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"The Joshua Leigh Garrett story is this- His Mother Nancy Anne Leigh married three times, First to a Bellamy then to William Garrett who was Joshua's father, William died several months before Joshua was born, then she married John Hibble.
Joshua graduated from William & Mary College and was ordained a Methodist preacher in Petersburg, Va. and given a circuit to ride in North Carolina (Hertford and Bertie counties were in the Va. conference at that time) He preached in Murfreesboro, Harrellsville, and Coleraine. Joshua and Mary E. Harrell, daughter of Abner, eloped to Gates county and were married by a minister who was a friend of his. They had several children that died in infancy and two who lived, Annie Leigh and a son called Willy. Joshua enlisted in the Confederate army at Bel Rio plantation in Glouster Co.Va. in 1861.He served during the battles in northern Va, he resigned his commission as a Major in the army in 1865 after his hearing was impaired from cannon firing. His Mother died that year and Mary and his stepfather John Hibble also died that year. Joshua returned to his ministry and married Sarah Lucrecia Hays , daughter of Wiley and Cynthia Rayner Garrett Hays. Sarah Hays had two brothers, Joseph who was a Lt. in his half brother's (Thomas Miles Garrett's) company F, Fifth Reg. from Windsor. Also a younger brother John. who lived to be an old man and lived in Ahoskie. The names of Joshua and Sarah's children are: Thomas Wiley -Born June 21 1866 Died June 26 1867 Joshua Leigh Jr. Born July 12th 1867 Died Oct. 6th 1869 Martha Rayner (called Mattie) - Born1868 Died 1940 Julia Short -died infant Mary Cherry- Born 18 71 Died 1887 Cynthia Imogene- Died after she married ? Sally Born-? Married John Garrett her cousin (Richard Garrett's son) John Garrett Hays Born 1877 Died 1971 Addie Cowles Born 1879 Died 1969 Kate Hibble Born Oct. 2 1882 Died June 1981 Almost 100 yr. old . . . . "Joshua lived over the creek from Harrellsville, NC on the old river road next door to the Durfey- Evans family. This area was called Mink Neck. Joshua and Sarah were buried there. John Hays Garrett kept the graveyard clean for many years. It had a tall iron fence around it ,and several tall stone markers. But after everyone moved away and Camp Mfg. bought the property, they put a fireroad through there and when I went down there some years ago, we could not find the graves." e-mail from Martha Copeland Link: Information from the website of Sally Koestler |