Robert,
I wonder whether you have looked at Phil Norfleet's site about the SW VA
Campbells (particularly General William Campbell, King's Mountain's kindred)
at
http://members.tripod.com/~philnorf/
It is possible that it might be helpful in your research as he is very
thorough and, I believe, has documented sources to back up his statements.
Diarmid Campbell in Argyll in Scotland
----- Original Message -----
From: <CSCUNC(a)aol.com>
To: <CAMPBELL-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2002 6:40 PM
Subject: The Laggan Presbytery and Battle of King's Mountain
From Chapter 1 of Alexander Lecky's 1905 book, "The Laggan
and its
Presbyterianism we find the following description of the district know as
the
LAGGAN:
"On looking at a map of the County Donegal, it will be seen that the
north-eastern part of the county, which is the most northerly part of
Ireland, is a peninsula washed on the eastern side by the waters of Lough
Foyle and on the western by Lough Swilly. This is Inishowen, a
mountainous
and, to a large extent, a barren country. Immediately to the south
of it
is
a fertile and comparatively flat country, lying between the river
Foyle
and
the upper reaches of Lough Swilly, and extending in one direction
from the
City of Derry to Stranorlar, and in another from Lifford to Letterkenny.
This is the district which in by-gone times was known under the name of
THE
LAGGAN, and formed the most productive and desireable portion of the
ancient
territory of Tyrconnell..."
This is also where many of my ancestors and yours came from; Defenders of
Derry during the great siege, the defining moment in Ulster Protestant
history. To an Ulsterman the Siege of Londonderry is what the War Between
the States is to an American. Shortly after this event great waves of
Derrymen left for America, first settling in Pennsylvania and then moving
down the Valley of Virginia and into the Carolinas. This genealogical
connection between the families of those who fought at Derry and those who
settled in Augusta/Rockbridge counties Virgina and the Settlement of the
Northwest Carolina Frontier (Carolina Cradle by Ramsey) eventually reaches
a
climax on a little mountain in North Carolina on October 7, 1780.
This is
the area of history that myself and fellow researcher John Giocoletti from
Florida have always wanted to explore in detail. This June we will be
travelling to Derry and Belfast for some extended research into the family
histories of those names that appear both in the records of the Laggan and
at
King's Mountain.
Lecky's two books, "The Laggan and its Presbyterianism," and "In the
Days
of
the Laggan Presbytery," published in 1905 and 1908 Belfast,
Davidson &
McCormack, North Gate Works, are a must for anyone wanting to discover
their
Ulster roots. The books real value for the genealogist is in the
Appendix
which is divided into several parts, the most important being the
following:
"The following are the names of men who attended the meetings of the
Laggan
Presbytery between the years 1672 and 1700, as ruling elders or as
commissioners, together with the names of the congregations which they
represented. They were doubtless the leading men in the districts in
which
they lived..." These lists are by Parish and I will give a
couple of
examples:
Taboyn: Matthew Lindsay, John Aikine, Alexander Houston, Robert Cowan,
Archibald Alexander, Robert Scott, Wm. Mackie, Wm. Bell, Robert M'Clellan,
Richard Armstrong, Richard Moore, John Kilgore, Wm. Inglis, John Gay, John
Harvey, David Paterson, George Brown, Robert Moore, James Marshall, John
Graham
Raphoe: Joseph Henderson, Edward Hervies, William Mills, Michael
Henderson,
Robert Anderson, Patrick Bell, Robert Dick, Alexander Stuart, William
Ramsay,
James Laird, Robert Walker, John M'Clure, Robert Gray, John
Sproul
Londonderry: John Craig, William Cunningham, John Campsie, William
Rodger,
James Fisher, Horace Kennedy, James Wilson, William Macky, James
Lennox,
William Smith, John Cowan, Alexander Lecky, William Davidsson, James
Wallace,
George Henderson, others
In addition to the ruling elders there is a list of people from the Hearth
Money rolls of 1665 by Parish and TOWNLAND which places a person in an
area
sometimes as small as a few acres. These lists are important when
comparing
names with the early landowners of Augusta county or the Baptismal
records
of
the the Rev. Craig at Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church or the
early
settlers of the Yadkin settlement in Rowan county, North Carolina.
I will be willing to furnish copies of these two books for a limited time
to
researchers who want to explore their Ulster genealogy. Many of you
purchased copies of Professor Hagy's thesis, "Castle's Woods; Frontier
Virginia Settlement" and I have received numerous e-mails about the
quality
of that document. I believe these two books by Lecky are superior in
the
information contained and if you would like a copy please contact me
privately at cscunc(a)aol.com for the details.
Any information John and I discover specific to your surname will be
posted
on the appropriate list after our return from Ireland. I will
provide a
list
of surnames that have "made the cut" so far, the
requirements being that
the
family is found in Derry and also found at King's Mountain. Any
suggestions
for additional names will be considered as long as the request is
substantiated with a reasonable amount of documentation.
Regards,
Robert Cowan
525 Harrogate Rd.
Matthews, North Carolina 28105
Names on the list so far: Alexander, Anderson, Bell, Black, Blair, Brown,
Buchanan, Campbell, Cowan, Craig, Cunningham, Denniston, Edmondson,
Finley,
Fleming, Gillespie, Graham, Hamilton, Houston, Irvin, Kilgore, King,
Knox,
Lindsay, McClure, Maxwell, Moffatt, Montgomery, Moore, Ramsay, Robinson,
Russell, Scott, Steele, Stewart/Stuart, Thompson, Walker, Weir, Young
spellings may vary
John and I will stay in touch with the various lists as best we can. It
will
not be possible to remain of all the surname lists all the time for
obvious
reasons. Feel free to contact me at cscunc(a)aol.com if you have any
suggestions or questions. This may make a nice book one day.
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