Levi Strickland Task Force

As part of the search for Levi's ancestry, it is necessary to track the migration of the Stricklands of the southeastern states. The following links are an attempt to identify all of the Stricklands in the early years and where they went. The empasis here is to determine who did or didn't migrate to southeastern Georgia. All of these links are under construction. You can take a sneak peak if you'd like:

Migration of the Strickland of the Southeastern United States

Strickland Census Data (NC/SC/GA)

Levi was born in 1812. Levi told the census takers in 1850, 1870 and 1880 that he was born in Georgia. However, for some reason Folks Huxford claimed he was born in North Carolina. It would seem that the census locations would be most accurate. Even if he weren't born in Georgia, South Carolina would probably be a more likely location since the Stricklands of southeast Georgia had left NC by 1812.

Folks Huxford stated in that it was "thought" that Levi had a brother named Abraham who was born earlier (about 1794), somewhere in the Carolinas.

Folks Huxford said Levi had a sister named Elizabeth who was born in GA in 1815 (she later married Richard Altman). This would mean that Levi's parents were in Georgia at least by 1815.

Around 1834, Levi married Martha Hiers (1819SC - 1839GA), daughter of Joseph Hiers and Patsy Strickland Hiers (1790-?) of Appling County. The Hiers had moved there from Orangeburg SC. Patsy was the daughter of Joel "Joseph" Strickland (1758NC-1835GA) and his wife (and also his first cousin) Elizabeth Strickland. Joel was the son of John Strickland Jr. (b1749, moved to Orangeburg SC around 1792) and his wife Appa, probably a Lumbee Indian from the Drowning Creek - Lumberton NC area. Elizabeth was the son of John Jr's brother Aaron [ or possibly brother David... it is known that Elizabeth was the sister of Lewis Strickland (1775NC-1837GA) and Archibald Strickland (b1786NC, in GA before 1810); not sure whether their father was Aaron or David ]. The father of John Jr and Aaron and David was John Strickland Sr(c1720-1788NC) and his wife Elizabeth ___.

Levi and Martha had 3 children: Martha, Allen, and Joseph Hiers Strickland.

After Martha Hiers Strickland's death in 1839, Levi married Mary Ann Lee ( -1894), grandaughter of John Lee, RS of Ware County GA.

Levi and Mary Ann had 14 children between 1842 and 1861: George, Levi Jr, Mary, Henry, John Jasper, Elizabeth, James, Gabriel, Elias, Rebecca, Matthew, Sarah, and Ellender.

Levi and Mary Ann were members of the Primitive Baptist church. They are buried at Smyrna Primitive Baptist Church in Brantley County(formerly Wayne County), near their home along the Satilla River.

On 3/28/1855 Levi made application under the "Bounty Land Grant Act"

Levi served as a private in Sweat's militia in the Indian War of 1838.

None of the male Stricklands listed in the GA census of 1820 seem to be his father. Perhaps his father was dead by 1820? Maybe died in the War of 1812?

When Levi's nephew Abraham Strickland Jr. married Appie Strickland, dau of Richard and Nancy Futch Strickland, gdau of Treacy and David Jonathan Strickland (1780Sc-1873GA), ggdau of Appa and John Strickland Jr, they were deemed "no kin" by Folks Huxford. So, perhaps Levi is not in that line. Or, Huxford could have been wrong.

The IGI records at the LDS church show a Levi Strickland b1760 in Savannah GA, m Effie Mariah Marchino and had sons Levi and Abraham. This information doesn't seem to fit any other info we have, so we don't know what to do with it.

Click here for a shortcut to see family tree information on Levi.

Levi's roots stretch back to Orangeburg SC and to the Drowning Creek area of Bladen/Robeson Co., NC. There is a family tradition of Indian blood among Levi's ancestors, and we think it is Lumbee (the tribe once was considered part of the Cherokee Nation). We can find no record of his birth in NC records, so maybe he was born in SC, either near the NC border or in the Orangeburg area or, as he told the census takers, in Georgia.

We are focusing primarily on a couple of Aaron Stricklands. There were a couple that we deem possible candidates.

Levi's great-grandfather may have been Aaron Strickland. Aaron was the son of William Strickland of NC and brother to John Strickland Sr. There is some question about whether this William was the son of William or the son of Matthew Strickland Jr.; but in either case William was the grandson of Matthew Strickland the Immigrant. Aaron was born c1725 in Halifax County NC, married to Christianna Hill in that area, and died in Robeson County NC (the Drowning Creek area) in 1801. Aaron and Christianna had numerous sons: Abraham, Matthew, Lewis, Sion, Christopher, Jacob, Joseph, and Aaron (the Aaron who married Fairby, or Phoebe ___). Possibly these include the planter Joseph Strickland who left a will in Robeson County in 1794, naming his wife Annie and his nephew Levi Strickland, son of his late brother Jacob Strickland and wife Elizabeth (that Levi, by the way, soon surfaced in Orangeburg SC, then dropped from view. We have pretty much ruled out Aaron and Chrstianna Hill's son Aaron (c. 1750 and married to Fairby), due to all of his currently-known children being accounted for. However, there could always have been some that we don't know about so far.

Levi's grandfather may have been the Aaron Strickland, brother of John, Jr. and David and son of John, Sr. (brother of Aaron in Possibility 1 above).

Of the Aaron, John, Jr. and David siblings, either Aaron or David are said to be the father of Lewis, Archibald, Stephen Daniel and Elizabeth. It is only said that these children were of a brother to John Strickland, Jr. If these were the children of Aaron, then David could be a candidate for Levi's father..

Henry Solomon Strickland, considered to possibly be Levi's half-brother, told the US census takers in 1858 & 1868 that he was 58 and 68, respectively, and that he was born in NC. In 1813, he is in Tattnall County tax digest returning one poll and no land, this meaning he was 21, hense born in 1792 as shown by census. In 1814, he returned 200 acres "granted to Strickland" and Aaron Strickland who had been returning it each year from 1808 through 1813, no longer returned it, but returned 300 acres which he continued to return until 1817. Since Henry married his first wife in 1814, it would appear that Aaron may may have given him the 200 acre tract. Henry's son, Allen, died in 1847 and his widow made a deed of gift to their children containing 650 acres, including the 200 acre tract granted to aaron. Aaron presumably died in 1817, but this Aaron went to Appling County. The one who married Fairby. What was Aaron and Henry's relationship? Is the Aaron born in 1750 and married to Fairby the same one who gave land to Henry? Or was it the one born in 1780 and married to Keziah Anderson? Or another?

There was a Reuben Strickland in Liberty County also. He was one of the founding members of the Jones Creek Baptist Church. He possibly went to Decatur County. Possibly another brother of Richard's(b.1775).

An early Strickland in Tatnall County was Gabriel. It appears that he was married twice, the last time to Rachel Ramsey. Levi had a son named Gabriel Levi. Is it possible that he was Gabriel's son? Who was that Gabriel?

There was also a Jacob, Sr. in Tattnall County early on. There are some deeds from him - one to the Alfords (Elias and Sion) in NC. Was he a brother to Lewis? We are probably dealing with more people than were picked up in the 1820 census. That is probably the reason we're having trouble placing children.

A Levi Strickland (not the one searched for here) also sold land he received from Joseph Strickland in NC to Sion Alford. Those Alfords seem to be related - possibly through marriage to the family.

In 1794, John Strickland of Darlington SC sold to Josiah Dabs of Anson NC, east of Drowning Creek begnning at a red oak on the creek side (granted to Duncan McNeil Jan 1759) and conveyed to John Strickland (the John who sold it was the heir of John dec'd) witnesses: Abraham Williamson, Jacob Allen

In 1788, Robeson Co. Samuel Porter (sheriff) to Alexander McDonald. Abraham Strickland, administrator of John Strickland's estate which was indebted to Abraham - Abraham bid for Alexander McDonald. The land was east of Drowning Creek beginning at a red oak and running various curves to the beginning.. wit: Hardy Pittman, Sion Alford. Seems to be the same land, how did John Jr. get it back?

Who was this not know who this Abraham Strickland (administrator of John's estate) was, but he and Joel Strickland sold some land together in Robeson County. He was possibly a son of that John.

Here's how you can help the Levi Task Force:
1. Any scrap of information about Stricklands in SC before 1820
2. Find a descendant of Elizabeth Strickland Altman; daughters are more likely to get and keep old family records
3. Anything about marriages between Strickland men and Lumbee women
4. Levi's war records from 1838 Indian War
5. Anything on property transfer from David Strickland to Levi Strickland
6. More information about the lives and descendants of Aaron and Christianna Strickland's sons.
7. Identify the father of Levi.
8. Come up with fresh ideas on avenues to pursue.
9. Correct and improve this summary of information about our Levi.
10. Track down Levi Strickland of Savannah; is this info false?
11. Family relationships of the known Strickland property owners in the Drowning Creek area before 1820

If you have any scrap of information, please add it to our meager pile. Send it
to Guy Strickland, [email protected] or Greg Wainright, [email protected] and we will make sure it gets circulated to all interested parties.