THE NEW GRAVEYARD
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THE NEW
GRAVEYARD The old
graveyard near the site of the first church was badly located, the ground being
too low and forming almost a basin, and in the winter season it was almost
impossible to bury the dead in a dry tomb. Great dissatisfaction existed in the
minds of many persons as they saw their loved ones thus laid away. It was in
December, 1859, when a little infant brother of mine was buried there under just
such circumstances. My father, James Newton Craig, was greatly troubled and
dissatisfied, and determined that he would remove the remains at some future
day. It was never done, however, until he died Feb. 11, 1879, when the remains
were transferred to the new graveyard and deposited by his side. But when he had
a second child to die he determined to seek a new and dry place where he might
lay its body. And accordingly, in company with ruling elder David Craig, he
selected a spot in the present graveyard, where his little son, Vernon, nine
months old, was buried the 1st day of January, 1869. This was the first grave,
and the origin of the present burying ground at New Hope church, where scores
have since been buried. It is a dry and beautiful location, looking to the
sunrise, and a little south of east from the church, and will, no doubt, receive
the mortal remains of generations to come. NEW HOPE
SOLDIERS
In the War Between the States. -- Death Roll. The following persons lived within the bounds of New Hope congregation,
and gave their lives to the "Lost Cause." Samuel A. Craig, William H. Craig, Joseph A. Craig, Thomas J. Strayhorn,
George Strayhorn, Samuel Strayhorn, William H. Strayhorn, Egbert Strayhorn,
Greene Strayhorn, Wiley Strayhorn, Archibald Strayhorn, John Kirkland, Alexander
Baldwin, Jackson Borland, William Borland, Wilton B. Robson, Orin A. Watson,
Bartlett Bishop, William J. Long, William G. Latta, Jordan Williams, Henry
Gilliam, Wisely Barton, Maurice Sharp, William Crabtree, Leonard Crabtree,
Munroe Crabtree, William Rhodes, John Neal, Thomas Sykes, Kern Sykes, John
Howard, William Thompson, Munroe Thompson, Samuel Thompson.
FAMILY HISTORY In endeavoring
to give a brief account of the sons and daughters of some of these fathers of
the church my effort must necessarily be very imperfect. I therefore ask the
forbearance of my friends, and hope at some future day to see the work corrected
and arranged in better form.
THE STRAYHORN FAMILY The number of
Gilbert Strayhorn's children, their names and places of residence have already
been stated. John was his eldest child, and just here I may call attention to a note
in the old session book. It states that John Strayhorn, the son of Gilbert, who
died in 1826, aged 84, was a native of Pennsylvania and a member of the church
before coming to North Carolina. It has been stated by William Burns, a grandson
of old William Burns, and who was an old man when he died, that this John
Strayhorn was a bound boy or young man in the service of William Burns, and that
he came to North Carolina in company with him from Pennsylvania. It has also
been said that he was a younger brother of Gilbert Strayhorn, and that their
father's name in Pennsylvania was Gilbert. If this be true it is natural to
suppose that the name of "Strayhorn" was adopted by him along with his
brother. He seems never to have had a family and died a good man. It was owing
to the existence of this man that I mention a probable third son in the original
family in Pennsylvania, on page 7. (Page 3, The Hawfields Settlement) The John
Strayhorn before us now, the son of Gilbert the father of the name, was born in
the Hawfields in 1742, and afterwards was married there to Elizabeth Johnston,
by whom he had twelve children. Some
interesting stories are told by Mr. John A. Freeland concerning this man, whom
he well remembers. It seems he was a revolutionary soldier, and had charge of
the rear wagon in Morgan's retreat after the battle of the Cowpens. The wagon
was loaded with prisoners and plunder, and as he was crossing a swimming stream,
one wheel struck a floating log, and he gave a sorrel mare a lick with the whip,
when she went to the bottom and pulled the wagon
over. Cannons on both sides of the river were in readiness to fire until
he passed over. Again, he was stationed on a hill on the south side of Eno river,
opposite Hillsboro, when Lord Cornwallis took that "Whig capital," capturing the Governor and routing the unfortunate
forty-two Whigs who were at the public spring getting ready to fight. There Thomas
Freeland fell, shot through the head by a Tory. The grandfather of Mr. Freeland, coming from Haw river, dug a hole and
buried him. He does not say which grandfather, Mr. Strain or the old Elder John
Freeland. His grave is on the hill near Kirkland's old tan yard. The British and
Tories in high glee left the dead to bury the dead, and searched the country,
bringing in Whigs before Lord Cornwallis, who sat in Cain's old store as judge and jury
until the old jail was full. Another story Mr. Freeland relates as told to him by this man, John
Strayhorn, is as follows: -- Captain Young, of Hillsboro, collected about one
hundred Whigs and went to fight Dick Edwards on Cane Creek. The Whigs were on a road leading to a large hill, where the road forked. The Tories had news of their approach, and had collected about three hundred men
and were lying in ambush on one of the forks of the road going around the hill.
But finding that the Whigs had taken the other fork, they ran around and overtook three men who
were behind, and killed them. Here the fight began, and Captain Young was killed
and Alexander Geddes, the old elder of New Hope church in after years, was
wounded. Then Mr. Strayhorn said, "I looked through the sight of my rifle
at their captain and fired, and he fell! The fight was soon ended and we
returned with our brave dead." As Mr. Freeland truly remarks, "What
was the history of one was the history of nearly all of New Hope's men, --
fighting for American liberty and against a State Church, which was then the
Church of England." His children
were as follows: Charles, who
married Mary Piper, and some of whose descendants are to be found in Durham
county. Jane, who
married Alexander Craig, the father of David Craig, who is now the oldest elder
in the church and the father of elder Nettleton Craig, deceased, and of Samuel
and William who died in the civil war. Nancy, who
married Joseph Freeland. Gilbert, who
married Jane Kirkland. William, who
married Nancy Strain. Samuel, who
married Sarah Hart; these were the parents of Mrs. William S. Kirkland. George, who
married Mary Brassfield. Abner
accidentally hung himself while a boy. Martha, who
married Sampson Moore, whose children were John, Thomas, Mrs. Chesley Patterson,
Mrs. Dr. Rhodes, Mrs. Reed, Mrs. Leroy Strayhorn, etc. Bryant, who
married Mary Strain, whose sons all died in the war, -- George, Samuel and
Hooper. David, who
married Annie Freeland, and was the father of John, who married Eliza Cole, and
of Thomas, who fell in the battle of Stone River, Tenn. John is the father of
Caroline, who is the wife of Milton Craig. Mary, who
married Robert Davis, and some of whose children were Silas, Mrs. Henry Turner
and Mrs. Bruce. William, the
second son, married two wives, Mary Tate and Mary Hunter. By Mary Tate he had
three children, as follows: -- Nancy, who
married Elisha Smith, whose children were Mrs. Anderson Tate and William, who
married Everline Shields. Samuel, who
married Mary Moore, and who was the father of William F. Strayhorn, the father
of Isaac, Thomas and Mrs. Berry; Mrs. David Craig, Mrs. Newton Craig, my mother,
and Thomas, who fell in the battle of Ream's Station. Gilbert
committed suicide. By Mary Hunter
he had seven children, as follows: -- Sarah, who
married Samuel Tate, of the Hawfields, the father of Lemuel, Thomas, William,
Pinkney, Mary, Mrs. Johnston, Mrs. Dickson, Mrs. Latta and Mrs. Freeland. John never
married. William, who
married Nancy Faucett, and their three daughters married William Tate, Gilbert
Craig, and George Strayhorn. Miriam never
married. David, who
married Sarah Tate, and their children were Mary, Newell, Arabella, Yancey, etc.
Newell is a Cumberland Presbyterian minister in Austin, Texas. Mary, who
married Thomas Tate; unknown to me. Aaron, who
married Nancy Patterson, whose children were William, Mary, Sarah, etc. James, the
third son, married Rachael Cabe, by whom he had five children, as follows: -- William, who
married Nancy Thompson, whose children were Thompson, James Rachael, etc. John, who
married Susan Borland, and who was the father of Wiley, Greene, Egbert, Sidney
and Malitha, who married Alexander Borland. -- These sons all died in the war,
except Sidney. James, who
married Mary Blackwood, and who was the father of Calvin, Robert, Maggie, and
Julia, who married John T. Hogan. Elizabeth never
married. Mary, who
married Archibald Borland, the father of William, their only child. David, the
fourth son, married two wives, a Miss Cabe and Penny Berry. By Miss Cabe he had
two children, as follows: -- Gilbert, who
married Sarah Borland, and who was the father of David and William. John, who is
unknown to me. By Penny Berry
his children were Samuel, Alfred, Eliza, etc., who all moved to Tennessee. Nancy, the
eldest daughter of Gilbert Strayhorn, married James Hart, and had eleven
children as follows:-- Jane, who
married David Strain, and their children were John, William, Mrs. Samuel G.
Kirkland, Mrs. James Hart, Mrs. John Horton, etc. John, who
married Fannie Moore. Gilbert, who
married Nancy Moore. Sarah, who
married Samuel Strayhorn. James, who
married a Miss Belden. Elizabeth, who
married Andrew Murray. Samuel, who
married Elizabeth Tate. Miriam, who
married James Brown. David, who
married Elizabeth Petty. William and
Joseph never married. Miriam, the
second daughter, married John Strain, and had nine children, as follows: -- David, who
married Jane Hart. William, who
married Nancy Strayhorn. Alexander, who
married Mary Burns. Elizabeth, who
married John Elkins. Mary, who
married Bryant Strayhorn. James, who
married Elizabeth Gattis. Samuel, who
married a Miss Brewer. Gilbert and
Sarah never married. Mary, the
third daughter, married John Cabe, who was a member of the legislature in 1796,
by whom she had nine children, all daughters, as follows: -- Nancy, who
married Joseph Latta and Maj. Donnell. Sarah, who
married John Latta. Mary, who
married Mann Patterson, the father of William N. and Robert. Rachael, who
married M. McCown and H. Simms. Katy, who
married Benjamin Rodgers. Elizabeth, who
married Benjamin Rhodes. Lydia, who
married Charles W. Johnston, the father of the present elder bearing the same
name. Margaret, who
married John Caldwell. Jane, who
married William T. Shields. Some of these
families moved to the West, and it is a little singular that each of the eleven
men whom the nine daughters married all owned a merchant mill. Sarah, the
fourth daughter, married William Ansley, and moved to Georgia. Thus it will be
seen that Gilbert Strayhorn had a large number of grandchildren; at least sixty
are here recorded, and most of them in turn married, and had families bearing
various names, and who are largely the people of New Hope congregation to-day.
The Craig Family As in the case
of Mr. Strayhorn, the number of William Craige's children, their names and
places of residence have already been stated. John, was
the eldest child, and married Mary Blackwood, the daughter of William Blackwood,
by whom he had ten children, as follows: -- James, who married Nellie Turner, of the Hawfields, and who was the
father of John, James, Annie, etc., of Chapel Hill. He was one of the donors of
the University site at Chapel Hill. A story is told of his absent mindedness. He
once rode horse back to New Hope church to preaching, and when he reached home
he was afoot. His wife asked him where was his horse. He had forgotten it, and
had never once thought of it in all of his seven miles tramp. A Negro was sent after it and found it tied to a tree near the church. His son John
was a member of the legislature in 1812. His son James
graduated at Chapel Hill in 1816. James F. who
lives at the old homestead, and William H., a lawyer in Ark., are two of his
grandsons, being sons of John. Betsy, who
married Alexander Russell, and moved west. Isabel, who
married Geo. Long, and who was the great-grandmother of the Long family. David, who
married Betsy Boroughs, and who was the father of four daughters, who married
William Brown, Mr. Blackwood, Mr. Murdock and John Freeland, the father of
Johnston and Dr. Charles. Alexander, who
married Jane Strayhorn, and who was the father of Isabel, who married Caleb
Wilson; of John, who married Susan White; of Cameron, who married Harriet
Jacobs; of Mary, who married John Baldwin; of David, who married Nancy
Strayhorn, and who was the father of Nettleton; of Martha, who married Samuel
Kirkland; of Gilbert, who married Margaret Strayhorn, the mother of Leroy Craig. Abram, who
married Jane Murdock, and who was the father of John, of the Hawfields, and of
Andrew, who became a Baptist minister in the eastern part of the State. Abram, a
son of John is at present an elder in the Hawfields church, and Locke and
Braxton, sons of Andrew, one a lawyer in Asheville and the other a Baptist
minister. Mary, who
married Charles Freeland, the father of Fletcher, Mrs. Katy Faucett, etc. Samuel, Peggy
and John died unmarried. David, was
perhaps the second child, and married Nellie Turner, of the Hawfields, by whom
he had eight children, as follows: -- Johnston, who
married Martha Blackwood, and moved west. William, who
married Mary Blackwood and moved west. Samuel, who
married Mary Johnston, of the Hawfields, and moved west. David and John
went to the West. Isabel, who
married James Johnston, of the Hawfields, and whose descendants are still there.
One of her descendants, T. C. Johnston, is at the present time a ruling elder in
the Hawfields church. Eleanor, who married John Blackwood, was the mother of thirteen children, whose
names will be noticed under the Blackwood family. Sarah, who
married Johnston Blackwood, and moved away. James, who
was perhaps the third son, married Rebecca Ball, by whom he had eight children,
as follows: -- William, who
married Mary McBryde, at the place where David A. Claytor now lives, and moved
to South Carolina. I have never been able to find any traces of this family,
though there were several children, and they located in one of the border
counties, perhaps Chesterfield. I think the name of one of his daughters was
Scynthia. Nancy, who
married Joseph Mallette, and who was the mother of Mrs. Tinnin in the Hawfields,
and of Rebecca, who married first Thomas Jacobs, the father of Nancy, who
married Isaac Craig and Col. William McCauley; and of Harriet, who married
Cameron Craig, the father of Sandy, Johnston, William, etc. Rebecca was married
a second time to Charles Freeland. James, who
married Sarah Burns, a daughter of Andrew, who was a son of William. James Craig
was the father of Mrs. William Cheek, who had a large family, some of whom were
Calvin, Mrs. Murphy Smith, etc. His other children all moved away. Margaret, who
married Robert Nichols and moved to Arkansas. Isaac, who
married two wives, Betsy Murray and Nancy Jacobs, and who died without children. John never
married, and died at the age of about twenty-five. He was a great sufferer with
white swelling, and was said to have been a very intelligent man. Rebecca never
married and lived at the old homestead to an advanced age, when she died very
suddenly. She was a good woman, and was a mother to my grandfather's children,
after his wife died. David who
married Isabel Nelson, a daughter of John Nelson of the Hawfields, and who was
the father of six children. He was born Oct. 1786, and died of cancer in the
eye, Nov. 12, 1862. His children were Jennie, Rebecca and John, all of whom died
young; Wiley and Isabel, who never married, and lived together at the old home
until recently, Oct. 21, 1890, when Wiley died, leaving Isabel all alone. His
other child, James Newton, was my father, and married Emeline Strayhorn, a
daughter of Samuel, a son of William, a son of Gilbert, the patriarch. My father
was the only one who perpetuated the name of Craig in N. C., in a direct line,
through James, the son of William. I am one of ten children, eight of whom are
still living. My father was born Oct. 14, 1816, and died Feb. 12, 1879. Samuel, the
youngest child, married Mary Johnston, of the Hawfields, and was the father of
eight children, as follows:-- William, who
married Sarah Woods. Samuel, who
married two wives, Martha Kirkland and Martha Easters. By the first wife two of
his children were Mary and Martha. Mary was the mother of George S. Freeland,
and Martha married John Paul late in life. Martha, who
married Andrew Burns, and who was the mother of William, Samuel, Margaret and
Anderson. The latter moved to Texas. Betsy, who
married William Kirkland, the father of William S. who was an elder, and of
John, who was the father of Richard, Irvin and John. Isabel, who
married Joseph Kirkland, the father of Samuel, the elder, John, Joseph, James,
William, etc. David was
drowned. Jane, who
married George Mitchell. Margaret, who
married James Mitchell. Isabel, the
only daughter, married David Nelson, of the Hawfields, by whom she had a large
family. Some of her children were as follows: -- Samuel, who
married a Miss Tate. Lettie, who
married James Tate, and two of her daughters married brothers by the name of
Allen. John married
Jennie Tate, and was the father of thirteen children. He was for many years an
elder in the Hawfields church, and the names of his numerous family were as
follows: Isabel, who married David W. Craig, my grandfather; Janette, William
and George never married; David, John, James, Alfred and Josiah all moved west;
Samuel, who married Sarah Burnsides, whose sons all died in the war; Mary, who
married John Paul, whose sons moved west, and some of whose daughters, Mrs.
Miles, Mrs. James Squires, etc., still live in the Hawfields; Margaret who
married John Hart, and moved west; Paisley, who married Margaret Smith, whose
son, Samuel, and daughter, Mrs. Margaret Thompson, still live in the Hawfields. The Blackwood
Family William
Blackwood, like Gilbert Strayhorn and William Craig, was one of the Patriarchs
of New Hope, and he was the rich man of the congregation in his day. It is said
his lands were four miles in extent from east to west, -- from near Robson's old
mill to the old road leading from Chapel Hill to Hillsboro. A story is told
of him which well illustrates the sturdy Scotch character and customs. When
either John Craig or Charles Johnston asked him for his daughter in marriage,
falling back upon the customs of Scotland, he said to the young man, "I
have a thousand acres of land, besides other property to give to my daughter,
and have you an equal amount to start with her?" The young man had to
answer, no! and consent to the marriage was refused. But it mattered
not, mill day soon came round and his girl had to go, but she did not return,
for a conspiracy had been formed by the young couple and the wedding was over.
The old man was beaten and had the "pouts" for weeks, but perhaps
remembering his own sins, he sent for his children to come home, and gave them
his blessing as well as the portion of lands. It would be
almost impossible for me to enlarge in any great measure upon this family
without repeating much of what I have already written. And the same might be
said of the Kirkland and Freeland families, for they are all closely connected,
and the history of one greatly involves the history of the others. As stated
elsewhere, William Blackwood, the original settler, had eight children, and the
name has been perpetuated in the New Hope congregation through his son. William, who married Margaret King, by whom he had sixteen children -- four sons and
twelve daughters. I have been informed that the daughters married as follows: Elizabeth, who
married George Allen, of Tennessee. Hannah, who
married Willoughby Seph, of Virginia. Mary, who
married William Craig, son of David. Martha, who
married Johnston Craig, son of David. Jennie, who
married John McCauley. Annie, who
married Jacob Potts. Margaret, who
married William Long, of Tennessee. Sarah, who
married John Gattis, of Georgia. Nancy, who
married James and Silas Davis. Fannie, who
married Anderson Long. Isabel, and
Katy, died unmarried. The four sons
were William, James, and Johnston, who all moved away, and John, the perpetuator
of the name on the waters of New Hope. This man, John
Blackwood, was twice married; first to Elanor Craig, the daughter of David the
son of William, by whom he had thirteen children, and second to Mary McCauley,
by whom he had seven children -- twenty in all. His children by Elanor Craig
were as follows: Mary, who married James Strayhorn, the father of Calvin,
Robert, Maggie and Mrs. Julia Hogan; David, who married Tabitha Minor, of
Granville, and was the father of John M., Samuel D., the elder, Mrs. Ward, Mrs.
Mary Blackwood and Mrs. Julia Kirkland; William, who was an elder, married
Martha Minor, of Granville, and was the father of John T., William, etc.;
Margaret who married John McCauley, the father of David, James, etc.; Isabel,
Samuel and Jackson never married; John who married Laura Springs, of South
Carolina; Nathaniel, who married Mary Jones, of Johnston county; Alexander, who
married Helen Horton, and became a Baptist minister; Robert married Susan
Stanley, of Surry county; Johnston married Rebecca Teel, of New Jersey. The
first three mentioned above remained in the bounds of New Hope, the others all
moved away. I have no knowledge of John Blackwood's children by Mary McCauley. The Kirkland
Family This family has
furnished the church with three ruling elders -- Joseph, in 1840; William S., in
1859, and Samuel, in 1879. At the present time it has a large number of male
representatives, two of whom are deacons, Joseph and William, brothers of the
elder. Joseph married Julia Blackwood, a sister of Samuel, the elder, and
William married Elizabeth Craig, the daughter of John, the son of Alexander, the
son of John Craig. And also her grandmother was Jane Strayhorn, the daughter of
John, the son of Gilbert Strayhorn. I am not
sufficiently acquainted with the history of the original members of the family
so as to speak with certainty in reference to them. But enough has been said to
show their connection with the founders of the church, and thereby illustrating
the truth of God's promises. I am not
competent with my present fund of information to enter into any detailed account
of the Freeland, Hogan and Johnston families. The Freelands
are the oldest in connection with the church, and were perhaps among its
original organizers, though the Hogans came to North Carolina about the same
time, and perhaps in company with them. It is said that both families settled in
what is now the western part of the village of Chapel Hill about the same time
the first settlers located on New Hope. It is certain that John Freeland was
elder in New Hope church as far back as 1796, as the record show. This man was
the grandfather of John A. Freeland of whom mention has been made. The Johnston
family, as before stated, is of later date, and at the present time has only one
male representative, C. W. Johnston, an elder, and a descendant, on his mother's
side, of Gilbert Strayhorn. The present Mr. Johnston married a daughter of the
well known educator, Samuel W. Hughes, deceased, and has a large family of
children, some of whom are members of the church. |