Here are the notes for Isaac. This is also from Warren Cantrell. Jeri
Notes and
Sources
29 Mar 1999
Isaac CANTRELL 3
General': The year of Isaac's birth was first written as
probably 1729 in Susan Cantrill Christie's Genealogy in 1907 and may or
not be correst. During 1806 court proceedings pertaining to Isaac's
will, a long time friend and perhaps a brother-in-law, Lawrence Bankston
stated that he had known Isaac Cantrell for 50 years and that he was
about 72 years old at his death in 1805. It is unlikely that Isaac was
born in New Castle co. PA (now Delaware) because he was not baptized at
Old Swedes Church as three of his older siblings were. It is more likely
that he was born in the old Orange Co. VA as his parents were living in
thaI county in 1738.
One of Isaac's dascendants stated in 1928 thhat Isaac married first
Talitha Cloud and that she was a granddaughter of William Cloud , of
County of Wilts, England, who bought 500 acres of land from William
Penn, came over in 1682 , landed at Philadelphia, and after tarrying
awhile in or near that city went far into the woods, settling at length,
in what is now the town of Concord, in Delaware Co. PA, His house just
across the state line from New Castle Co. As the eldest child
of Isaac was born in 1751, we can assume that: the marriage was
about 1750 and it would indicate that if Talitha was a Cloud, then her
parents had also lived in the big valley of VA. We know that Isaac
became an ordained Minister of the Baptist Church. Isaac
and his brothers were in their teens when the great George Whitefield
was preaching in the byways and they may havo become part of the "Great
Awakening" There is no doubt that the last 60 years af Isaac and John
Cantrell's lives, they devoted much of their energy to God's work and
they became part of God's design for America. Hundreds of descendants
have followed in their foot steps.
Isaac is first 1ocated in the county records off Old Orange co. NC 14
Dec. 1756, when he purchased 200 acres of land from the Earl of
Graville. and the deed was witnessed by a Wm Churton. In the Caswell
county land grants, we find where Isaac was granted 202 acres af
land on a ridge between the waters of County Line Creek and Jordon Creek
He sold this same land to his brother, John,13 March 1759. and the sale
was witnessed by a James Watson. On the lOth of Nov.1761, he purchased
280 acres of land from Robert Cate Sr. and the deed was wimessed by
Robert CaIe Jr, A purchase of 115 acres on the Northeast side of Haw
River Below Collins creek is recorded 30 July 1760 in Caswell co. land
records and 13 Aug 1765 in Orange co. as a purchase from the Ear1 of
Granville. On the 26th of April 1768, he sold 300 Acres to Henry Pickett
Jr. and the deed was witnessed by Thomas Cate. In the Minutes of the
Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions of Orange co. in the Province of
North Carolina, Court of Aug 1764 at Childsburg which was then the name
of the county seat, changed to Hillsboro in 1766, Isaac was appointed to
a Grand Jury that was called and sworn. In the same Court. Isaac and
other neighbors were appointed to a Road Jury to lay out a road to
Tinnings Mill, thense to Crow's Ford, thense to Cape Fare Road and
to make a report to next court.
A History of Wolf Island Primitive Baptist Church by Robert
W. Carter Jr and published in the Journal of Rockingham County History
and Genealogy in the 1970:s, tells us that Wolf Island Church is one of
the oldest church organizations in Rockingham County, being formed in
1777. The church is located one mile north of the Reidsville city limits
on the Wilson Road (State Road 1985) between NC Highway 14 and US
Business road #29. The church was formed by Isaac Cantrell and he was
the pastor af the church, and that he was pastor for over twenty years.
The Rockingham County Court Minutes indicate that the church
was locally known as "Cantrell's Meeting House as early as 1785 amd as
late as 1807. It is noted that the first known pastors of Wolf Island
Church owned and lived on the same farm. The land was first owned by
Isaac Cantrell who sold the property to Clement Whittemore in 1798. In
1803 Whittemore sold the land to Thomas Moore, who deeded part of the
farm to his son-in-law Robert Shreve in 1831. Robert Shreve was a
step-son af Robert Cantrell, a grandson of Isaac CantreIL The records of
land transactions in Rockingham Co. after it was formed in 1785,
contain many deeds of purchases, sales and witnesses of deeds by Isaac
Cantrell until he migranted to the old 96th Dist. SC and sales made
after his move in 1795. He had purchased 220 acres on Wolf Islamd Creek
adjoining Joh Linder (a brother-in-law) and John Bankston (son of
Lawrence Bankston who we believe as a brother-in-law) 17 July 1788. He
sold this land to his son-in-law William Pirkle in 1801 after his move
to SC. He bought 100 acres for 50 pounds from Lawrence Bankston 1792 on
Wolf Island Creek, As mentioned above he sold 550 acres of land for 200
pounds to Clement Whittemore 17 Oct 1798. The land lay on both sides of
North Fork Creek called Thrashers Fork This included the 200 acres he
had purchased from Lawrence Bankston in I 792. We know that
his 1 st and 2nd wife died before 1772, leaving several children and
that he married 3rd Mary Linder, a sister to John Linder, a neighbor.
The lst two wives were probably buried at the Wolf Island Baptist Church
Cemetery which adjoined the church location on the north side. The
cemetery grew over the years with donation of land by several members of
the Church. By 1905, he cemetery contained 5.4 acres and was one af the
largest cemeteries in the area In the 1950s, the trees and underbrush
was cut away and in the 1960s the hundreds of field stone grave markers
were removed and the Cemetery sowed in grass.
The surname of his 2nd wife is not known. From the title page of a
church hymnal dated 1769, belonging to Sheridan C. Randolph af
Cleveland, TN was found a notaIion that reads; Sarah Cantrell, daughter
of Isaac Cantrell and his wife Elizabeth, was born July ye
27th,1769. This daughter married William Pirkle and Mr. Randolph was a
descendant. s mentioned above, Isaac married 3rd Mary Linder. She was
born in 1755 and they were to have several children. Isaac's
older brother, John, had moved from NC to the Old 96th Dist SC. About
1795, Isaac and Mary also made the move as
well. His brother, had
helped establish the Buck Creek Baptist Church about 1779 and Isaac
became the pastor in 1796 and served through 1799. A record of this
service may be found in Townsend's South Carolina Baptists
1670-1805 published in 1935. He also began to aoquire land.
Lawrence Bankston had preceeded Isaac to SC and purchased 456 acres of
land from John Hightowrer on both sides of Pacolet River. On 24 Sept
1797, Mr Bankston sold Isaac 426 acres of land for 70 pounds Sterling.
On 7 January 1799, he had a grant for 128 acres of adjoining land On 6
July 1801, he had a grant for 174 acres on Muddy branch of Casey's Creek
of Pacolet River. This acreage abutted the 128 acres. This gave him 828
aeres in one tract. On 24 Jan 1800, he had purchased another tract of
134 acres from Lawrence Bankston. On the 1800 census, Isaac and his
family were recorded in Spartanburg Dist, SC which had been formed from
part of old 96th Dist The household consisted of his wife and seven
children. Two males I6-26, two males 10-16 , one female under 10 and two
males under 10. He was listed as a farmer and he owned four slaves.
Isaac prepared his will 23 August 1805 amd probably died soon
thereafter. There is no doubt that he was buried at the Buck Creek
Baptist Church Cemetery and his grave marked by a field stone. The
cemetery adjoined the old church and covered about two acres and the
hundreds of graves in the center are marked by field stones.
Even before the inventory of the estate was filed 10 Feb 1806, the will
was under attack from the youngest son af the 2nd marriage, Peter
Cantrell, The will favored the children of the 3rd marriage. A lengthy
court battle ensued after Peter filed a Protest 3 Feb 1806 and much of
the will was invalidated The will and the protest has given us an almost
complete list of the children of Isaac by three wives. The predominate
amount of Cantrell descendants in America in the 1990s can trace their
ancestory to Isaac. As a God fearing son of man, he truly followed Gods
instructions in verse 18, chapter l, Genesis and was fruitful, and
multiplied.
The family genealogist in 1907 had a difficult job seperating the
parentage of the children of Isaac and brother John. Both had 1arge
families by two or three wives each. Based on a number of methods, we
feel that with few exceptions we haved been able to accomplish this task
with Isaac having 26 children and John 20 children. In 1830 made the
final disposition of the estate of Isaac and in 1840, the household of
son Lanceford had a 80-90 year old female listed In 1844 a petition was
sumitted to force a division of Mary's personal property including a
slave name Jerry. Mary died in the fall of 1844 and William Parris was
appointed Administrator of her estate. The negro boy Jerry was sold to
Henry White for $507.00.
--
"but I remain your affectinate cosin untill death."
Thank you again Greatgramdpa Davis for those words.
Never dreamed I'd get to use em!