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THE LEGEND OF JOHN CUCKLEMAKER CALE ~ II

© Copyright 2003 by Stanley Hoggard, with
grateful acknowledgment to Neil Baker

Cucklemaker's Family

It has been told by different sources from opposite directions that the wife of Cucklemaker was a French Huguenot (Protestant).

These sources agree that her name was Elizabeth Marie Calais Duneleaux. She was the widow of a Frenchman, Henri Duneleaux, and gave birth to three children during their marriage, two males, and a female. The name of the female was Marie.

We have been told that she married John Mizell, who was a charter member of the Ross Log Meeting House built in 1804. The male children of the Duneleaux family were Henri II, and Hugh. The English version of the French name "Duneleaux" is "Dunelow," but was often written as "Dundelow." Henri II, the son, was said to have been a short man and was known as Henry "Lowhill" Dundelow.

It is interesting to note at this point that a man by the name of John Dundelow became a member of Ross Church during the month of August 1822. Researchers say that John Dundelow was the son of Hugh. More Dundelows, both male and female became members later.

When Cucklemaker married Elizabeth, we are told that he adopted the French name "Jean Calais," the name of Elizabeth's father. Later, according to the story, he anglicized to the English version "John Kail" (Cale). According to the rules of The Anglican Church (Church of England - Episcopal), Cucklemaker officially became an English subject if he anglicized to John Cale (?). This process required Cucklemaker to take an oath of loyalty to the British Crown, and gave him the rights and privileges of other Englishmen.

The verbal story of Cucklemaker states that he sired two children by Elizabeth: Tilury Dundelow(?)/Cale and Charney Dundelow/Cale. Little information has surfaced on the life of Tilury Cale. When we view the handwriting of the 1700s, we see the capital letters "T" and "S" were similar in configuration; the same with "u" and "v;" "r" and "e." For this reason, some people believe the name Tilury should be read as Silvey. However, some descendants believe that Tilury did exist; that he was born during the year of 1781, and later married Amilia Bryant. Some say that both Tilury and Silvey existed. Others say that there is only one person involved in these two names. Leading researchers have been unsuccessful in locating any information on Tilury, and now believe that he never existed. It is generally believed that all the Cucklemaker descendants were through Charney's family, which are many.

Charney Cale

There is no problem in documenting the past existence of Charney Cale. His date of birth is given as 1779-80. He married Elizabeth Harmon on October 24, 1804. According to the information we have, by the year of 1829 they had 12 or more children.

It is through these children and their descendants that the story of their Indian grandfather, Chief Cucklemaker, has traveled in all directions, and has survived for over 200 years.

Today the descendants of Charney Cale number in the thousands. After the death of Charney's wife Elizabeth, he married widow Judith Mizell December 20, 1848. Judith was the daughter of Moses Mizell Sr. She first married another Moses Mizell who became known as Moses Mizell Jr., son of William Mizell.

Charney Cale became a member of Ross Church during the month of August in 1824, and was baptized in the old Baptizing Hole at Cucklemaker Creek by Elder (Rev.) James Ross. For the next 20 years his name appears many times in the church minutes. On July 24, 1860, Charney Cale departed from this life. There is information that he was buried in the old Indian Graveyard at the side of his first wife, Elizabeth.

Soon after Charney and Elizabeth were married in 1804, he enlisted in the United States Army and served through two separate terms, including the War of 1812 against Great Britain. In both cases he enlisted as Charney C. Dundelow. According to the minutes of the old Ross Log Meeting House, Charney Cale was a prominent member and served several years on many important committees.

During a Ross Church meeting in January 1834, Penelope Mitchell Hoggard accused Charney of "spooking her horse, then acting disorderly afterward." The church investigated the case and cleared Charney of the charges.

The church "excused" him for having been "drunk" in June of 1845.

Charney was "excluded" from church membership in January of 1848 for "disorderly conduct." The old church minutes do not reveal what the specific charges were. There is no record that Charney ever restored his membership with Ross Church.

Charney's first wife, Elizabeth Harmon, became a member of Ross Church in September 1824. Charney's last wife, Judith Mizell, became a member in March 1832 ~ before she married Charney. Elder James Ross baptized Elizabeth and Judith in Cucklemaker Creek.

Two of Charney's slaves, Carter and Martha, were members of Ross Church. Carter became a member May 1843; Martha became a member September 1847. Elder (Rev.) Thomas Hoggard baptized both Carter and Martha in the Baptizing Hole at the creek.

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Read more about the legend of Cucklemaker in a future issue of The Poor Town News. Information and comments are welcome. Click on the names to contact the authors and researchers, Stanley Hoggard and Neil Baker.

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GIRLFRIEND'S PAPERS GOT GREAT GRADES
By J. Lewis Storey, Hertford County, NC

I graduated from Murfreesboro High School in 1945, but never would have been able to do it if I hadn't had a friend ~ a girl ~ who helped me with my assignments.

The truth was that I wasn't much of a student. Usually I had my mind on something else when it came to doing homework assignments. My girlfriend would let me copy her work and turn it in under my name. I went through high school doing that.

Once, our class rode to Raleigh on Mr. Bernard Johnson's bus, to tour the state capitol and visit the legislative bodies at work. Back in class the next day, the teacher said she wanted each of us to write a short essay about our trip to Raleigh and the legislature, and what we had learned.

My girlfriend wrote one for herself and turned it in, and then wrote another one for me. I copied it in my own clearly recognizable scrawl and turned it in.

Our teacher gathered up the papers and sent them all off to Raleigh, to be entered in an essay-writing contest.

The paper I had copied under my name ~ originally written by my girlfriend ~ took first place.