Tag: British

January 23, 2018 Dennis Ayers

During the 1700s the American colonies grew from a population of about 250 thousand to 2.5 million. Much of that growth in the Mid-Atlantic and southern colonies came from successful farming of cash crops with the attendant need to import more and more labor. The most favorable crop quickly became tobacco. The Tidewater region of eastern Virginia, part of the Atlantic coastal plain, is comprised of low and flat land which was ideal for growing tobacco. The area also allowed easy access to ports along the major rivers to ship large barrels of tobacco.

 

As mentioned previously, William Jackson became a successful planter near the James River. His descendants  followed after him as planters in Sussex county. With good management, a planter could use his profits to continue to grow his land holdings, acquire more workers, and accumulate considerable wealth. It appears that William’s oldest son, John Ellis Jackson born 1680, was able to do just that. He obtained a number of land patents during his lifetime, including one in 1736 for 1,704 acres located in Prince George and Amelia counties. This land was later divided and gifted to his sons in 1746.

 

John Ellis Jackson married Mary Ward around 1704, but she died in 1746 after bearing at least 9 children. John died in 1770 and in his will he bequeathed 6 slaves by name to various sons and daughters. Slaves were valued much more than land. Strangely, two sons James and Robert Jackson received only a 1 shilling each (perhaps about $5.00 in current money).

 

Not much is known about Robert Jackson, our direct ancestor, as his records are scarce. However, one might consider Robert a valuable resource in American history as he fathered 4 sons who played roles in the Revolutionary War with England. Two sons from his first wife, Amy Wyche, were Rueben and Ephraim, who married sisters, Hannah and Lucretia Tucker. Reuben enlisted for 3 years and served as a private first with the 6th Virginia Regiment, and then with the 2nd Virginia Regiment. He fought with George Washington’s army in New Jersey, and later fought in the Battle of Cowpens in the Carolinas. Rueben received a pension in 1818 of $8 per month. The older brother, Ephraim, was a planter in Brunswick County, Virginia who was a certified supplier providing material aid to the forces of the Revolution.

 

Two other sons from Robert’s second marriage to Jane Gilliam were Francis and William. Francis served as a private for several 3 month tours with the Virginia line that totaled more than 18 months, and thus received a pension of $5 per month. He fought in the famous Guilford Courthouse Battle in North Carolina. William, our direct ancestor, served as a Sargent with the 2nd Virginia Regiment, but unfortunately, there was apparently no pension application to describe his activities in the war.

 

December 29, 2017 Dennis Ayers

Myrtle JACKSON was Helen Derrie’s mother. So, the JACKSON branch of our tree follows her line of male Ancestors. JACKSON is a famous English surname, and throughout history has had various spellings such as Jacson, Jagson and Jaxon.  It is a patronymic surname formed from the personal names Jaques or John, both originating from the ancient Hebrew “Yochanan”. The name was first introduced by returning Crusaders from the Holy Land in the 12th century, and quickly gained  popularity in England.

Now, JACKSON is also a very common surname in the United States. As of the 2010 census there were slightly over 700,000 people with the name ranking it 19th of all surnames in the US.  The name is most common in the Southeastern states, as well as being especially popular in the District of Columbia. It is least common in the midwestern states. There are actually more African-Americans named Jackson than Caucasians in the US.

Amongst the many interesting name bearers was Andrew Jackson (1767 – 1845). He was the seventh president of the United States of America, from 1828 – 1836, but earlier he became a national hero when he successfully defended New Orleans against the British in 1815. Even though he lived in Tennessee, our family has no relationship to Andrew Jackson.  However, we do have a very distant relationship to another famous Jackson, entertainer Michael Jackson.

Our branch of Jacksons in America is an interesting story which begins with the arrival of our immigrant Jackson ancestor from England as an indentured servant in the late 1600s. Over the next two hundred years his descendants became prosperous land and slave owners in the South before losing all their prosperity again by the time of the Civil War. Read on to discover how their story unfolded.

 

March 20, 2013 Dennis Ayers No comments exist

Rev War FlagThe oldest child of John Depew and his wife Catharine was Isaac Depew, Sr., born in Sept 1758 in New Jersey. When the family moved to a farm near Fincastle in Botetourt County, VA. he moved with them, but at the age of 18 he enlisted in the militia to fight in the Revolutionary War. Per his pension application filed many years after the war, in 1776 and 1777 he served several 3 month tours of duty as a Private fighting the Cherokee Indians. These actions first brought him to be familiar with East TN. In 1780 he again joined the militia to repel the Cherokees, and earned the rank of Captain under Colonel Landon Carter.

 

In Oct 1780, Captain Isaac Depew was one of the 1040 volunteers from Tennessee called the Overmountain men who played a very significant role in defeating the British in the Battle of Kings Mountain. The men first gathered at Sycamore Shoals near Elizabethton, TN, and then marched 80 miles in 5 days across the mountains to join forces with about 400 North Carolina militia. Together they engaged the enemy led by Colonel Ferguson at Kings Mountain just below the South Carolina border. (Recall from a previous post about our AyersKINGS1 ancestors in the Rev War, that Elihu and Nathaniel Ayers fought with the NC militia.) The victory at Kings Mountain proved decisive in defeating the British in the South and eventually in gaining American independence. Isaac Depew also stated that he later took part in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in 1781.

 

After the war, Isaac returned home to Virginia. However, by 1784 he had relocated to East Tennessee. By occupation he was a wheelright, cabinet maker and a farmer. He also became active politically when in 1799 he was appointed Commissioner of Jonesborough and in 1801 Commissioner of Washington County. He eventually settled at Rock Springs, in Sullivan County.  Between 1787 and 1850 he bought and sold land on a regular basis and at one point had accumulated 3000 acres on and near Bays Mountain.

 

Isaac Depew, Sr. married twice, first to Jane Jones in 1780, and then after she died to Virginia Grimes, a widow in 1804.  Altogether, he was the father of seventeen children. According to reports, the Depews were deeply religious people and highly skilled workmen. Isaac Depew had heirs Depew Chapelwho were magistrates, physicians, farmers and soldiers. A grandson, The Reverend William P. Depew, to whom he had given substantial land became a preacher in the Methodist Church and was held in very high regard by all who knew him. He gave the land, organized and help build Depew’s Chapel and served as its pastor. Several Depews are buried in the Chapel cemetery including Captain Isaac Depew. The church, located in the shadow of Bays Mountain near Kingsport, TN, is still in use today.

 

Captain Isaac Depew was one of the most respected men in his county. However, he became the subject of general notoriety when he became opposed in principle to the Congressional Act of 1832 which established pensions for service in the Revolutionary War. His complaint was that it allowed pensions to Isaac Depew TSpersons able to support themselves. He believed the Act was too liberal in its provisions, and those who did not need the aid obtained it too easily. He personally possessed property and good health and the ability to subsist without aid from the government. It is totally unclear then, why Isaac Depew eventually filed his own application in 1852. By that time he was already 94 years old and other volunteers who could have provided testimony of his service had already died before him. So the application was turned down due to lack of sufficient proof, and he died in 1854 without providing any additional information.

 

January 4, 2012 Dennis Ayers No comments exist

RW HeroAbout the time the Derryberrys were obtaining land grants in North Carolina, the Revolutionary War (1775 – 1783) was being fought in the colonies and eventually it affected their area.  From available records, it seems that the only Derryberry to have actually fought as a Patriot in North Carolina was Andrew Derryberry, who was likely the second youngest son of Hans Michael, born around 1765. Perhaps the others were too old to take up arms, or didn’t speak English well enough, or perhaps they remained neutral or loyal to the English crown. The actual reasons are unknown.

 

It is known that some of the Terryberrys and relations back in New Jersey remained loyal to England, and eventually migrated to Canada through New York by the early 1800s. On the other hand, there was a John Terryberry who applied for a pension from New York state who said he fought for the colonies in New Jersey.  So it was a mixed story for the descendants of Peter Dürrenberger, as it was for all the colonists. Historians have estimated that approximately 40 to 45 percent of the colonists supported the rebellion, while 15 to 20 percent remained loyal to the British Crown. The rest attempted to remain neutral and kept a low profile.

 

According to Andrew Derryberry’s pension application filed in 1832 from Tennessee, he first volunteered his services to the Burke County, NC militia at the age of 16 in the winter of 1781. He spent several months guarding forts in the area, and occasionally fighting Indians, before returning home. Then in August of 1782 he joined the Continental Army. This time he was sent to Charleston, but never saw any major action and was finally discharged in July 1783.  Subsequently, much later when living in Tennessee, Andrew received a pension of $39.27 per year for his services, and after his death his wife, Sarah, also received a widow’s pension.

 

April 9, 2011 Dennis Ayers No comments exist

Bailey Ayers was born in North Carolina and moved to Kentucky around 1800 with his family.  At the age of 19, Bailey became one of many Kentucky volunteers in the War of 1812.

Tecumseh

 

As a result of the treaty after the Revolutionary War, the U.S. gained control of the land between Kentucky and the Canadian border, called the Old Northwest Territory.  However, despite the treaty, the British still kept forts in the territory, and continued to supply the Indians with arms.  The renowned Indian chief, Tecumseh, formed a Confederation of numerous tribes, and the Confederation’s brutal raids hindered American expansion into potentially valuable farmlands in the territory.  Americans on the western frontier greatly resented this interference, and this aggravation was just one of numerous insults by the British that led up to the U.S. declaring war.

 

Some of the major battles of the ensuing War of 1812 were in the Old Northwest Territory, along the Canadian border, and fought in large part by Kentucky militiamen.   After a British victory and subsequent massacre of a large number of Kentuckians in the area that is now Michigan, the governor of Kentucky asked for 2,000 more reinforcements.  Instead 4,000 enthusiastic Kentucky volunteers were formed in August 1813 in Newport, KY,  (near present day Cincinnati)  and sent to aid.  Bailey Ayers was one of those brave individuals, and he joined the Kentucky Mounted Volunteer Militia commanded by Colonel Taul.

 

After the Americans recaptured Detroit, they continued to pursue the retreating British and their Indian allies across the Canadian border.  They caught up with them about 50 miles away in Ontario where the key Battle of the Thames River took place.  When American scouts reported that the British lines were spread extremely thin, General Harrison decided on a daring strategy: a cavalry assault by the Kentucky mounted troops directly on the British lines. The British were not prepared for this type of assault and when the first wave of horseman quickly rode through the British lines, and then turned on the British from the rear, British troops quickly surrendered. The American forces then went on to defeat the Indian allies, killing most of them including their leader, Tecumseh, who had refused to flee. This victory for the Americans was the final battle in the Northwest and most of the Indian tribes abandoned their association with the British.  The Americans had defeated the British and the Indians in the territory once and for all.

War of 1812 in Northwest

 

As a member of the Mounted Militia, Bailey Ayers was no doubt one of the horsemen involved in the victory.  He later returned home to the mountains of Wayne County, KY where he married Mary Guffy and they eventually raised a family of four sons and three daughters. Sometime before 1820 the family moved slightly east to Whitley County, Kentucky, and then before 1840 moved across the Tennesee border into Campbell county, Tennessee.  He died there after 1860.

 

April 7, 2011 Dennis Ayers No comments exist

As can be clearly seen from stories up to now, our Ayers ancestors possessed a pioneering spirit that kept urging them ever onward to new lands of promise and hope.  Nathaniel Ayers in North Carolina was like those before him.

 

Up until the mid 1700s, the French had control of land west of the Appalachian Mountains, and essentially kept the English settlers hemmed in the East by playing the Indians against them, and by relying on the seemingly insurmountable mountains.  However, after the British defeated the French and Indians in 1763, the French conceded all contested lands to the Mississippi River. This initially was a cause for celebration for the settlers wanting to move to the new frontier lands. However, the royal proclamation of 1763 did much to dampen that celebration as it in effect closed off the frontier to colonial expansion, ostensibly to calm the Indians and regulate trade and settlement.

 

Daniel Boone, the legendary wilderness scout, was born in Pennsylvania and raised as a Quaker. Like the Ayers family from Maryland, Daniel’s family was one of the many that migrated southward, settling in western North Carolina in 1750.  As a young man, he was known to be fearless and for taking long hunting expeditions into Indian territory.  The region beyond the settled borders of Virginia and the mountains was called Kentucky and it was a total wilderness. Despite the proclamation and some resistance from American Indian tribes such as the Shawnee, in 1775 Daniel Boone blazed his Wilderness Trail through the Cumberland Gap in the Appalachian Mountains over into Kentucky.  He pushed even further into the state beyond the mountains and founded the Fort Boonesboro settlement in the fertile central region.  See map at the end.

 

After the colonists finally defeated the British in the Revolutionary War, all the land to the Mississippi was then ceded to the Americans, and some adventurers began traveling there. However, in the early years, many travelers fell victim to hostile Indians. Soon though, with this new opportunity to homestead and a new route through the mountains marked by Boone, more than 200,000 settlers migrated to the Kentucky frontier by 1800.  Nathaniel Ayers and his family from North Carolina were among these early pioneers.

 

It is believed Nathaniel’s wife was Mary Leake and they had at least one child in NC about 1794, named Bailey Ayers. Kentucky was admitted as a state in 1792, and the Wilderness Trail was widened to accommodate wagons pulled by oxen.  It is difficult to pinpoint, but it is believed the family relocated to the new state around 1800.  We know for certain though, that by 1810 they were living in Wayne County, KY, a mountainous area near the border with Tennessee. The family had 3 males and 6 females.  It took hardy souls to homestead in this area, which was nothing but wilderness, and still occupied by scattered Indians.  At this time there were less than 800 families in the county. Settlers lived within riding or walking distance of each other and they had large families, with their children and grandchildren inter-married into each others families. This area today is part of the Daniel Boone National Forest.

 

Nathaniel Ayers is mentioned as helping with a land survey in 1808 in Campbell County, Tennessee, and in county court records in 1815 and 1818.  At that time Campbell County was larger than today and the western part of it was just across the state border from Wayne County, KY.  Did he actually move to TN for a time?  I think the answer is probably not because he apparently lived in an area close to the border between KY and TN which was in dispute and not officially settled until 1820.  So, the border moved around him.

 

Nathaniel then disappears from all other records until he applied for his Revolutionary War pension from Laurel County, KY in 1836.  It must be assumed he was living with the family of one of his daughters and was not a head of household.  It is also assumed that he died sometime after 1836 in Laurel County which is a short distance northeast of Wayne County.

 

When Nathaniel Ayers first came into Kentucky, why did his family settle in the mountains instead of pushing further into the central area of KY where the land was certainly more amenable to farming?  One strong possibility was that he already knew other family or friends who had previously relocated there.  Another reason is that all the best lands had already been settled on before he arrived.  The actual reason is unknown today.  Whatever the reason, the mountain way of life he entered set the course of history for the next five generations of Ayers families.

Daniel Boone’s Wilderness Road 
April 3, 2011 Dennis Ayers No comments exist

Folks, this is a little longer post than normal, but it contains a lot of historically important information to help put our ancestors lives in perspective. Sorry, but you gotta learn some history.

 

The Revolutionary War started in Massachusetts in 1775.  However, by 1779, the British had been slowly driven from most of the North, and in frustration shifted their hopes to military campaigns in the South.  They were hoping to take advantage of much loyalism in the Southern back-country.  In 1780, after first taking South Carolina, the British Army, commanded in the South by Lord Cornwallis, was ordered to reclaim North Carolina from the rebels and push on into Virginia.  Refer to the map at the end of this post for battle locations.

 

As mentioned earlier, Thomas Ayers had several sons in his family.  While residing in Surry County, NC, they were drawn into the war.  Although much of the time they were involved in informal, but violent, battles between loyalists and rebels, one of them also participated in two major battles with regular British troops which turned the tide of the war in the South.

 

It is not known if Thomas’ family, like his father’s, were also Quakers who were against violence. However, it is known that some Quakers, out of necessity, temporarily suspended their memberships during the war and then rejoined afterwards.

 

The extreme delay of providing pensions to veterans after the war was a sad, drawn out affair, and not until a Special Act of Congress in 1832 were pensions made available to the majority of surviving veterans. Fortunately, due to these detailed pensions applications in which they had to explain when and where they fought, we are able to get a glimpse into the lives of our Ayers ancestors during the war.  I’ll try to capture some of the significant highlights below.

 

In 1780, Thomas Ayers Sr., was about 46 years old, his son Nathaniel about 25 years old, son Elihu about 19 and son Thomas Jr. about 9.  While it would be unthinkable today, Thomas Jr., when still only a young lad, saw much violence and fighting action as he later stated in an affirmation for another pension applicant:

“I was too young to be put on a list of soldiers but I prefomed a voluntary servitude as hard as any soldier that is against Tories.  I had to run many a time when over powered by them to save myself.  I fought in my Father’s place he being old. Old and young had to fight it was a time of trouble in this country as I before stated the Tories was so bad.”

 

Elihu Ayers saw the most service.  He first entered as a volunteer private in the militia in January 1778.  He served a little over 12 months during which he only participated in skirmishes against the Tories (loyalists) and not against the foreigners.  He traveled the area around Surry and Wilkes counties defending Whigs (rebels) and their property from the ravages of the Tories.  During this term of service, he was present and assisted in “half hanging” William Combs whom they let off on promise of better behavior, and in hanging two other men condemned by a Court Martial.  He obtained a discharge from this term of service which was some years afterwards burned in his Father’s House.

 

Elihu entered his next tour of duty in April 1780.  Initially, he again was employed in the surrounding country to keep down the Tories and retaking and restoring property to the Whigs taken by the Tories.  Then in the Fall of 1780, he was marched to South Carolina where he participated in the famous Battle of King’s Mountain. The British, under Colonel Ferguson, fought in their traditional close-packed European fashion. The frontiersmen, however, played by different rules, moving from tree to tree picking off Ferguson’s men with their long and much more accurate frontier rifles. Many British were killed with few prisoners taken, and Elihu Ayers personally witnessed the death of Colonel Ferguson. King’s Mountain was a stunning defeat for Lord Cornwallis. After that General Washington sent one of his most experienced officers, Nathaniel Greene, to the South to drive the British out.

 

Elihu returned to North Carolina for a short furlough, but in the Spring of 1781, he was marched to the very important battle of Guilford Courthouse in Guilford County, NC, which was only 50 miles from his home in Surry County. There, he was part of the militia who panicked and ran from the scene of action. It was a terribly bloody battle from which the Americans, led by General Greene finally retreated, but it left both sides grieviously wounded. The battle was significant, however, in that Cornwallis began to fully realize that he could no longer count on the Loyalists for help, and that victories in the Carolina territory would always elude him.  Frustrated he turned his attention back to Virginia where he was also unsuccessful and the war finally ended with an American victory at Yorktown later in 1781.

 

In 1786 Elihu married Lydia Owen and they later moved to Patrick County, VA.  He finally received a pension beginning in 1834 until he died in 1844.  You can read a complete transcription of Elihu Ayers’ pension application in his own words here (R335).

 

Meanwhile, Thomas Ayers’ oldest son, Nathaniel, who is our direct ancestor, was also called into service as a militia man in August of 1780.  He too was marched to South Carolina to the Battle of King’s Mountain.  However, he did not participate in the battle, as he had been sent to a powder maker, for powder.  As it turned out, the Tories had already taken the powder maker, and his powder and the main battle was over before Nathaniel returned.  He met the victorious soldiers with the prisoners and marched with them and was held in service until some time in November or December and was discharged.

 

In February, Nathaniel was again called into service with the same militia company.  The object was to join General Greene’s forces, but they kept missing them as Greene, endeavoring to avoid an early engagement with Cornwallis kept changing his positions.  As a result, they never did join with Greene before the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. On the other hand, they frequently fell in with parties of the enemy and had little skirmishes. He was then discharged in May 1781.

 

Since Nathaniel Ayers did not complete at least six months service, he was deemed not eligible for a pension.  You can read a complete transcription of his pension application in his own words here (R336).

 

I wonder if the Ayers clan in North Carolina, was aware that some of their cousins back in New England and New Jersey also fought and helped win the Revolutionary War.

 

I heartily recommend viewing “The Patriot” movie released in 2000 starring Mel Gibson, which does a very creditable job in depicting the horrific conditions and events in the Carolinas during the Rev War.

Revolutionary War in the South
April 3, 2011 Dennis 1 comment

Folks, this is a little longer post than normal, but it contains a lot of historically important information to help put our ancestors lives in perspective. Sorry, but you gotta learn some history.

 

The Revolutionary War started in Massachusetts in 1775.  However, by 1779, the British had been slowly driven from most of the North, and in frustration shifted their hopes to military campaigns in the South.  They were hoping to take advantage of much loyalism in the Southern back-country.  In 1780, after first taking South Carolina, the British Army, commanded in the South by Lord Cornwallis, was ordered to reclaim North Carolina from the rebels and push on into Virginia.  Refer to the map at the end of this post for battle locations.

 

As mentioned earlier, Thomas Ayers had several sons in his family.  While residing in Surry County, NC, they were drawn into the war.  Although much of the time they were involved in informal, but violent, battles between loyalists and rebels, one of them also participated in two major battles with regular British troops which turned the tide of the war in the South.

 

It is not known if Thomas’ family, like his father’s, were also Quakers who were against violence. However, it is known that some Quakers, out of necessity, temporarily suspended their memberships during the war and then rejoined afterwards.

 

The extreme delay of providing pensions to veterans after the war was a sad, drawn out affair, and not until a Special Act of Congress in 1832 were pensions made available to the majority of surviving veterans. Fortunately, due to these detailed pensions applications in which they had to explain when and where they fought, we are able to get a glimpse into the lives of our Ayers ancestors during the war.  I’ll try to capture some of the significant highlights below.

 

In 1780, Thomas Ayers Sr., was about 46 years old, his son Nathaniel about 25 years old, son Elihu about 19 and son Thomas Jr. about 9.  While it would be unthinkable today, Thomas Jr., when still only a young lad, saw much violence and fighting action as he later stated in an affirmation for another pension applicant:

“I was too young to be put on a list of soldiers but I prefomed a voluntary servitude as hard as any soldier that is against Tories.  I had to run many a time when over powered by them to save myself.  I fought in my Father’s place he being old. Old and young had to fight it was a time of trouble in this country as I before stated the Tories was so bad.”

Elihu Ayers saw the most service.  He first entered as a volunteer private in the militia in January 1778.  He served a little over 12 months during which he only participated in skirmishes against the Tories (loyalists) and not against the foreigners.  He traveled the area around Surry and Wilkes counties defending Whigs (rebels) and their property from the ravages of the Tories.  During this term of service, he was present and assisted in “half hanging” William Combs whom they let off on promise of better behavior, and in hanging two other men condemned by a Court Martial.  He obtained a discharge from this term of service which was some years afterwards burned in his Father’s House.

 

Elihu entered his next tour of duty in April 1780.  Initially, he again was employed in the surrounding country to keep down the Tories and retaking and restoring property to the Whigs taken by the Tories.  Then in the Fall of 1780, he was marched to South Carolina where he participated in the famous Battle of King’s Mountain. The British, under Colonel Ferguson, fought in their traditional close-packed European fashion. The frontiersmen, however, played by different rules, moving from tree to tree picking off Ferguson’s men with their long and much more accurate frontier rifles. Many British were killed with few prisoners taken, and Elihu Ayers personally witnessed the death of Colonel Ferguson. King’s Mountain was a stunning defeat for Lord Cornwallis. After that General Washington sent one of his most experienced officers, Nathaniel Greene, to the South to drive the British out.

 

Elihu returned to North Carolina for a short furlough, but in the Spring of 1781, he was marched to the very important battle of Guilford Courthouse in Guilford County, NC, which was only 50 miles from his home in Surry County. There, he was part of the militia who panicked and ran from the scene of action. It was a terribly bloody battle from which the Americans, led by General Greene finally retreated, but it left both sides grieviously wounded. The battle was significant, however, in that Cornwallis began to fully realize that he could no longer count on the Loyalists for help, and that victories in the Carolina territory would always elude him.  Frustrated he turned his attention back to Virginia where he was also unsuccessful and the war finally ended with an American victory at Yorktown later in 1781.

 

In 1786 Elihu married Lydia Owen and they later moved to Patrick County, VA.  He finally received a pension beginning in 1834 until he died in 1844.  You can read a complete transcription of Elihu Ayers’ pension application in his own words here (R335).

 

Meanwhile, Thomas Ayers’ oldest son, Nathaniel, who is our direct ancestor, was also called into service as a militia man in August of 1780.  He too was marched to South Carolina to the Battle of King’s Mountain.  However, he did not participate in the battle, as he had been sent to a powder maker, for powder.  As it turned out, the Tories had already taken the powder maker, and his powder and the main battle was over before Nathaniel returned.  He met the victorious soldiers with the prisoners and marched with them and was held in service until some time in November or December and was discharged.

 

In February, Nathaniel was again called into service with the same militia company.  The object was to join General Greene’s forces, but they kept missing them as Greene, endeavoring to avoid an early engagement with Cornwallis kept changing his positions.  As a result, they never did join with Greene before the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. On the other hand, they frequently fell in with parties of the enemy and had little skirmishes. He was then discharged in May 1781.

 

Since Nathaniel Ayers did not complete at least six months service, he was deemed not eligible for a pension.  You can read a complete transcription of his pension application in his own words here (R336).

 

I wonder if the Ayers clan in North Carolina, was aware that some of their cousins back in New England and New Jersey also fought and helped win the Revolutionary War.

 

I heartily recommend viewing “The Patriot” movie released in 2000 starring Mel Gibson, which does a very creditable job in depicting the horrific conditions and events in the Carolinas during the Rev War.

Rev War in the South
April 1, 2011 Dennis Ayers No comments exist

Thomas Ayers, Nathaniels’ oldest son was born in Baltimore County, MD in 1734.  Growing up, he and his brothers worked alongside their farmer father and eventually moved with him to Pittsylvania County, VA about 1755.  However, Thomas initially ventured even further south into Surry County, North Carolina for a time before returning to Pittsylvania County.  There, like his father, Thomas also became a landholder, obtaining a land grant of 400 acres on Double Creek in 1758 and another 200 acres on Wolf’s Hill Creek in 1763.

Thomas married first Ellender (or Eleanor), last name unknown, and later Barbary (Barbara) Murphy.  He had four sons, Nathaniel, Elihu, Thomas Jr, and Joseph, along with three daughters, Elizabeth, Jane and Phoebe. In 1780, Thomas sent his son Elihu back down to Surry County to buy land, which he did, but then got caught up in the Revolutionary War (more in the next post).  He did not return home until he had served his tour, believing his father would not move on account of the Tories (British sympathizers) raging in that country so violently.  After receiving a letter from his father, Elihu returned home in 1780, and his father perhaps erroneously thinking the fighting had ended, immediately moved to the new land.

Colonial Surveryors

When Thomas moved to Surry County, his brother Moses also moved there with his family. In the very first U.S. census in 1790, we find a total of six Ayers households located near each other: Thomas Ayers along with two sons, Nathaniel and Elihu; and Moses Ayers along with two sons John and Samuel.

Of special note is that a tract of land belonging to Moses and Thomas Ayers on the Yadkin River was used to establish the town of Rockford, the original Surry County, NC, seat.

It seems that Thomas Ayers was always on the move.  In 1791 he again moved, this time to Patrick County, Virginia which was a newly formed county just across the VA border from Surry County. There he purchased 100 acres on Johnson’s Creek.  He died in Patrick County in November 1814. The inventory of his estate included household furniture, side-saddle, cotton, wheel, tomahawk, corn, sheep, cattle, horse, loom, books and hay for a total of $185.80.

 

Surry County, NC where Thomas Ayers settled ……for a while