Life History

Other facts

Notes

• 1860 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina, 14 August, page 134, Hse/Fam #967
  George W McSwain 40 M Farmer $230 Real Estate $404 Personal  born North Carolina
  Lucinda McSwain 42 F born North Carolina
  Cyntha A McSwain 8 F born North Carolina
  
  Her name Cynthia, as spelled by family sources, and on her grave, is entered in the census as Cyntha, which I find very commonly in that era.
  
  J Cinthia McSwain
  Birth 13 Mar 1856 in North Carolina
  Death 7 Mar 1915
  Parents George Washington McSwain 1821 - 1909, Lucinda P Wright 1819 - 1897
  --  Blanton Family, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/9854432/person/-729178193
  
  The Blanton Family genealogy seems to draw on family information, but no sources are given.  The Hamrick Data Pages also have her birth year as 1856.  This data set has no explanations or discussion.  This discrepancy between the ages in the census and the genealogy make me question the genealogy.  The age of 8 in 1860 would mean birth in about 1852.  There is a great difference between an 8-year-old and a 4-year old.  I don't think the parents would have been that much in error on such a young child.  So it does not seem reasonable that she was born in 1856.
  
  One set of genealogies that appear to copy each other or the same source report this same birth date but in the year 1853!  This matches the census age in 1860.  These genealogies all have her name as J Cynthia A, but again with no documentation or notes.
  
  Cynthia's gravestone is posted on a Find a Grave memorial.  Her name there is simjply J C Greene.  This confirms her birth date as 13 May 1853.  She is reported as the wife of John H Greene, and they are buried together in Trinity Baptist Church Cemetery, Mooresboro, Cleveland County, North Carolina.  The gravestone notes that Cynthia was the first burial in this cemetery.  Judging by this, I conclude that the middle initial A in the 1860 census was just an enumerator error.
  
  J. Cynthia McSwain Greene
  Birth:  Mar. 13, 1853
  Death:  Mar. 7, 1915
  Parents:
  George Washington McSwain (1821 - 1900)
  Lucinda Wright McSwain
  Spouse:
  John H. Greene (1857 - 1940)
  Children:
  Lillie Lucinda Green Harris (1884 - 1971)
  Burial:
  Trinity Baptist Church Cemetery, Mooresboro, Cleveland County, North Carolina
  Created by Elizabeth Jan 10, 2009
  --  Find A Grave Memorial# 32811819, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=32811819
  
  The 1880 census reports her as age 25, which would have meant burth in about 1855.
  
  1880 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina, 9 June, Township 2, page 13A (scan p 475), Hse #122, Fam #128
  Green, John H  W M 21   Farm Laborer NC NC NC [b abt 1859]
  Green, Cyntha  W F 25  Wife Keeping House NC NC NC [b abt 1855]
  
  In 1900 her actual birth date is reproted as March 1856, matching the genealogies that reprot her birth as 13 March 1856.  The ages in teh census more closely match the 1856 date, and the gravestone date is the one-off.  But in this cse the garve nmatcehs the first census, which reported her as age 8 in 1860.  Since the first census matches the gravestone, I tend to favor the date on the grave.
  
  1900 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina, 13 June, Township 2, District 49, page 9B, Hse #160, Fam #161
  Green, John H Head W M Dec 1857  42 Married 23 years NC NC NC Farmer Owns
  Green, Cyntha H Wife W M March 1856  44 Married 23 years 11 children/6 living NC NC NC
  Green, Lillie L Dau W F Sept 1884 15 Single NC NC NC
  Green, William H Father W M June 1822 77 Widowed Married 54 years NC NC NC Farmer
  

Sources

• 1. 1860 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina
  • 14 August, page 134, Hse/Fam #967
• 2. Find a Grave Memorial Registry
• 3. Ancestry Trees
  • Blanton Family, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/9854432/person/-729178193