William Edward (Hembree) Emory (abt. 1816 - 1858)

Born about 1816 in Pendleton, Anderson, South Carolina, USA

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 11 Feb 1858 at about age 42 in Pickens, Pickens, South Carolina, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Lezlie Clemons [send private message]

Biography

Edward Hembree (Jr) was born 1816 in Pendleton, Anderson, South Carolina. He was a son of Edward Hembree and Eliza Stratton. Edward's great-grandfather was John Amory (or Emory), whose child was orphaned young and grew up with a family of Hembree's. Thus, two generations later, our Edward sometimes used the name Hembree, and sometimes (for official documents) used the name Edward Emory. ^[1]

Around 1839, he married Elizabeth Sanders, of Pickens District, South Carolina. They settled in the Western Division of Pickens District (It would become Oconee County after the war.) and had at least eight children:^[2][3]

1. Sarah Ann (1840-1909)
2. Mary Emeline (1842-1921)
3. Elizabeth Catherine (1843-1909)
4. William Edward (1845-1930)
5. James E. (1847-1901)
6. Frances Caroline (1850-1911)
7. John Calhoun (1853-1900)
8. David Francis (1855-1900)

A death certificate for daughter Emeline (1842-1921) names her parents as William Emory and Elizabeth Sanders.^[4]

No one knows how Edward died on 11 Feb 1858, and no member of his family would talk about it. Very soon after his death, the Hembrees moved away, most of them going with Elizabeth to Tennessee. Researcher Larry Petrisky has written a well-sourced and thorough report entitled “The Mysterious Death of Edward Hembree,” in which he “…attempts to show that Edward Hembree was lynched, his death was covered up by prominent men of the district, his estate was plundered, and his will was a complete forgery!” ^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ 1840 U.S. Federal Census Ancestry.com Year: 1840; Census Place: Pickens District, Pickens, South Carolina; Roll: 514; Page: 352; Family History Library Film: 0022510
2. ↑ 1850 U.S. Federal Census Ancestry.com Year: 1850; Census Place: Western Division, Pickens, South Carolina; Roll: M432_857; Page: 398A; Image: 256
3. ↑ 1860 U.S. Federal Census for Elizabeth Hembree Ancestry.com Year: 1860; Census Place: Regiment 2, Pickens, South Carolina; Roll: M653_1225; Page: 104; Family History Library Film: 805225
4. ↑ Death Certificate for Emeline Lumpkins Ancestry.com
5. ↑ http://sites.rootsweb.com/~tnmcmin2/TheMysteriousDeathofEdwardHembree.htm, Petrisky, Larry. “The Mysterious Death of Edward Hembree.”

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Lezlie Clemons for creating WikiTree profile Hembree-97 through the import of LACtoo_2013-11-03.ged on Nov 3, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Lezlie and others.