Surname Saturday - Creed

My link to the Creed family is through my paternal great-grandmother, Gussie Creed, born December 9, 1889 in St. Joe, Texas.

Gussie Creed circa 1900.

Gussie's death certificate links her to her parents: Joseph Macaja Creed and Mary Elizabeth Reece.



Joseph Micajah Creed, whose middle named is spelled a myriad of ways, was born in Surry County, North Carolina on August 11, 1841. The same birth date is listed on his pension forms and his obituary.

Joseph Creed's birth information as listed in his Declaration for Pension for service in the Civil War.

Joseph Micajah Creed in 1890

In preparing for this post I realized that I had not requested a copy of Joseph's death certificate. He died in Pawnee County, Oklahoma in 1917. Although the process of requiring death certificates began in 1908 in Oklahoma it was not enforced until 1917, the year of his death. See here for the process of requesting death certificates from Oklahoma.

I am hoping that Joseph actually has a death certificate and that it lists his parents, because I have no conclusive proof linking him to the next generation. There are many online trees that connect Joseph to Edward Creed and Talitha Cockerham both of Surry County, North Carolina. I found an 1850 census for this family that lists a "Micaja" Creed of the correct age to be Joseph.

1850 census from Cherokee County, North Carolina.

Online trees link Joseph Micajah Creed to Edward Creed son of Bennett Creed, Jr., son of Bennett Creed. Sr. I have researched the other children of Edward and Talitha listed above, but have found no further connections to Joseph other than the above census. A family story indicates that Joseph left North Carolina at a young age and made his way to Missouri. There is no indication that he maintained contact with his family. A fellow Creed family researcher indicates that she received the names of Edward and Talitha Creed's children from an old family bible, which included Joseph. But I will never see that bible so I am hoping to find some other sort of documentation, perhaps in probate records for Edward.

Creed To-Do List:

1. Request Joseph M. Creed's death certificate

2. Determine if Edward Creed of Surry County, North Carolina left a will or an estate