PAGE-BENNETT, NC, 1832-1912
Richard S. Page  (known as Uncle Dick) born:  March 12, 1832  Sampson Co., NC died:  July 19, 1912 Clinton, NC - buried at the Page cemetery married:  April 16, 1856

        Sarah Elizabeth Bennett
        born: April 26, 1834  Sampson Co, NC
        died:  August 14, 1908  Clinton, NC - buried at the Page cemetery

The parents of Richard S. Page are unknown at this time but there are three possibilities of whom his father might have been. They were listed in the 1840 Census Records for Sampson County as:

J. (John) Page  (age 20-30)
S. Page (age 30-40)
Owen Page (age 30-40)

All the above had a male child falling within the correct age bracket as Richard would be in 1840.

Owen worked for the Bennett family and where there are land deeds mentioning PAGE, Thomas and Owen Page's names come up the most in conjunction with the Bennett family.  Owen owned 150 acres in 1815 within Sampson County.  How he obtained it is not known.  This Bennett / Page connection would lead us to believe that Owen Page "may" be the prime candidate for Richard S. Page's father.  Owen died February 1850.

In the 1860 Census Records Richard shows up living in the Piney Grove township.

Richard served in the Civil War:  Pvt., Co. C, 5th Cav., Regt 63 - Enlisted May 16, 1862 in Clinton, NC. Served under Lt. Col. Elias Faison Shaw who was under orders of Army Corps. Lt. Gen. Richard Stoddert Ewell. Captured July 6, 1863 (National Archives show July 3) at Cashtown, PA during the battle of  Gettysburg  Confined at Fort Delaware and paroled due to overcrowding.  Received November 15, 1864 at Venus Point, Savannah River, GA for exchange. Issued clothing December 28, 1864. (Fort Delaware Prison located on Pea Patch Island at Delaware City, DE south of Wilmington, DE).

Most Page families lived in the Dismal township and a few settled elsewhere including Sampson (earlier known as part of Duplin county), Cumberland and Wayne counties.  The Page cemetery lies on the old "Dick Page Place" located between Coharie Acres and Coharie Creek on the outskirts of Clinton, NC along Hwy 24W between Clinton and Bonnetsville, NC and across from Go Chevrolet and lies in the middle of a harvested tobacco field farmed by the Holland family.  The land may have been obtained through his wife Sarah.  She inherited land from her brother Fleet Sampson Bennett in 1864 who had received half of a 300 acre tract from their grandfather Sampson Bennett in 1862. All of this land was divided up in 1915 to the children and their heirs.  Over the years, much of the land was sold and some was auctioned for taxes during the depression.  Dr.Oscar Lee Parker bought a large portion.  He sold much of it for housing (Coharie Acres) and to the Coharie Country Club - which he loved to golf at.  Parker died in 1984 leaving about 22.9 acres undeveloped he obtained in 1955 and divided between his three daughters - including Mrs. Catherine P. Waters of Clinton (formerly Catherine P. Watson).  The Page family is supposed to own the rites to the cemetery but deeds were improperly drawn up and never corrected.  As it stands, the cemetery is not on record and is assumed a part of the Parker property.  Richard Henry Edwards, grandson of Richard Page, tried to buy back the property but was turned down.  He also attempted to have the property ownership documented but was unsuccessful prior to his death in 1972.  He did erect a fence around the property in the 1960's to protect the land from farm animals and a road that use to run towards the cemetery has long been lost.  Dr. Parker was a descendant of the Cooper clan that was part of Sarah's family.

At this time, at first inspection, only 3 headstones are visible.  Two has double names, Richard Page and Sarah E. Page; Henry H. Edwards and Dobbin Edwards; and the third has Robert M. Page.  Richard's is on the right as you enter the fence,  Dobbin's  is on the left and Robert's is at the back wall.  Briars and heavy brush prevented closer inspection for fallen headstones but it's suspected that more bodies are buried there, including John David Page. (Courtesy of William Nelson McDaniel of Clinton) Sarah received 13 negro slaves as a wedding present from her grandfather.  There is an old slave cemetery on the Faircloth properties around Fox Lake and last known in the 1930's, still contained wooden markers with the surname Bennett on them. Richard was a member of the old Boykins Chapel Baptist Church and a member of the fraternity of Masons, Hiram Lodge, No. 98 - who arranged the funeral services.  Became a Master Mason in 1867.  Rev. J. L. Stewart of Brown Baptist Church, a lifelong friend and neighbor of Richard, preached the service.  J.L. "Jonathan LaFayette" Stewart (1835-1920) became part the family by marrying his second wife, the widow of Hardy Kirving Bennett.  Hardy was another brother to Sarah.   J.L.'s second wife,  Elizabeth Eliza Bennett (maiden name Cooper) was a daughter to Fleet C. Cooper III  and another branch of the Page family.

Contributed by: s.page@JUNO.COM (Steven R Page)
By way of: Ronbatiste@aol.com