Birthdate: on 4 DEC 1873
Birthplace: Franklin, Macon, North Carolina, USA
Spouse(s): Minnie Carrie Ann MCDONNELL (On 6 JUN 1896; Macon, North Carolina, USA)
Deathdate: on 5 JUL 1951 (in Franklin, Macon, North Carolina, USA)
Joseph insisted on having his middle name written with a “E” instead of the typical “A.” In fact, according to his wife, Carrie, he always used the “E” spelling. He was born and raised in Franklin, North Carolina. His parents were Manley P. Stewart and Rhoda Thomas. He had eleven brothers and sisters.
Joseph was a “strong-willed individual and a good man” who “wouldn’t take gump from anybody, white, Black, or indifferent.” (Emory Crawford Interview, 2019). He was a rather short and stout man (World War I Registration Card, 1917-1918).
He married Minnie Carrie Ann McDonnell on June 6, 1896 at the home of James McDonnell, Carrie’s father. Joe was 22 and Carrie was 18. The third night after the two were married, Joseph rented a “little log cabin and had a bed in it” (Hope and Dignity). Together, the couple had 10 children total.
He delivered milk for Lee Crawford (Carrie Ann Stewart, Foxfire Interview, April 1976). Joe would also helped farm, garden, and stack hay for the Crawford family. Other members of the Black community, including Lee Greenwood also worked for the Crawford family. During his work breaks, he would often be pestered by some of the Crawford children, who would admire his lunches.
Joseph was a loving father who did his best to ensure that his family did not have to work hard. His wife stated “I never had to work hard. My husband looked after me and treated me well” (Foxfire 5).
Joe lived until the age of 77 and died of myocarditis, which can lead to heart failure or sudden death. He was buried in the St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church Cemetery in Franklin, North Carolina. According to his great grandchildren, at the time of his death, the Stewart family did not have very much money. Because of this, they could only afford to purchase a child headstone for his funeral.