11/25/07 VERSION: BEDSOLE HISTORY FROM 1673 ... - NCGenWeb

But the landowners fought it all the way because they didn't want to lose a good
thing. Three of my sisters and a brother stayed in the Opp, Alabama area and lived
there, but the rest of us never moved back, except for me. I just moved back to Opp
to live permanently, but I am retired and do not have to worry about money any
longer. But Thank God, that sharecroppers life is finally and permanently dead, for
most Bedsoles. The majority of Bedsoles though, remained as farmers and
sharecroppers until about 1950, when they began working more and more in jobs
with regular paychecks.
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IN 1830 SOME BEDSOLES MOVED FROM NC TO ALABAMA, TENNESSEE AND
GEORGIA.
Several children of Thomas Bedsole, Sr. and Rebecca Jones, moved from North
Carolina.
Apparently, these moves resulted from the death of Thomas Sr. about 1825-30,
which broke up the family. Those moving included; Travis Bedsole and his whole
family from Beaverdam, NC to Haywood County, Tennessee. William Henry
Bedsole,( III) ’s son Amos moved his whole family from North Carolina to Warren
County, Georgia with Thomas Jr's son Sessoms and family, while Thomas Bedsole,
Jr., and wife Charlotte Ann (English) , with all their children, spouses and
grandchildren, together with the William Davis family, Thomas Wise family and the
Thomas English family moved from Bladen County, North Carolina to Crenshaw and
Lowndes Counties in Alabama, with Thomas Jr. and wife and William Davis and
wife, at some point, moving to Ino, Alabama, east of Opp, Alabama, in Coffee
County, and at a later date, moving to Butler County, Ala., Where Thomas Jr. died in
1860. This move was lock, stock and barrel for all concerned and was made by
mule-drawn wagons. Possibly as many as one hundred people and ten to twelve
wagons were involved. When they arrived in Alabama, with the exception of Henry
Bedsole, they apparently acquired government land there, in the form of “patents”.
Henry, a son of Thomas Jr. and Charlotte, appears to have wasted no time in
acquiring such land and it appears that he and his brother Sessoms, had made
earlier, initial “Scouting” trips to Alabama and back to NC the year prior to this larger
movement of people. This was probably done to determine the type of land
available, cost, location, housing and locations of any towns and army forts, and
best routes, before moving the families and so many people at one time.
Henry, acquired many tracts of land in several counties in Alabama, Louisiana and
Florida, while the other Bedsoles initially settled primarily in Alabama, (unless
otherwise noted below) on acquired land as follows. These land acquisitions were
probably NOT the only ones made and others were probably purchased and
acquired by deed, but these are the only ones available on the Alabama Land Patent
internet site at this time, shown along with their respective counties: