Marty and Karla Grant

!CENSUS:1800;

!CENSUS:1810;

!CENSUS:1820 Buncombe Co, NC pg 96 w/John SAMS age 10-15 (1804/10);

!CENSUS:1830 Buncombe Co, NC pg 283 Gabriel SAMS age 20-29 (1800/10) "20001-120001";

!VOTER:1835 Yancey Co, NC Cany River Precinct. Gabriel SAMS;

!CENSUS:1840 Yancey Co, NC pg 265 Gabriel SAMS age 30-39 (1800/10) "012001-2112001";

!CENSUS:1850 Yancey Co, NC # 909 Gabriel SAMS, 50 (1799/1800) born NC;

!NOTE:This was sent to me from Janice Pate <pate@osi.sylvania.com> -
As promised, the following is a portion of Life and Confession, the
memoirs of Bacchus PATE. This transcript is typed exactly the way the
original was, spelling and grammar errors were included. Even though
Bacchus refers to Gabriel Sans, a search of the Yancey County Census
shows SAMS and I am confident that this is the man referred to.

Let me know what you think of this piece.

Janice Pate

=================================================
"... and I joined Know Nothings, and found them to be a know nothing
party of truth. The first degree was merely an introduction to the
order; the second degree was to vote for the nominee, in all cases, and
use all the influence I could in behalf of the party; the third degree
is like unto the second, and they were sworn to deny when asked if we
were Know Nothings; and to never give any person's name that belonged to
the order, whether we ever withdrew from it or not. The sign, when I
was initiated, was to catch hold of your coat about the next button to
the top and show on finger, this was the first sign. The second was to
show two fingers; and the third was to show three fingers. The signs
were changed every three months. The pass-word was Uion. Constituted
three sylables. I told them I wanted a withdrawal card, and they told me
I would have to apply to the general division, which was not till after
the election for some time. I being determined to come out, told them
that I could come out the way I came in; and so I wrote out my
withdrawal card, sent it on to the Ashville News for publication. There
was one Dr. Sans, that lived in the settlement, and he made himself very
conspicuous about it; so he met me one day as I was passing up the road,
and he said, now we are alone, and he was one of the Know Nothing party
himself, he required a private conversation, and he asked me what my
reasons for publishing a withdrawal, and said it would injure the party
a great deal; and I told him I could not get out any other way, and
that I had already sent it on, and I supposed it was published, and he
went on and wrote to the Editor that I had told him to write to him not
to publish my withdrawal, and so my withdrawal-card did not come out;
and he also went about through the country telling the people that I had
told him to write to the editor not to have it published, and he stated
he could prove that I told him I had been persuaded to come out of the
Order.

I made it known publicly that I had not stated any such thing, and
further, that on the day the candidates for Congress spoke at the widow
Carter's, near the fork of Little Ivy, that being the first of August
1855, as well as I recollect, that I intended to make it known publicly,
that he had lied willfully and knowingly, in every respect. Before the
day came on for the candidates to speak, he wrote me an indirect
challenge, and made his brags the man he had challenged had backed out.
He had challenged a man previous to our difficulty, and he thought I
would back out too. I wrote him a very abrupt answer, stating to him
that I was not one of those backing out fellows. He also said if I got
on the block that day, that I would not more than get on, till I would
be shot off, I, regardless of all such reports, armed myself with two
revolvers, and a good single barrel pistol, went on to the speaking, me
and my friends. After the candidates were done speaking, I then bounced
on the stage myself, and called the attention of the people, the number
being about two hundred, I went on to state the difficulty between
myself and Sans. I also stated what Sans had rumored in the country. I
stated how he had reported that I had given him leave to write, and not
to have it published, which I publicly stated to the crowd, was a
willful and malicious lie. I had also called on Mr. Sans to produce his
witness; so I never heard the tone of a voice uttered, only an old
Baptist Preacher, who told Mr. Sans to bare with it, Gabriel, as that
was his given name, and Gabriel bore it, and that was the last of it.
It was a good thing for Gabriel he did bare it, for I had thirteen
shots, and I intended to fire the last shot, if they did not shoot me
before I got through, if he had said anything, and I staid there a while
...."

Verification:Entry for Gabriel Sams; pg. 448, Yancey County, NC; Census
of Population (National Archives Publication T9, roll 649); seventh
Census of the United States, 1850; Records of the Bureau of the Census,
Record Group 29; National Archives ;

!CENSUS:1830 Buncombe Co, NC pg 283 w/Gabriel SAMS age 30-39 (1790/1800);

!CENSUS:1840 Yancey Co, NC pg 265 w/Gabriel SAMS age 40-49 (1790/1800);

!CENSUS:1850 Yancey Co, NC # 909 Mary SAMS, 50 (1799/1800) born VA;