Guilford County NcArchives History - Letters .....1850 Letter By Rev. Samuel Paisley [born In 1773-died 1863] 1850 ************************************************ 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: Nancy Poquette npoq@hotmail.com May 26, 2006, 2:17 am Book Title: State of North Carolina County of Guilford “On this the 27th day of April, 1955, personally appeared before me, the said named Miss Jessie McLean, who deposes and says that the above instrument is a true statement of the original notes of Reverend S. M. Rankin.” Ruth Shafer, Notary Public To whom it may concern: “Rev. S. M. Rankin, deceased, of Greensboro, Guilford County, NC, a well-known genealogist, was a native of this county and pastor of Alamance Presbyterian Church for a number of years. He was related to many in his congregation and in visiting the homes, having access to Family Bibles, accumulated a wealth of material on many old families. These notes are now in possession of Jessie McLean, and I would like to give a copy of these notes of on of the Paisley family. Rev. S. M. Rankin compiled “The Rankin-Wharton Families,” also “Buffalo Church and Her People.” “This is drawn from the copy written by the Rev. Samuel Paisley [born in 1773- died 1863], son of William Paisley and Deliverance Paine, to his nephew Samuel Paisley, of Montgomery County, Illinois, who was a son of Rev. Samuel Paisley’s brother, John and his wife, Jane Rankin. This copy is made from a copy in the possession of my grandmother Paisley in her lifetime. It serves as the best introduction I can give to a sketch of the Paisley family.” William Marion Sikes. Edgefield, Moore County, NC July 22nd, 1850 “My ever dear nephew, I received your kind letter of February 25th and I began soon after, to write to you, but having concluded to give you some account of our ancestors, I stopped writing to try to get more correct information; but not having an opportunity to get any information, I shall delay no longer, but write what little I know, believing it will be gratifying to you and to our posterity after we are in the Eternal World, to know even the little I now write.” “We have certain information that our ancestors emigrated from Scotland to Ireland: And if we ask how it came to pass that the north of Ireland came to be inhabited by the Scotch, history informs us that the English government, by conquering the Irish and forcing them to submit to English laws and English government, and to acknowledging the King’s supremacy in religion and to consider him as head of the Church in England and Ireland, instead of the Pope in Rome, the Irish being Roman Catholics, the few privileges that were left to them were used by the priests and nobility to promote religion.” “In the reign of King James I, a conspiracy was formed by the Earls of Tyreannel, and Tyrone of the Province of Ulster against the government in expectation of aid from the courts of France and Spain. Their plan was discovered in time to prevent its execution. The Earls fled and left their vast estates containing half a million acres of land to the mercy of the King. These lands were divided among the King’s most favored, and by his direction, a preference was given to the people from the west of Scotland. They were chiefly Presbyterians when Prelacy was afterwards established in Scotland in the year 1637, to which, as Presbyterians they could not submit, and being greatly persecuted, many more were compelled to emigrate, and in Ireland found a safe retreat. Among these were our ancestors, who settled in the county of Tyrone, where my Grandfather, WILLIAM [I] PAISLEY was born (the year of his birth is not exactly known, but must have been between the year 1700 and 1705.)” “He lived there until he married ELENOR “NELLY” MCLEAN in the year 1736 or 37, and soon after, they immigrated to this country and settled on the Schuykill River about 20 miles above Philadelphia where he lived on rented land. By industry and good management, he raised six children in comfort and saved money enough to bring his family to North Carolina and purchase land for them.” “His first wife (my Grandmother) died in Pennsylvania, and he afterward married Catherine Hamilton; and I suppose had no children by this wife. His first child was JANE born in 1737 or 1738, and was married in Pennsylvania to JOHN WHITE, but afterwards they removed to North Carolina, where Mr. WHITE died February 1787. She afterward married William Gaudy, Esq. [The records give his name as M. Gowdy to JANE WHITE, October 15, 1787, a few months following the close of probate of JOHN WHITE’s will, in May 20, 1787. However, in William Gowdy’s will, he adds a codicil expressing his affection for Jane Paisley White, proving that the M. Gowdy was an error.] After his death, she removed with her daughter, MARTHA, who was the wife of JOSEPH MCDOWELL, to Kentucky, where he [JOSEPH] died, I believe, in 1804. She had lived with her daughter, MARTHA and son-in-law JOSEPH MCDOWELL in Robertson County, TN. Her brother, Capt. Robert and his wife, Margaret Majors lived in Logan County, across the Red River about three miles from the McDowell homestead.” “WILLIAM [I] and NELLY’s next child was Robert, born 1739. He married his cousin, Margaret Majors in Philadelphia. Their third child, William [II], my father and your grandfather, was born Dec. 23, 1741, old style. Their next, John was born in 1745 Their fifth, Margaret born 1747, and Mary the youngest, born 1750. He removed to North Carolina in 1765. My father was married to Deliverance Paine, in November 1763, lived in Pennsylvania until after the birth of the first child John, your father, who was born August 10, 1764. They removed to North Carolina the same fall, and lived one year in Orange County, and then removed to Guilford After they had all come to Carolina, their oldest son, Robert, returned to Pennsylvania and married his cousin, Margaret Majors. He lived in Orange County till 1780, then removed to Guilford, and in 1797, removed to Kentucky. He had five sons and four daughters. John, their third son, born in 1745, married Mary Ann Denny in 1769. They had four sons and six daughters. Margaret, their second daughter, was married to William Denny, they had ten children. Mary, the youngest daughter, was married to James Doak. They had four sons and four daughters.” “Grandfather had several brothers and sister, but none of them came from Ireland to this country but his brother, John, who settled in the state of Delaware, where he died and left six children, four sons and two daughters. Although it was said that he was an excellent man, yet none of his children did well. Grandmother had two brothers and three sisters that came from Ireland to Pennsylvania. Her brothers were John and Joseph McLean. John married Jane Marshall. Their children were Joseph, John, Thomas, Robert, and Marshall, Nelly, Jane, Margaret, Policy, Nancy and Betsy. Joseph married Nancy Marshall. Their children were Catherine and Martha, John, Joseph, William and Thomas. John McLean came to North Carolina about 1776, and settled in Guilford in 1780 or 1781.” “Grandmother’s sisters were, first, Martha, who was married to Mr. Adams. They both died in Pennsylvania in 1782 or 1783. Margaret was married to Thomas Major. They came to North Carolina about 1782 or 1783. Her third sister, Isabelle, married Mr. Sterling, who died in Pennsylvania. His widow, with two children, removed to North Carolina.” “Your grandfather, William Paisley, was married to Deliverance Paine in November 1763. She had been rescued from the Indians, when an infant, by the Rev. James Davenport. It is said the Indians would not tell who she was or where they got her. The probability is that they had murdered her parents. Mr. Davenport named her Deliverance Paine, after his wife’s maiden name. After Mr. Davenport’s death, his widow removed with her daughter, who was married to Enos Kelsey, to Princeton, from which place Mrs. Davenport sent my mother to a boarding school kept by Mrs. Chestnut, the wife of Rev. Benjamin Chestnut, in Pennsylvania near grandfather’s, where father became acquainted with her and gained her affections. So they agreed to spend their lives together. It was the custom in those days to publish in the church the banns of matrimony between those who intended to marry before they were joined together. Mr. Chestnut refused to marry them unless the banns were published, which they refused, but went to Philadelphia and were married by Mr. Tennant.” “They lived in Pennsylvania until your father (John) was born, August 10, 1764, and removed to North Carolina that fall, and lived one year in Orange County, and removed to Guilford where they had seven children born. William was born February 17th, 1767, Elizabeth was born October 10, 1769. Robert was born September 11th, 1772. Samuel was born April 6th, 1773. Their next two died in infancy. I have no register of the time of their births, but Joseph died when he was between three and four years old. Preston was born July 6th, 1779.” “My grandfather’s [WILLIAM I’s] second wife, Catherine Hamilton, died soon after they came to North Carolina. He afterwards married Elizabeth Denny. He was among the first elders ordained in Alamance congregation and was one of the most influential and exemplary officers in that church. I remember him well, he was low of statue, but heavy built and stood very erect. He died in March 1787.” “I could write much more about our ancestors, but perhaps I have already written more than will be interesting to you. They were nearly all members of the Presbyterian church, and if we so live and so act as to be able to render account at last with joy and not with sorrow, we shall meet with many of them in Heaven, where many of them, I have no doubt, are now singing Hallelujah to God and the Lamb. What will be our feeling when we meet them there and join in rapturous songs and be ever with the Lord! It will be but a little while till we all shall meet to part no more forever. Samuel Paisley File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/guilford/history/letters/1850lett15gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 10.5 Kb