Family Group Sheet

Problem: 1)Track down the parents of Roberts Pike Pickens and determine how they got to Ireland (parents were Robert or maybe Andrew (Andre) Pickens or Pickon and Esther Jane Bonneau per the French tradition; parents were William Pickens or Picken and Margaret per the Scotch Irish Trail); 2) establish the date Robert Pike Pickens emigrated to America in the early 18th century.

Family Group Sheet

Robert Pike Pickens

b. ca 1697

son of

poss. Andrew (Andre)and Esther Jane (Bonneau) Pickens or Pickon

poss. William and Margaret ( ? ) Picken or Pickens

d. 1793 age 96

married ca 1729

Miriam Davis

dau of

Israel --
Robert (Capt. Robert Pickens) b Nov. 26, 1747, d July 19, 1830. I am his direct descendant.
Annie (twin of Robert)
David
Andrew
Samuel
Margaret
Elizabeth

Family Tree Maker adds following children:

Martha
Jane
Annie
David

Most of the information we have is taken from a genealogy published in the 1950’s, so first let’s evaluate that work.

The research was done by Monroe Pickens (1866-1945) whose work was compiled into a mss. about 1930. He worked, as was so common in the late 20th early 21st century by correspondence, as well as by visiting courthouses. He, and later Mrs. Day, also worked with other researchers. No one was citing sources at that time, but he did give us some information as to the origin of his information. The book offers two conflicting traditions as to the parentage of Robert Pike Pickens, the earliest known ancestor in America.

The Huguenot Tradition: a “pretty little tradition”

That he was the son Robert (or Andrew or Israel) Pickens and Esther Jane Bonneau, a Huguenot. After the Edict of Nantes was revoked and Protestants in France persecuted, they removed first to Scotland, then Ireland, where they had three sons: Andrew, John and Robert, who later removed to America.

Another version omits a son John traveling to America and lists sons Andrew and Robert Pike Pickens removed to Paxton [Paxtang], Pennsylvania (which was then in Lancaster Co.

Mrs. Day notes that this tradition was eventually published in Virkus. “Abridged Compendium of American Genealogy” (1925-1942.)

Presbyterian’s from Ulster: The Scotch Irish Trail:

That they were part of the Scotch-Irish emigration, mostly from Ulster, landing in Philadelphia and moving into Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

For a quick background, see

According to this tradition:

The first Pickens in America was Thomas Pickens who came to Mass from Ireland about 1719 and had sons Andrew, James, John and Thomas, from whom many of the Pickens families in America thought to descend, including those who settled in the south, where the records “are most incoherent.”

And (unconnected to this?) from a book about the Scotch Irish in the United States, published 1910, (Bolton’s Scotch Irish Pioneers) the researchers learned of William Pickens, wife Margaret, Israel Pickens and several other Pickens who were admitted by certificate to the Neshamy (Neshaminy) Church in Pennsylvania, which is in Bucks Co. Pennsylvania.

The researchers appear to have incorporated this into the Scotch Irish tradition, evidently noticing that the names matched those of Pickens who were later found in the records of Virginia and the Carolinas.

Let’s look at these two books:

Virkus was not a source on which Monroe Pickens relied; it will be where where we find statements of this tradition.
I can’t tell if Monroe Pickens relied on the book about Scotch Irish or Mrs. Day found that information.

Virkus. Compendium of American Genealogy. 7 vols, published between 1925 and 1942.

A brief overview of this work from Wikipedia give us the valuable information that supporting documentation is now at the D.A.R. Library

Here is what an entry in the Compendium looks like, although this is not the one Mrs. Day quotes. (The one she quotes gives somewhat different information. )

Using the online catalog of the DAR Library I found these entries:

and

TO DO: Someday when in DC, spend some time with these collections at the D.A.R. library to see the supporting documentation. -- Just out of curiosity; it is unlikely to be compelling.

Bolton. Scotch Irish Pioneers in Ulster and America was published in 1910, so will probably be available online… and it is, at

(note: I prefer archive.org copy over Google Books copy)

Here is the entry, from pp. 278-279

Can we see the original church records? I’d like to see the context and what other records might be available.

Check Family History Library Catalog.

Google.

Start with what you know; so what do we start with knowing about Robert Pike Pickens as given to us on page 80-82 of the Pickens genealogy?

He was probably born ca. 1697 in Ireland.
His speech was practically an Irish brogue (this must be passed down information)
He probably came to America 1720-1737
He appears to have settled in Frederick Co. Maryland by 1747, although other members of his family settled in Bucks Co. Pennsylvania (his son Robert b. there 1747)
He moved into Waxhaw District in South Carolina ca 1754 or 1755 (they moved when Robert 7 or 8)
It is said that he intended to settle in the Mecklenburg District and he arrived there, but later determined to settle at Waxhaw instead.
Tradition has it that Robert moved first to Augusta County, Virginia, and after about six weeks, moved [to Waxhaw] of another one of the Pickens pioneers.
It seems that after about 8 years at the Waxhaw settlement he decided to remove to Long Cane Creek Settlement in (what is now) Abbeville Co.
It is believed that 1763 is about when he removed to Long Cane Creek, going with neighbors who had temporarily removed to Waxhaw from there following an Indian uprising.
His son Robert also lived at the Long Cane.
In 1783, after the close of the Revolutionary war, his son Robert moved to the headwaters of the three and twenty creek in Anderson District and carried his father, Robert Pike Pickens with him and took care of him in his old age.
20 January 1783 he makes his will (copy in book)
It is headed “Granville County, St. Bartholomews”
Names son Robert, whom he names as one of two executors, Miriam Pickens(relationship not stated; she named the other executor), Grandson and granddaughter John and Martha Pickens, Two grandchildren Margaret and Elizabeth Pickens, Eliner Prater (relationship not stated), Daughter Jane Norwood,Son Andrew Pickens “if he ever comes here for them.”
It is signed by his mark (he could not write)
Witnesses: Jane Seawright, Samuel Reed, Margaret Sharp
In 1793 his will is probated
Recorded Will Bok C p. 15, proved June 1, 1793; Rec’d Sept. 14, 1793.
By Hugh Wardlaw, J.P.
Roll no. 533
He was the first person to be buried in the Pickens graveyard; a simple tombstone shows the year in which he was born 1697 and the year in which he died 1793
The name of his wife was Miriam
We don’t know children but the following were “in the family”
Israel, Robert*, Annie*, David, Andrew, Samuel, Margaret and Elizabeth. (*twins)

Can we find evidence for all this?

CHRONOLOGY

1720-1737

Robert Pike Pickens came to America from Ireland “probably sometime between 1720 and 1737 (p. 80)He settled initially in Frederick County, Maryland.

What made the compiler believe he settled first in Frederick Co. Maryland?

I suspect it was from biographical information on his son Robert which states that he was born in Frederick Co. Maryland Nov. 26, 1747 and came with his father to Right now I’m not going to worry about where this came from; let’s assume it is factual and see what we can find.

1st learn a little about Frederick County Maryland.

In 1748, a portion of western Baltimore County, as well as a portion of Prince George's County to the south, was split off to erect Frederick County.

Wikipedia

And look at the FamilySearchWiki for the county

where I find this information under LAND.

Through a Joint eGovernment Service of the Maryland Judiciary and the Maryland State Archives, free images and indexes of the complete series of Frederick County Deed Books (1748-present) have been uploaded to their website: MDLandRec.Net:A Digital Image Retrieval System for Land Records in Maryland. (Requires free registration.)

I checked it and there is no record of a Robert Pickens selling land 1748 forward.

(I didn’t check for other Pickens names.) Names are sorted by 1st letter of given name.

The fact that we don’t find him selling land doesn’t mean he wasn’t there. We will continue to look.

TO DO: Next time I am at Fort Wayne I want to check this book:

And this one

Shall we check for land patents, to see if we can find him purchasing land from the government in Maryland? It seems if he bought land, we would have found him selling it, but let’s check.

… the easy way. Use the published indexes, both of which would also be available at Fort Wayne.

If we believe him to be in Maryland we will continue to search until we ferret him out. Our next steps above fall into the category of quick and easy, but let’s try them first and move on to South Carolina, where In the meantime, we have some to-do

The Pickens genealogy states that about 1750 Andrew Pickens moved to the Waxhaw settlement. Was Robert joining him? It also notes this:

“Tradition has it that Robert moved first to Augusta County, Virginia, and after about six weeks, moved again South with the family of another one of the Pickens pioneers.”

I checked Chalkley’s 3 volume Chronicles of the Scotch Irish Settlement in Virgina, originally published in 1912 and perhaps used by Monroe Pickens. No Robert Pickens indexed.

Since it was “for 6 weeks” we will ignore it for now. Let’s go on to Waxhaw.

First I need a little orientation. I’ve never heard of Waxhaw.

Wikipedia has a brief just to help us get our bearings on this area.

FamilySearch Library (Waxhaw not a location; search for the word in a title0

A little googling…

The Waxhaws settlement dates back to May 1751 when six or seven families, all Scots-Irish Presbyterians, arrived to clear the rich land between two creeks they named Waxhaw and Cane whose headwaters rise in present Union County, North Carolina and flow westward through Lancaster County, South Carolina into the Catawba river. ..

By 1755 the newcomers had built a meeting house, still in existence and known today as the Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church. It was the first church in the Upcountry of South Carolina.

By Historian Louise Pettus

approximate location on a map…

I believe it is more or less between Union Co. NC and Lancaster Co. SC.

Where can I find records of the Waxhaw Settlement? I’ll start with land…

I think Lancaster Co. S. Carolina and that is reinforced by this one entry I find on the Waxhaw website. It appears that entries are user contributed so this is just happenstance. We’d need to check the original records.

Search FamilySearch.org catalog for South Carolina, Lancaster – land

Shall I order the film? Or use the published abstracts (when I go to Fort Wayne!)

TO DO: Follow up on Lancaster Co. land records for Pickens, especially pre 1800…

LongCane Creek Settlement

In about 1763, they moved to the Long Cane Creek settlement in (what is now)* Abbeville County, South Carolina, possibly moving there with refugees from a 1760 massacre at Long Cane who had fled to Waxhaw and in 1763 were ready to return to Long Cane.

* 1785 - Thirty-three counties were created within existing South Carolina Districts. Abbeville County was created within Ninety-Six District. When Abbeville was created from the old Ninety-Six District in 1785, it inherited the former district's record collection.

FamilySearch Wiki Abbeville (South Carolina) Co.

In 1763 the area they were in was called Ninety-Six District.

Robert Pike Pickens’ son, Capt. Robert Pickens, also lived in Long Cane and this is probably be his land grant. The Sr. Pickens is almost 70 and unlikely to be buying land. Also, the way the genealogy is worded, the son went first.

Notice it is in Granville Co. in 1762

See the FamilySearch Wiki regarding Granville Co.

See this helpful page:

And further explanation

The term "county" had no meaning other than to describe a geographical area until well into the Royal Period, and even during that era the term "county" was only used to help define and describe where parishes were located. There were no county courts nor any county records - all courts and records were held in Charles Town until 1768.

Here is an image of the Granville County that existed 1706-1768

1783 Robert Pike Pickens writes his will at Granville County, Bartholomews*

He leaves everything to his son Robert, whom he names as one of two executors, except items he bequeaths to the following:
Miriam Pickens, who is named the other executor, “when she leaves the planation.”
Grandson and granddaughter John and Martha Pickens
Two grandchildren Margaret and Elizabeth Pickens
Eliner Prater (relationship not stated)
Daughter Jane Norwood
Son Andrew Pickens “if he ever comes here for them.”

But we know from the FamilySearch Wiki that old Granville Co. existed only 1706-1768.

And I don’t know to what Bartholomew refers; we need to find out more about the area to establish more firmly where he was .

There was a second Granville Co. that existed 1785-

But here is where that was (look lower SW corner!)

We may need some expert help from a librarian. If we can’t figure it out, I suggest we ask a Reference Librarian at the South Carolina Dept. of Archives & History…. but we’ll want to do more work with the records first.

And for that we will need some instruction:

TO DO: Learn more about these early South Carolina land records and try to get more information. ALSO: Work with the Online Records Index to get more Pickens documents and see if they might be helpful.

After the Revolutionary War, in 1783, Capt. Pickens moved to the head waters of the Three and Twenty Creek in Anderson District*, taking his father with him. He took care of his father in his old age, until Robert Pike Pickens died at age 96 in 1793. This means Robert Pike Pickens would have been born around 1687 (date confirmed by Family Tree Maker).

Anderson Co. was formed in 1826 from Pendleton District.
Pendleton District was renamed 1788 from Washington District.
Washington District was formed 1791from Cherokee Indian Lands

And we know he is buried in Pickens Cemetery, which is in present day Anderson County SC. Present day Anderson Co. is north of present day

Between 1783 when the will is written and June 1, 1793 when it is probated, he dies. His is the first burial in Pickens Cemetery

SO HERE IS A GREAT SITE – INTERESTING TOO

-- and see burial notes which indicate he died 1787; will was probated in 1793.

Why are you doing all this when you want to go back to Ireland? Because, you know that Cousin Monroe didn’t find the answer to where they came from when he worked with the records, so you need to do it yourself.

Also, you must make these people real. You have to verify things and make sure they are consistent. You need the details.

AND… you must start to incorporate into your research the information about surrounding people that you find. Put everything into the context of time, place and people.

Appendix

William Pickens

Son of

married

Margaret ______

dau of

immigrated prior to April, 1720; recorded 1722 in Neshaminy Church

Children as named in Chapter 2 of the Monroe Pickens 1951 genealogy p. 23

Andrew m. Nancy or Ann Davis

Robert m. Miriam

Israel m. Martha

William m. Ann Scott

John m. Eleanor

Gabriel m. Zerubia