Thursday, October 1, 2026

Thirty Fathers in Thirty Days: Honorable Captain Thomas Warren - Father #31

 




God has blessed me with the privilege of being able to trace a few lines in my family tree to my immigrant ancestors.  My maternal grandfather's line is made up primarily of Virginians, a great deal of them who made entry through Jamestown. Their stories, and families intertwine as tight as the twines of a rope. 

The Warrens are included among those earliest Virginia families, and I have two lines of these, from different generations. And it begins with my 12th Great Grandfather, Thomas Warren.

I have, or had, completed my 30 fathers in 30 days series, and have begun a post of 'honorable mentions", some of my ancestors that didn't make the cut, but whom I had started posts on, but hadn't completed. I began the post with William Spencer, the father-in-law of Thomas Warren and one of Jamestown's "Ancient Planters". Thomas was going to be second, but I just couldn't. Instead,  I'm giving him his own, brief, post.




He was born in the village of Ripple, in Kent, England around 1624. Ripple is a small, ancient village of Saxon origin, in the Dover District of Kent. He married a lady named Alice Powell around 1640. She is not my ancestor. Thomas would die on April 21, 1670, in Surry County, Virginia at only 46 years old. Few of the Jamestown settlers and their immediate descendants made it past 50, when you think about it, and like many of them, Thomas was married multiple times. He is also listed among the descendants of Charlemagne in Chapter LXXXVI "Warren -West- MacLamroc- Hoge-Daine.

                "Captain Thomas Warren, bapt. at Ripple Court, co. Kent, England, 30 Jan. 1624, came to Surry Co. Virginia ante 3 Feb 1640/41, d. at Smith's Fort Plantation, Surry Co. Va., 1669/70; m. (his third, her second) in Surry Co., Va, ca. 1658, Jane - d. in Surry Col,Val,aft 1669."

In between Alice Powell and Jane Allen King, he had married the daughter of William Spencer.

According to two sources: "Warren in Virginia Historical Genealogies" by John Bennett Boddie, 1954, and "The Newsom and Related Families of Surry, Isle of Wight, Southampton and Sussex Counties, Va," by B.C. Holtzclaw, Ph.D., Thomas was the son of William and Catherine Gookin Warren. William Warren is recorded as a parishoner of Ripple in 1621, and as a 'Liberal' benefactor of the local church. He died intestate and administration of his estate was granted to his widow in 1631, Catherine Warren of Ripple.Thomas's siblings baptized in the same church were Daniel Warren (No dates), Edward Warren (1620/21), Albertus Warren (1622/1623) and Mary Warren Sewall in 1627.

Thomas Warren served in the House of Burgess in 1644, 1645, 1658, 1662 and 1666.

Thomas Warren (1624-1670), patented land in Surry County and purchased land from Thomas Rolfe, the son of John Rolfe and Pocohontas. On this land he built the Warren House in 1652, the oldest standing brick house in Virginia. Family died and are buried at or near the Fort Smith Planation.


The Warren House



Smith's Fort (Rolfe/Warren House) is located on the west side of Virginia Rte. 31, between Hopewell and Smithfield. Warren House has also been documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey.
https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/jamesriver/war.htm.


Thomas Warren deposed on 3 May, 1661 that he was 40 years old. He had served in the House of Burgesses when he was a mere 22 years old. He was married three times, first to Alice Powell, second to Elizabeth Spencer Shepherd, a widow and daughter of William Spencer and third to Jane King, a widow of John King. 

Thomas left a will, now lost, on March 16, 1669, probated on April 21, 1670 by his son, William.  Elizabeth Spencer Shepherd Warren, my ancestor, died between 1655 and 1658, as Thomas Warren, Jr. his first child with Jane, was born on January 9th, 1659. Jane would marry a third time to Samuel Plaw after the death of Thomas.

The known children of Thomas Warren were Alice, William, Elizabeth, Thomas Jr., Allen, Robert and another William by Jane.

My line from Thomas is his daughter, Alice, who, at age 32, gave a deposition in 1677. She was the wife of Mathias Marriott, who I have posted on. The following agreement is found in Book 1, page377, dated September 24, 1670, Surry County, Virginia. 

"An agreement between Jane Warren, relict of Mr. Thomas Warren, deceased, late of Surry County, of one part, and Matthias Marriott who hath married Alice Warren, the only sister of the whole blood of William Warren, son of the aforesaid Mr. Thomas Warren, of the other part, witnesseth" That said Jane Warren and Matthias Marriott are and have been at controversy and variance about the division of the aforesaid Thomas and William, their estates, both personal and real....first that Mrs. Jane Warren shall have her thirds of the whole estate above said Mr. Thomas Warren, his estate, and if Thomas Warren, son of the above said Mr. Thomas Warren and Jane, his wife, should happen to die before he comes to the age of 21 years, that the land that was given to him by his fathers' will, will then fall to William Warren, the youngest son of Thomas Warren and said Jane his wife, during his natural life and when he dies, said land is to fall to Matthias Marriott and his heirs forever. It is also agreed that Thomas, a negro man, is and shall remain Matthias Marriott and his heirs forever." They then divide up crops and furniture, Matthias gets a white mare, her foal, a gold ring and caster set, etc. My question is, why name a child William when you had an older son William, who may or may not have passed before the boy was born, but it seems like after? And the manservant was named Thomas, too. Imagine being in the Warren house and calling out the name "Thomas" and here comes the servant, the father and the son? Would that not be a little confusing? Couldn't they think of any other names?


Captain Thomas Warren was born January 30, 1624, in Ripple, Dover District, Kent, England
He died April 21, 1670, in Surry County, Virginia
He was buried at the Warren Family Cemetery in Surry County, VA.




    The Warren Family Cemetery is located on the grounds of the preserved Warren House near the Fort Smith preserved historic site. Also buried there are John Hunnicutt, (1650-1699), son -in -law of Thomas Warren, Wives Jane Allen King Warren Plaw, (the last), Mary Alice Powell Warren (the first), Elizabeth Spencer Shepperd Warren (the middle), daughters Alice Warren Marriott and Elizabeth Warren Hunnicutt and son- in- law, Matthias Marriott, grandfather of Mary Marriott who married Henry Davis, grandfather of Job Davis, the 5th Great Grandfather I named this blog for. 


    Friday, September 25, 2026

    Thirty Fathers in Thirty Days: Rev. William McGregor


    On a recent Saturday afternoon, I took my seven-year-old grandson to introduce him to our ancestor, Rev. William McGregor. It's a rare thing to have an immigrant ancestor such a short distance from where we still live, only a few miles and a bearable walk through the woods. I want members of the newest generation of my family tree know that they have a biological and historical connection to this ground, and that people who lived before them took part in their history and their creation. Know where the graves are. Know who the people were. Continue to honor your ancestors after I am gone. He is not the first grandchild I've introduced to Rev. McGregor. 

    Ten years ago, I also introduced my first and oldest grandchild to the resting place of the old Scottish minister. I hope it will be a tradition. The grave is off the beaten path, which is a good thing, the fewer who know where it is, the better. The Kron cemetery, which is nearby, has tragically suffered much destruction since I was a child, some natural, like tree falls, but primarily from evil, cruel and destructive people, usually adolescents, who sometimes think doing something wrong and criminal will impress their friends. I want to influence members of the next generation to protect and preserve their own history and that of our location upon the planet. 

    As I've posted on William McGregor multiple times already, I do not expect this to be a lengthy post, but there may be some details I've never shared. One post is found in the link below. 


    And he is mentioned also in the following post, linked below, concerning his daughter, Ava, my fourth Great Grandmother.


    Fellow blogger and distant cousin, Cynthia also has mentioned him in this post from her blog, Uwharrie Roots. 


    Taking the oldest of my 8 (so far!) grands to meet his ancestor, Rev. William McGregor 7 years ago.


    Rev. William McGregor was born in Scotland. That much is fact. Some give his date of birth as 19 Jan 1733; however, I cannot determine where or how anyone came about with that date. Dr. Francis Kron, who later lived on his property, praised his planting of apples trees and claimed he came from "Osiaran's Glenn", which doesn't' exactly exist. Most have his birthplace as Perth. I will say Scotland, that is without a doubt.

    I've not found record of when he arrived in America, but it's most likely he arrived straight to North Carolina, possibly through Wilmington, but as he is found in records of counties in the northeastern part of the state, he probably came in through New Bern, or Bath.

    William McGregor is counted in the 1771 Tax Role of Bute County. He was a Junior.

    Bute County, NC Record Book 7 records the Will of William Solomon Sr. on May 25, 1772.   "William Solomon to William Solomon Jr. Gift of a negro man to be his at my death." Witnesses were John Edwards, William McGregor, and Green Hill. All three of these men would soon be found later in either Montgomery or Anson Counties, NC, or both.

    John Edwards is later seen in a Franklin County deed, as being "of Montgomery County" and selling land in Franklin to the Solomons. The Solomon brothers were in Franklin County, North Carolina at the same time Rev. William McGregor was for two or three years. Bennett Solomon would marry his daughter, Ava. They are my 4th Great Grandparents. They would also arrive in Montgomery County (Stanly side of the river), and two of them, William and Bennett, would become Baptist Ministers.

    Rev. William McGregor is mentioned in the 1774 minutes of the Kehuky Baptist Association of Bute County. 

    In 1776, William McGregor was given a license to preach in Franklin County, NC, formerly Bute. 

    In February 1779, a Petition was taken to separate a portion of Anson County to form Montgomery County. Rev. William McGregor's signature was on the petition. He was also on the 1780 - 1782 Tax lists for Montgomery County.

    From Genealogies of Rowan County, is found the abovemention of Rev. McGregor and his church, the "Mouth of the Uwharrie Baptist Church" in a history of the Liberty Baptist Association.



    William McGregor received 3 Land Grants. 

    Land Grant 1041 dated 1795, was on the southwest side of the Pee Dee River beginning on the Riverbank, Book 94 Page 73, Entered on Jan 4, 1795, and granted on July 10, 1797.  It consisted of 50 acres 'near my own land I live on', a Spanish Oak, McColoks (McColloughs) (sic) south corner, and joined the property of Jarrett Huckaby. 

    Grant 1197 was for 150 acres that bordered William McGregors own residence on the south side of the PeeDee. Book 111 Page 289, Granted on November 30, 1810, but applied for in 1800.

    Grant Number 1928 Began at 'William McGregor's own corner post oak in McLester's own line running west 106 poles to Bennett Solomons line, N 26 East 68 poles to Mungers old 100....back to McGregor's line.

    He expanded his holdings but never moved. 

    A great deal of confusion has been caused by two groups of people with similar names, who named their children similar names. There were two William McGregors and Rev. William was a Jr., before he became a Sr., as he named a son William, too.

    One McGregor Clan lived in Northampton County. One was a William, with a brother, John McGregor who also lived in Northampton County. These two brothers married Flowers sisters. John had a son named Flowers McGregor. Brother William died about 1813 in Northampton County, and evidence from his will and other probate papers demonstrate that his son was William, Jr. North Carolina land records show him there well into the 1830's. 

    The other William McGregor lived in Bute County, a now defunct county, part of which became Franklin. The Bute/Franklin branch moved to Montgomery County, North Carolina in the 1770's. The Rev. William McGregor was associated with a Bartlett McGregor who may have been his brother or eldest son. I personally have him down as a son due to obvious age differences.

    The 1790 census of Northampton County, NC lists John McGregor, William McGregor and Flowers McGregor. The 1790 census of Montgomery County, NC list Willam McGregor, Bartlet McGregor, Thomas Huckaby and Bennett Solomon, along with Roland Ware. Two of Roland Ware's daughters, Susan and Sarah, will marry Rev. William McGregors's twin sons, Ezekial and Willis.

    NameWilliam Megrigler
    Home in 1790 (City, County, State)Montgomery, North Carolina
    Free White Persons - Males - 16 and over3
    Free White Persons - Males - Under 162
    Free White Persons - Females3
    Number of Slaves4
    Number of Household Members12

    In 1790, Rev. McGregor (transcribed incorrectly as "Megrigler"), is shown with three males over 16 in his home, and two under 16, along with three daughters. Nearby, is Bartlett McGregor with a household of four, one male over 16, two under and three females. Subtracting the parents, this would be a possible  4 sons and two daughters, with one son, Bartlett, already out on his own. 





    Bartlett McGregor will still be in Montgomery County, NC in 1800 and marries Ann Harris, probably a daughter of one of the Montgomery County Harris family. They end up in Stewart County, Tennessee, where Bartlett dies in 1842. His date of birth was roughly around 1770, and he would have been a little tot when the family arrived in Montgomery. Rev. McGregor's mother is said to have been named Margaret Scott Bartlett. There was also a Bartlett Huckabee in the area at this time, and this family also originated in the Butte/ Franklin County area before arriving in Montgomery. There could have been a familial connection between the McGregor and Huckabee's through the Barlett's.

    1800


    The 1800 census created a little bit of confusion with two William McGregors side by side. If you look carefully, however, the top line says William Mcgregor JUN. and the second line has William Mcgregor SEN.


    NameWilliam Mcgreger Jr
    Home in 1800 (City, County, State)Montgomery, North Carolina
    Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 252
    Free White Persons - Males - 45 and over1
    Free White Persons - Females - 45 and over1
    Number of Slaves6
    Number of Household Members Over 252
    Number of Household Members10

    The household of William Senior in 1800 has one male over 45, one female over 45, and two males between 16 and 25. These were the twins.





    NameWilliam Mcgreger Jr
    Home in 1800 (City, County, State)Montgomery, North Carolina
    Free White Persons - Males - Under 102
    Free White Persons - Males - 26 thru 441
    Free White Persons - Females - Under 102
    Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 151
    Free White Persons - Females - 26 thru 441
    Number of Household Members Under 165
    Number of Household Members Over 252
    Number of Household Members7

    William McGregor Jr., son of Rev. McGregor is shown as between 26 and 44, with a female of the same age range in his household, presumably his wife, with two boys under ten, two females under 10, and one female 10 to 15.




    NameBartlett Mcriger
    Home in 1800 (City, County, State)Montgomery, North Carolina
    Free White Persons - Males - Under 102
    Free White Persons - Males -10 thru 151
    Free White Persons - Males - 26 thru 441
    Free White Persons - Females - Under 102
    Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 152
    Free White Persons - Females - 26 thru 441
    Number of Household Members Under 167
    Number of Household Members Over 252
    Number of Household Members9
    Bartlett McGregor and his wife are in the same age range, with two boys under 10, and one 10 to 15, tw females under ten and two 10 to 15. 

    The 1790 census suggested that Rev. McGregor and his wife had four sons and two daughters at home, and that's with Bartlett McGregor already head of his own household, so who could the extra son have been, if we count William Jr, and the twins, Willis and Ezekial. 

    Some add Flowers McGregor, who I am certain belongs to the Northhampton branch of McGregors, and others add Anthony McGregor. So, who was Anthony?

    Anthony McGregor

    In 1790, there is an Anthony McGregor in Edgecombe County, NC, and Rev. William had actually been there for a while. Oddly, his name was almost mis-transcribed the same way, as "Megriggo". 


    NameAnthony Megriggo
    Home in 1790 (City, County, State)Edgecombe, Halifax, North Carolina
    Free White Persons - Males - 16 and over1
    Free White Persons - Females3
    Number of Slaves4
    Number of Household Members8


    In 1800, he is now in Anson County, which makes some folks tack him onto Rev. McGregor, but he could not have been the missing McGregor. 


    NameAnthony Mcgregor
    Home in 1800 (City, County, State)Fayetteville, Anson, North Carolina
    Free White Persons - Males - 26 thru 441
    Free White Persons - Females - 16 thru 251
    Number of Household Members Over 251
    Number of Household Members2

    There may have even been two Anthony's. Edgecomb Anthony had three females in his home in 1790, and four slaves. 1800 Anthony appears to have had one young wife, no children and no slaves in 1800.
    Of course, he could have suffered some major life changes in that decade. 





    Anson Anthony remained in Anson and married a Lydia. His birth year is shown as 1778, and he and Lydia are buried in the Henry-Leggett Cemetery southeast of Wadesboro. His daughter would marry a Henry.





    In a land entry from 1818, Anthony is shown with three middle initials, "H. S. R." McGregor.




    Anthony McGregor left a will 




    He named his only son, William Lemeul McGregor, and left him land on Thompson's Creek.


    He named his only daughter, Mary Ann and praised her for her "dutiful attention to me during my confinement whereby her education has been much neglected". 



    He then bequeathed property to the children of his sister, Nancy Hill. There were a number of Nancy's among the records of the Northampton MacGregors, and I feel quite confident that Anthony was one of them. There could have been a distant relationship between the two groups. We will later follow the trail of the McGregor Children to see if any secrets or hints are revealed. 

    Where did the good Reverend Settle?



    The December 20th 1780 Grant shows that William McGregor settled upon 250 acres on the southwest side of the Pee Dee.



    The written part revealed the property sat on the east side of "Ataway Mountain", joining McLester's line, to the Ataway branch, joining his own lines, or land he already had entered or bought. This is exactly where the Kron House sits today. After his death, Dr. Francis Kron would purchase McGregor's old farm, and this site is preserved for posterity at Morrow Mountain State Park today. 




    This above plat shows the McGregor property meeting that of Henry Mounger's and the mouth of Attaway Branch, dated December, 1779, with Mounger and McGregor their own chain carriers. 


    On a state census prior to the first Federal Census of 1790,  Rev. McGregor's name is incorrectly transcribed as "Wm McGrice", with Bartlett beside him. Other notable names near him is Neddy Pennington and Ephraim Carter, there are a number of Nobles, a family who dissipated over time, but left their name on Noble's Mountain, right outside the park. Moses Curtis is there, who is mentioned in my previous post on William McGregor and the Solomons, Daniel McLester, who may have been the neighbor, Kinchen Pennington, Peter Ware and two spots below him, possibly Roland Ware, and between them, Samuel P.? (Parsons maybe?).

    In a list of Anson County Will Indexes, we find the 1824 list of Anthony McGregor's Will, but there is a 1797 list of a John McGregor with a wife named Mary.



    Also mentioned in the Will of this John are Sarah Williams, Francis Sandifer, Cetchy Sandifer, Flowers McGregor, Jean Brown, William McGregor and Elizabeth McGregor. There very well could have been a relation. 



    In 1796, at least 20 years after their arrival in Montgomery County, Rev. McGregor's son, William Jr. was old enough to entered his own grant, one of 50 acres on the Pee Dee River, adjoining his own lines, perhaps what his father had given him.

    Religion and the ministry were driving forces in the course of life for Rev. McGregor and his kin. In my earlier post, linked above, I gave a little more depth of information on his ties to the church and the Sandy Creek Association, to which they belonged. Sandy Creek, which was located in Randolph County, had been established in 1755 by Shubal Stearnes and Daniel Marshall.


    Above is a list of Churches who were members of the Association, and the delegates who had represented them at a particular conference in the later 1700's. Representing "Uwharrie", referring to the Mouth Of the Uwharrie Primitive Baptist Church, were my ancestors, William McGregor and Isaac Calloway.

    There has been some debate concerning the location of the Church. The physical mouth of the Uwharrie River lies on the eastern shore of the Yadkin- Pee Dee River, and this marks the exact point where the Yadkin becomes the Pee Dee. When the Yadkin and the Uwharrie Rivers come together, you have the Pee Dee, they are the parents of it .Rev. McGregor could see the place from the Ferry Crossing near his home and named the church for it. His home was most definitely on the western bank of the river. Near the site of his home is the marker of the original site of Stony Hill Church. The Mouth of the Uwharrie Congregation would become the Stony Hill Congregation, an active church. I believe that marker also indicates in general proximity the location of the Mouth of the Uwharrie Church, also. It may or may not have been the same building. There had been recorded storm damage to the spot over the decades.

    From those I know who attended the church, my ancestors, the McGregors, the Calloways and the Solomons, my ancestor, Rev. Samuel Parsons Morton, who was recorded in a later biographical sketch as attending as a youth and young man, and others who represented the church as delegates to the conferences over the years, by and large were from the western side of the river. A few were even from Cabarrus County. The one exception was Pleasant Epps, who lived on the eastern bank of the river. Most easterners attended the Fork of the Little River Church or the Pee Dee Baptist Church.




    We know that Rev. McGregor died in 1804 and is buried at Morrow Mountain State Park in Stanly County, NC. But what of his children? The 1805 tax list of Warren County, Tennessee contains the names Ezekial, Willis and William McGregor (Jr). There's a Thomas McGregor in Davidson County, Tennessee in the same list and Flowers McGregor joins Thomas by 1811. Another William and Ezekial Ware end up in Maury County, TN. They're probably all related in some way or another, but the Warren County set are the only ones who are children of Rev. William of Montgomery County. By the 1820 census, Ezekial, William and Richmond McGregor are listed in Warren County. Richmond was a son of William, Jr., although some trees tie him to William Sr.. My belief is that he was a grandson of Rev. William, not a son. By 1830. Rev. Bennett Solomon, my ancestor who married Ava McGregor, daughter of Rev. William, and took over his ministry after his death, has himself passed away. Ava would join her brothers in Warren County, Tennessee, taking most of her children with her. She left behind her oldest son, named William after his grandfather, who would fill the empty shoes of his father, and also become a minister. She also left behind a daughter, Francis "Fanny" Solomon, who married a Russell. 

    The 1830 census of Warren County lists Ezekial, William Jr., Willis, Ava Solomon and Jehu, Richmond, Ezekial II, and William III, the latter four all grandsons. Later generations would move westward and southward still, while leaving a handful of relatives in and around Warren as they had in the parts of North Carolina where they had dwelt. 

    The children I am assured were the children of Rev. William McGregor were:






    1) Bartlett McGregor (1770-1842) married Ann Harris, daughter of Roland Harris. Moved to Stewart County, Tennessee by 1810 and died there in 1842 at age 72.
    Children:
    A) Nancy McGregor (1791-1885) married Marmaduke Hogan.
    B) Harris Valentine McGregor (1796-1854) Married Libby Herndon, moved to Trigg co Kentucky.
    C) Lucy McGregor (1799-1863) married John Mann, died in Indian Mound, Stewart, TN.
    D) Mary Lucinda McGregor (1800-1832) married Harrison, died Dade County, Missouri.
    E) Arvila Avie Ann McGregor (1802-1880) married Willliam Morris of Anson County, NC,  1st, married Uriah Tyson 2nd., father and grandfather of "Tyson's Chicken" founders. Died in Atkins, Pope County, Arkansas.
    F) Joel Henderson McGregor (1805-1870) married Emily Gay, moved to Brazos, Texas.
    G) Levi Bartlett McGregor (1805-1861) married Elizabeth Mann. died in Travis, Texas.
    H) Noah McGregor (1811-1885) married 1st Nellie Allen, married 2nd Mahala Duncan. Involved in the politics and government of Stewart County, Tennessee and died there in 1885.

    Noah McGregor


    I) John "Jack" McGregor -according to family records, died in Indian Mound, Stewart,TN at age 16.
    J) Bartlett II McGregor-according to family records, died at age 6 in Montgomery County, NC.







    2)William McGregor Jr. (actually III) died October 6, 1839 in Warren County, Tennessee.
            Married Martha Jane Stiles. 

    A) Elizabeth Mae McGregor (1784 - Unknown) married William M. Williams, three children.
    B) Willis Wallac(son of III) McGregor (1784-1861) Married Susannah, died in McMinnville, Warren County.
    C) Maryann 'Polly' McGregor  (1789-1868) Married Robert Allen "Bob" Stoker III, died in Carroll County, Tennessee.
    D) Sarah 'Sally' McGregor (1792-1868) Married Elijah Dodson, died in Smyrna, Warren County, TN.
    E) Richmond J McGregor (1794-1858) Married 1st Mary Magdalena Myers 9 children, died in Smyrna, Warren, TN.
    F) Martha McGregor (1794-1872) Married James Madison Mitchell, died in Dade Co. Missouri.
    G) Jehu "Jay" McGregor (1796-1866) Married Sarah Dodson, died in Smyrna, Warren, Tenn.
    H) Salina McGregor (1799 -1874) Married Raleigh Shipley, died in Dade County, Missouri.
    I) William (son of III) McGregor (1805 -1839) called  "Nard". Died in Smynra, Warren County. Married "Mary".
    J) Ezekial (son of III) McGregor (1810-1856) 
    K) Clinton McGregor (1814-1853) Married Celcena Myers. 
    L) Jason McGregor (died 1845 in Grundy, Tennessee. Was in Warren in 1838)



    3) Ava " Avey" McGregor (1778-1857) Married Bennett Solomon (1773-1818) Her husband died in Stanly County, NC. She died in Warren County, TN. 

    A) Tehony Solomon (1791- ?)
    B) Martha B. "Patsy" Solomon (1799-1850)  Married George W. Bullen. Died in Warren County, TN
    C) Rev. William S. Solomon (1801-1874) Married Tabitha Marks. Died in Stanly County, NC.
    D) Frances "Fanny" Solomon (1803-1875) Married Jarrett Russell. Died in Stanly County, NC.
    E) Jane Solomon (1805-1880) Married Robert H. Turner. Died in Dekalb County, Tennessee
    F) Sarah A. Solomon (1805-1875) Married Hardin "Hardy" Russell. Died in Warren County, TN.
    G) Mary 'Polly' Solomon (1807-1847) Married Micajah Massey. Died in Cannon County, TN.
    H) Willis Lymon Solomon (1809-1877) Married Myrick Safely. Died in Warren County, TN.
    I) Bennett Solomon Jr. (1812-1862) Married Anna Carlyle Morton. Died in Benton County, Missouri.
    J) Hixey Solomon (1814-1885) Married Charles Hutchison. Died in Warren County, TN. 




    McGregor Homestead in Stewart County, Tennessee






    4) Ezekial McGregor (1784-1856) Ezekial and Willis were twins and married twins. Twins ran in the family and several of Rev. McGregors children and grandchildren would have twins. Ezekial also followed his father into the ministry He married Sarah Jane "Sallie" Ware, daughter of Roland Ware and Temperance White. He is buried in the Smyrna Cemetery, formerly known as the McGregor family cemetery, with Ava McGregor Solomon and many other family members. 

    A) Ahixoam "Hixie" McGregor (1806-1865) Married Phillip Gysberti Hoodenpyl. Died in McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee. 12 children: Phillip II, George, Nancy Paine, Mary Minerva, Miria, Susan, Sarah, Missouri Polk, Wallace/Willis, Mary E., Adalaide, Christianna.

    B) Temperance Mae "Tweaky" (1807-1883) Married James Allen of Montgomery County, North Carolina. They relocated to Adairsville, Bristow County, Georgia. Like her father, she had 13 children, but no twins: Jerusha Winifred, Nepthalie Durham, Missouri, America, Ezekial M., Milton Columbus, William Calvin, Washington Jackson, Jason Franklin, Wiley Jefferson, Louisiana "Lou", James Rufus, Alexander McGregor Allen.



    Temperance McGregor Allen aka "Tweaky"




    C) Elizabeth "Betsy" McGregor (1810-1881) Married McGladdrie. Believe to have died in Missouri or Mississippi.

    D) Willis Nard McGregor (1812-1860) Married Nettie Ellen Harrison. Settled in Pontotoc, Mississippi. Thirteen children: William Washington, Audley Harrison, Sarah Elizabeth, Jemima, George, Mexico, Wiley M. 'Bud, Joseph Jason James Clinton Henderson Pleasant aka "Coon" (seriously), Newton Ezekial, Martha Vesta Ann aka "Pink", Nettie D. and Rachel. 

    E) Jason McGregor (1813-1871) Married 1st to Margaret Jane Pennington; 6 children: Mary Ann, Victory Jane, John Wesley, Romulus, Remus,Silas. Married Theresa "Tressie" Sims 3 children: Charlotte, Francis and Mae. Died in Warren County, TN.

    F) Susan McGregor (1814-1850) Married Benjamin Huckabee; 7 children: Sarah, James, William, John Henry, Eva Malinda, Matthew, Lundy. Died in Bell County, Texas.

    G) Minnie McGregor (1815- ?) never married. Died in Pontotoc, Mississippi.
    H) Jemima McGregor (1816-1859) married William Huckabee; 11 children: Ezekial, George Washington, Calvin, Mary Susan, Ava, Sarah Jane, Andrew Jackson, William Jr, Evy Charlotte, John Bartlett Huckabee. Died in Pontotoc, Mississippi.

    I) Andres Wiley McGregor (1819- aft 1880) Married 1st Sarah A. Harrison; 5 children: Martha Lill, Sarah Celeste, Elizabeth Young, Mary Catherine, William Clary; Married 2nd, Francis "Fannie" Winsett; 7 children: Andrew, Thomas, Mack, Vesta Ann, Zala, Ida, Avy. Died in Athens, Limestone, Alabama. 

    J) Avey McGregor (1819-1897) Married 1st Benjamin Marks of Montgomery/Stanly County, NC; tw sons: James H. Marks, Ezekial McGregor "Mack" Marks. Married 2nd Bartlett Huckabee; 4 children: Jason T., Charlotte Ann, Mary G., Martha D. Huckabee. Died in Bell County, Texas. 









    K) Henderson Seawell McGregor (1821-1887) Married Martha C. Young; 9 children; Thomas Hiram, Dosia Delia, Mary Elizabeth, Charles, Lou, Sallie F., Martha J, Bruce Edward, Margaret. Died in Irving College, Warren County, Tennessee.

    L) Clinton McGregor (1824-1874) 


    Married 1st to Phebe C. McGregor (Maiden name uncertainly, maybe McFerrin? She died in 1851; 3 children; McFerrin, Melissa and Joseph F. McGregor. Married 2nd Mary V. Reece; 5 children: Morphera, Martha Jane, John, James Thomas and Cynthia. Died in Warren County under mysterious circumstances. 




    M) William Bartley/Barclay (Barlett) McGregor (1826-1874) Married twice. 1st to "Wisse" Mayes, 2 children: John T and Benton McGregor.. Married 2nd to Currie Swindle, three children (may have been hers previously) Margaret, Anna and Charles Swindle. 


    Nancy McGregor Hunter



    5) Willis McGregor (1784-1861) Twin of Rev. Ezekial McGregor. Married Susannah Ware, sister of Ezekial's wife, Sarah Ware. 9 daughters:

    A) Nancy McGregor (1812-1884) Married Peter Hunter. Died in Grayson County, Texas. 6 children: John W, Vashti/Vesta, Susan Lavonia, Andrew Peter, Missouri.

    B) Almira Cinthia "Myra" McGregor  (1812-1880) twin. Married James Anderson Safley. 12 children: Cynthia , Jaspar, Ann, Mary, Marion, Spencer, Nancy, Lawson Isaiah, Louisa, Laura, Lucus, Doc Anderson.
    Died in Warren County, Tennessee.

    C) Minerva "Mina" McGregor (1812 - after 1880) Twin. Never married.

    D) Mexico McGregor (1816-1891) Married James Madison Ware; two children; Mary Susan and Willia J Ware. Died in Garland, Collin County, Texas.

    E) Ahinoam McGregor (1817-1895) Married Logan Dietz; 8 children: Thomas J,, Molly, Silas, Josephine "Josie", Virginia L. "Jenny", Ira Lester "William", Amos Stone, Susan C. Died in Bogota, Red River, Texas.

    F) Vesta or Vashti McGregor (1821-1889) Never married. Lived with sister Orpha's family after parents death. Died in Warren County, Tennessee.

    G) Lavonia Anna McGregor (1824-1883) Never married. Died in Warren County. Lived with family members.

    G) Orpha McGregor (1823-1905) Married John Wesley Mitchell; 4 children; Charles, Florence, John and Idell. Died in Warren County, Tennessee.

    H) Cynthia McGregor (1827-1902) Married William Lane Swan, one child, Susan Swan. Married late (41), helped raise step-children. Died in Warren County, Tennessee.



    6) Martha McGregor

    Martha McGregor was one of Rev. McGregors' two daughters. Martha was born around 1780 died in 1815. She married William Boyd, a Revolutionary War soldier

    William Boyd was born August 11, 1760, in Southhampton, Virginia. He died in 1854 in Washington County, Arkansas. He enlisted in the Revolution from Rowan County, NC and lived there at the time of his enlistment. According to his Revolutionary War pension, after the War he lived in Montgomery County, North Carolina, and like many former soldiers, became a worm in hot ashes. He first moved with his family and inlaws to Warren County, Tennesee. From there to Lauderdale County, Alabama. From there to McNairy County, Tennessee, and finally to Washington County, Arkansas in 1837 and died there in 1854. 

    He and Martha McGregor, whom he married in Montgomery County, NC, probably just before her father's death. The couple had five children:






    1) McGregor "Mack" Boyd (1804-1853) Married 1st: Lavina Oxford, 5 children, married 2nd, Charlotte Young, 1 child. Moved 1st from Tennessee to Prairie, Washington County, Arkansas, Moved lastly to Hopkins County, Texas.

    2) William Daniel or David Boyd (1806-1891) Married 1st to Elizabeth Oxford, 11 children. Married 2nd to Jane Moody, Married 3rd to Jane Thomas. Settled in Washington County, Arkansas.


    William D. Boyd



    3) Willis Boyd (1808-1882) Married Lucinda Surratt 1st and Lucinda Watkins or Waltrip, 2nd. Father of between 8 to 12 children. Some confusion among who is who. Died in Oxford Bend, Washington County, Arkansas.


    Willis Boyd and wife, Lucinda W. Boyd





    4) Ezekial Boyd (1811-1841) Married Lucinda Waltrip, 3 children: Washington, Carolina and Nancy. Died in Washington County, Arkansas. His widow married his brother Willis, after Willis's 1st wife, Lucinda Surratt died. 
    5) Martha Hardin Boyd Todd (1813-1900). Married Elijah Smith Todd, 12 children, listed in the below Todd family history. Died in Washington County, Arkansas. 





    The children often attributed to Rev. McGregor that may have been his kin, but I don't believe were his children were: Anthony of Anson, John and a different William who stayed back east, Flowers and Sarah "Sallie" McGregor. 



    Rev. William McGregor left his influence far and wife, through his ministry and through his large family. Everywhere they landed, some stayed and others removed further west. They moved in groups. Once they chose a certain town or county and several family members, along with neighbors or intermarried families moved with them. The MacGregors had interesting family trends. As usual, names floated from generation to generation, in honor of the predecessors, parents, grandparents, and siblings. Ezekial, Willis, William and Ava or it's variations like Eva or Avey, passed down through various lines and variations and over to other surnames that female family members married into. The name "Bartlett" traveled through the McGregor, Huckabee and associated lines from old Bute County, NC to Montgomery, NC to Warren, McNairy, and Stewart Counties in Tennessee, and the places in Arkansas, Alabama and Texas that the grandchildren and great grandchildren of Rev. McGregor spread to. Other recurring names were Nard and Henderson as middle names. There seems to be a connection to Joel Henderson of old Montgomery County, NC. 

    Unusual girls' names were also common, like Vashti, short for Vashti, which also ran through the Isaac Calloway family, also my ancestor, and we know from church records that Rev. McGregor had a close association with Isaac Callaway, both serving as delegates to the Association meetings. Another uncommon girl's name was Ahinoam, a Biblical name meaning "my brother is pleasant", or Ahixoam, aka "Hixie". There were two in the Bible, one married King Saul, and the other was a wife of King David. It's a very rare name and I wonder if Rev. William's wife, mother or grandmother was the originator of the name in the family lines. The also liked to name daughters after place names. Rev. McGregor had multiple granddaughters and great granddaughters named Mexico, Missouri, Louisiana and America. 

    There were also many marriages within several other families that had either migrated with them from Montgomery County, NC or came afterwards, perhaps by mail request, to marry into the family. Siblings married siblings from other families. Cousin marriages were not uncommon. Some of those intergenerational marriages were from the Huckabee, Ware, Harrison, Mitchell, Safely, and Young families, a lot of them with representation in North Carolina before going to Tennessee. They married who was close, as well as married who was distant and traveled to join them. Twins ran in the family and still do, according to the McGregor Association online. Rev. McGregor contributed to my Scottish genes, the largest hunk in the recipe that is me. 






    Thursday, September 24, 2026

    The Last Ten Fathers

     






    The last ten 'fathers' of various Great and degrees featured in my series of posts name "Thirty Fathers in Thirty Days", took much longer than thirty days, more like three months. They included:

    -A grandfather my mother never met who, surprisingly, died of a drug overdose in the early 1930's, at a time when drug abuse was not something I expected to find.

    - A fire and brimstone Baptist Minister from Scotland who came to America to preach to the heathens on the Carolina frontier, which is now the NC Piedmont.

    - An early arrivial to the James River who was orphaned, grew up with his grandfather and became the High Sheriff of the new colonial Virginia County of Surry.

    - An ancestor with a lengthy family tree all the way back to an Alderman in the Court of Henry VIII, and the brother of a famous explorer, who links together both my father and stepfathers' family trees, seven generations back.

    -An ancestor with a 'less common' surname and given name who became a link that broke down a brick wall and led from a disappearing Anson County family to early Virginia origins.

    - An ancestor with a famous and wealthy father-in-law, who couldn't stay out of debt and died a pauper.

    - Another ancestor with old Stanly County roots on Mountain Creek who may have been a resident of one its earliest ghost towns. 

    - An early Virginia miller with French Huguenot roots. 

    - A Stanly County ancestor who managed three families, one wife and two mistresses and their children, all at once, and taught his same-named son to do the same. 

    -A Mecklenburg County ancestor with Scottish roots and a direct root of Presbyterian trails through Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia to Rocky River Presbyterian. 

    With the surnames of Wallace, McGregor, Exum, Collier, Mauldin, Means, Marriott, Calloway, Burris and Hudson, some from each grandparent's lines and roots from the British Isles, and France. 

    The given names in this bunch were heavy on the "M's", Mathew, Mathias, Micajah, and "J's", Jonah, Job, Joachim, Joshua, and of course, John, with a Thomas and a William. 

    Not everyone made the cut, and not everyone could, but I am ready to move on to something else.  This project was fun, but took me far more than 30 days, and gave me inspiration and curiosity to give a closer look at things I may have overlooked before. Primarily, it reminded me of what a salad I carry in my genes. 



    Friday, September 18, 2026

    Thirty Fathers in Thirty Days: Micajah Michael Exum

     



    "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for" Robert Browning, from his 1855 dramatic monologue Andrea del Sarto.



    "son John Exom be Equally Divided William Exum John Exum Susanah Exum Micajah Exum Thomas Exum Barnaby Exum , nevertheless if my Executors here mentioned should think There was any part of my Estate had better be sold for the Benefit of my Children my will and desire is it should be soone , and that they should raise money to pay my Just Debts out of any part of my Estate as they shall think proper Except that part I have given to my son John Exum , And I do hereby 2 Constitute and appoint , John Exum Figures Lewis and Nathan Harris my Hole and Sole Executors of this my Last Will and Testament In Witness thereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal this 11th Day his of April 1785"

    His Mark, Micajah Exum

    Signed Sealed and Declared in the Presence of

    Exum Lewis 

    Caleb Coker

    From the Will of Micajah Exum Sr. 1785

    It was sheer providence coming across that Family Bible. It began with brief correspondence with a fellow researcher down a common line. She suggested I contact a wonderful couple not 25 miles from me. She had not visited, but had been in contact with them, herself. Not only did I make friends of my distant cousins, but I was given a tour of an old family homestead that stood within distance of their own home.  The grand house has remained untouched, but cared for, and contained not only pictures on the wall of my maternal Great Grandmother's Grandparents, but a family Bible that took me back to not only that Great Grandmother's Grandfather's, Grandparents, but several generations beyond, after discovering the surname of his grandmother. 


    James Turner Sr. had died in Anson County, North Carolina sometime in 1843. He had been particularly concerned with the fortune and future of his two unmarried daughters, Mary and Martha, and his grandson, Washington. George Washington Turner had been born out of wedlock to his daughter, Mary. Washington was  my third Great Grandfather and his mother, Mary ,my fourth Great Grandmother.

    He bore a common name that would have barred me from tracing his footsteps prior to arriving in Anson, except for one small detail, he had married a woman named Susannah Axom.  That was to be discovered in the Family Bible.



    As seen above, the Will was dated April 14, 1843, and probated in July of the same year. He named his single daughters, Mary and Matha, his grandson Washington, and the rest of his children: Axum, Nancy, Mary, Susan, Sary, Matha, James and Lazarus.

    Martha married Reddick Drew, one of the witnesses, but died in 1864.

    The three sons, Axom, James Jr. and Lazarus, along with sister, Susannah, ended up in Alabama. I do not know the fate of Nancy and Sarah Turner, outside of their father's Will. I've not found who they may have married or if they passed away before 1850. Reddick Drew, his family, and his excursions, became a big hint, in tracking down the Axom/Exum family.  I discovered that two men, William and Micajah Exum/ Axom, who turned out to be brothers, and later, their younger brother, Thomas, had graced the early records of Anson County, NC



    In 1850, there was only one Axum family remaining in Anson, (besides a few orphaned children taken in by Reddick Drew, coincidentally), that of Samuel. His children would drift into different counties upon arriving at their age of majority. I was prompted to begin looking into the origins of the Exums/Axoms.  The name was spelled in various ways for the same individuals, beginning with an 'A' or 'E", ending with 'um' or 'om'.



    That's when I discovered the Exum family of Edgecomb County, North Carolina, some of whom had migrated west to Anson County. This is the spelling I will stick with from hereunto.


    In 1796, Arthur Smith had sold 217 acres on Jack's Branch, including the fork of Jack's Branch, to Micajah Exum. This location was also integral in tying everything together.


    Then came this wrench in the clockwork with Frances or Francis Axum selling land to John Livingston on the Southwest of the Pee Dee River, on the Camp Branch of Savannah Creek, containing 150 acres. Francis Axum and her heirs and assigns. The date of the transfer was November of 1810 and it was witnessed by Mildred Davis and Donald Livingston. So, Frances was a woman, and the Livingston connection was important, as I would come across it again. Frances was probably a widow.



    Now, in August of 1799, Micajah Exum II, the brother of my 5th Great Grandmother, Susannah Exum Turner, sold property to Jeptha Morris. This property was on Jack's Branch, where James and Susannah Turner also lived.  It met Arthur Smith's line, formerly Ezekial McClendon's' line, and was 217 acres on Jack's Branch of Brown Creek.  It had initially been granted to William Wood on a patent dated January 7, 1795, just four years previously. Remember the name 'Arthur Smith', and not the Charlotte host of a country music TV show that your grandma used to watch with Tommy Faile and Horace and Doris. 


    Brother William Exum also sold his nearby property at the same time to the same man, Jeptha Morris. Were they planning another move south or west?




    Above is a list of the names and years of Exum family Wills recorded in Edgecomb County, North Carolina. The years ranged from 1775 to 1796. They were all related. The name Micajah was the cookie crumb that led me from Anson to Edgecomb. Thankfully, Micajah Exum Sr. had named one of his sons, Micajah Exum Jr. His oldest was evidently John Exum, and Susannah was the only sister. The oldest, John, and the youngest, Barnaby, stayed in Edgecomb County, at least for a while, while the middle children; William, Micajah II, Thomas and Susannah, moved to Anson. I have not yet determined who died in Anson and who migrated onward again. I know Susannah had, and I believe Thomas, did, as he left his son Samuel, who later moved south. Francis must have been the widow of either William or Micajah II. She may have moved on after the sale of her land.



    Knowing my 6th Great Grandfather was Micajah Exum Sr., who died about 1775 in Edgecomb County, NC, and that either he or his son served in the Revolutionary War, I was able to trace them back even further, into Virginia.

    I discovered a site titled; Exum of Isle of Wight County, Virginia and Edgecombe County, North Carolina.


    "William Exum came to Virginia with his wife Jane and son, Francis. On 27 Mar 1671 he witnessed a power of attorney from William Bressy to Arthur Smith. On 9 June 1675 William Exum and Robert Harris witnessed a deed from Anthony Matthews and wife Anne to John Moore, son of said Anne, for 300 acres in Isle of Wight on Seward Swamp for love and affection,"

     

    Now, this introduces us to one William Exum who came to Virginia, but we don't know where from. He had a wife named Jane and a son named Francis. This was not the Francis who deed land left her in Anson. Different gender and a century apart. But the repetition of the name "Arthur Smith" caught my eye. Now, this Arthur Smith in 1671 could not have possibly been the same Arthur Smith who lived in Anson County in 1799, but what if this was a descendant, from the same family? The coincidence is remarkable and could show a lengthy interrelated or possibly generational connection.

    The property was said to be part of 1300 acres patented by Anthony Matthews on July 30, 1660. Nearly two decades later, "William Exum, Planter" from the Upper Parish of Isle of Wight, bought 300 acres from John and Mary Davis on the main swamp.  Davis was populous surname, even in those early years, so I can't know if this couple, with the most common Christian names in the land, were of any relation to my Surry County Davis's. 

    In 1693, William Exum received 450 acres in a patent for the transportation of nine people, including himself, William Exum, his wife, Jane, and his son, Francis, and associates, Richard Hickman, Thomas Harlow, John Allison, Samuel Browne, Frederick Bullibant and Abraham Bralah.

    In court on December 10, 1694, William Exum was ordered to take possession of the estate of Roger Stevens. I am wondering if Roger Stevens was a neighbor, or a relative. 

    Again, in court, on April 25, 1702, William and Jane Exum received the headrights of Richard Holiman, of 1230 acres. William Exum wrote or dictated his will on December 3, 1701, found in Book 3, page 436, Wills of Isle of Wight, Virginia.

    Then we find a list of his heirs in the book: Historical Southern Families, Volume I: Exums of Isle of Wight.

    This list takes us to William Exum II, who married a Susannah, maiden name unknown. William II was the owner of 1400 acres in Isle of Wight County. William II made his will on April 25, 1720, and it was probated in August of the same year. This takes us to another list of children of William and Susannah.


    William Exum married Susannah. He witnessed a deed of John Portis and Jane his wife to John Brett dated 8 April 1696 (Book 1, page 199). After his death, Susannah joined in a deed with her son, John Exum, on 19 Aug 1772 and released her dower. The 1704 Quit Rent Rolls showed that he held 1440 acres in the Isle of Wight County. The will of William Exum was probated 22 Aug 1720. Issue:



    Among the six children of William Exum II was another William, the third in this descent, who married Patience Purcell. William III and Patience would finally take us another generation down and to someone besides William.



    The eldest son of William III, Named John, would take the family out of Virginia and strike out for Edgecombe County in North Carolina. Eventually, others of the family would follow. In his father's will, William III had received land on the North side of Round Hill Swamp, in the Isle of Wight., at the mouth of Reedy Creek. His brother, Joseph had gotten the rest of the Round Hill property and his other broth, Robert, had received 100 acres the bordered the estate of Robert Crockett.




    William III married Patience Purcell, the daughter of an Arthur Purcell, who was mentioned in her fathers' July 1745 Will. William III expanded his holdings during his lifetime into Southampton County, and he was living in Southampton when he passed away. His own Will was written in October of 1756 and probated on January 13, 1757, found in Book 1 -210; C-Wills page 21. Heirs listed were his wife Patience and their ten children named in the will as Joseph, Barnaby, William, Moses, Michel, Elizah, Mary, Arthur, Sarah and Parnell Robert Purcell Exum. Whoa the names left on that last son. They must have known he was the last and loaded him down with the list. The executor of the will of William Exum III was his son, William IV and the witnesses were Joseph Gray and Martha Purcell. Patience Purcell Exum, my 7th, (is that right?) Great Grandmother, outlived her husband by nearly two decades, passing away shortly before April of 1775, when her estate was appraised and divided.




    Michael, or Micajah Exum Sr., was the father of the Exum siblings who came to Anson County, NC. This makes him my 6th Great Grandfather.

     



    All Michael/Micajah received from his father's will, along with his brother, Barnaby, was a feather bed and furniture. He was a middle child; his due and fate were to make it on his own.  He married Anne Phillips, scraped by, and raised a sizeable family of his own.




    Michael (Micajah) Exum Sr. first settled in Sussex County, Virginia. In Deed Book B, page 107 is a recorded a sale dated February 19, 1760, between George Briggs to Michael Exum for 10 pounds, 100 acres, which had been granted to George Briggs in 1749, and was bound by Tuscarora Branch. Witnesses were Charles Briggs, John Mitchell and Henry Briggs.



    Some years later, in August of 1774, George Briggs and his wife Sarah, and Micajah Exum, the same man that was called "Michael" in his father's will, and his wife Anne, all of them living in Sussex, together made a transaction.  The transaction was a transfer to John Wall of Surry County, keeping in mind that Wall was a prominent Anson County name, for 60 pounds of 197 acres where Micajah Exum was currently living, connected with the property of John Birdsong and bordering on the Tuscarora Branch. There may have been a relation between the wives. Witnesses were Charles and Howell Briggs, Joseph Rosser, John King and George Nicholson. 

     During this same time came the transaction that would bring this branch of the Exum family to North Carolina. A lot was going on during the 1773-1775 era. By this time, Tidewater lands had been farmed for well over 100 years. Primarily, tobacco plantations had depleted the soil, so as crops were becoming poor and sparse, expenses for goods from Brittain, and demands from the homeland upon the colonies, were growing. Then came Lord Dunmores's War. In Virginia, the Colonial Royal Governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore, dissolved the House of Burgesses. Protests against unfair taxation were growing. Without a functioning Court System, the buying and selling of land, inheritance disputes, contracts and indentures, could not be proven, disproven, or enforced. Then came a full-blown war with the nearest Indigenous tribes, caused by the continual push west, that became as Lord Dunmore's War. The British Proclamation of 1763 made it illegal for settlers to move west of the Appalachians, so many Virginians looked south to lands that were less populated, cheaper, and safer. This event is still happening. 

    Yeomen farmers and former indentured servants poured across the southern border of the state looking for virgin soil and greener pastures, that endless search for good bottomland. 



    July 13, 1773, shown above, from Edgecombe County, North Carolina, in Deed Book 2, page 71, we find Micajah Exum of Sussex County, Virginia buying 230 acres on Cabin Branch of Swift Creek, that bordered the White Oak Swamp. The land had been sold him by William Jackson of Edgecomb and the property bordered that of James Speir, Thomas Watkins, and David Smith. The flow was like that of a river pouring over its banks. The property was also said to have been part of a patent granted to James Speir Jr. by Earl Granville on December 8, 1760, and 30 acres of it had been granted to Captain James Speir Sr in March of 1743, with Etheldred Exum and William Belamey as witnesses. The Belamy family had close ties to the Exum family and Ethelred Exum was a relative. 

    Ethelred was the son of John Exum and Elizabeth Kinchen, who was previously shown making the earlier venture into Edgecomb. Ethelred had married Rachel Belamy in Edgecomb, but there were multiple marriages and legal interactions between the two families while still in Virginia. An Etheldred Phillips had married Etheldred Exum's sister, Sarah Jane Exum, being another tie to the Phillips family. Recall my mention that Micajah Exum had married Anne Phillips. She was also one of my 6th Great Grandparents, making the Phillips family another line in my family tree. 

    One can imagine a letter going up to Virginia checking on family left behind and the Virginia Exum's complaints concerning Lord Dunmore's actions returning to them, followed by a reply sent in return, "Come on down here to NC Cuz! We aren't under the thumb of Dunmore.", or something like that. 





    "John Exum came into Court & being Sworn Sayeth that he hath notes in his possession given by Isaac Morgan Daniel Wadkins and John Dixon to Micajah Exum to the amount of Sixteen dollars, and which he says were given to him as Gift by his brother Micajah Exum, he the said John not having given and Consideration therefore......Judgement against John Exum in ordered by the Court for the sixteen dollars ack. (acknowledged ) by him to be in his possession upon the above examination"

    Family disagreements are nothing new. Micajah had to take his brother John to court to reclaim a loan, basically, from a note of $16, with John saying the money was given to him as a gift, not a loan.  Micajah won.


    Upon the decease of John, younger brother Micajah received back $32.16 owed. 

    Micjah Exum died around 1785 in Edgecomb County, North Carolina. Other than the above few land records noted above, and the estate records after his death, there is not much to discover about Micajah. Some of his children were still quite young when he died, it appears, minors still. 


    I believe William, one of the sons who moved to Anson County, was the second oldest. In a 1789 distribution of the estate of Michael Micajah Exum Sr., a few years after his death, William is named first, seen above being award a young boy named Alexander, followed by about three paragraphs of items, money and property.


    Son John, another oft repeated name, but anything but unusual, is shown given a woman named Mial, and five head of sheep, among other bequests.


    Only daughter, Susanna Exum received 110 pounds and five shillings, among other items of furniture.


    Thomas Exum, whom I believe to be the youngest son, the only child younger than Susanna, was allotted a woman named Polly, a feather bed and furniture, six pounds and a pewter dish among other bequests. Thomas was among the children who would remove to Anson County. 



    Son Micajah Exum II, another one of the brothers who moved to Anson, received a girl named Amey a feather bed and furniture, which each had been given, and other items. 


    Above is seen the bequest to Barnaby, one of the sons who remained in Edgecomb County. Among his inheritance was a boy named Bob, a gun, a knife, tools and a frying pan, and another Feather bed and furniture. Micajah Sr had a stockpile of featherbeds. 



    Dated July 4, 1789, Micajah's estate files show he died in the United States of America. Witnesses to the division document were John Nicholson, Jesse Johnson and George Linch. 



    In the August term of Court, also in 1789, we find the below, suggesting Thomas was indeed still in his teens, and a minor. 






    "Thomas Exum Orphan of Micajah Exum came into court and chose James Coker as Guardian who entered into bond of  L400 with William Cotten"  


    "Ordered that the perishable estate of Thomas Exum, Orphan of Micajah Exum decd be sold by the Guardian".  I take this to mean crops, etc., such as corn, wheat, tobacco and other farm products. 


    Below: The Printed Version of the Will of Micajah Exum, making it easier to read, from The Descendants of Robert Harris of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, by J. A. Brayton.





    Eldest son John, as was tradition, inherited the plantation of his father, and remained in Edgecomb. He was given a horse named Brandon, which I find interesting, as I have a son by that name, though also knowing it derived from an old Virginia family surname. He was also unusually requested to keep the children that were yet under 21 together for four years. That is the reason, I believe, for the four-year gap between the 1785 will and the 1789 Division of Property.  Exum Lewis, son of Figure Lewis, was one of the witnesses, and a relative. He had come into his given name from a maternal line. Another witness was Caleb Coker. Recall Thomas Exum had chosen a James Coker as his guardian. 

    The Cokers were a family who also lived on White Oak Swamp. Caleb Coker (1753-1785) would die soon after signing this will. What an omen! He was the son of a James and the father of a James, so as he died at only age 32, it was more likely his father whom Thomas Exum chose as Guardian, than his son. The last witness was a William Exum. I believe this to be his brother, William and not his son, William.

    No wife was named, so Anne had died before Michael Micajah. Children named were: William, John, Susannah, Micajah, Thomas and Barnaby.


    Brother William wrote his will in October of 1790, and it was proved in February of 1795. He had a wife named Mary. At this time, Micajah's son William was in Anson County. 





    Here is William in the 1790 census of Anson County.  There is one male over 16, himself, and two females. Micajah, his brother, is not listed, besides already having land there. 






    And here is Willian's 300 acres Grant on Jack's Branch, bordering that of his brother, Micajah Exum, witnessed by Micajah II and Barnaby Porter. 



    Barnaby Exum died 11 years after his father. His will had been written on April 9, 1792, and recorded in November of 1796, in Edgecomb County, NC. He had two sons, Williamson and William and a daughter, Simma. His wife remains unknown, but it appears he died a young man and must have outlived her. 



    There are more records on Micajah II, probably due to the number of Williams, that are difficult to tell apart, and Micajah being a rarer name. He married Martha Van on December 29, 1800, in Edgecomb. It appears he went to Edgecomb after having lived for a while in Anson County, to marry her. Did he return with her to Anson? It is believed so. Martha was a widow. She was actually Martha 'Patsy' House Vann, the daughter of a Revolutionary War Veteran, name Jacob House, who had married Elizabeth Phillips, and we see the Phillips name again. Micajah had married his cousin. Patsy was the widow of an Edward Lee Vann and had several children. 

    Thomas Exum, another of the brothers, married the same year to Elizabeth King. Again, the Coker family with Jacob Coker as his bondsman. 


    Anne Phillips


    Anne Phillips married Michael Micajah Exum about 1762, in Surry County, Virginia, making her my 6th Great Grandmother. She passed away sometime before her husband, and we can't know exactly where. 

    Anne sprang from a well-documented family. Her father, John Phillips was born in Brunswick County, Virginia about 1690, son of William Phillips (1679-1721) and Mary Swann ((1679-1727). He died on January 10, 1777, in Brunswick County at the age of 83. 

    William Phillips was the son of Thomas Phillips (circa 1647) and wife Elizabeth, and was born in Surry County, Virginia. and died there on April 19, 1721, at the age of 42. His wife Mary Swann Phillips was also born in Surry and died there on March 17, 1727. Her mother was a Harris. 

    According to Southside Virginia Families Vol. 2 by John Bennett Boddie 1956, The Phillips Family, like the Exams had floated downstream into Edgecomb. Anne's father, William was known as "William Phillips of Blackwater", because he owned a plantation on the Blackwater River. William's father, Thomas, sometimes called 'Sir Thomas Philllips', was born in 1599 and came to Virginia aboard the "William and Thomas" in 1618. He was living in Basse's Choice, a James River Plantation at the time of the 1625 muster. His wife, Elizabeth, who was born in 1602, arrived aboard the "Sea Flower" in 1621.

    Sir Thomas Phillips received a grant of 300 acres in James City County in 1635, on the south side of the Chickahominy River, which was "150 acres for the personal adventure of himself, Elizabeth his wife and Elizabeth his daughter." Elizabeth, the widow of Thomas, gave a deposition in Surry County in 1672 and claimed to be 72 years old. 

    Mary Swann, the wife of William Phillips, parents of John, was the daughter of Matthew Swann who was an early resident of Surry County. When William Phillips died, he left a Will, dated February 14, 1721, and named his wife Mary, four sons, John, William, Swan and Matthew and three daughters, Ann, Mary and Elizabeth. His property included Blackwater Plantation, Round Hill Plantation and his "Home" plantation. Mary outlived Willam by six years and wrote her will on March 28, 1727. She names her daughter Mary, wife of John Edwards, daughter Ann, niece Mary Crafford, daughter of Carter Crafford, her daughter Elizabeth, wife of William Hancock, and sons William and Swan Phillips, and granddaughters, Ann Hancock and Mary Swann. 

    John, the oldest son of William and Mary Swann Phillips, is thought to have married twice, the first time to Hannah Fort and the second to Martha Crafford. His daughter Anne would have been a product of the second wife, and therefore of Crafford descent. He was the father of ten children:
    1725 John Phillips Jr.
    1727 Arthur Phillips
    1728 Mary Phillips
    1730 Joseph Phillips
    1732 Lucy Phillips
    1734 Sarah Phillips
    1736 Anne Phillips
    1738 Elizabeth Phillips
    1740 an unknown son who died before 1758, his clothing willed to Hartwell
    1741 Hartwell Phillips

    Three sons were known to have moved to Edgecomb County; Arthur, Joseph and Hartwell.

    Joseph Phillips married Sarah Exum and named two of their five children Exum Phillips and Etherdred Phillips. Hartwell married Jane Hancock. 






    The Will of William Exum III, father of Michael Micajah Exum













    James Turner

    James Turner Sr. (1771- August 12, 1843) who married Susanna Exum (1772- May 3, 1843), dates of death coming from the Family Bible, still in family possession in Anson County, NC, is not the subject of this post, but as a 5th Great Grandfather, garners a mention. He has been much more difficult to research, as he had such a common name in early North Carolina. He was not the only James Turner during his day, even excluding his own son, and he often gets merged with the other James Turner, who was a more socially involved and connected man. 

    James has also been made difficult to research due to another James Turner (1766-1824) from Butte, Warren and Granville County, who served three terms in the State House of Representatives, then a term as Senator in 1801, and as the Governor of North Carolina from 1803-1805. So, when looking for James Turner in old records, this is the James Turner who pops up most of the time. 

    There are a few records, outside of the known records in Anson, which involved his children and his will, which of course I could be certain were my James, like the one from Edgecomb, below.







    And this one from an estate sale including members of the Exum and Phillips families






    Here is a mention of him in the estate sale of Robert Thompson in 1798 Edgecomb. He was a young man, and not making many traces in records yet. 


    I believe him to be the son of the James Turner, shown below, a much older James Turner, who lived in Southhampton County, and then later in Edgecomb. 



    Above is a document involving the older James Turner. 




    Southhampton County, Virginia sits on the Virginia-North Carolina border, meeting Sussex to the west and Isle of Wight to the east, and a corner of Surry to the north. James Senior was in Edgecomb by 1761, a decade before James Jr. (who would later become James Sr. of Anson), was born. 




    I'm still working on some thing, some fact or even an unignorable coincidence, that nails my James Turner to this James Turner, but I've not uncovered that nail, or even a thumbtack, yet. It hovers just out of reach. 

    If my James is that James, his mother was a Martha "Patty" Phelps, and he comes from a line of James Turners, in the way that Micajah Exum came from a line of William Exums. 

    There is still a lot to discover about Michael Micajah Exum, and his family in particular. I have planned to do an extensive F. A. N. search on all of those around him, and see if I can discover, at a minimum, what became of his children and grandchildren. Who all survived and where did they go. I do know that the one Exum/Axom who was left in Anson in 1850, Samuel, migrated ever more south, like many others, and one orphan child of Julia, who lived with Reddick Drew, James Turner's eventual son-in-law, ended up in Union County where a handful of Axom/ Exum descendants live to this day.