Hi Trish,
Thanks for asking those 2 questions, they're good ones.
Some points I've tried to prove or disprove in my own
research. Unfortunately, IDK the answers, but here's
my take on them. I guess you'll find that others w/
AL Carden ancestors have their opinions, depending on
how much they know of their Carden family lines.
Please everyone, don't take issue on this list with any
of the dates, names or spellings that I use in this
email. If you see any errors in what I've written, I'm
not trying to establish what I consider worthless arguments
about this sort of thing. Some of what I have to say may
not be exact, but please bear with me as I only use these
names, dates (maybe unproven), etc. to help pinpoint a
generalized time frame in the lives of these early Carden
families in Alabama.
========================================================
YOU WROTE:
I have a couple of questions about all the Carden
families in Alabama.
# 1- Did they all originate from a single source or did
several Carden unrelated males migrate at various times
to Alabama?
# 2- Where did the Cardens from Talladega, Chilton, Coosa
and Shelby originate? Did Carden's living in these
counties originate from a single source?
---------------------------------------------------------
# 1- It's my belief from research, interviewing older Carden
relatives, reading family lore, etc. that came out of my
family, and what many of you have written, that ALL Carden's
who came to AL were from one of the 7 sons of Robert James
(James Robert?) Carden (b.abt.1705, Rappahannock Co,VA, &
d. abt.1785, Goochland Co, VA). The name of wife # 1 is not
known at this time. Later this same Robert James Carden
mar. 2nd to Phyllis Willbanks & they had several other
children, mostly all girls, and a boy (Archer).
I think that at various times after the American Revolution,
these 7 sons of Robert James Carden came alone, or brought
their families, to AL, after migrating to other states. All
the while keeping touch with each other over several gen.
in some fashion or other. Some of them (mine) migrated to
NC from VA, then to Spartanburg, SC, then to Laurens Co,SC
before coming to AL abt. the time of statehood (1819).
WIth some study it can be ascertained that there were many
well known & well travelled Indian trails at the time,which
later became white men's roads. These trails eventually
accessed some major tributary of the mighty TN river where
it curves down into the north west corner of GA.
From there settlers floated down the TN river to the shallow
Muscle Shoals,AL area of what's the present day north AL.
This area was actually part of TN bef.1814. From there the
fertile, newly opened areas of western AL were available for
settlement. It's my belief that some of these migrant Cardens
stopped off in TN and settled there, while others travelled
this western route and remained in GA to settle, coming into
east AL from GA only after the Indian removal of the mid to
late 1820's.
Sometimes this family sp. their surname CARDIN & at other
times CARDEN. My own 2Gr.G.father James Harvey Reuben (JHR)
Carden (1821-1899) did this very thing in court documents
and on var. censes in Shelby Co,AL.
# 2- More specifically I think that most of the east &
central AL Carden's of Talladega, Coosa, Shelby & Chilton
(also of Clay, St. Clair, Lee & Russell Co,AL today) came
into the state from GA as discussed above.
Most specifically, I can say that today there are two
distinct lines of Carden's in Shelby Co,AL, which I think
initially came from several of the sons of Robert James
Carden, as discussed above :
A- My line out of SC which never settled in TN or GA,
but came straight to Pickens, Greene, Marengo & Perry Co,AL
(west. AL) a little before the time of statehood in 1819,
using the method of floating down the TN river as discussed
above.
B- Later, after the Indian removals, my Carden's moved
to east AL (Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega & Clay Co.),joining
their "cousins" who'd entered AL from middle TN & west
central GA - some at the time of statehood, and some at the
time of the Indian removals. I have taped family memories
several of these Carden's collateral to mine (from Phillip
Carden's father Charles Carden's line) who as old men, back
in the 1960's, remember their father's tales of the War
Between the States, and their grandaddies telling of moving
into AL from GA while the Indians still roamed east AL as
a major hunting ground.
MARTHA
-----Original Message-----
From: Trish Carden [mailto:trish@tcarden.com]
Sent: Friday, September 24, 2004 12:20 AM
To: CARDEN-L(a)rootsweb.com
Subject: Alabama Cardens
I have a couple of questions about all the Carden families in Alabama.
1- Did they all originate from a single source or did several Carden
unrelated males migrate at various times to Alabama?
2- Where did the Cardens from Talladega, Chilton, Coosa and Shelby
originate? Did Carden's living in these counties originate from a single
source?
Trish Swallows Carden
Nashville, Tennessee
Trish(a)tcarden.com
http://www.tcarden.com/tree/ensor/
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As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Soli Deo Gloria
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