Person:Zeno Campberll (1)

Zeno Campbell’s 1865 Letter History of Rogers Family in Mecklenburg Co NC

This is a transcription of, a letter written by Zeno Campbell to his daughter. Darthulia Omega Campbell Campbell in May 1865, at Indian Point, Coles County, Ill. Transcribed by Andrew Campbell Chinn, Great Great Great Grandson of Zeno Campbell, on May 28, 1989 in Vírginia Beach, Virginia. The use of (?) indicates a difficulty in reading the handwriting of, Zeno Campbell.

May 1865, Indian Point, Coles, Ill.

Of, my father’s family I know nothing farther back than my Grandfather who was born in the North of Ireland near Balenderry. He was born somewhere about the beginning of last century (1700 ’s - ACC), and married Jane Moore, daughter of Andrew Moore and Grace Kidd. My grandfather's people came from the highlands of Scotland, where the name originated, and settled on confiscated land in the North of Ireland. My grandfather and wife, when quite young, left the green island and settled down in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. From there they moved south to Mecklenburg County in N. C. where he bought, from Arthur Dobbs, Governor of the State; 144 acres of land lying in the fork of Cold Water and Buffalo Creek, on which place he lived the remainder of his life. On that place he raised four children. Betty Jane (?), Nelly, Grace, and Andrew, my father, the youngest of the family. Betty married John Badell and had two children, a son and a daughter when Badell died; afterward she married a man named Hourtman who went to Kentucky when they all died — Nelly married a man named Hardin, and died so on after without children - Grace married Charles Dorton, they had eight children, six sons and two daughters. James married Sevilla Townsend. They had 12 children and raised 10 of them, six daughters and four sons, I think all that I have mentioned are now dead - Andrew, my father, was born in AUGUST 1755, and married Martha Rogers in 1787 and died the fourteenth of OCTOBER 1796 being a little over 41 year old. He lived and died on the place where he was born. At his death he had 400 acres of land, 4 or 5 head of horses, cows, sheep, and hogs enough for the use of the family. My father and mother had six sons, -Zeno, born December 30, 1787; Eugenio, born 0ctober 25, 1789; Callisthust (?), born April 1, 1791; Siah, born January 1, 1793 and died JUNE same year; Lewis, born June 6, 1795 - Andrew born December 26, 1796, 2 months after father's death. He lived 7 years and died of dysentery - my grandfather, James Campbell, died some time 79 or 80 (1779 o 1780 – ACC). I do not know certainly when - His wife Jane Moore lived till the spring of 96 being 85 years old - she was active and spry to the last, but quite childish, she died without any sickness (Jane Moore was, therefore born in 1710 or 1711 – ACC).

The first of my mothers family that I have any knowledge of was Robert Rogers who lived in the North of Ireland. He was a young man and fought under William, Prince of Orange in the Battle of the Boyne - fought July the 1st 1690. He married Annis (?) Glenn; Robert was a fair white man, as all the Rogers had hitherto been, but Annis Glenn gave them a quite different colour; many of them in afterlife being quite dark skinned with black hair; hence among the Rogers’ to this day they say of one of these black haired ones - he has got a dip of Annis. This same Robert had a son, Robert, I think, who married Margaret Thornton. They had three sons Joseph, Seth, and Hugh who all came to America and settled in Lancaster County, РА. Joseph's wife was Маrtha Fiore or Pore(?), and Hugh's Margaret Kincaid; Joseph raised five sons and four daughters - John, Robert, William, George, and Joseph; the daughters were Martha who married James Barnett), Fanny (who married Zacheus Wilson), Margaret (who married James James ), and Elizabeth (who married James Black). They all came to Mecklenburg County, N. C. and raised numerous family - Hugh and Peggy ("Margaret") Kincaid raised three sons, John, Robert and Hugh, and four daughters - Martha (who married John Rogers); Fanny (who married Robert (Walker); Marjory (sic) (who married Edward Erwin) and Sarah (who married John Caruthers); all these came to Mecklenburg County, N.C. and raised quite numerous family, and have spread from thence over all the western states – John (White Rodgers) and Martha Rogers raised four sons Hugh, Joseph, Seth, and John Kincaid who was killed when a lad, by cart oversetting with him-in it! Hugh married Mary Houston, and raised one daughter and one son. He was a man of good information, but always would drink to intoxication. Joseph died during the Revolutionary War of Camp Fever – Seth married Martha Rogers, they had thirteen children - nine sons and four daughters, (viz) Deogenis, Parmenio, Eri, Ozni, Israel, Joseph, John, Randolph, Seith. The daughters all but two died in infancy. Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of John and Martha. Rogers, married William Balch and raised three sons and two daughters; Margaret married William Barnett, had one daughter and died. Martha, my mother, was next, then Sarah, who married William Alexander. She died without issue. Fanny married Joseph White. They raised three sons and three daughters - they are. I think all but one daughter and one son dead - - - - - -- - - - (sic).

Of, the Balchs, your mother’s family, I can tell about all that is known of them, having lived a number of' years with William Balch, the most remarkable man I ever knew, for a knowledge of, all the links and and ramifications of his kin-people. He said his grandfather Hezekiah Balch was kidnapped when a child in Wales, and brought to Cecil County, Maryland, where he lived - and when he came to be a man he married Ana (?) Bloomer - they raised three sons and one daughter, James, John, Thomas, and Rachel who married a man named Jenkins - they lived and died in Virginia. James the oldest son married Ann Goodwin, they raised six sons (viz) Hezekiah, Stephen, James, William, Amos, John. The first three were Presbyterian Preachers. Hezekiah married a woman named Martha McKanlap (?), he died during the Revolutionary War, leaving two children, a son and a daughter - Stephen married a Woman named Beal, they raised five sons and four of five daughters who mostly lived around Washington where their father and mother lived and died - James, the next son, married Susanah Garretson, they raised four sons and six daughters, he preached a long time to a few Presbyterians in Logan County in Kentucky. When quite old followed his children to Indiana and there died, at old man full of years - William, the next, was your mother’s father. He raised three sons and two daughters. Hezekiah married Mary McCord and raised four children two sons and two daughters, Theron married Alpha Boyd and raised six daughters and four sons.. Philomede married Margaret Baker and went away - we never knew where - - Martha married George B. Balch, they both died long since leaving two little boys; where they are I know not. As to the other branches of the Balch family, they have grown quite out of my knowledge - - they stay not in small bounds, they are scattered over the middle and western states; This is as full an account of the family as I am able to give of their names and numbers; their character is like all numerous kindred, some better some worse. Those I have mentioned with few exceptions, were steddy (?) Presbyterian people strong attached to the faith and practice of their fore runners; the whole of our people as far as my knowledge extends, from, the earliest date, to the present time, were in quite moderate circumstances, as regarded property, none of them were ritch (sic). They were mostly farmers, and lived by their own labour, few of them ever owned slaves - the whole race, so far seem to have lacked that energetic enterprise necessary, in the accumulation of much wealth; they we've mostly steady, industrious, and frugal people living entirely on the products of their farms, - - you would like to know something of the manner of life led by our forefathers in America; which differs much, in many things from the doings of the present time.

A little more than one hundred years ago our people settled in Mecklenburg County in N. C. It was a new, wild peace. They had no money, and no way of earning any, Charleston in S. C. two hundred and twenty miles from them was their only trading place, and no road, or ferry over the steam that intervened. They contented themselves to live without commerce. The range was as good as could be wished, and the climate mild and healthy. Their livestock multiplied and were fat, with little care, and they raised coin, wheat, rye, and oats, and all kinds of human food, such as turnips, cabbage, round and sweet potatoes, and without count measure of weight - they had milk and butter, pork, beef, and venison more than they could consume. They eat (sic) all these at home for they could not sell them, in the morning the women would hang a pot over the fire with water for mush, which was eaten both with butter and milk. The mush was dished out on wooden trencher or a black earthen dish, made by the Catawba Indians, and a depression made in the middle, and a large spoon-full of butter put in, and this eaten, it is extremely good - then after they had eaten quite a quantity of this, they filled milk in a noggin (which is small wooden vessel made of staves and nicely hooped with small white hoops, or rather hoop, for mostly it had but one) and with a pewter spoon stirred in mush, to please their different tastes, this was always their breakfast. Their dinner was boiled meat and turnip, cabbage, or homing with broth, and finished with milk and bread - their supper was mush and milk. They rose early in the morning and went right to work. till about eight o'clock - the came in and eat (sic.) breakfast, and dined at noon, and eat (sic) their supper with fire light. I never saw a supper eaten with daylight till since I lived here - the Women always milked the cows before sunrise in the morning, in the summertime and set down and Card and spin a while before they prepared breakfast. The women made all the clothes worn everyday, there was no cloth in a store to buy if they had had the money to buy it with. The skins of their beasts the men tanned in troughs and curried with a drawing knife and then went to someone in the neighbourhood who made shoes, and got him to make it into shoes for his family; these were worn during the winter, and as soon as the spring made its appearance, all feet were turned to grass, men, women, and boys - Mecklenburg County was settled chiefly with Presbyterians from Scotland or the North of Ireland and they kept the peculiar forms of worship at home and at church, which they had been trained to Observe in those countries. They observed the first day of the week, Sunday, as rigidly as the Jews ever did the Seventh - they never talked loud or laughed, they never baked a mouthful of bread on that day of shaved a beard off, or. talked on any worldly subject whatever - - they all read a Chapter in the Bible, sang a hymn, said over a prayer every night and morning as punctually as if their maker had so commanded them. From hence they received instruction to worship in this manner, and at these times, I know not; they could not get it from the Bible for it is not there! But I think they thought it was or at any rate ought to be -- -- On Sunday evening the young ones were called on to answer their questions which were sometimes read from the shorter catechism but generly (sic) by or from memory - their Sacramental meetings were held Spring and Fall bean (sic) on Friday, which was kept as fast, they would all rise in the morning, dress, and go to church without eating one mouthful of food, and some, who used tobacco went so far as to abstain from the use thereof till the sun went down. They preached two sermons each day till Munday (sic) when they had one discourse and ended the meetings for that time. Such was their practice till I left the place in 1818 how they do now I know not. Some of these practices were troublesome without being useful, but were as faithfully performed as if they had been of the greatest utility, and of the most binding authority! -- --.

Zeno Campbell