| Notes |
- Charles Stewart's date of birth is not known. His gravestone does not record his age or date of birth. Based on the age of his first child, he is estimated to have been born about 1755. As the date of death for his father's first wife is unknown and the date of marriage for his father's second wife is also unknown, it's impossible to say at this point which of his father's two wives was his mother.
Secondary sources conflict over details of Charles' life. Some accounts conflate Charles with his son, Charles Jr.
Charles grave has recently been identified at Stewart 3 Cemetery in Woodville, Wilkinson, Mississippi, USA, about ten miles from Stewart 2 Cemetery where his brothers Duncan and James of Holly Grove Plantation are buried. Col Charles Stewart is buried with his son Justice Charles Stewart Jr., along with Unknown Jones (possibly his wife or a relative of hers), and two of his de Graffenried grandchildren.
In 1790, Charles was residing in Cumberland, North Carolina, USA, with a male under 16 (presumably Charles Jr), a female (presumably his unknown first wife), and a slave.
In 1801, Charles was residing in Montgomery, Tennessee, USA, on an estate with 3168 acres, next to John Stewart with 100 acres (probably his brother-in-law Jock Stewart, the half-pay British officer), and James and Duncan Stewart (his brothers) sharing 650 acres.
Charles served in the fourth General Assembly representing Montgomery County, Tennessee in the House of Representatives from 1801-1803. Charles and his brother Duncan were the first Stewarts to leave Bladen County, North Carolina about 1797 for Clarksville, Tennessee. Charles operated a mill in 1810 on the west fork of the Red River. Charles also engaged in the practice of law and was appointed property appraiser by the Montgomery County Court in 1805.
In 1813 in the State and Territorial Census, Charles was residing in Wilkinson, Mississippi Territory, USA.
In 1820, Charles was residing on a plantation in Wilkinson, Mississippi, USA, with the following free white persons (presumably his family)
1 male over 45 (presumably Charles Sr.)
1 female 26-44 (presumably Polly Jones with a generous age)
1 male 26-44 (presumably Charles Jr)
1 male 16-18 (presumably Tignall Jones Stewart)
1 male 10-15 (presumably Duncan A. Stewart)
1 female 10-15 (presumably Jeanette Stewart)
Daughter Penelope Stewart was likely living with her husband at this time.
Charles also had 117 enslaved persons and 123 other untaxed person living/working on the plantation.
In 1936, Stewart Clan Magazine wrote:
"Charles Stewart was a twin brother of Duncan. He is buried at the Ventress place one mile north of the old Stewart estate in Wilkinson county, Miss. [Compare Charles Stewart, born Jan. 16, 1761, in Bladen county, N.C., --B:171]" (Edson, George, Stewart Clan Magazine, Tome C, August 1936, vol. xiv, no. 2, p.189.)
In a later 1957 article, Stewart Clan Magazine wrote:
"Charles Stewart, born about 1760 in Sampson or Bladen county, North Carolina, received a share in his father's lands by the latter's will, Aug. 22, 1778. He married in Wake county (bond Apr. 11, 1798) Mary (Polly) Jones, daughter of Tingnall and Penelope Jones.
"He moved to Montgomery County, Tennessee, with his brother, where he bought Jan. 20, 1797, of William Jones 1000 acres of land on the West fork of Red River. He sold 800 acres of this tract Oct. 20, 1800, to James Stewart.
"As attorney for Duncan Stewart he made a journey back to North Carolina and sold Apr. 28, 1798, to George Devan two tracts of their father's land in Sampson County. He was appointed Oct. 15, 1810, guardian of his son Tignall Jones Stewart, to care for the property which was left to the boy by the will of his grandfather, Tingnall Jones of Wake county, dated Aug. 26, 1807.
"All we need to establish in this article is that Charles Stewart, brother of Duncan, was not Charles, Jr., to whom he deeded land on the north side of the West Fork of Red River on Jan. 14, 1803; nor the Charles Stuart of Adams County, Mississippi, who, on June 23, 1803, gave power-of-attorney to Samuel Neely to sell land in Davidson County; nor yet Charles G. Stewart, whose land on the West fork of Red river adjoined a tract which he sold Mar. 14, 1809, to James Stewart. One of these three Charleses died before the July term of court, 1817, and -- later than that -- May 2, 1818,
"James Stewart, attorney for Charles Stewart, "now of Wilkinson County, Mississippi Territory," deed to Thomas Watson, for $13,000, 1630 acres of land on the Big West Fork of Red River, and two days later, May 4, 1818, James, in the same capacity, conveyed 150 acres on the Big West Fork to Stephen Pettus; also he sold 160 acres, formerly Brantley's Plantation, on the south side of Red River, to James B. Reynolds of Clarksville,* who already had possession, for $700.
"Charles Stewart, who was a twin brother of Duncan (sic), is buried at the Ventress place one mile north of the old Stewart estate in Wilkinson County, Miss." Only identified child: Tignall Jones: his father was appointed his guardian Oct. 15, 1810"
(Edson, George, Stewart Clan Magazine, Tome G, March 1957, vol. 34, no. 9, pp.189-192)
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From the Archives: Founder of Our County
Bryan Saunders for the Stewart Co. Archives, October 27, 2016
Duncan Stewart, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War, traveled across the Smokey Mountains into middle Tennessee in 1794 - two years before TN actually became a state. Many former Revolutionary soldiers were paid for their service to the country by being awarded 640 acres of land by state governments. North Carolina, at the time owned all land to the Mississippi River, including our county. They paid many of their soldiers' with tracts of land in the new frontier for their service. Stewart and brother Charles, eager to come West, bought land from soldiers who wished to remain in the Tar-Heel state. At one time, Duncan owned over 30,000 acres in middle TN. He lived in Montgomery and Stewart Counties while he surveyed and helped settle the frontier. Duncan built a fort, called Stewart Station, close to Wells Creek in the southern part of Stewart Co., in what is now Houston Co. The following is a letter from his brother Charles Stewart about life on the frontier:
"Duncan and myself left that country (North Carolina) and located ourselves in then a territory, now the state of Tennessee. There, we soon got an appointment as surveyors...We have encountered all the hardships that could be conceived from the Indians who were at open war with us...In 1796, we got a peace with the Indians...In 1797, we returned to North Carolina and took wives...we then moved back to Tennessee, a distance of 700 miles away...We subsidized our families out of the woods with our guns and feasted our delicately raised wives with the flesh of bear, buffalo, deer and wild turkey...They never complained."
While some people might be discouraged to stay on the edge of the wilderness, Duncan continued to buy and sell land throughout middle Tennessee. Some of the land sales have been found in the Stewart County Archives. Through the use of the Archives, Stewart County Library and the Stewart County Historical Society and their museum, many Stewart County residents are researching their past. At the recent Literacy Night at Stewart County High School, many Stewart County students learned how Stewart County got its name. In 1801, Duncan was a state senator, serving Robertson and Montgomery counties. In 1803, with a lot of people moving into the western part of Montgomery County, the state decided these residents had too far to travel to conduct business in Clarksville. They decided to split off the western part of Montgomery County and form a new county - and they named it Stewart County, after Duncan. So our county was formed on November 3, 1803. The town seat was named Monroe after (future president) James Monroe. But two years later, the citizens voted to rename the town Dover, because the high bluffs reminded many of the townspeople of similar bluffs in Dover, England. As more and more people moved into Middle TN., Duncan began to feel over crowded...he was hearing of a new frontier open for settlement in southern Mississippi. In 1811, he moved to Woodville, Mississippi, and started cotton farming. Most of his family (wife, kids, siblings) all moved south, except his twin brother James. As James' health started to fail, he decided to move from Clarksville to Mississippi in 1818. Duncan and James had always promised to be buried in the same cemetery. So James, knowing the time was near, had quite the elaborative sendoff in front of his Clarksville friends. He invited them all to the pier for his goodbye, complete with music and food. He placed his belongings on a boat, and to the surprise of many, workers loaded a substantial coffin on the boat also. A local preacher, possibly the Elder Reuben Ross, then preached brother James' funeral - while James sat on his coffin listening. It took years before the citizens of Clarksville ceased talking about this strange transaction...When James arrived in southern Mississippi, he found Duncan to be a rich man, living on a large plantation and also Lieutenant-Governor in the state. James didn't live long after he made the trip and was buried in a spot he picked out on a hill a mile from Duncan's house. Duncan was very successful and well liked in all three states...a Revolutionary War veteran in North Carolina, a frontiersman and trailblazer in middle Tennessee and a business man and politician in Mississippi. Duncan had six kids with his wife Penelope and his plantation home in southern Mississippi, (Holly Grove) is still standing today and is on the National Register of Historical Places. One side note, many people remember the movie Braveheart, with William Wallace (Mel Gibson). At the end of the movie, the Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, led the Scottish troops against the King of England. The Scots were victorious and Robert the Bruce became king of Scotland. Robert the Bruce was Duncan Stewart's ancestor. (Say the word great 14 times, then grandfather and you get the idea.) In closing, Duncan Stewart passed away on November 27, 1820, at his plantation home. He chose to honor his 50 year-old agreement to be buried next to his twin brother James. The two are buried at the Stewart Two cemetery with four other people out in the woods in southern Mississippi.
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Abt 1755 - 1833 (78 years)
