Wright McLemore, Jr.

Notes:

James McLemore, III writes that he did not appear to have any family.,

I have in my notes, unsourced, a reference to a deed between MACLEMORE, Wright Grantee p 413 of Book 4 Anthony RITCHIE to Wright MACLAMORE 19 Feb 1770 50 pounds for 150 acres. Later in the year, he sold land to James TINKER, as detailed below.

Abstract of Deed Sampson County Deed Books Book 4, Page 422

WRIGHT McLAMORE to James TINKER 150 acres

Wright MACLAMORE of Duplin County a province of North Carolina for and in consideration of the sum of One Hundred Pounds by James TINKER of the County and province aforesaid....do convey....unto the said James TINKER...one certain tract of land and plantation lying and being in the county and province aforesaid on the west side of great Cohary...containing one hundred and fifty acres of land by estimation....being apart of a tract of land granted to William MAGU...

In witness whereof I the said Wright MACLAMORE...hereunto set my hand and fixed my seal this seventeenth day of July in the year of Our Lord Anno Domini One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy 1770

Signed sealed and delivered in the presence of Nathan HALL and Richard CASWELL

Wright (his mark) McLAMORE, North Carolina

Duplin County registered at the Registers Office of the aforesaid County in....Folio 432 and 433 this twenty eight day of November anno domini One Thousand Seven Hundred and seventy one 1771....Thomas BLAKE Register in and for the said County

(Abstracted from the original by Melinda McLemore Strong on 26 May 2005)

This deed is ASSUMED to involve Wright McLemore, Jr, as Mark Freeman indicates that his father, Wright, died in 1766, prior to the execution of the above referenced deed

Is this the Wright (unmarried) who was listed in the Salisbury District of Surry County, NC at the time of the 1790 census? The listing was for 1 male, over 16.

Robert McLemore Butler states that a Wright McLemore married a Sarah RANSOME on 17 May 1795 in Sampson County, North Carolina. It is not known with certainty which of the several Wright McLemore's that were contempories was the groom. If this is his marriage record, he would have been in his 60's. However this marriage is also listed, on Ancestry.com as "McLemore, Wright & Sarah Ransome, 16 May 1795, George HUDSPETH, bondsman. The book MARRIAGES SURRY COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA 1779-1868 is the source of this information. The marriage therefore appears to be for another Wright McLemore, and not the Wright of Sampson County.

(Research):In a letter dated October 29, 1986, written by James L. McLemore, III to Rudy Leverett, it is noted that by deed dated December 30, 1809, and recorded in July, 1811, in Southampton Deed Book 12, page 354, Joel WESTBROOK and his first wife Rebecca [Nicholson] conveyed to her kinsman John NICHOLSON 43 3/4 acres, being 1/4 of a tract of 175 acres, "Beginning at a maple by the side of poplar swamp a corner tree of WRIGHT McLEMORE's thence by said McLemore's line to a red oak, thence N. East course to lightwood post in Adam IVEY's thence along said IVEY's to a maple by the side of the northwest prong of the Mery? branch, thence down the various courses of said branch (to) poplar swamp, thence down the said Swamp to the beginning."

IT IS NOT KNOWN, however, which of the several contemporaneous Wright McLemore's this deed description relates to. James McLemore also notes that it is not unusual for an old description to be copied and recopied into subsequent deeds without making any attempt to correct adjoining land owners after their death or after the sale to a new owner. However, he states that his experience with deeds of that era seems to indicate that the draftsmen of those conveyences tried to keep up with who was the current adjoining land owner. Hence he believes that a Wright McLemore owned land adjoining Joel Westbrook and Adam Ivey on Poplar Swamp in 1809.

Notes:

Wright MACKLEMORE had 140 acres of land patented to him on the south side of Poplar Swamp in Isle of Wight County (the southwestern part, later Southampton County), Virginia on August 1, 1734 (Patent Book 15, pg. 242). Since Wright was not among the known sons of James and Fortune, and therefore must have been one of, if not THE, oldest grandson. Hence his father had to have been James' eldest son, William, as no one else could have been married by 1713, the latest date possible for Wright's birth.

Wright is known to have had at least four sons (and possibly a fifth) and two daughters. After 1750, he and his sons Wright Jr., William, Moses, and Drewry (and according to Rudy H. Leverett, also a James), and two daughters Judeth, wife of William PITMAN, and ???, wife of James WIGGINS, are found in Edgecombe County on or near land devised to Wright's father William Sr. by James, the original immigrant. Several of these family members moved southward into Duplin (later Sampson) County, North Carolina, in the 1770's, where Wright's son William is credited with founding a large family line. (James L. McLemore, III, p 51).

Robert McLemore (Bob) Butler PO Box 487Fuquay Varina, NC 27526 Email: rmbnc@juno .com
Briar Branch Baptist Church is the third oldest Baptist Church in Bladen County. The church had its beginning as a mission of the Beaver Dam Baptist Church of Sampson County [ed: Cumberland County] which some years ago was in Bladen County. According to the records of the Beaver Dam Baptist Church that church began holding conferences at Briar Branch on Saturday before the fourth Lords Day in October of 1828. This was some four years before White Lake Baptist Church was constituted as the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church and some six years before Hickory Grove Baptist Church was constituted. But Briar Branch continued to be a mission of Beaverdam Church until 1843, and was not duly constituted.

In a conference at Briar Branch on Saturday before the fourth Lord's Day in October of 1843, Beaver Dam Baptist Church agreed to dismiss the following members to constitute the church at Briar Branch: Amos Cain, Daniel L. Smith, Daniel Smith, Daniel Register, George W. Downing, Thomas Sessoms, William D. Smith, Baseter Davis, Edward Davis, Beaman West, Sarah A. Smith, Rhoda Gardner, Mary A. Downing, Elizabeth Smith, Aley Bryant, Margaret Sessoms, Anna M. Tatum, Elsa McLemore, May J. Tatum, Mary J. Reeves, Mary Register, John Smith, Sr., Evin Downing, William Harvey, John H. Tatum, William J. Cowan, Daniel R. Cain, John D. Smith, Owen J. Gardner, Nathan H. Jones, Meredith Cain, Helen Davis, Francis Sessoms, Ann J. Harvey, Mary Smith, Susan Smith, Martha Smith, Elizabeth A. Downing, Jane Weeks, Susan Smith, Sr., Mary Sessoms, Molsey Davis, James Smith, Theophlus Tatum, Wright McLemore, John Downing, James S. Beard, John Cain, Milton J. Smith, Thomas B. Cowan, William C, West, John Edge, Elizabeth Cain, Mary Downing, Pen[n]y Hayes, Sarah Suggs, Claressa Beard, Susan Smith, Zillpha Smith, Mary A. Cain, Francis Sessoms, Martha West.

Wright married ??? ??? between 1731 and 1733. ??? was born before 1715; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Thought by some researchers to be Lavinia Drury, but this is not proven.

Notes:

Married:
James L. McLemore, III writes "But when we get down to Wright's children, I have come up with some dates of birth based on my analysis of Leverett's appendix entries in the third edition of his book "Ole Rosinheels", and the order of births then based on that analysis. I may start to get a lot of argument from one or more of you as to that, and in fact I am not entirely satisfied with having so many children born so close together (one year apart). But since several of these children went to the Duplin/Sampson/Bladen Counties area together, I figure the best place to start our discussion would be the basics, i.e., getting Wright's family more or less solidified (to the extent we can), or at least discussed, before going on down to the next generation or so where we find so many possible ancestors for those of you still trying to hook up."

Notes:

The Scotch had a rather strict custom for naming their children; the oldest son was generally named for the father's father. On this basis, James Macklemore's father would have been named William, and this is supported by the fact that William is the only name duplicated by Abraham in naming his own sons. (James L. McLemore, III, p 39).

William received a portion of the Mosley patent (as his inheritance from his father), which included a part of the island as well as land on the south side of the river, and these lands were apparently the farthest east or downstream. These lands on the island and on the south bank of the Roanoke fell into Edgecombe County when it was formed in 1741. It was the luck (or misfortune) of these early McLemores that they always seemed to end up near or right on political boundary lines; so although the modern researcher's physical task of tracing the records is made more difficult, it has nevertheless aided him in following the seperate family lines to know that, though close together, they fell into different jurisdictions and can be traced generally in separate counties. (James L. McLemore, III, pp 46, 47).

At least three sons have been tentatively ascribed to him, though he left no will so absolute proof is lacking. His oldest surviving son was named Wright, who was probably born not later than 1713, as he was probably at least twenty-one when he was granted a land patent in 1734. The other two sons were William Jr. and Richard, whose birth dates are unknown, but who were both apparently born before 1729 (perhaps considerably before). Other than the devises granted him by his father's will, there are no references which can be positively ascribed to William MACLEMORE Sr. He is believed to have settled initially in Virginia, near the area where his parents had lived before moving to the Roanoke River, because at least two of his sons had connections there---Wright in Isle of Wight County and Richard appeared close to the Virginia McLemore's in South Carolina. (James L. McLemore, III pp 50, 51).

William married ??? ??? about 1712. ??? was born after 1691; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Believed by many to have the maiden name of WRIGHT, based on the name of their eldest son.

Notes:

Married:
Thought by many to have married a woman whose last name was WRIGHT based on the name of his son. His brother, Ephraim, also named a son WRIGHT. They both may have married into the WRIGHT family, or it might be that the WRIGHT surname belonged to a common ancestor, and was not the last name of either of their spouses.

Notes:

Both James and (brother?) Abraham Macklemore settled on the banks of the Roanoke River, just across the Virginia-North Carolina line following its establishment by the Byrd Commission in 1728. Just what had the Macklemores been doing, just where they had been located, during the period from Mun. Macklemore's importation in 1681 to the 1732 repatent of the James Macklemore patent following his removal to North Carolina, has long been a matter of inquiry and dispute. Without further record, we may never know for sure. (James L. McLemore, III, p 36). It is assumed that James and Abraham were immigrants, but it is possible they were born on U.S. soil to an unknown progenitor, possibly even Mun. Maklemore.

Mun. Macklemore is the earliest recorded family member in the Americas. His relationship to James and Abraham is unknown. Although it has been speculated he might be the father of James Macklemore he is more likely an uncle or cousin, based on their projected ages.

James began having his children while still in Virginia. It is probable that all six (known) children were born prior to James' 1714 patent adjoining Richard Washington. (James L. McLemore, III, p 40).

Will, dated 7 Feb 1733/4 Bertie Co., NC: (Extract courtesy of Mark Freeman)

" ... being sick and weake of body ..."

Son William Macklemore - plantation formerly laid off for George Mosley. Son James Macklemore - plantation where I now live, and the land from the line formerly laid off to Mosley to the riverbank. Son Charles Macklemore - rest of the land from the riverbank to the head. Son Ephraim Macklemore - 70 or 80 acres on Peehill Creek on the upper side of the first branch of the creek. Sons William and James - cattle each. Daughter Margery Macklemore and son Charles Macklemore - cow and calf each. Sons William, James, Charles, and Ephraim - sows and pigs each. Remaining estate to my wife Fortain Macklemore for her lifetime with reversion to my said children.

Ex. wife

Wit. John Doyle, Abraham Macklemore, Thomas Roberson

Most of James' children moved along the edge of the frontier in north central North Carolina in the early to mid 18th century, and their families are not as easily traced. Some speculation is therefore involved in the following outline of their activities. A careful review of the last will and testament of James Macklemore can aid the reader in understanding the early subsequent history of his sons. As we shall see shortly, the oldest two boys, William and John, had grown to manhood while the family lived in Virginia, and remained there to start families.

William, either due to being the oldest son or stronger ties to his father, was left land by his father. John, already firmly established with land of his own--and being a younger son---was left money instead. James left most of his land to be divided among his three younger sons, and by devising oldest son William with them as well, he preordained that the descendants of the younger three, plus descendants of William, would be Carolinians (at least initially), and that John's posterity would comprise the Virginia branch of the family. (James McLemore, III, p 46).

James married Fortune Gilliam about 1690. Fortune (daughter of John Gilliam and Margaret Henshaw) was born between 1668 and 1671 in Surry County, Virginia; died after 1736 in Bertie County, North Carolina. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Fortune or Fortain. Assumed to be the daughter of John and Margery GILLIAM, she would have had to have been one of their youngest children (if not the youngest), as she was probably born with a few years of the time of her father's death in 1671.(James L. McLemore, III, p 39).

Robert McLemore Butler shows her date of death as 12 May 1754 in Surry County, Virginia, much later than the date shown by James McLemore and Mark Freeman.

Billy W. McLemore of Alabama shows her to be half-Cherokee Indian.