Person:Samuel Wilkinson (21)

Samuel Wilkinson was born c. 1720 to the Wilkinson Family of Ballinacree, County Antrim, Ireland. Samuel's personal circumstances in Ireland are unknown. However as an Irish Quaker, Samuel joined the Scot-Irish Migration Stream to America. The biography of John W. Wilkinson's (b. 5/27/1793 in North Carolina) states that Samuel, three brothers--Joseph, Thomas, William--cousin Francis, and three unnamed sisters migrated en masse to Pennsylvania by 12/1737.

Proof of Samuel's place of birth is found in the Quaker records of Chester Co PA. Note, this history was written in 1902 and is not a list of 1712-1715 Quaker families:

Of the twenty-two persons taxed in New Garden in 1715, fifteen were Irish Friends, as follows: Mary Miller, 9s.; Michael Lightfoot, 2s.; William Halliday, 2s. 7d.; Margaret Lowden, 2s.; James Lindley, 4s. 6d.; Thomas Jackson, 3s.; James Starr, 3s.; Francis Hobson, 2s.; Joseph Garnett, 2s.; Robert Johnson, 2s.; John Sharp, 3s. 6d.; Joseph Sharp, 2s.; John Wiley, 2s. 4d.; Thomas Garnett, 3s. 9d.; Benjamin Fred, 2s. 1d.

At first the Friends of the New Garden settlement attended Kennett Meeting, but soon they were allowed to hold a meeting of their own, as evidenced by the following extracts from the "Minutes of Chester Quarterly Meeting."

12 Mo. 2, 1712.--"Newark monthly meeting requests that there may be a first & fifth Days meeting settled at John Miller's. This meeting, considering thereof, thinks fit to Refer the further Consideration thereof to the next Quarterly meeting."

John Cane, a Friend, who with his wife Ann came over from County Armagh about 1713, was one of the first settlers of London Grove, but he did not long survive to enjoy his new home. John Allen, who was an Irish Friend, arrived as early as 1714 and located in the Township on the north-west line of New Garden.

   "Our Lindley Line," Personal Web Page, No date, Immigration of the Irish Quakers into Pennsylvania,1902 <http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~monticue/Lindley.htm> 22 March 2005.

1742 In addition to those just mentioned, the following were some of the immigrants to this region: Thomas McClun or McClung, from County West Meath; William McNabb, from Oldcastle, County Meath; Neal O'Moony, John Boyd and sons William and Samuel, James Hunter, Samuel Wilkinson, and William Courtney, from Ballinacree, County Antrim; William Evans, from County Wicklow; John Griffith and son Christopher, from Grange near Charlemont; Jonas Chamberlin, from King's County; James Love and Thomas Nevitt, from County Cavan; Isaac Steer and sons John and Nicholas, from County Antrim; James Smith, from County Armagh; Thomas Bulla and Lawrence Richardson, from Grange, probably near Charlemont; and Thomas Lindley (son of James Lindly), a representative to the Provincial Assembly.

   Albert Cook Myers, Immigration of the Irish Quakers into Pennsylvania (1682-1750), 1902 quoted in "An Chabh`ain, Al Beagan"s Genealogy Notes of County Cavan [Ireland]," 23 November 2003 <http://www.rootsweb.com/~irlcav/cavan.htm> 24 July 2005.

Samuel is first documented on 2/23/1737 in Ballinacree, County Antrim, Ireland, where he received a letter of release from the Ballinacree Quaker Meeting to immigrate to America. Note, this is the same day brother Joseph received his letter of release.

On 12/6/1737 Samuel was received at Sadsbury MM (vic. Gap PA). And, Samuel lived out near Gap until 2/15/1742 when he was released by letter to Goshen MM (now West Chester PA).

On 2/24/1746 in Goshen, Chester Co PA Samuel married Dorcas Elleman b. 5/12/1728 Goshen, Chester Co PA. From that point, Samuel was tied to the larger Elleman Family and their migration south to the Carolinas.

Samuel's family's migration from Goshen, Chester Co PA to Orange Co NC can be traced through records of Moses Embree who married Dorcas' sister, Margaret Elleman. In 1752 Moses and Margaret were married at Exeter MM in Berks Co PA. On 7/26/1753 Moses and Margaret were released by certificate to Cane Creek MM near Snow Camp, Orange (now Alamance) Co NC where they were received in 1754. On 6/2/1759 Samuel and Dorcas were also received at Cane Creek MM, Orange Co NC.

After peace was reached between the British and French in 1764, King George III prohibited settlement beyond the Appalachians. This decree forced settlers seeking new lands to look south into the newly opened lands of the Valley of Virginia. As family migration was the rule as opposed to the exception, it is reasonable to believe that Samuel Wilkinson, John Elleman, Moses Embree, et. al. migrated en masse to Orange Co NC. Their journey would have taken them down the Great Wagon Road south and west into the Valley of Virginia and central North Carolina.

Samuel's son, Francis, is first found recorded in their new North Carolina home in a 1769 Orange Co NC Quaker Meeting rent record. Samuel is first documented in a 1779 Caswell Co NC land grant. Samuel died in Caswell Co NC sometime between 10/1781 when he wrote his will and 3/1782 when it was probated.

Members of the family migrated en masse in about 1782 to Washington Co VA after Samuel's death. Of note, this family's continuing migration south and west into Tennessee can be traced through the descendants of Moses Embree as found in the 1790 Washington Co NC (now TN) Tax Lists.