Tracking Charles Taylor

Charles Taylor filed his application for pension on 14 Aug 1832 in Bedford County, Tennessee. He claimed to be 79 years and 9 days old, born in Fairfax County, Virginia on the 5th day of August 1753, having the record of his age recorded in a prayer book at his home. 

When first called into service in Dec 1772 (date not possible - Rev War dates: April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783; he later states that due to age he cannot recall the exact date) he was living in Chesterfield (Cheraw) District, South Carolina where he served under Captain Blakely's Company as a drummer. His company was ordered to subdue a party of Tories who were on the Saluda River in South Carolina. After marching about 50 miles, they met the Americans marching to Charleston with Colonel Thomas Fletcher and about a half dozen of his prisoners. His major was named Hicks. He was marched back home and discharged in Jan 1773.

In the year 1776 he was drafted in Chesterfield, South Carolina and served again as a drummer in Captain John (?) company and was stationed at the ten-mile house for two months or more. He received a discharge in writing by Colonel Culp the head commander of that place.

About 10-Mile House, South Carolina

July 11, 1781
Col. Wade Hampton was ordered by Brigadier General Thomas Sumter to ride towards Biggin Creek Bridge and harass any British posts in the area. He attacked 15-Mile House, so named because it was 15 miles from Charleston. Col. Hampton continued to the Goose Creek Bridge, raided the next post at the 10-Mile House (so named because it was 10 miles from Charleston). William Brotherton wrote in his pension that "no person was killed."
Conclusion: American Victory

Charles’ next service was under Captain McManus but before he had orders to march, he was taken sick and shortly after that taken prisoner by the Tories and marched to their encampment below Camden, South Carolina on the Wateree River where he was held captive about one month. He was able to escape and fled to Wilkes County, Georgia to the home of Benjamin Moseley, his brother-in-law, where he remained until Colonel Clark marched into the state of Georgia and he again volunteered with Captain George Dooley whose company was attached to Colonel Clark's troops in May 1781. 

Charles was in the Battle of Augusta and states he saw Colonels Washington and Lee at the siege of Augusta. He remained serving under Captain Dooley until the close of the war when he returned to South Carolina and moved from there to Rowan County, North Carolina and from there to Smith County, Tennessee and then to Bedford County, Tennessee where he has since resided.

He named Reverend William Jinkins, Michael Fisher Esquire, Benjamin Reavis, and William Carter as persons in his present neighborhood who knew him and would testify to his character and their belief of his service as a soldier of the Revolution.  

Charles's application for pension was approved for 18 months and 15 days service in the troops of South Carolina and Georgia.

Charles evidently was living in Rowan County, North Carolina by 1798 as on 5 Jan (1798) John Morris Senior of Montgomery County, North Carolina sold to Charles Taylor, of Rowan County, North Carolina, for 30 pounds lawful money, a 100-acre tract of land in Rowan County on the waters of Garr Creek, on the county line. Witnessed by George Fisher Esquire (son of Frederick Fisher of Rowan, NC, d. 1846, Marshall County, Tennessee).

On 1 Feb 1800 Joshua Carter and Ann Morris, executors of the last will and testament of John Morris deceased sold to Michael Fisher Esquire of Rowan County, North Carolina for 25 pounds a 100-acre tract of land in Rowan County on the Northeast side of the Yadkin River on the waters of Garr Creek, on the county line, joining Charles Taylor. Witnessed by George Fisher Esquire and Charles Taylor.

In 1801, Michael Fisher sold to Charles Taylor a 100-acre tract of land on the county line joining Morris’s old corner and Epps’s line.  

In 1805, Charles Taylor sold to Luke Raper 100 acres of land lying on the waters of Garr Creek in Rowan County, North Carolina.

I believe Charles Taylor left Rowan after 1805 and even though he stated in his Revolutionary War pension file that he moved from Rowan County, North Carolina to Smith County, Tennessee I am not able to find him there although I believe he probably moved there with Cannon Taylor, perhaps a brother or cousin, and lived in that area from about 1805 to 1813 when he is found in Bedford County, Tennessee with a land grant for 18 ¾ acres on Fall Creek a north branch of the Duck River joining John Mason and crossing the river and bounded by Benjamin McCoustian and Richard Trotter. 

The only Census I can confidently find Charles Taylor on is 1830, Bedford County, Tennessee. While I can find other Census information in the areas he claimed to live, none of the ages on those Census’s match up to the age Charles claimed (born 1753). In 1830, Charles Taylor, age between 70 and 80 years is found living with his wife, also age 70-80 years. Next door lives James Taylor age between 50 and 60 who I believe is most likely his son.

In November 1830, Charles Taylor, assignee of James Taylor, both of Bedford County, Tennessee purchased of John Burns a tract of land on the Hurricane fork of Fall Creek in Blagg’s line.

Charles Taylor died about 1839/40 in Bedford County, Tennessee. While I am not able to find his estate file or will, I did find a deed where his executor John Eakin sold to Alfred Mallard two tracts of land on the waters of Falling Creek being the land that Charles Taylor deceased lived on during his lifetime.

First tract being land granted to Charles Taylor in November 1833 joining John Mason and McQuiston’s and his own line and Richard Trotter containing 18 ¾ acres.

The second tract deeded to Charles Taylor by John Burns on 1 Nov 1830 lying on the north branch of Fall Creek in Blagg’s line, containing 5 acres. 

Exploring atDNA matches on Ancestry

Now that I have exhausted YDNA Morris matches, I’ve been going through atDNA matches on Ancestry who have the surname, Morris. I know all these matches will not be related on my Morris line, but now is the time to figure out how they are related to me – process of elimination. If I cannot find the parents of John Jacky Morris, my mysterious 3rd great grandfather, I certainly can find out who are not his parents and eliminate them from my search.

Eventually, I will also cover other matches who have a Morris surname in their tree but do not have the Morris surname. This post will only cover those matches on Ancestry who have the last name Morris and have a public family tree.

My top matches (and there are a lot of them) I already know the MRCA is 3rd great grandpa, John Jacky Morris or his son, my 2nd great grandfather, Thomas Morris, or great grandpa, John Coon Morris. So, I have excluded those.

The first match I can investigate is E. Morris. We share 18 cM of atDNA across one segment. His Morris line goes back to Simeon Morris born about 1796 in South Carolina and Frances Alford born about 1838 in Louisiana. Shared matches seem to indicate a connection to the Dennis family, and I did find my match has a connection to the Swaringen family in Stanly County, North Carolina. The Swaringen’s married into the Dennis family via David Blalock and Martha Dennis, the daughter of Andrew Dennis (my 4th great grandfather). So, there may be some connection there. 

The next match, G. Morris and I share 16 cM of atDNA across one segment, and Ancestry has determined this match is on my maternal side. Since I have a double Morris line it does not surprise me to see Morris associated with either paternal or maternal side. This match had but 2 people in their family tree so I had to build a tree for them. I found that their Morris line probably reaches back to William Cudd Morris born 1761 in Halifax County, North Carolina and died 1840 in Macon County, Tennessee. Shared matches seem to indicate a Brock connection, with the match and me sharing 3 of my known Brock cousins. So, this match is most likely on my maternal Brock line that is also from Tennessee and the Morris may (or may not) be related. 

Next up is L. Morris, 15 cM across one segment. His Morris ancestor is Gilbert Morris, who looks to have been an orphan by the age of 5 years. He is listed on the 1900 Census as living with a Frazier family in Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory. Our top shared match is a descendant of Thomas Morris and Mary Williams, my 2nd great grandparents. Several other matches show a Stoker connection. My 5th great grandfather is Robert Stoker 1745 VA - 1844 Stanly County, North Carolina.

Next up is J. Morris, 14 cM across one segment. Shared matches indicate a connection to the Fesperman family of Stanly County, North Carolina, more research required to figure that out. The matches family tree does go back to Isaiah Shockley 1766 – 1857 who is also my 6th great grandfather on my maternal side. The matches Morris connection goes back to Jesse Elender Morris, born 1818 Jasper, Missouri. 

Next is C. Morris at 13 cM across 2 segments. Shared matches (we only have 3) all go back to Willis Martin Dennis and Susannah Hearne, my 2nd great grandparents. The match has two Morris lines in their family tree, one to Richard F. Morris born 1801 Wayne, Kentucky, and the other to John Calhoun Morris born 1770 Watauga Settlement. 

J. Morris and I share 13 cM of atDNA across one segment. This is the second match whose tree leads back to William Cudd Morris of Halifax, North Carolina so that has piqued my interest. Our top shared match is a known cousin who descends from Thomas Morris and Mary Williams, my 2nd great grandparents and another shared match who descends from John Jacky and Amelia Morris through their daughter, Susan Morris who married Samuel Morgan. 

I share 13 cM of atDNA across one segment with R. Morris who reaches back to James Morris born 1805 in Williamsburg, South Carolina. We have but one shared match who looks to be a Stoker descendant. My 5th great grandfather is Robert Stoker 1745 VA - 1844 Stanly County, North Carolina.

The next match, J., is interesting because they live in England. We share 12 cM of atDNA across one segment. Their ancestor, Emma Morris was born 1815 Packington, Derbyshire, England. We have no shared matches. 

S. Morris and I share 11 cM of atDNA across one segment. Their Morris ancestor is Edward Morris 1708-1752 of Richmond County, Virginia through son John Morris and his son John Harris Morris who married Mary Dobbins whom I wrote about in a previous post. This match also has a Gunter line, and our shared matches indicate a connection to my 5th great grandfather, Isham Gunter of Chatham County, North Carolina. 

N. Morris and I share 11 cM across one segment. Like J. above, N. lives in England. Their Morris line goes back to Michael Morris born 1851 Lancashire, England. We have no shared matches. 

C. Morris shares 11 cM of atDNA with me. Their ancestor Jesse Morris was born 1796 in Anderson County, South Carolina and died 1876 Marble Valley, Coosa, Alabama. Shared matches indicate a connection to Thomas Morris, my 2nd great grandfather. 

E. Morris and I share 11 cM across one segment. Their Morris ancestor is Burrell Morris born 1785 Georgia and died 1850 Polk County, Texas. Shared matches are a bit of a mess. One shared match is Shockley / Crawley on my maternal side. The other matches indicate a Morris connection but on a Morris line that I know is not mine because I have YDNA tested that Morris line and it matches to the Haton Morris line that was also in Montgomery County, North Carolina. 

J. Morriss whom I share 10 cM across one segment, has their ancestor listed as O B D Morriss born 1892 and died 1938 Jefferson County, Oklahoma. Interesting that the surname is spelled with two s’s. I have seen that one other time, with a YDNA match whose ancestor is William Harvey Morriss who died in Morgan County, Missouri. Shared matches are no help. We have 5 and all have less than 10 people in their trees. Most family trees I looked at have O B D Morriss reaching back to Edward Morriss born 1750 Hampshire, England.

D. Morris and I share 10 cM across one segment. We have many shared matches with most of those showing a Fesperman / Dry connection in Cabarrus and Stanly counties, North Carolina. Michael Fesperman and Leah Dry are my 4th great grandparents so that makes sense. The Morris connection in the family tree goes back to Jordan Morris born 1811 Georgia and died after 1880 in Louisiana.

R. Morris is at 10 cM across one segment. We have at least one shared match whom I know is my maternal Brock / Shockley line. His Morris ancestor is John Washington Morris died 1868 Panola, Texas.

K. Morris shares 9 cM across one segment. Shared matches indicate a Dry / Teem connection and that makes sense as there are several surnames from Stanly County, North Carolina in their family tree that I recognize. The Morris ancestor in this tree is Richard Augustus Morris born 1867 Rome, Georgia and died 1954 El Paso, Texas.

All tangled up

I’m still tangled up with this Morris family in Brunswick County, Virginia. This all started with a YDNA match who descends from John Morris Sr. (1742-1815) who lived in Granville County, North Carolina. John Morris Sr. married Phebe Tudor, daughter of John Tudor and Elizabeth White of Brunswick, Virginia, who also, interestingly, had a son named Henry Morris but he was born 1775 and migrated to Graves County, Kentucky.

While researching John Morris Sr. of Granville, I found Henry Morris Jr. among the court records who had ties back to Brunswick, Virginia through two 1754 court cases with men named Walter Campbell and Nicholas Lanier whom Henry Jr. was indebted to. Both Lanier and Campbell seem to have had land deal ties to Henry Morris Sr. who lived in Smoky Ordinary, Brunswick, Virginia.

I have spent countless hours trying to determine if John Morris Sr. and Henry Morris Jr. were related. So far, no connection has been found between the two. I lost track of Henry Jr., and it took me some time to find him, or at least I think I found him in Orange County, North Carolina. Orange County, North Carolina was formed from parts of Granville, Johnston, and Bladen in 1752, so the dates between the court cases would be close. Henry Morris Jr. was settled in Orange County, North Carolina by 1755 as he is shown on tax lists there. The final Granville County court rulings came in 1754, so the cases were started before that time. So, it is possible that Henry Jr. was in Granville, living in those parts that became Orange, in 1752.

Whether or not the Henry Morris of Granville County is the same man found in Orange County, North Carolina is debatable. Without a doubt the Henry Morris Jr. living in Orange County, North Carolina is the son of Henry Morris Sr. of Smoky Ordinary, Brunswick, Virginia. I know that because I found his deposition in Virginia Chancery records. When Henry Morris Sr. of Brunswick, Virginia died in 1783, it kicked off a decades long court case by his daughter, Mary Morris Rainey along with her husband, William Rainey, who disputed deeds for slaves that Thomas Stith claimed Henry Sr. signed on his death bed. Henry Jr. from Orange County, North Carolina provided a deposition of what he knew about that situation, and he claimed three times in that deposition that Henry Sr. was his father. That would make Mary Morris Rainey his sister.

I’ve spent my free time (what little there is of it) reading court records in Orange County, North Carolina and Brunswick County, Virginia. It seems that Henry Morris Jr. migrated to Orange County, North Carolina with a Lloyd (Loyd) family. Henry Jr. wrote his will in Orange, North Carolina in 1801 naming William Hogan and Thomas Brewer his executors. They, in 1803, sold the land “whereon Richard Morris (son of Henry) now lives” belonging to Henry Morris Jr. to Henry Lloyd. Thomas Lloyd signed as witness to that deed.

Henry Lloyd and Thomas Lloyd can be found in an 1819 deed named as the sons of Martha Lloyd, widow, along with brother Stephen Lloyd. Martha deeded 443 acres of land in Orange County, North Carolina on the waters of Morgans Creek to her sons for “natural love and affection” and “five shillings.”

On 1 Mar 1791, Martha Lloyd, widow of Stephen Lloyd (I) entered into bond with Henry Morris Sr. and Thomas Brewer for three thousand pounds to administer the estate of her husband, Stephen Lloyd (I).

I am currently of the belief that Martha Lloyd is the daughter of Henry Morris Jr. (shown as Sr. as he had a son named after him) of Orange County, North Carolina and the granddaughter of Henry Morris Sr. of Smoky Ordinary, Brunswick County, Virginia.

Martha Lloyd, widow of Stephen Lloyd, and of Henry and Stephen Lloyd infants and Thomas Lloyd, the father and husband of the petitioners, in Aug 1795, petitioned the court of Orange County, North Carolina to divide the estate of her deceased husband, Stephen Lloyd Sr. (sometimes seen as Stephen Lloyd I because he had a son (II) and grandson (III) named for him), who had died in the year 1791.

By 1823, Martha had also died and her three sons, Thomas, Henry, and Stephen Jr., petitioned the court of Orange County, North Carolina to divide the dower lands of their mother, Martha, between them. Which the court, appointing commissioners, did.

Stephen Lloyd Sr. was the son of Thomas Lloyd III of Brunswick County, Virginia. Thomas Lloyd III has quite the story to tell. While in Brunswick, Virginia Thomas Lloyd III lived on Lloyd’s Run and Sturgeon Creek, near Smoky Ordinary, the same place Henry Morris Sr. lived.

Thomas Lloyd III migrated to Orange County, North Carolina sometime after 1752. He sold two tracts of land amounting to over 1,000 acres in Brunswick County, Virginia at that time. One of the deeds shows his wife was named Tabitha.

Some family trees show Tabitha Campbell but none that I reviewed provide any proof of that. Although the name Campbell is interesting because it was Tabitha Campbell, widow of Walter Campbell, who sued Henry Morris Jr. in Granville, North Carolina for a debt owed to the estate of Walter Campbell.

According to an article at NCPedia, Thomas Lloyd was a Loyalist planter and colonial official of Orange County, member of the colonial Assembly, an officer in the Orange County militia, and sometimes accounted the most influential citizen of Orange prior to the Revolution. He was apparently of the third generation of Lloyds and the third of his name in Prince George County, Va. (a part of which became a part of Brunswick County when it was formed in 1720). The first of the Lloyd family line in Prince George appears to have been Thomas Lloyd, a modest draper or cloth merchant who died before 11 Mar 1717. He married Jane Mackmahon, daughter of Hugh Mackmahon of Martin's Brandon Parish. The second Thomas Lloyd, son of Thomas and Jane and the father of Thomas Lloyd of Orange County, was an acquisitive man who managed to collect various chattels and plantations on the lower side of Sturgeon's Run in Brunswick County. The third Thomas appears to have secured a land patent of 2,000 acres for himself on 6 Aug. 1747 "including the Plantation he lives on." This was the Thomas Lloyd who moved with his family to Orange County either late in 1752 or early in 1753. On 22 Dec. 1752 he sold 995 acres on Lloyd's Run, Reedy Creek, and Sturgeon's Run in Brunswick County to Edmund Tabb and others (deed registered on 26 Dec. 1752), the deed providing, however, that his father be allowed to remain on the property for his lifetime. (According to the evidence of a deed, the older Thomas Lloyd was still alive on 22 Feb. 1757.) Apparently at an early age the third Thomas Lloyd had married one Tabitha, and at least four of their seven children appear to have been born in Brunswick. In Orange County, Thomas Lloyd promptly entered for two adjoining land grants on "Marks Creek the north side of the Piney Mountain," about three or four miles north of present-day Chapel Hill. The two grants, totaling 783 acres, were issued on 11 and 12 May 1757 and became the nucleus of Lloyd's well-known "Meadows" plantation home, marked "T. Loyde" on the Collet map of 1 May 1770.

Significant dates relating to Thomas Lloyd of Brunswick, Virginia and Orange, North Carolina

1751: Appointed to "do procession"—that is, trace out the boundaries of St. Andrews Parish in Brunswick County, VA
1754: Commissioner of roads on Orange County, NC
1755: Received captain's commission in the regiment of Orange County militia
1757: Qualified as a justice of the peace for Orange County; sat regularly, sometimes as chairman on inferior courts, deciding and guiding the affairs of the vast new county of Orange
1761: Took his seat with surveyor William Churton as one of the two representatives of Orange County in the Provincial Assembly at New Bern
1775: High sheriff of Orange County
1779: Orange County tax list shows Thomas Lloyd's assessed worth as £10,871 and his son Stephen's, £7,065.8

Stephen Lloyd (II), son of Stephen and Martha Morris Lloyd married Mary ‘Polly’ Edwards in 1800.

Henry Lloyd, son of Stephen and Martha Morris Lloyd married Elizabeth Stroud in 1803.

Thomas Lloyd, son of Stephen and Martha Morris Lloyd married Dilley Edwards in 1805.

Of particular interest is John Morris, the son of Henry Morris III (son of Henry Morris Jr (II) and nephew of Martha Morris Lloyd. John was born about 1781 in Orange County, North Carolina. He married Nancy Caruthers in 1804, and this couple migrated to Madison County, Alabama after 1820.

John Morris and Nancy Caruthers lived their lives in Madison County, Alabama where John died about 1860. 

John and Nancy and had the following children:

Henry b. 1810
John b. 1814
Mary b. 1816 m. Withrow
William b. 1824
Joseph b. 1826
Nancy b. unknown m. Kirksey
Thomas b. unknown
Elizabeth b. unknown m. Dickey
Louisa b. unknown m. Campbell

I am looking for male descendants of Henry Morris (I) of Smoky Ordinary to Y-DNA test at Family Tree DNA in hopes of furthering the research for this Morris line.