Hunters to North Carolina, USA

John,

You have posted this on a board for Co. Derry/Londonderry. However you have also said that Henry Hunter comes from “Derry, Cavan”. So I think you have  the wrong county. Your ancestor appears to come from Cavan not Co. Derry. There are 3 townlands called Derry in Co. Cavan. One in the parish of Killashandra, one in Crosserlough and another in Shercock. I checked the tithe applotment records for the mid 1820s and there were no Hunter families in any of those 3 townlands then though the name is found in Co. Cavan and in those parishes.

The year Henry Hunter left Ireland coincides with the Rev William Martin’s 5 boatloads of emigrants to the Carolinas. I assume you are familiar with them? Perhaps he arrived in one of those vessels. The problem we face is that whilst lots is known about the passengers after they reached the US, very little can be found about them in Ireland due to lack of records. Researching in Ireland in the 1700s can be very difficult and often there are simply no records to search.

The majority of Irish emigrants to the Carolinas in the mid to late 1700s were Presbyterian Ie descendants of Scots who moved to Ireland in the 1600s), though there may have been a few other denominations too. There are no surviving Presbyterian records from the 1700s for any of the 3 parishes I have mentioned. Killashandra has Church of Ireland (ie Episcopalian) baptism records from 1735 onwards. Neither of the other 2 parishes has any Church of Ireland records for the 1700s at all. There’s a copy of the Killeshandra records in PRONI (the public record office) in Belfast. You need to get someone to go in person to look them up as they are not on-line.

If Henry isn’t in the Killeshandra records, and he comes from one of the 3 Derrys in Cavan, then it’s fairly likely there is no documentary record of him in Ireland. Possibly DNA testing may be a way of matching with others who have additional information about where the family originate. Family Tree DNA reportedly has more people with Ulster roots than any other company. That obviously increases the chances of finding a match. You might want to try them or, if you have already tested, you can transfer your results to them for no fee.

The North of Ireland Family History Society is running an Ulster DNA project and can offer FTDNA testing kits at a reduced price.  http://www.nifhs.org (Go to DNA project on the website).

John (and Elwyn), you should find this interesting:

Southern Campaign American Revolution Pension Statements & Rosters

Pension application of Henry Hunter S7057                           fn19NC

Transcribed by Will Graves                                                          6/20/11

[State of North Carolina Mecklenburg County]

Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress Passed June 7th 1832

On this 8th day of June 1832 personally appeared before me James Doherty one of the Justices of the peace for the County of Mecklenburg and State of North Carolina, Henry Hunter a resident of the above written County & State aged eighty-two years and after being duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7th 1832.

                I was born in Ireland in the County Derry in the year 1751.  I entered the service of the United States under William Alexander Captain, George Alexander Colonel marched on to Ramsour’s [Ramsour’s Mills] sometime before the Battle [June 20, 1780] was at that place from that into South Carolina.

(more service omitted)

…I have no documentary Evidence to establish my claims having long since lost my discharges.  I hereby relinquish every Claim whatever to a pension or annuity whatever except the present under the act passed June 7th 1833 [sic] and declare my name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state.

Interrogatories put – Where & in what year were you born

Ans. I was born in Ireland in the year 1751 August 11th

Q have you a record of your age

A. yes

Where did you live when called into service & where do you now live

A. I lived in the County of Mecklenburg & State of North Carolina & now live on the same place & ever did since I came from Ireland or more properly the Land of Oppression.

How were you called into service

A. I was drafted all three of the tours which I served

Q. Did you ever receive a discharge from the service

A. Yes I received my discharge from Colonel George Alexander but have lost them.

Q. in what grade did you serve, as an officer or private

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I and 4 of my known Hunter cousins are DNA matches to descendants of Henry Hunter & Martha Sloan.  His line appears to go back to Henry Hunter (1694-1760, Ireland) & Polly (LNU), Then to Alexander James Hunter (1666 Glasgow, Scotland-1722 Ireland) & Isabella Currie (we have DNA matches to descendants of 5 of their children). Next in line appears to be John Hunter 1(650-1759 Clackmannanshire) & Margaret Condie. Then William Hunter (1619 Clackmannanshire - 1696 Midlothian) & Isobel Drysdale. We have DNA matches to 3 of their children. Now 5 of us are DNA matches. Next is John Hunter (1598 Fife - 1634 Midlothian) & Katherine (LNU). Next is Nichol Hunter (1562 Fife-1620 Ayrshire) & Marion Huttoun. And, finally, John Hunter (c1537 - 1623) & Christian Robertsone.  

We have similar DNA matches to descendants of the Hunters of Hunterston in Ayrshire.  I have little doubt the above John Hunter will connect at some point in the mists of time.  My own brick wall is Joseph Hunter b. 1772 who emigrated from Co. Monaghan to Ontario, Canada.  While I haven't broken down the wall, I can see over it.  I'm missing 2 or 3 generations, I think.

Kind regards, your cousin of some degree,

Joan Hunter

P.S.  I have a database of over 10,000 Scottish Hunters and descendants who match through DNA.  I keep it private as it is, in some cases,  my best guess due to conflicting information online such as your Derry, Cavan and Co. Derry.  I can allow you access to it if you like.  Just send me your email address.

P.P.S.  Have you done DNA testing?

P.P.P.S. There are close to 300 John Hunters in my tree.  My dad and brother are also named John.