Taylor-Macon County GaArchives Biographies.....McInvale, Napoleon Turner 1835 - December 4, 1902 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Drucye Price Drucye@aol.com October 17, 2005, 8:51 pm Author: Guelda Hay We are all descendants of Napoleon Turner McInvale, first to emigrate to Georgia from Franklin County, North Carolina. N.T. was the son of William H. and Sarah Hixey Williams McInvale, of which little is known other than marriage and census records. In1840 census records, William H. McInvale had a wife, one son, and two daughters. In 1850, Sarah McInvale appears without a husband, but one son, N.T., and one daughter, Mary, age 7. A story passed through the family tells that N.T. had two sisters who drowned in a carriage accident in the Cape Fear River in North Carolina. In 1860, N.T. was 25 years old visiting with William H. McInvale, whom we have learned, was a first cousin, in Taylor County, Georgia, again visiting with Robert Bird in the 743 District (Potterville) Taylor County, Georgia. Marriage records in Taylor County show that he married Francis Eliza Windham on 20 January 1861, daughter of John J. and Lavinia Underwood Windham of Macon County, Georgia. From this union came the children from whom each of us is descended. Della born 1862 Drowned in a well age 12 years Martha Lula born 28 Oct 1863 died 12 March 1926 married Hugh Heard Neisler about 1881 Mary Leona born 1866 died 1940 Lillian Frances "Lilla" born 8 Feb 1868 died 28 Sep 1935 married Joseph LaFayette Youngblood 30 Oct 1887 John William born 8 June 1869 died 5 Aug 1923 married Georgia Childree 26 Dec 1896 Charles Dennard born 21 June 1873 died 15 May 1941 married Minnie Melissa Kirksey 6 Jan 1901 Robert Napoleon born 1875 died 1960 married 1. Daisy Bone 2. Eliza McCarty 6 Jan 1907 Eliza stated on the 1900 census that she had borne 11 children, 6 of whom were still living. Napoleon Turner (N.T.) was a man of Scotch and Welsh stock, apparently a graduate of a North Carolina University. When their children were growing up, N.T. and Eliza lived at the head of the Mill Pond at Potterville. N.T. McInvale taught school at the "Delta", which is known as the Hicks Plantation. He was known by the Potterville residents as the "great educator." A McInvale was listed as a teacher in the Reynolds Consolidated School; this could have been N.T.'s sister, Mary, who was listed in the 1870 census as a school teacher in the Reynolds District. Early deeds show that N.T. and Eliza sold 50 acres of land 18 June 1878 in land lot 90, 13th District of Macon County, Georgia, which proves to be on the left side of the Oglethorpe-Reynolds road just inside Macon County. Records show that the Windhams owned property on both sides of the road, so we presume that Eliza inherited the 50 acres. The cemetery where they are buried is located in the woods in back of the field on the Windham property. A beloved father and grandfather, N.T. departed this life at his home in Taylor County on December 4, 1902. Eliza lived until August 8, 1925, living first with Charles and later with "Lilla" at Potterville until her death. Many stories have been told about his couple. All seem to agree that N.T.'s mother was a Williams, closely connected to Benjamin Williams, Governor of North Carolina. At this writing, the author has been unable to prove this story. We believe Turner and Patsy Aycok McInvale m. 16 Oct 1802 in Wake, North Carolina, are the parents of William H. McInvale and grandfather of N.T. Additional Comments: Also very interesting is the following excerpt written by Reid McInvale on his "The McInvale Depot" web site: "This information is gleaned from official records and other sources dated from 1830 and afterward about the name-variants of McIlvail, which is itself a name-variant derived from the original Gaelic name now commonly referred to as MacMillan. These present-day American name-variants are: McInvale, McIngvale, McInvaille, McInvaile and McInville. All are derived from the name of our immigrant ancestor, John Macinvail, who immigrated to Virginia, and possibly into Brunswick county on the North Carolina border, in the year 1729 from the “Kingdom of Ireland”. Family legend has it that 2 brothers came from Ireland together. If true, that brother's name is likely James. The name Macinvail was more often spelled as McIlvail. McInvale was a spelling seen in the 1700’s, but the other variants named above appeared in the 1800’s. The McInvaille, McInvaile, and McInville branches are closely related, all likely descended from the same family member who left North Carolina in the early 1800’s and moved to South Carolina. These spellings are predominately found in South Carolina today. McIngvale is derived from McInvale, and appeared in the late 1800’s in Mississippi from McInvales who moved there from Alabama and changed the spelling, likely due to a family feud." File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/taylor/bios/mcinvale853gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/ File size: 5.5 Kb