Quince Routillus Campbell

"Grandfather Quince Routillus Campbell"

Parents: Joseph Alexander Lafayette Campbell, Sarah Elizabeth Meadows
Birth: July 12, 1862
Marriage: January 20, 1892 to Delia Anita Dunn. Quince was 29 and Delia was 25. They had six children:

A baby boy, who died soon after birth, Grace Viola, William Lafayette, Foy Routillus, Margaret Elizabeth, and Ella Alafaire

Death: December 10, 1943 at age 81.

Wow. I can't believe how many documents I found for Quince R. Campbell, considering how hard it was to find any for Grace Campbell. There are so many! I found census records from both before and after he was married, a record of his marriage to Delia Dunn, and a record of his passing. We have a neat picture of his life here:

1870 Census, Sugar Loaf Township, Alexander County, North Carolina:

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This census record doesn't really list much, but we can still learn from it. Quince's stepmother Jane is listed here (nee Gwatlney), and his half-brother Lebius was already born. Quince grew up in or near Sugar Loaf, North Carolina. This is north of Charlotte and just about directly due west from Greensboro and Winston-Salem, NC. The area highlighted in pink on the map is Sugar Loaf, NC.

Sugar Loaf, Alexander County, NC (screenshot from Google Maps)

1880 Census, Sugar Loaf Township, Alexander County, North Carolina:

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In this census, we see that Quince is still in Sugar Loaf with the family he grew up with. We see that he had attended school within the last year, and that his father and paternal grandparents were born in North Carolina.

1910 Census, Ironton Township, Lincoln County, North Carolina

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A lot can happen in 30 years, and that's how long it has been since the last census that I found Quince in. Quince was married to Delia Dunn in Paw Creek, NC, about 7 miles from downtown Charlotte. Ironton township, where he was living when this census was taken, is about 30 miles northwest of Charlotte. All six of Quince and Delia's children had been born by this point, and they already knew the grief of losing a child. It looks like Quince was a farmer, just like his father before him. He was renting the land he farmed, and the census lists his three oldest children (including Grace!) as being "farm laborers" on the "home farm". I wonder if that was just carelessness on the census taker's part, or if Grace did take a big part in helping with the farm. I wouldn't be surprised, since her younger brothers were a lot younger than her, and she was the oldest. Also, I know Grandma, and I wouldn't be surprised if her mother had just as much gumption as Grandma does.

1920 Census, Paw Creek, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

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Quince and his family had returned to Paw Creek by 1920, but his two oldest children had moved out. The oldest at home is still listed as a "farm laborer" on the "home farm," but it shows that Quince was working -- at least part-time -- as a carpenter at a broom factory.

1940 Census, Masonic and Eastern Star Home, Greensboro, Guilford County, North Carolina:

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The Masonic and Eastern Star Home was an exclusive community for members of the Masonic and Eastern Star lodges who had retired. Accordingly, we learn from this census that Quince was a member of one of those organizations. We also learn that as late as 1935, Quince was still living in Charlotte. On a side note, the Home is still in business, but is now open to everyone.

I also found the extracted data from Quince's death certificate. This data shows that he was a widower when he passed away, the date of his passing, his birth date, and the names (or at least partial names) of his parents. His father was listed as Joseph F. Campbell. At first I was stumped by this, but then I found some information that showed that his father's nickname was "Fate" or possibly "Fayette,"  short for Lafayette. It makes sense, especially considering that Quince's father was listed as "Lafayett" on one census but "Joseph" on another. The record lists Quince's mother as Elizabeth Meadows. I'm looking forward to learning more about her and finding out if she went by her middle name or if this is possibly another error.

Quince Campbell had a full life. I get a sense of satisfaction as I document it. I'm sure it was full of hardships harder than I can imagine (soft modern girl that I am :), but I imagine it was filled with the joy of family.