Person:Benjamin Tutt (1)

Additional information is available at Marty Grant's site:

http://www.martygrant.com/gen/tutt/tutt-benjamin-buncombe.htm

Benjamin Tutt was born ca 1784/94 (per census analysis) either in Virginia or South Carolina. No direct evidence has been found yet to suggest which state he was born in. I chose these two as prime possibilities as that is where most of the American Tutts resided at the time of his birth. Benjamin's children who were still alive as of the 1880 census reported contradictory data about where their father was born. Most said North Carolina, yet one listed South Carolina. (None listed Virginia). This makes me reasonably sure that Benjamin is from the Edgefield District South Carolina Tutts.

I do not know who Benjamin’s parents were, but it is very likely that he is related to the Tutt family of Culpeper County, Virginia and Edgefield District, South Carolina. The name "Benjamin" was widely used in that family, and as far as I know they were the progenitors of most of the American Tutts.

Benjamin would have been less than 6 years old by the 1790 census, assuming he was actually born before 1790. Assuming he was born already, he should have been home with his parents for the 1790 census. The 1790 census is lost for Virginia, but there were several living there at that time. There were three Tutts listed in South Carolina for the 1790 census. In Edgefield I find that Barbara Tutt and Richard Tutt were listed, and James Tutt was in York District. Richard Tutt (1749-1807) was son of James Tutt and Ann Hansford of Culpeper Co, VA. I’m not sure who Barbara Tutt was, unless she is Barbara Stallnaker Tutt, wife of Major Benjamin Tutt (1739-1799). If so, why was she head of household and not her husband? He was still living at the time. I do not who James Tutt of York District is.

All three of the South Carolina Tutts of 1790 had apparent sons in the "under 16" age group (born ca 1774-1790), so all could be considered suspects to be Benjamin’s parents. This is assuming he was from South Carolina and not from Virginia.

For the 1800 census, Benjamin would have been between 6 and 16 years old, so he could be enumerated in either the "under 10" age group (born ca 1790/1800) or in the 10-15 age group (born ca 1784/90), or possibly even in the 16-25 age group (born ca 1774/84). It all depends on his actual birth date. As in 1790, the 1800 census is lost for Virginia, so I can not do any census analysis. However, in 1800 South Carolina there was Richard and James Tutt in Edgefield District, and there was James and John Tutt in Lancaster District. All four of these households included apparent sons under age 10 (born 1790/1800), and all but James of Lancaster had additional sons in the 10-15 age group. This doesn’t really help to narrow down the suspects much.

Benjamin Tutt moved to Buncombe County, North Carolina before 1810, for around that year (or just before) he married Elizabeth "Betsy" Moore in Buncombe County. Elizabeth was born ca 1788/89 (per 1860 census) in Burke (now Buncombe) Co, NC. Elizabeth is a daughter of Captain William H. Moore and Margaret Patton.

I don’t know what drew Benjamin to Buncombe County, for he was the only Tutt there (as far as I know), though it is possible he had relatives there.

They were listed on the 1810 census in Buncombe County. They were listed between Robert Rogers and Samuel Cole. No known relatives were nearby.

1810 census analysis (based on available evidence): (Explanation of this census)

1810 Buncombe Co, NC pg 74 Benjamin Tutt 00100-00100 Analysis: 1 Male(s) 16-25 (1784-1794)Benjamin TUTT (1784/94) 1 Female(s) 16-25 (1784-1794)Elizabeth MOORE Tutt (1788/89) wife On 10 Apr 1812 Benjamin Tutt sold 100 acres of land to Bazel B. Edmundson, being land on Miller’s Creek. I did not find where Benjamin acquired this land. The history of the land was given as being the same granted on 3 Jan 1803 to David Jay, but did not state how it progressed from Jay to Tutt. Witnesses were Samuel Byers and Ninian Edmundson. Benjamin Tutt signed with a mark (Buncombe Co, NC Deed Book H page 337, transcript shared by Betty Hayes).

On 2 Jan 1816, Benjamin Tutt sold some land to Joseph Young, being land on William Moore Jr’s Creek. No acreage was listed. I wonder if this is land inherited from his Moore in-laws, as both had just died shortly before this. The deed mentioned that this is where Benjamin Tutt currently lived. Witnesses were James Bridges and Jo. Hayes. (Buncombe Co, NC Deed Book 12 page 197, transcript by Betty Hayes)

Benjamin Tutt was listed on the 1820 census in Buncombe County. He was just a few houses away from future relatives (by marriage) Jacob Stewart (1775) and John Stewart (1730/40). Benjamin's daughter Ruth Tutt would marry John Stewart's grandson John Stewart (c1807) about 10 years later.

1820 census analysis (based on available evidence): (Explanation of this census)

1820 Buncombe Co, NC pg 68 Benjamin Tutt 200010-20110 Analysis: 1 Male(s) 26-44 (1775-1794)Benjamin TUTT (1784/94) 2 Male(s) 0-9 (1810-1820)Benjamin TUTT (1810/15) son Son? (1815/20) 1 Female(s) 26-44 (1775-1794)Elizabeth MOORE Tutt (1788/89) wife 1 Female(s) 16-25 (1794-1804)Daughter? Sister? (1794/1804) * Not in 1810 2 Female(s) 0-9 (1810-1820)Margaret TUTT (1811/12) daughter Ruth TUTT (1812/13) daughter Benjamin may have died in the 1820-1830 timeframe. A "Benjamin Tutt" was listed on the 1830 census in Buncombe County, but the oldest male listed in the household was in the age 15-19 category (born ca 1810/15). This leads me to believe that this was a younger Benjamin (son of old Benjamin) who was now considered head of household after his father’s decease. The rest of the household seems to consist of widow Elizabeth and her other children.

Another explanation for the 1830 census entry is that Benjamin (Sr) was still living, but the enumerations were just wrong (which is a common census error).

1830 census analysis (based on available evidence): (Explanation of this census)

1830 Buncombe Co, NC pg 245 Benja Tutt 0011000000000-2003001000000 Analysis: 1 Male(s) 15-19 (1810-1815)Benjamin TUTT (1810/15) s/o Benjamin & Elizabeth 1 Male(s) 10-14 (1815-1820)Brother? (1815/20) 1 Female(s) 40-49 (1780-1790)Elizabeth MOORE Tutt (1788/89) mother 3 Female(s) 15-19 (1810-1815)Margaret TUTT (1811/12) daughter Ruth TUTT (1812/13) daughter Celia Elvina TUTT (1822) daughter 2 Female(s) 0-4 (1825-1830)Rachel Evaline TUTT (1824/25) daughter Mary Caroline Moore TUTT (c1828) daughter

Elizabeth Tutt was listed as head of household for the 1840 census, and still in Buncombe County. There were several strike-outs in the male columns. On a closer examination it is obvious that the census taker recorded all the female entries in the male column by mistake, then went back and marked them out.

1840 census analysis (based on available evidence): (Explanation of this census)

1840 Buncombe Co, NC pg 142 Betsy Tutt 0000000000000-0022100100000 Analysis: 1 Female(s) 50-59 (1780-1790)Elizabeth MOORE Tutt (1788/89) wd/o Benjamin 1 Female(s) 20-29 (1810-1820)Margaret TUTT (1811/12) daughter 2 Female(s) 15-19 (1820-1825)Celia Elvina TUTT (1822) daughter Altha May TUTT (1824/25) gr-dau 2 Female(s) 10-14 (1825-1830)Rachel Evaline TUTT (1824/25) daughter Mary Caroline Moore TUTT (c1828) daughter

I’ve searched several times, and yet I have not been able to locate Elizabeth Tutt nor most of her children on the 1850 census. She should have been living in Buncombe County at the time. Daughter Ruth was in Union Co, GA in 1850, and daughters Rachel and Celia were listed in Buncombe in 1850 with their husbands. The other children were not found in 1850, and were probably wherever their mother was.

Elizabeth "Betsy" Moore Tutt died in May 1860 in Buncombe County as proven by the 1860 Census Mortality Schedule. She was listed as "Elizabeth Tutt" age 71, female, white, widowed, born in North Carolina, died in May (1860). Occupation was "Farming", and the cause of death was "Consumption" and that she had been sick for 4 years prior to her death.

Children Benjamin and Elizabeth (Moore) Tutt had seven children per the 1810 through 1840 census entries. I have not seen any direct evidence proving any of the children that I have listed, but I'm fairly confident that all of these belong here, as they were all from Buncombe County, and Benjamin was the only Tutt in the county. Special thanks to Kathi Bobb, Pauline Stewart, Pat Scroggins, Candice Stassi and Betty O. Hayes for sharing their research with me pertaining to these various children.

Benjamin Tutt (Jr) (1810/15)

Margaret "Peggy" Tutt (c1812)

Ruth Tutt (c1813)

Unknown Son (1815/20)

Celia Elvina Tutt (1822)

Rachel Evaline Tutt (c1825)

Mary Caroline Moore Tutt (c1828)