Lafayette Springs, Witch Doctor

By Janet Morrison
Did you know?
Now that I have your attention, did you know that Mr. Lafayette Springs who lived in Township One in Cabarrus County when the 1880 U.S. Census was taken told the census taker that his occupation was that of a witch doctor?

Merriam-Webster’s collegiate Dictionary defines “witch doctor” as, “a professional worker of magic usually in a primitive society who often works to cure sickness.” The word came into use in 1718.

I stumbled across Mr. Springs and his occupation quite by accident one day when I was looking for someone else in the census records. My immediate reaction was, “There’s got to be a story behind this!”

Although my search for Mr. Springs’ story has led to disappointment, I still find it intriguing. Along the way, I found out one or two interesting tidbits about his family. Mr. Springs, though, cannot be found in any other U.S. Census records. It’s as though he dropped out of nowhere, lived in or near Harrisburg in 1880, and disappeared before the 1900 census. (Remember, it was the 1890 census that was destroyed by mistake.)

The following is all I know about Mr. Springs. In 1880, he was a 39-year-old black man who was born in Ohio. His wife, Harriet, age 41, was keeping house. Harriet’s father was born in Virginia. Harriet’s 11-year-old son from a previous marriage, Grant Colfax Caldwell, was also living in the household. 
Mr. Springs could read and write, but Harriet and Grant could not.

After not finding Lafayette Springs in any other census records in North Carolina or elsewhere, I set out to find out something about Harriet and Grant. 
In 1870, Harriet was the wife of 67-year-old Jack Caldwell. They were living in the Crab Orchard Township of Mecklenburg County, which is the township that adjoins Township One of Cabarrus County. In addition to Grant, their 12-year-old son Alex and 14-year-old son Harris were in the household.

I was curious about what became of Grant Colfax Caldwell. By the time the 1910 U.S. Census was taken, Grant had married and had two sons, Clarence and David. The family lived in the Caldwell Township of Catawba County, North Carolina.

When the 1920 U.S. Census was taken, the Caldwells had moved to the Third Ward in the city of Winston-Salem, where Grant’s occupation was given as that of a musician in a band. His wife and older son worked in a factory.

By the time the 1930 U.S. Census was taken, Clarence was married and the father of two daughters. He was a tobacco fastener.

I started out hoping to find out something about Lafayette Springs, the witch doctor. I ended up also wishing I could find some information about the musical career of his stepson, Grant Colfax Caldwell. Unfortunately, I have come up empty-handed on both counts. I still believe there is a great story here, if only I could find it.

Bibliography
United States Census records, 1850-1930.

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 2001.