Henry Stancil|
Henry Stancil 1902
Henry Stancil was born Oct. 18, 1861. He died March 25, 1933. He married Frances Barnes on March 4, 1886
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Henry's children with Frances Barnes |
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Unnamed daughter |
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Walter Greene Stancil
March 28, 1888-April 4, 1975 |
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James Oscar Stancil
Aug. 5, 1890-June 2, 1970 |
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Fannie Stancil
Jan. 2, 1893-Jan. 16, 1909 |
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Lillian Stancil
June 1, 1895-Dec. 13, 1965 |
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Bessie Lee Stancil
Dec. 26, 1897-Dec. 18, 1974 |
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William Leonard Stancil
Aug. 6, 1900-Nov. 30, 1980 |
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Elizabeth Stancil
Jan. 23, 1903-Jan. 31, 1969 |
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Nancy Agnes Stancil June 25, 1905-April 1, 1975 |
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Ila Stancil July 6, 1908-March 28, 1994 |
Henry Stancil as a young man
Family archives
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Henry Stancil was born Oct. 18, 1861.
Cynthia Barnes, a midwife who lived nearby, delivered Henry. The war started April 12, 1861, before Henry's birth in October. He was named for his deceased grandfather, Henry Sasser.
He was born on a portion of the former Henry Sasser Estate, inherited by his mother, Delaney Catherine Sasser Stancil.
Henry had jet-black straight hair. He attended a school but the name is unknown and the years attended are also unknown. Henry could read and write.
Henry was taught to be a brick mason by his Uncle Jim, James Henry Stancil. Henry built not only quality chimneys, but columns and furnaces too. He laid the porch columns for the George Ira Stancil Sr. home in Glendale about 1923. One time Henry built a chimney, and was then told to build a furnace under it. Henry carefully jacked up the completed chimney and built the furnace. Many of his chimneys are still in use.
Henry married Nancy Ann Francis Barnes on March 4, 1886. They were married at the Josiah Barnes Homestead, in the Buckhorn Community of Wilson County.
According to records of Wilson County Marriages, the marriage license was issued on March 1, 1886. The names given were W. H. Stancil and Frances Barnes. The "W" stood for Walter. They were both Wilson County residents. Henry was 24 and Frances was 20.
Simon Barnes, Justice of the Peace, performed the marriage. The witnesses were L.G. Broughton, R.T. Barnes and H. R. Hinnant.
According to her family, her name was spelled Francis and later it was spelled as Frances. Frances Barnes was born Feb. 16, 1865.
As far as anyone recalls, Henry never went by Walter or Walter Henry or William Henry. Henry only wrote 'Henry' in the Family.
Frances was the daughter of Josiah and Sarah Elizabeth Barnes. Josiah was born in 1835, and Sarah Elizabeth in 1841. Josiah started out as a farm laborer in 1860, but was a farmer with assets of over $550 by 1870.
Frances grew up on a farm in Springhill Township, Wilson County. Both Josiah and Elizabeth could read, but not write.
They married in 1860. Nancy Ann Frances was their oldest daughter, born in 1865. Other children were: William H. born in 1861, James born in 1863, Nancy Francis, Rebecca born in 1869, Noel Lafayette born in 1875, Rufus born in 1877, Cherry born in 1879.
Henry was a Republican. He registered to vote in 1902. His application was made on Oct. 20, 1902, when he was 42. Henry listed his ancestor as Thos Stancil, his father. Henry kept up with the news and subscribed to The Smithfield Herald, a weekly newspaper in Johnston County.
Henry affectionately called his wife "Frank" and she was known to all the nieces and nephews as Aunt Frank.
Henry received 100 acres from his Pa. He grew cotton, peas, beans, tobacco and corn. Henry raised hogs, cows and had mules and horses. When there was open range, he had sheep. Tractors became available, but Henry didn't invest in one. He farmed with mules all his life. Henry had many different talents. He had a sawmill and sawed lumber for the first house he built.
Henry enjoyed playing the fiddle and auto harp. Music was part of family life. Whenever Henry played, a crowd gathered.
Henry's wife Frances Barnes
Family photo
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Ralph Stancil, son of George Ira Stancil
Henry and Frances had a tenant house close to Center Ridge Presbyterian Church as well as "the Uncle Henry Old Place." Several of their children lived there over the years.
Henry personally wrote the names and birthdays of all his children in the family Bible.
Henry wasn't a hunter but kept a "gypsy" dog that looked like a beagle and loved to chase rabbits.
Henry never learned to drive a car. He was content to be a passenger.
Henry and Frances built their own house. The wooden house had double chimneys built by Henry. Frances' brother Rufus Barnes did the carpentry work on the house. He was a talented craftsman and built many houses in the neighborhood. Henry's son-in-law Manley Creech saved lathes from his nearby sawmill. They were used for the plastered walls. Henry’s house had three bedrooms, with a living room and a long room, a combination kitchen and dining room. There were porches on the front and back. The house was completed about 1916. It was a modern house for the time, with all glass windows.
Henry enjoyed growing and eating watermelons. All the grandchildren looked forward to loading the sled with melons. Busting the melons on the ground and eating the heart was a real treat. The leftovers were given to the hogs.
Henry had attended Holly Springs Free Will Baptist Church (80 Beulahtown Road, Kenly NC) between 1895 and 1898, when his Uncle, Elder John Henry Sasser was the pastor.
About 1915, Henry and his entire family later joined Center Ridge Presbyterian Church. This was the closest church. Henry let the church use his well. He donated the timbers for the Church building. Center Ridge members selected Henry to represent them at the Presbyterian Church Convention. The 1926 Convention was held in South Carolina, near the Pee Dee River.
Henry paid Dr. Carnegie from Rocky Mount $100 to remove his appendix. At this time many were having their appendix removed.
Frances was a good wife and mother. She enjoyed dipping snuff, and did so all her life. Keeping the family in butter was a chore she enjoyed. Frances wore long black dresses with tiny white print in the wintertime and long white dresses with tiny black print in the summertime.
Henry grew up driving mules and horses. He was at home with reins in his sensitive hands. Henry never bought a car or tractor, or learned how to drive.
Henry became too old to farm. He left his farm and moved to Durham with his daughters because there were more jobs there. It was easy to get jobs in the cigarette factories. But Henry and Frances were unhappy and returned to Johnston County in 1930.
Henry had a history of kidney problems. He became bedridden for several weeks. Frances' last memory of her grandpa Henry was him laying in the porch swing, with a homemade cover on him. Frances heard that he had prostate cancer. "Walter" Henry Stancil died on March 25, 1933, at 71 years of age. His funeral was held at Center Ridge Presbyterian Church, 2712 Glendale Road, Kenly, NC.
Henry was buried in the Stancil Family Cemetery, 2160 Glendale Road, Kenly, N.C. A rock that Henry carved his name on was placed beside his grave in the cemetery. This rock had been part of one of the chimneys Henry laid in his house in 1916. His nephew, Donell Stancil, placed it beside his grave.
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