My wife Sharon grew up knowing very little about her Carmac grandfather and absolutely nothing about her great-grandfather and beyond. Her dad and grandfather had a very strained relationship, and ‘Carmac” family gatherings centered around Sharon’s grandmother, Fannie Stout Carmac (1893-1994). Fannie was an amazing woman who raised 10 children (mostly by herself), lived to age 101, and was a descendant of Penelope Stout…also someone I need to write about later. There was little mention of her grandfather, so I decided to see what I could learn about her paternal line.

James C. Carmac (1885-1971), Grandfather

Sharon’s father was Cletus Aubrey Carmac, born February 6, 1926, to James and Fannie Carmac in Randolph County, NC. Everyone called him “Bunt,” but we’re not really sure why. We lost him in 1996. His father, James, was a native of Guilford County, NC, born on September 17, 1885, to Thomas Carmac(k) and Mary Ellen Cox Siler Carmac(k) (1858-1902). (Mary Ellen was adopted by Orren Crabtree Siler when he married her mother Dorinda Cox, hence the “Cox” and “Siler” surnames.)

James was the third oldest child and only son of Thomas and Mary Ellen. This was a farming family, so James was no doubt doing farm work at a young age. He married Fannie Pandora Stout on October 5, 1911. (I love that name!) Fannie, only 18 when they married, was the oldest daughter of James C. Stout and Susanna Martitia Brown. The family lived in the Columbia Township of Randolph County, most likely among the Stouts that lived in the Coleridge Road area.

James and Fannie’s children were Madge, James, Kermit, Condon, Oris, Ada, Cletus, Helen, Harold, and Mary Martitia. Note the first son’s name: James “Thomas” Carmac. In the 1920 census, James, Fannie, Madge, James T., Kermit, and Walter (2 mos old) lived on a farm they owned on Coleridge Road. (I cannot find a record for Walter aside from this census and have to assume he died as an infant).

In the 1940 census, James, Fannie, and the 8 youngest children were all in the same household. However, Buck Carmac was born in February 1945 to James and Essie McKenney, so James and Fannie must have separated between 1940-1944. James and Essie had 4 other children who died in infancy, but there’s no record they ever married. (He was 37 years older). All were buried at Parks Crossroads Cemetery. Essie died in 1956 at age 44 from heart disease and was buried as Essie McKenney “Wife of James C. Carmac” at Parks Crossroads. Despite the rough relationship with his father, Bunt cared deeply for his stepbrother Buck and was perhaps even a father figure when needed.

James died in 1971 at age 85 from heart failure. His death certificate listed his father as Thomas Carmac and his mother as “not available.”

Thomas Carmac(k) 1859-1915, Great-Grandfather

James Carmac’s father was Thomas Carmac(k). The “k” was dropped sometime during the life of Thomas, but why is not clear. Perhaps it was by accident. Thomas was born in Guilford County on October 9, 1859, to John Carmack and Elizabeth Ann “Betsy” Turner. His siblings were Louise , Ferebe m. Robert Hepler, John, Sarah, and Nancy.

The proximity of the Turner family is a clue to the Carmack family of the mid-1800s. John Carmack and Elizabeth Turner lived near each other per the 1850 census. Elizabeth’s father was Thomas Turner and her siblings were the aforementioned Denny, William, Sally, and Leah. Next door to the Thomas Newton household was 23 year-old Levi Turner, probably Elizabeth’s oldest brother. It’s not much of a reach to conclude Thomas Carmack, the second son of John and Elizabeth, was named after her father.

Thomas was not listed in the 1860 census with his parents and siblings, but in 1870 he was living in Guilford County’s Sumner Township in the Newton Denny Turner household with his sister Sarah. (He is later recorded as Thomas “Newton” Carmack further suggesting the connection to Elizabeth’s brother.) His sister Nancy is in the Levi Turner household next door in 1870, and again in 1880 listed as “niece.” John and Elizabeth died before 1870, although I can’t find the specific records. But I can’t think of another reason they disappeared from census records while their children show up in the households of Elizabeth’s siblings.

Thomas married Mary Ellen Cox Siler in September 1880. Their children were: Maude Estella (1882–1952) m. Oscar Stout, Dorinda S. (1884–1973) m. Charles Witty, James C. (1885–1971) m. Fannie Stout, Annie Irene (1888–1944) m. Isaac Jordan, Mary A. (1890–1891), Bertia (1894–1979) m. Paul Stiles. (Mary’s death as a toddler in 1891 aligns with a flu epidemic.)

The 1900 census listed the Thomas Carmack family in the Fentress Township of Guilford County. It also noted children born (6,) and children living (5). Dorinda Cox Siler’s household was listed just above Thomas Carmac. That’s Thomas’ mother-in-law.

The census also indicated Thomas owned the farm with no mortgage, probably land from his father-in-law Orren Crabtree Siler who had a large parcel. We know from Thomas’ will that it was 50 acres.

Sometime between 1900 and 1902 most, if not all, of the family moved to Ramseur in Randolph County. Thomas’ mother-in-law, Dorinda Cox Siler, died on October 7, 1902, and Mary Ellen died two weeks later on October 22, 1902. She was only 44 years old. I wonder if the illnesses of Dorinda and Mary Ellen necessitated the move. They retained the farm in Guilford, but I can’t identify where they lived in Ramseur.

Thomas moved back to Guilford County in January 1904 (or late 1903). The 1910 census recorded Thomas in the Fentress Township with Dorinda, James, and Bertia (Bertie). The “k” was not on the last name in this census. He became ill in the summer of 1915 and died of kidney disease on September 15, 1915, at his daughter’s home. Obituaries printed his name as T. N. Carmac and Thomas Newton Carmac with no “k.”

In November 2015 the land that Thomas owned was listed for sale in the Greensboro Patriot. The ad refers to “T. C.” instead of “T. N.” Carmac, but all the other details (James and his wife Fannie, the Whitty family, et. al.) confirm this was Sharon’s great-grandfather Thomas. The ad ran for several more months. He is also referred to as T. C. In his estate papers. Since the census records, his death certificate, and obituary were transcribed by 3rd parties, I believe the will and legal notice for the sale of his land are likely accurate.

Thomas was buried at Rehobeth United Methodist Church Cemetery in Guilford County. The research on Thomas’ parents continues. We know his father’s name was John Carmack, but which John Carmack?

Sources of note:

• The Carmack Family Genealogy by Charles Peckham