Interesting Family Facts

For my siblings:

• Our most recent foreign-born Ancestor is third great grandfather, Eugene Amedee Sherburne (1802, L'Orient, France).  Born to a French mother and an American diplomat father (who was originally from New Hampshire).  He came to the US (Baton Rouge area) some time between 1811 and 1818. 

• Our next closest foreign born Ancestor is fourth great grandmother, Phoebe Carle (b. 1796, Ontario, Canada).  Born to loyalist parents from New York and Pennsylvania who escaped America after the Revolutionary War.  The family is first listed in the US in the St. Louis District of Missouri (New Madrid) in the 1810 Census.  They later settled in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana.

• Our most recent “traditional immigrant” ancestor is fourth great grandfather, William Dickson Sr. born 1762 in County Down, Northern Ireland.  He arrived in South Carolina at age 5 (1767) with his parents, Margaret and Nicholas Dickson.

• Of 64 fourth great grandparents, 26 were born in Virginia, 12 in North Carolina, 8 in South Carolina, 2 each in Georgia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Maryland, 1 each in Tennessee, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Mississippi, Illinois and Delaware.  Four are foreign born... one each from England, France, Ireland and Canada.

• The first direct ancestor born in Louisiana is 4^th great grandmother, Nancy Palmer, born 1790 in St. Francisville.  Her granddaughter, Mary Elizabeth Doles, married Nathan Wesley Sentell, a great great grandfather.

• Our McBride family first bought property in Louisiana in 1858.  2nd Great Grandfather, Rev. William McBride and his brother James Louis McBride moved from their father's home near Lexington, Mississippi after buying adjoining properties between Jonesboro and Weston, Louisiana. 

• Daniel Boone is a first cousin.  Technically, he is a first cousin 7 times removed.  His mother, Sarah Morgan Boone, was the sister of our 6th great grandfather, John Morgan (1697-1747).  Daniel Boone's grandfather and our 7th great grandfather was Edward Morgan a Welsh immigrant.  Edward's home can be visited today at Lansdale, PA.  This family line comes down to us through the Keller family.

• At least 2 grandfathers fought at the Battle of New Orleans.  Isaac Townsend was a Captain with the Louisiana Militia.  Joseph Street was a Tennessee Militia member who passed away of illness on the return trip from the battle.  He is buried near Natchez, Mississippi.

• At least 3 direct ancestors were killed by Indians.  Fifth great grandfather, Thomas Jackson, was murdered in his field outside the Quaker settlement of Wrightsboro, Georgia in August of 1770.  Eighth great grandmother, Phebe Littlefield Heard was famously killed at Ambush Rock in Maine in 1697.  And finally, William Coleman, a fifth great grandfather, was killed near Natchez in the territory of Mississippi in 1781.

• Speaking of Wrightsboro, President Jimmy Carter wrote an historic novel, The Hornet's Nest, about some of his ancestors who were part of that settlement.  Making an appearance in the novel is the founder of that southernmost Quaker settlement, Joseph Maddock (1720-1794) who is our 6th great grandfather.  As far as I can tell we are not related to President Jimmy Carter.

• 10th great grandfather Dr. James Beall (1603-1646) is buried at St. Andrews Cemetery in Fife, Scotland within a half mile of the famous golf course of the same name.  

• Beall's son, 9th great grandfather Ninian Beall (pronounced "Bell") an ardent Presbyterian, fought alongside his fellow Scots against Cromwell's forces at the Battle of Dunbar.  The Scots were defeated and Ninian consequently served 5 years servitude in Barbados, West Indies.  After his release, Beall was granted 50 acres in the colony of Maryland.  He eventually amassed about 4,000 acres encompassing much of what we know as Georgetown today.  The following is inscribed on a stone in front of St. John's Episcopal Church in Georgetown...

"Colonel Ninian Beall, born Scotland, 1625, died Maryland 1717, patentee of the Rock of Dumbarton; Member of the House of Burgesses; Commander in Chief of the Provincial Forces of Maryland. In grateful recognition of his services "upon all Incursions and Disturbances of Neighboring Indians" the Maryland Assembly of 1699 passed an "Act of Gratitude." This memorial erected by the Society of Colonial Wars in the District of Columbia, 1910.

• We have a cousin, (John Henry Sherburne Jr 1815-1849), in our tree who shot and killed the oldest son of Frances Scott Key in an 1836 duel at Bladensburg, Maryland.  Our cousin, purportedly, was not the aggressor.  

• The duelist cousin's father (another cousin) attempted twice to locate and repatriate the body of John Paul Jones who he knew to be buried somewhere in Paris.  He was unsuccessful both times, but he did write several books on Jones.  A signed copy of one was sent to James Madison and now sits in the Madison Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division in the Library of Congress.

• We are direct descendants of 4 people who came over on the Mayflower- Edward Doty, Samuel Fuller and his parents Ann and Edward Fuller.  This line comes down to us through Ann Amelia Scarborough who married 2x great grandfather Rev. William McBride.

• We have 14 relatives who fought at the Battle of Kings Mountain, a pivotal battle of the Revolutionary War, including 4 great-grandfathers.  Read about them at this blog post...  https://onelongtwoshort.blogspot.com/2019/10/

• Third great uncle, Joseph Townsend was shot dead at a Sunday School meeting in Ascension Parish, Louisiana in July of 1880.  He was one of two people killed in the desperate fight of which he was not a party.

• The only full Asian currently in our tree is Shoji Tabuchi, the famous Japanese violinist who had his own theater in Branson, Missouri.  Tabuchi's second wife, Dorothy Bailey Lingo was once married to 2nd Cousin once removed, Michael Lingo, a great grandson of Willis Claud Keller (the brother of grandfather William Harrison Keller).  Dorothy and Michael's daughter, Christina (2nd cousin twice removed) often appeared on stage with Shoji during his shows.

• John Wesley Hardin, the notorious Western outlaw, is a second cousin four times removed. His great grandfather, and our 4th great grandfather was Joseph Hardin (1734-1801) a statesman and Revolutionary War veteran.
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