Stony Fork Report

For a birthday present, I opted for a trip to Wilkes County, North Carolina. We started out at 7:30 the morning of June 10 for the 2 ½ hour drive to Wilkesboro, North Carolina.  My focus for this research trip was on the Tripletts and Fergusons.  I was, also, happy to find some West information along the way. After spending about 4 hours searching through deeds and wills in the Wilkes County Court House, we made our way to Stony Fork.

Mt. Zion Adventist
Church Cemetery

Needless to say, the beauty and serenity of the area remains the same. Our first stop was at the cemetery often called the Triplett Cemetery but was apparently known as the Mt. Zion Adventist Church Cemetery where Franklin West and his wife Cynthia Holder are buried.  Franklin was the brother of my 2nd great grandfather, Alexander Balus West.  I hoped to find the graves of my 3rd great grandparents, John Balus West and Mary Ann Swanson in this cemetery.  Since his son and daughter-in-law, Franklin and Cynthia Holder West, are buried there, it seemed logical that I would.   However, I could not find a marker with their names among the many small, unmarked fieldstones.  I still believe that John Balus and Mary Ann are buried near Franklin and Cynthia beneath one of those unmarked fieldstones.  Thus far, the location of their burial is unknown.

While we were meandering among the tombstones and fieldstones, a lovely, sweet lady, Marie, came from her home, which is behind the cemetery, and talked with us.  I gained significant information from Marie. 

Marie and her husband, who died in the 1970s, purchased the property and built their home on it at some earlier time.  Since the cemetery is on the front part of her property, she later purchased it from a man named Jordan who told her the land where they both lived had been Carlton property.

Possibly the Old Carlton Home

The Carltons were my ancestors.  Charlotte “Lottie” Carlton (b 1814) and Braxton Barlow (1812-1880) were my 3^rd great grandparents. Charlotte’s parents, Thomas Carlton (1756-1844) and Catherine Livingston (1778-1837), were my 4^th great grandparents.   At this point in time, I don’t know which Carlton family would have been the last owner of the property and the family from whom the man named Jordan purchased it.  However, this information confirms the fact that the Carltons lived “down the road” east of the Land and West families.

Marie said that the church, the Mt. Zion Adventist Church, had burned years ago, and the congregation moved “down the road.”  The building had stood in front of where her home is located.  When my cousin, Joanne, and I were there a few years ago, we speculated that it may have been in the clearing to the left of Marie’s house.  Marie indicated that baptisms occurred, as Joanne and I surmised, in the creek which is on the property.   Marie said that Mt. Zion Baptist Church on Mt. Zion Road, currently maintains the cemetery.

According to Marie, at one time a now-deceased resident of the community knew who was buried beneath every tombstone, including those unmarked fieldstones.  Unfortunately, he never made a record of these graves before he died.  How sad.

Marie told the story of the death of a Charlie Albert West who is buried in the cemetery.  This event happened in 1920 before she moved to the property.  Charlie, who was about 15 at the time, was going hunting with one of the Carlton sons.  As Charlie was coming across the field on the Carlton property to meet him, the Carlton boy mistook him for an animal and accidently shot and killed Charlie.  The tombstone indicates that Charlie was the son of M. L. West and V. A. West.

We greatly enjoyed meeting and talking with Marie.  She said that many people come from “all over” to visit the well-kept cemetery.  I asked if I could take her picture, but she declined indicating that she was not presentable.  She had a bucket of pea shells that she was taking across the road to give to the cattle, who, she said, really enjoyed them.

Mt. Zion Baptist Church
and Cemetery

After our pleasant visit with Marie, we drove west “on down the road” to the Mt. Zion Baptist Church Cemetery where we spent some time revisiting those graves.  Not many of my ancestors or relatives are buried there. 

While at this cemetery, we had the opportunity to talk with Chris who was spraying weeds in the church parking lot.  Chris recalled that the George Wellborn family had lived in the house that we believe to be the old West home.  He said that the house burned sometime in the 1960s.  Again, his memories reinforce the idea that the location of this home across from the old Mt. Zion Post Office was where my great grandparents, Thomas Harvey West and America Ann McNeil, lived for many years prior to their removal to Banner Elk about 1902 or 1903.  Also, I think that the home may have been that of Alexander Balus West and Nancy Land, my 2^nd great grandparents.  Alexander Balus West was killed in the Third Battle of Winchester of the Civil War, in 1864.  Nancy Land West lived with Thomas Harvey and America McNeil West and moved with them to Banner Elk were she died in 1903.

When we came to the Thomas Land Family plot, which is on the property owned by the Mingo Tribal

Thomas Land Family Plot

Preservation Trust, we found the cemetery to be in no better condition and possibly worse condition than it had been in 2011.  The weeds are so high and thick that it would be impossible for anyone to enter it and find tombstones.  The split-rail fence continues to deteriorate and fall.  Likewise, the Tuscarora Ranch does not appear to be operational.  I was amused that the few cattle that were in the barn came out to inspect “their intruders” and lined up in a row in their corral staring at us as we got into our car to leave.  Even though the grounds and fields were well-maintained, the ranch appears to be mostly abandoned and in disrepair with much of the fencing deteriorating and in need of paint. 

View of Tuscarora Ranch

I continue to have concerns about the future of this small plot of graves.  I certainly hope that it will not be bull-dozed and obliterated.  In order to try to guarantee its preservation, in September 2012, I registered it with the North Carolina Cemetery Survey Project which is part of the North Carolina Division of Archives and History.  In March 2012, I received acknowledgement from an archivist at the North Carolina State Archives indicating that my information about the Thomas Land Family Cemetery has become part of the permanent records of the North Carolina Cemetery Survey Project.  In addition, George and Joyce McNeil recorded this grave in 1989 when the heirs of G. W. Wellborn owned the land.  The McNeils, who rendered an outstanding service with their cemetery transcriptions, later published them. Copies are located in the Wilkes Community College Library and in other genealogical libraries.

Even though it was the day before my actual birthday, I did something that I love to do—visit courthouses, libraries, and cemeteries!  What a great day!

(You may double click on the photos to enlarge them. Also, a preview pane of all of them will appear at the bottom of the screen. You may select from the preview pane the one/s you wish to enlarge.)

Small Pieces of the Puzzle Contribute to the Whole—Alexander West (c1730)

Some information that I recently found in a document sent to me by my 5^th cousin, Howard Douglas “Doug” Land, Jr., was of great interest to me.  The article, entitled “A History of Alexander County, North Carolina,” was written by William E. White.  It was copied from a scrapbook owned by Mrs. Bynum D. Deal of Davidson, North Carolina.  Mr. White published the document in the Taylorsville Times in 1926.  As I read the document, my interest was immediately stirred by my paternal West family surnames of West and Carlton and by my maternal Hughes family surnames of Hughes and Honeycutt.

As I read further, I discovered notations about Alexander West, who, I assume, was my 5^th great grandfather, Alexander West (born about 1730), and his son, Alexander West (born in 1751).  Before I address the information found in the article, I would like to revisit the historical and political events that were occurring during those turbulent years of the 1760s and 1770s.

Western North Carolina was experiencing corruption, tyrannical power, and excessive taxation at the hand of the Colonial government, namely that of provincial governor, William Tryon.  The events leading up to the rebellion began as early as 1765. Those living in the back country of Western North Carolina were “freeholders peacefully living in a frontier paradise.”  In 1766 due to the political unrest developing in the back county, the Sandy Creek Association, the first Regulator group, was organized. Political instability in the backcountry came to a head when Governor Tryon decided to build “his palace” in New Bern, for which large sums of money were appropriated by the colonial government.  To the Regulators, this proposed building represented the corruption of government that they believed existed.  Likewise, the Regulators were suspicious that the government was conspiring to take away their liberties, threaten their property, and restrict their rights as Englishmen.  As a result, additional Regulator organizations were established in Western North Carolina.  In 1768, Governor Tryon ordered them to disband, and militia units from coastal counties were sent to Orange County.

On May 16, 1771, the Regulators respectfully petitioned Governor Tryon to hear their grievances.  Tryon rejected their request, ordered them to lay down their arms, and gave them only one hour to meet his demands.  The Regulators were enraged, dared the governor to “fire and be damned,” and the battle of Alamance on Great Alamance Creek near Hillsborough, then known as the “capitol of the backwoods,” began.  The numbers of militia who were killed and wounded are debatable.  However, the Regulators sustained heavy causalities including several others who were hanged.  In 1775 with the Revolution underway, Governor Martin, with the King’s permission, granted full pardons to all of the Regulators with the exception of Herman Husband, the organizer of the first group.  This was done with hopes of enlisting support for the British cause.  The pardon, however, did not rally great support for the British cause.

The Regulator movement was centered in the counties of Anson, Dobbs, Halifax, Rowan, and Orange. Western North Carolinians wanted a new political system.  Even though it was squelched, the Regulator movement was a rehearsal for revolution and was clearly a forecast of the revolutionary events to come. 

My fifth great grandfather, Reverend George McNeil (1720-1805), was affiliated with the Sandy Creek Baptist Association.  In my blog post of August 30, 2012, I stated the following about Reverend George McNeil:

He was affiliated with the famous Sandy Creek Baptist Association which Shubal Stearns started with six local Baptist churches.  This organization was likely the same as the Sandy Creek Association, a precursor of the Regulator Movement that protested government oppression and abuse of funds.   After the battle between the Regulators and the English militia in 1771 in the outskirts of Hillsborough at Alamance Creek, Governor William Tryon assumed that the Baptists were Regulators and concentrated over 3,000 soldiers in their areas to harass and terrorize them.   In the letter of May 28, 1898, G. W. McNeil, Sr. states that “he [George McNiel] joined the Regulators and after the battle of Alamance and fled for safety into Virginia where he lived for a time in Grayson County.”

And now to my West ancestors…

As I have lamented so many times, I have reached a “brick wall” in my search for my fifth great grandfather, Alexander West, who was born about 1730.  Research indicates that he was associated with individuals who lived in Orange, Surry, and Wilkes Counties.   In Orange County I have found him connected with John West, Sr. and with John West, Jr., in 1752-1768 and in 1754 with William Mills and William Mills, Jr.  He is found in an early North Carolina census in 1755 in Orange County.   In Surry-Wilkes County in 1771-1777, he was mentioned with his son, Alexander West.   In 1778 in Wilkes County he or his son, Alexander West (1751-1834) was noted in association with William Triplett on the Yadkin River and James Tugman on Glady Branch, with John Ferguson, William Brown, and Daniel Johnson in 1779, with Isaac West and Bray Crisp on Glady Fork in 1782, and with Daniel Sutherlin on Glady Fork in 1784.

In the article, “A History of Alexander County, North Carolina,” the following statement was made about Alexander West who, I presume, was the Alexander West born about 1730:

“Also there is documentary evidence that Alexander West assisted in building houses in Hillsboro after it was laid off on the lands of the great surveyor, William Churton.”

In another section of the document, Alexander West,  who, again, I presume to be the Alexander West who was born about 1730, is described as “a refugee,” implying that he was one of the many who left the Hillsborough area of Orange County sometime prior to 1771 due to the tyranny of Governor Tryon.  This section is quoted below as follows:

“Alexander West was another refugee; a large muscular man, of prodigious strength and physical powers and at the same time a man of excellent judg­ment and undoubted integrity. Nelson A. Powell, the historian of Caldwell County, leaves the record that Alexander West assisted in building the first houses in the town of Hillsboro. He first settled on lands between Barrett's Mountain and Lower Little River, but after the Revolutionary War, sold out there, and moved to lands on Upper Little River, in what is now Caldwell County. His descendants still live in Caldwell. It is told of him that he would not use dogs in the capture of game, but depended upon his complete knowledge of the habits of the wild animals and was entirely successful.”

A third reference to Alexander West concerned the establishment of an iron works by Andrew Baird sometime after 1788.  Baird was given a grant for 18,000 acres in Whittenburt Township of Alexander County.  Some tracks of land belonging to other individuals within those 18,000 acres were excepted from the grant.  However, a prior land grant to Alex West, which lay within Baird’s grant, was not “excepted.”  The reference to this Alexander West may have been the son of Alexander West born about 1732.

Other West relatives…

In addition to the Alexander Wests, two distant cousins were mentioned in the article.  Brothers, J. [James] Harvey West and Hiram West, who were my 2^nd cousins 4 times removed, served at the Bethlehem Church in 1871.  Hiram West was the pastor from 1872 to August 1878.  H. [Hiram] West was listed as the pastor at Dover Baptist Church in what was then Burke County on April 9, 1864. J. H. [James Harvey] West served at Center Church from December 3, 1865 to the “5^th Saturday” in January 1876.

Another relative…

Henry Carlton “of the Yadkin settlers from Virginia entered and located at the Hickory Knob in the pioneer days.  The Knob in its primeval condition was an ideal mountain home, but Henry drifted back to his old settlement and finally emigrated to the west.”  I assume that this Henry Carlton was the son of Thomas Carlton and Mary Land, my 4^th great grandparents.

Even though these are “tidbits” of information, those small pieces add to the completion of the larger puzzle.  Thanks, Doug, for sharing this article and for all of the materials that you so graciously share.

Sources:

• McNeil, George W., Sr. Personal Letter Describing His Grandfather, Reverend George McNiel, for a Memorial Booklet, May 28, 1898.
• Mobley, Joe A., ed. The Way We Lived in North Carolina. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 2003.
• Ready, Milton. The Tar Hill State, A History of North Carolina. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina, 2005.
• White, William E., “A History of Alexander County, North Carolina,” Taylorsville Times, 1926.

Exciting News: A New West Cousin!

 On October 9, 2013, my sister and I discovered that both of us genetically match D, a female with the maiden name of West.  About two or three years ago, I became acquainted with D, a second cousin, through e-mail.  At that time we shared information about our common great grandparents, Thomas Harvey West and America Ann McNeil.  Recently, I was elated to find that D participated in Family Tree DNA’s Family Finder test which resulted in the identification of our genetic match.  As we were confirming our genetic match with our paper trail, D confided that she had become interested in DNA testing as a result of reading this blog.  I was pleased that my posts have encouraged others to be tested.

Since we discovered our match, D and I have shared in-common matches and information with each other.  D is also a genetic match with my 4^th cousin, Joanne, another West descendant, whom I have mentioned in previous blog posts.  Working with these ladies to discover our common heritage and share information has been quite rewarding.  I look forward to our continued relationship.

As I have done before, I encourage others who are serious amateur genealogists to participate in genetic testing.  Genetic testing does not preclude documentation with the paper-trail.  Both of these genealogical methods support each other.  Genetic testing provides proof of relationships, but the paper trail is necessary to confirm the degree or level of the relationship.

Genetics Proved the Paper Trail

Two nights ago on my sister’s Family Tree DNA website, I discovered that she is a genetic match with one of my blog readers.  A few months earlier, by examining our paper trail, my blog reader and I realized that we were 6^th cousins.   George McNeil and Mary Coates are our 5^th great grandparents.  The Family Tree DNA website revealed that this blog reader is also a genetic match with my sister.  I was elated because the genetic match confirms the paper trail! 

Sadly, I am not a genetic match with my reader.  Often, when my sister or I match with an individual and the other one does not, I am asked why this happens.  Most of the time, my sister and I do match with the same individuals.  However, one of us may share more or fewer centimorgans (cMs) with the match than the other does.  When the match is not a strong match, both of us may not match with the individual in question because the non-matching sister did not get enough of that DNA required for a match.  I’m sure that’s why I am not also a match with my blog reader.  The reader and my sister share a small portion of DNA which is enough for them to be considered genetic matches.  I just didn’t get enough of that DNA to meet the threshold set by Family Tree DNA to be considered a match.

According to the paper trail, George McNeil and Mary Coates are the 5^th great grandparents of my reader and my sister and me.  Because they are our 5^th great grandparents, my sister and I are 6^th cousins with my reader.  Since Family Tree DNA estimates that my sister and my reader are 4^th cousins, we may be related through some other families.  Not only do we share the surnames of McNeil and Coates but also the surnames of Stout, Wagoner/Waggoner, and Wilson.  McNeil, Coates, and Wilson are from our grandfather West’s maternal lineage.  Wilson is also found in our grandmother West’s lineage.  Stout is from our grandfather Hughes’ maternal line.  The name Wagoner/Waggoner is from our grandmother Hughes’ maternal lineage.  Therefore, we may share a closer cousinship through one of these ancestors.

Never the less, the three of us are cousins as proved not only by the paper trail but also by genetics.

Hopefully, in the near future my sister and I will find that we are genetic matches with others from our West family.

Charlotte’s Paternal Pedigrees—Barlow, Carlton, Ferguson, Land, McNeil, Triplett

As I have researched my ancestors and tried to create a record of their being and of my link to them, I have come to realize that I should publicize these various pedigrees, the direct lines from which I descend, for the benefit of others.  Indeed, much research remains to be done, and current information may change as new information becomes available or is discovered.    Therefore, the listing below of some of the pedigrees in my paternal family reflects information that I have at this time but should not be considered as “set in stone.”  Since my West pedigree appears in the left margin of each of these posts, it is not included in the list below. 

Barlow Pedigree

Thomas Barlow and Elizabeth Carlton

John Barlow, Sr. and Elizabeth or Ann

John Barlow, Jr. and Merritt Elizabeth Kendall

Braxton Barlow and Charlotte “Lottie” Carlton

Martha Adeline Barlow and Milton “Milt” McNeil

America Ann McNeil and Thomas Harvey West

William Charles West, Sr. and Ada Beatrice McQueen

William Charles West, Jr. and Ruth Stella Hughes

Charlotte Ruth West

Carlton Pedigree

Thomas Carlton and Mary Land

Nancy Jane Carlton and William Thomas Land

Nancy E. Land and Alexander Balus West

Thomas Harvey West and America Ann McNeil

William Charles West, Sr. and Ada Beatrice McQueen

William Charles West, Jr. and Ruth Stella Hughes

Charlotte Ruth West

Ferguson Pedigree

Thomas Ferguson, Sr.

Richard  Ferguson and Verlinda “Linnie” Triplett

Elender “Nellie” Ferguson and Larkin “Lark” McNeil

Milton “Milt” McNeil and Martha Adeline Barlow

America Ann McNeil and Thomas Harvey West

William Charles West, Sr. and Ada Beatrice McQueen

William Charles West, Jr. and Ruth Stella Hughes

Charlotte Ruth West

Land Pedigree

Curtis Land I and Mary Hodge

Curtis Land II and Mary Williamson

John Land

Thomas Land and Eleanor McClanahan

Thomas Land and Anne Sumter

Jonathan Land and Elizabeth Isbell

William Thomas Land and Nancy Jane Carlton

Nancy E. Land and Alexander Balus West

Thomas Harvey West and America Ann McNeil

William Charles West, Sr. and Ada Beatrice McQueen

William Charles West, Jr. and Ruth Stella Hughes

Charlotte Ruth West

McNeil Pedigree

Thomas McNeill and Mary Hannah Parsons

George McNiel and Mary Sarah Coats
Joseph McNiel and Hannah Wilson

Larkin “Lark” McNeil and Elender “Nellie” Ferguson

Milton “Milt” McNeil and Martha Adeline Barlow

America Ann McNeil and Thomas Harvey West

William Charles West, Sr. and Ada Beatrice McQueen

William Charles West, Jr. and Ruth Stella Hughes

Charlotte Ruth West

Triplett Pedigree

Francis Marion Triplett III and Elizabeth Browne

William Triplett and Eleanor Harbin

Verlinda “Linnie” Triplett and Richard Ferguson

Elender “Nellie” Ferguson and Larkin “Lark” McNeil

Milton “Milt” McNeil and Martha Adeline Barlow

America Ann McNeil and Thomas Harvey West

William Charles West, Sr. and Ada Beatrice McQueen

William Charles West, Jr. and Ruth Stella Hughes

Charlotte Ruth West

Happy New Year, 2013

May I take this opportunity to wish all of my readers and cousins a Happy New Year!  The past year of 2012 has been a busy one for me.  In addition to researching on the computer and at our local libraries, I have engaged in the following activities:

·        been in contact with many of my DNA matches and those of my sister and  have discovered a number of new cousins

·        attended a genealogical conference in Wytheville, Virginia

·        researched for several days in Greenville and Columbia, South Carolina, looking for my 4^th great grandfather, John West

·        met for the first time my Nevada 5^th cousin and DNA match, Scherry, from the Hughes side of my family

·        celebrated my 50^th wedding anniversary

·        attended the McQueen reunion in Johnson City, Tennessee, where I met many cousins from my Grandmother Ada McQueen West’s family

·        visited Cumberland Gap on the Tennessee-Kentucky border where many early settlers seeking a better life crossed over into Kentucky through “the gap” which was blazed by Daniel Boone and his ax men

·        visited the Tipton-Haynes Historical Site in Johnson City, Tennessee, where I discovered my connection with the Tipton family

·        spent a day with Anne, a Tipton 4^th cousin 1R

·        visited Mountain City, Tennessee, where my McQueen and Moreland ancestors lived, and researched at the county library

·        researched two days with 5^th cousin Scherry in Bakersville, Mitchell County, North Carolina, where our Hughes ancestors had lived

·        attended the Christmas celebration at the Carter Mansion in Elizabethton, Tennessee, where I became acquainted with a docent, Linda, who turned out to be my 6^th cousin descending from George McNeil and Mary Coats

For the New Year, I have a “bucket list” of ancestral places I want to revisit – Wilkes, Avery, Yancey, and Mitchell counties of North Carolina, and Johnson County, Tennessee, and new destinations I want to explore in Virginia – Grayson County, Winchester, and Leesburg.  Also, I resolve to work on my computer files and those 8 boxes of paper files sitting on the floor of my study.

Other New Year’s wishes are that I may discover many more “cousins” and have more contact with my blog readers.

Many thanks to those of you who follow this blog.  May you have a happy, healthy, and blessed New Year.  And, please, let me hear from you!

A Newly-Discovered McNeil Cousin!

One never knows whom he will meet during a simple, holiday outing! 

On Friday evening, December 7, 2012, my husband, Doug, and I, accompanied by a few members of my genealogy club, participated in the guided Christmas tour of the Carter Mansion in Elizabethton, Tennessee. 

To set the stage for this account, I would like to provide some historical information about this site.



An Evening at the Carter Mansion
Elizabethton, Carter County, Tennessee



The Carter Mansion on the Watauga River in Carter County, Tennessee, is the oldest mansion in Tennessee.  John Carter of Virginia purchased 640 acres of land in the area, which was known as the “Watauga Old Fields,” where he erected his home between 1775 and 1781.  This western frontier was decreed “off-limits” to settlers by King George III in his 1763 Proclamation.  However, as we recall, little did the adventuresome pioneers heed this degree.  John Carter was a prominent leader in the Watauga Association.  This association is recognized as “the first democratic association of free American-born men west of the Appalachians.”   After his death of smallpox in 1781, his son, Landon Carter, assumed a leading role in the Watauga Settlement.   Carter County was named for Landon Carter, and the town of Elizabethton was named for his wife, Elizabeth MacLin Carter. 

The Carter Mansion is part of the Sycamore Shoals State Historical Museum under the Tennessee State Parks.  Sycamore Shoals was the site where the Overmountain Men mustered and departed as they marched to Kings Mountain, the site of that epic Revolutionary War battle.



Wassail by the Bonfire



As we were touring the mansion and talking with the re-enactors, to my surprise, my discussion with the docent playing the role of Mrs. John Carter revealed that she and I descend from the same McNeil family of Wilkes County, North Carolina.  Immediately, we exchanged our contact information so that we could follow up this brief encounter.

Through our e-mail communications and our Ancestry.com trees, we have determined that we are 6^th cousins with our most recent common ancestors (MRCAs) being our 5^th great grandparents, Rev. George McNeil and Mary Coats.  My newly-found cousin, Linda, descends through George and Mary McNeil’s daughter, Elizabeth who married Robert Bingham, and I descend from George and Mary McNeil’s son, Joseph McNeil and his wife Hanna Wilson. 

What a small world!  Yet, how exciting!

_________________________________________________________________

Source:  "The Carter Mansion, Wilderness Elegance on the Watauga River," Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee State Parks, 2006.

Reverend George McNiel, a Founding Father

Thanks to my reader and newly found cousin, Barbara, for more information about the McNeil family!

On August 27^th, Barbara left a comment on my post, “Poet’s Progress,” which appeared in my blog on December 16, 2011.   Barbara provided me with additional information about the McNeils and shared my connection with her.  As I sat at my computer late that night composing a reply to her, I realized that a blog post would better serve my purpose.  I quickly dashed off a comment to her with the promise that I would address my thoughts to her in a future blog.  So…here it is.

Barbara and I have discovered that we share common grandparents, George McNiel and Mary Coats, our 5^th great grandparents, which makes us 6^th cousins.  Wow, what a long way back among ancestors!

At this point I must mention that there were several George McNiels/McNeils and will distinguish between them by referring to the George McNiel born in 1720 as McNiel.  I will address the various spellings later in this post.

According to my information, all of which needs additional research, George McNiel was born in 1720.  His 2^nd great grandson, James Larkin Pearson, in his autobiography, Poet’s Progress, indicated that George McNiel was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and died on June 7, 1805, in Parsonville, Wilkes County, North Carolina.  In fact, I found an application for membership in the Sons of the American Revolution, filed by my great uncle, Robert McNeil.  His application stated that George McNiel was from Glasgow, Scotland.  Robert was documenting his application with the fact that George McNiel served with the Overmountain Men under Colonel Cleveland in the Revolutionary War battle at King’s Mountain. Actually, George McNiel did participate in that battle; he served as the chaplain with this regiment.

George McNiel was married to Mary Coats, who was born in 1722 in Watauga, North Carolina, and died in1782 in Wilkes County.  James Larkin Pearson stated in his book that George met and married “Miss” Coats in Grayson County, Virginia.  Apparently, since one or more of their children were born there, they lived in Grayson prior to settling in Wilkes, North Carolina.  One on-line researcher indicates that Mary’s name may have been Mary Sarah Coats.  The name Coats/Coates appears to be spelled with and without an “e.”

George McNiel was educated in Scotland as a Presbyterian minister.  One can only speculate as to why he decided to emigrate from Scotland to America.  Was it because he wanted to minister to the people in America, was it for land and a better life, was it from oppression endured in his native land, or did he emigrate with his family?  A letter written on May 28, 1898, by George McNiel’s grandson, G. W. McNeil, Sr., indicates that he (George McNiel) came with his two brothers, John and Thomas.

By the 1740s the emotionalism of Europe’s Great Awakening was translated into the middle colonies with young, “New Side” Presbyterian evangelists encouraging the demand for greater religious freedom.  The settlers were rebelling against the established, formal religions of the Church of England and the Congregationalists. With this “New Side” approach, an emphasis was placed on evangelism and personal conversion which included an emphasis on the hereafter.  This religious movement in America, known as the Great Revival, included not only Presbyterians but also Baptists and Methodists and was dominant in North Carolina.  By the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the Baptist denomination was the largest religious group in North Carolina.  The Presbyterian Church did not get started in Wilkes County until 1837 with the first church in Wilkesboro.  Evidently, these conditions were prime factors in George McNiel’s decision to become a Baptist preacher.

No evidence can be found that he ever preached as a Presbyterian minister in America.  According to his grandson’s writings, George McNiel switched to the Baptist denomination since he felt that he could best reach the people as a Baptist.  He was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1776.   His name is found in the minutes and church histories of several different churches in Wilkes County, and he was a member of several of the area associations. He was instrumental in starting the Beaver Creek Church in 1779.   He worked with some of the famous Baptist ministers of the time, namely Shubal Stearns and John Cane. 

He was affiliated with the famous Sandy Creek Baptist Association which Shubal Stearns started with six local Baptist churches.  This organization was likely the same as the Sandy Creek Association, a precursor of the Regulator Movement that protested government oppression and abuse of funds.   After the battle between the Regulators and the English militia in 1771 in the outskirts of Hillsborough at Alamance Creek, Governor William Tyron assumed that the Baptists were Regulators and concentrated over 3,000 soldiers in their areas to harass and terrorize them.  In the letter of May 28, 1898, G. W. McNeil, Sr. states that “he [George McNiel] joined the Regulators and after the battle of Alamance and fled for safety into Virginia where he lived for a time in Grayson County.”

In Wilkes County, George McNiel established a ministry at the Deep Ford Meeting House in the Reddies River area.  Later in his life he became a “traveling” preacher crossing the mountains and valleys of the Lewis Fork country sides probably on a horse or on foot to preach at the various churches under his domain.  Pearson says, “I suspect that he was an old-time orator of great enthusiasm and power.”  According to my 1^st cousin 1R, he was likely a “hell-fire and damnation” preacher.  This was the commonly used style of preaching among those presenting the Gospel in the “New Side” way during the Great Revival of the 1700 and 1800s.

 George and Mary Coats McNiel had eight children: John, William, James (born between 1771-1774, died in 1834 in Wilkes County), Joseph (born in 1769 in Virginia, died April 28, 1855 in Lewis Fork, Wilkes, North Carolina), Benjamin, Thomas,  Elizabeth (born in 1767 in Wilkes, died in 1847 in Watauga, North Carolina), and Mary. 

The spelling of the surname, McNeil, has apparently evolved through several variations (McNiel, Mcneill, McNeill, and McNeil).  A couple of stories circulate concerning the spellings.  James Larkin Pearson, who was the 2^nd great grandson of George McNiel, stated in his autobiography that George McNiel spelled his name with the “i” before the “e.”  Later generations either kept that spelling or spelled it as McNeill or McNeil.  According to another McNeil cousin, Milton McNeil (my 2^nd great grandfather and George McNiel’s 2^nd great grandson), was the first to change the spelling of his name.   In a letter to me, my McNeil cousin stated that Milton McNeil “evidently wanted to distinguish himself from his poorer cousins" by changing the spelling of his name.  In Robert McNeil’s application for membership in the Sons of the American Revolution, he spelled his surname and that of George as McNeill.

According to Johnson J. Hayes, George McNiel was “the ancestor of all the McNeils in this area of the state, including Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany counties.” He was, indeed, a significant figure with a renowned legacy.

Finally, I am providing a table illustrating the connection between Barbara and me.  I hope that others with be interested in the information that Barbara and I have collected for the table.  Thanks again, Barbara, not only for providing me will additional information, but also for challenging and motivating me to tackle another line of my West family.  And, it’s always rewarding to find another “cousin” in the process.

6th Cousins	Charlotte	Barbara
5th Cousins	Charlotte’s father	Barbara’s mother
4th Cousins	William Charles West, Sr. (1892-1967)/Ada Beatrice McQueen (1895-1965)	Nora Bessie McNeil (1900-1992)/Wiley Thomas Snyder (1892-1988)
3rd Cousins	America Ann McNeil (1863-1949)/Thomas Harvey West (1858-1949)	George Thomas McNeil (1870-1959)/Clara Eva Hettie Ellen Jarvis (1873-1959)
2nd Cousins	Milton “Milt” McNeil (1846-1929)/Martha Adeline Barlow (1845-1929)	John G. “Blind John” McNeil (1832-1899)/Rachel Eller
1st Cousins	Larkin “Lark” McNiel (1813-1877)/Elender “Nellie” Ferguson (1802-1875)	George McNeil (1802-1878)/Susan Vannoy (1803-1883)
Brothers	Joseph McNiel (1769-1855)/ Mannah Wilson (d bef 1824)	James McNeil (1763-1834)/Mary “Polly” Shepherd (1773-1869)
MRCAs*	George McNiel (1720-1805)/Mary Coats (1722-1782)	George McNiel (1720-1805)/Mary Coats (1722-1782)

*Most Recent Common Ancestors

Resources:

·         Hayes, Johnson J. The Land of Wilkes. Wilkesboro, NC: Wilkes Heritage Museum, Inc., 1962, 2010.

·         Maple Springs Memorial Booklet. “The McNiel Family,”  Internet:

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=momrogerson&id=I3080

·         Mobley, Joe A., ed. The Way We Lived in North Carolina. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2003.

·         Pearson, James Larkin. Poet’s Progress, Autobiography of James Larkin Pearson, 1879-1981. Willkesboro, NC: Wilkes Community College, 1965, 2005.

·         Ready, Milton. The Tar Heel State, a History of North Carolina. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2005.

My Hiatus

I’m still here but have been on an unplanned, unwanted hiatus since my last post on July 7.   For the last 7 weeks, my list of topics has been empty. My research trip to South Carolina was unproductive as far as uncovering information about my 4^th and 5^th great grandfathers, John West and Alexander West I.  Therefore, I am currently at a stand-still or using the statement of genealogists, “I have reached a brick wall.”

What have I been doing?   I have expanded my research into my other families: the McQueen and Moreland families of my paternal grandmother, Ada Beatrice McQueen West; the Hughes and Honeycutt families of my maternal grandfather, Robert Avery Hughes, Sr.; and the Hoilman and Canipe families of my maternal grandmother, Lillie Mae Hoilman.  Also, I have begun “serious” research of my husband’s Dade and Jones families.  I would love to start blogs about each of these families but am concerned that I would not have time to devote to additional blogging.   In addition, keeping up with my DNA matches and digging for common ancestors that I share with them require much time and effort.

My West readers may be interested to learn than I am gradually uncovering a few West-related cousins among these DNA matches.  Some of these include matches to the McNeils, Fergusons, Tripletts, Carltons, and Lands. Still, I remain optimistic even though no information about my John or Alexander has surfaced.  Eventually, I want to expand my West blog, The Wests of Wilkes, to include more about these families.  I have already written about them in many of my previous posts.  If you haven’t already done so, click on the links to them.

I have had a few comments, all of which have been enlightening and appreciated.  I always respond to my readers’ comments.  I will, indeed, honor your requests not to publish comments that you wish to remain private but will respond to you through e-mail if you provide one.

Soon I will conclude the series on my West Patriarchs with a blog about my father, William Charles West, Jr.  Because he is a patriarch only to me, my sister, my daughter, my nephew, and my great niece and nephew, I must still honor him in such a tribute.

Thank you for your patience with my hiatus, and please let me know if you have a particular interest for a topic.