Benjamin Franklin Freeman, s/o Daniel Elihue Freeman & Margaret Horton.

• Benjamin Franklin Freeman (BFF) was born in Buncombe County North Carolina

• After the marriage bond was filed Benjamin Franklin Freeman & Harriet E Payne were married on the 2nd of February 1862 in Madison County North Carolina.

• Harriet gave birth to their first child on the 6th of December 1862.

• Harriet was pregnant during the first 20 years of their marriage. Harriet claimed on the 1900 & 1910 census that she gave birth to 13 children. (Children 12 & 13 were twins born Feb 1882. About two weeks later child 13 passed away.)

• 100% FALSE information that Ben rode with the Kirk Raiders

• Ben did go to jail for a few months for making liquor around 1875

• 100% FALSE information, Ben did not study medicine or write prescriptions and there is no proof

• Ben was in probate court from 1874 trying to reclaim the house and land that was originally from his father's estate that was left to his father's 2nd wife Nancy. That case wasn't settled until 1924. BFF was also trying to get paid his pension benefits from his service during the Civil War, he filed 4 pension applications

• Ben and his brother George were evicted from the house left to Nancy by their father Daniel E Freeman as her dowry. Ben and George were ordered to pay $200 in back rent.

• Ben might be the first adult buried at Gid Payne Cemetery

• See Harriet's headstone inscription below.

• A picture from Terry Roberts that he claims is of Ben, his daughter Margaret, and granddaughter Belva Anderson, taken around 1880 at a log cabin Terry Roberts claims was built by Ben. I believe Terry Roberts is mistaken. In 1880 Ben's daughter Margaret was barely 4 years old and Belva Anderson was not born until Apr 1886 or Aug 1888, Ben's cabin burned down in 1865, (info from Terry Roberts and the Pension File of BFF)

• That picture and another picture from Terry Roberts of Ben are both full-body pictures, those two pictures are not of the same man.

FYI - There are several men named Benjamin Franklin Freeman

*** TIMELINE ***

Married Feb 06 1862

Viney Vianna Dec 06 1862 Price

Mary A Apr 18 1864 Anderson

Ben Oct 01 1864 Union Army [Company C 2nd NC Mounted Infantry]

Ben Aug 19 1865 Discharged

David Franklin Jan 20 1866

Sarah Malinda Oct 26 1867 Leake

Elizabeth Lizzie Jul 12 1869 Anderson

Martha Dec 24 1870 Caldwell

Polly Jun 22 1872 Neatherton

William Wallace Oct 10 1874

Margaret Louise Oct 11 1876 Graham

Zebulon Apr 07 1878 only child w/birth record Zebulon Vance Freeman

Matilda Jane Jul 12 1880 Franks

Dora S Feb 1882

Baby twin Feb 1882 died 2 weeks later

*NOTICE: Not all Polly's are born with the name Mary.

* Ben died in 1907 and left a will, Dora is not named in the will and must have already died. The family tale I was told was that Dora accidentally shot herself. That would have happened between 1900 and 1907. I'm still looking for anything about Dora. Harriet listed on the 1900 census that 12 of 13 children were living. On the 1910 census, Harriet listed 11 of 13 children were living.

From Harriet's headstone

Harriet

wife of

B F Freeman

May 29, 1845

Apr 9, 1934

We will meet again

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The headstone is not military-issued

Updated 02/23/2024