On my recent trip to Alabama, I had the opportunity to visit Chambers County, where my third great-grandparents, Thomas and Cynthia Royston, settled in the mid-1800s. I visited the cemetery where Thomas was buried and viewed the land he owned. I previously wrote about researching him at the Alabama Department of History and Archives and the Chambers County Courthouse, and in this blog post, I’ll use that research as well as my previous findings to tell their Alabama story.

DeKalb County, Alabama, Beginnings

My visit to the archives found the tax record for Thomas B. Royston, which revealed his move to Chambers County by 1842. Where was he before? The 1840 census of DeKalb County lists “F.B. Royston,” and shows a family structure of three young children, possibly two extended family members or hired hands, and nine enslaved people.¹

Males 0-5:  2        Ulysses (born 1837) and Charles Baldwin (born 1839)
Males 30-40: 3     Thomas B. Royston and two unknown males, perhaps hired hands

Females 5 – 10:  1     Mary Elizabeth
20-30: 1                    Cynthia Royston

Male Slaves
0-1: 2
10-24: 3

Female Slaves
0-10 2
10-24 2

This census raises several questions. Is F.B. Royston actually Thomas B. Royston? Who are the additional males aged 30-40? Where did Thomas acquire his enslaved people, and can they eventually be identified?

The answer to the first question came with the land application Thomas made for a federal land grant on the land recently ceded by the Cherokee Nation through the Treaty of New Echota. The county was created on 9 January 1836, and the opening of new land brought many settlers. Like many, Thomas benefited from the sad removal of the Native Americans who had called the land their home for many years. The “New Map of Alabama,” drawn in 1836, shows the Cherokee and Creek lands in purple on the border of Alabama and Georgia. ²

The Royston family had settled on the DeKalb County land before 1 January 1837. When Thomas applied for a patent for the land tract, two witnesses stated the following:³

Royston settled on said quarter prior to 1 January 1837 – that he erected a dwelling house upon it in which he has lived and made his home from that time to May of 1840, being there from 22 February to 22 January 1838 – and that he cultivated during that period about sixty acres of it and was the head of a family having a wife and children . . .

Thomas applied for the land patent based on the preemption system, which allowed “squatters” who had settled on land owned by the federal government to pay $1.25 per acre to purchase their claim up to 160 acres. The Preemption Act of 1841 likely was the impetus for Thomas’s beginning the process. To prove that he had indeed lived on the claimed land for a minimum of 14 months, he provided the affidavit signed by two men who knew him.

The final land patent states “John Graves, assignee of Thomas B. Royston,” which indicates that Thomas either transferred or sold his rights to the land to John Graves before the final patent was issued. ⁴ I wrote about Thomas’ land in my blog post, “Back to the Basics with Land Records: Part 3—Land Grants & Patents.”

Chambers County Land

An 1842 tax assessment revealed that Thomas paid taxes in Chambers County, so the move occurred between May 1840 and 1842.⁵ Why move to Chambers County? Perhaps the land was better, or Thomas had an associate who recommended the location. Chambers County is on the border of Alabama and Georgia; the border between the southern half of the two states is the Chattahoochee River, which provided a way for goods to be moved from the plantation to purchasers.

Chambers County was opened for settlement in 1832 based on the Treaty of Cusseta, in which the Creek Nation ceded its lands east of the Mississippi River. By the time Thomas B. Royston moved there after 1840, the land had likely been claimed. Instead of patenting land in Chambers County, he purchased it from several individuals. By 1850, he reported his real estate worth $1800.

Because so many deeds detail the land, I used graph paper to map the specific land plats. This revealed two plantations in Township 24 North, Range 26 East.

Using the maps I had drawn and Google Maps, we located the approximate location of the Royston land. Why did Thomas and Cynthia move south from DeKalb County to Chambers County? One associate of the Roystons at this time was William Thomas Clark. His daughter, Mary Jane Clark, married Ulysses Royston, son of Thomas B. Royston. The two families lived in north Chambers County in Milltown. A county history states that the Clark family lived in Newton County, Georgia, on the Yellow River in the 1820s – a location connected to Thomas B. Royston as well.⁶ Perhaps a past association with the Clark family encouraged the Roystons to move.

 

1850 Census

By 1850, the Royston family had grown considerably with seven additional children, including a set of twins, Joseph and Benjamin. The parents were born in Georgia and all the children born in Alabama.⁷

Thomas B Royston 47
Syntha Royston 35
Mary Royston 15
Ulissus Royston 13
Baldwin Royston 10
Adaline Royston 8
Sarah Royston 6
Joseph Royston 4
Benjamin Royston 4
Robert Royston 3
Thomas B Royston 0

The 1850 Slave Schedule shows thirteen enslaved people part of the Royston plantation. An additional four people were listed. Despite searching the deeds and court records I have found no transactions that identify any names.⁸

Male 37
Male 31
Female 30
Male 36
Male 25
Male 23
Male 21
Female 16
Male 13
Female 12
Female 6
Female 4
Female 2

1860 Census

In 1860, the household had again increased with four additional children born to Cynthia. Two of the older children had married and resided in their own households.⁹

Thos B Royston M      54 Georgia
Cynthia Royston F     44 Georgia
Charles B Royston M 21 Alabama
Adeline Royston F     19 Alabama
Sarah Royston F         17 Alabama
Joseph Royston M     16 Alabama Twins
Benjamin Royston M 16 Alabama Twins
Robert C Royston M   14 Alabama
Thomas B Royston M 12 Alabama
Margt Royston F        8 Alabama
Richd A Royston M   5 Alabama
Leonidas Royston M 3 Alabama
Infant Royston F      8/12 Alabama

The 1860 Slave Schedule shows the following sixteen enslaved people as part of the Royston plantation. Three more people were listed. Again, despite searching the deeds and court records, I found no transactions identifying any names.¹⁰

Male 45
Male 40
Female 38
Female 38
Male 35
Male 23
Female 23
Female 12
Female 12
Female 8
Male 5
Male 3
Female 3
Female 2
Male 2
Male 2

In 1861, the Civil War broke out, and as would be expected, five of the Royston sons enlisted. Only two survived the war, Joseph and Robert C. Royston, my ancestor. When their father, Thomas B. Royston, wrote his will in 1867, he left his land to his widow, Cynthia, the surviving older sons, Joseph and Robert, his daughter Sarah, and a grandson. The rest of the estate was to be divided between his children, “now unmarried & minors” once they were all no longer minors or married.¹¹

Death and Burial of Thomas B. Royston

Thomas’s probate file reveals the date of his death as 21 September 1868. His family buried him in the Bethel Baptist Cemetery. The cemetery marker still stands but is now mostly illegible due to erosion and lichens. Previous researchers, however, recorded the inscription as:¹²

In Memory of Thomas B. Royston, being about 62 years of age, Departed this life Sept. 2, 1868

The Find a Grave Memorial also stated:

A small square marble insert with “Royal Arch Mason” is now missing from the obelisk. Grandson Emory Johnson is buried next to him on the left.

Since Cynthia reported Thomas’ death date as 21 September, that would be the correct date. The inscription likely reads September 21, but it is unclear now. My visit to Chambers County included finding the cemetery and the headstone. This is a small cemetery; the headstone is quite distinctive, so it was not difficult to locate. The signage states it was established in 1832, and talking with church members, I learned that it is the oldest church in the county. We visited on a Sunday, and the small congregation invited my husband and me to the service. When they found I played the piano, they let me accompany the hymns!

Not knowing what a “Royal Arch Mason” was, I queried Claude.ai and learned that:¹³

Royal Arch Masonry is a significant branch of Freemasonry that forms part of what’s called the York Rite. It’s considered one of the most prestigious divisions within Masonic organizations.

The Royal Arch degree is sometimes described as the completion of the Master Mason’s degree (the third degree in standard Freemasonry). Members who join this order often have the designation marked on their gravestones as a symbol of their dedication and achievement within Freemasonry.

The small square marble insert you mentioned that is now missing from the obelisk would have displayed the Royal Arch Mason emblem or text, which typically features:

• A triple tau symbol (a symbol resembling three T’s joined together)
• Sometimes an arch with keystone
• Often includes colors of red and purple

 

This type of Masonic marker on graves was quite common in the 19th and early 20th centuries, as Freemasonry was a significant social and fraternal organization. The presence of this symbol indicates that the deceased was a dedicated Mason who had advanced to the Royal Arch degree.

The fact that this was on an obelisk is also significant, as obelisk grave markers were popular during the Victorian era and often used for prominent community members. The combination suggests this person held some status within both the community and the Masonic order.

Viewing my photos of the obelisk, I can see evidence of the suggested symbols.

I queried AI more about the specifics of Royal Arch Masonry  in 1860s Alabama and learned the following:

The Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons in Alabama was well-established by the 1860s, having been founded decades earlier. There are preserved records of their formal meetings, including the annual convocation held in Montgomery in December 1860 just before the Civil War began. This indicates the organization was functioning formally with regular meetings during this period.

During the Civil War (1861-1865), Alabama Masonic organizations continued operating despite the challenges of war. Alabama seceded from the Union in 1861 and joined the Confederate States of America, with Montgomery serving as the first Confederate capital. Throughout the conflict, approximately 35,000 of the 122,000 Alabamians who served in the war died. The war significantly disrupted normal activities and fraternal organizations throughout the state.

Learning that Thomas B. Royston was a mason added another layer to my research about the Royston family and raised additional questions. Would Thomas be named in the records? Where are the records, and how do I access them?

My trip to Alabama not only provided new records and insights, but it also raised many new questions about the family I’ve researched for many years.

Best of luck in all your genealogical research!

 

 

1. 1840 U.S. Census, DeKalb County, Alabama, population schedule, Northern District, S.C. Newnan, p. 7 (penned), line 31, F.B. Royston household; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 September 2016); citing NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 4.
2. Henry S. Tanner, “New Map of Alabama,” (Philadelphia : H.S. Tanner); David Rumsey Map Collection (https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~555~60193:A-New-Map-Of-Alabama-With-Its-Roads# : accessed 27 April 2025).
3. Thomas B. Royston (DeKalb County) cash entry file, 1842, state volume patent no.5969, Lebanon, Alabama, Land Office; Land Entry Papers 1800-1908, Record Group 49: Records of the Bureau of Land Management; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
4. Thomas B. Royston,(DeKalb County, Alabama), cash entry patent no. 5969, “Land Patent Search,” images, General Land Office Records (www.glorecords.blm.gov : accessed 13 September 2016).
5. Chambers County, Alabama, Tax Book, 1842, Beat 16, p. 146 Thomas B. Royston, Alabama Dept. of Archives & History, LG 4976, Montgomery, Alabama.
6. The Heritage of Chambers County, Alabama (Clanton, Alabama: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 1999), 94-95.
7. 1850 U.S. Census, Chambers County, Alabama, population schedule, 19th District, p. 318 (stamped), dwelling 749, family 749, Thomas B Royston household; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 August 2016); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 2.
8. 1850 U.S. Census, Chambers County, Alabama, slave schedule, District 19, page 457 (penned), Thomas B. Royston owner; digital image, Ancestry (http://ancestry.com: accessed 24 April 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication M432.
9. 1860 U.S. Census, Chambers County, Alabama, population schedule, Northern Division, Milltown Post Office, page 130 (penned), dwelling 915, family 895, Thomas B. Royston household; digital image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 29 April 2016); citing NARA microfilm publication M653 roll 4.
10. 1860 U.S. Census, Chambers County, Alabama, slave schedule, Northern Division, page 48 (penned), Thomas B. Royston owner; digital image, Ancestry (http://ancestry.com: accessed 13 November 2016); citing NARA microfilm publication M653 roll 4.
11. Chambers County, Alabama Estates, box 26 folder 24, Thomas Beverly Royston, for will of 1867; “Alabama, Wills and Probate Records, 1753-1999,” case file for Thos B Royston, 1867-1883, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 19 August 2016), digital images 138-140.
12. Find A Grave, database with images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 8 September 2016), memorial 60407551, Thomas Beverly Royston (1806-1868), gravestone photographed by Churchwell, member 46607715.
13. “Missing Masonic Gravestone Marker,” Claude, Version 3.7 Sonnet, chat with user Diana Elder,  27 April 2025, Anthropic (https://claude.ai/new/ : accessed 27 April 2025).