Sandy Alston, Warren County, NC

by David L. Green

Hello, My name is David Green. I am e-mailing you because I have an ancestor, Sandy Alston - my great-grandfather, who I was trying to locate in the 1880 census. I think that I found him in Shocco, Warren, NC in the house of Alfred Alston in section P 149C of your household-by-household census listing. Now this is where the fun part begins. I am Black; Sandy was Black. It has been passed down through my family's oral history - from my mother Catherine (Alston) (Green) Williams from my grandfather James F. Alston - that Sandy's father was White, and Sandy lived in his house. I don't know if Alfred Alston was his father, but I find the three following coincidences very interesting: 1) Sandy and Alfred share that same last name and lived together after the Civil War; 2) Sandy's relationship to Alfred was listed as "other", not farmer, not laborer, or some other menial occupation; and 3) my mother told me that Sandy was given land somewhere in North Carolina by his White father. Alfred and Polly (Kearney) Alston had five children - 2 girls and 3 boys. Could they be Sandy's half-siblings? Another Black man with a different last name, Williams - Sam Williams, also lived in the Alfred Alston household. Sam was the same age as Sandy in 1880, 21 years old. I was told that in 1865, when Sandy was 6 years old, he was to deliver supplies on horse and buggy to the Confederate troops in Virginia with another Black boy the same age as Sandy. Sandy and the other boy were intercepted by Union troops who took the supplies, horse, and buggy and told them to walk back home to North Carolina. So, was Sam Williams the other boy? Further, based on the North Carolina Civil War Roster on your website, Alfred Alston was a Confederate officer. Therefore, were Sandy and his friend delivering supplies to, or for, Alfred Alston? These interesting questions may never be answered, but the oral history relating to Sandy Alston seems a little clearer to me. I can fill in the remaining history that leads to me. Sandy Alston married Cora Miller around 1890. She bore James F. Alston in 1909 who ultimately married Annie (Douglas) Alston around 1940-41. She bore Catherine (Alston) (Green) Williams in 1950 who had me in 1969.

Another tidbit...I was told that Sandy received his name based on the red undertones in his hair.

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