Newton Ancestry
Emily P. Newton
Hope Mills, N.C.
May 15, 1928
Note: The following is the text of a hand written history of Newton Descendants. I, David Robertson, believe this written history was passed on to me by a genealogy pen pal Shirley Gorevin in 1981. I have a hand written copy of the original family tree in what I believe to be a 1965 transcription of the original letter written by Emily P. Newton in 1928. I have reformatted how the list looks, but have retained the text as originally written. — David Robertson
Newton Ancestry.
Newton Ancestry in North Carolina as far back as my mother, Anna (Rogers) Newton could give it.
The Newtons came from England A.D. 1725-1750.
Wells Chapel Baptist Church (first called Bulltail Baptist Church, (first called Bulltail from the name of a creek near by, and in what was then a part of New Hanover County, but later attached to Sampson) was one of the earliest Baptist Churches in the state; and so far as my knowledge goes, has always been a flourishing church. It was organized in 1756.
My paternal grand parents lived about five miles from the church; (Isaac and Elizabeth Newton) Grandfather owned a grist mill and one of the first cotton gins in the country, and was probably the first man to use cotton seed as a fertilizer. When the neighbors carried their cotton to be ginned they did not take the seed away. There was quite a pile of the seed. and cattle would collect there and help themselves. At last Grandfather decided to put some of the seed side of his corn. He did so and the result was very satisfactory. The neighbors finding that there was an economic value in the seeds began taking them away. There, was my Mother’s first home after she married. Later my father moved to the western part of Duplin County about 1836, and in 1858 or ‘59 moved to Cumberland County. When in Duplin he was one mile from Bethel Baptist Church. Eight of his twelve children were born there; the other four were born in New Hanover before he moved to Duplin.
His two brothers, James & William moved to Georgia. James settled near Quitman or Troupville and William near Macon. The Mill passed into other hands. As late as 1866 it was owned by a cousin of my father, William Newton.
My maternal grandparents, Reuben and Christian Rogers, lived in one and one fourth mile of Wells Chapel Church.
As stated above, the Newtons came from England about 1750.
Mother knew of only four brothers:
(1) Samuel - Rev. Samuel Newton was the first pastor of Wells Chapel Church. His brothers were prominent members. Samuel died during the Revolutionary War. Samuel married a Lee. Had two children Moses and Miriam. After his death his Widow married a Howard and all moved to Georgia. Can give no further account of them.
(2) Jacob - Do not know whom Jacob married. Some of their children:
(7) Abram married Sally Singleton. Their children
(11) Abram
(12) William
(13) Elizabeth
(14) Sarah
Do not know others.
(8) James married Sarah Alderman. (See names of children on next page.)
(15) Susan
(16) Rebecca
(17) Amos
(18) Mary
(19) Elizabeth
(20) Jephtha
(21) James
(22) Jane
(23) Peninah
(24) Hannah
(25) Micah
(26) Daniel
(27) Priscilla (twin)
(28) Acquilla (twin)
(9) Mary married William Bivin. Do not know children
(10) Rebecca married David Ennis. Moved to Georgia
Think there were others who moved to Georgia or Florida
Our Ancestral Line
(3) George - my great-grandfather - married a Moore, the daughter of an Irishman. Think her name was Nancy. Their children:
(29) Samuel married Nancy Brock. Moved to Georgia. Some of their children:
(38) Barnet
(39) Isaac
(40) David
(41) George
(42) Samuel
(43) Reuben
(30) Isaac, my grandfather, married Elizabeth Alderman (See Chart) Their children:
(44) James married and moved to Georgia.
(45) George, (my father) married (125) Anna Rogers, See also Rogers line: Their children:
(a) Isaac James
(b) Reuben married Martha Ann Rogers. Their children.
Mary Elizabeth
George
Jesse
Anna Rebecca
Agnes Eugenial
Isaac Thomas
William Edgar
John Lewis
Reuben and David were ministers of the gospel. (Seventh Day Baptist.)
(c) William married Virginia Bessant of Florida. Two children. Died in infancy. William was in Georgia at the outbreak of the Civil War, and volunteered _______ Georgia regiment. He wrote a very patriotic poem (which I have kept) - about the time of his enlistment. The hardships and exposure of soldier life were too much for his delicate constitution. He contracted tuberculosis and was discharged from the army after being a few months in a hospital in Danville, Va. After staying awhile at his father’s, he went to Florida where his health improved, but in a few years he succumbed to the disease
(d) Eliza C. E.
(e) Mary Malinda
(f) George Thomas, died
(g) Enoch Elijah (Killed in Battle of Chancellorsville, Va. May 3, 1863 aged 22). Enoch never married. He belonged to Co. K. 38th Regiment , North Carolina Troops. He was last seen running up towards a battery his company had been ordered to charge. He was a choice young man. He made a half dozen or more of neat, substantial pieces of furniture before he was 20 years of age; (Some of which are in my possession - May 14, 1928) He volunteered when a little over 20 years of age.
(h) Sarah Caroline
(i) Phebe Catharine. Phebe taught school in Pender. Boarded with Aunt Susan and cousin Joe until he married __ she was a waiter __ and after that boarded with cousin Hannah Murry. Hannah had one son John. She was a widow. (I called at cousin Joe’s once when on a visit to see Leizzie Fillyaw in Pender.)
(j) David Nathaniel. Reuben and David were ministers of the gospel. (Seventh Day Baptist.)
(k) Emily (Emma) Priscilla
(l) Zachariah Boardman married Eliza McLauchlin. Their children:
Anna
Effie
Benjamin McLaughlin. Ben was in the World War about 18 months. Was a member of 1st Motor Mechanic Regmt sent over seas. George about six months. Had a foot crushed twice when driving ammunition trucks. Took Civil Engineering, (Government training.)
George David
Zachariah B. (Dr. Zach)
Bessie Lee
Mary Reid
Boardman studied law. Passed a good examination and received license to practice law. He also taught school six or eight months. Was a good teacher.
My parents were noted for their piety and Bible knowledge. They set a high value on religion and the Bible – believing it to be the word of God to man – and on education. By hard work and close economy, they gave their children a better education than most of their neighbors did. Nine of them taught school. (All except William, George and Enoch.) Isaac, Phebe and Emily taught the usual term of school – two or three months – for many years.
Emily, assisted part of the time by Phebe, taught a free school for poor children for 40 months; extending over a period of about seven years. Three Northern ladies bore most of the expense of the school.
The twelve children all professed conversion and united with the Baptist Church. Reuben, David, Eliza, Phebe, Emily, with their parents, later became Seventh Day Baptists.
There has been a considerable number of ministers of the gospel and school teachers among the Newton, Rogers, Alderman, several foreign Missionaries, two or more doctors; at least one dentist, and a number of other callings, but very many of them have been farmers. The End of our line of Newtons. (Some more history on pages 14 and 15
(46) Mary Ann married Lewis Highsmith Had no children. His second wife was Phebe Alderman (See Chart) They had three children: Dallas, Luther, Eleanor. His third wife was a Spearman. No children. He got some of the best of Grandfather Newton’s land. They lived in a nice house near Harrells Store in Sampson Co. Luther came into possession of the place. Some of his children came on a visit to Dr. J. F. Highsmith’s family six or eight years ago.
(47) William married and moved to Georgia
(31) George (father’s uncle) married Mary Robinson. Moved to Georgia
(32) James, (father’s uncle) married Susan Pigford. Their children:
(48) William
(49) Sir Isaac (I do not know whether the “Sir” was a nickname, or because of a far back relationship).
(50) Samuel Thomas
(51) Joseph Solomon.
(52) Emily
(53) Hannah
(33) Reuben married Margaret Bordeaux, a descendant of French royalty. (Margraet Bordeaux and Mrs. M.N. Monroe’s mother were close kin.) They lived in Wilmington. They had one daughter, Susanna, who married a Montague – a Roman Catholic. She said she had no peace of her life until she joined the Roman Catholics, but she saw much trouble. They lived four miles from Fayetteville, - on Yadkin Road. Father went to see them once. They had one son; named Charles. A granddaughter of Charles, married an Eye Specialist, Dr. Bull, of Paris, France.
Susannah married _____ Montague
(34) Nancy married Daniel Alderman. See chart. Their children:
David
George
(35) Susan married (200) Thomas Alderman. (See chart)
(219) James
(220) George
(221) David
Jemima
Names of other children unknown.
(36) Rachel married a Straughan. Moved to Georgia
(37) Catharine never married.
(4) Isaac married a Chambers. Their children:
(55) Sarah married Daniel Alderman (see chart). Their children:
(152) David m. Nancy Morgan, sister to Reuben Morgan.
(153) Isaac
(154) Elisha
(155) Jemima
(156) Rachel
(157) Sarah
(158) Mary
(159) Elizabeth
(56) Phebe married William Harrington. Moved away.
(57) Elizabeth married Hugh Roney. Moved away.
(58) Mary married Aaron Williams. Their children:
(67) Mary
(68) Phebe
(69) David
(70) Newton
(71) Zachariah
(72) Enoch
(73) Anna Jane
Think there were others.
(59) Dorcas married Reuben Morgan. Some of their children:
(74) Frederick
(75) Daniel
(76) John
(77) Elizabeth
(78) Enoch
(79) Jane
(80) Duncan
(60) Esther married James Bland
(61) Nancy (John T. Alderman’s grandmother) married John Alderman (mother’s uncle). (They were John T. Alderman’s grandparents.) Their children:
Enoch
James
Isaac N.
William
Mary
John B.
Elizabeth
Esther
Daniel
Jemima
Rebecca
A. Biggs
Susan
Hosea
Joseph
(See other side of this leaf.)
(62) Enoch married Elizabeth Fright. Their children:
(81) Anna Jane
(82) Mary
Note: Written in the margins by an unknown third party: “This Mary married Rev. David Wells.”
(83) John Fright
(84) William
(85) James
(86) Samuel
(87) Sarah
(63) Isaac married Elizabeth Bland, sister to James Bland. Their children:
Margaret Ann
Rachel
Jemima
William
Thomas
Milton
Elizabeth
Mary (Married Rev. David Wells)
Note: Written in the margins by an unknown third party: “This is the only mistake I have ever found _ and I believe she just got the Mary’s mixed up_”
David
Daniel White
George
Joseph
Esther
(64) John was drowned,
My great_ grandfather, George Newton was in the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge in Pender Co. February 27, 1776; the first victorious battle of the Revolution.
At least sixty five years ago (This is May 15, 1928) I heard my father tell of the Americans taking up the plank of the bridge and greasing the logs. No doubt he had heard his grandfather tell it. The British attempting to cross on the greased logs slipped into the creek. Some of them were shot and some of them were drowned. My great grandfather seeing one of them moving about in the creek said to his officer: There goes one now. Shoot him said the officer.
Emily P. Newton
Hope Mills, N.C. May 15, 1928
Uncle James Newton’s oldest daughter Susanna married William Carlton. They had a grandson that became a doctor. They lived in Florida. Do not know where the doctor located. I have a good daguerreotype picture of Uncle James and his wife Jemima that was father’s, that I prize very highly, together with two of his letters. E.P.N.
A. Biggs was John T. Alderman’s father. Esther was Uncle Cooper Rogers first wife. (Duncan and John Rogers grandmother.) Jemima was his second wife. She was cousins Ann, Mary and William’s mother.
Joseph was father of David Wells Alderman of Alcorn, S.C. David Wells married Priscilla Wells, a daughter of Rev. David Wells who lived right near Wells Chapel Church. The Missionary, Rev. D. W. Herring was a grandson of Rev. David Wells. D. W. Alderman furnished a large part of D. W. Herring’s salary for many years when he was in China. A granddaughter of Rev. Wells, Mary Kerr was my school chum when going to school to brother Isaac in New Hanover in 1865.
Note: Emily P. Newton was born in 1850. She was one month old in the 1850 census. Her mother Ann [Rogers] Newton, who provided Emily with the early family history, was 42 years old in the 1850 census.