history notes: Henry CASSELS (1710 - 1785-90)
From: History of Grady County Ga by Yvonne Miller Brunton - 1979
In 1736 he received a land grant from the king in the township of
Williamsburg in Craven county. The grant was followed by others and
he settled on the Black River opposite Lynch's Creek in the vicinity
of what is now Clarendon county.
Signed the Camden Declaration of Independence 5 Nov 1774. He also
furnished provisions for the Continental Army.
01 May 1765 RATCLIFF & Henry Cassells (RATCLIFF SR.) MEMORIAL
exhibited by Henry Cassels: 150ac in Craven Co., on
Lynches Creek bd E & W land part on sd Cassel's &
RATCLIFF's land, N by sd Creek, surveyed 19 Dec 1764 &
granted 8 Mar 1765Del. to Henry Cassels MEMORIALS 6:419
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Notes from Pauline Brandy, 1 Nov 1997:
Anyway, it was John Cassels who ended up with the 8 Mar 1765 150ac.
grant to Henry Cassels which bounded north on LYNCHES CREEK which plat
was surveyed 19 Dec 1764 and also documented on the 1 May 1765
Memorial.
They lived next door to my Samuel Ratcliff on Lynches Creek.
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notes from Dale W. Castles, 22 Nov 1997
Speculation on the origin of Henry Cassels b:1710 of South Carolina
This information is pretty much quoted straight from a book by Robert
Cassels of Ontario Canada born 1815 died 1882. He went to Scotland to
research his family history. The complete book can be found in the
Library of Congress and is called "Records of the Family of Cassels
and connections"
In a curious document in the British museum, containing an account of
the Scots nobility in the reign of James 6th., this is stated: "the
Earl of Cassilis, called Kanethy, being with his friends of the same
surname upon the west seas, in the countie of Carrick, a stewardrie
and parcel of the shiredome of Ayre. There is of the same name, in
that countie, and descended of his house, sundrie lordis and
gentlemen, whereof the principal is the lord Barganye and Blairquhoy,
of little less living than the Erle himself, his chief houses,
Cassells and Dunnyre, 4 miles from the bridge of Doune. The people
are mingled in speeches of irish and english, not far distant from
Carrickfergus in Ireland. This mode of spelling Kennedy (Kanethy),
seems favorable to the supposition that the name was originally
Kenneth. "
The founder of the Cassels branch, being probably driven from Ayrshire
in some of the feuds in which his family so often bore a leading part,
settled in Linlithgowshire or counties adjacent, and changed his name
to Cassillis, the name of his ancestral seat in Ayrshire. This has
been corrupted in its spelling to Cassills, Cassilis, Cassils,
Cassells and to Cassels, as it is now generally spelt. (and in the
case of my father , also, Castle) the descent cannot now however, be
traced with certainty much further back than the parish records
extend, which are many of them in a very mutilated and defective
state.
In old charters and state documents signed by the early lords
Cassillis. the name is frequently spelt, 1 Cassles, Cassils, and
Cassells. for many generations the family had used the same arms and
crest as those borne by the Marquis of Ailsa; and in 1864, Walter
Gibson Cassels (1777-1868), of Blackford House, Edinburgh, thought it
desirable to strengthen his right by petitioning the Lord Lyon kin of
arms for permission to continue to use these arms, with such
difference and as " nearly approaching to the aforesaid insignia as
accordant with the laws of arms."
the petition was as follows:
"unto the right honorable Thomas Robert, Earl of Kinnoull, Lord Lyon
King of Arms:
"The petition of Walter Gibson Cassels, Esquire, formerly proprietor
of the lands of Muirside, Kennedy's Hill, Lochead, and Standridge (now
called Greenknowe), in the county of Stirling, late banker in Leith,
and now residing at Blackford House, in the county of Mid Lothian; -
humbly showeth, that your petitioner is the eldest surviving son and
representative of the second marriage of the deceased Andrew Cassels,
Esquire, merchant in Leith, with Anne, daughter and heiress of Walter
Gibson, Esquire of Greenknowe, in the county of Stirling, which Andrew
was son of James Cassels, Esquire, a landed proprietor in the county
of Linlithgow, by Hannah Spears, his wife, daughter of Robert Spears,
Esquire: that the petitioners's family were for many generations
resident in Borrowstouness: that your petitioner is fifth in lineal
descent from James Cassillis, born in the reign of king James 6th.,
who was believed to be descended from the ancient family of Kennedy,
Earls of Cassillis. That the petitioner's family have for
generations borne the same arms as that noble family, and that he is
desirous to continue to use arms as nearly approximating to the
aforesaid insignia as might be accordant with the laws of arms; and,
whereas the said petitioner hath prayed that we would grant our
license and authority for him and his descendants, and the other
descendants of his said father and mother , to bear and use such
armorial ensigns as are indicated in the said petition: know ye
therefore, that we have devised, and do by these present assign,
ratify, and confirm, to the said Walter Gibson Cassels, Esquire, and
to his descendants, and to the other descendants of his said father
and mother, with such congruent differences as may be hereafter
matriculated for them, the following ensigns armorial, as depicted
upon the margin hereof, and matriculated of even date with these
presents in our public register of all arms and bearings in Scotland;
viz,-
"argent, a chevron gules between two cross crosslets fitch'ee in
chief, and a key fessways wards downwards in base sable." above the
shield is placed a helmet befitting his degree, with a mantling gules
doubled, argent, and on a wreath of his liveries is set for crest, a
dolphin naiant, embossed or, and in an escrol above the same this
motto:-"avise la fin " (which means consider the end)
In testimony whereof these presents are subscribed by George Burnett,
Esquire, advocate, our depute, and the seal of day of October, in the
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty four (1864)
signed -----George Burnett --- Lyon Depute
The surname of Cassillis, Cassels, or the various modes in which it is
written, has not become general in Scotland; most of those families
now existing evidently dating from about the sixteenth century. James
Cassillis, born in 1624, and his wife, Euphemia Cassillis, born in
1623, as learned from their tombstone in Borrowstouness churchyard,
very probably moved to Bo'ness about the year 1655.
The parish register of Bo'ness begins in 1648, and appears to have
been carefully and regularly kept. the name of Cassillis first occurs
in it in 1656, being the birth of Andrew, son to James and Euphane
Cassillis. The marriage of James and Euphemia Cassillis does not
appear in that register, and at the date of the birth of her son
Andrew, Euphane or Euphemia Cassillis would be thirty-three years of
age.
From 1656 to 1668 seven sons were born to James and Euphane Cassillis.
It is almost certain, therefore, that James and Euphane Cassillis had
been married elsewhere some years previously to their settling at
Bo'ness, and that other children had likewise been previously born to
them.
The absence of a James in the list of births, and the existence of a
James Cassillis at Bo'ness called the younger, leaves scarcely a doubt
that he was the son of James and Euphane Cassillis, born before they
moved to Bo'ness.
Had James Cassillis and his wife Euphemia been married when they were
respectively twenty-four and twenty-five years of age, they might, and
very probably had several children born to them between 1648 and 1656,
If one of these Cassels born between 1648 and 1656 had come to America
he would be in his 30s in 1710 when Henry Cassels of South Carolina
was born. - a period of eight years. There appears to have been a
number of the family of Cassillis resident at Borrowstouness, about
the middle of the seventeenth century. At that period it became a
place of importance. It is stated in the statistical account of
Scotland - that Kinneil was a considerable town long before any
population had collected at the Ness. In the year 1661 there were 559
communicable persons in the parish of Kinneil, the greater part of
whom resided in the town of Kinneil. In the course of the 17th.
century , Bo'ness became the great emporium of commerce with Holland
and Baltic.
And in the history of Linlithgowshire by Sir Robert Sibbald. M.D. ,
published in 1739, he says, "it is perhaps one of the best instances
of the advantages of trade can be seen in this country the flourishing
of this place (Borrowstouness), i am told that Sir Robert Drummond of
Meidop (who lived after the restoration of King Charles the Second)
declared to several of the gentrie his neighbours, that he remembered
to have seen only one house where now Borrowstouness and the other
towns now continued to Carriden stand. I know in my time that they
and the South Ferrie had some 36 ships belonging to them, though it
all that tract upon the south side of the firth there is no port for
ships to lye at, but at Blackness. there were many rich men, merchants
and masters of ships, living there, and the cities of Glasco,
Stirling, and Linlithgow had a great trade from there with Holland,
Bremen, Hamburg, Queensburgh, and Dantzick, and furnished all the west
country with goods they imported from these places, and were loaded
outwards with the product of our own country.
All these families of Cassillis were evidently related, as is seen by
reference to the parish register, where the various witnesses to
births of the Cassillis are frequently of the same name.
it is found that
1. George, b:May 4, 1661, Baptized May 12 , 1661 in Bo'ness, Mr. John
Wauch, minister. James Cassillis the presentor of the said child.
2. James, b:August 16, 1663, John Cassillis, Elder, and his spouse
Janet Vicar had issue
1. Helen, b:January 17, 1669. witnesses, James Cassillis and James
Hunter.
2. Janet, b:1671
3. George, b:march 15 1675.
James Cassills, younger, and Helen Burn, his wife, had issue-James,
b:september 20, 1676.
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----------some land records which may not be for this Henry----------
19 Dec 1764 RATCLIFF & Henry Cassells (RATCLIFF SR.) PLAT for Henry
Cassels: 150ac in Craven Co., bd N on Lynches Creek, SS by
sd Cassel & RATCLIFF's land, E & W by vacant land (plat
shows Cassel & RATCLIFF next door, with sd plat
encompassing portion up to & on Lynches Creek) COLONIAL
PLATS 8:336
14 Nov 1766 SAMUEL RATCLIFF SR. & Richard Benbow PLAT for Richard
Benbow: 200ac in Craven Co., on Lynches Creek, bd NW by
Henry Cassels, SE by RATCLIFF SR., & SW by vacant land
(plat clearly shows order of residences L-R on SS of
Lynches Creekas Cassel, Benbow & RATCLIFF SR. all being
directly on Lynches Creek "non navigable") COLONIAL PLATS
10:8
15 Apr 1772 SAMUEL RATCLIFF & Richard Benbow PLAT for Richard Benbow:
200ac in Craven Co., on the waters of Lynches Creek, bd. E
by vacant land & land laid out for Henry Cassells, NW by
land laid out for SAMUEL RATCLIFF, now the property of
Moses Daniel's orphans, SW by Elias Dubose, & SE by vacant
land. (plat shows a chopped up square that is hard to
describe, and water swamp designations) COLONIAL PLATS
13:195
22 Apr 1773 SAMUEL RATCLIFF(SR.?) MEMORIAL exhibited by Richard
Benbow: 200ac in Craven Co., on waters of Lynches Creek,
bd E by Henry Cassels & vacant lands, NW by SAMUEL
RATCLIFFs NOW the property of Moses Daniels orphans, SW by
Elias Dubose, SE by vacant, surveyed 3 Nov 1772 & granted
1 Dec 1772 Del 14 Dec 1773 to Thomas Newman MEMORIALS
18:301
12 Jun 1787 RICHARD RATCLIFF & Benjamin Cassels PLAT for Benjamin
Cassels: 50ac surveyed for Ann Cassels on 18 Feb 1788 in
District of Camden, near Lynches Creek on Back Swamp.
(plat shows irregular shape with RICHARD RATCLIFF's land
indenting into Cassels' on Back Swamp. Ratcliff's land
located betw. Thomas Bradley's & Josh(?) Ashes'. William
Thompson also on plat) STATE PLATS 18:286
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data supplied by Pauline Brandy, 1 Nov 1997:
It was Henry Cassels SR. who deeded the land to John Cassels (Sumter
Conveyances C:330) 225 ac. located East & West on vacant land and
south on RATCLIFF's land, and north on Lynches Creek. Besides the SC
Archive land records (on e-mail prev.) I also pulled the Sumter Co SC
Index on Conveyances:
First Name conveyance to/from Rec. Date Source
CASSELS, Agnes to Samuel J. Bradley 1803 A:318
" to Beniah Dean 1823 FF:491
to David Rees 1839 K:347
Henry to Samuel J. Bradley 1803 A:317
Henry Sr. & Jr.
& Jared Nelson to Thomas McFaddin 1804 BB:75
Henry Sr. to John Cassels 1808 C:330
Henry Sr. & Jr. to George Cooper 1808 C:345-6
Henry from Beniah Dean 1822 FF:217
Henry & Agnes to Mary Herring 1835 I:377
John & Mary to William Dicks 1805 B:213
Violet & Sarah to Thomas McFaddin 1806 BB:76
Violet & Sarah to George Cooper 1808 C:345-7
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HISTORY NOTES: Margaret MITCHELL
notes from Dale Castle (Cassels), 22 May 1998:
I don't think anyone has proved any connection to a father for Henry
Cassels (husband of Margaret Mitchell) but I believe that the mother
and father of Margaret Mitchell is James Mitchell and Ann (unknown).
I believe that the possible grandfather of Margaret Mitchell may have
been Ephraim Mitchell, the Surveyor General of South Carolina.
I can't tell you now how I came to that conclusion but two or three of
the sons of Henry Cassels in the Camden area of South Carolina did
surveying and it was mentioned in one of the books that I remember
seeing in the Sutro Library (genealogical library) in San Francisco.
I think it may have been called "The History of Sumpter County". Also
when my GG Grandfather John Cassels had his land surveyed in Baldwin
County Georgia one of the names on the plot map is a Mitchell. I know
its probably a lot of speculation.
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snail mail: Wiley Alston Jarrell
15610 Edenvale
Friendswood Tx 77546
a/c 281-482-3671
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