Journal of Clan Ewing
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CONTENTS
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FEBRUARY JOURNAL
WESTWARD MIGRATION FROM IREDELL COUNTY (1800-1850)
EWING CEMETERY INFORMATION–IOWA
MAY JOURNAL
TIMES IN CECIL COUNTY AFTER THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
EWING HOME, ARCOLA, IL, NO LONGER OPEN AS MUSEUM
A REMINDER FOR FAMILY RESEARCHERS
EWING CEMETERY INFORMATION IN ILLINOIS
AUGUST JOURNAL
JAMES, WILLIAM, AND ENOCH: THE PATRIARCHS
DAVID McKINNEY TO HEAD FAMOUS MUSEUM
NOVEMBER JOURNAL
PEACEMAKER IN THE 18th CENTURY
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Page 282
[Journal of Clan Ewing, Vol 5 No. 1 -Feb 1999, page 2]
The Ewing Clan website is one of the best. Every time I have a spare moment I not only check Netscape, and AOL for interesting information. I have been checking the Ewing information, in fact I have never thought I was interested in a web site, until I have spent some time looking at the Ewing Clan. Now who knows, I all of a sudden have and interest, and maybe I'll break down and get a web site?
This last e-mail I clicked on the http and went through, great.
As soon as I have some additional time I'll look at the queries. I think I told you on the phone I had answered some queries I found, and no answer, but it was an offer to share info I had, not that I was wanting anything from them, so I guess they are the losers.
Any way thanks for the directions and the information, I will be in touch.
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In September, my husband and I stopped at the Hascall Cemetery, Montgomery County, Iowa (a country cemetery southeast of Emerson Iowa in the southwest portion of the state). We were looking for other families, but found some Ewing graves. In the interest of publicizing Ewing data, we are enclosing the information.
Attended the DAR grave marking of my ancestor Patrick Ewing 1737-1819. Met Hazel Daro who sponsored/hosted the affair. Her diligent efforts made the day a pleasant one in Colora, Maryland.
Newton, PA
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I like your idea for a loose network of William Ewing of Rockingham descendants. I would like to get a "dialogue" going on all of the various issues.
Regarding the burial site of Anne Shannon Ewing (and William is supposedly buried at her side), everything that I have seen says that they are buried in the churchyard of the New Erection Church, near their home in Rockingham County at the headwaters of Linville Creek. Rockingham County is only about an hour away from where I live, and I have tried on several occasions to locate the home-site and the New Erection Church.
As I think I've told you, I found the home-site a couple of years ago. William and Anne Shannon Ewing's grandson, also named William Ewing, built the house presently standing on the site, sometime about 1820. It is listed in a register of historical homes in Rockingham County, and it appears to be well kept today.
Two weeks ago, I found the New Erection Church. As I had suspected, they have changed the name. Today, it is Cooks Creek Presbyterian Church. (The original name stems from the fact that the congregation was originally established circa 1739 about 10 miles from the present site, but the original site was flooded to create a reservoir in the
1780s, so the congregation moved to the present site and called it the New Erection Church.) I walked through the cemetery at length, but the oldest headstones are severely weathered, and are almost if not totally illegible. I have written to the church office to see if they have any documentation of who is buried in the churchyard, and what was inscribed on the tombstones. I have not yet received a reply.
Again, thanks for your efforts to initiate the William Ewing connections.
petehamilton <at> hotmail.com
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Found your magazine at the Library. Also connected my husband’s family to Ewings that day!! Am anxious to correspond and exchange information.
Parkville, MO
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The November Journal of Clan Ewing arrived today, November 17, another great issue. I sat down and read it cover to cover as soon as I had some spare time.
I found the item at the bottom of page 28 [November 1998 issue] quite intriguing, “From the book Our Ewings in America, page 7", citing the letter written by Dr. Gilbert A. Ewing. I do not recall having seen or read that book. His statement strengthens my belief that James Ewing of Pocahontas is the James Ewing, son of John Ewing of Carnshanagh, based on my research in Frederick, Augusta, and Greenbrier Counties, Virginia.
It is my understanding that the cemetery Joshua Ewing willed for public use, located near Locust Creek on the Greenbrier, is now fenced–thanks to the effort spearheaded by Connie Matheny of the Bath County Historical Society. Time will tell how many will be given access to it; hopefully enough that stones which have been trampled under by livestock can be rescued and read. One is believed to be the stone of William Ewing, son of William Ewing of Frederick County, son of John Ewing of Carnshanagh.
I am excited that the next Ewing Clan Gathering will be in Lancaster, Ohio. My 2nd great grandfather Jacob Ream came there in 1809 and knew Thomas Ewing, according to Jacob’s pension deposition. Will be great to have the opportunity to do some more research there.
Jean McClure
Columbia, MO
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CHANCELLOR'S MESSAGE
[Journal of Clan Ewing, Vol 5 No. 1 -Feb 1999, page 4]
Greetings and Happy New Year from Clan Ewing in America. As we venture into the last (but one?) Year of the millennium, I cannot help but think of our forebears, who have left us with such rich traditions. Peggy and I are constantly amazed at the lengths (literally) our ancestors went to preserve their way of life and to keep in tough with family and friends.
Some of our Ewing (in the various versions of however the name was spelled then) ancestors probably moved from Ireland to Scotland in the wave of Scots who settled in the west of Scotland in the early years of the first millennium A.D. They may have spread out and grown into the highland MacEwen clan as well as formed the basis for the lowland families who, according to some, gave rise to the “William of Stirling” branch which includes quite a few of the Ewings in America today. In the 17th century a number of the lowland Ewings moved (back) to Ireland, from which some came to America a generation or two or more later. Then, the immigrants who were not content to settle on the seaboard moved on into the wilderness of the new continent and brought the name Ewing to all corners of it.
Recent reading on the life of the Scots in norther Ireland in the 17th century has given me new insight into their attitudes toward the British prior to and in our war for independence. The English had already tried all the same tricks on the Irish that they tried on their American colonists. The Scots here had left Ireland, in part, to escape the heavy hand of the monarchy and would not stand for all that again. In Ireland the English had laid heavy taxes on tea and document stamps, had quartered troops on the civilian population and had forbidden manufacturing and weaving. The American colonies, like Ireland, were to be producers of food and raw materials for the motherland and a market for its cloth and manufactured goods. With that experience behind them it is no wonder the Irish Scots were the leaders and backbone of the revolutionary spirit and efforts here in the new world.
Still no luck with my efforts to find any definite links between Ewing emigrants to America prior to 1776 and Scotland. Whenever I see or hear someone who claims descent from Scotland, I ask for the details, but so far nothing more than family tradition. I have even written to sources in Scotland to find out whether they have any such evidence from that end.
I hope to see all of you at our next Gathering in Ohio in September 2000--
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EWING WITH FRANCIS MARION
[Journal of Clan Ewing, Vol 5 No. 1 -Feb 1999, page 5]
Source: This article is taken from a letter to William M. Ewing, Tulsa, Oklahoma received from his son, Tom, dated 6 Aug 1997.
Well, I strolled over to the Kathleen Ewing Gallery today. Ms. Ewing was present. She wasn’t exactly effusive, but she did chat a bit. Her gallery is a photography gallery. Her area is 19th and 20th Century Photography. I don’t know if she takes any pictures or not. There was a book on display that she had written about another photographer, and all the pictures on her walls were by other people. Many were quite nice. I bought a couple of photo cards that she had of various Washington sites.
Anyway, she said that she had lived in the D.C. area most of her life, but that her father was from the Atlanta area. She said that he was named Marion Ewing because their Ewing ancestor supposedly was in Francis Marion’s outfit during the Revolution. You may recall that Francis Marion is known as “the Swamp Fox,” and was the subject of a popular Disney series in the late 1950s/early 1960s. Also, all of the towns around the country named Marion are name after him.
So, I’m not sure what branch of the family this makes her, but at least now we know that a Ewing was supposed to have fought in Francis Marion’s famous outfit. They were in South Carolina by the way.
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“My Dearest Life. . .”
[Journal of Clan Ewing, Vol 5 No. 1 -Feb 1999, page 7]
Kay is the great-great-granddaughter of Katharine Ewing Worrilow of Bethel Township, Pennsylvania; she was a descendant of David B. Ewing of Village Green, Pennsylvania and of two James Ewings and “Old Henry” Ewing 1701-1782. I do not yet know whether I am related to Katharine Ewing Hand and would appreciate hearing from any Clan Ewing members who can enlighten me. [Ed. Note: Later, Kay learned that she was a first cousin six times removed to Katharine Ewing Hand.]
The sources of this article are the History of Lancaster County, PA, by Ellis & Evans; the Lancaster County and the Western Pennsylvania Historical Societies; and publications of Rock Ford Plantation, Lancaster, PA.
Any mother who has ever hovered over a crib, desperate to know what to do for a feverish, miserably ill baby, can feel deepest empathy for a long-ago Ewing who had the same experience while her husband (a doctor) was away at war.
The letter written by “Kitty” Ewing Hand, wife of the Revolutionary War general, is gone, but her husband’s concerned reply from Hartford. Connecticut, on March 21, 1776, is still in existence. As quoted in a history of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Dr. Edward Hand was replying to his wife’s letter saying that they had nearly lost “poor little Sally”, then three months old. She had been attended by a Dr. Kuhne, who was managing to take care of the citizens in Lancaster when both his son Dr. John Kuhne and Dr. Hand were off with the troops. The anxious father couldn’t refrain from advising his faraway colleague thus: “If he has no reason to contradict it, I think that Castor Oil (commonly called so) might be of great service to her. A small teaspoon full once or twice a day–you have some very fine in a pint bottle which Mr. Provost favored me with.” The general also voiced an opinion that he didn’t think Dr. Kuhne should inoculate little Sarah at that time.
The correspondence indicates that he didn’t hear from Kitty for some time at this period, and he wrote anxious letters to Jasper Yeates, her uncle and guardian, indicating that he felt worried about the baby and put out at his wife for not keeping him better informed. All was well, however, by May 1776 when Sally had recovered from smallpox in spite of the treatment, and he wrote to Kitty calling her “My Dearest Life” (could he have meant “wife”? My notes indicate an ‘L’.) During her illness, he also advised, “If Sally’s mouth should continue sore, purge her and use a gargle made of dry sage and red rose leaves, the latter is best with honey, and a very few drops of oil of vitriol or alum.”
“If it pleases God to spare us until the beginning of October,” wrote the discouraged husband and soldier, “I wish then to have her and the Blacks inoculated. . . You need not know be afraid of infection from Sally Yeates.”
Katharine Ewing Hand, who is buried with her husband in St. James’ Episcopal churchyard in Lancaster, was the daughter of James and Sarah Yeates Ewing, and Sally Yeates probably was her cousin. The Yeates family had come to Lancaster from Chester, Pennsylvania, and Katharine was named for her grandmother Catharine Sandelands Yeates, wife of Jasper Sr. The Sandelands family was one of the first ever to reside in the English colony at Chester, and Jasper Yeates had bought a building there in 1697 where he started a granary and bakery. (The first name of these women is spelled at various times with a ‘K’ and ‘C’ in the old records as it is today.)
Edward Hand was a lieutenant colonel when he married Katharine on March 13, 1775. Sally was born Dec. 8, 1775. He was later commissioned a brigadier general and fought with the Revolutionary Army until July 12, 1777, when he was sent to Fort Pitt, at the junction of the Monogahela and Allegheny rivers, to call the militia together to mobilize them against the Indians and Tories. He also served as surgeon to the garrison at the fort, and while there he purchased land along Chartiers Creek in what is now the Pittsburgh suburb of Crafton, just down the Ohio River from the fort. From there he wrote to Jasper Yeates: “The smallpox has crept into this place and am fitting my house on the creek for a hospital and shall inoculate those who have not already had the disease. “He later persuaded the Continental Congress to authorize a specially-constructed two-story log building which was the first Federal hospital built in America and for 69 years was the only medical institution west of the Alleghenies.
After the war. General Hand returned to Kitty and Sally and life in another country home–Rock Ford, which he built in 1792 on the southern edge of Lancaster, and which has been lovingly restored and is open to the public today.
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WESTWARD MIGRATION FROM IREDELL COUNTY 1800-1850
[Journal of Clan Ewing, Vol 5 No. 1 -Feb 1999, page 9]
Source: The following article was published in The North Carolina Historical Review, Volume XXX, Number 1, January 1953 and was submitted by Dr. William Steele Ewing. We appreciate receiving this article and having the opportunity of printing it.
At the midpoint of another century it may be worth while to look back at the causes and effects of the heavy migration from Iredell County between 1800 and 1850. Land records and wills indicate that the first migrants were influenced to some extent by receipt of military bounty lands in Tennessee and by land sales in Kentucky. The news of successful locations filtered back home by visitors and by letters. Much of the information was spread by the spoken word and by letters rather than printed matter. Several groups of families made the long journey by wagon and horseback and settled near each other in central and western Tennessee and in western Kentucky. Among these were settlements in Tipton County, Tennessee, and in Christian County, Kentucky. Later, some of these people, or their children, plus others from the home county, moved to Bellevue, Missouri, and to Bloomington, Illinois, and from there to other points in Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Wyoming, Utah, California, and other western states.
So great was the westward migration from the Southeast about 1845 that Calvin H. Wiley, State
Superintendent of Common Schools, declared that North Carolina sometimes seemed like “one
vast camping ground,” where people were only tented around campfires or in their covered
wagons for the night on their way to some new home far away. Apropos of their moving many
communities held services of prayer and song to bid the movers Godspeed the night before parties
set off by wagon for the long overland journey westward.
The movement from Iredell County from 1800 to 1850 is part of the great movement described
by Archibald D. Murphey in 1815 when he wrote that “within twenty-five years past more than
two hundred thousand of our inhabitants have removed to the waters of the Ohio, Tennessee, and
Mobile; . . .” and “In this state of things our agriculture is at a stand[still]; . . .”
After 1800 population pressure in many counties and lack of opportunities for land and employment prodded settlers westward. After the War of 1812 there began a heavy and persistent migration to Tennessee and Kentucky which, in the course of time, was stimulated more and more by opening of lands for settlement in Illinois,
This public sale of farm land and household property by Adlai Ewing in 1816, Iredell County, North Carolina, was held preparatory to moving to Christian County, Kentucky. Such sale notices customarily were posted at the nearest store, Mill, Post Office, and county courthouse. The Ewing farm was located about four miles north of Statesville on the North Branch of fourth Creek, and between the Chipley Ford and Wilkesboro Road.
Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas. The frontier and the West have been looked upon as almost synonymous in the history of the United States. The large migration to the West and Midwest from the southern Piedmont in the first half of the nineteenth century has been obscured by the political events of the times and the general movement of people from the Atlantic seaboard.
Trend Toward Commercial Farming
In the first decades after 1800 a rapidly expanding population led to occupancy of remaining vacant land in Iredell county and to creation of many new family-sized farms. The farmer and his family did all the work of carving out the first farms and in farming and other necessary occupations.
From 1820 to 1830 revolutionary changes in agriculture and type of farming had begun.
Commercialized cotton growing had jumped into prominence as a result of increased demand and
cheaper production and processing practices. By this time, farm lands had become less
productive, and this led to increased clearing of new lands and abandonment of old lands. Among
the widely discussed problems in the early decades of the nineteenth century were those that
centered about poor crop yields, declining productivity of the land, and poor markets.
Westward Migration 1800-1850
By 1840 abandoned farm lands and houses gave evidence of the downward trend in agriculture.
After the opening of lands in Tennessee, Kentucky, and other western states, many people left the
county for the new country. From 1800 to 1850, hundreds of families moved from the county to
the West.
The good soil of the Mississippi Valley and the prairies called and the hill country
farms were sold or abandoned. The county lost people and wealth or stood still, while the new
areas gained. With increase in commercial farming, cultivated land holdings were enlarged
somewhat in parts of the county.
Migration and New Lands
Probably a reason for the relative stability of tenure for the first fifty years in the county’s history was the fact that large acreages of good land lay just over the mountains to the west in Tennessee and Kentucky, and as this land was available almost for the taking by enterprising young people, there was no necessity for them to work long as wage hands or tenants on the lands of others. Family histories and correspondence show that from time to time in the early 1800's, every community in the county sent forth wagon trains bearing family and neighborhood groups westward to claim military bounty lands and state grants, to buy from land dealers, or otherwise to obtain public land. Lands granted Revolutionary War soldiers in Tennessee and Kentucky in many instances were not settled until the sons or grandsons came of age and growing families made it necessary to develop more farms.
The fact that a large company of men in addition to numerous individuals from Fourth Creek
community served in several battles of the Revolution indicates something of the probable volume
of military land grants available to the people of this one area. State lands also were bought, often
in advance of settlement across the mountains. Old wills show that some of these grants were
several hundred acres in extent and were divided between sons, grandsons, or other relatives of
the recipients.
Early migration to middle and west Tennessee undoubtedly was influenced by
receipt of these lands. This movement followed the frontier line as new territory was settled and
organized. For example, family records show settlement in middle Tennessee around 1800 and in
Tipton and other western Tennessee counties as late as the 1830's.
The story of this movement of farm people is by no means dead because of the passage of time. A number of communities across the country are rooted like trees in the lives of the people from the Carolina Piedmont frontier–a part of the first western frontier of American history. Iredell County is little different from other Piedmont counties. It is a typical county with Scotch-Irish and Pennsylvania Dutch backgrounds. Indeed, tracing the migration of many of its families first from the old countries to southeastern Pennsylvania, thence to the North Carolina Piedmont, and finally to the Midwest and West has much in common with tracing the westward growth and expansion of farming in the United States.
In the early years after these migrations, letters and visits were exchanged with the folks back
home. At various times from about 1810 to 1860 many families, either singly or in groups,
followed the early pioneers to the Midwest. Sometimes they settled in the same communities as
previous migrants. If going farther west, they visited relatives and acquaintances en route and
thereby obtained information about land and other matters of interest. Two letters are quoted
here written by Moses Stevenson and his wife, Ann Ewing Stevenson, in 1817, from Hopkinsville,
Kentucky, to William McClelland and wife, Jane Ewing McClelland, brother-in-law and sister
respectively, and to David Hampton, another brother-in-law.
These letters show how
information regarding new land was spread.
Hopkinsville, Kentucky
March 25th 1817
Iredell County North Carolina
Near Statesville
Dear Brother and Sister–
We all arrived here in good health–and with as much safety, as any set of travellers, that have ever travelled the road I suppose–We found our friends all well here–And we have all enjoyed very good health since here–except Bro. Jas. who has been complaining a little, as in Carolina.
All appear well pleased with our move since we came here–Sally Ewing–as we came out talked very frequently of the N. C. friends–but appears pretty well satisfied now.
We not being able to affect a pu[r]chase till very lately we have rented a farm of about one hundred acres, all fresh land, with every necessary building and an excellent spring on the place. The place lies one mile and a half east of Bros. Jas. Stevenson’s and ten miles from town.
We have lately purchased one thousand acres of land from Judge Broadnax–our choice of all the lands in this country–Bro. Wm. If I could have my wish–a part of it–would be–to have you situate about two miles west of us on a little river–where you could get lands plenty from Wm. Broadnax at three dollars per acre with an excellent mill seat on it–or for two thousand dollars you may purchase a mill ready built, about two miles further down the river in excellent neighborhood for custom. I do wish, if convenient, that you and Dvd. Hamton would come out his summer and see for yourselves–rest assured there are advantages here you know nothing about and if I was to tell you you could not believe it.
I have now a very fine beginning of stock–I have of grown cattle–twelve head and 6 or eight calves–and twelve sheep and 7 lambs–with a very good beginning of hogs–Our stock appears to thrive very well–Again I think we have as kind a set of neighbors, as far as we have made trial of them, as I would ever wish to settle beside–There is a friendship among neighbors here, that the people in Carolina know nothing about–Sir with reluctance I must here quit. I have wrote a number of letters to my friends (as I thought) in Carolina–but have not received a line from one of them yet. Please to remember me and my family to Grandpa if alive and tell him we think of him often and to all enquiring friends–This from your still affectionate.
Bro. and Sister M. and A. Stevenson
postage 25¢
Kentucky
Christian County
July the 17th 1817
North Carolina, Iredell County
Near Statesville
Dear Brothers and Sisters–
Having at present an opportunity of safe conveyance–I again take hold of my pen to let you know where we stopped at and where we rented and where we purchased–which you complain I have not done–(I mean Bro. Wm. McClelland) Sir I should have wrote more particularly on that subject–to you–only I thought you were sufficiently apprised of the state and county both in which I intended to stop in. However be it known to you now, that I have taken up my place of residence in Kentucky, Christian County on the waters of Little River ten miles South of Hopkinsville–I have purchased about the same distance from town on the same waters and about one mile and half South of Bro. Jas. Stevenson’s–and in the state and city Aforesaid.
My friends I have nothing strange or new to communicate to you at present–Only that Grandpa slipt over the 17th of June to see how we were coming on–at a very unexpected moment to any of us. He had his health very well coming out–though somewhat fatigued–He has since had his health very well considering everything–as we all have had ever since we came here–Only Bro. Jas. Ewing who is still weakly though evidently better for some weeks past.
Bro. Wm. you say the situation of sister Jane with some other things will not admit your visiting this country soon–Sir I am truly sorry for that–You ought to come to this or some other new country where you could live more easy and more plentiful–You have invited us over and take a cup of coffee with you–As you have plenty–Well sir if health permits I will take you at your word but I believe I will wait a while to see if you get anything to eat with it–As you complain of grain being very scarce with you at present–but sir let me inform you that we have plenty of everything in this country (thanks to the Giver of all good).
I must now leave you and turn my attention to Bro. Hamton and family. Sister Nancy I congratulate you, on the birth of your son–May it be a fresh spur to move you towards Kentucky if you ever intend coming–as land is rising fast in this country you may be sure. Bro. David I would not begrudge five dollars you could see my corn fields this day–I am conscious you have no idea hardly how it grows–but I must here stop after entertaining myself as usual–Your still affectionate Bro. and Sister.
M and A Stevenson
Favored by Wm. Jacob Stevenson
The writer of the letters quoted above–Moses Stevenson–after his marriage to Ann Ewing lived in Iredell County for some years. His children were born there. He was willed a two-thirds interest in a farm of 527 acres by his father, William Stevenson, Sr., in 1809. In 1816 in company with his brother James Stevenson and his brothers-in-law, Adlai Ewing and Andrew McKenzie, and their families and a large party of other emigrants, he and his family crossed the mountains and settled in Christian County, Kentucky. Here he and the party established their homes, reared their families, and saw many of them move on to Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas.
Distinguished descendants of this group of settlers include Hon. Adlai Ewing Stevenson, Vice-President of the United States, 1893-1897; his grandson, Governor Adlai Ewing Stevenson,
Governor of Illinois, 1949-1953; and the Hon. Alben W. Barkley, Vice President, 1949-1953.
A brother, Robert Stevenson, his wife, and William Sloan and others had moved west in 1807. They stopped in Christian County, Kentucky, in the early fall. A party of men went on across the Mississippi River and explored for a site for settlement. Having found the beautiful Bellevue Valley in Missouri they returned and took their families over and founded a settlement there in 1808 that became a center of life for the area. Robert Stevenson was a member of the constitutional convention that framed the first constitution for Missouri.
Of the eleven children of William Stevenson, Sr., one of the early settlers of Iredell County, six
with their families moved west between 1807 and 1816. Only two sons settle permanently in the
home county, but a number of their descendants moved west. The eldest son, Thomas Stevenson,
was killed in the Revolutionary War, and one son died in infancy.
The Stevenson family history
is typical of that of many other first settlers. Some names of people, long residents, disappeared
entirely from the county because of migration of whole families.
Causes of Migration
The migration from the county and state in large numbers naturally raised the question, “Why did they go?” Anyone reviewing economic conditions in the county and region in this period will find them far from encouraging. Not only was the fertility of the land being exhausted but prices received for the low yields were small, considering the long hauls to markets and the costs of necessities that had to be bought. At times heavy products like grain and fruit were lost because of poor roads and want of markets. In order to sell their grain and fruit many farmers converted them to whiskey and brandy which was more easily hauled long distances and which had a ready market.
Population growth also began to press on the available resources and actual necessity forced many to migrate westward to find a place of livelihood. A comparison of the rural population of 10,000 to 15,000, dependent almost entirely on a hand-labor agriculture from 1800 to 1850, and the farm population of some 18,000 in 1950, and the greatly expanded, partly mechanized production of today shows in a measure the urgency our early farmers felt in migrating to new land areas.
This area, which was developed upon a grain-livestock self-sufficing type of farm economy, over the years gradually added more row crops like tobacco, cotton, and corn. Not only were acreages of cotton and tobacco increased, but silk was grown and other products were tried in order to find better sources of income. Moreover, erosion impoverished and washed the sandy loam and clay loam soils so that many acres once cleared and farmed were allowed to revert to forest growth. Fertile bottom-lands were farmed or in hay meadows and pastures in the early years, but they too were damaged by increasing floods and clay, sand, and gravel deposits as the stream channels became clogged with debris washed down from the hills. Thus many once productive acres went out of cultivation.
Settlement and cultivation from 1800 to 1850 brought profound changes in the original vegetation
and in the topsoil. Valleys and prairies were converted into farms. Much upland and hilly forest
land likewise was cleared for farming. The dense forests which so universally covered the steep
hill land were cut over and many acres were placed under cultivation. Erosion of topsoil was
rapid, with resultant abandonment and growth of brush fields and young stands of forest growth,
even in the early 1800's. Later many of these old fields were recleared and abandoned one or
more times. For these reasons there occurred a long-time rotation of forest and farm crops on
much land.
In addition to compelling economic reasons for migration there also were bothersome social questions. Disagreement between families and neighbors arose as to whether distilling grain and manufacture of liquor was right or wrong. Speculation in town lots and other ventures increased. Some people did this hoping to gain a profit and at the same time to build up market towns in the region. Slavery was a serious question, even though of slow growth in the county for years. Many people openly disapproved. They not only felt it morally wrong, but they also considered it a handicap to the community, dividing it sharply into two classes, slaveholders and non-slaveholders.
Prior to 1800 slavery was quite generally opposed. The Rowan County committees of safety in
the resolutions of 1774 evidently expressed the feeling of the people of the area on this subject by
stating that “. . . the slave trade is injurious to this colony and obstructs the population of it by
free men. . . .”
This view relative to slavery prevailed in the minds of numerous farmers even
after the beginning of more commercial types of farming. The family-type farmers by hard work,
careful management, and frugal living were able to continue farming even in competition with
slavery. Gradually, however, the small farmers who worked their own land lost in influence in the
county. Likewise the Piedmont counties, lacking as they were in wealth, were less influential in
public affairs in the state than other regions.
About 1800 according to Clark, “before its development was arrested by slavery,” the Piedmont
section of North Carolina promised to become a manufacturing region.
But between 1810 and
1830 when textile manufactures shifted largely from the fireside to the factory, the state lost in
textile production. The transition from household manufactures for home use to specialized
manufacturing was delayed longer in North Carolina than in the non-slaveholding states.
An unfortunate development for the Piedmont region was the increased emphasis on cotton
production by the use of slave labor.
A number of the larger farms in Iredell County were
shifted to slave labor and along with this a general social disfavor was placed on the independent
farmers who did not own slaves. Furthermore, wealth went into slaves and cotton land rather
than into improvement of farms and into machines and factories.
Coupled with these discouraging factors at home was the low cost for entry or purchase of western lands, and the speedy increase in their value because of the streams of people going west to possess and cultivate them. Not only were these lands believed to be very fertile but they also possessed advantages from location on navigable streams, and in growing communities with opportunities for productive employment.
This brief narrative shows that in this county, as elsewhere, one of the great quests of people is for stability. They strive for it in their surroundings, and in the things which will assure a fair standard of living, freedom from want, and a reasonable degree of comfort in old age. The large number of people moving westward from 1800 to 1850 and afterwards indicates that the economy of the Piedmont did not always provide that stability. Rapid strides have been made in the last generation toward obtaining a better understanding of the resources peculiar to the Piedmont. With this understanding, methods are being developed and put into practice for making better use of these resources.
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WILLIAM EWING (1826-
[Journal of Clan Ewing, Vol 5 No. 1 -Feb 1999, page 21]
[Source: Commemorative biographical Encyclopedia of The Juniata Valley, comprising the Counties of Huntingdon, Mifflin, Juniata, and Perry, Pennsylvania, 1897, Publishers, J.M. Runk & Co., Chambersburg, PA. This article was sent in by Eleanor Ewing Ehrlich, Saratoga, CA.]
William Ewing, Manor Hill, Huntingdon county, Pa., was born in Barree township, February 12, 1826, son of James and Elizabeth (Creswell) Ewing. The Ewing family is of English origin. The progenitors of its American branch were immigrants here during colonial times; some of them took an active part in the Revolution. Thomas Ewing, great-grandfather of William Ewing, was during that war a resident of West township, having removed to this vicinity from the southeastern part of the State. His descendants are found in different parts of Pennsylvania. In the fall of 1782 his daughter Catherine, with a Miss McCormick, daughter of a neighboring farmer, was captured by Indians and taken to Montreal. She was restored to her family, but it was several months before she reached her home. She was afterwards married to Mr. Huston, of Centre county, Pa. The sons of Thomas Ewing were: Thomas; William; John; James; Alexander; and David. The father died in West township, about the year 1800. His second son, William, became a large land owner, farmer and stock-raiser in that township. He was a Democrat. He married Miss Anderson, of Scotch-Irish ancestry. Their children were: James Thomas; William; Mary; Margaret; Martha; and Elizabeth. William Ewing and his wife both died in Barree township. He was a member of the Presbyterian church. His eldest son, James Ewing, father of William Ewing (2) was educated in subscription schools, and grew up on the farm. He owned 160 acres in Barree township, which he partly cleared and improved, erecting dwelling, barn, etc. He was a farmer and stock raiser. James Ewing was a Democrat; he took an active interest in public affairs, and was elected to all township offices. He was one of those who, in 1840, promoted the establishment of the common school system. His wife, Elizabeth Creswell, who he married in Barree township, was a daughter of Robert Creswell, farmer. The Creswell family, like the Ewings, were among the original settler of this State. They are Scotch-Irish by descent, and belong to a class whose thrift, shrewd intelligence, laudable ambitions and steady perseverance have gone far to give character to this substantial and dignified Commonwealth. They further resemble the Ewings in having spread over various parts of the State. The children of Mr. and Mrs. James Ewing are: Robert, who died in Ohio; William; Elizabeth (Mrs. James Smith), of Wayne county, Ohio; and Mary (Mrs. John Oaks), of Huntingdon. Mr. Ewing was a Presbyterian. He died on the homestead; his wife died later, at the home of her son William.
With no greater opportunities that those afforded by the subscription schools and the common schools, kept for three winter months, in the old-fashioned log school house, William Ewing, by his own exertions, acquired a good education and much practical knowledge. He learned farming on the homestead, of which he took entire charge after the death of his father, and which he has ever since cultivated. He works some 125 acres; has planted an orchard of three acres with all varieties of fruit. He also owns three farms containing over 500 acres in Livingston county, Ill., partly cleared, and 80 acres in Newton country, Mo.; in the latter State he owns some town lots. Mr. Ewing has expended $4,000 in tiles, and has erected buildings to the same amount. He is a dealer in stock, as well as an experience breeder. Mr. Ewing's politics are Democratic; he has been elected to the offices of assessor, supervisor and tax collector in his township, besides serving three terms on the school board. He belongs to Grange No. 353, P. of H. Mr. Ewing has always been a thorough and persevering worker, to which fact he owes his excellent standing in the business world and in the community, his competence and his opportunities for usefulness.
William Ewing was married in Jackson township, in 1852, to Mary A., daughter of Abraham Henry, a farmer, of Scotch-Irish family. She was born in West township. Their children are: James, farmer, of Illinois; Mary; Fannie; Elizabeth (Mrs. John Henning), of Altoona, Pa.; Caroline; Idalette (Mrs. Robert Johnson), of West township; Henrietta; and one pair of twins, who died in early infancy; Margaret, died in childhood; and a son, unnamed, died in infancy. Mr Ewing adheres to the Presbyterian church.
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CIVIL WAR LETTER
[Journal of Clan Ewing, Vol 5 No. 1 -Feb 1999, page 23]
Source: The information for this article was taken from The Ewing Family Civil War Letter, John T. Greene, Editor, (Michigan State University Press, East Lansing, 1994), pp, 1, 145-6. This book was given to Clan Ewing by Guy Ewing, Racine, WI. Thanks Guy for your contribution.
James M. Ewing enlisted in Company G of the Michigan 12 Infantry, 31 December 1861, at age eighteen, for three years. He was mustered 7 February 1862.
Having participated in skirmishes against Confederates near Middleburg, Tennessee, James Ewing takes advantage of the lull to assure his cousin, Susan, that while in the thick of the fighting, he is well, tough, and unscathed. On Christmas Eve all appeared to be quit. Earlier, however, the Confederates had attacked with a force James numbers at around five thousand. After a two-hour fight, the confederates withdrew hastily and, as of his 9 January 1863 writing, had not returned. The casualty list was not long.
Middleburge Tenne Jan. the 9/63
Dear Cosin
I will sit down to answer your letter that came at hand last night i was glad to here from you the
reson that I did not get it before was that the Railrode was torn up and the Bridge burnt
the
Rebels have been given us a nother call but thay wont want to call a gain. thay give no call the
day before crismas there was a bout five thousan a gaints us but we was whare thay couldent get
at us the fight lasted jest two hours and than thay left on doubel quick thay said that the yankeys
craled in a hoal we ___ of the deapot fix ___ we wonded ___ prisners a bout ___ thare was
onley a ___ twenty guns of ours thare was onely five companeys here and thare was ten men out
of each company gon to Bolvier at the time thare was four wounded of our men two out of
company y and one of the Boys shot himself and dide and two out of company D probley you will
see it in the Michigan
papers we have been on half rations for the last three weaks but it jest
site us for we can jahawk we have plenty of corn meal and fresh pork we went out yesterday and
killed two hogs and the chickens hast to rost high if we don’t catch them evry thing is plenty but
money we have got six months pay comming to us. I think that we will get pay this month if the
rebels keep clear of here I have ben writting to hellen to day she is well or was at the time she
write mother sent me her likeness it is a raining to day I suspose that you have had plenty slay
rides havent you it hasent ben cold a aneough to freeze ice as thick as a window glass now I
suppose that you like to know how I like your likeness well I will tell you I admire it. it is the
most butifull creature that I was beheld we have jest come from supper I will tell you what we
had to eat we have fresh pork stewed down and light bread and tea you may thing it pretty hard
living but I tell you it is good living for us and we don’t find any falt when we can get as good as
that to eat you wrote a bout sending me house wife. I wish that you would I havent got eny I
think you could put it in a paper and send me the paper you must write often and don’t wate fore
me give my love to all inquiring friends and have a good share yourself I remain your Feconate
cosin J. Ewing
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1834 LETTER
[Journal of Clan Ewing, Vol 5 No. 1 -Feb 1999, page 25]
Source: This letter was taken from a book Resolutions, Law, and Ordinances Relating to the . . . Officers and Soldiers of the Revolution, U.S. House of Representatives
Trenton, February 15, 1834
Dear Sir: Agreeably to your request, I have examined all the books and papers in the treasurer’s office in relation to the depreciation pay of individuals assumed by the United States’ Government, and paid to the State of New Jersey, and have entirely failed of success in reaching the object you wish. There are no papers nor accounts of any kind or description relating to that subject in the office. I have also made, and caused to be made, a search for the same information in the office of the secretary, but have also failed of success. There are, however, in the secretary’s office, two books containing charges against the United States for military services from 1775 up to 1785, amounting to a very large sum, (say several millions of dollars.) In them I do not find any thing charged as having been paid or due to Lord Stirling; and there is nothing to show that any of those claims were ever assumed or settled by the General Government.
I have been informed that James Ewing was the auditor of accounts in this State, through whose hands most of the accounts in which the State had an interest passed; and it is very probable that the papers relating to the settlement between the State and General Government were lodged with and filed by him; it appears probable that duplicates, as well of the particulars settle and accounted for as the general statement, were preserved and filed by both parties; as Mr. Ewing was very particular in preserving all papers coming into his hands, it may be that some satisfaction can be obtained from his files. The present James Ewing, in whose care all the papers of his grandfather are, has been absent from town all the week past, attending the Burlington court. As soon as he returns, I will cause a search to be made.
I do not consider my certificate necessary, as no trace of the information wanted can be found. You shall hear from me by Monday’s mail.
Yours &c.
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QUERIES
[Journal of Clan Ewing, Vol 5 No. 1 -Feb 1999, page 27]
Steven Robert Ewing, 1196 Pine Lake Dr., N. Ft. Myers, FL 33903, is seeking information for his ancestor Albert Ewing who married Rosamond Clark. Albert was born (estimated about 1870). Children of Albert: Edith m. Mac Orbaugh, Esther, Fred, Harry, Edmund (born 5 Aug 1900, Hillsboro, OH); Willard. Please contact Steven by mail or email 6sewing1243 <at> aol.com Edmund’s line also goes back to Scotland with a Benjamin Gillespie.
Karen (Murphy) Avery, 9731 Loch Linden Court, Fairfax, VA 22032 would like to make contact with anyone that had Ewings living in New York in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Needs info. On John Ewing, Sr. b. c 1789 NY d. c 1860 Chautauqua, NY married Laura b. c 1793 CT or VT d. aft 1860 Chautauqua, NY.
Charles Earl “Sandy” Ewing, III, 18847 St. Clare Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70810 is seeking info. for the family of Elijah Ewing, b. 1820, AR, d 18 Jun 1877, Abbeville, LA married Emeline Stansbury (1831-1902), children: Troy, William, Eliza, John, Mary Alice, Henry C., Robert, Emmette, Elijah.
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EWING CEMETERY INFORMATION – IOWA
[Journal of Clan Ewing, Vol 5 No. 1 -Feb 1999, page 27]
Source: Thanks to Margaret S. Anderson for sending the following information:
Hascall Cemetery, Montgomery County, Iowa, southeast of Emerson.
Stone 1
W. G. Ewing, died 23 Nov 1868, age 59 y 11 m 17 days. birth calculated 6 Dec 1808
Mary S., wife of W. G. died 26 July 1885, age 76 y 8 m 12 days, birth calc 14 Nov 1808
Finis E., son of G. W. and V. Sutton 18 Jan 1876, age 2 months
Mary J. Ewing, died 20 May 1898, age 68 y 10 m 27 days birth calculated 23 June 1829
J. J. Ewing, died 16 Jan 1865, age 22 y 2 m 16 days birth calculated 31 Oct 1842
J. B. Ewing, died 31 Oct 1864, age 20 y 4 m 5 days, birth calculated 26 June 1844
Stone 2
Samuel Ewing, 1831-1922, Co. K 84th IL Vol Inf
In same plot but no stone: Finnens, George O. died 30 Nov 1872, age 4 y 5 m 9 days
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LETTERS & E-MAIL
[Journal of Clan Ewing, Vol 5 No. 2 -May 1999, page 2]
Very interesting Web site, "Clan Ewing", even if I am on the other side of the water.
My branch of the Ewings come from Argyle/Stirling as far as we can find out and were part of the Clan McEwen with "Rivesco" (I grow again) as the motto, the oak tree as the emblem.
We have the distinction of having an ancestor who was a thread merchant in Glasgow and donated five guineas to the Wallace Memorial. Such thrift!
We do have a relative who emigrated to Canada, but do not know exactly where. Would love to tie up our tree with them. At the moment we have only gone back to 1700 on the Ewing side, but 1450 on my mothers side. If any members wish to e-mail general research enquiries, please let me know. Most will have to be restricted to English records (London) but I do get to Edinburgh at least four times a year.
Frozzbozz <at> BTINTERNET.COM
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CHANCELLOR’S MESSAGE
[Journal of Clan Ewing, Vol 5 No. 2 -May 1999, page 3]
The search for our Scottish forebears is, and will continue to be, I am sure, a never-ending quest. The more I read and study about the migration of the Scots from Ireland to Scotland and back to Ireland and thence to America the more I am convinced that little, if any, evidence exists to connect those of us of so-called Scotch-Irish descent back to Scotland itself. One of the problems is that some of the Protestants who came from Ireland to America began calling themselves Scotch-Irish (or Scots-Irish) or just plain Scots in order to distinguish themselves from the Roman Catholic Irish immigrants, although their ancestors may not have actually lived in Scotland at all. Therefore, it is likely that research in Ireland would be more fruitful than in Scotland, except for the fact that many of the most relevant Ulster records were destroyed in a fire in Belfast some 75 years ago.
In 1994 and 1995 David Dobson of St. Andrews, Scotland, published two little pamphlets entitled Scots-Irish Links 1575-1725. In the Introduction to Part I, he speaks of the "up to 100,000 Scots settling permanently or temporarily in Ireland" during the 17th century and acknowledges that it is "notoriously difficult" to find any specific information identifying those immigrants and their places of origin in Scotland. "For many of their descendants [in America] it is generally difficult to make the trans-Atlantic connection but even more difficult to make the link to Scotland." His pamphlets were compiled largely from primary source material located in Scotland (such as Burgess Rolls and records in the Scottish Record Office) which show some connection between Scots and Ireland. They list some 1200 names and give the connection of each. Of particular interest to us is that there are references to only three persons who might be directly or remotely related to our Ewings; the entries for them (without citations) are:
EWIN, WILLIAM, an Irish student at Glasgow University, 1696
EWING, JOSHUA, a Scots-Irish student at Glasgow University, 1712
MCEWIN, DAVID, East Meath, 1680
And so, the beat goes on. I know that many of our Clan are building their records of the glorious achievements of the Ewings and Ewing descendants in America, and I urge you to share them with the rest of us as you do. Send copies to Jim McMichael for inclusion in the Journal and bring your materials to our next Gathering --- in Lancaster, Ohio in September 2000. I look forward to seeing you all there.
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SAMUEL EWING FAMILY HISTORY
[Journal of Clan Ewing, Vol 5 No. 2 -May 1999, page 6]
The information in this article supplements the information found in Ewing in Early America by Margaret Ewing Fife, pages 301-302.
Samuel and Rebecca (George) Ewing had:
1. Samuel Ewing b. ca 1741, d. 22 Feb 1794 in Fayette Twp, Allegheny Co., Pa. He married, prior to 1776, Mary Oldham, daughter of Richard . . .
Samuel and Mary (Oldham) Ewing had:
. . .
C. Samuel Ewing b. ca 1781, 3rd child . . . said to have worked in a foundry in Pittsburgh. We have not located him for sure.
Following is what I, Guy Ewing, have learned about this Samuel whom I’m calling Samuel Ewing, III.
Samuel Ewing, Jr. and wife Mary Oldham Ewing started out in Cecil County, Maryland. One source says they “removed to Redstone, south of Pittsburgh.” When did they move? Perhaps they moved in 1785 after Mary inherited the land in Allegheny county. But they may have moved in steps, stopping in Redstone, Fayette County, near Uniontown, Pennsylvania.
I believe one of the keys is the family relationship to the Quaker Church. Samuel, Jr’s. Mother, Rebecca George, was a Quaker. His [Samuel Ewing] marriage in 1740 at the First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia upset the Presbyterian Ewings, because Rebecca was a Quaker.
The Quaker mother church in Philadelphia established a “Monthly Meeting” (referred to as MM) in Redstone, Fayette County. Later, Redstone established the Darby MM in Logan County, near Zanesville, Ohio, and the New Garden MM in Columbiana County, Ohio.
Now, we return to Samuel Ewing, III, born about 1781. He moved with his family from Maryland to Redstone where there was a Quaker MM. Then, they moved to North Fayette Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, sometime after 1785. According to Margaret Fife (p. 301), Samuel and Mary Ewing sold part of CANADY’S ADVENTURE on 20 October 1793. So between 1785 and 1793 they had arrived in Allegheny County.
At the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh), I found The Warrantee Atlas of Allegheny County. On page 28, the map of North Fayette Township shows a farm of 418 acres just north of present day Oakdale with the following inscription:
418 As 27 Ps & Allowances
Warrant dated July 27, 1785
Surveyed April 15, 1796
“Community”
Just southeast on the next farm is that of James Ewing assigned to William Levily, surveyed in 1786, patented 1790, “The Park”. And, ½ mile east is the 437 acre farm of Isaac & Gabriel Walker with a warrant of 1785, patented to William Ewing 1814, “Partnership”.
Was the Samuel Ewing who received the patent April 15, 1796 our Samuel Ewing, Jr.? But, on page 301 (Fife), we note that our Samuel died 22 Feb 1794 in Fayette Township. Did they assign the Patent in 1796 to Samuel Ewing’s estate because his sons Amos (1776), William (1778), and Samuel (1781) were too young and the estate had not been divided?
Was the James Ewing who received “The Park” on 9 Sept 1790 a relative? Was the Samuel Ewing, Jr. estate probated so the three brothers received money used to buy land elsewhere?
Finally, I located the following in the Warrantee Atlas on page 27, the map of Findley Township:
(This is in the Western corner of Allegheny county
very near the northeast corner of Washington County, Pennsylvania.)
Saml Ewings
175 As 148 Ps & All
Warrant Feb 22, 1786
Survd Sep 4, 1788, Patd Mch 2, 1815
to Jas Ewing, Ext in trust
N. 12. 417
“Ewington”
Did Samuel Ewing, III sell this land to a cousin, James, in 1815 when he decided to locate in Columbiana County, Ohio?
The records of the Steubenville Land Office are now located in the Ohio State Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio. I had the pleasure of viewing the documents signed by Samuel Ewing, III, but the folowing data is from OHIO LANDS; STEUBENFILLE LAND OFFICE, 1810-1820 by Carol Bell, C.G.
Proprietor Date Cert. # Residence Range/Twp/Section
Ewing, Samuel 6 July 1813 4318 Jeff. Co. Oh 2-8-29
Ewing, Samuel 26 Feb 1814 4696 Jeff. Co. Oh 2-8-29
Ewings, Samuel 3 May 1817 6737 Philadelphia 5-15-10
(Note: 2-8 = Jeff: Saline/Knox
5-15 = Carroll: Augusta
Augusta Township was removed from Columbiana County to form Carroll County, Ohio.)
According to the Marriage Record Book of Columbiana County, Ohio at the Courthouse, Lisbon, Samuel Ewing, III married Nancy Ann Franks on July 21, 1818. In the Wisconsin State Historical Society, Madison, I found the Encyclopedia of Quaker Genealogy. Samuel Ewing, III belonged to the Darby MM where he received a membership certificate on 27 Jan 1781. Darby MM transferred Samuel to the New Garden MM in Columbiana County, Ohio on 26 November 1818.
Then something happened. The Quakers found out that Samuel was married in July 1818. The New Garden MM took a stern action. Samuel Ewing “was disowned for getting married contrary to discipline.”
I did much investigation of the Franks family. They were German Lutherans, prominent in Pennsylvania, including Redstone. There was a Franks family six farms away from Samuel Ewing’s farm in Augusta Township, Columbiana County. From the 1820 Census: Samuel Ewing, one male “45 or older”. That could be “26-45" if the census taker checked the wrong column. One female between “26-45" that was Nancy Ann. And, one female “under 5" that was baby Margaret, born 1820.
Samuel Ewing, III, father, husband, farmer, died in August 1822, while lifting a huge stone in raising a barn. Nancy had a son, Samuel IV, born in May 1822. So, Nancy was widowed with two tiny children.
Samuel Ewing, IV was born May 1822 and died April 19, 1890 in Wayne Township, Columbiana County, Ohio per Death Record #3, Columbiana County, Ohio. Either, Samuel IV didn’t know his father’s name or did not tell his son,