The Skaggs-Files

David Kerr of Abbeville Co, SC (1756 - 1835) stated in his Revolutionary War pension papers that he was born Feb 4, 1756 in Augusta Co, VA and that he moved, presumably with his parents, to 96 in 1762. There was another group of Kerrs found in the later 1700's and 1800's in York Co, SC (the Waxhaws Settlement) whose prior roots were in Rowan, and the part of Anson that became Mecklenburg Co, North Carolina. Some of those men held on to their NC land long after they were residents of York Co, SC, bequeathing the NC land and debts due them in their wills. David Kerr was seriously wounded at King's Mountain. He stated that he was "carried to Roan Co, NC" were he recuperated 7 months. It's possible that he stayed with relatives during this period.

The first names used by these two groups are maddeningly similar as is common in so many of these families. I have no doubt that they share a common ancestor.

The following is a compilation of my findings and of others. (MAM)

Jeannine Dugan writes in her article Shenandoah Settlers (http://web.archive.org/web/20000817173210/www.suite101.com/article.cfm/colonial_america/43076) "The Shenandoah Valley is a 200-mile stretch of fertile land that runs from Harper's Ferry, West Virginia south to Lexington, Virginia. The Valley is bordered to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains and on the west by the Appalachian Mountains.
… Lured into Virginia from Pennsylvania by the promise of cheap and abundant land, settlers followed a trail from Philadelphia down present-day I-81 on what would become known as the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road. (Prior to the Revolution all settlement took place east of the Appalachians since the English Government prohibited settlement west of this mountain chain.) The Wagon Road carried settlers from Pennsylvania down through Virginia and eventually into the Carolina Piedmont and Kentucky. In later years, Conestoga wagons would become a familiar site along the road but in the early years, settlement was accomplished under harsh conditions and travel was often accomplished on foot.
The main immigrant groups into the Valley were, not surprisingly, the same immigrant groups found in Philadelphia: the Germans and the Scots-Irish. As early as 1726 or 1727, it has been recorded that a small group of German settlers were squatting on land in the Valley near Massanutten, and they waited patiently on their land until 1733 for the government to determine who rightfully owned the land so that they could buy it and obtain clear title. In 1732, Joist Hite settled on land obtained from the Van Meter brothers with his son-in-laws George Bowman, Jacob Chrisman and Paul Froman. By 1734, Hite had issued patents to about 40 other German families that had settled near his home. (Patents were issued on proof that a required number of families had been brought in to settle the land. This was often accomplished by fraudulent means, such as naming the livestock on the farm.) Several Scots-Irish families accompanied Hite into the Shenandoah Valley but continued south to the Staunton area.
… German expansion stopped north of Staunton, which after 1732, became a Scots-Irish stronghold.
John Lewis, born in Donegal, Ulster in 1678, immigrated with his family to Pennsylvania in 1731 and traveled south to the Shenandoah Valley in 1732, making most of the journey on foot. His family stopped and settled in what would become Staunton, becoming the first Scots-Irish to settle in the Valley. After the Beverly acquisition of 1736, about 60 Scots-Irish families traveled south and settled in the region. (These families were originally squatters, but later bought their land from Beverly.) Beverly attracted other Scots-Irish settlers to the area around Staunton by circulating flyers in Philadelphia and actively recruiting immigrants in Londonderry and other Northern Irish towns. Soon, the area was so heavily populated by Scots-Irish settlers that it was called the Irish Tract."
Map: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~berry/newupload/figures/Fig25.html

There were several other Kerr families that moved into this "Irish Tract," but Andrew Kerr, John Kerr, Samuel Kerr and William Kerr were the only ones listed in the earliest records along with their probable father James. James Kerr has been mentioned as one of the earliest settlers in the Orange (later Augusta) County area. He purchased 473 acres of land in the Beverly Patent, Orange County, Virginia on February 29, 1739 (source: 'From Tinkling Spring,' pg. 418, and 'Annals of Augusta County, Virginia'), almost right next door to John Pickens, brother of Lucy Pickens, who married John Kerr (James). James Kerr is said to have built one of the first homes in the area (source: 'Old Homes of Augusta County, The Pioneer Home of the Kerr Family,' Gladys B. Chen)."

Jim Veregge's Kerr descendancy chart has the following notes:

"Samuel Kerr has not been 'proven' to be a son of James Kerr, but there is strong and compelling evidence to make the assumption. In addition to land records indicating ownership of land adjoining James Kerr and/or his other sons, he was in Tinkling Spring, Augusta County, Virginia about 1741-1747, when he had four children baptized 'in the congregation': (source: "From Tinkling Spring, Headwater of Freedom")

Samuel, bapt. 11/29/1741
Agness, bapt. 3/20/1743
William, bapt. 5/5/1745
Lucia, bapt. 12/13/1747

Notes of W.D. Lindsey, Bill Lindsey - wdlindsy@swbell.net: The baptisms of these children are recorded in Rev. John Craig's baptismal registry; the original is on microfilm (very poor copy) in the LDS collection, film 1486618. I have a copy of the original registry page giving all Kerr baptisms, 1741-7. A preface to this film notes that John Craig was b. in the parish of Dunagor, Co. Antrim, Ireland, 17 Aug. 1809. He came to America on 17 Aug. 1734, and d. in Augusta Co., VA, 21 Apr. 1774. He had an M.A. from Edinburgh, then studied theology at Chestnut Level in PA under Rev. John Thomson--note that the Calhoun and Caldwell families also seem to have settled initially at Chestnut Level in Lancaster Co., PA.

In addition to Samuel - John Kerr, Andrew Kerr, and William Kerr are all listed as having children baptized in Tinkling Spring Church, near Staunton between 1740-1749. John Kerr and William Kerr are mentioned in Augusta County records as being a son of James Kerr, John qualified as "eldest son" and therefore "co-adminstrator of the estate" of James Kerr's, who died in Augusta County in 1770. Unfortunately, it appears that James Kerr died intestate (without a will), and other records in Augusta County do not mention Samuel as frequently as other Kerr ancestors.

29 Jul. 1745: Hugh Ross, 100 Acres on Walker's Run between place called McCaden's and Samuel Kerr's, Augusta Co., VA (Chalkley, per notes of Jim Veregge).

Notes of William D. Lindsey: A SK appears in Augusta Co., VA, on a 1755 delinquent tax list submitted by Sheriff Robt. Breckinridge in Augusta Co., VA, charged twice for delinquency (Chalkley 2, 417); an Andrew Kerr is on the same list. Names on the list (e.g., Brice Russell) suggest that they were living in the bounds of what became Botetourt, then Rockbridge, Co., VA. Note that both seem to have moved from VA to SC in the time frame 1760-3.

Prior to moving their families, I believe that the Kerr made at least one trip and probably more down to the Long Canes Settlement, then in Granville District, SC, to select and secure land. The first to appear in the records was James Kerr's plat for 100 acres Sept 20, 1758 surveyed by Patrick Calhoun. Probably accompanying James was William whose plat was filed Dec 27, 1758 and Andrew whose plat for 200 acres was filed by Robert Wilson "for Andrew Kerr" 3/1/1759. It took over a year for the grants to be issued - William's Feb 20, 1760, James' Mar 4, 1760, and Andrew's Mar 8, 1763.

Andrew sold his VA land in 1762.

Nov 19, 1760, Samuel Carr and wife Margaret sold to James Hughes and Andrew Greer 224 acres on Big Meadow Run (by patent 19 Aug. 1756) on the Beverley Manor line in Augusta (DB 9, p. 68; Chalkley 3, p. 365). Perhaps Samuel moved south with his sons as it is possible that the Samuel Kerr who platted 100 acres in Oct 1762 on Long Cane Creek was this Samuel and not his son Samuel who married Mary Calhoun. There is a memorial for this land April 1, 1763, so the land was granted between Oct 1762 and April 1763. However there is another plat for 100 acres by Samuel Kerr Mar 6, 1767. Granted before a memorial for that land Aug 20, 1771.

After their initial grants, the Kerrs continued to amass land. They received a number of additional grants and probably acquired land through purchase. The loss of deed records prohibits us from knowing the whole story. James was granted the most land. His last grant was in 1772, but he remains in the records as a neighbor for many years. This might suggest that James was the oldest son of Samuel 1715-1725, named in traditional fashion for his grandfather James Kerr. Further speculation might make Andrew the second son, named for a maternal grandfather, and Samuel the third son named for his father.

March 23, 1773, Samuel Kerr appears as "no inhabitant" on the tax list of Augusta Co, VA indicating he had either died or moved (Chalkley, per notes of Jim Veregge). At this point, we have no way of knowing whether Samuel the elder continued to live in Virginia or moved to South Carolina with his sons. I suspect that he moved south.

Marcia McClure
rivermet@aol.com
February 10, 2011

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=marciamcclure&id=I18724