Gists, Howards and Buchannans of Cumberland Co., NC
It is very easy for me to be sidetracked by something I haven’t read before (or don’t remember reading) and today it was an odd group of names found in “Abstracts of Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions of Cumberland County North Carolina” April 17779-January 1791, Volume II by William C. Fields, Editor.
There were Howards, Gists and Buckhannan’s listed in the index. The Howards normally associated with Cumberland County, NC are descended from Edward Howard and Sarah/Sabra Jarrett who are in some way connected to William Buckhannan Howard, Obediah Howard and Seth Howard.
Christopher and Nathaniel Gist left Maryland in the late 1740’s when they went bankrupt. They traveled to the Opeckon Valley in what is now WV. This is also where a splinter group of people from the Sater Baptist Church settled about the same time. Eventually this Church came under the leadership of Rev. Daniel Marshall who had among his followers the Breeds from Connecticut, Mulkey was later joined by his brother-in-law the Rev. Shubal Stearns. Their group splintered from the Opeckon Church, traveling to North Carolina. Did some of the Gists travel with this group?
Benjamin Gist married Elizabeth Jarrett in Lunenburg Co., VA and Edward Howard married Sarah/Sabra Jarrett in NC…were these two Jarrett’s related? I have been wondering if Obediah could have been a descendent of Edward, especially with the name Jarrett in his descendents.
According to the above book, in the 1770’s the following people are found living on or near Little River:
1. “Peter Munro appointed overseer of the Little River from Elliot’s Mill to Crain’s Creek in place of Jas. Campbell, working the following hands: Joseph Gest, Gilbert Eccles, Hector McNeill, John McNeill
2. Nathan King appointed overseer of the river from the mouth of Raifords Creek to the mouth of Cross Creek working the following Hands: Hector Buchanan, Edwd. Howard, Jr.
Joseph Gist, a son of Benjamin and Elizabeth, married a daughter of Neill McNeill and, after her father’s death, he filed a petition with her father’s executors for her portion of the estate.
Other names listed in the book:
Buchannan: Alexr., David, Farqd., Hector, John, Peter, R., Wm. (Buchannan’s Ferry)
Gist: Christopher, Joseph, Joshua
Howard: Edward, Sr., Edward, Jr., Wm
McNeill: A., Ann, Alexr., Archd., Capt., Daniel, David, Duncan, Grizzel, Hector, Henry, James, John, Laughlin, Malcom, Mary, Neill, Roger, Smilie (Also seem to have married into the Smith family. Is this the same Smith family as the Eddie Smith who married Nehemiah Howard?)
Jarrett: Richd.