rountree is appointed Guardian to Louisa Hudgins and William J. Hudgins, orphans of Josiah Hudgins, deceased. $1600 Security and Bond offered by Lassiter Riddick and Simmons Rountree.

28 July 1829 – Solomon Roundtree to Henry Gilliam $1.00 & payment of $367.46 note to Daughtry & Webb–56 acres of land adjoining of etc. and Negro man Isaac.
signed Solomon Rountree
Lem G Darden Daughtry & Webb
Law L Daughtry H. Gilliam

Gates County, NC – Abstract of Deeds (1828-1833) Taylor 12 Aug 1829
Division of the land of Josiah Hudgins, dec.
#1 Solomon Roundtree- the right of wife Amelia – 54 a.
#2 William I. Hudgins 60 1/2 a.
#3 Louisa Hudgins 46 1/2 a.
#1 to pay #3 $47.50;
#2 to pay #3 $55.67 1/2;
#2 to pay #1 $23.20.;
Signed by Pryor Savage, Simmonds Rountree, John Matthews

May 1830 – Solomon Rountree paid $1 for two days service in the militia in an expedition to Chowan River Pocosin to suppress outlying negroes who were committing depredations etc.

28 Dec 1832 Mary Hudgins to Solomon Rountree to stay with and live as one of his family – all hogs, corn fodder, farm utensils, cart and wheels, more and all rights of 1/3 of land whereon she lives, belonging to said Rountree’s wife, use of Negro Gilley.
Signed Mary Hudgens
Witnesses John R Norfleet Eli Worrell

12 June 1841 Mary Hudgins signed a will giving
#1 -to my daughter Amelia Rountree, my negro man Isaac
#2 to my daughter Lovicey Worrell wife of Eli Worrell, five shillings
#3 to my granddaughter Emily Caroline Rountree one feather bed and furniture
#4 Residue to my well-beloved daughter Amelia Rountree.
Solomon Rountree, my son-in-law, is made executor.
Mary (her X mark) Hudgins (seal)
Witnesses O.B. Savage W.G.Daughtry

Feb. Ct 1850: exhibited & proved by O.B.Savage & Wm. G.Daughtry;
Solomon Rountree executor – qualified.

208 7 Nov 1845–Willis F Riddick to Soloman Rountree. . .land of Thomas Matthews formerly of Gates County and conveyed to him by deed of trust; said Rountree now having paid in the full amount mentioned in the deed of the bargain in Book 19 p. 120-121. The land is Thomas’s interest in land on which his deceased father, John Matthews resided and on which Thomas Smith now lives, adjoining said Thomas, George Costen and said Rountree and on E and S side of the main road leading to the residence of said Smith. Matthews made the Deed of Trust securing debts due to Benjamin Saunders and Wm. A. Matthews. . . Willis F. Riddick
Wm. W Hall Richard H. Baker Nov Term 1845

Will of Solomon Rountree:

Know all men by these presents that I, Solomon Rountree of the Country of Gates and State of North Carolina, do make this my last will. . .
Item 1st loan to my wife Amelia Rountree my house and plantation for life except for two beds and furniture disposed of next.
Item 2nd I give to my son William H Rountree after the death of his mother Amelia Rountree my house and plantation whereon I now live also one feather bed and furniture.
Item 3rd I give to my daughter Alice Rountree one feather bed and furniture also one mahogany table and ends.
Item 4th I leave my sons John Rountree and William H Rountree executors to my estate.
As witness my hand and seal this 13th May 1870.
Signed in presence of Allen Smith, Emma J Hudgins. Solomon Rountree (seal)

Probate Court January 14th, 1871:
Exhibited by John Rountree & William H Rountree executors: proved by Allen Smith & Emma J Hudgins. “property . . .is worth about $550.00. . .and that Amelia Rountree, Widow of GatesCounty, Wm H Rountree of Gates County, and Alice Rountree a minor of the age of 16 years, of Gates County, NC are the persons entitled.”

THE GATES COUNTY INDEX Wed., Sept. 15, 1943.
“Woman Born in Slavery Dies
Sophie HUNTER, 92-year-old Negro house maid who has worked for some people in and around Sunbury, died on Sept. 5 from the infirmities of old age.
Her parents, Isaac and Amy ROUNTREE, were slaves of Solomon ROUNTREE of Gates County. Sophie served as a maid to one of Mr. ROUNTREE’s daughters, and she stayed with her mistress until slavery ended. Sophie served as midwife for both white and Negro mothers in this section for many years and was respected by people of both races. In 1863, Sophie, then 14, married Tom HUNTER and to them were born 17 children, four of which are still living. James Crowder HUNTER and Inetta HUNTER never married and were living with their mother at the time of her death.”(Contributed by Elizabeth Ross, “used on this website with her permission”)

e-mail from Janet Morris Belvin
I found your interesting web site while “surfing the net.” In one of your sections on Solomon Rountree and Amelia Hudgins, I found an obituary of a Sophie Hunter, an ex-slave whose daughter Inetta Hunter worked for my grandmother, Beulah Morris of Gates County, NC. I never knew of Iney’s background (that is what all the family called her), but we loved her like family. Thank you for this item about her family.

Grandchildren of Solomon Rountree and Amelia Hudgins:
mostly garnered from the census and graveyard records

Children of Jane Rebecca Rountree & Jacob M Hayes: Gates Co.
1. Cornelia Hayes ca 1847 –
2. Elisha Hayes ca 1849 –
3. Florence Ina Hayes 23 Oct 1852 – 21 July 1924 heart attack
married 1875 John Thomas Smith 12 July 1851 – 31 Jan 1900 smallpox
buried in Rountree Cemetery [two stones]
a. Elisha A Smith 29 Jan 1877 – 16 Mar 1962
b. Cornelia Ethel Smith Oct 1880 –
c. Caleb Menchie Smith 18 Jan 1883 – 05 Aug 1946
buried in Olive Branch Cemetery in Portsmouth, VA
married 02 Apr 1913
d. Beulah Jane Smith Jun 1885 –
married Mr. Morris
Ancestors of Janet Belvin.
e. Florence Ina Smith Aug 1887 –
f. Floyd Eugene Smith Jun 1892 –
h. Lillian Ruth Smith Feb 1895 –

Two other siblings who died as infants. (Unconfirmed)

4. Henrietta Hayes ca 1855 –
5. Simeon J. [Simm] Hayes 6 Nov 1861 – 7 Oct 1925
My daddy knew him well and said he always used to have tobacco juice dripping down his beard! ” Janet Bevin.
married ca 1888 Martha Etta unknown 1868 – 1946
a. Jacob T Hayes Jan 1890 –
b. Eva Mae Hayes 14 Apr 1894 – 23 Nov 1961
c. Julia E. Hayes Aug 1896 –
d. Margaret W Hayes Oct 1898 – 1967
married T Hurley Lawrence 1892 – 1934
6. Mary A. Hayes Oct 1867 –
[ Mamie Hayes b. 1869 d. 1944 At Rest]

Children of Sarah Elizabeth Rountree and Warner Pugh Hudgins:
1. Mary E. Hudgins 1848
married Lassiter
2. [Annie] Virginia Ann Hudgins Jun 5, 1850 – Jun 5, 1933
married Thomas Leroy Lassiter Hertford Co Jan 16, 1842- Apr. 21, 1922
Lassiter Bible online
son of Henry Lassiter 1803-1878 and Elizabeth Best 1808 -1871
a. William F. Lassiter 22 Oct. 1870 – dy.
b. Dora E. Lassiter 27 Oct 1871 – /
c. Julia C. Lassiter 3 May 1873 – dy.
d. Emma J. Lassiter 9 Oct 1875 – Oct. 31, 1912
e. Edward T. Lassiter 10 Feb 1877 -/
f. Annie M.. Lassiter 17 Jan 1879 – dy.
g. John C. Lassiter 15 Dec 1880 – dy.
h. Fannie E. Lassiter 29 Sep 1883 -/
i. Lewis Lafayette Lassiter 16 Mar 1885 – dy.
j. Charley C. Lassiter 22 Aug 1886 – dy.
k. Warner Hudgins Lassiter 10 Apr 1888 -/
Grandson Terry Lassiter has family Bible per Jay Lassiter.
l. Henry Clay Lassiter 27 Sep 1890 – dy
3. Emma Hudgins 1856
4. Cornelius Walton Hudgins 19 Sept 1858 – 16 Mar 1937
married 29 Jan 1885 Annie Mariah Wright 27 Sept 1859 – 26 June 1901
a. Earnest Warner Hudgins 26 March 1886 – 28 March 1886
b. James (Jimmy) Wright Hudgins 10 June 1889 – 23 Jan 1968
married 8 Feb 1912 Julia Alcora Brown 19 March 1888 -16 Feb 1978
c. Arthur Marvin Hudgins 15 March 1891 –
Married 6 May 1914 Hattie S Whedbee.
d. George Cornelius Hudgins Sr 9 Feb 1893 – 20 Oct 1979
married Willie Maude Blanchard 19 Sept 1892 – 17 Feb 1976
married 2nd 11 Feb 1915 Sue Blanchard Rawls

5. Sarah A Hudgins 1860
6. Arthur Simeon Hudgins 11 March 1862- 16 Nov 1929
married 16 Jan 1887 Lauritha Trotman Jones 27 March 1864 – 29 Feb 1932
a. William Pugh Hudgins 12 Oct 1887 -21 March 1970
married 5 Jan 1910 Maggie L Perry
Ancestors of John T Kittrell.
b. Addie Rowell Hudgins 18 Oct 1890 -21 Feb 1989
Married 21 Dec 1910 Claude W Hinton.
c. Lucy McGhee Hudgins 20 Sept 1893 – 23 Sept 1893
d. Sallie Jones Hudgins 8 Oct 1894 – 20 July 1983
Married 1 Apr 1925 James B Hathaway.
e. Arthur Julian Hudgins 24 March 1898 – 25 Jan 1953
f. Herbert Cornelius Hudgins 1 Sept 1901- 10 June 1976
married Lucille Dixie Simpson 3 Aug 1901 – 21 Aug 1976

Children of John Abner Rountree and Emily Jane Sanderlin:
1. Warner Jackson Rountree 18 September 1868 – 17 September 1883 age 15 yrs
2. Emily Hortense Rountree 17 August 1870 – 1 June 1952
married Tim Parker 12 Sept 1859 – 2 Feb 1927
3. Dorsey Sanderlin Rountree 13 March 1873 – 11 Jan 1959
married Nettie Corbette 12 Dec 1871 – 27 Aug 1942
4. John James Rountree 11 May 1875 – Summer 1936
married Frances Hinton 1879 – 1948
5. George Alphonso Rountree 11 February 1878 – 20 June 1878 age six months.

Children of Media Ann Rountree and John A Harrell:
I have not found them

Children of Emily Caroline Rountree and Fred R Jones:
1. William R Jones 1857 –
2. Ella Jones 1859 –
3. Frederick Jones 1861 –
Children of Emily Caroline Rountree and Stephen D Ballard:
1. Eugenia Florance Ballard 10 July 1864 –
2. Richard Romulus Ballard 30 Mar 1866 –
married 20 Dec 1896 Lizzie Pearce Oct 1872 – his cousin
3. Annie Mary Ballard 15 Mar 1868 –
4. Charles Robert Ballard 18 Mar 1870 –
5. Leora Florence Ballard 3 Nov 1871 –
6. Antionette Caroline Ballard 25 Sept 1873 –
7. George Washington Ballard 28 May 1875 –
8. Luther Spurgeon Ballard 16 May 1877 –
9. Stephen Jethro Ballard 28 Feb 1879 –
?10. Edward Ballard Mar 1884 –

Children of Simeon Joseph Rountrey and Sarah Ellen Hayes:
“He married Sarah Ellen Hayes after he returned home from fighting in the Confederate Army. In the Battle of Gettysburg he was shot and left on the field for dead; however the bullet had hit a tintype picture he carried over his heart, and he recovered.”
“About 1878 Simeon J sold his farm to his brother John Abner and moved to Portsmouth, Virginia, where he worked as a carpenter. He began spelling his name with a ‘y’ in 1881 as another Rountree lived near him and their mail got mixed too much to suit him.” ” Rowntree and Rountree Family History 1521 – 1953″ by J G Rountree II
After the war he moved to near Suffolk Va. and there he had to change the spelling of his name to Rountrey due to the fact he had a cousin already living there with the same name, and their mail was getting mixed up. He went on to be the Warden of the Alms House in Norfolk. (I’m still researching his later years). e-mail from Jim Pierce 11 Feb 2003

1. Edgar Rountrey ca 1867 – ca 1867
2. Annie Mary Rountrey 27 Sept 1870 – 7 Jun 1938
married Berea Christian Church, Great Bridge, Norfolk Co VA 17 Nov 1889
Amos Beauregard Hanbury 21 Mar 1861 Mt. Pleasant, Norfolk Co, VA – 5 Mar 1946
Buried Magnolia Cem. Norfolk VA [Annie Mary wrote family lineage 1 Nov 1937] 10 children
her brothers also lived with her and Amos after their parents died.

Annie-Rountrey-and-Amos-Han
Annie Mary Rountree and Amos Beauregard Hanbury
photo from Kaye Herndon

a. Nancy Ellen Hanbury 7 Jun 1890 Mt Pleasant, Norfolk Co VA – 20 May 1894 dy
b. Vernon Beauregard Hanbury 2 Aug 1892 – 8 July 1950 age 58 yrs
bur Riverside Mem Pk Norfolk VA
married Maude [Maudie] Liverman 11 Oct 1895 – 26 Jun 1963 age 67
bur. Riverside Mem Pk [6 children]
i. Dorothy Almeda Hanbury 1915 –
married Harry A Pierce of Sunbury, NC
Parents of Jim Pierce.
c. J. Fletcher Hanbury 17 Oct 1893 – 19 Oct 1893 infant.
d. Irma Gladys [Sister] Hanbury 12 Oct 1894 So. Norfolk, VA – 1985
never married

buried Magnolia Cem, Norfolk VA
South Norfolk Christian Congregational Church organist for 60 years [recorded father’s lineage

four-children-of-Amos-and-A
Four older daughters of Annie and Amos
clockwise, starting at bottom
Glayds, Alma, Nellie, and Ethel Hanbury

e. Nellie Blanche Hanbury 4 June 1896 Norfolk VA – 28 Aug 1974
bur Meadowbrook Memorial Gardens in Suffolk VA
married Norfolk Co VA 14 June 1917 William Bart [Jeff] Daniel 1 May 1892 Calhoun Co AL – 6 Feb 1981
bur Meadowbrook Memorial Gardens in Suffolk VA [5 children]
f. child Hanbury dy [uncertain as to date]
g. Annie Ethel Hanbury 9 Apr 1899 So Norfolk VA – 9 Apr 1977
Bur Riverside Memorial Park Norfolk VA
married So. Norfolk VA 30 Apr 1918 Olive Daniel Poythress 14 Nov 1890 Chapel Hill, Orange Co NC – 27 May 1968
bur Riverside Memorial Park Norfolk VA
Elon College, Duke University, Minister of So. Norfolk Congregational Christian Church for 43 years [6 children]
h. Alma Rountrey Hanbury 21 Oct 1901 – 16 July 1968 age 67
Bur Magnolia Cem. Norfolk VA
i. Thelma Earle Hanbury 15 Feb 1905 So Norfolk VA – 3 July 1905
j. Mildred Kathryn Hanbury 15 Feb 1909 So. Norfolk VA – 21 Jan 1979
Married 1st Harvey L Jones.
Married 2nd Wylie Stacey Christy 18 Mar 1916 Waycross GA –
Tool and die maker, United Machine Works.
i. Elizabeth Jeanette Christy Dec 1950 –
Married Herbert Hankins [2 children]
3. William Solomon/Simeon Rountrey 21 Jan 1873 – 1956 [millman 1902]
on the 1930 census, this family is shown just a few doors away from Hubert’s family
married Maria Edwards 1874 – 1963

Baxter,-Will-and-Hugh-Rount
Brothers 1944
Will, Hugh and Baxter Rountrey
photo from Kaye Herndon

Hubert-Hayes,-Wm
Big Brother Will
with the Twins: Hugh and Claude Rountrey
Kaye Herndon collection

Hugh,-Claud-and-Will-Rountr
Hugh, Claude, and Will Rountrey 1935
taken in the front yard of Claud’s home Oaklette
Kaye Herndon collection

a. Va. Edwards Rountrey 1901 – 1990
Married Melvin P. Penn.
i. Bill Edwards Penn 1930 – Feb 1995
ii. John Roberts Penn 1933 – ca 2000
b. Martha Ellen Rountrey 1904 – 12 Aug 2000
Married James Mac Jones 1908 –
i. Jacquelyn Jones 1932 –
Married Wayne L Chronister 1932 –
c. Maria Seawell 1909 –
Married V. D. Divers.
i. June Marie Divers 1929 –
Married Blair Willcox.
ii. Vernon Richard Divers 1931 –
Married Diane Jones.
iii. Claire Seawell Divers 1941 –
Married Gene Redditta.
d. Mary Brown Rountrey 1911 – 1972
married R. E. Fitzgerald
The information on William S Rountrey came from Jackie Chronister.

4. Claude Joseph Rountrey 7 May 1877 Gates Co NC – 13 Apr 1974 Chesapeake VA [merchant]
buried in Magnolia Cemetery, Norfolk VA
married 12 Dec 1899 Florence Virginia Halstead 2Feb 1875 – 25 Oct 1946
a. Florence Elizabeth [Sis] Rountrey 22 Oct 1900 – June 1966
married 1928 Richard Ervin Collier 1897 – 10 July 1955
He was in the U S Coast Guard.
b. Halstead Rountrey 9 Nov 1902 – 11 Jan 1990 Chesapeake VA
married 1930 Luola Shumadine 3 July 1906 – 22 Mar 2005
i. Virginia Halstead Rountrey 1945 –
married 1967 Paul Penland
c. Claude Joseph Rountrey Jr 23 Mar 1905 – 5 June 1992 Ormond Beach FL
lived earlier in Nashville TN
married 1929 Ella Shumadine 27 May 1904 – 14 Nov 1988

Sister to Luola.
d. George Wilson Rountrey 6 July 1911 – Feb 1975 Virginia Beach VA
married 1937 Maude Powell Eley died 7 Jan 2009
e. William Franklin Rountrey 22 Dec 1914 Campostella, Norfolk VA – 19 May 2002 VA
married 1947 Katharine Clagon Riggan 1st Oct 1916 – 24 Sept 1999
William Franklin “Froggy” Rountrey, 87, of the 900 block of St. Lawrence Ave., received his greatest blessing Sunday, May 19, 2002, when he was taken home to be with his Heavenly Father. He touched the lives of many during his 87 years on Earth, setting examples for others as a Christian father and husband, as well as a highly respected professional, civic and church leader. He will be remembered by many as an honest and upright man with a gentle spirit and pure heart. He gave much more than he received, always putting the needs of others ahead of his needs. He was born in Norfolk County and lived his entire life in the Oaklette area. He graduated from Portlock High School as class salutatorian and then from the Norfolk Division of William and Mary College, now ODU. He was the retired president of McCallum Inspection Company and founder and past president and CEO of McCallum Testing Laboratories. Froggy became active in numerous civic organizations beginning in the late 1930s. He served on the Central YMCA Board, spent 13 years as business manager and board member of the Norfolk Symphony and Civic Chorus, and served two consecutive years as president of the Norfolk Junior Chamber of Commerce during World War II, earning the title of “The Man Who Gets Things Done.” While a member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, he was also given the Key Man Award in 1941-1944 and was named Outstanding Man of the Year in the state in 1946. He helped to form, and he served on the Norfolk Community Council. He was instrumental in establishing the Norfolk Civic Chorus, Miss Virginia Pageant, Tidewater Council of Natural History, Norfolk’s first Boy’s Club on Colonial Avenue (secretary), the Boy’s Club on Azalea Garden Road, and he was instrumental in establishing food handling procedures for the Norfolk Health Department. He served on the board of the Virginia Wildlife Federation, was a past member of the Norfolk Rotary Club, and was a court-appointed member of the Chesapeake Zoning Appeals Board for more than 20 years. He was a former member and president of the Tidewater Council of Natural History, Virginia Society of Ornithology, Cape Henry Bird Club, and Rotary Club of Chesapeake. He was a life member of the American Wood Preservers Association, life member of the American Society for Testing and Materials, and active on committees of the American National Standards Institute. While serving as president of the Virginia Society of Ornithology, he was instrumental in the passing of legislation to protect birds of prey, which is still in effect today. He was one of the founders of the Cape Henry Bird Club and had been consistently active in the ornithological society’s annual bird counts. Being a self-taught expert on bird identification, he was called on many times to identify birds in all parts of the state. He was a lifelong member of Oaklette Methodist Church. He began teaching the Young Adult Class in 1947 and was the first and only full-time teacher of the Men’s Bible Class for more than 50 years. During his lifetime, he held many administrative positions at Oaklette such as the head of the Official Board, head of numerous commissions, church treasurer, trustee, and lay leader. He was predeceased by his loving wife, Katharine Riggan Rountrey, by his parents, Claude Joseph, and Florence Virginia Halstead Rountrey, by his sister, Florence R. Collier, and by his brothers, George W. Halstead, and Claude J. Rountrey Jr. He leaves behind a daughter, Kaye R. Herndon and her husband Jim of Chesapeake; and a granddaughter, Sheron Kaye Berg and her fiance Bobby Antoskow of Chesapeake. . . .The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Oaklette United Methodist Church, Chesapeake, followed by burial in Riverside Memorial Cemetery.
i. Kaye Frances Rountrey 4 July 1948 –
married Ned William Berg 1947 –
1. Sheron Kaye Berg 19 Nov 1974 –
Married 1990 James Royce [Jim] Herndon 19 Aug 1940 –
Info on C J Rountrey from my personal knowledge, family Bibles and obituaries –Kaye Herndon

Grandsons of Simeon and Sarah Rountrey
Grandchildren of Simeon Joseph and Sarah Hayes Rountree in 1916
back row – George Rountrey and Hubert Rountrey,
front row – Franklin Rountrey, Bill Jo Rountree, and Arthur Rountrey

5. Hubert Hayes [ Hugh] Rountrey 7 May 1877 – 1946 [machinist 1902]
married 22 Jan 1907 Callie Fentress Shipp 3 Mar 1886 – 1951
raised their children at 1134 Rodgers Street, Chesapeake, Va
both buried in Riverside Cemetery on Indian River Road in Norfolk

a. Hubert Hayes Rountrey Jr 1 Aug 1912 – 7 June 1990
married 18 Nov 1939 Madeline Estelle Harrell
Both buried in Riverside Cemetery on Indian River Road in Norfolk.
i. Ellen Hayes Rountrey 1950 – e-mail
Married 1972 Richard Albert Cornelius.
b. Arthur Shipp Rountrey 1 Mar 1914 – 26 Aug 1982 no issue
Buried in Riverside Cemetery on Indian River Road in Norfolk.
Married 1967 Opal Marie Keeling.
c. Ethel Virginia Rountrey 28 Sept 1918 – 21 Jan 2001 dsp
Buried in Riverside Cemetery on Indian River Road in Norfolk.
d. William Joseph Rountrey 12 Aug 1921 – 16 Feb 1991 no issue.
Married 1942 Annie Eliz. Garrett
6. Simeon Baxter Rountrey 2 Mar 1886 – 23 Dec 1953
saw-filer in 1902
moved to Altavista VA to work with Lane Furniture Company
[ Information on S Baxter Rountrey from Vernon and Baxter J Rountrey]

married Mamie Coates Gates 10 Dec 1886 – 11 Aug 1964
a. Baxter Jefferson Rountrey 1910 –
married Gladys Morgan 1914 – 1986
i. Mary Morgan Rountrey 1937 – 1940 child age 3
ii. Baxter J. Rountrey Jr. 1943 – 1949 child age 6
iii. Julie Anne Rountrey 1948 –
iv. Hugh Wesley Rountrey 1950 –
b. William Coates Rountrey 1913 – 1989
Married 1942 Lillian Alma Simmons.
i. William C Rountrey Jr. 1950 –
Married 1971 Cathy Ellen Brackett 1950 –
ii. Ann Ryland Tountree 1955 –
Married 1975 Curtis Lee Thornhill 1955 –
c. James Edward Rountrey 1918 – 1973
Married 1947 Elizabeth T. Parks.
i. James Parks Rountrey 1955 –
Married 1976 Karen Gail Clarke.
Married 2nd 1956 Mary Eliz. Sneed.
i. Mary Baxter Rountrey 1957 –
Married Davis Johnson Toombs.
ii. James E Rountrey Jr. 1959 –
Married 1980 Cynthia.
d. Vernon Gates Rountrey 1922 –
Married Elaine Jones 1923 –
i. Barbara Jo Rountrey 1948 –
Married Donald Zeise.
ii. James Baxter Rountrey 1953 –
Married Gail Cole.
iii. Debora Gale Rountrey 1957 –
Married Fields Lee Scarborough
7. Harriet Ellen [Hattie] Rountrey [only sister] 1881 – Jan 1936

Hattie-Ellen-Rountrey-Dyer-
Hattie Ellen Rountrey Dyer & grandson
Kaye Herndon Collection

married John Dyer.
a. Hazel Verna Dyer.
Married Loftin.
i. James Loftin.
b. Gertrude Dyer.
c. Beulah Dyer.
d. Helen Dyer.
e. Ethel Dyer – twin.
f. Ellie Dyer – twin.
g. Lila Dyer.
h. Infant boy Dyer dy.
i. daughter Dyer died aged 12

Letter from James Loftin in 1997 gave us the names of Harriet Ellen’s children: his mother, Hazel Verna, Gertrude, Beulah, Helen, twins Ethel and Ellie, and Lila. Infant boy died, and another girl aged 12 died.

E-Mail from Kaye Herndon – regarding name of William Simeon.
The correct name of Simeon Joseph and Sarah Ellen’s son, as far as I know, is William Simeon Rountrey. The 1902 voter registration records Norfolk County Courthouse list him as William Simeon and on the attached document he signed his name as William Simeon. I called his granddaughter, Jackie Chronister, to see if she had anything to confirm his name, but she did not. She had always heard him referred to as William Simeon.
In regards to your question on the source of names for daughters of William and Elizabeth, I read and transcribed the information from a family Bible in the possession of Annie Elizabeth Rountree when my father and I visited her in 1993. She lived on the original land where Abner lived. She was the daughter of Alfred Patrick and granddaughter of Alfred Gatlin Rountree. She died a few years ago, and I believe she left the farm to a cousin, Annie Margaret. I tried unsuccessfully after Annie Elizabeth died to contact Annie Margaret. I think she sold this property with her home, the original home of Simeon, and burial place of Abner. I am planning to visit there in the next couple of weeks to see if I can still get back to the cemetery. Annie Elizabeth had told me that her great grandfather’s name was supposed to be Simmons but somehow got changed to Simeon. Kaye
[I, Sally suspect his parents named him after his uncle Solomon: but after his father’s death in 1893, he preferred the name of his father, Simeon. His sister Annie seems to have called him William Solomon. It’s very unusual for two living sons to carry the same name. My Uncle Percy didn’t like his middle name Lacy and my uncle just officially changed it to Rayner.]

Children of Mary Elizabeth Rountree and John Randolph Brinkly:
Nansemond Co –I have not found them except as Conf. Vet.

Children of Julia Amanda Rountree and William Wilson Sanderlin:
1. Chauncey Lee Sanderlin 26 Oct 1866 – 14 Sept 1914 Norfolk Co VA
married Lydia Forbes Jan 1869 – 1961
Daughter of Isaac M Forbes. Both parents died when she was young.
She grew up in the household of Edward/Ned Y. Nash
a. Wallace Stephen Sanderlin Sept 1893 –

married Lena
1. Wallace Stephen Sanderlin Jr. never married
2. Geraldine Sanderlin
Married Bob Brown.
b. Herman Lee Sanderlin 27 Feb 1896 – 5 June 1977
married 21 June 1921 Ruth Benthall 15 Dec 1898 – 14 Nov 1995
1. Elmer Lee Sandelin 25 Mar 1922 – 12 June 2003
married Dec 1945 Margaret L Lupo [divorced Apr 1965]
a. Larry Lee Sanderlin 10 June 1947 –
b. Peggy June ca 1954 [her father consented to adoption by her new stepfather
married 2nd 1971 Patricia Burke Fahey [widow with three children — Barbara, David, and Diane]
2. Jean Ruth Sanderlin 21 April 1932 – never married – the source of info on children of Chauncey.
c. Julia Sanderlin Apr 1898 –
Married Herman Blow — they had two boys.
d. Ernest Sanderlin – never married.
e. Linwood Sanderlin
married Elsie — they had one boy and one girl
2. Luther Sanderlin ca 1868 –
3. Laura Amelia Sanderlin 21 Feb 1870 – 20 Mar 1893
on the 1880 census, Laura is in the household of step-grandmother Mary E Sanderlin
married J W Creekmore

Children of William Henry Rountree and Sarah Isabel Morris:
“My Great Grandfather William operated two farms at the time my Grandmother was born. He was also Postmaster in his area. The two farms were the old Rountree Farm, built in 1812, and the place where they lived called Mill Pond near Sunbury. It was on a huge lake with cypress trees all around it. I have pictures of both farm houses taken in 1935. I visited there in 1951. William and his wife moved to Portsmouth when their children were teenagers in the late nineteenth century and operated a large boarding house. All of the children married very well with the daughters marrying boarders at the house. The girls were beautiful. One of my cousins has all of their pictures. Their graves are in Portsmouth.” e-mail from John Macon
I know little about Sarah’s family except that they were from North Carolina (near Elizabeth City) and were Planters. Her brother died in the Civil War at the Battle of Seven Pines near Richmond. She is related to the Shacklefords and supposedly descends from Robert Morris of Philadelphia, who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
E-Mail from John Macon

William had inherited the Plantation House built in 1812 in Sunbury from his father, Solomon Rountree. I believe, his Grandfather Abner Rountree built the house. When I visited the house in 1955, it was in poor repair, but a tenant farmer was living there. It had the date 1812 in the chimney. The porches that used to wrap around the house were gone, and no longer looked painted. I have a picture of it taken in 1935 when it was already in bad shape. William had another farm where he lived with his family at Merchant’s Mill, which was nearby. I remember the trees covered with Spanish Moss along the drive to that house.

rountreewh3

view of the house from “Forgotten Gates.”

Picture, also taken in 1935, is of William Henry Rountree’s other farm called Merchant’s Mill on a lake that was full of Cypress trees. William raised his six children here before moving to Portsmouth, Virginia.
It was a beautiful home with columns on the front. I went inside of it in 1950, and the fireplace mantels and paneling were still intact. The house burned down later.

rountreewh2

rountreewh
The picture was taken on Harriet’s front porch steps at her Emmet Street house in Portsmouth, Va. in 1935. From left to right is Harriet Rountree Ogg, Bob Ogg, Marie Rountree Cole, Venie Rountree Price, and George Price.

1. Harriet A Rountree 1874 – ca 1883
drowned in the Mill Pond at age nine

2. Solomon Oscar Rountree May 1875 –
a. Virginia Rountree [owned a restaurant in Hawaii]
b. Aileen Rountree
married Skip Owens in Norfolk VA

3. Lavinia Sarah [Venie] Rountree May 1878 –
married George Price [a teacher]
a. Fred Price [Realtor]
b. Leonard Hugo Price [diplomat]
i. Sandra Price Maura.
ii. David George Price.
c. Zoe Price [married a US Senator’s son] all lived Washington

4. Mary O [Marie] Rountree April 1880 –
married Edwin Cole [exec telephone company in Richmond]
a. Raymond Cole married Kathleen

5. Frederick C [Fred] Rountree July 1882 – dy
Married Minnie McConnell.
a. Marion Rountree
married James Wolfe went to Chattanooga.

i. Carol Wolfe.
ii. Sandra Wolfe
Minnie was married 2nd Karl Steublen [Supt. Of the Portsmouth Naval Yard]
a. Little Minnie married Jack Barnes

6. Harriet [Hattie] Ann Rountree 6 Aug 1882 NC – 2 Jan 1971 Norfolk VA
married 11 Nov 1903 Joseph Arthur Specht 10 Oct 1877 Milton PA – 3 Oct 1912 VA
partner of the Specht & Cox Funeral Home in Portsmouth VA

ArthurHarriet
J Arthur Specht and wife Harriet Ann Rountree

a. son died in infancy
b. Dorothy Specht ca 1905 VA –
Married ca 1926 Edward Louis Norvell ca 1903 VA –
i. Buddy Norvell.
ii. Jean Norvell.
iii. Marcia Norvell.
c. Sarah Lorraine Specht ca 1909 VA –
Married John Ferratt Macon.
i. John Macon.
ii. Lynn Macon.
d. Heliose Specht ca 1912 VA – dsp
married 9 June 1930 Robert [Bob] D M Ogg 26 Nov 1882 – 9 July 1945 Norfolk VA
City Postmaster of Portsmouth VA and 33rd Degree Mason

RobertOgg
Robert Ogg dressed in his Masonic uniform.
Lived on Emmett Street in Portsmouth

Children of Elizabeth Alice Rountree and Richard W Pearce:
1. Lizzie Pearce Oct 1872 –
Married 20 Dec 1896 Richard R Ballard 30 Mar 1866 –
Son of S D & Caroline
(marriage license Lizzie age 16, Richard R. age 30)
2. Emma H Pearce ca 1875 –
married 17 Jan 1897 William R Travis ca 1868 (mar. license)
3. Mary E Pearce Nov 1875 –
4. Nancy A Pearce 1877 –
5. Reginald W. Pierce 28 Feb 1897 – 2 Apr 1917

6 thoughts on “Solomon Rountree & Amelia Hudgins”

  1. Looking for a John Floyd Rountree who married Mary Louise Winslow. She was his second wife born 1900 Gates Co., NC, daughter of Charlie Scott Winslow and Ella Mae Briscoe. Do you have any information on John Floyd Rountree? 1889-1965.
    Thanks.

  2. Hello my name is Jim Penn a descendant of Sineon Rountree. I have the original charcoal sketches of Simeon and Sarah Hayes. They hang in my family room. Your web site is great! Thanks. I want to read it all soon.

    My father was William Penn, daughter of Va. Edwards Rountree. for your record he died in February of 1995. His brother died about 5 years later.

    Thanks again for your time and energy on this web site.

  3. I found this today and read with great interest. My grandmother was Vivian Rountree, married to John Henry Harrington probably in Norfolk. Two children Helen and Travis. As a child I spent many days at the Dairy farm in Suffolk with Melvin, Vicki, and Pete. Always remember riding in a mule drawn wagon to the bull stalls by the river with Hot Shot. If anyone can fill in blanks in my memory please feel free.

    1. Hi, Jim! I’m one of Brad Rountree’s daughters, Jane. Grew up on Dairy Farm in Suffolk. Had fun times riding with Hot Shot in his wagon! Remember your trains in basement at Aunt Vivian’s and all of us swimming in your pool. Thought I’d give you some of our ancestry. Abner had two sons, Soloman and Simeon/Simmon. We are Simmons’s descendants. Our Great Grandfather was Andrew Lafayette Rountree (1851-1930), his father was Alfred Gatlin (1825-1907), his father was Simeon, and his father was Abner (1779-1816). I think his father was Robert (1730-1793). As far back as Joseph Rowntree (1598-1660) of Stokesley, Yorkshire and London, England. Hope this helps fill some blanks! I find this History very interesting. We have lots of relatives—such big families way back! I found you on FB and would like to “Friend” you. Jane Rountree Savage

  4. I came across your website while surfing for information on some of my ancestors. You helped fill in some pieces such as Solomon Rountree’s parents’ names. I did notice an error though … under the children of Florence Hayes & John T. Smith, you list a Kittrell … his real name was Caleb Menchie Smith (born 18 Jan 1883, married 02 Apr 1913, died 05 Aug 1946 & buried in Olive Branch Cemetery in Portsmouth, VA) … that’s my granddad … all the other siblings are correct. Unconfirmed stories are that there were 2 other siblings who died as infants.

    1. Correction:
      J. Arthur Specht (Harriet Ann Rountree’s first husband) was born in Milton, Penn. While his last name is German, most of his ancestors in Pennsylvania were English Quakers who came to the colony with William Penn.

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