Dobbs County NcArchives Biographies.....Easterling, Henry May 1733 - March 1800 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Mark Easterlin lordship1@yahoo.com December 21, 2013, 5:07 pm Source: Tax lists, census data, Baptist Church history, deeds Author: Mark Easterlin Reverend Henry Easterling 1733-1800 One of the brightest stars in Easterling family history is Reverend Henry Easterling (1733-1800) of North Carolina. Although he wasn’t rich by financial measure, he was blessed with a rich family life, great faith, and the title of Patriarch. His life is fairly well documented in official records of North and South Carolina, and many of his children and grandchildren went on to settle along the frontier of the American southland in places like Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas. Henry Easterling, eldest child of Henry Norvell Easterling and Elizabeth Easterling, was born in May 1733 at the mouth of the Neuse River in North Carolina. Stretching 248 miles from modern Falls Lake Reservoir in the Carolina Piedmont to its mouth at Pamlico Sound, the Neuse River is the longest river in North Carolina; at its mouth, it’s the widest river in America—6 miles across. It’s named for the native Neusiok people who lived along its banks. After moving inland to Dobbs county North Carolina from New Bern about 1750 with guardian Henry Bond, Henry Easterling (1733-1800) settled and married Elizabeth “Ellen” Bennett (born 1740-died after 1800) in 1754. They had 12 children according to most sources. Henry embraced Christianity and became a Baptist Minister in Dobbs; he later served the Church in SC as well. According to Baptist Church History of NC (by Morgan Edwards), Henry Easterling embraced the principles of the Baptists in 1760 in Dobbs County by Rev. George Graham and was called to the ministry in 1762. Rev Henry Easterling moved about 1764 from Dobbs County to Anson county (the future Richmond county) NC (along the NC-SC border) where he accepted charge of Hitchcock Creek Baptist Church 1764-1772. Hitchcock's Creek is a small stream in the present county of Richmond NC, emptying into Falling Creek northeast of Rockingham, NC. This was a move in 1764 of almost 200 miles from Kingston to Rockingham with a wife and young family. Reverend Henry Easterling’s Family Rev Henry and Ellen Bennett’s children were: Elizabeth (1755-??), William (1757- 1839), James Bennett (1760-1843), Mary Catherine (1762-1856, married Peter Hare NC), Shadrach (1764-1834), Martha (1765-1833, married Isham Peacock NC), Bennett (1770-1845), John (1772-1826), Joel (1774-1836), Henry (1776-1840), Samuel (born abt 1778-1840), Jesse (born about 1780-1836). After 1772, Rev Henry and Ellen apparently ceased their church duties but stayed on in Anson/Richmond county NC during the revolutionary war years (1775- 1783), as some of their children were born there during those years. During this timeframe Rev Henry still had ties and still owned land in Dobbs; on 23 January 1773 he is mentioned by name on a Dobbs land deed for land adjoining his property on the south side of Nahunta Swamp above Peacock's Bridge. Around this same time, Henry sold land to Samuel Peacock, a Dobbs neighbor and owner of Peacock’s Bridge. Reverend Henry’s two oldest sons William (1757-1839) and James (1760-1843) were both Revolutionary War veterans (RS), although there could have been others of his family who served, including Rev Henry himself. Both Rev Henry and his brother William Easterling (1735-1810) are on an early Dobbs county census in 1780. They are also on the 1780 Provisions Tax List for Lenoir County - South of Neuse River near Kinston, Southwest Church vicinity. On the 1780 provisions tax collection list, Rev Henry is listed as having paid 149 pounds sterling, and 1.5 pounds of Indian corn to support the Revolution. Rev Henry moved with his family (including adult sons William (1757-1839) and James (1760-1843)) southward from Kinston/Dobbs County, NC to upper SC after 1782 into an area known as Cheraws district (later Marlborough/Marlboro county), SC. Cheraws district was something of an Anglican church stronghold in upper SC prior to 1780 and Rev Henry probably knew the area from his years at Hitchcock Creek Church. By 1785, Rev Henry pastors Beaverdam (Creek) Baptist Church at, or near what is known as Beauty Spot Bridge, in an area of Marlboro County called Beauty Spot. After a number of years, this church moved to Pine Grove (near modern McColl, SC), where they worshipped in common with other denominations in a house built by the Quakers or Society of Friends. The Pine (or Piney) Grove site ultimately fell into the hands of the Methodists, and the site is the home of Pine Grove United Methodist Church in McColl, SC today. Rev Henry and family are listed on the 1790 Federal census for Marlboro County, SC, Cheraws district along with adult sons William, James and Shadrach and their families. Sadly, the exact location of Rev Henry’s homestead in Marlboro is unknown, although it was very likely near the Beaver Dam Baptist church site. Many of the Marlboro Easterlings purchased land and settled in the area between Adamsville crossroads and McColl, SC. Rev Henry’s last years were spent in Marlboro and in neighboring Marion district SC. On 26 March, 1800 Reverend Henry Easterling went to his reward in the 66th year of his age. Generations of descendants would follow Henry's example of a life well lived. Additional Comments: Henry Easterling 1733-1800 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/dobbs/bios/easterli120gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 6.0 Kb