SOME OF THE FIRST SETTLERS
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SOME OF THE FIRST SETTLERS Names and Places Perhaps some of the readers of this sketch are not aware that "the
province of Carolina, embracing what is now North and South Carolina, and
extending westward to the Pacific ocean, was granted by King Charles II to eight
lords proprietors; that these surrendered their right to the crown in 1729 --
one of them, Lord Carteret, afterwards Earl Granville, retaining his undivided
interest in the soil, -- and at the same time two distinct provincial
governments were established in North and South Carolina, and that in the year
1743 Earl Grandville's interest was laid off in severalty, and embraced the northern side of
North Carolina and as far south as the Montgomery line, or near to it, and this
included the lands in Orange county. And though this proprietor retained no
political power, his rights in the soil involved land offices and agencies,
forming a sort of government within a government, and involving complications
and burdens which added to those grievances which helped to prepare the way for
the Revolution. This was the condition of things in 1750-54, when the lands
around New Hope church were purchased directly from Earl Granville. They were
bought at fair purchases, and not a title was stained by fraud or violence to
the original owners. The oldest purchase in the vicinity of New Hope church was
made by William Craig. William Craig, as before stated, was a Scotch-Irishman, and born in the seventeenth
century. He spelled his name with a final "e," which most of his
descendants have dropped. He was married in the old country to Mrs. Margaret
Long, the widow of George Long. Her maiden name was Margaret Logan. She had one
child by Mr. Long -- a son, -- whose
name was George, who came with them to America, and who shared equally with the
Craig children. In after years a son of this boy, whose name was also George,
married Isabel Craig, a daughter of John Craig, the eldest son of William. Thus
it will be seen that this George Long and his wife, Isabel Craig, were the
children of half brothers. This was the origin of the present Long family in the
New Hope congregation, which has furnished the church with one ruling elder,
George R., and two deacons, John J. and James D., -- all brothers. By this
mother of the Longs, William Craig had five children, and at least two of them were born in Ireland, and
perhaps four of them; for John, the eldest son, was a lad of some twelve or
fourteen years old when they came across the ocean, while James was a little
child in his crib not more than two years old. The names of the other three
children were David, Samuel and Isabel. Samuel was the youngest child, and
perhaps the only one born in this country. Some of these children were married
about the time they came to New Hope. This was the original family of William Craig, who settled, lived and died about two or three miles west of the
church, on the south bank of New Hope stream, on the lands now owned by
Pendleton Cole, not far from a spring nearly opposite the mouth of Richland Fork
creek. He "entered" and owned, together with his four sons, under the
proprietorship of Lord Granville, all the lands on both sides of New Hope
stream, several miles in width and extending up and down the stream, from the
lands formerly owned by Baxter Davis to the present possessions of William
Robson, on the road leading from Hillsboro' to Chapel Hill, embracing a large
area of country south and west from the church. The date of his death is
unknown, but he lived to be a very old man, and his body lies buried, together
with the body of his wife, in the old Hawfields burying ground. This sacred spot
of earth, where scores of the old settlers lie buried, has recently been plowed
up and cultivated in corn, and the stones which marked many a grave have been
rudely torn down and scattered over the fields. The perpetrator of this deed was
Addison Wilson, who has recently been indicted in the courts and it is to be
hoped will receive just punishment for such an outrage against humanity. There are now
no visible signs to mark the spot where the old house of William Craige stood. John Craig, the
eldest son, married Mary Blackwood, the daughter of William Blackwood, and
settled "the Isaac Craig place," afterwards owned by J. N. Craig, and
now the property of J. W. Cole. This place was settled about the same time or
soon after the settlement of the old homestead. And this son, John, who was a
few years younger than Gilbert Strayhorn, was one of the founders of the New
Hope church. David, who was
perhaps the second son, married Nellie Turner, of the Hawfields, and settled
what is known as "the Currie place," which was afterwards owned by J.
N. Craig and others, and now the property of J. W. Cole. The site of the old
settlement was near New Hope stream, on the north bank, and not far to the east
of the public road. James married
Rebecca Ball, whose mother was a Miss Wilson, known as "Grandmother
Ball." This old lady lived with James Craig until she died at an advanced
age. She was an Irishwoman, and came from Pennsylvania with the Craigs. I have
often heard of her remarkable small head, and have seen a cap she wore which was
not too large for an ordinary baby. She had an ungovernable temper, and was
wholly different from her daughter, Rebecca, who was noted for her deep piety
and godly life. The settlement of James Craig, which was about a mile to the
northeast from the old homestead, was known as "Richland Fork," and
the first house stood just west of the fork, near the confluence of the two
creeks, and in my boyhood was called "the old orchard." The last of
the old apple trees have disappeared within my memory. The second house stood
within the fork, and the walls of the third house, in which James Craig died,
are still standing. This is the place where my grandfather, David Wilson Craig,
was born, lived and died. And according to the old deeds this place was laid off
and surveyed Dec. 4, 1754, "adjoining William Craig's own line,"
showing that he had made entries prior to this date. It was deeded Sept. 13,
1755, and proved in open court the same month. It was sold by William Craige to
John Reaney June 6, 1756, and bought back from Mr. Reaney by James Craig, the
son of William, in June, 1758. It has been in the possession of the family from
that day to this. Samuel, married
Mary Johnston of the Hawfields, and settled on the old homestead at the place
where Pendleton Cole lived and died. Isabel, the
only daughter of William Craige, married David Nelson, and removed to the
Hawfields, where many of her descendants are still to be found. These were the
early Craig Settlers and their places of residence. The aforesaid
sons of William Craige died, as follows: David, November
2, 1785. Samuel,
September 21, 1790. John, February
6, 1816. James, July 21, 1821.Gilbert Strayhorn, as already stated, was a few
years older than John Craig, the eldest son of William. And while the Craig's
located about two or three miles to the south-west from the church on the waters
of New Hope, this man settled about two or three miles to the north-east from
the church on the waters of the Eno. The church was about midway between the two
original settlements, and their lands joined not far from it. Gilbert
Strayhorn's old homestead is now owned by his direct descendant, William G. Strayhorn, who is in the fifth generation in direct line,
both from his father and his mother. This is a singular fact, for William
Strayhorn's grandfather on his father's side and his grandmother on his mother's
side were both the grandchildren of Gilbert Strayhorn. The site of the old place
is on the south side of the public road leading from Hillsboro to Durham and
just opposite the present settlement. It appears from an old deed that this
place was a part of six hundred acres granted by Earl Granville to John Wood in
the year 1754, and bought by Gilbert Strayhorn in the following year, 1755.
Other deeds show that Gilbert Strayhorn afterwards entered and bought lands
until he owned, together with his sons, a large area of country, which was for
many years called "the Strayhorn neighborhood." As above stated, these
lands joined the lands of the Craigs on the waters of New Hope, and the church
was situated on the border of the possession next to the Craigs. He lived to be
eighty-eight years old, and his body lies buried in the old New Hope Graveyard.
He and John Craig were the first elders and original founders of the church. He
had eight children -- four sons and four daughters. His sons were John, William,
James and David; his daughters were Nancy, Miriam, Sarah and Mary. John, the
eldest child, married Elizabeth Johnston, of the Hawfields, and settled the
place where Robert Shields now lives.
William married Mary Tate, of the Hawfields, and afterwards Mary Hunter,
and settled the place where David Strayhorn recently lived and died. James married
Rachael Cabe, and settled the place where John T. Hogan now lives. David married
____ Cabe, and afterwards Penny Berry, and lived at the old homestead. Nancy married
James Hart, and lived near a spring just north of "the Bryant Strayhorn
place," and afterwards at the place where Alexander Dickson lived and died. Miriam married
John Strain, and lived on the road a few miles north of Chapel Hill. Sarah married
William Ansley, and moved to Georgia. Mary married
John Cabe, who settled the place where William T. Shields lived and died. Thus it will be
seen that New Hope church was surrounded for miles in extent and in every
direction by the possessions of the sons and daughters of William Craige and
Gilbert Strayhorn. William
Blackwood, one of the first settlers, located to the south-west of the Craigs,
and owned large bodies of land known to this day as "the big meadows."
And to the east of these lands is quite an elevation, which has always been
known as "the Blackwood mountain." It is my impression, without
knowing just how I got it, that William Blackwood's wife, Betsy, whom he married
in Ireland, was a sister of William Craige. But whether this be true or not,
they were among the original settlers, and were both members of Hawfields church
before coming to New Hope. Their children were James, John, William, Martha,
Mary, Peggy, Annie and Jennie. James married
and located some miles below Chapel Hill. William married
Margaret King, and settled on the old homestead and John moved away. Martha married
Charles Johnston, and Mary married John Craig, of whom mention has already been
made. Peggy married
Joseph Kirkland, perhaps a son of the original settler. Annie married a
Mr. Morrow, of the Hawfields, and Jennie married a Mr. Allen, also of the
Hawfields. It was through
the above mentioned son, William, that the name has been perpetuated in the New
Hope congregation. Joseph Kirkland
was among the original settlers, and located to the west and south of Mr.
Blackwood. Two of his grandsons, William and Joseph, married the daughters of
Samuel Craig, Betsy and Isabel; and one of his grand-daughters, Martha, married
a son of Samuel Craig, whose name was also Samuel. The Blackwoods and Kirklands
have always been closely connected and identified with New Hope church. From her
earliest history to the present day these families have produced a number of
members and office-bearers. At the present time both families have a
representative in the session. The Freelands
were also among the original settlers and were closely connected with the Craigs
and Kirklands. The present Johnston family, on the waters of New Hope, is of
somewhat later date, and on the father's side is of English descent. But both
these families have long been identified with the church, and have furnished her
with much valuable material. But at the present time George S. Freeland, a
communicant, and C. W. Johnston, Esq., a ruling elder, are the only male
representatives, together with their children, of these two families in the
congregation. The Geddes
family, now spelled "Gattis," in their early history, belonged to New
Hope church, but nearly all of them are now in the Methodist church. One of the
descendants of the old Elder Alexander, is now a Methodist Minister, Thomas, by
name. William Burns,
a weaver by trade, was early on the ground at New Hope, but the name is known no
more. One of his daughters married James Craig, a grandson of William, and one
of his grandsons moved to Texas. There are now
no male survivors in the congregation of the Mitchell and Hart families, which
figured in the early stages of the
church's history. The Hogan
family, in connection with the church, dates from about the year 1838, and at
the present time one of her ruling elders is John T. Hogan. |