The Surname Thing Gets More Confusing

Posted: October 24, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: 2000+ The Search Continues, Uncategorized | Tags: , | 6 Comments

FYI: Stand by for upcoming posts concerning new DNA developments which call in question the information about Hidden MacGregors of Clan MacFarlane. As more information and analysis comes available, we might have to revise some of the things that we have written here in previous posts. (Deason Hunt)

Tracing The Orange Co. NC McFarlands Back in Time

Posted: April 5, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: 2000+ The Search Continues, Migration, Orange County, NC, Scots-Irish, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment
  1. Between 1748 and 1752, Orange County North Carolina grew from “not quite 20 taxables” to a population of approximately 4,000 people.
  2. First found record for the Orange County McFarlands (aka the hidden MacGregor MacFarlands) is 1755 when William McFarland is on an Orange County, Tax Roll.
  3. These McFarlands are believed to have been born in the period between 1750 and 1755 although specific location is not specified: William (Jr?) 1750, Peter 1751, Thomas 1751, William Thomas 1752 (same as Thomas?), Walter (Walker?) 1753, Peter 1753.
  4. No McFarlands (aka hidden MacGregors) in the area which would become Orange County (Granville, Edgecomb, Bertie, Chowan, Ablemarle) in the period 1664 to 1750.
  5. The search for parents or William McFarland (married Keziah) will find them wherever William was born about 1731.
  6. Two possibilities are Pennsylvania and nearby Virginia.
  7. Pennsylvania – There were grants along the Hyco River in what became northern Orange County in 1748, and along the Dan River, the Hogan Creek, and County Line Creek in 1751. In what became central Orange County, grants on the Eno River were entered for the year 1751. Governor Gabriel JOHNSTON reported that settlers were flocking in, mostly from Pennsylvania. The Eno community, about seven miles north of Hillsborough, was the most distinctly Scots-Irish settlement in the county. The Scots-Irish also lived east of the Haw River.They also settled in the area east of the Haw River and in the Little River and New Hope Creek sections. From the middle colonies came families of Scotch-Irish Presbyterians as well as German Lutherans. Members of both groups followed the same course of migration, traveling southward down the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road, through the Roanoke Gap in western Virginia, and on into the Yadkln River Valley of North Carolina. From there some moved eastward into Orange County making homes along Hyco Creek and the Eno and the Haw rivers.

Sources: http://www.carolana.com/NC/Counties/orange_county_nc.html,  http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ncalaman/early.html, http://www.hpo.ncdcr.gov/surveyreports/orangecountysurveypubmanuscript-1996.pdf

      8. Virginia – English immigrants from VA settled in northern Orange along the Hico River and County Line Creek.

Source: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ncalaman/early.html

Flat River Plats

Posted: February 10, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Cluster genealogy, Orange County, NC, Uncategorized | Tags: , , | 8 Comments

OrangeCo FlatPlat

Carolina Road

Posted: January 30, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: 2000+ The Search Continues, Migration, Orange County, NC, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Carolina Road or the “Old Carolina Road” are names for various sections of the Great Wagon Road and other routes in colonial America. “The ‘Old Carolina Road’, extending from Lancaster, Pennsylvania to the Yadkin Valley, was one of the most heavily traveled roads in eighteenth century America.”[1]

Central Virginia (High Road)
Starting in Pennsylvania, this “Carolina Road” led through southern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia and into Alabama. This was a major migration route of Swiss-German and Scotch-Irish settlers into frontier America in the 1740s until the American Revolutionary War.

Some consensus indicates this Carolina road started in Frederick, Maryland, with feeder roads and other trails reaching from Pennsylvania. Parts of this Carolina Road, almost 55 miles, follow modern U.S. Route 15 through Loudoun, Fauquier and Fairfax Counties in Virginia.

Used as a transportation route, in addition to early settlers, manufactured goods including woolen and linen clothes and leather products, such as harness, saddles, boots and shoes, were sent soOld Carolina Roaduth, and hides, indigo and money were sent back north. Many drovers herded swine, cattle, sheep and even turkey flocks along the Carolina Road. Because many of these drovers would pick up cows and other livestock to add to their herds in northern Virginia, this was also called the “Rogues’ Road” by local farmers. “Indeed, as early as 1747, a Fauquier land grant refers to the Carolina Road as “Rogues Road,” a name that appears in Fauquier and Loudoun deeds throughout the early 19OOs. A few miles north of Leesburg, on old Montresor farm, a narrow wooded stream valley still bears the name Rogues’ Hollow, for tradition states that this geographic depression was the lair for thieves about to plunder travelers.”[3]

Counties in Virginia, north to south, in the 1740-1750’s which the Carolina Road passed through or near were Fairfax (Loudon part in 1757), Prince William, Culpepper, Orange, Louisa, Goochland, Prince Edward (part would become Henry in 1776), Lunenburg (Halifx formed from part in 1752 and Mecklenburg formed from part in 1764). Brunswick was adjacent and east of Lunenburg.

Halifx and  Mecklenburg counties Virginia are directly north of old Granville County, NC from which Orange County, NC was formed.

North Carolina Section
The Carolina Road extended into North Carolina as a major trade route and access for early settlers. However, once again it became known by different names, both locally and regionally. “In our state it is known as the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road, the Great Wagon Road, or simply the Wagon Road. In Virginia, it is called the Carolina Road, because it led to Carolina.”[11]

An early settlement by Morgan Bryan, a Pennsylvania Quaker, took six weeks to travel from Pennsylvania to North Carolina.
“The trail called “The Great Wagon Road” or “The Old Carolina Road” passed thru the Bryan Settlement, about one mile south of the junction of the Deep Creek and the Yadkin River, at a place called the Shallow Ford.[12]”[13]

South Carolina
In York County, South Carolina, the Carolina Road seems to have split, one branch going westward to Chester and south to Columbia, South Carolina along U.S. Route 321, the other branch of the road staying nearer the river to Columbia (U.S. 21). The road ended at the Savannah River across from Augusta, Georgia.[14]

Orange Co NC Flat River Cluster

Posted: January 26, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Cluster genealogy, Rutherford County Hunts, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Interactions between families of interest in our research in North Carolina, Orange County, Flat River region are shown between surnames of male lines of the four main Hunts (brothers?) in Rutherford County, North Carolina in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. They are William Wat Hunt (Veasey and Brackett), Absalom Hunt (Veasey and DeVinney), William Kinchen Hunt (Duke), and our Thomas Hunt (McFarland). Nothing was found for Brackett in Orange County. Veasey and DeVinney were both among surnames in the FamilyTree DNA study of Veasey.

In this post is the Flat River area mind map created from research findings. (The map is so large that it cannot be read here, but you can download a PDF file by clicking on this link: Flat River Cluster.

Flat River Cluster.11

 

Grandad Was Right Updated

Posted: December 6, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: 2000+ The Search Continues, Family Stories, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Updated 6 December 2015

As with all genealogy as you connect with other researchers and compare information new things are discovered.

Since the “Granddad was right” article was written in 2013 we have met several Hunt researchers including Miles Philbeck, who is a descendant of William “Wat” Hunt a “supposed” older brother of  Thomas Hunt Sr. Since meeting Miles extensive DNA testing has been done on the male “siblings’ of Thomas Hunt Sr. (The article “Granddad was right” is appended to the end of this update.) 

Miles Philbeck discovered some interesting documents in the State Archives of North Carolina that pertain to William Thomas Hunt Sr born about 1787 in North Carolina. It seems in 1784 and 1785 in Orange County North Carolina there were two court cases of interest.

It seems that “John Hunt legal husband of Elizabeth Hunt charged his wife Elizabeth with adultery with William McFarland legal husband of Elizabeth McFarland”. At some point Elizabeth Hunt and William McFarland had even left the state of North Carolina together.

It appears from these records that Thomas Hunt Sr was a product of the adultery cases. The ironic part is there is not any Hunt DNA in Thomas Hunt Sr., as his mother was not a Hunt. As always with genealogy the answer to his parentage only generated many more questions that need to be answered.

The questions include is the John and Elizabeth Hunt mentioned in the documents the John Hunt who married Elizabeth Tyus? Is the William McFarland mentioned Senior or Junior (we believe it was Junior)?
If Thomas’ parents left the state and were together, how is it that William McFarland Jr came back and had several more children with a different wife? Did Elizabeth and John Hunt raise Thomas Hunt Sr?

In another ironic twist it seems that, none of the “brothers” of Thomas Hunt Sr., Absalom Hunt, William Wat Hunt, Kinch Hunt, and Thomas Hunt have any male line Hunt DNA. Every one of the descendants tested for a different family surname in the area. It seems that Elizabeth and John Hunt lead interesting lives. A descendant of Madison Hunt was also tested as he is in this area at the same time and to date only matches one other person in the ftdna database who also has the last name of Hunt.

William Wat Hunt descendant’s match males with the surname of Veazey and Brackett.
Absalom Hunt descendant’s match males with the surname of Veazey and DeVinney.

(William Wat and Absalom could be brothers and it may be that Elizabeth had a long term relationship with their father or that John Hunt may have been a Veazey himself)

William Kinch Hunt descendants match males with the surname of Duke.

Madison Hunt descendant’s matches a male with the surname of Hunt.

Many intriguing possibilities are still to be learned about these Hunts in Orange County NC / Rutherford County NC in the late 1700’s. Stay Tuned.
Granddad was Right (The original article)

When I was a child, my grandfather told me the story about how a McFarland child in England was orphaned, adopted by a Hunt family and how 200 years or so later, I was the result. The oral history had been passed from generation to generation with a few variations, but with several elements of the story being fairly consistent. There were some variation on the name. Some had the adoption happening in England, Wales, or as the result of parents dying at sea. Most all versions of the story had the child at 18 or so being given a new suit of clothes, $100 and being told that he was welcome to stay, or to find his own way in the world.

Flash forward 40 years. Long after my Grandfather died, DNA testing would come to be a reliable form of identification. Also, I would go through a marriage of 24 years, and shortly afterward, meet up with a retired engineer that happened to be a darned good genealogist. Susan took an interest in my story and decided to follow it to see where it went. One of the first things she did was to have me take a “YTDNA” test. After confirming positive for “human”, it also confirmed that somewhere along the line, a McFarland had been in my parentage. At least one element of the story Granddad told me was correct.

We know from Census and other records, that I’m related to a Thomas Hunt Sr. (born abt 1787 and died 28 July 1856). He is first found in Rutherford County NC with an William “Wat” and Absalom Hunt in the 1820 census. His first child is born in 1810 in North Carolina but what county is unknown.

The DNA test has Thomas Hunt an exact 37 match to the Orange County North Carolina McFarland’s. One record so far at least ties the Hunts to both counties. Absalom Hunt married his wife Patsy White in Orange County.

Thomas Hunt Sr moved to Blount County TN in 1828 and then to Rusk County Texas in 1851.

Thomas Hunt Sr named his children after both the Hunt and McFarland lines:

1. Elizabeth Betsey Nancy Hunt (1809) married James Madison Bedford (William “Wat Hunt was married to Rebecca Bedford)

2. Absalom (1811) Absalom Hunt was both in Orange and Rutherford Counties

3. James (1812) There is both a James Hunt and a James McFarland in Orange County NC. The McFarland married Nancy Matterson. The 1812 James Hunt married Pretia Rose in Blount County TN. One of my exact McFarland DNA matches ancestors also married into a Rose family in North Carolina.

4. John (1815) Both a John Hunt and John McFarland, the McFarland married Elizabeth Maddeson

5. William Marshall (My Line) (1816) After William Wat Hunt who was in Rutherford County. The Cain family also married later on into the McFarland’s and named one of their children William Marshall Cain

6. Stephen (1819 ) There are no Hunts or McFarland’s by this name. There is Stephen Wilson who signed petition and took in a Thomas Hunt (son of a Elizabeth Hunt)

7. Thomas Hunt Jr (1821)

8. Martha Cassandra (1822) No Martha (but there was a Martha Patsey Matterson marriage to Larkin McFarland) No Cassandra’s in either family.

9. Maddeson (son) (1828) Named after Maddeson family all four McFarland / Maddeson marriages took place before his birth

10. Mary Mahala (1830) No Mahala in either family that can be found at this time

11. Samuel (1832) There is a Samuel Hunt but no McFarland’s by this name

Through records in Orange County we have learned that a Henry Hunt lived about 3-4 miles from the Orange County McFarlands (William, Peter, and Thomas (the DNA match McFarlands)) however no connection has been found between Henry Hunt and my Hunt line. From the Family Finder DNA test I do match a person researching a Susannah Hunt born 1715 in England married John Palmer in New York in 1738 and dies in Orange County NC in 1760. Whether this is the same Hunt family is unknown. With the family finder test it is just as likely there is a match with unidentified ancestor.

Not much is known about Thomas Hunt Sr. wife but that her name was Lucy. Although several of their grandchildren were named Louvica, Louvisa, and Louisa it is highly likely this was her name. Interestingly enough that same unique spelling also is in the Rose family.

We are though looking for information on the extended family lines of Hunt, Palmer, Rose, Maddeson (Madison, Mattison), Cain, Ray, Allen, Horton, and we are sure several that we don’t even know yet.

At this point we still have several open questions. Was there an adoption as family legend holds? Am I the result of a chance encounter, a “paternity lapse”, or a “lucky neighbor”? In an ideal world, perhaps we’ll find a record in a 200-year old book that tells of an adopted child. Or maybe, as Ernest Gann said “the complete answer may only be revealed when it can no longer serve those most interested”. I’d like to hope that Granddad was right, and that Ernest Gann will be wrong, and with any luck at all, there’s a record out there that can definitively tie the two families together. The DNA test is irrefutable.

I am related to the McFarlands of Orange County NC from the late 1700’s. Like all of us, I am the child of many fathers. I’m proud of my deep roots in East Tennessee and North Carolina (from both my paternal and maternal sides). I’m also proud of my Scottish roots and the heritage that comes with it. It only took 40 years or so, but at this point, we’re confident that Granddad was right.

William T. (McFarland) Hunt and Susan Kromer Hunt

A page in the Hunt Archives displays the information above formatted a bit differently, but it is the same information and sources. The link:  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tompkins/hunt-family-legends/GranddadwasRight.html

A Quick Summary of MacGregor History From http://hal_macgregor.tripod.com/gregor/Gregor.htm

Posted: January 19, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment

“S’RIOGHAL MO DHREAM” (Royal is my race) is the claim of this, one of the most famous of Highland clans, and the principal branch of the Siol Alpin.  The clan claims descent from King Grig, the last 100% Pict to rule Albann, in the ninth century.
The ancestral home of the clan was the western highlands of Perthshire, including Glendochart, Glenstrae, Glenlyon and Glengyle.  Their earliest possession in  Argyll, was Glenorchy,  which was bestowed on the MacGregors for services rendered to Alexander II in his conquest of Argyll.  For a long time the MacGregors maintained possession of their lands by right of the sword, as was the ancient Scottish tradition.  The Campbells, by political clout and treachery, obtained grants of Loch Awe and other MacGregor lands.  Royal Commissions of Fire and Sword were issued against the MacGregors in 1488, 1563, 1589, and 1603.  Finally, in 1604, the name MacGregor was banned,  and efforts were made to annihilate the clan.  Nevertheless, Clan Gregor  supported the Stewart cause in the 17th and 18th centuries.   Charles II, because of their support, repealed the acts against Clan Gregor. This was confirmed by Cromwell, but  upon the accession of William of Orange, upon Campbell pressure, the acts of proscription were renewed due to appeals by the 7th Duke of Argyll.  One of the most horrific acts of revenge on behalf of the Campbells during this renewal, was the death by sustained torture of Lt. Colonel Donald Glas MacGregor, father to Rob Roy MacGregor and chief of the Glen Gyle MacGregors. It was not until 1775 that the penal statutes against the MacGregors were finally repealed, and not until 1784 did the British government bureaucracy finally enforce this edict..   In 1822, Sir Walter E. Scott arranged for clan Gregor to form the official bodyguard for King George IV when he visited Scotland, and in that same year, the clan Gregor Society was formed.  A meeting of the clan was held, where John Murray of Lanrick, afterwards Sir John MacGregor, Bart., descended from the house of Glenstrae, was recognized as chief.

There has never been any apology or recognition of universally recognized criminal acts against the MacGregor extended family by the British authorities.

Not only a McFarland but a “Hidden McGregor”

Posted: January 14, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | 6 Comments

The DNA testing not only confirmed the family legend it also yielded another surprise. It seems William Thomas Hunt Sr born 1787 might have known he was a McFarland but what it seems he didn’t know was that he was a McGregor also.

The DNA testing has matched the McGregor Clan.  The McFarland’s who are by DNA McGregor’s are called hidden because of what occurred in history in 1603.  With the results of Bill Hunt’s and Earl McFarland’s – Big Y – DNA test, we are also actively working with the McGregor Clan Societies to try and map where off the McGregor Tree Branch we fall.

It seems this Hunt family were McGregor’s to about 1600, then McFarland’s to 1800, then Hunts.  Since it has been 200 years since the last surname change the Hunt family should be ready for a new surname about now. 🙂

Here is a brief history lesson on why the McGregor’s changed to McFarland.  I am stealing Earl McFarland’s history lesson that he sent me.  Thank you Earl.

As a result of the Glen Fruin Battle (often referred to as a Massacre by the side that lost). Proscription allowed that if any person saw a group of 3 or more MacGregor males standing in a group he was allowed to shoot on sight, as many as he could hit, and not be charged with murder (he may have been able to claim the property of the deceased) , the women were branded (rumor has it some of their children were removed and put in foster homes). As a direct result of the Battle of Glen Fruin, the then Chief of the MacGregors and 11-12 of  his close associates were hanged…but the Chief was hanged exactly one foot higher “as befitting his station”.  by Earl McFarland

Many of the McGregor’s adopted new surnames our ancestor went with McFarland.  This proscription lasted about 200 years. Our McGregor ancestors were one of the lucky ones that survived this time period.

DNA Testing – Done at FTDNA – If you are considering doing DNA testing – USE FTDNA

Posted: January 14, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The DNA Testing done to date William Thomas Hunt III (Bill)

Y-DNA markers to 37, 67, and 111 markers

The closest match to Bill is Ray McFarland a perfect match at 67 markers and 2 off and 111 markers

Family Finder Testing

Big Y Test

Several YSEQ SNP’s have been tested separately

Email spavlech@live.com for more details about the results

Click on this link to go to the DNA testing site  www.familytreedna.com