Our McNair Family History

 I wrote this on 24 March 2016. I recently found it in my files.

My research on the McNairs began in 1989 and was one of my first lines to trace. With eager vitality, I was trying to establish ties to Ireland since we had a trip to Ireland planned for the summer of 1990.  This research jumped track when I ran into a few brick walls on the McNairs and then discovered that my maiden name of ‘Quillin’ had an obvious tie to Ireland, which I would have never imagined.  I felt certain that the Mc in McNair would establish an Irish connection.  In the next few years, I reestablished my research with the McNair line, this time with a new mission: to enter DAR.  Anyone who has documented for DAR knows that this is rigorous research and generation links have to be proved.  Armed with the information that I already had and now with a new purpose (having a hint that James McNair served in the Revolution), I found that the McNairs do trace back to Ireland.  My prior research was so thorough that I feel very confident in the information that I have and I have since been strongly linked to James McNair through DNA.  I have all the documents (3 envelopes full of copies of the original documents) on James and John McNair from the Knox County courthouse. With this many documents I believe these two men were well respected and established among the locals.  There is also a book, McNair, McNear, and McNeir Genealogies by James Birtley McNair (Editor) 929.273 M231 Chicago, Illinois : J.B. McNair, c1923. There are 3 supplements: 1928, 1955 & 1960 compiled by James Birtley McNair. I purchased the 1928 supplement.  Once again, as with many of our lines, this was a family of hardy pioneers that date back to colonial times.

Defining Our Lives

Who Are YOU? Where did you come from? If someone asked you for an explanation of how you reached your point of destination, you would be able to tell your own life story, but the answer, in reality, goes back way before your story began. I believe the answer lies in the struggle between mankind on this earth. Forever, since the dawn of time, man has struggled for his rights. Civilizations are defined by war and it comes with a price.  Many wars have been fought from Biblical times until now to bring us to where we are. So, when you look at who you are, and what formed your family and your core beliefs, most of the time, a turning point of any family was during wartime. As a genealogist, I am amazed at how much my family history has played a part in defining who I am.

There’s a term, genetic memory that defines how life experiences may be passed on to our children. Memory present at birth, in the absence of sensory experience, is incorporated over long spans of time. For me, I believe that it is a cultural experience that is ingrained into the very nature of a family, and it encodes a readiness to respond in certain ways to certain stimuli. As Mother always said, “Nothing happens in a vacuum.”

I stand in awe as I look back over the many decades that my research has covered and what I see revealed about every generation back to the 1600s or 1700s.  Our tree is built on families who have always been willing to pay the price to bring us to where we are today. Yet, we go about our daily lives, taking for granted everything we have, without one thought about the cost to our very own ancestors who paid with their own blood, sacrifices and hard work for us to live in comfort, leading daily lives with no real sacrifices.

Recent turn of events have made me question why I have dedicated my life passionately to documenting my family history. Why have I spent hour after hour researching these people's lives; why have I collected file cabinet drawers full of documents; WHY has it truly mattered to me to know about the lives of those who have gone before me. WHY?  The answer is simple; I wouldn't be where I am if it were not for their journeys in life, and neither would you.

I’m baffled that others don’t care to stay connected to their heritage. Why would you not be interested in the blood that courses through your veins. It IS WHO YOU ARE…after all. My research is available for anyone who is interested, and recorded history shows the bravery of our people who were willing to fight for their beliefs and sometimes forced to migrate in order to survive. Their footprints carve a path to my very front door. They had a very hand in the freedoms that I enjoy.

We are part of the framework of American democracy that included the freedom of religion, speech and not being dictated to by our government.  Many men and women have died for all the things that our constitution stands for.... but where did that person come from with such a passion to fight for those rights. It was passed along from somewhere, and they are among your family ancestors.

We have long celebrated the greatest generation, and rightfully so. It is a time in history that is current in our lives. Our parents were part of one of the greatest generations that ever lived when our nation, men and women, came together to end the Second World War.

But it didn’t begin there. When you take a look back, history shows that each generation has been willing to fight for our freedoms.  And yes, we have direct family members who landed in the new world BEFORE it was a nation.  They stepped onto this soil with the intention of carving out a new life, free from government control.  They were willing to face the risk and dangers of a world unknown to others.  And no, it didn’t begin there because in the Old World there where wars that forced our relatives to flee to the New World. And our history incorporates family members that gave their lives so that you and I can live within the boundaries of a free world.

All of the above brings up the question: who in your family earned you the right to claim those freedoms? Would you know about your families' involvement in the settling of our great nation?  I see my own family willing to live in comfort with multitudes of freedoms without any knowledge of who in their family made that possible for them.  I feel forever grateful for my background. It’s important to pass this history down to future generations because it is WHO we are. It is forever in our DNA. It didn’t begin there, nor will it end there.

There is not a generation that I have found that immigrated after the 1800s. By that time, our family was involved in carving out the western frontier, living in harsh conditions to find a better life for their families. Most of them came across to Texas in the early stage of development. It was from there in rural areas that our roots took hold. I’m proud to be an American and I’m proud to be a Texan.

 

First Quillins in America

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I composed this history sheet on 8 July 2017

The Quillin line goes back WAY before America was independent from England.  In the Quillin Book, Chapter 2, page 37, it reads:

 “In ‘The Original List of Persons of Quality Who Went from Great Britain to the American Plantation 1600-1700’, edited by John C. Hotten, 1931, we find the name of Teague Quillin, aged 20, who on August 21, 1635 was transported from “Ye Port of London” to Virginia on ‘The Thomas’ and was examined by the Minister of Gravesend regarding his “conformitie in Religion” etc."

After Teague Quillin landed on Virginia’s “eastern shore”, he and his descendants migrated toward Delaware and Maryland, as the New World was better settled in that area.

Early Maryland records state that Teague Quillin was in that state 1657 and 1661, and that Daniel Quillin, a son of Teague, was among the first settlers there.  Daniel Quillin and his wife Lydia had sold 400 acres of land in Accomae County, Virginia August 1665, to John Prettyman before going to Maryland. 

 Torrence in his history “Old Somerset on the Eastern Shore of Maryland,” states that: 

“Daniel Quillane and Lydia his wife came from Northampton Co., Va. 1661; had tithables in Accomae Co. 1663 and 1664; by May 1665 they were in the Morumsco section and had patents in Somerset Co., Md. Nov. 6, 1665, for lands called “The Irish Grove” on the eastern side of Morumsco Creek and “Limbrick” on the northern side of Pocomoke River in the neck of land called “Nassawaddocks.”

Daniel and Lydia's children are documented in baptismal records recorded in the Maryland State archives.  They are : Eliza, Daniel, Teague, Thomas, Judith, Elizabeth.  My research and the MacQuillin Book have our ancestor as son Teague, followed by a long string of Teagues which has caused some confusion. (See my notes in the history sheet for Teague V. * to be posted later) Other trusted researchers of the Quillin line have my ancestors coming from son Thomas.  SO...I'm not sure if our line would have gone through Teague or Thomas...brothers and sons of Daniel. Either way, we are linked to Daniel Quillin, son of Teague the emigrant.

Daniel’s son, Teague II, was born in 1669 in Morumsco section, Somerset County, Maryland.  He married Mary (?) and they relocated to Delaware where Teague III was born.  Teague III married Mary Catherine Herring in Maryland. * I have since found some leads to Mary Herring and Teague through a few Herring Family researchers.

As political pressures from the Church of England mounted, the clan sought refuge in the North Carolina highlands. I am not sure of the death date of Teague III, but in 1784 there is documentation of a land grant to heirs of Teague Quillin (III), 91 acres on Little Yadkin. (That is located in Stokes Co, N.C.)

I believe that Teague IV followed his father to North Carolina. He served in the Revolutionary War from North Carolina.  A land grant in North Carolina was entered on Nov. 30, 1778; issued Oct 13, 1783: to Teague Quillin (IV) 200 acres on Blews Creek, Surry Co., N.C. 

Also entered in N.C. Land Grants : entered April 6, 1779; issued April 3, 1780: To William Quillin 200 acres adjoining Teague Quillin on Blews Creek, Surry Co., N.C.

In 1790, Teague Quillin (IV) sold 200 acres on Blews Creek, Surry Co. N.C.

 Teague V was born in Surry Co. North Carolina, where he met and married Margaret “Peggy” Nation, daughter of Thomas Nation who was the son of Christopher Nation, a documented Captain in the North Carolina Militia, 1766.  He participated as a Regulator, a precursor to the Revolution.  He was held accountable to the King and was eventually pardoned.

Teague V and Margaret Quillin purchased property in Russell County (now Scott County) Virginia in 1790.  (See Teague V history sheet) The rest of my Quillin line lived in or around Gate City, Scott County, Virginia and/or Bristol, Tennessee, a sister city to Bristol, Virginia. 

After two more generations, my great-grandfather Beverly Johnson Quillin moved to Texas.

MacQuillin, Claude. The Quillin (MacQuillin) Family: The MacQuillins in Ireland and The Quillins in America. Compiled by              Milligan Wood Quillen and Mary Kinser Brown. Published by The Quillin Clan: Gate City, Virginia, 1961. Reprinted                 1987. “Truman Bryan Quillin” pp. 133-135.

We Are The Chosen

There is a genealogy poem that tugs on all genealogist's heartstrings. When you first read it, you will immediately feel a connection to the words.  I thought it was unique to the website where I first saw it but have since done some research as to its origin. I believe that it was written by Della M. Cumming. Somewhere along the way it was edited and reworded by Tom Dunn. Some refer to the poem titled "The Storytellers." Either way, it deserves to be passed along to those of you who have spent countless hours documenting family history.

The Story Tellers.....We are the chosen.

My feelings are in each family there is one who seems called to find the
ancestors. To put flesh on their bones and make them live again, to tell
the family story and to feel that somehow they know and approve. To me,
doing genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts but, instead, breathing
life into all who have gone before. We are the story tellers of the tribe.
All tribes have one. We have been called as it were by our genes.
Those who have gone before cry out to us: Tell our story. So, we do.

In finding them, we somehow find ourselves. How many graves have I stood
before and cried? I have lost count. How many times have I told the
ancestors you have a wonderful family, you would be proud of us? How many
times have I walked up to a grave and felt somehow there was love there
for me? I cannot say.

It goes beyond just documenting facts. It goes to who am I and why do I
do the things I do? It goes to seeing a cemetery about to be lost forever to
weeds and indifference and saying I can't let this happen.

The bones here are bones of my bone and flesh of my flesh. It goes to
doing something about it. It goes to pride in what our ancestors were able to
accomplish. How they contributed to what we are today. It goes to
respecting their hardships and losses, their never giving in or giving up, their
resoluteness to go on and build a life for their family.

It goes to deep pride that they fought to make and keep us a Nation. It
goes to a deep and immense understanding that they were doing it for us. That
we might be born who we are. That we might remember them. So we do.

With love and caring and scribing each fact of their existence, because
we are them and they are us. So, as a scribe called, I tell the story of my
family.
It is up to that one called in the next generation to answer the call and
take their place in the long line of family storytellers.

That is why I do my family genealogy, and that is what calls those young
and old to step up and put flesh on the bones.

(Tom Dunn, Author)

Most likely taken from a poem by Della M. Cumming

List of Surnames & Locations

Daddy’s Side

QUILLIN: Virginia (Goochland, Rappahannock, DeKalb, Scott); Maryland (Somerset); Delaware (Kent); North Carolina (Forsyth, Surry); Kentucky (Letcher); Texas (Fannin, Haskell, Baylor)

NATION – New Jersey (Monmouth); North Carolina (Randolph, Surry); Virginia (Frederick); Tennessee (Maury)

LAWSON – Scotland, Virginia (Montgomery, Russell, Scott)

VINEYARD – Germany, Virginian (Rockbridge, Scott)

EWING – Ireland, Virginia (Frederick, Greenbrier), Pennsylvania (Chester), Tennessee (Smith), Arkansas (Clark)

DILLARD – Virginia, North Carolina (Chatham), Tennessee (Smith, Hardeman), Arkansas, (Clark)

Mother’s Side

JONES – Georgia (Elbert), Alabama (Shelby), Texas (Fannin, Collin, Grayson, Foard)

BUTLER – Virginia (Hanover), Georgia (Elbert), Arkansas (Shelby)

BUSBY – North Carolina (Johnston), Tennessee (Giles), South Carolina (Orangeburg), Alabama (Chilton), Arkansas (Giles, Shelby)

SEALE – England, Virginia (Essex, Prince William, Stafford), North Carolina (Cumberland), Georgia (Wilkes, Hancock), South Carolina (Craven, Fairfield), Alabama (Shelby), Texas (Grayson, Foard)

BRISTOW – England, Virginia (Middlesex)

MUSE – England, Virginia (Rappahannock, Prince William became Westmorland), North Carolina (Cumberland, Moore)

POPE – England, Virginia (Westmorland)

BRIDGES – South Carolina, Georgia (Murry, Whitfield), Texas (Collin, Jones)

SPRINGFIELD – South Carolina (Greenville, Laurens), North Carolina (Granville), Georgia (Jackson, Murry), Tennessee (Monroe)

LANGSTON – Virginia (Nansemond), North Carolina (Edgecombe, Granville), South Carolina (Greenville, Laurens)

MCNAIR – Ireland, Virginia (Staunton, Augusta), Tennessee (Sullivan, Knox, Bradley), Arkansas (Searcy), Texas (McLennan, Jones, Taylor, Callahan, Wilbarger)

SHERERTZ – Prussia Germany, Pennsylvania (York), Tennessee (Sullivan, Knox)

PRICE – North Carolina (Mecklenburg)

HENDERSON – Virginia (Hanover), North Carolina (Granville), Tennessee (Warren), Arkansas (Searcy)

SEWELL – North Carolina (Moore), Arkansas (Searcy)

KING – Virginia, Georgia (Cherokee, Habersham, Whitfield, Gordon), Texas (Erath, McLennan, Taylor)

HOOD – South Carolina (Pendleton, Pickens), Virginia (Wise), South Carolina (Greenville, Georgia (Whitfield)

HULSEY – Virginia (New Kent, Goochland), South Carolina (Greenville), Georgia (Lumpkin, Dawson, Murray, Taylor) HANEY/HAYNIE? – Virginia (Northumberland), Georgia (Jackson, Lumpkin) HUMPHRIES – Georgia (Franklin, Jackson, Lumpkin)

SURNAME LIST (other names involved and to whom I believe we are related)

	Daddy’s father’s line	Daddy’s mother’s line	Mother’s father’s line	Mother’s mother’s line
GP	Quillin	Ewing	Jones	McNair
1st  GP	Sprowls	Woodall	Bridges	King
2nd GGP	Vineyard	Dillard	Seales	Henderson
	Wright	Adams	Springfield	Hulsey
3rd GGP	Lawson	Pentenny	Busby	Sherertz
	Hart	Ewing**	-        -	Sewell
	-        - -	Elliot	-        -	Hood
	-         -	Jones?	Rollins	Haney
4th GGP	Nation	-  -  -  -  -	Butler	Price
	Baker	Dillard **	Brooks	Devault
	Campbell	Brownlow?	Harrison	Robards
	-  -  -	Dillard**	-  -  -  -  -	Lancaster
	-  -  -	- - - - - - -	-  -  -  -  -	Moore?
	-  -   -  -		Springfield**	-  -  -  -  -
	-   -    -   -		Arnold	Byrd
	-   -   -   -			Pritchett
	Vineyard/Campbell Vineyard/Evick Campbell/Osman Campbell/McClure McClure/Trimble?	Ewing/Edwards? Ewing/McElvaney Dillard/Petty?	Seale/Muse Seale/Bristow Bristow/Nicholls Muse/Pope Springfield/Langston Springfield/Potts? Springfield/Bennett	Callaway ?

 

Breaking Ground

As a child, we have an instant connection with our immediate family. It is there that our roots are established, and it is there that we build our foundation. I was fortunate to live near most of my extended family. I knew my aunts and uncles well, and my cousins were my first playmates. Another bonus was that I knew three of my great-grandparents personally. As I grew up, I always felt those close family ties, and I was always curious about the others that came before them.

After I got married, my husband and I became world travelers. I had already begun documenting the basic roots of my family with the help of a few family historians that I knew personally. As we planned our trip to Ireland for the summer of 1990, I was inspired by my grandmother's maiden name, McNair. My thought was that with the "Mc" in this name, that surely, I had Irish roots. I got the bright idea to make a few trips to the Texas State Archives to see if I could quickly establish a connection with family in Ireland. Yeah, right?

All I found on these trips to the archives was frustration. In fact, I could not find any of my closest McNair relatives; therefore, the search was a dead end. The problem was that I was a fledgling genealogist and I had this "hurry up" factor involved. (*Note: shortly after my trip to Ireland, I found a wealth of information about my McNair roots.) I gave up the ghost and folded up all my research papers to wait for my husband, who by the way, found a few gems about his family on these visits to the archives. During my wait, I decided to check out my maiden name, Quillin.

Quillin, hum...? It is a unique name, different than most last names. Voilà! I hit the jackpot! Right off the bat in the card catalogue, I learned that there was a MacQuillin book listed in the Library of Congress. I went to the stacks and there it was: The Quillin (MacQuillin) Family; The MacQuillins in Ireland by Claude MacQuillin. Better still was the fact that my ancient ancestors had a glorious castle in Northern Ireland, now in ruins. And I WAS GOING TO IRELAND in a few short months. 

My excitement sent me through the roof, and needless to say, our trip to Ireland took on a whole new look. This book connected me all the way down to my daddy, with my brother listed as a child. This was beyond my wildest dreams, and I look forward to sharing more about my daddy, my Quillin roots, and my trip to Ireland in following blog posts. 

Grandma's Pearls of Wisdom

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                                 I first found this poem in the Southern Living Magazine in November 2017.                                                     It fits perfectly with the stories of my grandmothers. 

Grandma's Pearls of Wisdom

by Becky Netherland 

 

I've traveled paths you've yet to walk,

Learned lessons old and new,

And now this wisdom of my life,

I'm blessed to share with you.

 

Let kindness spread like sunshine,

Embrace those who are sad.

Respect their dignity, give them joy

and leave them feeling glad.

 

Forgive those who might hurt you

And though you have your pride,

Listen closely to their viewpoint

Try to see the other side.

 

Walk softly when you're angry,

Try not to take offense,

Invoke your sense of humor,

Laughter's power is immense.

 

Express what you are feeling,

Your beliefs you should uphold.

Don't shy away from what is right,

Be courageous and be bold.

 

Keep hope right in your pocket,

It will guide you day by day.

Take it out when it is needed,

When it's near, you'll find a way.

 

Remember friends and family

Of which you are a precious part.

Love deeply and love truly,

Give freely from your heart.

 

The world is far from perfect.

There's conflict and there's strife,

but you still can make a difference

By how you live your life.

 

And so I'm very blessed to know

The wonders you will do

Because you are my granddaughter

And I believe in you.

Welcome To My Blog!

My purpose is to share my family heritage. I’ve been digging up my roots for nearly 30 years. Some of my long-time sources are vanishing from the internet. Ancestry seems to be swallowing up the valuable research of the contacts that I have made. In some small way, I hope to preserve the research that I have done. This is my personalized stamp, so to speak. It will take time to share all of my information which is why I have postponed this blog. I have tried to substantiate my research with sources, but I’m sure that I have made mistakes along the way. I would welcome any suggestions that could lead us all in the right direction. The family histories to be included will be the Quillin family tree, the Ewing family tree, the Jones family tree, the McNair family tree, the Bridges family tree, the King family tree and the Hulsey family tree. Some of the roots go even deeper, but it also becomes harder to substantiate that information. I will begin with the stories that I know first-hand. So… let’s pick up those shovels and begin digging.

 

 

Family Connections

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What is our purpose? What will be our legacy? We are only a pin prick in the universe. Will anyone know your name in a hundred years? Ten years? Genealogy is about telling our ancestor’s stories because these stories give our soul direction, a base from where we make decisions. By recording their stories, we leave behind our legacy. In making others significant, we are significant. My purpose is to leave behind some of their stories. 

When we go back in time, we realize that no one lives a life in vain. Everyone has a purpose. I am fascinated with the stories of my ancestors and their legacies, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Learning about them and finding my family connection is far more interesting than perusing Facebook to see the glamor shots that people create for themselves. It is within our family roots that we discover who we are. Family connections are one of the most important things in life. I’ve always been fascinated with the thought that I am who I am because of those who have gone before me. I'm here because of their sacrifices, and it is here that I hope to give meaning to their lives. 

On this journey of researching my heritage, I realize how my ancestor's lives were intertwined with the history of this great nation. I feel my strong American ties, and for the most part, I'm a true southern girl. It will be an honor and a privilege to share their stories. It is from these stories that I build my own existence. I will try to do them justice in telling their stories. My mother often said, “Things don’t happen in a vacuum.” She was right. With everything that happens, there is a ripple effect. 

Do we make mistakes in family research? Sure, we do, so I will never claim that what lies among my research is the final truth. I’ve done a lot of digging, striving to prove that what I’ve pieced together is true, but over time, I have realized that some of the puzzle pieces remain to be found.

As all genealogists, I realize that most people are not interested in their very own deep family connections. I'm a bit baffled by that, but there will be someone somewhere along the way that will pick up the banner and carry it forward.  It is for those folks that I find it imperative to leave behind these stories. Hopefully, it will serve a purpose in not only preserving history, but also our family connections.