MKD Gallery - Research on the House

Though the Mattie King Davis Gallery, on the Beaufort Restoration Grounds, is plaqued "Rustell house c.1732," both the name and date are inaccurate.  

In undocumented statements in his History of the Hammock House, Maurice Davis wrote, "In the settlement of the estate of Richard Rustull Jr. [c.1700-1746], his widow Sarah Cogdell [who married William Dennis in 1747] was given the small house and outbuildings on Old Town Lot 13, Old Town, Beaufort...it was enlarged and became the town house of the Dennis family and also used as an ordinary."

However, in Richard Rustull Jr.'s 1739 Will (proven 1747), he did not bequeath any property in Old Beaufort Town. There was also no mention of his wife and widow inheriting anything. His son John specifically received, among other property, included 100 acres. The will states, I like wise constitute make and ordaine my sole executors of this my last will and testiment my honred fathers Rich:d Rustull Sen and Henry Stanton Sen to be my sole executors of the same..."  

In 1748, Arthur Mabson willed Old Town Lot 13 to his nephew William Coale; Coale sold it to William Moseley in 1755 for £40; the increase in the sale price possibly indicated a small structure had been erected somewhere on the lot. (In September 1731, Richard Rustull Sr. sold Lot 13 to Mary Galland for £3. 

In her book, The Old Port Town, Beaufort, North Carolina, historian Jean Bruyere Kell (1909-2004) referred to the house as the Jechonias Pigott House circa 1831, "a house originally on Front Street facing the water, later moved to Craven Street and then to its present location." (Shipbuilder Jechonias Pigott [1774-1856] married Cinderella Chadwick in 1798.)  

The 1880 Gray's Map of Beaufort noted two structures on lot 13; Jane Pigott owner. (See map below.) 

The 1885 Sanborn Map noted a two-story house on Old Town lot 13; by the 1893 map, a porch or porches had been added. (See Sanborn map snips below.) 

In 1965, while located at 111 Craven Street, the house was surveyed and drawn by Frank M. Hough Jr., NC State University. (See 1965 drawings below.) 

The 1997 Ruth Little Survey described the house as a "two-story, three-bay house with unusual pyramidal-hipped roof, beaded siding, 9/6 sash, and shed porch with chamfered posts and traditional railing. Moved to this location from Craven Street about 1975."

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Early chain-of-title for lot #13 Old Town Beaufort 

(from deeds and court minutes; research assistance by Andrew C. Wells.)

• 4 Jun 1723 - Commissioners Joseph Bell and Richard Rustull Sr. deeded to John Shackelford Shaw, two half-acre Lots #13 and #14 for £1* 
• 6 Jun 1727 - John Shaw assigned deed above, Lots 13 and 14, to Richard Rustull Sr.** 
• Sept 1731 - Richard Rustull Sr. sold Lot 13 to Mary Galland for  £3***
• Chain of title broken
• June 1748 - Arthur Mabson willed Lot 13 to nephew William Coale 
• 4 Mar 1756 - William Coale sold Lot 13 to William Moseley for £40****
• 5 Jun 1756 - William Moseley sold Lot 13 to John Chitherall with premises.
• Chain of title broken
• In 1770 a license was granted to William Fisher to keep an ordinary in the house of William Dennis in Beaufort. (Dennis, however, owned two houses/lots in Beaufort - Lot 8 and Lot 13.)
• 1802 - James, Francis and Reuben Dennis, along with sister Sarah Dennis Pelletier (wife of Jerome Pelletier) [all children of William Dennis (1720-1800) and second wife Mary Nash]  deeded to Jechonias Pigott with premises and all out buildings.
• 1853 - David Rice deeded part of Lot 13 (corner of Craven and Front) to Jechonias Pigott. 
• 1855 - Jechonias Pigott willed Lot 13 to daughters Jane and Nancy, where he was residing with all improvements thereon. 
• The house and lot was owned by Jane Pigott (born 1805) on the 1880 census.

Lot #13 - Corner Front and Craven Streets - Original 1713 Plan of Beaufort

*Original deed (book A pp.37-39): Dated 4 Jun 1723, registered Jun 1723. Commissioners Richard Rustull [Sr.] and Joseph Bell, in consideration of £1-10-0 paid to Richard Rustull [Sr.] by John Shaw, two tracts of 1/2 acre each called No. 13 and No. 14. Witnessed by R:t [Robert] Atkins and John Hatton. Signatures of Richard Rustull [Sr.] and Joseph Bell. Registered by John Hatton, Clerk of Court.

**Original deed (book C p.178): Dated 6 Jun 1727, unregistered but recorded. John Shaw assignd to Richard Rustull [Sr.] the deed above. Witnessed by Theo:ls Norwood and Richard Williamson. Mark of John Shaw. Acknowledged before Den Osheal, Clerk.

***Original deed (book D pp.95-96): Dated 22 Mar 1730/1, registered Sep 1731. Rich:d Rustull [Sr.] of Carteret Precinct, Bath County in consideration of £3 current money sells to Mary Galland, a lot of 1/2 acre in the "town of Port Beaufort" No. 10 [sic], formerly belonging to John Shaw and made over to the grantor. Contains a clause that she must build a habitable house on the 20' by 15' lot within two years or deed would lapse. Witnessed by Jo. Bell and Jm:s Winright. Acknowledged before Jm:s Winright. Carteret Court minutes 1731 (Rebecca Willis Sanders' abstract): Richard Rustull Esq came into open court and acknowledged a deed for a lott in Beaufort Town Number 13 to Mary Galland and ordered to be registered. [Mary Galland was most likely the wife of John Galland, Richard Rustull's clerk of court from 1727 through 1729. Gallant's Point and Gallant's Channel took his name.]

****Original deed (book F pp.381-383): Dated 4 Mar 1756, registered Mar 1756. William Coale, mariner of Carteret County in consideration of £40 proclamation money sells to William Mosely, joiner, a lot of 1/2 acre, No. 13 in the "Old Town" which was left to the grantor by the last will and testament of Arthur Mabson, deceased. Witnessed by David Lewis and Rob:t Read. Signature of William Coale. Acknowledged before Jn:o Smith, Clerk. Carteret Court minutes, Mar 1756 term (Rebecca Willis Sanders' abstract): A Deed from William Coale to William Moseley for 1 lot in Beaufort Town know by No 13 was proved by the oath of Robert Read and ordered to be registered. 

WHO BUILT THE HOUSE AND WHEN

• It appears that either Mary Galland, Arthur Mabeson or William Coale built a small structure on Old Town Lot 13 before 1756, when William Coale sold to William Moseley for £40.  
• William Dennis may have enlarged a smaller structure, or built the two-story house, with no porches, before 1770. In his 1800 will, he left lots, #8 and #13 to family "to be rented out." (In 1802, children of William Dennis deeded lot  #13 to Jechonias Pigott with premises and all out buildings.)
  
• More study of the structure by architectural historians would help determine when it was actually built.

RUSTULL

Moseley's 1733 Map noted R. Rustul NE of Beaufort

In 1720, Richard Rustull Sr. (1669-1761) purchased 780 acres between the North and Core (Newport) Rivers from Robert Turner, who had the patent transferred to him in 1713 by Farnifold Green. An approximate 100-acre portion of Rustull's purchase had been laid out in 1713 and named Beaufort. As required by the 1723 act of incorporation, Rustull increased the size of the town to 200 acres. In December, 1725, Richard Rustull sold the 200 acres, which included both the old and new sections of the town, except for the few lots sold, to Nathaniel Taylor of Carteret Precinct for £160 sterling. (Carteret Deed Books) Rustull retained the rest of the 780 acres which he had purchased from Robert Turner five years earlier and continued to live just outside of the town. (Charles Paul, Colonial Beaufort) The acreage retained by Rustull, at that time, amounted to about 580 acres.

Richard Rustull Jr. was born about 1700 and died before September 1746, supposedly in the "White House," noted on Moseley's 1733 map as the "I.Taylor" house. About 1733, Richard Jr. first married one of the daughters of Henry Stanton; she died before 1739 and left behind two children, John Lott Rustull and Mary Rustull. About 1742, Rustull married Sarah Cogdell. After Rustull's death in 1746, Sarah married William Dennis.  

When William Dennis (1720‒1800) married 21-year-old Sarah Cogdell, William was granted guardianship of the two Rustull children, posting bond of £40. William and Sarah had four children before she died about 1757. About 1760, William married Mary Nash. In his 1800 will, he left much land in several counties, including his Carteret County plantation and "two lots in Beaufort to be rented out for the use of my wife and children." In 1802, the children of William Dennis and his second wife Mary Nash—James, Francis, Reuben and Sarah—deeded Old Town Lot 13 to Jechonias Pigott, "with premises and all out buildings."  

PIGOTT

Gray's 1880 Map - Jane Pigott owned Lot 13

Shipbuilder Jechonias Pigott (1774-1856) was born in Carteret County, the son of Elijah Pigot (1725-1789) and Sevil Fulford (1738-1820). Jechonias married Cinderella Chadwick 28 Feb 1798; she was born in Straits, the daughter of Gayer and Elizabeth Chadwick.

• In the 1850 Pigot household on Front Street were: Jechonias 74, Jane 45, Micajah 42, Jechonias 41, Nancy 34 and Parker 32. 
• In the 1860 Census, Jane was head of household; value of real estate was $2,000, value of personal estate $10,500. In the household were Jane, Micajah, Jechonias and Nancy.
• In the 1880 Beaufort Census, 75-year-old Jane Pigott was noted as the only occupant of home on Front Street. 
• Gray's 1880 Map of Beaufort noted Jane Pigott as owner of Lot #13 Old Town. 
• Jane died 20 June 1890.

Children of Jechonias and Cinderella Chadwick Pigott: Sarah Ann (1800-) married Elijah Bell in 1818 and Malachi Bell Roberson in 1827; Jane (1800-1890); Micajah (1808-1879); Jechonias (1809-1869); Nancy (1816-1862) and Parker (1818-) married Thomas B. James 18 April 1852.

Contemporary aerial showing the approximate original location of the house on LOT 13 facing Front Street, it's short move to 111 Craven, and current location on the Restoration Grounds.

FIRST FLOOR - Drawing by Frank M. Hough Jr. 1965
House noted as J. Pigott House 111 Craven Street

SECOND FLOOR - Drawing by Frank M. Hough Jr. 1965

1885 Sanborn Map - SW corner Front & Craven Streets

 1893 Sanborn Map - 1-story porch had been added

1904 Sanborn Map - 2-story porch

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MATTIE KING DAVIS

Death Certificate

Mattie King Hancock Davis was born August 1, 1905 (to Sterling Price Hancock and Gertrude Davis) and died from rheumatic heart disease on January 24, 1975. She died in Onslow County at the Naval Regional Medical Center at Camp Lejeune. She was survived by her husband Ernest J. Davis; the couple was married December 31, 1928. Her death certificate recorded their home address as 915 Front Street, Beaufort. Mattie King Davis was buried in St. Paul's Cemetery in Beaufort.

Laura Duncan Davis Piner, 1931-2002, artist, teacher and granddaughter of Sterling Price Hancock and Sallie Gertrude Davis, was instrumental in converting the house into a gallery named after her mother Mattie King Hancock Davis.

Mattie King Davis Gallery - Research on the House

The Mattie King Davis Gallery, on the Beaufort Restoration Grounds, is plaqued "Rustell house c.1732." 

Maurice Davis in History of the Hammock House and Related Trivia, and Mamre Wilson in Beaufort, North Carolina, both wrote of William Dennis' wife Sarah Cogdell Rustull, widow of Richard Rustull Jr., inheriting a small house and outbuildings on Lot 13, Old Town, in the settlement of the estate of Richard Rustull Jr. (No documentation)

Signature and seal from the will of Richard Rustull Jr.

HOWEVER, according to researcher Andrew C. Wells, the 1739 will of Richard Rustull Jr. (proven 1747) does not bequeath any property in Old Beaufort Town. 

1980 Photo in Kell book

In her book, The Old Port Town, Beaufort, North Carolina, historian Jean Bruyere Kell (1909-2004) referred to the house as the Jechonias Pigott House circa 1831, "a house originally on Front Street facing the water, later moved to Craven Street and then to its present location." (Shipbuilder Jechonias Pigott (1774-1856) married Cinderella Chadwick in 1798.)

The 1880 Gray's Map of Beaufort noted two structures on lot 13; Jane Pigott owner. MORE...

Sterling Price Hancock

Sterling Price Hancock 

Below is an article written by Laura Duncan Davis Piner, included in the 1982 Heritage of Carteret County, Vol. I. - From The Coaster Morehead City, Nov. 23, 1904, Editor: R.T. Wade. (Laura Duncan Davis was the daughter of Mattie King Hancock Davis and Ernest J. Davis, thus making her the granddaughter of Sterling Price Hancock and Sallie Gertrude Davis.)

“It being rumored last night that S.P. Hancock would, without force of arms and malice aforethought felonious take and carry away from her home Miss Sallie Gertrude Davis, contrary to the wishes of her many admirers, and against the peace and dignity of love-lorn gallants, this editor went over to Beaufort to be an accomplice of the gallant sheriff.

Long before the appointed hour friends of both parties came laden with presents and by 9 o’clock, standing room in the large hallway and porch at 301 Ann St. was taken up.

One corner of the parlor was made into a bower of chrysanthemums and under a floral horseshoe stood Sterling P. Hancock and Sallie Gertrude Davis, while the Rev. T.P. Noe made them man and wife. Sterling by name has proven his sterling qualities that our people admire, as is attested by his continuance in office as sheriff of Carteret County.

On one side of the floor was piled up and displayed on tables about 200 presents. It looked like opening day in a jewelry store, and these tributes from friends made glad the hearts of Sterling and his bonnie bride.

The bride is the daughter of Mrs. James Chadwick Davis of Beaufort. She was daintily attired in white silk and allover lace. Her pretty cheeks aglow from new sensations awakened with seductive smiles, animated with the newborn joy, she was a picture worthy the winning of any man, and well may he feel proud of his prize.

That we wish them all the joy attainable goes without saying, and long may they live to demonstrate to the world that marriage is not a failure.”

Sterling Price Hancock, son of  Martha G. Ward and Robert Hancock, was born on November 7, 1861, just outside of Beaufort in the Ward-Hancock house, then located in Simpson Field.

The office of Sheriff of Carteret County was held by S.P. Hancock for about 20 years until the Republican landslide of 1916, which removed the Democrats from office. During this period the duties of the sheriff included the responsibilities of being county tax collector. Sheriff Hancock also was a successful merchant and farmer all through these years. In 1893, he opened a grocery business at 421 Front Street; the letter head is repeated below.

HANCOCK & COMPANY

Staple and Fancy Groceries

Fresh and Salt Meats a Specialty

Fruits...Grain and Hay...Wire Fencing

Sheriff Hancock also ran a wholesale and feed business in Davis Hall, on the south side of Front Street. The location on Taylor’s Creek made his varied merchandise easily accessible to the boat trade. After World War, George W. Huntley married Mrs. Hancock’s sister, Miss Minnie Davis, the businesses merged into the Hancock-Huntley Co. with offices and store on the corner block of Live Oak St. and the Lennoxville Road.

Behind the original store was a livery stable where horses, wagons and mules were tended for personal use as well as rental and sale. A small white mule named “Little Jenny” is still remembered by Garfield “Blue” Suggs and Lucian Johnson, who worked for Mr. Hancock for years. He had a great love of horses, and bred and sold Banker ponies, with sometimes as many as 75 to 100 on his land Down East. He owned also a special black stallion named “King Mont” who won many races throughout the county and state. It is told that “King Mont” broke his previous speed record when returning to town transporting a large black bear that Sheriff Hancock had killed at Back Creek. During this period the popular style of horse racing was with the two-wheel surrey or cart. One of the special events in Beaufort on the 4^th of July and other holidays was the trotting race down Ann Street from the oyster factory on the west end. 

 

Although horses were his first love, Sterling Hancock was a man of progress. He and Dr. C.S. Maxwell owned cars in this county long before others. The Sheriff bought two blue Mitchells – one to drive and the other to provide ready parts as any repairs were needed.

It is reliably reported that Sheriff Hancock had a deed for Bogue Banks property (now Atlantic Beach and environs) written as “nine miles from sea to sound.” The land was sold to the Royal and Hoffman-Roosevelt families, but he continued to be involved and interested in the area. He often hunted on the Hoffman estate and stayed at the “tea house” on the ocean side. This site was renowned for the lovely rose gardens amidst the sand. Alice Hoffman often consulted Sterling Hancock concerning the development of her livestock and property on the banks.

It was through Mrs. Hoffman also that he obtained the Perkins Place on North River near the present Oak Acres development. The house was built by Caroline Perkins – both she and Alice Hoffman had come to this area from Rochester, N.Y. – and was locally known as “The Mansion” because of its size and spaciousness and the fact that it was the first in the county with Delco electric light and central heating, all designed and furnished by a New York architect. Mr. Hancock acquired the property from the Perkins estate following her death and lived there for several years. The house burned in the early 1930s.

Sterling Hancock died November 7, 1926, on his 65^th birthday. Though there is little record of any formal education, he was an insatiable reader and widely respected for his intellect and literary knowledge. Poetry was a great favorite and he liked to recite Sir Walter Scott’s “The Lady of the Lake.” He also excelled in county boxing matches, without gloves, until the years the younger men took over. A gentleman of many talents, interests and abilities, he was loved and respected by people in all facets of county and state life.

Sources: recollections and records of family and friends, old newspaper articles, as well as his business and personal correspondence. - Laura Duncan Davis Piner 

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LAURA DUNCAN DAVIS PINER, 1931-2002, was a valued artist and teacher. She was instrumental in converting an early Beaufort house into a gallery named after her mother Mattie King Hancock Davis – now on the Beaufort Restoration Grounds and managed by the Beaufort Historical Association.

Old Homes Tour 1989

Below are a few interesting images from a special "Old Homes Tour" section of The Eastern Weekly, Beaufort, North Carolina - June 21, 1989. 

Belcher Fuller House

Fuller House - BHA Office and
Mattie King Gallery

Franklin Masonic Lodge

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Beaufort Depot

The "Beaufort Restoration"

The Russell House once stood on the south side of the Josiah Bell House, 
but was removed from the property, that would become the "Beaufort Restoration." 
[Image courtesy the Beaufort Historical Association.]

 

In "Memories of Beaufort in the Nineties," Thomas Carrow wrote, "Uncle George Russell, who had previously run a farm on New Bern Road, came to town sometime about 1890, possibly a little earlier, and set up a store and boarding house that later expanded into the Russell House."

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An excerpt from the Founding of the Beaufort Historical Association: Early Days:

                                                                                           

“In 1963, the association realized little progress could be made with less than a thousand dollars in the bank. In December of that year, a decision was made to mount a major fund-raising drive for the "Beaufort Restoration." A grant of $200 was received by the association from the N.C. Society for the Preservation of Antiquities. The money was used to print a four-page brochure outlining plans for the restoration. Brochures were distributed at a series of fund-raising meetings, and mailed to former Beaufort residents living out of town. The restoration was a new concept and the brochure contained a sketch showing location of buildings as well as a description of the steps to be followed to take the project to completion.

“Beaufort’s former mayor, William H. Potter, headed the campaign. At the first meeting in January 1964, at St. Paul's Parish House, Mr. Potter told his audience that the restoration was not a project for Beaufort residents only "but for all people interested in the heritage embodied by the town." Mr. Potter outlined the organizational plan. Four divisions, consisting of 12 persons each, were set up, headed by Braxton Adair, Mrs. Charles Cheek, Jim Wheatley, and Miss Lena Duncan. ...

J.C. Manson House c.1825

 

Josiah Bell House c.1825

“Those homes, in the 100 block of Turner Street, were the Ruby Becton house, known as the red Joseph Bell House [now J.C. Manson House] on the west side of the street, and the Avery, Thomas [Josiah Bell House], and Everett houses on the east side of the street. The Joseph Bell House was restored [and re-plaqued as the John Cooper Manson House]. The Avery House, north of the Thomas House, was removed, as was the Everett House, a boarding house in the 1940s that once stood on the south side of the Thomas House.

“Mr. Tarlton commented on the opportunity, in the vicinity of a restoration, for antique shops, museums and restaurants. The "Beaufort Restoration," as it is today, carries out the basic plan, as proposed in 1964, except for a shell road.

“A brochure noted, ‘The Beaufort Restoration is a plan to set up, near the downtown area of Beaufort, a group of old Beaufort houses and shops. It will recreate a portion of the town as it would have appeared to the seafaring men of the 1700s as they sailed through Old Beaufort Inlet. The area which has been selected includes the center of Old Town, originally the site of the market place and the stage coach stop from New Bern. The village, which is proposed, would be open to the public on a regular basis, for sightseeing, for educational purposes, and to history buffs.’ 

 

Nathan Fuller House c.1831

“The brochure described the phases of development. The first, purchase of the Bell House; the second, purchase of the Thomas, Everett and Avery properties, and the third phase, purchase of old Beaufort shops and homes which become available because of encroachment or through other circumstances. They would be moved to the restoration grounds, set up and restored as they would have appeared when they were first constructed.” (Ruth Barbour)

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Houses purchased which REMAINED in their original location 

on the "Beaufort Restoration"

• JOHN COOPER MASON HOUSE circa 1825 (originally believed to be the Joseph Bell House) was restored in 2001. 

• JOSIAH BELL HOUSE circa 1825 remained in the Bell family until purchased by Charles Walter Thomas Sr. before 1930. In 1964, the house was purchased by the Beaufort Historical Association for $10,500. 

• NATHAN FULLER HOUSE circa 1831 is the administration office for the Beaufort Historical Association.

Houses and buildings MOVED to the “Beaufort Restoration”

• About 1975, the R. RUSTELL HOUSE, plaqued circa 1732, (Mattie King Davis Gallery) was moved from the west side of Craven Street near the corner of Front Street. Though plaqued for "Rustell" [Richard Rustull], this house was likely built by William Dennis before 1770. In his 1800 will, he left Old Town lot #13 to family “to be rented out.” In 1802, the Dennis family deeded the lot to Jechonias Pigott, “with premises and all out buildings." (Since this could be one of the oldest houses in Beaufort, a dendrochronological study could determine the approximate building date.) See MORE...
  

• In the 1980s, the LEFFER’S COTTAGE, plaqued circa 1778, was moved from New Town lot #12, the NW corner of Front and Live Oak streets. Samuel Leffers purchase lot #12 on September 13, 1775; he sold it on September 12, 1776, including a “singular premises.” However, though plaqued 1778, the house was not built until two or three decades after Leffers’ death in 1822. (Early Domestic Architecture in Beaufort, North Carolina, Williamsburg Field Study 2012) See Samuel Leffers

• The 1797 COURTHOUSE, used as home to the Dr. Cramer/Carrow family from about 1843 until it was acquired and moved in 1976.

• The 1859 APOTHECARY, built by Dr. Cramer, adjacent to the converted 1797 Courthouse on the north side of Ann Street, was purchased by Dr. Josiah B. Davis in 1864 and move across the street adjacent to his home; it was also used by his son Dr. George Davis. The building was moved in 1974.

• The 1829 JAIL, originally built by Elijah Whitehurst on the NE side of Courthouse Square, was moved in 1977.