Benjamin Munnerlyn
(ca. 1792 - ca. Sep 1845)
According to census reports it appears that there were three or possibly more male children in the household of Loftis Redlee Munnerlyn. All indication and much family lore indicates that one of those sons was Benjamin Munnerlyn.
Benjamin was born in the latter part of the 1780’s or the early years of the 1790’s. there seem to be no records of his early life. He is listed as head of a household in Marion County, South Carolina in the census of 1830. He must have married about 1810 as his first known child, Willis Rawls was born in 1812. His wife, Cyrene, was the daughter of Samuel Garrell and his wife, Kate Floyd, of Horry County. She was born in 1791 according to census figures.
Records in Marion County, S. C. show that on December 17, 1817 Benjamin sold to Thomas Munnerlyn (probably his brother), a plantation of nine-hundred and thirty-one acres located on the north-west side of the Little Pee Dee River. The land sold was part of three different grants: the lower portion of a grant to James Munnerlyn bearing date of 27 December 1769; two-hundred and fourteen acres that had been granted to Robert Thomas the 2nd day of October, 1786; and part of a tract located on Ready Creek containing 369 acres granted to David Davis the 3rd day of November, 1788; and a tract of land that Benjamin purchased at court as the estate of John Case, deceased. The deed contains the Dower release of Benjamin’s wife, Cyrene.
Another deed in Marion County dated 27 December 1817 shows Benjamin Munnerlyn buying from H. G. Fladger 588 acres on the North East side of the Great Pee Dee River. This would be the land he owned in a place locally called Mars Bluff. Another deed, dated October 19, 1829, to Ann Munnerlyn (wife of Benjamin’s uncle named Benjamin) appears to be a document to clear up a dispute over land in that it states, “In consideration of the sum of twenty dollars to me in hand paid by Ann Munnerlyn I do by these presents bargain and sell and deliver unto the said Ann Munnerlyn all the land which may be in the lines of a platt made by Levi Legett for said Ann bearing date of October 29 one thousand eight hundred and twenty nine which I may have a right to.” We do not know if this dispute concerning land had anything to do with Benjamin’s leaving Marion County, however, sometime after 1830, he took his family and moved to Baldwin County, Alabama.
He and Cyrene were parents of ten children whose names we know. One census report lists another male child in the household but other records omit any reference to him. While living in South Carolina the following children were born:
Willis Rawls, 1812; Rachel, 1814; Loftis Redlee, 18??; Catherine, 1820; Sarah, 1821; Eliza, 1823; Thomas, 1826; John Burrell, 1827 or 1828; and Benjamin 1830. Another son, Charles, was born in 1831 either in South Carolina or Alabama.
At the time that Benjamin moved his family to Alabama, his oldest daughter, Rachel, was married to James Altman and she remained in South Carolina where some of her direct descendants live today near the old Munnerlyn homeplace. The son, Willis Rawls, had married a girl named Sarah Martha Phillips also in South Carolina. He and his family moved to Alabama before, along with, or after the move by Benjamin. It appears that Willis Rawls moved about 1834 or 1835 as his first child, William Calhoun was born in South Carolina in 1833.
Records show that Benjamin bought a tract of land in Baldwin County, Alabama in 1837 from John Walker. He established a home there and called it Montgomery Hill. He must have prospered judging by his acquisition of slaves. In 1830 he owned ten while at his death he had twenty, and in the meantime had given six to his older children.
Indications are that Benjamin was quite ill before his death in September, 1845. In settling his estate there was a doctor’s bill dated September 10, 1845 which gives some insight into what may have been his terminal illness. It included two or more visits at the Munnerlyn home, sixteen hours of individual attention, and a listing of specific medication and treatments. A modern pharmacist examining a copy of this bill said that one medicine was primarily laxative while another, morphine, was for deadening pain. The treatments and the medication seem to indicate that his was a sever case involving an abdominal and/or colon condition together with extremely poor circulation. Family rumor some years ago was that his brother Thomas M. had died of cancer. While we can only speculate as to the nature of his illness we can safely assume that he suffered very much.
The estate of Benjamin Munnerlyn was settled promptly and with due legal procedure. The heirs, in addition to Cyrene, were: Willis Rawls; Rachel (Mrs. James Altman); Loftis R.; Catherine (Mrs. Benjamin McConnell); Sarah (Mrs. Thompson, later to become Mrs. Peter Bryne); Eliza (Mrs. James M. Boyles); Thomas; John Burell; Benjamin; and Charles. Willis Rawls was made administrator. On September 25, 1846 Cyrene and three of her sons Willis Rawls, Loftis, and Thomas made a court bond for $4,500 to insure that Cyrene, as guardian of the three minor children over fourteen years of age would fulfill satisfactorily her responsibility. The three were John, Benjamin, and Charles.
A very interesting aspect of the settlement of the estate took place on December 22, 1846. On that day a Commission of three citizens appointed by the Orphans Court of Baldwin County met at the home of Mrs. Cyrene Munnerlyn “to appraise and divide the Negro property among the different distributes.” The process of doing this involved five steps:
Eleven ‘lots’ were drawn the ten heirs and Cyrene who took a child’s part. Each person received a number ‘lot.’
Each of the twenty slaves was evaluated in dollars.
Each of the six slaves that had been previously given to Willis Rawls, Rachel, Eliza, Sarah, and Loftis was likewise evaluated.
Each of the eleven ‘lots’ was given two or more slaves, the aggregate value of the slaves in a ‘lot’ ranged from $750.00 to $1100.00, according to the appraised value of each slave.
The total value of the twenty-six slaves was set at $9,205.00. This amount was divided by eleven to determine an equal share value to each of the eleven. It amounted to $836.81. Then each distribute was either paid the difference, or had to pay the difference, between the value of the slaves received and the $836.81. For example, Cyrene received two slaves valued at $700.00 and $100.00 each and received in addition $36.81; Rachel Altman’s slaves value amounted to $1,000.00 and she paid to the others $163.19.
In 1850 there was a court action authorizing Cyrene to settle the part of the estate going to John Burrell since he had become of age.
On January 10, 1857, Benjamin McConnell, son-in-law of Benjamin and Cyrene, filed a petition in court for a “sell land” disposition of the estate. One record indicates that the settlement of the estate was finalized on November 11, 1856, but evidently the sale was not authorized until January or later.
It is unknown when Cyrene died or where Cyrene and Benjamin are buried. In all probability they were buried on their land. It was learned on a trip to Baldwin County in the 80’s that the location of their property has now become part of a large swamp along the Alabama River, therefore, their graves may now be underwater. If you travel I-10 east from Mobile, after crossing the Alabama River you are very near the location of what was Benjamin’s plantation.Bio by Francine Jones
Descendant Relation:
James Sr.>Loftis Redlee>Benjamin MUNNERLYN
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