William Ladd was born May 9, 1797, but it unknown whether he was born in Hamptonville or whether he migratedcther in the early years of his life. However, the Ladd family which is the English descent, was thought to have migrated from the Hillsville, VA, area in the late 1700's. Little is known about William and Elizabeth other than they owned a small farm in Hamptonville and that they both had received treatment from Dr. John Hampton for minor ailments around 1820. It is also known that they paid taxes of 54 cents on their small farm in 1822.

Elizabeth Ladd gave birth to their only child in 1833 and   named him Thomas. according to the 1850 census of Yadkin County, Thomas who was then 17, lived with his parents, William and Elizabeth, and helped them tend their small farm. Two years later Thomas married Elizabeth Burgess of Hamptonville, and they set up residency near Thomas' parents close to the Old Bell School. Thomas later received a deferment from Civil War duty by Dr. John Hampton due to a foot injury. Thomas and Betty, as she was called, gave birth to three children; Sarah, Emily, and William A. Ladd. According to the 1870 census, William and Emma lived with their parents, Thomas and Betty, while Sarah, who was 17 by this time, had already moved away or had died at an early age.

Emily Ladd, who was called Emma by her friends, married Ike Long who was called "Deaf" Ike to distinguish him from another Ike Long who lived about a mile away at the South Deep Creek Bridge. He was called "Bridge" Ike. Emma and Deaf Ike had a large farm near the South Deep Creek and also built wagons for sale long before the Nisson Wagon Company in Winston-Salem was formed. Ike was able to build these fine wagons by the aid of one of his slaves who was a highly skilled blacksmith. Just a short time before the Emancipation Proclamation, Ike was offered $1,000.00 for his slave. ~ $1000.00 at that time would be equivalent to about $250,000 dollars today. By the time the Gay Nineties rolled around, Emma's little brother Will Ladd had grown up and married Mary Alice Royal whose brother was Dr. Miles Royal. Dr. Royal was a highly successful Physician who was credited with performing the first appendectomy in North Carolina in 1894. After Will's parents and grandparents died, he took Alice and their four small children Marvin, Frank, Myrtle, and Leona to Stateville where he worked in a furniture factory. Will and Alice's son, Frank Ladd, was Zack Ladd's father, and Frank who was born January 19, 1894, once told Zack that he could remember living in Satesville when he was a youngster and that there were only two automobiles in the entire town around 1902. When Frank Ladd's mother, Alice, died in January of 1905, his Aunt Emma and Uncle Ike (Deaf Ike) got Frank to move back to Yadkin County to help them tend their farm because their only child, Flora had died at an early age. Because of Emma and Ike's love for Frank, he became almost like a son to them and Frank worked hard to help pay the taxes on the farm and to help his Aunt Emma and Uncle Ike in any way he could.

It has been proven that the Ladds' of North Carolina came from Virginia and I think that when we get the Mecklenburg, Virginia Ladds sorted out that Zack's family will prove to have come from there. The Ladds of Mecklenburg county, migrated to Mecklenburg from Charles City, Virginia county about 1760 when the Quaker family of William and Ursula (Ellyson) Ladd moved there. William was the Son of William and Huldah (Binford) Ladd of Charles City county. William, who married Huldah Binford, was the son of John Ladd who came to Virginia from England in 1653. See also, Amos Ladd of Wilkes county, NC. Amos is said to have been born 1797 in Virginia and died 18 April, 1881. Amos is buried at Hamptonville, North Carolina.

The Ladds' of Virginia appear to have, first, went to Guliford county, North Carolina. A search of the Quaker records in Guliford county may prove beneficial. These records are available, by appointment, at the Guliford College.

March 27, 1998
Submittied By: Misty Flannigan
Source: ??????