I've been adding and changing sections and information pretty frequently, so it's best I list the changes so that you are getting the latest info.
8/26/08 — From the 1841 Robeson County estate record of Daniel McPhaul I have found a sworn statement by John McAlester of Richmond County that Daniel McPhaul married John Campbell's half sister. Also included is Catherine McArthur's sworn statement as to exactly how her father, Neill McPhaul, was killed during the Revolution.
8/22/08 — An estate paper from the estate of Laughlin McNeill (born after 1739 and was a minor in 1755) who died 1801 in Robeson, now Hoke County; son of Turquill McNeill of the Argyll Colony, shows Laughlin McNeill's family.
8/20/08 — A deed has been added showing the paternal grandfather of John Campbell (at Campbell's Bridge) to have been Duncan Campbell of Bladen County (now Robeson County). The deed is witnessed by Old John McPherson, his maternal grandfather, and shows Duncan Campbell owning land in Cumberland County on the Cape Fear River between John Russel's land and Turquill McNeill's land. Was this Duncan Campbell part of the Argyll Colony?
7/31/08 — More children of Alexander McPherson of Jura and his wife Elizabeth (nee Murray) Baker McPherson have been identified. Their history herein has been revised.
7/12/08 — I've identified the first husband of Catherine McPherson Patterson Campbell, daughter of Old John McPherson. As I've suspected for several years now, his name was John Patterson and he lived in Cumberland County. He was most likely the John Patterson who in 1753 bought 100 acres adjacent to Old John's land on Beaver Creek near McPherson's bridge in addition to larger holdings nearby. John Patterson's will in Cumberland County dated 1769 shows he was in failing health when it was written. It names his wife Catherine, daughters Effie (oldest daughter), Mary, Marian, Flora and son Daniel. Except for the daughter Mary, these names match exactly the names of the children of Catherine Campbell's will of 1819 in Robeson County. In that will, Catherine bequeathed five dollars to a John Little—was John Little a widower, having married daughter Mary?
6/11/08 — If you've been searching for details about the "Sailor Hector" McNeill children, you know one of his daughters was named Isabella. She married a Daniel Buie whose Buie line has never been identified; nor have Daniel and Isabella been tracked down. The couple were presumed to have moved to Alabama or Georgia by McNeill researcher James M. Roberts who compiled the Sailor Hector family history. The Robeson County court minutes of Feburary Term 1831 show that Daniel was dead that year with two daughters, Margaret Buie and Isabella Buie, minors under the guardianship of Malcolm McNeill, presumably their mother's brother. A Margaret Buie is mentioned in Col. Neill Buie's will of 1837. Buie researchers can't identify this Margaret in this will. Are they the same woman? Was Daniel Buie related to Col. Neill Buie?
6/6/08 — Many have asked to know the name of the father of Neill B. Brown. In reading the Robeson County court minutes from 1839-1843 at the Dept. of Archives and History here in Raleigh, I have discovered that his name was Malcolm Brown. According to the minutes Malcolm died intestate and a court division of his slaves and property was initiated when his sons disputed their share of Malcolm's gift of slaves to them during his lifetime. The minutes indicate Malcolm had three sons, but only two of them are stated in the record to have been his sons; Neill B. Brown and John Brown. Duncan Brown was given slaves as well, but the actual entry in the minutes does not state Duncan is a son. Further research will probably show that he was Malcolm's son. The case went to the Superior Court in NC, but I have not seen those records yet and they may contain far more info. There is, so far, no mention of Malcolm's wife's name. Note: It was said by the old timers that the "B." in Neill B. Brown's name stood for 'Black'. Does anyone have confirmation of this? Neill B. Brown married Mary McNeill, sister of Neill T. "Tailor" McNeill of the Job's Branch McNeills. I will look into posting Malcolm Brown's Robeson deeds.
9/1/07 — An online transcription of the 1763 Bladen County Tax List has been added. Compare it to the 1755 Cumberland County Tax List on my site to see if your ancestor moved southward into the wilds of Bladen (now Robeson) County. *The 1755 list is a rather large file so give it a minute to load. If you run your cursor over the 1755 list you should see a little magnifying glass symbol with a "+" within it. Click the list with that to magnify the type on the list. I cannot vouch for the accuracy of either list. I strongly suggest you send off to the North Carolina state archives for photocopies of each tax list. Unfortunately both lists are in alphabetical order so neither people living in close proximity to one another nor local community structure can be determined. Also, Bladen County in 1763 encompassed several counties existing today so the people in the list are spread pretty thinly.
8/10/07 — I have added a letter written by Emma Davis to her cousin Margaret of Robeson County concerning her Brown, Buie and Campbell relatives from old Bladen/Robeson. Very informative letter that sheds light on the children of Duncan Campbell and his wife Christian Smith, and their spouses. A good copy of the letter was given to me by Bradley Buie of Raleigh, a native of Red Springs, near Philadelphus, in Robeson County. I can send you the pdf if you'd like one.
7/20/07 — Addition*: The Bladen County deed from 1777, John Smith to son Samuel Smith, has been added. *I see that John Smith and his sons, Samuel and William, are listed in John Smith's household in the Bladen County tax lists for 1770 . This means John's sons Sam and William were over the age of 16 for that year and were born on or before 1754. Each list in which they are found is in alphabetical order so neighbors cannot be determined. Sam Smith is listed as head of his own household in 1772.
7/17/07 — I found a copy of the will of Duncan Munro of Brown Marsh in Bladen County, NC, dated 1777, from the Bladen County Tax Lists by Byrd.
3/28/07 — I have added a better image of the little sandstone marker that may be the grave of either Turquill McNeill or James McNeill of Rockfish Creek. It can be found the McNeill section at the back of McCaskill's cemetery at Philippi Church in Hoke County.
3/24/07 — Correction: Further research has shown more accurately the children and grandchildren of Daniel Johnson and his wife Isabella Brown Johnson of Robeson County. The estate record for this Daniel Johnson separates the two Daniel Johnsons and their families, contemporaries of old Robeson who have been confused with one another for decades.
3/5/07 — I have added a photograph of Preacher Hector McNeill, son of Angus and Margaret McEachern McNeill, courtesy of Mrs. Pauline Grimes of Texas.
1/31/07 — I created the new North Carolina Presbyterian Historical Society website. Please visit this informative site and let the officers of the society know your interests. Through their site you can arrange to take any of their tours of Presbyterian places of worship in North Carolina and bordering states. The officers are very dedicated to their work and are wonderful folks.
1/13/07 — I've written a small story about a slave named Israel who lived in the Philadelphus area.
1/13/07 — An article about "Ardlussa" has been added to the Miscellaneous section. Ardlussa was the home of the descendants of Archibald "Laird Archie" (aka "Bluff Archie") McNeill and his wife Barbara Baker McNeill on Rockfish Creek in Cumberland County. Mrs. J. Nesbit of Charlotte, a descendant of Laird Archie, is writing a history of this McNeill family, soon to be released, which should contain far more information about Laird Archibald McNeill and his descendants.
1/12/07 — The history of Big Rockfish Presbyterian Church has been added to the Newspaper Articles section on the Miscellaneous page of this site.
1/5/07 — The family chart of James Ferguson, Sr. has been added, however, it is unfinished and incomplete. I hope James Ferguson researchers can correct any mistakes and provide discussion on this family.
12/29/06 — A deed from Reverend Colin Lindsay to the Trustees of Beaverdam Church in what was the tip of old Robeson County around Beaverdam Creek. The original 1771 grant to James Ferguson Senior is mentioned.
12/17/06 — Two deeds from a Daniel Patterson (or Paterson) have been added to the deeds page. One is dated 1804, Daniel Patterson to several McLain men. The other deed is dated 1806, Daniel Paterson to the Heirs of John Paterson.
12/15/06 — I've found more sibliings of Neill B. Johnson (NC State Senator 1829) in a Robeson County deed and the 1855 estate record of his father, Daniel Johnson, at the archives here in Raleigh. Neill B. Johnson was one of the children of Daniel Johnson, Esq. and his wife Isabella Brown (daughter of "Tory Neil" Brown and Sarah McPhaul).
12/3/06 — An article on guardianship law of the 19th Century has been added for those of you who are having trouble understanding some issues about your ancestors.
10/10/06 — The will of James McNeill of Rockfish Creek has been added to the Wills Section. His family chart has also been added.
08/10/06 — A new map, created from an image captured at http://www.topozone.com, illustrates the locations of the Robeson County lands of Old John McPherson, and those of Godfrey and Kitty McNeill, and from there indicates the general location of the Old Patterson cemetery. The McPherson lands were the subject of legal disputes between Catherine McPherson Brown and Gilbert Gilchrist from 1825 to 1845.
07/13/06 — A map of the McNeill section of Philippi cemetery (originally known as McCaskill's cemetery) has been added. Make sure you click the image of the little sandstone marker; in doing so you'll see the rubbing made from the gravestone that could be either Turquill McNeill's or James McNeill of Rockfish Creek.
07/8/06 — An article written by Dick Brown for his column "Cape Fear Country":for the Fayetteville Observer, concerning the roads of the Cape Fear region has been added, and I've included links to images of very old maps showing many of the roads he mentions.
06/18/06 — A new map has been added which shows the Randalsville area of Robeson County in 1834 and the tri-county boundary that existed at that time. I haven't located the source name of this map. If you can identify it, please contact me.
05/13/06 — Several new deeds have been added; they pertain to the older, more unknown McPherson settlers of Cumberland County.
05/05/06 — More information has been added to the history of the family of Alexander McPherson of Jura. See the second paragraph of the history.
04/08/06 — I found in my brother's records a photocopied article from Encyclopedia of Eminent and Representative Men of the Carolinas of the Nineteenth Century, Volume One, author unknown. On page 295 can be found a small bio of Chancellor W.D. Johnson of Marion County, SC. This bio was written many decades ago and describes the lineage of this early Johnson family.
03/28/06 — Randal Currie's letter of resignation from his post as Justice of the Peace of Robeson County, NC, has been found in my brother's records and added. Randal Currie held this post since January 1800, according to Robeson County court minutes. I can't determine where my brother found this document as no source documentation was found with it.
03/18/06 — A map from county court records showing the location of Old John McPherson's lands on Raft Swamp in Robeson County, NC. But be patient, the map is a bit larger than most images on my site and may take a while for the computer to load it.
02/25/06 — A map showing the location of Neill McNeill's 1768 grant on Job's Branch in Hoke County has been added to the 'Local Maps' section in the navigation bar. It was very likely the location of the "Neill McNeill burial ground" mentioned by Col. Neill Buie in an 1828 deposition.
01/19/06 — The family chart of the Randal Currie family have been added. More to come on this clan.
12/06/05 — Article sent to me by Ruth McArthur of Wilmington which details some of the family of McNeills who lived on Job's Branch near McPhaul's Mill in today's Robeson County. The links in this article will be working shortly while I create a map to show the location of Job's Branch.
10/22/05 — New deed found which may fill in some missing info on the family of "Shoemaker John" McNeill; also a series of family charts have been created to show possible descendants of Shoemaker John's family descendants from his son Neill McNeill.
10/15/05 — The Malcolm and Christian Downie McPherson clan section has been added to and rewritten. Check back every few days for further additions to this section.
09/17/05 — An 1884 letter from Hoffman, NC, to Gilbert McPherson from Hugh A. Priest.
09/05/05 — A fraction of an 1825 deed found in the courthouse in Lumberton, NC, states the father of Archibald McMillan and Barbara McMillan McCorvey of Monroe County, Alabama.
07/10/05 — A letter of deposition from the 1845 Robeson County, NC, Archibald Gilchrist estate papers glimpsing a bit of the personal character of Sarah Ann McPherson and the circumstances of her marriage to Emen (Emmon or Emmen) Parker; also, dates of her brother Daniel's departure to the "western country".
04/30/05 — Cumberland and Robeson County maps have been posted.
04/24/05 — The 1836 statement of Gilbert Gilchrist in response to the petition of his sister-in-law, Catherine McPherson Brown, in pursuit of her share of the estates of her grandfather, Old John McPherson, father Daniel and brother Colin, all deceased, and of Robeson County, NC. It clearly states the month and year Gilbert Gilchrist removed from North Carolina to Alabama.
04/23/05 — For those divining their descent from one of the two William McPhersons, contemporaries who lived in Cumberland County, NC, please look at the 1802 grant to William Kellen, an assignee for William McPherson (I believe this is the Captain William McPherson mentioned often in Cumberland County court minutes). This grant describes the land as being adjacent to the land of one Jonathan McPherson on Black Mingo Creek near the eastern boundary of Cumberland County. It is my belief that this Jonathan McPherson was from Craven County, NC, and that he was the son and namesake of the Jonathan McPherson who lived on the Neuse River there in 1738, possibly much earlier. The Jonathan McPherson of Craven also had a son named Daniel in Craven who I suspect moved to Cumberland County as well. Craven County records reach back into the early 1700s.
04/20/05 — Cumberland and Robeson Counties' Indices to Conveyances by Grantee has been added, but so far only includes the family names McPherson in Cumberland Co. and Campbells in Robeson Co.; check this Latest Updates for new additions to the Indices. If you wish to view a particular deed you find in an index, let me know and I will locate it and transcribe it for the site as I am able. You can also use this page to do your own search at the archives in Raleigh on any subsequent visit there.
03/17/05 — Several deeds have been added to the Deeds section concerning Campbell and McPherson families.
02/26/05 — New section in Navigation Bar at left entitled Miscellaneous McPherson Records. This section, containing various collected notes about McPhersons in Cumberland County, NC [and other counties and states] during the mid 1700s through 1850, will change frequently with new tidbits and facts gleaned from records at the archives, libraries and other McPherson researchers.
02/13/05 — New information on Sir Sidney Gilchrist and his Civil War record.
02/05/05 — Sworn statement of Neill McPherson of Fayetteville, NC, as to his immediate family structure.
01/31/05 — New information provided by David McKenzie of Mississippi concerning Alexander and Charlotte Munroe McKenzie.
01/19/05 — Three views of the old John McIntosh Brown house at Philadelphus, Robeson County, NC, generously provided by Mrs. Peggy Townsend of Red Springs, NC, author of an invaluable record of Robeson County cemeteries, "Vanishing Ancestors," Volumes I, II, and III.
01/14/05 — Two bios for Alexander McGeachy of Kintyre, Scotland, have been added. Also, Letters from Alexander's brother Neill in Scotland are posted to the Miscellaneous section. Related letters of Kate McGeachy Buie can be found in the Miscellaneous section, and more of them will be added soon.
01/03/05 — Explanation of the process by which land claims became grants, taken from The Dixie Frontier by Everett Dick, 1948.
01/01/05 — Battles of McPhaul's Mill & Raft Swamp by John H. McPhaul has been added.
12/26/04 — Historical Sketches of McPhaul's Mill has been added.
12/16/04 — The first ten pages of the Annals of the Ashpole Community has been posted in 'Special Records' section.
12/08/04 — Passport information for William Munroe and Alexander McKenzie families has been posted. Read more about the Munroes and McKenzies at the end of the John McPherson Clan history.
11/23/04 — New information on Daniel McPherson has been posted.
10/20/04 — I am working the early voting polls here in Wake County, NC, and will be too busy to make additions until it's all over. So there will be no updates until about one week after the general election.
10/16/04 — Mrs. Flora McInnis Buie's pre-1910 History of the Buie Family has been added.
10/14/04 — Photograph section has new photos posted.
10/12/04 — Miscellaneous section has posted the second in a series of lengthy letters from Jefferson County, Mississippi to folks back home in Robeson County, NC. The first is an 1833 letter from Malcolm Buie in Jefferson County to Daniel and Neill Buie at Philadelphus in Robeson County. The second letter is dated 1854 and chronicles changes in Mississippi and back home in Robeson. Many names of those Robesonians who migrated to the Choctaw and Alabama are written about. Many thanks to Bradley Buie of Raleigh, NC for supplying these incredible pieces of Americana.
10/9/04 — Deeds section has three new deeds transcribed. An 1801 quit claim deed from Flora, Mary and Catherine McPherson to their Father, Daniel McPherson. A second deed, dated 1810, from William Munroe to Peter McGeachy. The third is dated 1834, Col. Neill Buie to William R. Munroe and Neill J. Buie.
10/7/04 — "Old John" McPherson Clan now confirms Old John's residence in Cumberland County through deeds. See paragraph #6.
10/3/04 — Early photos of Philadelphus High School have been added. More to come on this page.
10/2/04 — Photo of unknown minister has been added. Can you identify him? This photo was sent from Miss Ruby Nell McPherson in Alabama to my brother for identification.
10/2/04 — Malcolm McPherson, Sr. Clan has been updated but is far from complete. Much of my research may change. I hope someone can contribute. I have contacted some descendants of his in Texas and hope to hear from them with further details to add to what I have at this time. I have added Malcolm Sr.'s children and some who may have been his children. More information has been added about their son William.
9/29/04 — Philadelphus Church Session Records, Book I, is now complete. Book II has more inforation on about the same number of pages, and will take some time to finish. I will add Book II in its entirety rather than piece by piece as I did Book I. Look for Book II in about a month's time.
Note: Other documents listed in 'Special Records' are not fully formatted, e.g., "The Currie History" and "History of Two McNeill Families". The former is loaned out. The latter is on my list do be done and which will contain additions and corrections made by many local historians of the area over the past fifty years.
