Person:Eleanor McNamara (1)

Notes

Some researchers believe that Elinor's surname was McNamara, additional research/sources needed to coroborate.

From "Extract frm the Genealogy of the family of Wright and Lucretia Pigford, by Cevilla Clementine Pigford, 1896:

Ellena McNammarra, the great great grandmother of Lucretia Pigford, came to this country from London, England, under quite romantic circumstances. Her father having died, her mother married again. It seems that Ellena did not have much love for her stepfather. One day as her stepfather was going down town her mother told him to bring Ellena a dress. He brought it and gave it to her. When she looked at it, she promptly threw it into the fire, saying her own father never brought her such common stuff for a dress. Her mother who saw what she did, said to her, “Ellena, I’ll punish you for that.” She said her mother always kept her word and she knew she would ‘catch it’ so decided to ‘skip out.’ Accordingly she stole out and made her way to the wharf where many vessels were lying at anchor, and went into a cabin nearby to wait an opportunity to embark on one of the vessels. While waiting in the cabin she heard people crying, “Lost Child.” and ringing bells to give the alarm. She knew it was for her to remain quiet. The old woman in the cabin began to question her, but she made up a plausible story to satisfy the woman that it was not her they were looking for.

When it began to grow dark Ellena made her way to one of the vessels, presumably an immigrant ship bound for America, and came over to this country. As she had no money with which to pay passage, the Captain of the vessel hired her out to pay the debt. She said she served the people faithfully to whom she was hired, which was hard on her as she had never been accustomed to work. But Ellena was plucky and it seems she never once thought of going back or informing her people where she was. She did not have to work her time out, as the man to whom she was hired went one day to a public gathering and happened to meet a kinsman of Ellena who had previously immigrated to this country. On learning about her, this kinsman sent her money to pay her indebtedness. The man’s wife with whom she lived had been very cruel and exacting to her, but was sorry to give her up. Ellena said she was preparing the evening meal when the man came in and told her of her good fortune. His wife flew into a rage, saying she could never keep a good servant any time.

Here we lose track of Ellena for some time, but suppose she married quite young, as she was married three times. One of her husbands was named King and one Wright. Our family descended from the one named King. My mother’s mother being named Nancy King, to perpetuate the name. She lived to the age of 100 years and was blind for some time before her death. She had a remarkable memory and would repeat whole chapters of the Bible from memory.

Ellena’s people in England belonged to the Upper Class and employed servants, as she said her mother never nursed her own children. But as her offsprings were so numerous, that would have been quite a burden, as she had 21 children-having twins ten times. Ellena was the only one who was not a twin. It is supposed she lived in Virginia, as my grandmother says her grandparents fled from Virginia to North Carolina to escape the Indians. [Pigford errs here; Ellena was her grandmother’s great grandmother; however, her grandmother’s grandparents, the Tripp couple, did flee from what was then VA to NC.

Ellena’s daughter, Nancy King, my mother’s great grandmother, married a man by the name of Tripp. Her daughter Jemina Tripp, my mother’s grandmother, married William Stalsworth[sic], an Englishman and a loyal subject to the King. He could not be persuaded to take up arms against the King during the Revolutionary War; consequently, belonged to the party called Torries. William Stalsworth and his brother Thomas, who married a sister of his wife, Margarette Tripp, lived together for mutual protection.