Haswells of the American South


Haswells of the American South
by Todd A. Farmerie

A group of Haswell families appear in Maryland , North Carolina , and perhaps Georgia in the last part of the 18th century and early 19th century.  While direct attestation of relationship has not been found, the appearance of a unique name, Sampson, in each of the first two families suggests a link, while the founder of the last of these clans matches in name and approximate age a known member of the North Carolina clan, and thus these three southern Haswell families would appear to all be related, but as this remains speculative, they are segregated, the first two here, the last on its own page.
Haswell Root

The earliest generation is implied. There appears to be a sibling relationship between contemporaries Sampson Haswell of northern Va., and William Haswell of Prince Georges Co., Md., who named a son Samson. The IGI lists four additional uses of this name - an early 17th century baptism in Devonshire, and two Sampsons, sons of Sampson and Mary, born in London late in that century and early in the next, but all of these are two early to match with our American men, about whose parentage nothing has been learned.

Apparent siblings:

  1. Sampson , b. say 1725
  2. William , b. say 1730

Maryland

William HASWELL, born say 1730, is found in two groups of records - those of the baptism of his children, and his entry into a Revolutionary War-Era militia lists of Prince Georges County, Maryland.  While living in the same county as the earlier Dr. John Haswell , there is no reason to suspect a relationship existed.   His wife, at the time of the birth of his children, was named Rebecca.

Children of William and Rebecca HASWELL:

  1. Sarah, bap. 1 Dec. 1751, St. John's Parish, Prince Georges Co.
  2. Samson, b. 2 Dec. 1753, St. John's Parish.

North Carolina

Sampson HASWELL, b. say 1725, he first appears in 1749, in the "Upper Parish" (Cameron Parish), then Fairfax Co., Virginia.  (Most of Cameron Parish went on to become Loudoun Co., but it is uncertain in which part Sampson was living).  At that time, he was a member of the Presbyterian church.  In 1752, he witnessed a deed there, but was apparently gone by 1758, when he fails to appear in a tithing roll.  As such, he was a contemporary of William, and perhaps lived just across the Potomac from him.  With William naming a son Samson, it strongly suggests a close relationship. In 1771, he was in Bute Co., North Carolina, where the Haswell name continued, and those of the next generation with the name, some appearing in documents with Sampson, can reasonably be presumed to be children of Sampson.  Sampson was apparently dead by 1790, when he fails to appear in the census.

Probable children of Sampson HASWELL: (incomplete)

  1. (probably)Thomas , b. say 1750.
  2. (probably)Richard, took an oath of Allegience in Bute Co., N.C., and appeared in the records of the Warren Co. Court of Common Pleas in the early 1780s, having been bound to appear before the Court in 1778, but he does not later appear in the area.  Chronology and migration patterns point to the probability that he is the Richard HASWELL who would settle in Hancock Co., Ga. by 1794 and found a family there.
  3. (probably)Robert, d. intestate, bef. 20 Jul. 1797, when administration was granted to William Ferrel, the deceased owning livestock and household goods.

Thomas HASWELL (? Sampson ), b. say 1750. He was of what was then Bute Co., N. C., when he witnessed a deed in Jan. 1769, and a month later he purchased land there from William Holley. In 1775, Thomas and wife Amey Haswell sold land there to John Tomlinson which he had bought the previous year, and in 1778, he was chosen as one of the men to patrol the Tarr River.  He was in Franklin Co., N.C. in 1790, having one son, wife, and six daughters (no slaves). In 1800, he appears as Thomas Haszwell, with five sons and three older daughters still in the household. He is named in the 1801 will of Nathaniel Crosslin of Franklin Co., and is still in Franklin Co., in 1810.  at some point, he had remarried, since his widow was Elizabeth, b. 1750-60.  The number and names of his children are unclear.  As with his supposed father, evidence directly attesting to relationship with the next generation is lacking, but as he was the only man of this generation who appears to have remained in the area, he is the likely father of those of this surname of the subsequent generation there  Likewise, he continues to have young children in his household long after his wives would have passed childbearing age, so it is unclear which of the ticks on later censuses represent his children.

Probable children of Thomas and Amey or Elizabeth HASWELL:

  1. (dau.)
  2. (dau.)
  3. (dau.)
  4. (dau.)
  5. Mary (unless she was widow of a son), m. ca. 1819, Alexander Colclough, son of William and Mary (Rogers) Colclough.
  6. Barbara (unless she was widow of a son), m. 7 Aug. 1821, Anderson Smith.
  7. Redding , b. say 1790.
  8. Thomas , b. say 1791. (specifically called 'Reddin' his brother in 1822)
  9. Henry, b. say, 1793, he witnessed a deed in Franklin Co., NC in 1824.
  10. Jordan , b. say 1795.
  11. John R ., b. ca. 1797.
  12. Nathan , b. say, 1800.

Redding/Redden HASWELL, (? Thomas ) b. say 1785, he enlisted in the militia during the war of 1812, and on 28 Dec. 1824 married to Penelope Bailey.  He was dead by Feb. 1830, when his daughter's guardian filed an account.

Child of Redden and Penelope (Bailey) HASWELL:

  1. Harriet Hellen, b. ca. 1824-30.

Thomas HASWELL, (? Thomas ), b. say 1791, also enlisted in the 1812 militia, but then disappears from the area.  In 1821, as Deputy Postmaster of Louisburg, N.C., he was accused and convicted of stealing items, and particularly cash, from the mail. The following year, he appointed "his brother" Reddin as his local agent in Granville Co., the document witnessed by Nathan Haswell.


Jordan HASWELL, (? Thomas ), b. say 1795, he was married by 1820 when he and his wife (along with one slave) were living near his father.  His wife is called Mary Jackson, daughter of Loe Jackson in family records, but this is the name of the wife of his nephew Henry, so there may be confusion).

Children of Jordan HASWELL:

  1. Edward J ., b. ca. 1820.

John R. HASWELL, (? Thomas ), b. ca. 1797, he first appears on his own in 1830 in Granville Co., N.C., the father of four daughters.  He was a farmer there in 1850, when he appears in the census, and also that year he sold a slave, Polly, to Allen Bridges.  He married Mary J., b. ca. 1806.  By 1870, he had died, and she was living with daughter Amanda in Brassfield Twp., Granville Co.

Children of John R. and Mary J. HASWELL:

  1. (dau.), b. 1820-25.
  2. (dau.), b. 1820-25.
  3. Mary T., b. ca. 1823.
  4. Amanda, b. ca. 1826, still with her mother, and unmarried, in 1870..
  5. Lewis, b. ca. 1830, he enlisted in Co. G. 54th N. C. Infantry, and died Sep. 1863, in the Exchange Hotel, Gordonsville, Va.
  6. Presley, b. ca. 1832. (perhaps identical to the James Haswell, b. ca. 1830)
  7. Helen, b. ca. 1837, m. Thomas Herbert Hight.

Nathan HASWELL, (? Thomas ), b. say 1800, he witnessed the naming of Reddin Haswell as local agent for Thomas Haswell in 1822.  He appears to have been twice married, having children in 1830 almost as old as his known wife, Nancy, who was born ca. 1810 (unless these were nephews, for example). He appears in Granville Co., N.C., in 1830, with wife and children. He wrote his will in 1840, and was dead by 1841, when it was probated, naming wife Nancy, and mentioning children but not by name.  Nancy was still living in Beaver Dam Dist., Granville Co. in 1850, and on through 1880.

Children of Nathan HASWELL:

  1. (son), b. bef. 1820.
  2. (dau.), b. 1820-25 (apparently the Helen, b. ca. 1822, with whom nephew William was living in 1870).
  3. Julia Adeline, b. Mar. 1826, m. 19 Mar. 1842, William David Husketh.
  4. (son), b. 1825-30. (? James, b. ca. 1830)
Children of Nathan and Nancy (Jackson) HASWELL:
  1. Henry M. , b. 1 Nov. 1829.
  2. Jordan, b. ca. 1833.
  3. Thomas N ., b. ca. 1835.
  4. Elizabeth, b. ca. 1837.
  5. William Andrew , b. ca. 1839.

Edward J. HASWELL, (Jordan ), b. ca. 1820, married as his first wife Sarah Jane ROBERTSON, b. ca. 1822, daughter of _____ and Phebe Robertson, with whom the family lived in Wake Co., NC in 1850.  He married secondly Glaphrey DAVIS, b. ca. 1826.  They later were in Brassfield Twp., Granville Co., NC.

Children of Edward J. and Sarah Jane (ROBERTSON) HASWELL:

  1. Martha Ann, b. ca. 1844, married her cousin William A. HASWELL .
Children of Edward J. and Glaphrey (DAVIS) HASWELL:
  1. Edward J., b. ca. 1867.
  2. Alexander Oscar , b. ca. 1869.
  3. Sion R., b. ca. 1872.
[1870 Census]

James HASWELL, b. ca. 1830, N.C. (perhaps one of the sons of Nathan Haswell by his first wife, or identical to Presley Haswell, son of John R. Haswell), he married Josina, b. ca. 1842, N.C., and was in Grimes Co., Texas in 1870.

Children of James and Josina HASWELL:
  1. Ann, b. ca. 1862, Tex.
  2. Anthony, b. ca. 1873, Tex.
[1870 Census]

Henry M. HASWELL, (Nathan ), b. 1 Nov. 1829, he married 28 Sep. 1852, Mary R. JACKSON, b. ca. 1831.  They were in Wilton, Granville Co., NC in 1860, but by 1870 had moved to Blackwater, Pettis Co., Mo. in 1870, and then Grayson Co. Texas by 1880, and he died there 12 Feb. 1894.

Children of Henry and Mary (JACKSON) HASWELL:

  1. Amanda, apparently d.y., bef. 1860.
  2. William/Willis R., b. ca. 1858., N.C.
  3. Saridus/Samuel C., b. ca. 1859., N.C.
  4. Charles W ., b. ca. 1861., N.C.
  5. Andrew Jordan, b. 1864, N.C., he was in Logan Co., Oklahoma in 1890.
  6. James, b. ca. 1868., N.C.
  7. Hugh, b. ca. 1871.
  8. Mary D. B., b. 7 Sep. 1874, d. 31 Jul. 1887, Grayson Co., Tex.
[1870 Census]

Thomas N. HASWELL, (Nathan ), b. ca. 1836, he served in the 8th Battalion N. C. Partisan Rangers.  He apparently married twice, but the identity of the first wife remains to be determined.  Following her death, son William lived with his apparent aunt Helen in Brassfield Twp., Granville Co. in 1870, while Thomas moved back with his mother, also in Brassville, working as a wagonmaker.  Thomas married second Susan E., b. ca. 1839, and _____.

Child of Thomas N. and Helen HASWELL:

  1. William M. , b. Dec. 1855.
Children of Thomas N. and Susan E. HASWELL:
  1. Elizabeth, b. ca. 1868.
  2. Halliard (f), b. ca. 1870.
  3. Katie, B. , b. ca. 1872.
  4. Albert, b. ca. 1875.
[1870 Census]

William Andrew HASWELL, ( Nathan ), b. ca 1839, he served in Cos. B & C, 8th Battalion NC Partisan Rangers, and Co. D, 66th Regt. N. C. Infantry.  He married 12 Jan. 1868, Martha Ann HASWELL, b. ca. 1844, daughter of his cousin Edward HASWELL.  He was a farm worker in 1870, living in Brassfield Twp. with his wife, mother, and brother Thomas.  He married as his second wife 23 Dec. 1886, Augusta DAVIS, b. ca. 1864, daughter of Johnathan and Cornelia (DILLARD) DAVIS). 

Children of William Andrew and Martha Ann (HASWELL) HASWELL:

  1. Harry L., perhaps the H. L. Haswell of Washita Co., Ok., in 1901.
  2. Cordelia Florence, m. Genadious Heptimus Edwards.
  3. Ada J., m. William John Middlebrook.
  4. Thaddeus Robertson
  5. Theophilus

Children of William Andrew and Augusta (DAVIS) HASWELL:

  1. Olive M., m. Walter Alvin Ray.
  2. Sarah, m. William R. Pleasants.
  3. Maude, m. Jessie Pleasants.

Alexander Oscar HASWELL, (Edward , Jordan ), b. ca. 1869, m. Eva Ann Edwards,


Charles W. HASWELL, b. ______.  He was in Logan Co., Oklahoma in 1890, and _____

Children of Charles W. and Adelaide Florida SIMCOX:

  1. Henry T. m. ______.  He drowned in the Rough River 6 Jul. 1939, without children.
  2. Mary A. A. m. Edward Webber
  3. Della Bell m. Eugene Fisk Young.

William M. HASWELL, (Thomas ,Nathan ), b. Dec. 1855, NC, he followed his uncle Henry to Texas, and was a carpenter in Haskell Co., Texas in 1900.  He married ca. 1888, Cora, b. ca. Mar. 1860.

Children of William M. and Cora HASWELL:
  1. Addie H., b. Mar. 1889, N.C.
  2. Carroll W., b. Sep. 1893, Tex.
  3. Mary W., b. Feb. 1898, Tex.
  4. child, d.y. bef. 1900.

Thaddeus Robertson HASWELL,(William , Nathan ) ,b. ___, m. Tolley McGHEE

Children of Thaddeus Robertson and Tolley (McGHEE) HASWELL:

  1. Lenora Pearl.
  2. Winfield Scott (Winnie).
  3. Grace Marie
  4. Nellie Gwendolyn m. Garland O. Parrish.