My maternal Harrison line begins with Thomas Harrison and his wife Caty
(lnu) who settled on the South Carolina side of the Tugaloo River in the late
1700s. Thomas was born about 1740,
probably in VA, and he died about 1810 in SC.
Some have speculated that Thomas' wife was an Earle but I have found no
proof of this. One researcher claims she
was the daughter of Samuel Earle III and his wife Anna Sorrell which would make
Caty the sister of Judge Baylis Earle and Colonel John Earle, both of whom were
very prominent men in the western part of South Carolina. The researcher formed that connection due to some
proof that Thomas and Caty were living near Samuel Earle on a waterway named
Willow Brook in present day Warren County, VA.
Like so many of the early settlers of the Tugaloo River
area, Thomas probably was a Revolutionary war veteran but I have not found any definitive
proof of his service. There is a pay
record for a Thomas Harrison that served with the SC Militia but the
information in the packet is very limited.
There is a headright land grant dated 1785 in Franklin County, GA but it
is not a bounty grant. Given the fact
that he lived very close to Col.
Benjamin Cleveland in South Carolina and with so many of his children
marrying Clevelands, who were together in Wilkes County, NC before moving to
the Pendleton area, he may have served with the Colonel in the NC Militia. Barzilla Harrison, another Harrison that lived along the Tugaloo River close to Thomas Harrison, may be related. Barzilla's widow filed for a pension after Barzilla died. Moses Guest was one of the men who attested to Barzilla's service in the war. Barzilla resided in Surry County, NC when drafted. Note that Surry County and Wilkes County in NC adjoin - the same general area where Col. Benjamin Cleveland and Moses Guest were from.
His GA & SC lands appear to have spanned both sides of
the Tugaloo River near present day Toccoa & Lavonia, Georgia. There are numerous land and tax records for a
Thomas Harrison on Shoal Creek and Beaverdam Creek. There are tax records dating well into the
mid-1800s for a Thomas Harrison living on Shoal Creek in Franklin County.
CLICK HERE TO SEE ACTUAL LAND PLATS IN PENDLETON DISTRICT, SC
One confusing fact in any research for Thomas is that there
was another possibly more prominent Thomas Harrison who was a noted lawyer that
practiced in both Pendleton and Greenville around 1800. This Thomas was likely younger but with
limited documents available, keeping them identified separately is a
challenge. We also have numerous Thomas
Harrisons that are old enough to be sons and nephews of Thomas and Caty – these
too have made research difficult.
I have culled through most of the information available and
have come up with the following pertinent information for our direct Harrison
line.
Thomas and Caty had the following children:
1. Thomas Jr. married Nancy (lnu). This is my direct line - see more info below.
2. Martha Patsy/Patty married Absalom Cleveland the son of Colonel Benjamin Cleveland.
3. Benjamin married Elizabeth Cleveland who was probably the daughter of Rev. John Cleveland (the brother of Col. Benjamin Cleveland). Benjamin was one of the co-executors listed in William Cleveland's Will (Benjamin Harrison and William Cleveland were brothers-in-law).
4. William married Elizabeth Perkins
5. Nancy Ann married William Cleveland the daughter of Rev. John Cleveland (the brother of Col. Benjamin Cleveland).
6. John married Naomi (lnu). John died in 1836 leaving a large family. His Will can be found on Ancestry.com.
7. Robert (unknown history), probably had a son named Larkin that married his 1st cousin Frances Harrison, the daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth Cleveland Harrison. The wife of Robert was probably Nancy (lnu).
He may have had other children.
SOME PROPERTY RECORDS
The following early records are from the book Pendleton
District, S.C. Deeds, 1790-1806, by Betty Willie:
July 1801, Thomas
Harrison, Sr., sold 575 acres to William
Cleveland on Beaverdam Creek of the Tugaloo River, originally granted to
said Harrison in 1786. Witnessed by ?
Cleveland, p. 251
March 1801, for love and goodwill, Thomas Harrison, Sr. transferred property to his son-in-law William Cleveland. Thomas' wife Caty is noted. J.D. Terrill is a witness (John D.), p.
266
January 1802, for love and goodwill, Thomas Harrison, Sr. transferred property to his son Robert Harrison. John
D. Terrill is a witness; William
Cleveland is noted, p. 280
August 1804, William
Harrison sold 200 acres on Big Beaverdam Creek to Thomas Harrison, Sr, land bounded by Pendleton Isbell and others.
Witnesses were Benjamin Harrison
and J.D. Terrill. William
Cleveland as J.P., p. 345
No date but probably 1801-1802; for consideration of
goodwill and affection to my son Benjamin
Harrision grant to him 200 acres on Tugaloo River, signed Thomas Harrison, p. 258
The following are
transactions for a Thomas Harrison for which I did not confirm are the same
man.
February 1796 – A Thomas
Harrison witnessed a property transaction; He made an oath to Nathaniel Perry, p. 129
April 1798, A Thomas
Harrison witnessed a land transaction on the SW side of the Saluda River,
p. 180
November 1793, A Thomas
Harrison and a John Harrison
witnessed a land transaction between Benjamin
Harrison and John Lewis Davis on
Choestoa Creek tributary of the Tugaloo River, p. 203
July 1800, an 860 acre tract of land on the Tugaloo River
originally surveyed for a Thomas
Harrison was sold. William Cleveland was a witness, p. 247
July 1802, Thomas
Payne sold 101 acres to Thomas
Harrison on Choestoa Creek. Keys, Rolston and Bibb land noted. Thomas
Keys made oath to William Cleveland,
J.P., p. 282
October 1802, Lewis Rolston
and Thomas Harrison complete a 12
acre land transaction on Tugaloo River formerly the property of Mr. Payne. Witnesses were Godfrey and Hannah Isbell, p. 299
Note: This is likely Rev. War Captain
Godfrey Isbell (Kings Mountain) and his wife Hannah Clark. Godfrey's brother was Capt. Pendleton Isbell.
Pendleton Isbell served with my paternal ancestor in George Washington's
elite Life Guards unit.
March 1806, Thomas
Harrison and Ormand Morgan
complete land and property transactions, land bounded by Harrison, Rolston and Peggy
Echols, p. 406
Several transactions from Thomas Harrison to Benjamin
Harrison, Jacob Holland, p. 262
The following are from the book Pendleton District and Anderson
County, South Carolina, Wills Estates and Legal Records, by Virginia
Alexander, Colleen Elliott and Betty Willie:
April 1809, Thomas
Harrison, Sr., gives property to his son Benjamin Harrison in trust to William
Harrison and his wife Elizabeth
and their children. John Varner (Verner) and Duncan
Mackensie are noted. Witnesses are John Cleveland, Clary Cleveland and Peggy
Perkins.
September 1792, A Thomas Harrison appears to have appraised the inventory of John Woodside. Michael Darnell and Nathaniel Perry signed as well, p. 16
February 1836, Will of John
B. Earle. A Thomas Harrison is one of the executors. This is probably not our Thomas Harrison –
This is likely the Greenville lawyer and politician Thomas Harrison, p. 80
July 1811, A Thomas
Harrison witnessed a land transaction between John Taylor and William Dunlap. This appears to be land on 26 mile creek and
is probably not our Thomas Harrison, p. 206
The following are per the book by Lois Helmers entitled Early
Records of Franklin County, Georgia.
July 1780, Benjamin
Harrison to William Bridges
conveys 300 acres in Franklin County on the south side of the Tugaloo
River. Thomas Harrison, John Smith
were witnesses and Larkin Cleveland
was the J.P., p. 15. Larkin Cleveland
was probably the brother of Col.
Benjamin and Rev. John.
February 1790, Thomas
Harrison, Sr. and Thomas Harrison
were witnesses to a land transaction between Newel Walton and Benjamin
Harrison in Franklin County on Bear Creek, p. 21
Relevant Early Census
Records
1790 Census, Pendleton District, SC
There are 2 Thomas Harrisons listed for Pendleton:
Thomas #1: This is probably Thomas, Sr. and he is listed
living near Benjamin Cleveland, Moses Perkins, Isaac Perkins, Solomon
Perkins, Capt. William Perkins, John Barton, Nathaniel Perry, John Harrison and John Guest – all of whom lived near the Tugaloo River and Beaverdam
Creek. Several of these names can also
be found in the documents found for the Harrison family. There is also a Mary Blair listed who might be related to the William Blair that married Thomas' granddaughter Catherine Harrison.
Thomas #2: This is probably Thomas, Jr. and he appears to be
living not too far from Thomas Sr. Other
names shown living near him are (Capt)
Moses Guest and William Guest, David Sloan, Capt. John Kees and John
Cleveland. . Note that Capt. Guest and Capt. Kees were both at the battle of
Kings Mountain as was Benjamin Cleveland. Capt. Moses Guest is also my maternal line.
1800 Census, Pendleton District, SC
Again, there are 2 Thomas Harrisons listed for Pendleton:
Thomas #1: Likely
Thomas, Sr. as his age is shown to be 45+ and living near Aaron Terrell, Benjamin
Harrison and John Harrison who
are likely his sons. A Lewis Davis is listed close by which is
a name that can also be found on the 1790 census living close to Thomas
#1. Benjamin
Perry's name is also shown nearby.
Thomas #2: This is
likely Thomas, Jr. as his age is shown to be 26-44. Robert
Harrison is the entry above him. Thomas Harbin is on the same page.
1810 Census Pendleton District, SC
Only one Thomas Harrison is shown living in Pendleton and
his age is shown to be 45+. This Thomas
is shown living near Benjamin Perry. Other names close by are William Guest, William
Cleveland, John Cleveland and Jeremiah Cleveland. Some researchers claim that Thomas, Sr. died
in 1810 so this is probably Thomas, Jr. We
have no proof that Thomas Harrison, Sr. died in 1810 but since he cannot be
found on the 1810 census it seems likely that he died in the first part of 1810
before the census was taken.
1820 Census, Pendleton District, SC
We now again have 2 Thomas Harrisons living in Pendleton;
However, I believe one of these Thomas' is the noted lawyer and politician who
divided his time between Greenville and Pendleton.
Thomas #1 is shown to be 45+ and his household includes 9
slaves. I believe this is Thomas, Jr.
and his neighbors included George
Cleveland, Samuel Earle, widow Harbin, and (General) Andrew Pickens.
Thomas #2: is shown to be 26-44 and his household includes
21 slaves. I believe this Thomas is the
noted lawyer.
1830 Census, Pendleton District, SC
We still have 2 Thomas Harrisons, one now with 44 slaves
which we know cannot be our Thomas, Jr.
Thomas #1: Age 60-69, 10 slaves, living near Soloman O'Kelly, Aaron Terrell, Moses Terrell,
John Harrison, Nathaniel Perry, Benjamin
Perry, Nathaniel Perry, Col.
Benjamin Cleveland, John Legrand
and Thomas Harbin. This Thomas, is
certainly our Thomas Harrison, Jr.
Thomas #2: With 44 slaves, this Thomas cannot be our Thomas
- This is almost certainly the noted lawyer.
1840 Census, Pickens District, SC (Formerly Pendleton
District)
Thomas #1: Age 70-79 with 8 slaves. This is certainly our Thomas, Jr. The names
of neighbors are George Cleveland, Shadrach Harrison, Benjamin Perry, Catherine
Blair, Hugh Blair, Elias Earle – All names consistent with
the earlier censuses and the same names which are found in the documents.
1840 Census, Franklin County, GA
The following names are found living fairly close together
in District 213:
Signal A. Wilkinson
Oliver Harrison
Josiah Stovall
John T. Harrison
John M. Stovall
Jordan Farmer
Thomas Farmer
And in District 214, there is a Thomas Harrison (age 40-49) and a Mary Harrison (age 50-59).
This Mary could be the Mary that married Josiah Stovall and thus became Mary
Stovall. This Thomas might be her son or
a nephew.
Note: I was not able to locate an 1800s era map of Franklin
County that showed districts but I did find one from 1910 which clearly shows
district 213 near The Tugaloo River and Gum Log Creek. This area is where the graves of many of the
descendants of Thomas Harrison can be found. Note that with the creation of
Lake Hartwell, much of that district is now under water – The tip of Tugaloo
State Park is the present day area that was closest to the original course of
the Tugaloo River.
The Family of Thomas Harrison, Jr. and Nancy (lnu)
(Son of Thomas Harrison Sr. and Caty (lnu))
I am providing more details here on Thomas, Jr. the son of Thomas Sr and Caty because this branch is my direct line. To date, I have not found any clue regarding the maiden name of Nancy; However, she was still alive when the 1850 census was taken and her age is noted as 80 (born about 1770) and born in New Jersey. It is likely that Thomas and Nancy were married in SC.
There is a rather large estate file for Thomas when he died in 1841 in SC so we have the names of most, if not all, of his children. (Note: The complete estate documents can be found on Ancestry.com.)
2. Catherine
3. Clarissa/Clara
4. Hepsie/Hepsy
5. Lydia
6. Elizabeth
7. Shadrack/Shadrach
8. Martin
The appraisers of Thomas' estate were George Cleveland, E.P. Verner and NJF Perry. Martin Harrison (son) was the executor. Other names of note listed in the estate documents are William Legrand, Thomas Farmer, Jordan Farmer, William Cleveland, James Harrison, Sr. and Signal Wilkinson.
George Cleveland is probably the son or grandson of Col. Benjamin Cleveland or Rev. John Cleveland.
E.P. Verner is Ebenezer Pettigrew Verner is the son of the Rev. War soldier and lawyer John Verner. (These Verners and the Pettigrew families (for which Ebenezer is named) are also my maternal lines: My grandparents were 4th cousins due to both having the same Verner and Pettigrew ancestry.)
NJF Perry is likely Josiah F. Perry, the brother of SC Governor Benjamin Franklin Perry, both sons of Benjamin Perry, Sr. Interestingly, Josiah was initially buried in what was called the Terrell family cemetery which is now underneath Lake Hartwell but he was reinterred to Pleasant Grove Baptist Church where his father is buried. Shadrach Harrison, Thomas' son, is supposedly also buried in this same cemetery although I was unable to locate his grave when I visited the cemetery some years ago. Also note that Thomas' daughter Clarissa married Aaron Terrell and Aaron is also buried at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.
Jordan Farmer married Martha Harrison, the daughter of Mary Harrison Stovall and thus Jordan is Thomas Harrison's grandson-in-law.
Signal Wilkinson is Thomas Harrison's grandson-in-law – Signal married Netty Harrison, daughter of Mary Harrison Stovall.
1. Mary – Appears to have been born about 1780-1785. Her first marriage may have been to a Harrison but she later married an elderly Josiah Stovall (and had no children between them). Josiah and Mary appear to have married sometime in the 1840s and Josiah died a few years later – this was at least the 2nd marriage for both. One of the children of Mary and the unknown Harrison male was Netty (short for Antoinette?) who married Signal A. Wilkinson, son of the Rev. war Sgt. Elisha Wilkinson. Netty and Signal had Susan Wilkinson who married William C. Blair, the son of William Blair and Catherine Harrison (see below, another daughter of Thomas Jr.). Thus, Susan Wilkinson and William C. Blair, husband & wife, were also 1st cousins, once removed. Mary's son Oliver (who was the executor of her Will) is also listed in the estate documents of Thomas Harrison, Jr. - Oliver is Thomas' grandson. Josiah Stovall is also noted in Thomas Harrison's estate documents as a payee for "for work done on the dec'd coffin".
2. Catherine – Married William Blair. She was born about 1790 and she died sometime after 1870. William Blair died in 1835. See above – her son married his 1st cousin Netty Harrison, daughter of Catherine's sister Mary Harrison Stovall. William Blair was a War of 1812 soldier (Georgia). Their son William C. Blair was a Confederate soldier that probably died as a POW at Elmira NY.
3. Clarissa/Clara – Born about 1792. She married Aaron Terrell, Jr. (B. 1790; D. 1860). Aaron was the son of Rev War soldier Aaron Terrell, Sr. Aaron Jr's Will indicates he lived at the confluence of Sugar Creek and the Tugaloo River.
4. Hepsie/Hepsey – born 1813 and died 1890. She married Elam Farmer (B.1805;D.1857). Hepsie is buried at Poplar Springs Baptist Church, Franklin County, GA. Elam is buried in the Farmer-Stovall Family Cemetery in the Gum Spring community of Franklin County, GA.
5. Lydia – married Spence Dortch. Lydia and Spence can be found on the 1840 census living in District 267 of Franklin County, GA, both aged 30-40.
6. Elizabeth – married John Legrand. John might be the son of Rev. War soldier by the same name who is buried in present day Forsyth County. GA (NW of Cumming).
7. Shadrack/Shadrach – married Sarah Perkins daughter of William
8. Martin – born about 1810, he married Anne/Annie Maret. Anne is buried at Beaverdam Baptist Church, Fairplay, SC. She was born 1816 and died 1883. Anne is probably a daughter or granddaughter of the Rev. War soldier Benjamin Maret/Marett who is also buried in the same cemetery. Interestingly, Benjamin married a Harbin.
All In The Family
I found several family relationships that I have yet to
unravel completely:
· Julia Stone married Hugh Blair. Hugh was the son of William Blair and Catherine Harrison.
· Susannah Stone married Oliver Harrison. Oliver was the son of Mary Harrison, the sister of Catherine Harrison (above).
· Steven Maret (Marett) married Martha Blair, the daughter of William Blair and Catherine Harrison. A John Maret lived next to Mary Harrison (later Mary Stovall) on the 1840 census. Steven and John are likely brothers. They are both buried at the Beaverdam Baptist Church near Fairplay, SC. They are sons or grandsons of the Rev War soldier Benjamin Marett.
· Anne/Anna Marett married Martin Harrison. Martin is the son of Thomas Harrison, Jr. Anne is likely the daughter of the Rev. War soldier Benjamin Marett.
· Elizabeth Harrison, the daughter of Oliver and Susannah Stone, married James M. Farmer the son of Elam Farmer and Hepsie Harrison (dau of Thomas Harrison, Jr.). This is another 1st cousin, once removed, marriage. Oliver was the son of Mary who was the sister of Hepsie.
· In the Will of Lucy Abernathy Wilkinson, the mother-in-law of Netty Harrison Wilkinson the names Jordan Farmer and Josiah Stovall can be found. Josiah Stovall's 1st wife was said to be Lucy Farmer.
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(Ancestry.com)
