Robert Rankin Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Digging Up Dead Relatives:

Samuel Rankin (abt. 1734 – abt. 1816) m. Eleanor Alexander: YDNA Evidence

In August and September 2016, I posted a two-part article about the possible family of origin of Samuel Rankin (nicknamed “Old One-Eyed Sam”) of Rowan, Mecklenburg and Lincoln counties, North Carolina. His wife was Eleanor (“Ellen”) Alexander. I just reread the posts. They were tedious, prolix, and packed with trivial information of no possible interest. I apparently have an unattractive propensity to beat dead horses. Moreover, Y-DNA information on the issue has come to light which moots most of one post.

Here is their replacement. It just cuts to the chase re: discredited theories about One One-Eyed Sam’s possible parents.

Rankin researchers have had two main theories about the identity of Old One-Eyed Sam’s parents:

Theory #1 – Joseph and Rebecca Rankin of White Clay Creek Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware (1704-1764) . Two of their sons who belonged to the same generation as Old One-Eyed Sam moved to Guilford County, NC. The primary source for this theory is Rev. S. M. Rankin’s 1931 book, The Rankin and Wharton Families and Their Genealogy.[1]

Theory #2 – Robert and Rebecca Rankin of Guilford County, North Carolina ( “R&R”). Before migrating to North Carolina in the mid-1750s, Robert appeared on the 1753 tax list for West Nottingham Township, Chester County, PA.

Y-DNA testing conclusively proves that both theories are dead wrong.

Here’s a bit about the DNA evidence.

The Y-DNA evidence re: Theory #1

There is a Rankin DNA Project which provides (anonymously) members’ Y-DNA results online.[2] One member – call him Joe – has a solid paper genealogical trail proving he is descended from Joseph of Delaware. I located another proved descendant of Joseph of Delaware via conventional paper research – let’s call him “Mr. X.” Joe convinced Mr. X to Y-DNA test. Mr. X and Joe are 37-marker matches with one mismatching marker. Genetic genealogists call that a “37-marker match with a genetic distance of one” (or “GD=1”).” That is a darn good match. Furthermore, the two men descend from different sons of Joseph of Delaware so their close match isn’t a function of having a recent common ancestor, such as a great-grandparent. Joseph of Delaware is their common Rankin ancestor.

With two closely matching Y-DNA samples and two solid paper trails, there is a high degree of confidence that Joe and Mr. X provide a good picture of the Y-DNA of descendants of Joseph of Delaware – as well as those who aren’t his descendants.

The Rankin DNA project has four members[3] whose paper trails prove them to be descendants of Old One-Eyed Sam and Eleanor Alexander Rankin. None are a match – not even remotely close – to Joe. Y-DNA evidence thus proves conclusively that Old One-Eyed Sam cannot be a son of Joseph of Delaware.

The Y-DNA Evidence re: Theory #2

The Rankin DNA Project has four participants whose genealogical paper trail shows they are descended from R&R, Robert and Rebecca Rankin of Guilford. None of them are a Y-DNA match with descendants of Old One-Eyed Sam. Again, the Y-DNA results are not even close. Old One-Eyed Sam therefore cannot be a son of Robert and Rebecca of Guilford, either.

Case closed. We must apparently find a matching Rankin on the other side of the Atlantic to learn more about Sam Sr.’s family of origin.

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[1] Rev. S. M. Rankin, The Rankin and Wharton Families and Their Genealogy (Greensboro, NC: J. J. Stone & Co., printers and binders, 1931, reprint by Higginson Book Co., Salem, MA).

[2] http://www.worldfamilies.net/surnames/rankin/ was formerly the host website for the Rankin DNA Project. World Families deleted all of their websites in May 2018 when the European Union Privacy Act (the GDPR) took effect.

[3] The Rankin DNA Project had four members descended from Sam and Eleanor as of April 2019.

Samuel and Eleanor (“Ellen”) Alexander Rankin: Some Corrections to the Record

I’m tilting at windmills again. The idea is to correct some frequent errors about Samuel and Eleanor Alexander Rankin, who appeared in the records of Rowan, Tryon, Mecklenburg, and Lincoln Counties. A cousin asked why I write “correction” articles. That’s easy. Thanks to the ease of importing other peoples’ family trees, online genealogy errors have multiplied exponentially, like the Tribbles in the original Star Trek. Also, anything that has ever appeared in print is taken as gospel. While it is a truism that every family history contains errors, most people presumably prefer to eliminate them when possible. Thus, cousin, I’m providing a Tribble extermination service, even though some of these errors are minor. <grin>

So let’s turn again to Samuel and his wife Eleanor. Another article of mine deals with two theories about the identity of Samuel’s parents: (1) Joseph and Rebecca Rankin of New Castle County, Delaware or (2) Robert and Rebecca Rankin of Guilford County, North Carolina. Y-DNA testing has conclusively disproved both possibilities. So far as I have found, there is no evidence on this side of the Atlantic about the identity of Samuel’s parents.

On to new territory. Here are my positions regarding some of the conventional wisdom on Samuel and Eleanor:

Samuel was probably born in 1734 (not 1732); he probably died in 1816 (not 1814).
There is no reason to believe Samuel was born in New Castle County, Delaware. There is no evidence where he was born. I would place a bet on the traditional province of Ulster.
He and Eleanor married in Rowan County, North Carolina, not Pennsylvania.
Samuel arrived in North Carolina by no later than April 1760, and probably by 1759.
His wife’s given name was Eleanor. “Ellen,” the name on her tombstone, was her nickname.
Eleanor was born in 1740, not 1743.
Eleanor’s father was not the David Alexander who sold Samuel a 320-acre tract on James Cathey’s Mill Creek (aka Kerr Creek). David was her brother. Her parents were James and Ann Alexander.

Let’s start at the top.

What were Samuel’s dates of birth and death?

Date of birth: many Rankin researchers, including a “Find-a-grave” website for the Goshen Presbyterian Cemetery in Belmont where Samuel was buried, say that he was born in 1732.[1] His tombstone has disappeared, or at least my husband and I couldn’t find it when we visited the cemetery in August 2001. For the record, the writeup on Samuel on the Find-a-grave website has substantive errors.

Those include his birth year. I haven’t seen any evidence that he was born in 1732, although that doesn’t mean there isn’t any. So far as I have found, the only evidence of his birth date is on a film titled “Pre-1914 Cemetery Inscription Survey, Gaston Co., prepared by the Historical Records Survey Service Division, Works Progress Administration.”[2] That survey, taken when the tombstone was obviously still extant, says that Samuel Rankin was born in 1734. Of course, the stone was more than a century old by then and could easily have been worn or misread. Further, Samuel’s children might not have known his actual date of birth – and Samuel wasn’t around to correct them. In any event, the WPA survey is apparently the only available credible evidence.

Date of death: findagrave.com and many online family trees give Samuel’s date of death as December 16, 1814. That is the date that Samuel signed his will, and the probability that he died that day is slim to none.[3] In fact, the actual probability that he died that day is zero, because he appeared in the Lincoln County records in 1816. On July 26 of that year, he conveyed to his son James a tract on Stanleys Creek adjacent James’ brothers William and Alexander (and Thomas Rhyne, see my article about Samuel’s grandson Sam, son of Richard).[4] That is the last entry I found for Samuel in the Lincoln records until his will was proved in 1826.[5] The WPA cemetery survey says Samuel died in 1816.

Where was Samuel born?

Many Rankin researchers claim Samuel was born in New Castle County, Delaware. That is probably because many believed he was a son of Joseph Rankin of New Castle. Since that has been disproved by Y-DNA evidence, there is no logic for placing Samuel’s birth where Joseph lived. In fact, I found no evidence of a Rankin named Samuel in New Castle County in the relevant time frame, although there are many Rankin records that county. There seems to be no evidence for any place of birth for Samuel, or even any evidence that he was born in the colonies rather than on the other side of the Atlantic. The answer to the question posed is “I don’t know for sure, but I would bet on Ulster.”

Where did Samuel and Eleanor marry, and who were her parents?

The couple undoubtedly married in North Carolina, not Pennsylvania. That is contrary to the view of Minnie Puett, who wrote a history of Gaston County. Eleanor’s family – her parents James (not David) and Ann and her brothers William, James, John, David and Robert – were in that part of Anson County that became Rowan by at least March 1752, when there was a Granville grant to James Alexander “of Anson Co., Gent.”[6] Eleanor Alexander was the grantee in an Anson County gift deed of livestock from her father James on January 12, 1753, when she was not quite thirteen. Before they came to North Carolina, the Alexander family was in Amelia County, Virginia.

When did Samuel come to North Carolina, and from where?

It is possible that Samuel came to North Carolina from Pennsylvania, as many Rankin researchers think. So did many other Scots-Irish settlers of the Piedmont Plateau. If you had to guess, you would probably say that Samuel came to NC from either Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, or Virginia. The only evidence I have found for a man who might be the same man as Samuel Rankin prior to his arrival in NC is in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Some Samuel Rankin was listed as a freeman (i.e., age 21 or over and single) on the 1753 tax list for Sadsbury Township of Chester County.[7] There are no other Rankins on that list, although there are a number of other Scots-Irish whose names will be familiar to Lincoln/Rowan County researchers. There were several Moores, Beatys and Campbells, as well as a McCleary, Erwin and Kerr. The Samuel Rankin taxed as a freeman in 1753 was born by at least 1732, which might be why some researchers claim that date for the birth year of Eleanor’s husband Samuel.

Wherever he came from, the evidence establishes that Samuel was in North Carolina earlier than some researchers believe, including Minnie Puett. His first land acquisition was a purchase from David Alexander in a deed dated July 14, 1760.[8] The tract was on James Cathey’s Mill Creek (also known as Kerr Creek), and not on Kuykendahl/Dutchman’s Creek, where the family eventually settled. The Revolutionary War Pension application of Samuel’s son William says that William was born in January 1761 in Rowan County, which puts Samuel in NC no later than April 1760.[9] Assuming he took more than a few months to court Eleanor and that William was their eldest child, one would conclude Samuel was in NC by no later than 1759.

Samuel’s wife was named Eleanor and she was born in 1740, not 1743

Her Goshen Presbyterian Cemetery tombstone, which was still intact (although barely legible) when we visited in 2001, calls her “Ellen.” So did the Rev. Samuel Meek Rankin in his book about the Rankin and Wharton families, probably based on her tombstone.[10] Her family and friends undoubtedly called her Ellen. Almost all Rankin researchers do the same, and I have been corrected more than once for calling her Eleanor. Nevertheless, I persist. <grin> The records establish that her given name was Eleanor. Period. Her father called her “Elener” [sic] in a gift deed.[11] A Rowan County court called her “Elinor.”[12] At least two deeds (one with her signature as “Elender”) do the same.[13] She and Samuel had a daughter and at least five granddaughters, all named Eleanor rather than Ellen.[14] Those facts surely establish that her given name was Eleanor, or I will eat my hat. Her nickname was Ellen.

Eleanor was almost certainly born in 1740, not 1743. The Rowan County court allowed her to choose her own guardian in 1755.[15] Doing so required her to be fourteen or older, so she must have been born by at least 1741. Two tombstone surveys say the date of birth on her tombstone was 16 April 1740.[16] The date is now so faded, however, that it could reasonably be read as 1743 – although that date is foreclosed by the court record.

… and that’s it for now. I’m not done with this family, though. More to come.

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[1] The Find-a-grave website contains quite a few errors about Samuel and Eleanor, mostly minor, some not so minor. See it here.

[2] Family History Library Microfilm No. 0,882,938, item 2.

[3] North Carolina State Library and Archives, Search Room, File Box C.R.060.801.21, will of Samuel Rankin of Lincoln County dated 16 Dec 1814, proved April 1826. Recorded in Lincoln County Will Book 1: 37.

[4] Lincoln County Deed Book 27: 561, conveyance from Samuel Rankin to James Rankin witnessed by William Rankin and Benjamin Hartgrove. The grantor is not Sam Jr., who owned land in Mecklenburg, not Lincoln, and had already sold his Mecklenburg tracts before 1816. An article about Samuel and Eleanor’s grandson Samuel, son of Richard, can be found here.

[5] There was presumably no hurry to probate Samuel’s will because he left each of his surviving children $1, except for James, to whom he left the rest of his estate. With nobody anxious for a big payout, there was no reason to rush to the courthouse.

[6] Rowan Co., NC Deed Book 3: 547, Granville grant of 25 Mar 1752 to James Alexander, 640 acres in Anson adjacent Andrew Kerr. James gifted half of that tract to his son David Alexander, and David sold it to Samuel Rankin in 1760. See Anson County Deed Book B: 314 et seq. for charming gift deeds of land and livestock from James Alexander and his wife Ann to five of their six children, including Eleanor.

[7] J. Smith Futhey and Gilbert Cope, History of Chester County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts, 1881), reproduction facsimile by Chester County Historical Society (Mt. Vernon, IN: Windmill Publications, Inc. 1996).

[8] Rowan Co., NC Deed Book 5: 272, deed dated 14 Jul 1760 from David Alexander to Samuel Rankin, 320 acres both sides of James Cathey’s Mill Cr. (AKA Kerr’s Cr.).

[9] Virgil D. White, Genealogical Abstracts of Revolutionary War Pension Files, Volume III: N-Z (Waynesboro, TN: The National Historical Publishing Co., 1992).

[10] Rev. S. M. Rankin, The Rankin and Wharton Families and Their Genealogy (Greensboro, NC: J. J. Stone & Co, 1931).

[11] Copy of Rowan Co., NC Deed Book B: 315 (obtained by mail from the clerk of court back when that was the only way to view one), gift deed from James Alexander to his daughter Elener.

[12] Jo White Linn, Abstracts of the Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Rowan County, North Carolina, 1753-1762 (Salisbury, NC: 1977), abstract of Order Book 2: 90, entry of 22 Oct 1755, David and Elinor Alexander (spelling per abstractor) came into court and chose their mother Ann Alexander as their guardian.

[13] Jo White Linn, Rowan County North Carolina Deed Abstracts Vol. II. 1762 – 1772 Abstracts of Books 5, 6, 7(Salisbury, NC: 1972), Deed Book 6: 225, deed dated 31 Aug 1765 from Samuel Rankin and wife Eleanor (spelling per the abstractor) to John McNeeley; Lincoln Co. Deed Book 1: 703, deed of 26 Jan 1773 from Samuel Rankin of Tryon to Philip Alston, 150 acres on Kuykendall Creek signed by Samuel Rankin and Elender Rankin.

[14] At least five of Samuel and Eleanor Rankin’s children named a daughter “Eleanor” (not “Ellen”), including Samuel Rankin Jr., Jean Rankin Hartgrove, Robert Rankin, David Rankin, and Eleanor (“Nellie”) Rankin Dickson. Samuel and Eleanor named one of their daughters Eleanor. See, e.g., an image of the tombstone of Eleanor Rankin Dickson, Ellis Cemetery, Shelby Co., Ill., died 4 Apr 1848, age 62, here..

[15] Linn, Abstracts of Minutes, abstract of Order Book 2: 90, 22 Oct 1755, David and Elinor Alexander came into court and chose their mother Ann Alexander as their guardian; the court appointed Ann guardian for Robert, about age 12, son of James Alexander, dec’d.

[16] Family History Library Microfilm No. 0,882,938, item 2. See also Microfilm at Clayton Genealogical library titled “North Carolina Tombstone Records, Vols. 1, 2 and 3,” compiled by the Alexander Martin and J. S. Wellborn chapters of the DAR; transcribed lists were filmed in 1935 by the Genealogical Society of Utah. Tombstone of Ellen Rankin, b. 16 April 1740, d. 26 Jan 1802.

More on the Line of Samuel and Eleanor (“Ellen”) Alexander Rankin: Richard Rankin’s son Samuel

This article is about the Samuel Rankin whom I have described elsewhere as an “incorrigible character.”

Sam earned that characterization fair and square. First, his birth year varied so wildly in the census that he must have fibbed about his age just for fun. Second, he named a son Napoleon Bonaparte Rankin. What kind of merry prankster lays that on a newborn? Third, I had such a hard time identifying his parents that he seemed deliberately elusive. Fourth, there is evidence that Sam may have been an unmanageable child, but that’s getting ahead of the story.

There isn’t much information in the records about Sam’s adult life. He was a farmer in Tishomingo County, Mississippi and Jefferson County, Arkansas. He and Mary Frances Estes (daughter of Lyddal Bacon Estes and “Nancy” Ann Allen Winn)[1] married about 1836 in Tishomingo. They moved to Arkansas about 1849 and had ten children who reached adulthood. Sam died in 1861 or early 1862, when his youngest child was on the way. One branch of the family thinks he died in the War, but that is unlikely. He was too old to be conscript fodder, four of his sons enlisted, his wife was pregnant, and the National Archives has no record of him.

A researcher typically begins with two questions in a search for an ancestor’s parents: where and when was he/she born? Sam makes the first question easy, since the census proves that he was born in North Carolina.[2]Using the census to pin down his birth year is a problem, though. Viewed together, the 1837 Mississippi state census and the 1840 federal census suggest Sam was born between 1810 and 1819.[3] The 1850 census gives his age as sixty-two, born about 1788.[4] In the 1860 census, Sam was sixty-one, born about 1799.[5] During the decade of the 1850s, Sam somehow got a year younger, a skill I wish I could master. I threw up my hands and guessed Sam was born circa 1800.

Mississippi records reveal one other thing. Sam almost certainly had a brother William. A William Rankin was listed near Sam in the 1837 state census in Tishomingo.[6] William did not own any land, but Sam had ten acres under cultivation.[7] They were the only two Rankins enumerated in Tishomingo in 1837 and 1840. William was born between 1800 and 1810, so he and Sam were from the same generation.[8] Finally, William married Rachel Swain, and the JP who performed the ceremony was Sam’s father-in-law Lyddal Bacon Estes.[9] Sam’s wife Mary Estes Rankin had a sister who also married a Swain.[10]

On those facts, Sam and William Rankin were probably brothers farming Sam’s tract together. If that is correct, then I was looking for a Rankin family having sons named Samuel and William who were born about the turn of the century in North Carolina.

Big whoop. If you have spent any time among the many North Carolina Rankin families, you know that is an absurdly slender clue about Sam’s family of origin. Discouraged, I left the records and turned to oral family history. That led me to conclude that Sam’s parents were Richard Rankin and Susanna (“Susy”) Doherty, who married in 1793 in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.[11] There is no doubt about the identity of their parents. Richard was a son of Samuel Rankin (“Samuel Sr.”) and his wife Eleanor (“Ellen”) Alexander Rankin.[12] Susy Doherty Rankin was a daughter of John Doherty and his wife Agnes, birth name unknown.[13]

The key oral family history is in an Arkansas biography of Claude Allen Rankin, a grandson of Sam and Mary Estes Rankin. Claude reported that his grandfather Sam Rankin “reached manhood in Lincoln County, North Carolina,” and then “removed to Murfreesboro, Tennessee,” which is in Rutherford County.[14]

Those specific locations convey a bulletproof certainty. It is highly unlikely that Claude invented them out of thin air. Consider the odds. Lincoln is one county out of one hundred in North Carolina. Rutherford is one county out of ninety-five in Tennessee. The odds are 9,500 to one that Claude would have identified both counties as places his grandfather Sam had lived in just those two states.

If Lincoln County, North Carolina and Rutherford County, Tennessee are places where Sam lived, it is a virtual certainty that he was a grandson of Samuel Sr. and Eleanor Alexander Rankin, who lived in Lincoln County, North Carolina. Three of their sons and one daughter moved to Rutherford County.[15] I have found no other Rankin family who moved from Lincoln to Rutherford during the relevant time period.

This boiled the search down to identifying which of Samuel Sr. and Eleanor’s sons could have been the father of Sam. Four of the couple’s sons – William,[16] David,[17] Alexander,[18] and James[19] – are eliminated by their locations and/or children. The three remaining sons – Robert, Sam Jr. and Richard – were possibilities to be Sam’s father.

I started with Richard Rankin and his wife Susy Doherty because Sam and Mary named their eldest son Richard, and the Anglo naming tradition dictates naming the first son for his paternal grandfather.[20] Richard and Susy lived on Long Creek in Mecklenburg County, just across the Catawba River from the home of Samuel Sr. and Eleanor in Lincoln (now Gaston) County.[21] Richard’s brother Sam Jr. also lived in Mecklenburg with his first wife, Susy’s sister Mary (“Polly”) Doherty.[22] Richard Rankin and his sister-in-law Polly Doherty Rankin are buried at Hopewell Presbyterian Church on Beatties Ford Road, just northwest of Charlotte, alongside John Doherty, father of Susy Doherty Rankin and Polly Doherty Rankin.[23] Richard’s headstone is in the left foreground of this picture. Headstones of his sister-in-law and father-in-law are to the right of Richard’s stone.

Richard and Susy appeared in the 1800 census for Mecklenburg with three sons and a daughter, all born between 1794 and 1800.[24] The “family tree” of Samuel Sr. and Eleanor indicates that Richard and Susy had five children, one of whom must have been born between 1800 and 1804.[25] Only four children survived until 1807. In April of that year, the Court of Common Pleas & Quarter Sessions for Mecklenburg County appointed Richard’s brother Sam Jr. to be guardian of Richard’s four children: Joseph, Samuel, Mary and William Rankin.[26]

There we are, brothers Samuel and William Rankin, born around the turn of the century. When I found that court record in a Clayton Library abstract, I sprang from my chair and did a little victory jig, earning disapproving glares from some blue-haired ladies at the next table. It was my first real break in the search for Sam’s family of origin.

I don’t know how Richard Rankin died. The fact that he was only thirty-five and left no will indiates his death was unexpected. He was a sheriff, patroller, justice of the peace and tax collector, all public positions of trust and responsibility; he ran unsuccessfully for county coroner and high sheriff.[27] He had a hard time managing money in his official duties, though, because the court had to haul him up short more than once.[28] That was a harbinger of things to come.

Richard died up to his eyeballs in debt, although that wasn’t immediately apparent. Right after he died, before the judgments against his estate started rolling in, Richard seemed to have been reasonably well-to-do. The administrator’s bond on his estate was either £ 1,000 or £ 2,000, neither of which was inconsequential.[29] The sale of his personal property brought £ 935.[30] The 1806 and 1807 Mecklenburg tax lists indicate that Richard’s estate owned 800 acres.[31] The honorific “Esquire” with which he appeared in court records conveys the image of a well-to-do and respected man.

Reality soon reared its ugly head in the form of judgments against Richard’s estate. I quit taking notes on these suits, although there were many more, after the trend became painfully obvious. A sampling:

October 1804, Andrew Alexander’s Administrator v. Richard Rankin’s Admr., verdict for plaintiffs, damages of £ 103.50.[32]

April 1805, William Blackwood’s Administrators v. Richard Rankin’s Admr., verdict for plaintiffs, damages of £ 38.18.1.[33]

April 1805, Robert Lowther v. Richard Rankin’s Admrs., verdict for Plaintiff, damages of £ 34.18.9.[34]

January 1806, Trustee Etc. v. Richard Rankin’s Admrs., verdict for Plaintiffs, damages of £ 18.9.0.[35]

October 1807, Richard Kerr v. Richard Rankin’s Admrs., judgment for Plaintiff for £ 7.15.9.[36]

Creditors finally attached Richard’s land because the estate ran out of liquid assets with which to discharge judgments:

Oct 1807, John Little v. Richard Rankin’s Admrs, judgment and execution levied on land for £ 16, administrator pleads no assets. Ordered that the clerk issue scire facias against Samuel Rankin, guardian of the heirs, to show cause.[37]

The minute book abstract is silent regarding the purpose of the show cause hearing. In context, it is clear that Sam Jr. was to show cause, if any, why part of Richard’s land should not be sold to pay the judgment creditor(s). Sam Jr. made no such showing, because the Mecklenburg real property records include a sheriff’s deed dated October 1807 reciting as follows:

“[B]y execution against the lands of Richard Rankin, dec’d … being divided by the administrator and Samuel Rankin off a tract of 500 acres held by Richard Rankin … [the tract sold] containing 200 acres including the old house, spring, meadow and bottom on both sides Long Creek.”[38]

Wherever Susy and her children were living, it was clearly not in the “old house.” Some of Richard’s land remained after this sale, but I did not track its disposition.

It eventually dawned on me that I was mucking about exclusively in the records of Mecklenburg County looking for evidence of Susy’s family. Claude Allen Rankin’s biography said that Sam “reached manhood” in Lincoln County, not Mecklenburg. I went back to the Lincoln records looking for evidence regarding Susy’s whereabouts after Richard died.

Lo and behold: Susy was living in Lincoln County by at least 1808, when she was a defendant there in a lawsuit.[39] I did not find her listed as a head of household in the 1810 census, although she was alive until at least 1812.[40] The family was undoubtedly still residing in Lincoln County in October 1812, when the Lincoln court ordered that “Samuel Rankin, about thirteen years old, an orphan son of Richard Rankin, dec’d be bound to John Rhine until he arrive to the age of 21 years to learn the art and mistery [sic] of a tanner.”[41]

If the indentured Sam Rankin was the same man as my ancestor Sam Rankin, which is 99% certain on the available evidence, there is no doubt that Sam “reached manhood” in Lincoln County, as Claude said. That is where John Rhyne lived, and the indenture lasted until Sam reached legal age.[42]

Sam’s indentured servitude was not an unusual fate for a destitute child whose father had died. Five years before the indenture, it was painfully clear that Richard Rankin’s estate was rapidly vanishing. None of Richard’s other three children were indentured, however. Why just Sam? And why wasn’t he indentured earlier?

In my imagination, the teenage Sam was incorrigible – the child who “acted out” the Rankin children’s collective anger and grief at the loss of their father, money, and social status. It would certainly go a long way toward explaining a man who didn’t marry until his late thirties and who named a son Napoleon Bonaparte. Perhaps it would also explain why the prominent and wealthy Rankin family of Lincoln County did not prevent the indenture of a 13-year-old family member whose father died when he was five.

Whatever Sam’s temperament, or the reason his rich Rankin relatives consented sub silentio to his indenture, his mother Susy had been having an abjectly miserable time of it. In 1803, she lost her sister Mary Doherty Rankin, the wife of Richard’s brother Sam Jr.[43] In 1804, her husband Richard died.[44] One of her children died between 1804 and 1807.[45] Susy’s mother Agnes Doherty died in 1808.[46] Part of Richard’s land was sold to pay a judgment debt because his estate had insufficient personal assets.[47] In 1809, Susy sold via a quitclaim deed her dower right to a life estate in one-third of Richard’s land.[48]

Do you think she may have needed cash?

In the midst of those excruciating losses, Susy’s brother-in-law William Rankin (and former co-administrator of Richard’s estate) sued her.[49] In 1808, William obtained a judgment against Susy for £ 106.7.6, about half of which he collected by garnishing the funds of a man who owed Susy money.[50] William was enumerated in the 1810 census (immediately followed in the list by Thomas Rhyne, John Rhyne, and Samuel Rankin (Sr.)) with eleven enslaved people, so the suit was obviously not a matter of economic need. I hope that his orphaned nephews and niece were not going hungry. He was obviously a vengeful and greedy sonuvabitch, and I don’t like him. Whatever Susy’s sins may have been, her children deserved better from their uncle.

As for Susy, I haven’t found a worse record of persistent and pernicious emotional and financial calamity among any of my other ancestors. If she retained even a modicum of sanity through all that, she had some true grit. However, she apparently couldn’t cope with her teenage son Sam.

Sam’s master John Rhyne was connected to the family of Samuel Sr. and Eleanor Rankin. William Rankin (the vengeful SOB) and his son Richard Rankin both witnessed the will of John Rhyne’s father Thomas.[51] The Rhynes lived on land adjacent to Samuel Sr. and Eleanor’s plantation on Kuykendall Creek.[52] Susy’s son Sam Rankin therefore served his indenture within spitting distance of his wealthy grandfather.[53] No wonder Sam declined to pass on his given name to any of his eight sons. Sam did, however, have children who shared the name of each of his three surviving siblings: Joseph, William and Mary, and his father Richard.

Sam remained with his master John Rhyne through the 1820 census.[54] There was a male age 16 – 26 listed with Rhyne that year who was not his child and who would most likely have been Sam, the indentured tanner, born about 1799.[55] The 1820 census for John Rhyne also indicates that one person in the household was engaged in manufacturing, and tanning was deemed a manufacturing business.

Meanwhile, some of the Lincoln/Mecklenburg Rankins began moving to Rutherford County, Tennessee. Richard’s brother David and his wife Anne Moore Campbell were in Rutherford by August 1806, when David acquired a tract there.[56] In 1810, both David and his brother Robert Rankin appeared on the Rutherford County tax rolls.[57] By the 1820 census, David, Robert and their brother Sam Jr. were all listed as heads of households in Rutherford County.[58] Sam undoubtedly made a beeline for Tennessee the day he turned twenty-one. Recall that his uncle Sam Jr. had been Sam’s guardian, and Sam’s siblings may have migrated with Sam Jr.

I vacillated for years whether my great-great grandfather Sam Rankin was a son of Richard and Susy Doherty Rankin and a grandson of Samuel Sr. and Eleanor Alexander Rankin. DNA testing resolved my uncertainly. A Rankin first cousin is a Y-DNA match to other proved descendants of Samuel Sr. and Eleanor, and I am an autosomal match with another one of their descendants.

MORAL: if you have not done DNA testing, do it now! If you are a man named Rankin, please go to the Family Tree DNA website ASAP, sign up for a Y-DNA test, and join the Rankin DNA Project. Autosomal tests are available for both men and women at FTDNA, Ancestry, and several other vendors. I would be happy to provide whatever information I have about your Rankins.

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[1] See an article about the Lyddal and Nancy’s children here.

^[2] 1850 federal census, Jefferson Co., AR, dwelling 426, Samuel Rankin, 62, born NC; 1860 federal census, Jefferson Co., AR, dwelling 549, Samuel Rankin, 61, born NC. Several of Sam’s children lived to be counted in the 1880 census, which asked where each person’s parents were born. Sam’s children identified their father’s state of birth as North Carolina fairly consistently. E.g., 1880 census, Dorsey (Cleveland) Co., AR, dwelling 99, Richard Rankin, 43, b. MS, father b. NC, mother b. AL.

^[3] Laverne Stanford, Tishomingo County Mississippi 1837 State Census, 1845 State Census (Ripley, MS: Old Timer Press, 1981). In 1837, Samuel Rankin was age 21 < 45, born 1792-1819; 1840 federal census, Tishomingo Co., MS, Samuel Rankin, age 20 < 30, born 1810-1820.

^[4] See Note 2, 1850 federal census, Samuel Rankin, 62.

^[5] Id., 1860 federal census, Samuel Rankin, 61.

^[6] Stanford, Tishomingo County Mississippi 1837 State Census, listing # 54 for William Rankins, age 21 < 45, a female > 16, no enslaved people, and no acreage under cultivation.

^[7] Id., listing # 64 for Samuel Rankins, age 21 < 45, no enslaved people, 10 acres under cultivation.

^[8] 1840 census, Tishomingo Co., MS, listing for William Rankin, 1 male 30 < 40 (born 1800-1810) and 1 female 60 < 70 (born 1770-1780). The woman with William in the 1837 and 1840 census, taken before William married in 1843, may have been his mother.

^[9] Irene Barnes, Marriages of Old Tishomingo County, Mississippi,Volume I 1837 – 1859 (Iuka, MS: 1978), marriage bond for William Rankin and Rachel Swain dated 7 Sep 1843, married by L. B. Estes, J.P., on 14 Sep 1843. Lyddal Bacon Estes was Sam Rankin’s father-in-law.

^[10] Id. Martha Ann Estes, Mary Estes Rankin’s sister, married Wilson Swain.

^[11] Brent H. Holcomb, Marriages of Mecklenburg Co., NC, 1783-1868 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1981).

^[12] Richard was not named in his father Samuel Sr.’s will because Richard predeceased Samuel Sr. Other evidence is conclusive. First, William and Alexander Rankin, proved sons of Samuel Sr. and Eleanor, were administrators of Richard’s estate along with Richard’s wife Susy. NC State Archives, C.R.065.508.210, Mecklenburg County Estates Records, 1762 – 1957, Queen – Rankin, file folder labeled “Rankin, Richard 1804,” original bond of Susy, William, and Alexander Rankin, administrators of the estate of Richard Rankin. Second, Samuel Rankin Jr. (another proved son of Samuel Sr. and Eleanor) became the guardian for Richard’s children after Richard died. Herman W. Ferguson, Mecklenberg County, North Carolina Minutes of the Court of Pleas Volume 2, 1801-1820 (Rocky Mount, NC: 1995), abstract of Minute Book 4: 663, court order of April 1807 appointing Samuel Rankin guardian for the children of Richard Rankin.

^[13] Herman W. Ferguson and Ralph B. Ferguson, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Will Abstracts, 1791-1868, Books A-J, and Tax Lists, 1797, 1798, 1799, 1806, & 1807 (Rocky Mount, NC: 1993), abstract of Will Book C: 21, will of John Doherty of Mecklenburg dated 20 May 1786 naming wife Agnes, son James, and daughters Susanna and Mary; id., Will Book C: 34, will of Agnes Doherty of Mecklenburg dated June 19, 1807, proved Jan. 1808, naming daughter Susanna Rankin and granddaughters Violet and Nelly Rankin. The granddaughters were children of Sam Rankin Jr. and his first wife Polly Doherty, who predeceased her mother Agnes.

^[14] D. Y. Thomas, Arkansas and Its People, A History, 1541 – 1930, Volume IV (New York: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1930) 574, biography of Claude Allen Rankin.

^[15] Samuel Sr. and Eleanor’s children who moved to Rutherford County were David, Robert, Samuel Jr., and Eleanor Rankin Dixon/Dickson. Eleanor Rankin married Joseph Dixon; David Rankin married Jane Moore Campbell, a widow. Jean or Jane Rankin, another daughter of Samuel Sr. and Eleanor, married James Rutledge. The Rutherford County records are full of entries in which the Rankins were associated with Dixons, Rutledges and Moores. E.g., WPA Tennessee Records Project, Records of Rutherford County, Tennessee Vol. C, Minutes 1808 – 1810 (Murfreesboro: 1936), abstract of Minute Book C: 197, entry of 1 Jan 1810 regarding a lawsuit styled William Dickson v. Robert Rankin, George Moore, Robert Rutledge and Joseph Dickson, Jr.

^[16] William Rankin, the eldest son of Samuel Sr. and Eleanor Rankin, remained in Lincoln County and did not have a son named Samuel. See A. Gregg Moore & Forney A. Rankin, The Rankins of North Carolina (Marietta, GA: A. G. Moore, 1997).

^[17] Id. David Rankin and his family moved to Rutherford County. Their son Samuel King Rankin, born 1818, is not the same man as the Sam who married Mary F. Estes.

^[18] Id. Alexander Rankin remained in Lincoln and had no son named Samuel.

^[19] James Rankin had a son named Samuel, but he was born in 1819 and married Nancy Beattie. See also NC State Archives, CR.060.508.105, Lincoln County Estate Records, 1779 – 1925, Ramsour, George – Rankin, John, file folders for James Rankin labeled 1832 and 1842, naming the heirs of James Rankin as Robert, Rufus, Caroline, James, Louisa, Samuel, Richard, and Mary Rankin.

^[20] Sam and Mary F. Estes Rankin’s children were, in order, Richard Bacon Rankin, William Henderson Rankin, Joseph Rankin, John Allen Rankin, Elisha (“Lish”) Thompson Rankin, James Darby Rankin, Mary Jane Rankin, Washington (“Wash”) Marion Rankin, Napoleon (“Pole”) Bonaparte Rankin, and Frances Elizabeth (“Lizzie”) Rankin.

^[21] Microfilm of Mecklenburg County Deed Book 18: 365, Sheriff’s deed dated Oct. 1807, execution against the lands of Richard Rankin, dec’d, 200 acres off a tract of 500 acres owned by Rankin crossing Long Creek, widow’s right of dower excepted.

^[22] Holcomb, Marriages of Mecklenburg, Nov. 16, 1791 marriage bond of Samuel Rankin and Mary Doherty, bondsman Richard Rankin (Sam Jr.’s brother); 1800 federal census, Mecklenburg Co., NC, household of Samuel Rankin, 1 male age 26 < 45, female same age, 3 males < 10, and 2 females < 10.

^[23] Charles William Sommerville, The History of Hopewell Presbyterian Church (Charlotte, NC: 1939, 1981). Sommerville incorrectly states that Richard Rankin was married to Mary (nicknamed “Polly”) Doherty Rankin, probably because their graves are side-by-side. The records, however, are clear that Richard married Susy Doherty, Sam Jr. married Polly Doherty, and Richard’s surviving widow Susy was still alive after Polly died.

^[24] 1800 federal census, Mecklenburg Co., NC, Richard Rankin, age 26 < 45, with four children under the age of ten, a female 26 < 45, and a female > 45, most likely Richard’s widowed mother-in-law Agnes Doherty.

^[25] The somewhat mysterious Rankin “family tree” (I have never seen it) is referred to several times as a source in The Rankins of North Carolina.

^[26] Ferguson, Mecklenberg Court Minutes, abstract of Minute Book 4: 663, April 1807 order appointing Samuel Rankin guardian of Joseph, Mary, Samuel and William Rankin, orphans of Richard Rankin, dec’d. “Orphan” just meant fatherless. Susy, the children’s mother, was still alive in 1807.

^[27] Id., Minute Book 4: 314, entry in Oct 1801 recording votes for the election of two coroners (John Patterson 11 votes, Robert Robison 8 votes, Richard Rankin 2 votes); Minute Book 4: 375, Oct 1802, Richard Rankin was appointed “Patroller” by the court, having authority to search for and recover runaway enslaved persons; Minute Book 4:387, Jan 25 1803, Richard Rankin et al. “being commissioned by his excellency the Governor to act as Justice of the Peace in this county, appeared in open court and was duly qualified as by law accordingly;” Minute Book 4: 397, Jan 1803, records of the County Trustee indicated that Richard Rankin was sheriff, 1797-1798; Minute Book 4: 409, Apr 1803, Magistrates appointed to take tax returns included Richard Rankin; Minute Book 4: 421, Jul 1803 election for high sheriff (7 votes for Wm Beaty, 5 for Richard Rankin).

^[28] Id., Mecklenburg Minute Book 4: 281, entry for Apr 1801, notice issued to Richard Rankin, former sheriff, to appear and show cause why he hasn’t satisfied a judgment; id., Minute Book 4: 300, entry of Jul 1801, motion of County Trustee, Richard Rankin ordered to appear and render to the trustee all money due him for county tax & stray money collected by Richard for 1797 and 1798. Richard confessed judgment for £ 104.12.2.

^[29] Ferguson, Mecklenburg Court Minutes, abstract of Minute Book 4: 458, April 1804, ordered that Susannah Rankin, William Rankin and Alexander Rankin administer on the estate of Richard Rankin, Esquire, dec’d, bond of £ 2,000. Another record shows the bond as £ 1,000. See North Carolina Archives, C.R.060.801.21, copy of original bond.

^[30] Ferguson, Mecklenburg Court Minutes, abstract of Minute Book 4: 478, Jul 1804 inventory and account of the sale of the estate of Richard Rankin returned by William Rankin, Alexander Rankin and Susy Rankin, £ 935.1.11.

^[31] Ferguson and Ferguson, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Will Abstracts, abstract of the 1806 and 1807 tax lists, entry for Richard Rankin’s estate, adm. by Wm. B. Alexander, 800 acres.

^[32] Ferguson, Mecklenburg Court Minutes, abstract of Minute Book 4: 501.

^[33] Id. at 530.

^[34] Id. at 531.

^[35] Id. at 592.

^[36] Id. at 704.

^[37] Id. at 706.

^[38] FHL Film No. 484,186, Mecklenburg Deed Book 18: 365.

^[39] Anne Williams McAllister & Kathy Gunter Sullilvan, Courts of Pleas & Quarter Sessions, Lincoln County, North Carolina, Apr 1805 – Oct 1808 (Lenoir, NC: 1988), William Rankin v. Susy Rankin, court record for Jan 1808. The county court had no jurisdiction over a defendant who was not a resident of the county, so the fact that Susy was sued in Lincoln and the case was not dismissed for lack of jurisdiction proves that she lived there.

^[40] Ferguson, Mecklenburg Court Minutes, abstract of Minute Book 5: 277, entry of Aug 1812, on petition of Susannah Rankin, widow of Richard Rankin, regarding her right of dower in the land of her deceased husband. Although a court did not have jurisdiction over a nonresident defendant, anyone could petition a county court for relief, whether a resident or not. The land in which Susy had a dower right was located in Mecklenburg. She had to file in that county and nowhere else in order to assert her dower right.

^[41] North Carolina State Archives CR.060.301.4, “Lincoln County, County Court Minutes Jan 1806 – Jan 1813,” 589.

^[42] 1820 federal census, Lincoln Co., p. 224, listing for John Rhyne.

^[43] Sommerville, History of Hopewell Presbyterian Church, tombstone of Mary (“Polly”) Doherty inscribed, “Here lies Polly Rankin, died Jan. 30, 1803 in her 33rd year. She left 5 motherless children and a discomfortable husband.”

^[44] Id., tombstone inscribed “Sacred to the memory of Richard Rankin who died March 23, 1804, aged 35 years.” See also note 29.

^[45] See note 26, appointment of guardian for four children of Richard Rankin; Gregg & Forney, Rankins of North Carolina, citing the Rankin “family tree.” None of Richard and Susy’s children were of age in 1807 because the couple married in 1793. All of their living children would have been minors requiring a guardian in 1807.

^[46] Ferguson & Ferguson, Mecklenburg Will Abstracts, Will Book C: 34, will of Agnes Doherty dated June 19, 1807, proved Jan 1808, naming daughter Susanna Rankin.

^[47] See note 38, sheriff’s deed for part of Richard Rankin’s land.

^[48] FHL Film No. 484,186, Mecklenburg Deed Book 19: 606, quitclaim deed dated 15 Apr 1809 from Susy Rankin, widow and relict of Richard Rankin of Mecklenburg, $200, to David Smith, her right of dower in all land which her late husband died owning.

[49] See note 39.

^[50] Anne Williams McAllister and Kathy Gunter Sullivan, Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions Lincoln County, North Carolina April 1805 – October 1808 (1988), abstract of court minutes for January 1808, William Rankin v. Susy Rankin, jury awarded plaintiff damages of £ 106.7.6, of which judgment was rendered against Samuel Lowrie Esq. for £ 48.16.

^[51] Miles S. Philbeck & Grace Turner, Lincoln County, North Carolina, Will Abstracts, 1779-1910 (Chapel Hill, NC: 1986), abstract of Lincoln Will Book 1: 405, will of Thomas Rhyne naming inter alia son John Rhyne, witnessed by William Rankin and Richard Rankin, 2 Jun 1834.

^[52] E.g., Lincoln Co. Deed Book 2: 543, deed of 19 Apr 1780 from James Coburn of Lincoln to Samuel Rankin, same, 180A on Kuykendall’s Cr. adjacent Thomas Rhine’s corner.

^[53] NC State Archives, C.R.060.801.21, Lincoln County Wills, 1769 – 1926 Quickle – Reep, file folder labeled “Rankin, Samuel 1826,” original will of Samuel Rankin of Lincoln County dated 16 Dec 1814, proved April 1826, recorded in Will Book 1: 37. According to a 1930s W.P.A. transcription of Samuel Sr.’s tombstone, now lost, he died in 1816.

^[54] 1820 federal census, Lincoln Co., NC, listing for John Rhyne, 26 < 45, 1 female 26 < 45, 1 male 16 < 26 (presumably the indentured Sam), 4 males < 10 and 2 females < 10; one person engaged in manufacturing.

^[55] John Rhyne didn’t marry until 1808, so the male in the 16 < 26 age bracket listed with him in the 1820 was not John’s son. Frances T. Ingmire, Lincoln County North Carolina Marriage Records 1783-1866, Volume I, Males (Athens, GA: Iberian Publishing Co., 1993).

^[56] Helen C. & Timothy R. Marsh, Land Deed Genealogy of Rutherford County, Tennessee, Vol. 1 (1804 – 1813)(Greenville, SC: Southern Historical Press, 2001), abstract of Deed Book A: 194.

^[57] FHL Film No. 24,806, Item 3, Tax List, 1809-1849, Rutherford County, Tennessee.

^[58] 1820 federal census, Rutherford Co., TN, listings for Robert Rankin, David Rankins, and two listings for Samuel Rankin.

Two Rankin Revolutionary War Pension Applications

This article is about men from two Rankin families: (1) Robert and Rebecca Rankin of Guilford, North Carolina and (2) David Rankin of Iredell, North Carolina. The families are a good Y-DNA match. David of Iredell could be a son of Robert and Rebecca, although that is unproved. They are undoubtedly at least cousins of some degree. Both belong to Lineage 1 of the Rankin DNA Project.[1]

It is easy to confuse some of the Rankin men who lived in North Carolina and Tennessee in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. That includes two men named Robert, both of whom fought in the Revolutionary War. They were both originally from North Carolina, but moved to Tennessee about 1825-1830. A commentor on our website made it clear that I had done a bad job of distinguishing them.

To clear up the confusion, lets revisit each man briefly to contrast their histories and pension applications. First, the man I call “Rev War Robert Rankin” (“Rev” stands for “Revolutionary,” not “Reverend”), then his fellow soldier “Mystery Robert Rankin.”

Rev War Robert Rankin of Rowan/Guilford, NC and McNairy, TN (1749 – 1840)[2]

Rev War Robert was a son of George and Lydia Steele Rankin of Rowan/Guilford County, North Carolina.[3]He married twice: first, to Mary (“Polly”) Cusick, probably in the early 1780s, and then to Mary Moody in 1803.[4]He applied for a pension in McNairy Co., TN on May 20, 1833.[5] Among other things, he testified as follows in his application:

- He was born in Guilford Co., NC on May 29, 1759. (At that time, it was Rowan County; Guilford wasn’t created until 1770.)
- He was in the battle of Guilford Courthouse on March 15, 1781.
- He lived in Guilford until 1830. Then he moved to McNairy County, Tennessee, where he was residing when he applied for a pension.

Rev War Robert died in McNairy County on Dec. 21, 1840.[6] He is buried in Bethel Springs Cemetery; there is an image of his military tombstone at findagrave.com.[7]

“Mystery Robert Rankin” of Gibson County, TN (1748 – after 1835)

I refer to the second Robert Rankin as “Mystery Robert” because his family of origin is not conclusively proved. The records of Gibson County, Tennessee, where he applied for a Revolutionary War pension, reveal little about him. He only appeared in the 1830 census, one deed, the pension application, and a few tax records in Gibson County.

One thing, however, is obvious: the Robert Rankin who applied for a Revolutionary War pension from McNairy County, Tennessee (“Rev War Robert”) was not the same man as Robert Rankin of Gibson County, Tennessee (“Mystery Robert”). The two pension applications leave no doubt about that.

Mystery Robert testified in open court on September 7, 1832 in support of his application for a pension. [8]He said the following, inter alia:[9]

- He was 84 years old, and thus born about 1748.
- He served in the North Carolina militia. This almost certainly means that he lived in North Carolina when he enlisted.
- He was in the battle of Ramsour’s Mill, where, he testified, “I lost a brother, killed by the Tories.” That battle took place in June 1780 in Lincoln County, North Carolina.

Most of the patriot troops who fought at Ramsour’s Mill were from Iredell County, NC. The Philip Langenhour papers, owned by the Iredell Genealogical Society in Statesville, establish that one of the dead patriots was named Rankin. Other Iredell and Lincoln County records provide evidence that James Rankin died at Ramsour’s and that he was a son of David and Margaret Rankin of Iredell. David and Margaret also had a son named Robert, proved by David’s will. Robert appeared frequently in the Iredell County records through the early 1820s, then disappeared without leaving any probate or cemetery records. Given the real and personal property ownership among this Rankin family, it is unlikely that Robert died in Iredell. Instead, he probably moved on.

The odds are that he landed in Gibson County, Tennessee. The evidence strongly suggests that Robert, brother of James, son of David and Margaret Rankin of Iredell, moved to Gibson County, where he stated in his pension application that he had a brother who died at Ramsour’s Mill.

I hope you read the pension applications of these two men. The amount of detail these veterans recalled is amazing – usually in 1832 or 1833, a full half-century after their service. I shouldn’t be surprised, though. My husband is a Vietnam vet, and it is clear that a war experience leaves one with very strong memories.

See you on down the road. The Rankins and I are not yet finished with each other …

Robin

* * * * * * * * * *

[1] See identified Rankin lineages on the project website here.

[2] National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 25, No. 4, December 1937, Revolutionary War Pension Applications. The pension application of Robert Rankin of McNairy Co., TN gave his date of birth as May 29, 1759. His widow, in her pension application, said he died on Dec. 21, 1840. See also an online transcription of Rev War Robert’s pension application, with additional information from his widow’s application, prepared by Will Graves. http://revwarapps.org/w5664.pdf.

[3] Rowan County, NC Will Book A: 141, will of George Rankin dated May 1760, proved Oct 1760, naming minor sons John and Robert and wife Lydia. See also the autobiography of Rev War Robert’s brother Shaker Rev. John Rankin, “Auto-biography of John Rankin, Sen.” (South Union, Ky., 1845), transcribed in Harvey L. Eads, ed., History of the South Union Shaker Colony from 1804 to 1836 (South Union, Ky., 1870), Shaker Museum at South Union, Auburn, Kentucky. The autobiography identifies Lydia Steele as George Rankin’s wife and the mother of John Rankin. See an article about the autobiography in Chapter 1.

[4] Guilford, NC Will Book B: 435, will of William Cusick naming three daughters of Robert Rankin (Lydia, Isbel and Thankful) and testator’s deceased daughter Polly Cusick Rankin; National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 25, No. 4, December 1937, Revolutionary War Pension Applications, identifying Rev War Robert’s second wife as Mary Moody, married in Guilford County on Nov. 22, 1803.

[5] See Note 2.

[6] For more information on Rev War Robert and his children, see the article discussing him and three other men named Robert from Robert and Rebecca’s line in Chapter 1.

[7] The Findagrave.com site poster claims that Rev. War Robert married Mary (“Polly”) Cusick in 1781. I found no evidence for that or any other specific date.

[8] Mystery Robert’s Gibson Co. pension application states his age, establishing his date of birth as about 1748. He was on the Tennessee pension roll in 1835, and may have been the grantor in an 1837 deed and a taxable on the 1838 Gibson tax list.

[9] Here is another link to Mystery Robert’s pension application, transcribed by Will Graves..

Jesse Rankin m. Cynthia Sellers/Sellars: Who Was His Father?

This answer to this question is reasonably straightforward. The only problem is that it leaves another one hanging out there unanswered. Of course it does! This hobby wouldn’t be half as much fun otherwise.

Here’s the background. In January 2018, I posted an article about some Rankin families I stumbled across in the records of Gibson County, Tennessee.[1] Although the article focused on the Robert Rankin who applied from Gibson in 1832 for a Revolutionary War pension, it also mentioned other Rankin families in the county.

One of the other Gibson County families was Jesse Rankin and his wife Cynthia. Rankin researchers disagree on the identity of his parents. Some claim he was a son of Shaker Reverend John Rankin from the Guilford County, NC line of Robert and Rebecca Rankin. That John died in 1850 in Shaker Village (now “Shakertown”), Logan County, KY. Let’s call him “Shaker John.” Other researchers claim Jesse was a son of the Robert Rankin who lived in Rutherford Co., NC, Pendleton District, SC, and Caldwell County, KY. Call him “Rutherford Robert.”

Jesse of Gibson County was definitely not a son of Shaker John. Good circumstantial evidence establishes that Jesse was a son of Rutherford Robert. See discussion of both possibilities below.

* * * * * * * * *

Jesse and Cynthia first appeared for certain in the 1840 census for Gibson County. They were probably also enumerated there in 1830, although Jesse’s age group is inconsistent between the 1830 and 1840 censuses.[2] The 1850 census lists the Rankins in Jesse’s household as follows (all four children born in Tennessee):

- - Jesse Rankin, 55, farmer, born KY, District 9, dwelling #1841
  - Cynthia Rankin, 50, born KY
  - James Rankin, 21, farmer
  - Elias Rankin, 17, farmer
  - Williamson Rankin, 15, farmer
  - Madison Rankin, 13

In 1851, Jesse obtained a grant of 48.5 acres in Gibson County.[3] That was the last record I found for him until his will appeared in the Gibson probate records. It was dated November 18, 1851, and named his wife Cynthia and “three youngest sons” Elias, Williamson and Madison. I found no record establishing when the will was proved. Jesse was not listed in the 1860 census, so it is a safe bet that he died sometime between 1851 and 1860.

So far as I can tell, only his son Elias remained in Gibson County, where he appeared through at least the 1880 census.[4] Madison was living in Missouri by 1870. I couldn’t find either Williamson or James after 1850. Both were the right age to have been war casualties.

Knowing that both Jesse and Cynthia were born in Kentucky, the next step was to look in Kentucky marriage records. Turns out they were married on January 7, 1821, in Livingston County, KY.[5]

Jesse of Gibson County was not the son of Shaker John of Logan County, KY. The Logan County records establish that a different Jesse Rankin was a son of Shaker John. Jesse (son of Shaker John) appeared in the census in Shaker Village, Logan County, every decade from 1850 through 1880. Nine other children of Shaker John can also be identified from Shaker Village death records[6] and Logan County federal census records during 1850 – 1880. Jesse Rankin died there, single, in 1882. It is unlikely that Shaker John’s son Jesse ever married or had any children, since the Shakers practiced celibacy.

Well, then … was Rutherford Robert the father of Jesse Rankin of Gibson County? The answer is almost certainly “yes,” for three reasons.

First, Rutherford Robert left a will dated 1808 and proved 1816 in Caldwell County, KY. Robert named a son Jesse. Second, Caldwell County was immediately adjacent to Livingston County in 1821, when Jesse and Cynthia married in Livingston. Jesse’s family almost certainly lived nearby. Third, the only Rankin family appearing in Caldwell and Livingston County records in the first third of the 19th century was the line of Rutherford Robert. Here are some records in those locations:

- - Elias Rankin, another son proved by Rutherford Robert’s will, was listed in the 1820 and 1830 census in Caldwell County. Elias married Matilda Herring there in 1820. Note that Jesse and Cynthia Rankin also named a son Elias, which is not a common name.
  - The “Widow Rankin” (presumably Leah, Rutherford Robert’s wife) was listed in the 1820 census in Caldwell County.
  - Elizabeth and Jennet Rankin, identified as daughters in Rutherford Robert’s will, married in Livingston County to James George (1806) and John Durly (1809), respectively.

The records connecting Jesse, son of Rutherford Robert, to Jesse Rankin of Gibson County may not establish Jesse’s parentage as “conclusively proved.” The circumstantial evidence is sufficiently clear and convincing to accept that conclusion, though.

So much for the question of Jesse’s parents: now for the one that lingers. To which (if any) of the other North Carolina Rankin lines of Rowan County is Rutherford Robert related? Originally, Rowan covered a substantial area, including what would eventually become Guilford, Lincoln, Iredell and Rutherford counties — homes to several colonial Rankin families. Those include Samuel and Eleanor Alexander Rankin of Lincoln, David and Margaret Rankin of Iredell, Robert and Rebecca Rankin of Guilford, and William and John Rankin, two sons of Joseph Rankin of Delaware who migrated to Guilford.

There is apparently no paper evidence connecting Rutherford Robert to any of those families. Francis Gill, the premier researcher on Rutherford Robert’s line, was unable to prove that Robert was related to any other North Carolina Rankin families. We clearly need to turn to Y-DNA testing. So … where is a living descendant of Rutherford Robert? So far as I know, no male descendant from the line of Rutherford Robert Rankin has participated yet in the Rankin Y-DNA project. We need to find one, or – better yet – several.

I’m working on it.

See you on down the road.

* * * * * * * * * *

[1] The article titled “The Mysterious Robert Rankin of Gibson County, Tennessee” can be found here.

[2] 1840 federal census, Gibson Co., TN, Jesse Rankin, 2120001-010101. The eldest male is in the 40 < 50 age bracket, or born 1790 – 1800. Compare the 1830 federal census, Gibson Co., TN, Jesse Rankin, 20001-10111. The 1830 census shows the eldest male in the 20 < 30 age bracket, born 1800-1810. The 1830 census is probably wrong.

[3] Barbara, Byron and Samuel Sistler, Tennessee Land Grants (Nashville: Byron Sistler & Associates, 1998).

[4] 1870 federal census, Gibson Co., TN, “Lias” Rankin, 35, farmer, with Lizzie Rankin, 41, Sallie, 11, Mollie, 10, Thomas, 8, Divan, 6, Jeff D., 4, and Ada, 2, all born in Tennessee; 1880 federal census, Gibson Co., TN, listing for E. C. Rankin, 47, wife Elizabeth, 52, daughter Mary E., 20, son Thomas J., 19, daughter L. D., 15, son William A., 14, daughter Ida C., 12, and daughter Nora, 9.

[5] Jordan Dodd, Kentucky Marriages to 1850, online publication at Ancestry.com.

[6] Shaker Village death records can be found here..

Some Colonial North Carolina Rankin Lines: an Overview

It is extremely easy to conflate families having the same surname when they lived in the same area at roughly the same time. In North Carolina, all of the Rankin lines first appeared in the area that was originally Anson County. At its formation, Anson included an enormous territory. Its northern border was the Virginia, line until the formation of Rowan County in 1753. It had no western boundary until the formation of Mecklenburg in 1762. Its southern boundary was indeterminate until the survey of the SC line in 1764.

In short, the Rankin families of Rowan, Lincoln, Rutherford, Mecklenburg, Iredell, and Guilford Counties all lived in areas that were originally part of Anson. As if that weren’t bad enough, they all recycled the same male given names ad infinitum: Robert, David, John, Samuel, and William. With that in mind, here is some basic information about several of these colonial Rankin lines. The objective is to help you distinguish among those families when you run across them.

First, a caveat. If you have read my article about the Scots-Irish,[1] you know that the earliest migrants into the colonies from Ulster arrived around 1700 and settled mostly in New England. Among those were evidently some Rankins. I know absolutely nothing about New England Rankins. What I do know with a modicum of confidence is something about colonial Rankin families of North Carolina. I mucked about the North Carolina records for more than a year, trying to identify the parents of my last conclusively proved Rankin ancestor.

Here are the North Carolina Rankin families briefly sketched in this article: (1) Joseph Rankin of Delaware (1704-1764), two of whose sons went to Guilford County; (2) Samuel and Eleanor (“Ellen”) Alexander Rankin of Lincoln (then Gaston) County; (3) Robert and Rebecca Rankin of Guilford County; (4) David and Margaret Rankin of Iredell County; and (5) Robert Rankin (wives Mary Withrow and Leah MNU)of Rutherford County. Here are brief descriptions of each family.

Joseph Rankin of Delaware (1704-1764) (“Joseph of Delaware”), wife Rebecca MNU. Their sons John and William moved to Rowan/Guilford County.

Joseph of Delaware had definitely arrived in the colonies by 1731, when he acquired a tract in New Castle County, Delaware. He is buried at Head of Christiana Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Newark, New Castle County, where his tombstone survives. Joseph’s wife Rebecca (MNU) and his son William were administrators of his estate. His place of birth is unproved, although a serious gambler would put a lot of money on Ulster. One local history claims he was born in Clyde, Scotland, which is also possible. He had at least seven children. Four sons are conclusively proved (Joseph Jr., Thomas, John, and William), two sons are suggested by circumstantial evidence (Robert and James), and a daughter Ann, d.s.n.p., is proved by the will of her brother, Joseph Jr.

Joseph’s proved sons Joseph Jr. and Thomas remained in New Castle, where both died. Thomas, a Lieutenant in the Delaware militia, is buried in the same grave as his father. The DAR placed a “patriot” marker on the grave, probably giving rise to a claim by one researcher that Joseph (who died in 1764) was a Revolutionary War soldier. If so, he was a ghostly presence.

I have been unable to track Robert or James beyond brief appearances in the New Castle records.

Joseph’s other two sons, John and William Rankin, migrated to that part of Rowan Co., NC which later became Guilford County. John (born 1736, New Castle County, died 1814, Guilford) went to North Carolina first, about 1765-68. His wife was Hannah Carson. William Rankin (born 1744, New Castle, died 1804, Guilford) went to NC about 1768-70, where he married Jennet/Jean Chambers.

John and William are buried at the old Buffalo Presbyterian Church in Greensboro. They each had many children and grandchildren, and their lines were meticulously researched by Reverend Samuel Meek Rankin. His research is documented in his book, The Rankin and Wharton Families and Their Genealogy, originally published in 1931 and now available online in its entirety at at the UNC library website. For the record, Rev. Rankin’s book is dead wrong about Joseph of Delaware being the father of Samuel Rankin, see below.

Two of Joseph of Delaware’s proved descendants have YDNA tested and are a 37-marker match with a genetic distance (“GD”) of 1, a close match. One of the men is a participant in the Rankin DNA Project. Joseph’s line is part of Lineage 1B of the Rankin project, see the chart here. Joseph’s descendants also match the lines of Robert and Rebecca Rankin of Guilford County and David Rankin of Iredell County. More about them below. Together, those two families and Joseph of Delaware’s line comprise Rankin DNA Project Lineage 1.

Samuel Rankin (1734 – 1816) of Lincoln Co., NC and wife Eleanor (“Ellen”) Alexander (1740 – 1802)

Thanks to a family legend and YDNA testing, I am reasonably confident that Samuel and Eleanor are my ancestors. I therefore tend to be a bit prissy with respect to misinformation about them. Some researchers claim Samuel and Eleanor were married in Pennsylvania, which is demonstrably incorrect. Eleanor appeared in North Carolina deed and court records with her Alexander family of origin as a child in 1753 and 1755. She married Samuel about 1759-60, almost certainly in North Carolina. Their eldest son, William, was born in North Carolina in January 1761.

Some researchers assert that Samuel was born in Paxtang, Pennsylvania, although there seems to be no evidence for that claim. I think it’s highly improbable. Samuel may be the same man as the Samuel Rankin who appeared on the 1753 tax list for Sadsbury Township in Chester County, Pennsylvania There were no other Rankins on that list.

Samuel and Eleanor lived on Dutchman’s Creek in the part of Lincoln County that later became Gaston County. His nickname, I was charmed to learn, was “Old One-Eyed Sam.” I don’t know how he lost an eye. He and Eleanor had seven sons (William, Samuel, Robert, David, Richard, Alexander, and James) and three daughters (Jane/Jean, Anne, and Eleanor). William, Alexander, James, Jane, and Anne stayed in Lincoln County, or nearby. Richard Rankin died in Mecklenburg County, just east of the Catawba River. You can see Richard’s headstone on Beatty’s Ford Road north of Charlotte in the left foreground in the banner photo on this website. Three of Samuel and Eleanor’s sons (Samuel Jr., Robert, and David) and a daughter (Eleanor Rankin Dickson) went to Rutherford County, Tennessee. David stayed in Murfreesboro, but his three siblings moved on to Shelby County, Illinois.

Two theories about the father/parents of Samuel Rankin (Sr.) still have proponents on the internet. Both of them have been conclusively disproved by Y-DNA testing, see the article at this link. I have found no evidence in colonial records regarding the identity of Samuel’s parents. He is probably the original Rankin immigrant in his line.

Robert and Rebecca Rankin of Guilford Co., NC (“R&R”)

This family arrived in the colonies in 1750 from Letterkenny Parish, Donegal County, Ireland, where their children were probably born. [1] They were in Pennsylvania for only a short while. Robert Sr. and his son George Rankin (or perhaps Robert Jr. and his brother George) were included on the 1753 tax list for West Nottingham Township in Chester County. R&R then came to Guilford County in 1755 as part of the Nottingham Colony, a group of Scots-Irish members of Nottingham Presbyterian Church, now located in Maryland (it was then in Pennsylvania). Here is a map of Chester County in 1712 showing the Nottingham lots, located in disputed territory that wound up in Maryland.

R&R had at least two proved sons who died in Guilford County: George (died in 1760), whose wife was Lydia Steele, and Robert (died in 1795), whose wife’s identity is a matter of controversy among Rankin researchers. Some Rankin family trees and at least one compiled Rankin history conflate the Robert who died in 1795 with his father Robert (husband of Rebecca), who died about 1770-73. The article at this link addresses that issue.

According to Rev. S. M. Rankin, R&R also had a son John who proved to be a research dead end for me, although the Guilford records suggest that is possible. R&R also had a daughter Ann, whose husband was the William Denny who died in Guilford in 1770. R&R probably had other children as well, including two daughters who might be deemed only likely: Margaret (Rankin) Braly or Brawley, widow of Thomas Braly/Brawley, and Rebecca (Rankin) Boyd, widow of John Boyd. Evidence concerning those daughters is discussed in this articl e.

All of the above is conventional wisdom so far as I know, except for (1) the identity of the wife of R&R’s son Robert Rankin who died in 1795 (see discussion under David Rankin of Iredell, below), (2) Ann as a daughter of R&R, (3) the two likely daughters Margaret and Rebecca, and (4) the death date of George Rankin, son of R&R. Rev. Rankin said George died in 1761, but that was probably a typo. George actually died in 1760, when his will was both written and probated.

David Rankin of Iredell Co., NC (d. 1789), wife Margaret LNU (“Iredell David”)

David Rankin’s 1789 Iredell will and other records establish a wife Margaret and three children: Robert, James (not explicitly named in the will), and Elizabeth (ditto). Both James and Elizabeth are established by the will, even though it doesn’t provide their given names, and other records.

Iredell David’s son Robert may be and probably is the same man as the “Mystery Robert” who applied for a Revolutionary War Pension from Gibson County, Tennessee in 1832. I made that argument in this article, although my opinion should be deemed somewhat speculative. The identity of Robert’s wife is also a matter of controversy. Some researchers believe his wife was a Jean Denny (1755-1779) from Guilford County. Some Jean Denny definitely married some Robert Rankin in Guilford County in 1775. Other researchers believe that Jean Denny of Guilford married Robert, the son of R&R who died in Guilford in 1795. I disagree, because I believe that Robert (son of R&R) of Guilford was Jean Denny’s uncle. This question requires a fairly lengthy argument which I will save for another day.

In any event, Robert and his wife Jean had two sons: (1) Denny, who married Sarah McMinn, and (2) James, who married Elizabeth McMinn, Sarah’s sister. Both families remained in Iredell. Two of Denny’s sons moved to Gibson County, TN (home of “Mystery Robert”) and then to Shelby Co., TN, where they both died. Many of James and Elizabeth’s descendants remained in Iredell; some are still there today. They are nice folks.

Iredell David’s son James died in the Battle of Ramsour’s Mill in Lincoln Co. in June 1780. His wife was a Miss Alexander (probably Susannah), and they had four children who are proved by Lincoln County guardian records: (1) David Rankin, born by 1781, Lincoln; (2) Margaret (“Peggy”) Rankin who married Thomas Witherspoon in Lincoln, 6 Jul 1801; (3) William Rankin who married. Mary Lourance/Lawrence, 17 Jan 1810; and (4) Jane/Jean Rankin m. William Crays.

Iredell deed records suggest that Iredell David’s daughter was probably Elizabeth, wife of Samuel McCrary (or McCreary).

For a lengthy chart (including supporting records) on the line of David of Iredell, see the article at this link.

Robert Rankin of Rutherford County, NC (b. 1748-49, d. 1816, Caldwell County, KY), m#1 Mary Withrow, m#2 Leah LNU (“Rutherford Robert”)

Francis Gill did the definitive research on Rutherford Robert and published a book about him and others. I cannot find a copy of his book available for either purchase or loan, or I would buy it.

Rutherford Robert married Mary Withrow in Tryon County, North Carolina in 1769. He owned land on Second Broad River in what ultimately became Rutherford County. He and his future Withrow in-laws may have been listed on the tax list for Aston Township, Chester Co., PA in 1768, before going to NC. Rutherford Robert and Mary Withrow divorced, and he married as his second wife Leah LNU. They wound up in Caldwell County, Kentucky, where Robert applied for tax relief in a document establishing his birth year as 1748-49. He left a will naming his children Margaret, James, John, Rachel and David (children of Mary Withrow) and Elizabeth, Jennet, Jesse and Elias (children of his second wife Leah). The children evidently scattered to the four winds. At least one of them, Jesse, wound up in Gibson County, Tennessee, see this article about him.

Whew! This article became longer than I expected. Hope this helps a bit in keeping these families straight. One final note: a couple of people who have read my articles say they never look at the footnotes, which just make them too long. I have started omitting them, for the most part. However, if anyone wants a citation to a source for anything in this or any other article, please let me know and I will be happy to provide it.

See you on down the road.

Robin

[1] See the article at https://digupdeadrelatives.com/2018/12/28/reprise-scots-irish-anyway/

[1] John Rankin, a Shaker preacher and grandson of R&R, hand-wrote his autobiography at age 88. These details about the migration of R&R are from that autobiography. See “Auto-biography of John Rankin, Sen.” (South Union, Ky., 1845), transcribed in Harvey L. Eads, ed., History of the South Union Shaker Colony from 1804 to 1836 (South Union, Ky., 1870), Shaker Museum at South Union, Auburn, Kentucky (SMSU), 29-30. For a typescript of Eads’s history, see Shaker Record A at the Special Collections Library, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky (WKU). The above citation can be found at this link.

The Mysterious Robert Rankin of Gibson County, TN

Thanks to a winter storm and black ice on the road, Gary and I abandoned a planned trip to the North Carolina Archives. Instead, we u-turned to head home and then impulsively turned north at Birmingham toward the Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville. With no research plan for Tennessee, I began mucking about in county abstracts. When I stumbled over a passel of unfamiliar Rankins in Gibson County, I had a mission.

What caught my eye was the Revolutionary War pension application of a Robert Rankin.[1] He applied in Gibson County in September 1832. He served in the North Carolina militia. His sworn statement is replete with military detail; it reads as though he had a sharp mind and memory. Unfortunately, he did not identify the county where he enlisted, which might have led quickly to his family of origin. I didn’t have a clue who Robert might be, so he presented a fun puzzle to be solved.

The Gibson County records don’t reveal much about Robert. He was born about 1748 and lived in North Carolina when he was an adult.[2] He first appeared in Gibson County in 1827 when he was almost seventy years old.[3] He had no land, but owned one enslaved person.[4] He had a daughter named Margaret Finley.[5] He probably died between 1837 and 1840.[6] None of that helped identify his family of origin.

The thing that led to solving Robert’s puzzle was this: his pension application says that his brother (not named) was killed by Tories at the Battle of Ramsour’s Mill.[7] Robert also fought in that battle in June 1780. About 40 Whig patriots died there, although it was not easy to determine which dead soldiers fought for which side. That is because the combatants wore no uniforms. Loyalist Tories stuck a spring of greenery in their hats; the patriot Whigs had a piece of white paper in theirs. Those identifiers were sometimes missing from the bodies.

The largest number of patriot troops came from Iredell County. About thirteen of the forty dead patriots were members of Capt. Sharpe’s 4^th Creek Company, Statesville, Iredell County, North Carolina.

Family history research rarely involves certainty, especially when dealing with records more than two centuries old. Sometimes one must play the odds. The best bet here is that Robert Rankin of Gibson County was originally from Iredell County.

A possibility appears as soon as you hit the Iredell records. Probate records include the will of a David Rankin. It was dated 1781 and proved in 1789.[8] It names his wife Margaret, son Robert, and three grandchildren: (1) David McCreary, (2) James Rankin, expressly identified as the son of Robert Rankin, and (3) David Rankin. The will does not say that grandson #3 David Rankin was Robert’s son. Grandson #3 must have had a father other than Robert. David and Margaret apparently had a second son who died before David wrote his will.

It wasn’t hard to find a candidate to be the second son. There was a James Rankin who died before January 29, 1782. James owned land in Burke County,[9] where his estate was administered. He had four minor children for whom a guardian was appointed in Lincoln County.[10] Here are the relevant records:

- A Lincoln county guardian’s bond identifies John Alexander as guardian of minors David Rankin, Jane Rankin, Margaret Rankin and William Rankin, orphans of James Rankin.[11]
- A Burke County administrator’s bond dated 29 January 1782 named Robert Rankin as administrator of the estate of James Rankin.[12] John Alexander was one of the securities on the bond.

On those facts, Robert and James Rankin were near kin, most likely brothers. John Alexander was part of the same extended Rankin family. Either (1) John Alexander married a Miss Rankin, or (2) John Alexander had a sister who married James Rankin. My friend Jody Thompson, a descendant of John Alexander’s brother, says that John Alexander was not married to a Rankin. Thus, John Alexander must have had a sister who married James Rankin, making John the uncle of his four Rankin wards.

Here is the critical piece of evidence. The Iredell County Genealogical Society has a collection called the “Philip Langenour papers.” They contain Mr. Langenour’s collections of stories about local families. He mentioned a Miss Alexander (no given name stated) who married a Mr. Rankin (ditto) who died in the 1780 Battle of Ramsour’s Mill.

This is the only evidence I have seen that a Rankin died at Ramsour’s Mill … other than the Gibson County pension application of Robert Rankin, whose patriot brother was killed in that battle.

The pieces of this puzzle fall together nicely. It is as good a bet as you can find in genealogy that James Rankin died in 1780 at Ramsour’s Mill, his wife was Miss ______ Alexander, and they had a son named David Rankin and a daughter named Margaret. Miss _____ Alexander Rankin’s brother John Alexander was guardian for his nephew David and his three Rankin siblings. The James Rankin who died at Ramsour’s Mill must have been a son of David and Margaret Rankin of Iredell and a brother of the Robert Rankin who was administrator of James’s estate.

Here is where we take a plunge off the high diving board without, we hope (as Jody puts it), “forcing Cinderella’s shoe to fit.” (Please forgive the mixed metaphors.)

Robert Rankin of Gibson County, Tennessee, who fought at Ramsour’s Mill and lost a brother there (and had a daughter named Margaret), is almost certainly the same man as Robert Rankin, son of David and Margaret Rankin of Iredell, and the brother of James Rankin who died at Ramsour’s Mill.

Thanks to Philip Langenour, the shoe fits quite nicely.

There is a bit more to the evidentiary trail. Robert Rankin, son of David and Margaret, disappeared from the Iredell records after February 1826 without leaving a will or estate administration there.[13] Robert Rankin of Gibson County made his first appearance on a tax list there in 1827. Jody and I had long wondered where the heck Robert went after he left Iredell. Had it not been for some black ice on I-20 a few miles east of Oxford, Alabama, we would probably still be wondering.

There is another connection between Gibson and Iredell County Rankins. Robert (proved son of David and Margaret) had two sons who remained in the Iredell/Lincoln area. One of them was Denny Rankin, who married Sarah McMinn. Robert A. Rankin and Samuel Rankin were Denny and Sarah McMinn Rankin’s sons.[14]

Robert A. Rankin began appearing in the Gibson County records in 1838.[15] Samuel Rankin was there by 1837, when he was security on the administrator’s bond of a John McMinn.[16] In the 1840 census, neither Robert of Iredell/Gibson nor his grandsons Robert A. and Samuel Rankin were enumerated in Gibson County. Robert A. and his brother Samuel had moved on to Shelby County, where both died; Samuel was Robert A.’s administrator.[17]

Finally, please note that there were two other Rankin lines in Gibson County. I found no evidence to connect any of them to the Rankins from Iredell County. Briefly, here are the other Rankin families:[18]

- David F. C. Rankin (1823 – 1885) and his wife Susan Young. David was a son of David Rankin and Anne Moore Campbell of Rutherford County, Tennessee. The senior David Rankin was a son of Samuel and Eleanor (“Ellen”) Alexander Rankin of Lincoln/Gaston County, North Carolina.
- Jesse Rankin, who was born in Kentucky about 1795, and his wife Cynthia Sellers. Some researchers believe Jesse was a son of Robert Rankin of Rutherford County, NC and Caldwell County, KY. Other researchers think Jesse was a son of “Shaker Reverend” John Rankin of Guilford County, NC and Logan County, KY. Both Robert of Rutherford and Shaker Rev. John had sons named Jesse.

On that note, it must be time to write an article about Jesse and Cynthia … moving on from North Carolina and Tennessee to Kentucky.[19]

See you on down the road.

Robin

* * * * * * * * *

[1] See a transcription of Robert Rankin’s pension application here.

[2] Id. Robert Rankin was 84 when he applied for a pension in 1832 and was thus born about 1748. He was in the North Carolina militia, so there is virtually no doubt that he lived somewhere in North Carolina when he enlisted.

[3] Familysearch.org, Gibson Co., TN, “Tax Lists, Box 1, 1824-1835,” DGS #102863906, 1827 tax list included Robert Rankin with 1 black poll, no land.

[4] Id. The 1820s and 1830s tax lists included Robert Rankin, although he did not appear on the lists each year. He was never taxed on any land. The tax lists show a black poll with Robert in at least 1827, 1828 and 1830. I haven’t checked thereafter.

[5] The 1830 census for Gibson County had Robert as a head of household in the 80 < 90 age bracket, born 1740–50. His household included a female born 1780–90, a male born 1815–20, and one male enslaved person born 1800-06. Robert gave an enslaved person named Solomon to his daughter Margaret Finley in 1837. Gibson Co., TN Deed Book F: 55. Robert’s daughter may be and probably is the Margaret D. Fenly listed in the 1840 census for Madison County, Tennessee, born 1780-90, with an enslaved male born 1785-1804.

[6] Robert was not enumerated in the 1840 federal census for Gibson Co. and probably died between the 1837 gift deed to Margaret Rankin Finley and the census. I found no probate records for him.

[7] Here is a link to information about Ramsour’s Mill..

[8] NC State Archives and Library Search Room, File Box No. C.R.054.801.11, file folder for Rankin, David, 1789. David’s will is recorded in Iredell Will Book A: 200.

[9] North Carolina Grant No. 211, Grant Book 28: 211, Patent Book 98: 211. Grant dated 14 Mar 1780 to James Rankin, 450 acres on the south side of the Catawba River.

[10] Burke was adjacent to Lincoln County on the northwest when James Rankin obtained a grant in 1780. Iredell was created in 1788, adjacent to Lincoln on the north. See North Carolina county formation maps.

[11] Anne William McAllister & Kathy Gunter Sullivan, Civil Action Papers 1771-1806 of the Court of Ps & Qs, Lincoln County, North Carolina (1989). Bond of John Alexander dated 4 July 1793.

[12] NC State Archives and Library Search Room, File Box No. C.R.014.508.45, Burke County Estates Records, 1776 – 1934, Queen – Ritchel, file folder for Rankin, James, 1782. The file contains the original bond of Robert Rankin as administrator of the estate of James Rankin, dec’d, securities John Alexander, Joseph Steele, and Francis Cunningham. See also Familysearch.org, “North Carolina Estate Files, 1663-1979,” Burke County, Rankin, James, 1782. If you look closely, you can see the notation “Robert Rankins Admin Bond” penciled in to the left of the signatures on the second page of the bond.

[13] Iredell Co., NC Deed Book M: 271, deed date April _____, proved 1826, witnessed by Robert Rankin. That is the last “in person” appearance by Robert I found in the Iredell records.

[14] See Iredell Co., NC Deed Book T: 394, Robert A. Rankin a grantor in a deed conveying interest in estate of Dennis (sic, Denny) Rankin; NC Probate Records, Iredell Co., Wills 1808-1845, Volume 2: 274, image 149, will of Sarah Rankin naming children Robert and Samuel et al.

[15] See Gibson County Will Book B: 258, Robert A. Rankin was guardian of two Liggett children.

[16] See Gibson County Will Book B: 150.

[17] See loose probate papers, Shelby Co., TN, 4 Nov 1844 bond of Samuel Rankin as administrator of Robert A. Rankin.

[18] Some Rankin researchers think that Robert Rankin and his wife Isabel (maiden name Rankin) of Guilford Co., NC, McNairy Co., TN and Pope Co., AR may have also lived in Gibson County. I disagree. One of their descendants says she has seen no evidence the couple lived there, and I don’t see any room for them in the Gibson records.

[19] The article is i titled “Jesse and Cynthia Sellers Rankin of Gibson County, TN: Who Was His Father?” See it here.

David Rankin, died Iredell Co., NC, 1789

One of the many fun things about genealogy is meeting really nice people, including (in my case) some who are named Rankin. This includes a Rankin in Iredell County, NC, his wife, and his brother in Guilford County, NC. Unfortunately, we aren’t related. That’s a shame. We have adopted each other nonetheless.

David Rankin of Iredell County, their Rankin ancestor, was one of my early research targets when I was trying to find the family of origin of my last proved Rankin ancestor. I had high hopes for David, to no avail, as Y-DNA has conclusively proved.

Y-DNA from David’s line establishes a match, although not a close one, with the line of Joseph Rankin of New Castle County, DE. David was neither Joseph’s son nor his grandson, although David might be Joseph’s nephew. There is no evidence of any connection, however, so David and Joseph most likely share a common ancestor on the other side of the Atlantic. David’s line is also a match with descendants of Robert and Rebecca Rankin of Guilford County, NC. David might be Robert and Rebecca’s son, or a nephew. I don’t know whether the Y-DNA evidence is sufficient to draw that conclusion. We can conclude that Robert Rankin of Guilford and David Rankin of Iredell are closely related. Moreover, David is more closely related to Robert of Guilford than he is to Joseph of Delaware.

Meanwhile, I want to share my research on David’s line, because some Rankin out there might find it useful. Here it is. I’ve included a great deal of documentation, as well as links to other sources, so this is verrrrry long. Please tell me if you spot problems.

1 David Rankin, b. unknown (circa 1725?), d. 1789, Iredell Co., NC. Will written 15 Mar 1781. Wife Margaret LNU.

Here is my abstract of the will of David Rankin made from the original located at the NC State Archives and Library. The will is dated 15 March 1782 and was proved Dec 1789. No recitation that he is sick or weak. Leaves to beloved wife Margret, one third of the “plantation on which I now live for life, choice of my horses … her own clothing,” etc. Beloved son Robert, “plantation where I live plus the third in which my wife has a life estate, livestock, plantation utentials, wagons, residue of household goods.” Beloved grandson David McCreary, £5 to be paid by my son Robert before he [David] comes of age. Also to my beloved grandson David Rankin, £5 to be paid him by my son Robert before he arrives at the age of 21. Also to my beloved grandson James Rankin, £20 to be paid him by his father my son Robert. And the above sums to be made as good as money was in the year 1763. Son Robert, executor. Signed 15 Mar 1782, David Rankin. Witnesses Wm Kerr, Isabella Falls?

As to his children, David’s will expressly names a son Robert who has a son James. It also implies (1) a daughter who married a McCreary and had a son David and (2) a son who is not named but was the father of “grandson David Rankin.”

In that regard, there was a James Rankin who died in 1780 at the Battle of Ramsour’s Mill who was almost certainly David’s son. See more below under 2 James Rankin m. Miss Alexander, probably Susannah. James and Miss Alexander definitely had a son named David Rankin, proved by Lincoln Co. court records.

2 Elizabeth Rankin m. Samuel McCreary. Both left wills in Iredell County naming a son David, among other children.

3 David McCreary, b. bef. 15 Mar 1782.

2 Robert Rankin, b. circa 1745-1750 (based on proved birth dates of sons), probably b. 1748. Disappeared from Iredell/Lincoln County records by 1826. Probably went to Gibson Co., TN and died 1838-40. See my article about Robert Rankin of Gibson Co. at this link. Wife Jean LKU, possibly Jean Denny from Guilford Co.?, b. 1755 – d. 10 Dec. 1779, age 24. Some Robert Rankin married some Jean Denny on 28 Feb 1775 in Guilford. Most Rankin researchers think the groom was a Robert Rankin of Guilford who died in 1795, although that Robert Rankin was probably Jean’s uncle. Jean Rankin is buried in Centre Presbyterian Church, Iredell Co. She and Robert definitely had a son named Denny Rankin.

3 James Rankin, b. 1777-78 – d. 22 Feb 1854, age 77. Wife Elizabeth McMin, b. abt. 1779. James’ Iredell Co. will names all eight daughters and a son James, who was apparently their only surviving son. I have found no extant marriage bond for James and Elizabeth, but they were probably married in Lincoln Co., NC because Elizabeth’s sister Sarah McMin and James’ brother Denny Rankin were married there. James’ Iredell will was witnessed by James D. Rankin, a nephew who lived adjacent James (James D. was a son of Denny and Sarah McMin Rankin). Note: a beneficiary of the will would not have been a witness, which establishes that James Rankin, son of James and Elizabeth, was not the man who called himself James D. Rankin. There is apparently no extant tombstone, but James was buried in the Centre Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Mooresville. The Historic Cemetery Directory shows his year of death as 1855. However, his will appears to have been recorded 6 Jan 1854. One of those two dates is obviously incorrect.

1820 Iredell census has a listing for James Rankin (2 listings apart from Denny Rankin), although the profile doesn’t appear to fit with James’ surviving children: 320010-2101. That profile includes a male and female 26 < 45, 3 young females, and 5 young males. I can’t explain this.

1840 Iredell census, James Rankin, 000000001-000230001. James is listed as 60 < 70, b. 1770-1780, as is his wife Elizabeth. Five daughters were still living at home, three of whom are listed as age 20 < 30 (b. 1810-1820), which would include Ann, Sarah, and one other daughter. Two are shown as age 15 < 20 (b. 1820-1825), which would include Nancy and one other.

1850 Iredell census, James Rankin, 72, b. NC abt 1778, Elizabeth Rankin, 71, b. NC abt 1779, Ann Rankin, 35, b. NC abt 1815, Sarah Rankin, 31, b. NC abt 1819, and Nancy M? Rankin, 28, b. NC abt 1822.

Here is my abstract of the will of James Rankin, made from the original located at the NC State Library and Archives, Raleigh, NC, file box C.R.054.801.11. The will is undated and there is no recitation of residence. It appears to have been recorded 6 Jan 1854.

To my dear wife Elizabeth, all real and personal property including land where I live, slave Henry, household and kitchen furniture, livestock, farming tools, grain fodder and other provisions. Also carriage, notes and money. All a life estate, remainder at her death to my three single daughters Ann, Sarah and Nancy [Rankin] to be theirs jointly and absolutely. If any of my daughters marries (either before or after death of her mother), then the married child “shall be allowed to take and hold” one bed and furniture, one cow and calf, one horse and saddle worth $85 and kitchen furniture “such as my other married daughter received.” After the death of their mother, no division of property between my 3 daughters Ann, Sarah and Nancy “so long as two of them remain unmarried for it is my will and desire that this should be a home to the single daughter both after the death of their mother as well as during her life time, but in the event that any two of them should marry then … the property sold and equally divided.” Son James, large dictionary and my rifle gun. I have already given and divided off to my other daughters Ruth, Rachel, Jane, Elizabeth and Lucinda “all the property I design to [be] given them as their portion.” Daughter Ann, my large Bible and the side saddle of my wife Elizabeth. Signed James (x) Rankin. Witnessed Robt J. McDowell, James D. Rankin.

4 Ruth Rankin

4 Rachel Rankin

4 Jane Rankin m. Alexander Williams

4 Elizabeth Rankin

4 Lucinda Rankin

4 James Rankin, b. abt 1807, d. 1890. Married #1 Frances (“Frankey Mayhew”), #2 Patsey Little, Lincoln Co., 17 Mar 1858.

1840 Iredell census, James Rankin, 200001-200001001. James is in the 30 < 40 age category, b. 1800-1810. Two sons < 5, b. 1835-1840. Female in the 60< 70 category may be his mother-in-law Susannah Mayhew, who was living with the family in 1850.

1850 Iredell census, James Rankin, 43, Frankey Rankin, 42, John D. Rankin, 19, George L. Rankin, 16, Nancy L. E. Rankin, 13, Rachel E. Rankin, 11, Franklin J. C.? Rankin (Frankie Caroline? See 1860 census), 8, James A. Rankin, 6, Hester A. Rankin, 5, and Susannah Mayhew, 74, b. MD. All others b. NC.

1860 census, James Rankin, 53, farmer, $1000/2000, b. NC, Iredell Sch Dist 60, Patsey Rankin, 54, Lee Rankin, 26, b NC abt 1834, (George Lee Rankin?), Eleanor Rankin, 23 (Nancy L. Eleanor Rankin), Rachel Rankin, 20, Caroline Rankin, 19, James Rankin, 16, Hester Rankin, 15, and Osborn Rankin, 8, all b. NC.

5 John Denny Rankin, b. 10 May 1831, Statesville, Iredell Co., d. 19 May 1912, Galveston, Galveston Co., TX. Buried Riddle Cemetry, Rockdale, Milam Co., TX. Preacher, doctor and schoolteacher. Wife Mary M. S. Sechler, Rowan Co., NC marriage bond dated 18 Feb 1862, daughter of Abraham Sechler and Mary M. Freeze.

1870 census, Washington Co., TX, John D. Rankin, 39, minister and carpenter, Mary M. S. Rankin, 35, McKenzie Rankin (male), 7, James Rankin, 6, Charles G.? Rankin, 5, and Agnes E. Rankin, 1, all b. NC.

1880 census, Milam Co., TX, John D. Rankin, 49, preacher, wife Mary M., 46, son Jackson M. (Jackson McKenzie) Rankin, 17, son James G. Rankin, 15, son Charlie L. Rankin, 14, daughter Agnes E. Rankin, 11, daughter Flora I. or J. Rankin, Rowan D. Rankin, 6, daughter, and Rosadalis Rankin, 5, daughter. All b. NC and parents b. NC except Flora, Rowan and Rosadalis were b. TX.

1900 census, Milam Co., TX, D. Rankin, 69, b. May 1831, farmer, b. NC, parents b. NC, wife Emma Rankin, 55, b. Feb 1845, married 9 years, b. AL, parents b. NC, son J. G. Rankin, b. Apr 1864, b. NC, parents b. NC, daughter-in-law Thula Rankin, b. Jan? 1875, TX, parents b. GA, granddaughter Thula Rankin, b. Aug 1899, granddaughter Alice Noff, b. Dec 1885, b. TX, parents b. TX.

In 1910, James D. was living with his son Charles L. Rankin in Bell Co., TX.

TX death certificate in Galveston, Galveston Co., TX gives his dates of birth and death, lists his occupation as “preacher, doctor, schoolteacher;” born Statesville, NC, son of James Rankin, b. Iredell, and Susanna [sic] Mayhew, b. Statesville. Usual residence Florence, TX, buried Rockdale, TX.

6 Jackson McKenzie Rankin, b. 9 Jan 1863, NC, d. 9 Apr 1944, Abernathy, Hale Co., TX. Wife Sarah Alice Mayfield, married 16 Jun 1888 in Milam Co., TX. He was a Baptist preacher.

1900 census, Milam Co., TX, Jackson M. Rankin, Jan 1863, NC, parents b. NC, “preaching,” wife Sarah A. Rankin, b. Dec 1869, MO, son Dennie Rankin, b. Aug 1889, TX, daughter Maggie E. Rankin, b. Feb 1891 TX, son James E. Rankin, b. Oct 1892 TX, daughter Mary Rankin, b. Mar 1894 TX, son Harvey Rankin, b. Apr 1896 TX, daughter ______, b. Mar 1898, TX.

1910 census, Garza Co., TX, Jackson M. Rankin, 47, married 21 years, b. NC, parents b. NC, minister, Gospel Baptist Church, wife Sarah A. Rankin, 40, has had 10 children, all living, b. MO, parents b. MO, son Dennie Rankin, 20, b. TN, daughter Emma Rankin, 10, TX, son James Rankin, 17, TX, daughter Mary B. Rankin, 16, TX, son Harvey L. Rankin, 14, TX, son Willie H. Rankin, 12, TX, son McKenzie S.? Rankin, 9, TX, son Gambrell Rankin, 7, TX, son John Rankin, 4, TX, daughter Alice Rankin, 2, TX.

1920 census, Lubbock Co., TX, M. Rankin, 57, farmer, b. SC [sic], wife Sarah Alice Rankin, 50, MO, daughter Mary Rankin, 26, TX, son Kennedy (McKenzie?) Rankin, 19, TX, son Gambrell Rankin, 17, TX, son John Rankin, 15, TX, son [sic, the “sex” column has her identified as a female] Alice Rankin, 12, TX, daughter Rosa Lee Rankin, 6, TX.

1930 census, Crosby Co., TX, Jackson M. Rankin, 67, Baptist Minister, with wife Alice Rankin, 60 and daughter Mary Rankin, 36. Adjacent M. H. Rankin. In the 1840 census, Jackson M. and Sarah Alice are with their son McKenzie in Abernathy, Hale Co., TX.

TX death certificate gives dates of birth and death and identifies his parents as John D. Rankin, b. NC, and Mary Sechlar, b. PA. Informant was M. H. Rankin. Buried in the Abernathy Cemetery, Hale Co., TX.

7 Jackson Dennie Rankin, b. 16 Aug 1889, Rockdale, Milam Co., TX, d. 2 Aug 1939, Lubbock, Lubbock Co., TX. Occupation given as “teacher” on his son’s birth certificate, “bookkeeper” on his death certificate, and “singer” on his draft registration card. Wife Virgie Alice Dodson, b. Coryell Co., TX.

WW I draft registration card dated Jun 1917 for Jackson Dennie Rankin, 27, b. 16 Aug 1889, Rockdale, TX. Occupation “Evangelistic Singer, Baptist Church, San Augustine, TX.” Resides Petersburg, TX. Medium height and build, brown eyes, light brown hair, slightly bald. Single, no dependents.

1930 census, Lubbock, TX, Jackson Rankin, 40, married at age 31, b. TX, father NC, mother TX [sic], wife Argie Rankin, 36, b. TX, son Jackson Rankin Jr., 6, b. TX.

Death certificate identifies his parents as J. M. Rankin, b. NC, and Sarah Alice Mayfield, b. MO. Informant on death certificate was J. M. [sic] Rankin Jr. of Slaton, TX.

8 Jackson David Rankin, b. 25 Mar 1924, Brownfield, Terry Co., TX, d. 11 Dec 2005, Cambria, San Luis Obispo Co., CA. Corporal, US Army Air Corps, WW II. Went to Texas Tech in Lubbock. Buried in Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside, CA.

7 Maggie Emma Rankin, b. 24 Feb 1891, TX, d. 17 May 1979. Resided in Lorenzo, Crosby Co., TX; died in Lubbock, Lubbock Co., TX.

TX death certificate identified her as Emma Rankin O’Rear, a widow. Names her parents, Jackson M. Rankin and Sarah Alice Mayfield. Informant was James O’Rear.

7 James Mathew Rankin, b. 19 Oct 1892, Milam Co., TX, d. 9 Mar 1974, Lubbock, Lubbock Co. Resided in rural Crosby Co., TX. Schoolteacher, school superintendent, and Crosby Co. judge. Wife Maude Benton (b. 17 Dec 1892 in Red River Co., TX, d. 21 Jan 1967 in Lubbock). They married on 12 May 1920. He was an army Private, WW II. Both are buried in the Ralls Cemetery, Ralls, Crosby Co., TX.

TX death certificate states he was married and identifies his parents as Jackson M. and Sarah Alice Mayfield. Informant was Joe Rankin. Maude’s obituary identified two surviving sons.

8 Joe David Rankin, 8 May 1929 – 24 Dec 2002. 2^nd Lieutenant, USAF, Korea. Buried Ralls Cemetery, Crosby Co., TX.

8 Jean McKenzie Rankin, 8 May 1929 – 4 Aug 1995. Doctor. Wife Marianne Clark.

7 Mary Elmore Rankin, b. 13 Mar 1894, TX, d. 21 Dec 1971, Ralls, Crosby Co., TX. Never married. Schoolteacher. Buried Abernathy Cemetery, Hale Co., TX. Death certificate identified her parents as Jackson M. Rankin and Sarah Alice Mayfield. Informant J. M. Rankin.

7 Harvey Carroll Rankin, b. 4 Apr 1896, TX, d. 9 Feb 1982, Falls Church, Fairfax Co., VA. Resided in Springfield, VA. Baptist minister. Wife Irene Hettie Dleozier. Virginia death certificate identifies his parents as McKenzie Rankin, b. TX, and Alice Mayfield. Obituary identifies survivors.

8 Robert Carroll Rankin, b. 26 Aug 1930, Lubbock Co., TX, d. 25 Apr 2006.

8 Nelda I. Rankin, b. 2 Mar 1933, Clovis, Curry Co., NM, d. 1 Oct 1995, Clovis. Attended Bob Jones University. Married Donald Albert Cowette 26 Jun 1953, Pasquotank, NC. Buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Curry Co., NM beside her mother.

7 Willie H. Rankin, b. abt 1898, TX.

7 McKenzie Hix Rankin, b. 1 Nov 1901, TX, d. 28 Dec 1960, Abernathy, Hale Co. TX. Death certificate lists “postal clerk: as his occupation. Wife Marion B. Peston (1904-1991). Buried in the Abernathy Cemetery.

1940 census, Abernathy, Hale Co., TX, McKenzie Rankin, 39, b. TX, dairy manager, wife Marion Rankin, 35, b. VT, daughter Bernice Rankin, 13, TX, son Charles Rankin, 5, b. NM, father Jackson Rankin, 77, b NC, mother Sarah Rankin, 70, b. TX [sic].

7 Charles Gambrell Rankin, b. 19 Nov 1902, TX, d. 15 Feb 1991, last resided in LaPorte, Harris Co., TX. Wife Madie Agnes Walker (1904-1977).

7 John Stephen Rankin, b. 8 Aug 1905, TX, d. 14 May 1982, Lorenzo, Crosby Co., TX. Wife Martha Christine Holcomb (1909-1965). U.S. Army, WW II, enlisted 14 Oct 1942, released 14 Feb 1946. Minister. Buried in the Abernathy Cemetery, Hale Co., TX. TX death certificate identifies parents as Jackson M. Rankin and Sarah Alice Mayfield.

7 Alice Rankin, b. 20 Nov 1907, d. 16 Apr 1964. Husband James Francis Barron (1910-1994) on 24 Dec 1933. Buried Terrace Cemetery, Post, Garza Co., TX.

7 Rosa Lee Rankin, b. abt 1914, TX.

6 James G. Rankin, 24 Apr 1864 – 12 Sep 1922. Preacher. Had four daughters and a son who died at 13. TX death certificate for J. G. Rankin identifies father as J. D. Rankin, b. NC, mother Mary? Sechler. Buried New City Cemetery, Rockdale, Milam Co., TX.

6 Charles Lee Rankin, b. 8 Oct 1865, NC, d. 14 Jun 1935, Houston, Harris Co., TX. Wife Annie M. Dean. Texas death certificate identifies him as a son of John Denney Rankin and Mary M. Sechler. Buried Hollywood Cemetery in Houston, 3506 South Main.

1910 census, Belton, Bell Co., TX, Charles L. Rankin, 43, b. NC, parents b. NC, merchant, furniture, Annie M. Rankin, wife, 34, daughter Mary L. Rankin, 15, son Karnes M. Rankin, 14, son Charlie D. Rankin, 9, son John G. Rankin, 3, daughter Annie B. Rankin, 6 months, and father John D. Rankin, 78 (married 3 times), b. NC, parents b. NC.

7 Mary L. Rankin, b. 1895, TX.

7 Karnes McKenzie Rankin, 1896 – 1960s. 1940 census, Houston, 4802 Ave. I, Karnes Rankin, wife Ruth Pearl Hill, (she d. 1974, Madison Co. TX), daughter Ruth N. Rankin, 5, son Harold Rankin, 2.

8 Ruth N. Rankin, b. abt 1935.

8 Harold Lee Rankin Sr., b. 31 Jul 1937.

7 Charlie Dean Rankin, 25 Oct 1899 – 11 Mar 1931. Worked for the Houston Chronicle. Father C. L. Rankin, mother M. Dean. 1900 census (Milam Co., TX), 1910 census (Belton, Bell Co., TX) and 1920 census (Harris Co., TX). Informant on death certificate: C. L. Rankin of Willis, TX. Buried Forest Park Cem., Houston, wife’s name was Chloe.

7 John G. or F. Rankin, b. 1907/08. Appeared in the 1910 census, Bell Co., no further record.

7 Annie B. Rankin, b. 1910.

7 George W. Rankin, b. 27 Jul 1912, d. 18 Nov 1997, buried Willis Cemetery, Montgomery Co., TX. Spouse Martha N. Rankin, 8 Mar 1912 – 2 Jan 2005, married 27 Sep 1931. 1940 census, Houston, Harris Co., TX, 4806 Ave. I., bookkeeper, bank.

6 Agnes E. Rankin, b. NC abt 1869.

6 Flora I. or J. Rankin, b. TX abt 1872.

6 Rowan D. Rankin (female), b. TX abt 1874.

6 Rosadalis Rankin, b. TX abt 1875.

5 George Lee (or Leroy) Rankin, b. NC 5 Nov 1833 or 34 – d. 23 Feb 1909. Married Margaret Ruth Mills (1840 – 1921). Company I, 7^th Regiment, NC Troops, enlisted 26 Feb 1862.

1870 census, Davidson, Mount Mourne, Iredell Co. NC, George L. Rankin, 37, b. abt. 1833, farm hand, NC, Margaret R. Rankin, 29, NC, Aaron M., 8 months, NC and Mary V., 8 months (twins).

1880 census, Davidson, Iredell Co., NC, L. Rankin, 46, b. NC, parents b. NC, Mag. R. Rankin, wife, 40, A. M. Rankin, son, 10, M. V. Rankin, daughter, 10, J. L. Rankin, 7, son, Geo W. Rankin, 5, son, Martha A. Rankin, daughter, 3.

1900 census, Davidson, Iredell, George L. Rankin, b. NC Nov 1833, 66, m. 31 years, parents b. NC, Margaret R. Rankin, b. Apr 1840, NC, Mary V. Rankin, daughter, b. Dec 1869 (Mary Virginia), James L. Rankin, son, b. Jan 1873, Martha? Rankin, daughter, b. Dec 1876, Maggie E., daughter, b. Feb 1881.

Tombstone in the Rocky Mount United Methodist Church Cemetary, Iredell, George Lee Rankin, 5 Nov 1833 – 23 Feb. 1909. Margaret Ruth Rankin, same cemetery, 12 Apr 1840 – 1 Jan 1921.

See 1910 census, Davidson, Iredell Mooresville, Margaret R. Rankin, 59, widowed, has had 6 children, all still living, with James L. Rankin, son, 37, Mattie Rankin, daughter, 30, Elma Rankin, daughter, 27, all b. NC, parents b. NC. See also 1920 census, Davidson, Iredell, Margaret R. Rankin, dwl #17, age 78, widowed, with M. Elma Rankin daughter, 37; James L. Rankin in adjacent household.

6 Aaron Marshall Rankin, b. 3 Dec 1868, d. 30 Jan 1935. Wife Lillian Emma Kerr, married 21 Apr 1897. NC death certificate for Aaron Marshall Rankin, Route 1, Troutman, Iredell, NC, has dates of birth and death and identifies him as a retired farmer, a son of Lee Rankin and Maggie Mills. Informant: Mr. E. R. Rankin.

7 Edgar Reid Rankin, b. 31 May 1898, d. 1962. Also buried New Perth Cemetery. Married Mary L. Windcoff (1899-1987) on 3 Jan 1920. 1930 census, Fallston, Iredell, dwl #39: Edgar R. Rankin, age 31, m. #1 at 21. Wife Mary E. L. Rankin, 30, daughter Vivian G. Rankin, 8, father Aaron M. Rankin, 60.

8 Vivian Geraldine Rankin, m. Harold Collins, 24 Dec 1939.

6 Mary Virginia Rankin, b. 3 Dec 1869, d. 1948. Married Thomas Jefferson Conger, 19 Mar 1902.

7 Margaret Conger, Duke University. Schoolteacher.

7 Luther Conger m. Amelia Watkins.

8 Luther Conger Jr. m. Louise McLendon.

8 Thomas Conger m. Frances Douglas.

8 James Conger m. Dottie Plyler.

8 George Conger m. Nancy Grau.

6 James Lee Rankin, 31 Jan 1873 – 6 May 1954, buried Rocky Mount Cemetery, Iredell. Wife Annie Freeze (26 Jun 1890 – 13 Sep 1924), married 17 Dec 1911. NC death certificate states his dates of birth and death and identifies his parents as George Rankin and Margaret Mills. Informant was Miss Elma Rankin (his sister).

1920 census adj. mother Margaret Rankin: James L. Rankin, dwl #18, age 47, married, but wife isn’t listed. Daughter Margie R. Rankin, 6, son Marion K. Rankin, 4?, and E. J. Rankin, son, 8 months, b. 1919.

1930 census, Davidson, Iredell, dwl #73, James L. Rankin, 54, widowed, Elma Rankin, sister, 48, single, Margaret Rankin, daughter, 16, Mary Rankin, daughter, 14? (should be son Marion K.), E. J. Rankin, son, 10.

1940 census, Davidson, Iredell, James L. Rankin, 67, M. K. Rankin, son, 24, Marjorie Rankin, daughter, 23, Emma Rankin, sister, 58.

7 Margie or Marjorie Rankin, b. 1914.

7 Marian Kermit Rankin, b. 9 Apr 1915, d. 9 July, 2002, Mooresville, Iredell, NC. Buried Glenwood Memorial Park, Mooresville, NC. Obit in Charlotte Observer 11 Jul 2002. First wife Thelma Overcase, 1915-1993. Second wife Rachel Owens, 1922-2001.

7 Edgar James Rankin, b. 22 Apr 1919, d. 9 May 1985. Wife Rosa Jane Freeze (1920-1977). Buried Rocky Mount United Methodist Church Cemetery, Mooresville, Iredell. WW II draft registration card IDs father as J. L. Rankin, Mooresville.

1940 census, Davidson, Iredell, J. Rankin, 20, Rosa F. Rankin, 19 and Jimme Rankin, 5 months (adj. father J. L. Rankin).

8 James John Rankin, b. 12 Oct 1939, Iredell, lived in Lincolnton.

8 JoAnn Rankin m. Tommy Fann.

8 Linda Rankin m. Joel Cook.

6 George Whitfield Rankin, b. 11 Sep 1874, Iredell, d. 17 Dec 1942, Troutman, Iredell Co., buried New Perth Cemetery. Wife Sara Jane Parker, married 16 Aug 1896.

1910 census, Fallstown, Iredell, Sherill’s Ford Road, George W. Rankin, 35, first marriage, married 13 years; wife Sarah Jane Rankin, 33, has had 6 children, all still living; daughter Mary Louise, 12, son William L. Rankin, 10, daughter Reitta May Rankin, 8, son Thomas F. Rankin, 6, daughter Ruby E. Rankin, 4, and son Charles A.? Rankin, 2.

1930 census, Fallstown, Iredell, NC, dwl #62, George W. Rankin, 55, 1^st married at age 21, Sarah J. Rankin, wife, Edna Rankin, daughter, 23, Katherine Rankin, daughter, 12, Charles R. Rankin, son, 22, m. 2 years, and his wife Mildred Rankin, 20.

7 Mary Louise Rankin, b. abt 1898.

7 William Lee Rankin, 1899-1952. Married Edna Lawrence. 1940 census, Statesville, Iredell, age 40, with wife Willie E. Rankin, 39, and Jewel Rankin, 12. Will proved 21 May 1952.

7 Rita May or Mae Rankin, b 1902, m. Lathan Smith.

7 Thomas Fred Rankin, b. 7 Nov 1904, Iredell, d. 9 Dec 1972, resided Landis, Rowan Co., at 210 Rankin Road. Retired Barber. Spouse Elzora McCombs. Buried Carolina Memorial Park, Concord, Cabarrus Co., NC.

7 Ruby Edna Rankin, b. 1906-07, m. Mr. Gillian.

7 Charles Rnette (this is not a typo) Rankin, b. 2 Feb 1908, d. 23 Jul 1991. Wife Mildred Marie Hardline. WWII draft registration card calls him Charles Rneet Rankin, of Troutman, Iredell Co., NC. The NC birth index calls him Charles Rnette Rankin, son of George Whitfield Rankin and Sarah Jane Parker. NC death index also calls him Charles Anette Rankin. Buried New Perth Cemetery, Troutman, Iredell County.

8 Norman Dean Rankin, b. abt 1935, d. 11 Oct 2015, age 80, in Troutman, NC, Iredell. Husband Bobby Carroll Murdock.

8 Charles Allen Rankin, b. 24 Apr 1932, Troutman, Iredell, d. 10 Mar 2000. Wife #1 Peggy Stewart, wife #2 Sally Josey. Resided Iredell. Died in Surry Co., NC, work accident. Buried in Memorial Gardens, Statesville.

8 Peggy Joy Rankin m. Jim Templeton.

7 Katherine Rankin, b. abt. 1918, m. Mr. Hartsell.

6 Martha Ann Rankin, b. 21 Dec 1876 – d. 1963. Married Christopher Samuel Elihu Hart on 4 Dec 1913, he was b. 21 Dec 1876, d. 2 Apr 1963.

7 Spruce Rankin Hart, 17 Nov 1914 – 22 Feb 1967. First wife Mary Louise Brawley, second wife Mary Doris Keever, m. Sep 1953.

8 Charlotte Kay Hart, 3 Aug 1941. Schoolteacher.

8 Martha Bernice Hart, b. 28 Jan 1943. Married Lonnie Carroll Harmon 18 May 1969.

6 Maggie Elma Rankin, b. 25 Feb 1881, d. 1962?

5 Nancy L. Eleanor Rankin, b. NC abt 1837.

5 Rachel E. Rankin, b. NC abt 1839-40

5 Francis Isabella Caroline Rankin, b. NC abt 1841-42, d. 1897, m. James M. Rumple.

5 James Aaron Rankin, b. NC abt 1844. Company I, 7^th Regiment, NC Troops. Enlisted 22 Jul 1861. Killed at Chancellorsville on 3 May 1863.

5 Hester A. Rankin, 1845-1920, m. William Marshall Mills.

5 Osborne Tatum Rankin, b. 20 Apr 1852, Iredell Co., d. 1918, Rowan Co., NC, m. Amanda Isabella Shuford.

1870 census, Davidson, Iredell Co., dwl 103: James Rankin, 63, farmer, b. NC, Louisa Rankin, 51, Osborne T. Rankin, 18, b. NC abt 1852.

1880 census, Atwell, Rowan Co., NC: James Rankin, 73, farmer, Louise Rankin, 63, wife; Osborne Rankin, 28, son, farmer, Amanda Rankin, 26, son’s wife (Amanda J. Shuford, b. 1853, m. 1873); James Rankin, 3, son Lee Rankin, 10 months (b. Aug-Sep 1879, son of Osborne and Amanda). In 1900 census, add son Charles W. Rankin, b. 1887.

NC death certificate for Osborne Tatum Rankin, barber, Unity Twp, Rowan Co., NC. Born 20 Apr 1852, d. 20 Aug 1918, age 66, wife Amanda. Father James Rankin, b. Beaties Ford, Iredell Co., NC; mother Franky Byrd Mayhew, b. Iredell.

6 James Daniel Rankin. b. 8 Jun 1875, d. 16 May 1966 in Boone, Watauga Co., NC. Wife Tula Roberta Abernathy of Boone, NC.

7 Ruth S. Rankin, 1904-2003, Denton Co., TX, m. Paris Milton Rutherford.

7 Charles Elmer Rankin, 1908-1996, m. Mildred McDade.

7 Winton Blair Rankin, b. 1916, Boone Co., d. 2015, Wake Co., NC, m. Edith Dora Griffin.

6 Robert Lee Rankin, b. 8 Aug 1879 – d. 31 Jan 1940. Wife Susie Mae Belk. NC death certificate identifies his father as O. T. Rankin, b. NC, mother Amanda Shuford. Informant Mrs. R. L. Rankin.

1930 census: Robert Lee Rankin, 50, Susie Mae Rankin, daughters Bessie, Lucille and Rosa Lee Rankin; sons Grey Rankin, 17, Flake Rankin, 23, and Billy Rankin, 7.

7 Bessie Rankin, b. 1907.

7 Lucille Rankin, b. 1909.

7 Robert Grey Rankin, b. 27 Oct 1912, Salisbury, Rowan Co., d. 21 Jan 1976, Winston-Salem, Forsyth Co., NC. Buried Rowan Memorial Park Cemetery. Wife Eileen Jones, 29 Aug 1914 – 17 Jul 2003.

7 Rosalie Rankin, 1915-1975, m. Thomas H. Jackson.

7 Osborne Flake Rankin, 10 Jan 1918 – 16 Jul 1978, buried Lebanon Lutheran Church Cemetery, Cleveland, Rowan Co., NC. Spouse Helen L. Miller.

7 William Benjamin (“Billy”) Rankin, 7 Sep 1922 – 2 Oct 1981. Wife Margaret Sharpe Linebarger, 1925 – 2001 buried Hollybrook Cemetary, Lincolnton, NC.

6 Etta Elmora Rankin, 1882-1970, m. James A. Peeler.

6 Charles Wesley Rankin, b. NC 11 Sep 1886, d. 14 Jun 1918. Buried Greenlawn Cemetery, China Grove, Rowan Co., NC. Wife Lurline Ray Graham.

7 Charles Wesley Rankin, Jr., 1913 – 1981, d. in Lynchburg, VA. Wife Alice Johnston, 1910-1986.

7 Edward Ray Rankin, 1917-1972.

7 Josephine Rankin, 1918-2003, m. Edwin Pionowski.

4 Ann Rankin, b. 1816, m. James Reid.

4 Sarah Rankin, b. 1820, m. J. F. Brawley.

4 Nancy M. Rankin, b. abt 1822, NC, m. James S. Beatty.

3 Denny Rankin, 1775 – 1823, Iredell Co., NC. Wife Sarah McMin, marriage bond dated 4 Jan 1803 in Lincoln Co., NC. Will proved 1823. Sarah’s petition to have dower set aside mentions 126 acres on the Catawba River. Estate papers identify John M. Rankin as the guardian of minor children Sarah Aseaneth Rankin, Rachel Elizabeth McMin Rankin, and James D. Rankin. Only James was still a minor as of 20 Aug 1838. Both Denny and his wife Sarah are buried in the Centre Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Mooresville, Iredell Co., NC. A total of eight children are proved by a 1837 deed from two of the heirs to their mother, see Iredell Deed Book T: 394.

1810 census, Iredell Co., NC, Denny Rankin, 1 male 26 < 45 (b. 1765-1784), 1 female same age range, 3 males and 1 female less than ten (b. 1800-1810) (John M. b. 1803, Samuel b. 1806, and possibly William; daughter uncertain).

1820 census, Iredell Co., NC, Denny Rankin, 220010-32110. One male 26 < 45 (b. 1775 -1794), female same age, 1 female 16 < 26, 2 females 10 < 16, 3 females < 10, 2 males 10 < 16 (John M. and Samuel) and 2 males < 10 (Robert A. and James Denny?)

Denny’s tombstone inscription reads as follows: “Dennie Rankin born 1775 died 1823/Farewell father who lies here/This stone erected by his loving son Samuel Rankin/Honor thy Father and Mother.” An abstract of Iredell Co. cemeteries notes that the stone was made in Memphis, TN.

Sarah McMin Rankin’s tombstone is inscribed “Sarah wife of D. Rankin born 1781 died 1843,” with the remainder of the inscription identical to her husband’s (except substituting “mother” for “father”).

4 John M. Rankin, 13 Oct 1803 – 7 Sep 1884. Wife #1 Dorcus LNU (1802-1858). Married wife #2 Catharine Nixon (16 Aug 1815-11 Aug 1866) in Lincoln Co., 5 Jan 1859. She appears in 1860 census with 5 children born before 1860, all apparently children of Dorcus. In 1870 census, wife #3 is Elizabeth LNU. Buried United Presbyterian Church, Lincoln Co., NC.

5 Catharine Rankin, 1833-1908, m. Mr. Nixon

5 Jane Rankin, 1835 – 1887

5 Dorcas Cherry Rankin, 1837 – 1922

5 Rachel Rankin

5 John N. Rankin, b. abt 1843. Enlisted 20 Aug 1862, age 18, Co. K, NC 23^rd Inf. Mustered out 25 Oct 1862 at Winchester, VA.

5 Aseneth M. Rankin, 1844-1874

5 Robert R. Rankin, 1848-1855

4 Samuel Rankin, b. 22 Jun 1806, Iredell Co. – d. 27 Apr 1886, Shelby Co., TN. I believe (some Rankin researchers disagree) that he is the Samuel enumerated in the census during 1840-1880 in Shelby Co., TN. Denny and Sarah’s son Samuel bought stones for his parents’ Iredell County graves that were carved in Memphis, which is in Shelby Co. Wife Marcella LNU.

1840 census, Shelby Co., TN, Samuel Rankin, 200001-11001. Oldest male 30 < 40, b. 1800-1810. Two sons b. 1835-1840 (Marcus and George), a daughter b. 1835-1840 (Rachel), and a daughter b. 1830-1835 (Sarah).

1850 census, 2^nd, Shelby Co., #615: Samuel Rankin, 44, carpenter, b. NC, Marcilla Rankin, 43, VA, Sarah Rankin, 16, TN, Rachel Rankin, 14, TN, Marcus Rankin, 11, TN, George Rankin, 7, TN, and William Rankin, 6, TN.

1860 census, 2^nd, Shelby Co.: Samuel Rankin, 54, farmer, b. NC, Marcilla, 51, VA, Rachel, 23, TN, Marcus L. or S., 22, TN, George L. or S., 20, TN, Jamey?, 17, female, TN, Wm. D., 15, TN, and Samuel D., 7, TN.

1870 census, Shelby Co., #17: Samuel Rankin, 64, b. NC, Marcella Rankin, 63, VA, Rachel E. Rankin, 24, b. TN, George L. Rankin, 31, b. TN, James Rankin, 28, b. TN, Samuel D. Rankin, 18, TN.

1880 census, 2^nd, Shelby Co., TN: Samuel Rankin, 74, b. NC, parents b. NC, Marsella Rankin, 73, b. VA, parents b. VA. West Union Cemetery, Shelby Co., TN: Samuel Rankin, b. 22 Jun 1806, d. 20 Jul 1890, and Marcella Rankin, 18 Oct 1806 – 27 Apr 1886.

5 Sarah Rankin, b. TN abt 1834, d. 19 Jul 1882, married Mr. Van Fleet.

5 Rachel E. Rankin, b. TN 26 Jan 1836 – 25 Jun 1910, husband M. L. McEncroe. Buried West Union Cemetery, Shelby Co., TN.

5 Marcus D. Rankin, b. TN abt 1838-39. Wife Carolyn Brazil?

1870 census Dist. 4, Shelby Co., TN, D. Rankin, 33, b. TN, H. C. Rankin, female, 28, b. TN, Mary T. Rankin, 9, b. TN, and Joseph C. Rankin, 2, b. TN.

6 Joseph C. Rankin, b. 7 Feb 1868 d. 29 Aug 1956, buried West Union Cemetery, Shelby Co. Death certificate identifies his parents as Mark Rankin and Carolyn Brazil Rankin and wife as Eva Corbitt Rankin (1872 – 1937).

1910 census, Dist. 2, Shelby Co., TN, Joe Rankin, 42, b. TN, parents b. TN, married 19 years, wife Eva, 39, has had 8 children, 4 living; son Terrell, 15, TN, son Louis, 9, TN, daughter Amanda, 6, TN, daughter Rachel, 1, TN, and brother-in-law Lawrence Corbit, 27.

7 Terrell Rankin, b. TN abt 1895

7 Louis Rankin, b. TN abt 1901

7 Amanda Rankin, b. TN abt 1904

7 Rachel Rankin, b. TN abt 1909

6 Luther E. Rankin, b. Oct 1880, d. 5 Jun 1929, buried West Union Cemetery, Shelby Co., single, according to death certificate. Parents identified as M. D. Rankin, Amie Bazoa.

5 Jamey (female) Rankin, b. TN abt 1842

5 George L. Rankin, b. TN abt 1843

5 William D. Rankin, b. TN abt 1844-45

5 Samuel D. Rankin, b. Shelby Co., TN abt 1853. Married Mary Jane McMurray, a widow. 1880 census, Dist. 2, Shelby Co., TN, D. Rankin, 27, b. TN, father b. NC, mother b. ?, wife M. Jane, TN, son Phelan M. Rankin, 5 months, and stepdaughter Othella McMurray, 7, TN.

6 Phelan M. Rankin, b. 1880.

4 William Rankin, probably b. 1800-1810.

4 Rachel Elizabeth McMin Rankin, b. abt 1818, Iredell Co., NC

4 Jane D. Rankin m. ______ Porter

4 Robert A. Rankin, d. 1844, Shelby Co., TN, m. Tabitha Leggett, Gibson Co., TN.

4 Sarah Aseaneth Rankin, b. abt 1816, Iredell Co., NC

4 James Denny Rankin, b. 1820, d. by 1857, wife Evaline or Emerline York.

1850 census, James D. Rankin, 30, b. NC, Evaline Rankin, William L. Rankin, 3, Sarah E. Rankin, 1, and Sarah A. Rankin, 34 and Rachel E. M. C. Rankin, his sisters Sarah Aseaneth and Rachel Elizabeth McMin Rankin.

1860 census, Evaline Rankin, 40, farmer, Leroy Rankin, 15, Bettie Rankin, 13, Harriet Rankin, 11, and Emma Rankin, 2.

5 William Leroy Rankin, b. NC abt 1846.

5 Sarah Elizabeth Rankin, b. NC abt 1847.

5 Harriet Rankin, b. NC abt 1849.

5 Emma Isabella Rankin, b. 10 Jul 1856, d. 26 Jan 1928, Mooresville. Born in Iredell County. Death certificate identifies her father as Denny Rankin, b. Iredell, and Emerline York?, also b. Iredell.

2 James Rankin, d. June 1780 at the Battle of Ramsour’s Mill, m. Miss (Susannah?) Alexander.

3 David Rankin b. by 1781, Lincoln Co., NC.

3 Margaret (“Peggy”) Rankin m. Thomas Witherspoon, 6 Jul 1801, Lincoln Co.

3 William Rankin m. Mary Lourance/Lawrence, 17 Jan 1810.

4 Jane/Jean Rankin m. William Crays.

Line of Robert & Rebecca Rankin of Guilford Co., NC

THIS ARTICLE IS OUTDATED AND NEEDS TO BE REVISED. MORE YDNA RESULTS ARE IN.

This is a descendant chart for yet another line of Rankins: Robert and Rebecca Rankin of Guilford Co., NC. I cannot say anything positive about Y-DNA results concerning this line … yet. Y-DNA test results for one of their descendants should be available by the end of March 2017. More then. Meanwhile, I hope this chart has something of value for someone with a Rankin ancestor in North Carolina in the last half of the 18th century.

1 Robert Rankin and wife Rebecca (last name unknown) of Guilford County emigrated from Letterkenny Parish, Donegal County, Ireland to Pennsylvania about 1750.[1] Robert was part of the Nottingham Company, which acquired Granville grants in that part of North Carolina that became Guilford County. Robert and his son George were listed in the 1753 West Nottingham Township tax list for Chester County, PA.[2] Robert and Rebecca and some of their children migrated to NC in 1755. Because the family used the same men’s given names repeatedly – particularly Robert, George and John – I have adopted some shorthand designations or nicknames to distinguish among them. Here are the main ones:

Robert Rankin with wife Rebecca: “R&R” or “Robert Sr.’”
R&R’s son Robert: “Robert d. 1795.”
“George d. 1851” was the only proved son of Robert d. 1795, although there may have been others. George d. 1851 married Nancy Gillespie and went to McNairy Co., TN. A gift deed proves that they had a son named Robert:
“Robert (1792? – 1845?).” As the question marks indicate, it is not certain where this Robert went and my opinion is speculative.
R&R’s son George who married Lydia Steele: “George d. 1760.” Proved sons of George d. 1760 and Lydia:
Shaker Rev. John, born in Guilford in 1757, was an ordained Presbyterian minister who became a “Shaker” and died in Logan Co., Kentucky.
Rev War Robert, born in Guilford in 1759, was a Revolutionary War veteran who moved to McNairy Co., TN and died there in 1840.

Robert Sr. left no will, despite bad information to the contrary in Gregg Moore’s compiled Rankin history. Moore claims that Robert Sr. died testate in 1795.[3] That is demonstrably incorrect, see my article on the subject here.

According to Rev. S. M. Rankin, Robert Sr. died in Guilford County about 1770.[4] Rev. Rankin also asserted in another part of his book that Robert died before the church started keeping minutes, which was in 1773. Rev. Rankin says that Robert and Rebecca’s children were George, Robert, Rebecca, John and others. I would add a daughter Ann Rankin Denny, who is established by strong circumstantial evidence. I would discount Rebecca because I didn’t find any evidence of her, although a daughter by that name would obviously be likely.

There are several family trees on Ancestry.com that identify R&R as the parents of both (1) David Rankin who died in Iredell Co., NC in 1789 and (2) Samuel Rankin (1734 – 1816) who married Eleanor (“Ellen”) Alexander Rankin and lived in Lincoln Co., NC. So far, I have not found anyone who cites any evidence for that information except for other Ancestry family trees. I have found no evidence in county or other records that either David or Samuel was a son of R&R. Two descendants of David of Iredell have tested, and neither matches Samuel Rankin. At minimum, this proves that David of Iredell and Samuel of Lincoln cannot possibly have been brothers.

R&R’s children appear in this chart with a “2” preceding their names. R&R’s grandchildren are numbered “3,” their great-grandchildren are “4,” and so on, in standard outline genealogy format, except that I have included more information than is usual in the outline format. Citations are contained in footnotes.

2 John Rankin was a son of R&R, according to Rev. Rankin. There was a John Rankin in some early Rowan/Guilford records involving other people in the line of R&R. That John was too old to be Shaker Rev. John, born in 1757, the elder son of George d. 1760 and Lydia Steele Rankin.[5] Based on such records, Rev. Rankin is probably right about R&R having a son John. I found no evidence of land ownership or identities of any of John’s children except in Rev. Rankin’s book, which says that John had a son John. I have been unable positively to identify this line after Guilford County.

3 John Rankin

2 Rebecca Rankin was a daughter of R&R according to Rev. Rankin. She reportedly married James Denny. I found no evidence of a James and Rebecca Denny in Guilford, and I haven’t tried to find them elsewhere.

2 Ann Rankin married William Denny. R&R gifted land to their son George Rankin and to William Denny on subsequent days in April 1755. Both transactions were for five shillings, the traditional gift deed price.[6] Rev. Rankin’s book asserts that Robert & Rebecca “sold” William Denny his land, although the price clearly marks it as a gift. That virtually guarantees that William Denny was a son-in-law. William and Ann Rankin Denny’s children are proved by his 1766 will, which names his wife Ann and the following children:[7]

3 James Denny, of age by 1766

3 William Denny, of age by 1766

3 Hannah Denny, unmarried in 1766

3 Agnes Denny, unmarried in 1766

3 Jane Denny, unmarried in 1766. Many Rankin researchers believe this is the Jean Denny who married, in 1775, Robert d. 1795 — a son of R&R. However, R&R’s son Robert would have been Jane/Jean Denny’s uncle, if I am correct that Ann and Robert were siblings. It is definitely correct that some Jane/Jean Denny married some Robert Rankin in Guilford County in 1775. Who was the Robert in question? Not (1) Robert Sr. (who died by 1773 and was married to Rebecca LNU), (2) probably not Robert d. 1795, who was most likely Jane Denny’s uncle, and (3) not George and Lydia’s son Rev. War Robert, who was only 16 in 1775. Perhaps there was more than one Jane/Jean Denny in Guilford, which is quite possible. Or perhaps Jane/Jean Denny’s husband was the Robert Rankin of Iredell Co., son of David, who had a son named Denny Rankin. I suspect that is correct.

2 Robert Rankin – Robert d. 1795 — left a will proving five children. He may have had others, of course. He had three daughters and one son still living when he wrote his will.[8] The will identified by name a son George (George d. 1851), deceased daughter Mary Rankin Wilson’s three sons, and a daughter Isobel. Further, the will gave a 1/5^th share of his estate to “each of my daughters now living,” implying two more living daughters in addition to Isabel. Thus, the will left 1/5^th of the estate each to (1) George d. 1851, (2) the Wilson grandchildren (divided among the three of them), (3) Isobel, (4) an unnamed daughter, and (5) another unnamed daughter. One of the two unnamed daughters was the Rankin woman who married yet another William Denny, because the second William Denny died in 1825 and named his brother-in-law (identified as such) George d. 1851 as executor of his will.[9]

Rev. S. M. Rankin identified John, Robert and William Rankin as “sons of Robert [Robert d. 1795] and grandsons of Robert Sr.,” citing Caruther’s “Life of Caldwell” — but inexplicably omitting George d. 1851, proved in his father’s will. Elsewhere in the book, Rev. Rankin identifies John, Robert and William Rankin as sons of Rev. War Robert (making those three men great-grandsons of Robert Sr.). Rev. Rankin probably confused his Roberts, a very easy mistake to make in Guilford, and the latter is most likely correct. I am not including those three here as sons of Robert d. 1795, because I found no evidence for them in the Guilford records. Instead, this chart includes only the children proved by the will of Robert d. 1795: George d. 1851, Mary Rankin Wilson, Isabel, and two unnamed daughters, one of whom was the wife of William Denny who died in 1825.

3 George Rankin (George d. 1851) was born in Guilford Co., NC, 22 Mar 1767 and died in McNairy Co., TN, 15 Sep 1851.[10] George d. 1851 married Nancy Gillespie on 28 Jan 1791 in Guilford.[11] He sold 443 acres on the south side of Buffalo Creek in Guilford on 22 Aug 1832, and then moved to McNairy.[12] He and his wife Nancy (1773 – 30 Jul 1843) are buried at Bethel Springs Cemetery in McNairy. The census records for George in Guilford and McNairy support the possibility of 11 possible, but I haven’t been able to prove that many. This chart shows only seven children, and I’m not entirely sure about a couple of those.

4 Some Robert Rankin was a son of George’s, which is proved by a gift deed.[13] George d. 1851’s son was (if I have the right man) born in 1792 and died 1845 – the man whom I call Robert (1792? – 1845?).[14] It is possible — ** and this is speculative ** — that George d. 1851 and Nancy’s proved son Robert was the same man as the Robert Rankin who married Isabel Rankin, daughter of Rev. War Robert and Mary (“Polly”) Cusick Rankin. Isabel was b. 1791 – d. 1861, per her tombstone; she and her husband Robert Rankin would have been great-grandchildren of R&R and therefore second cousins. Their pedigrees, in short (if my speculation is correct: (1) Isabel’s pedigree would be R&R > George d. 1760 & Lydia > Rev. War Robert & Polly Cusick > Isabel Rankin, while (2) her husband’s would be R&R > Robert d. 1795 > George d. 1851 m. Nancy Gillespie > Robert (1792? – 1845?). Some Robert and Isabel definitely married in Guilford in December 1812.[15] See their line under Isabel. I have put their line under Isabel because her identity as a daughter of Rev. War Robert and Mary Cusick is reasonably certain, while the identity of her spouse Robert is speculative.

4 Rebecca Rankin, who was almost certainly the Rebecca who m. Jedediah Rankin in 1811. He was a son of Rev. War Robert and Polly Cusick. They went to Perry Co., AR, see their line under Jedediah.

4 Margaret (Peggy) Rankin, b. 1796, Guilford, d. 1875, Lincoln Co., TN, m. Joseph H Wallace, Guilford, 6 Jan 1818.

4 Daniel G. Rankin? m. Elizabeth Hanner 1823.

4 Thankful Rankin Wharton? 1803-1885.

4 David Caldwell Rankin, b. 1808, Guilford Co., NC, married #1 Mary M. C. F. _______ (d. 1847, McNairy Co., TN), married #2 Nancy Wilson. David was almost certainly still in his parents’ household in the 1830 Guilford Co., NC census. He was listed in his own household in the 1840 and 1850 census for McNairy Co., TN, with his father George enumerated in his household.

5 William Rankin, b. abt 1834

5 Nancy Rankin, b. abt 1838

5 George Washington Rankin, b. abt 1840

5 Angelina Rankin, b. abt 1842, may have married A. J. Minton, 23 Jun 1863, McNairy

5 Marion Rankin, b. abt 1847

4 John D. Rankin, b. Guilford 1816-17, d. McNairy 1870, m. Mary (“Polly”) Kerby (1820-1883). Buried Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Finger, McNairy Co., TN.[16]

5 Francis Marion Rankin, b. 1836, d. 25 Jun 1890, buried Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Finger, McNairy Co. Wife Louisa Elizabeth James, 19 Aug 1834 – 25 Oct 1926.[17]

6 Julia Ann Rankin, 1858 – 1906.

6 Robert W. Rankin, b. 12 Mar 1860 TN, d. 15 Nov 1919. Wife Margaret J. ______ (1868-1958).[18]

7 Perry P. Rankin, b. Feb 1889, d. _____

7 Letta V. Rankin, b. abt. 1893

7 Robert L. Rankin, b. Mar 1895

7 Franklin Rankin, b. 13 Sep 1899, d. 24 Apr 1979. Per his TN death certificate, Franklin was a son of R. W. Rankin & Margaret J. Rankin. Franklin’s wife was Winnie Essie Patterson. Per marriage certificate, they were m. 18 Dec 1921 in Chester Co., TN. Both are buried in the Cave Springs Cemetery, Henderson, Chester Co., TN. Winnie’s obituary (she died November 28, 2001) identified her husband as Frank, d. 1979, and identifies her children as follows …

8 Herman Rankin, predeceased his mother. Death certificate says he was b. 20 Jul 1923, d. 9 Aug 1998, son of Frank Rankin and Winnie Essie Patterson, buried Shelby Co., TN.

8 Daughter Bernice Rankin McDaniel of Memphis.

8 Son Glenn Rankin of Selmer, TN.

8 Son Aaron Rankin of Gallatin, TN.

6 William Sherman Rankin, 1866 – 1937

6 Mary F. Rankin, 1868 – 1937, m. Mr. Maness

6 F. M. Rankin, Jr., 1871 – 1894

6 Louisa Rankin, 1873 – 1949

6 John B. Rankin, b. 1877, d. ____

5 Nancy Rankin, b. 1838-39, d. 1923?

5 Sarah E. Rankin, b. 1842, d. 1915?

5 Lucy E. Rankin, 1843-44, d. ____

5 Mary J. Rankin, b. 1845, d. 1934?

5 Robert Neal Rankin, b. 1847, d. 1922?

5 Thankful Caroline Rankin, b. 1850, d. ?

5 Margaret S. Rankin, b. 1852, d. 1927?

5 Julia A. Rankin, b. 1854, d. ?

5 Elizabeth E. Rankin, b. 1857, d. 1943?

5 George D. Rankin, b. 1860, d. ? May have gone to Oklahoma.

5 Hugh Kerby Rankin, b. 1865, d. 1946? Ditto. McNairy estate records mentions Elizabeth, George and Hugh Rankin, heirs and minors, by their guardian ad litem. So the estate was administered prior to 1876.

3 Mary Rankin m. Andrew Wilson, d. by 1795. Some of these Wilsons went to McNairy Co., TN, but I have not attempted to track them or sort them out.

4 William Rankin Wilson, b. 1787, Guilford Co., NC, d. 1855, reportedly m. Lydia Rankin — the Lydia who was a daughter of Rev. War Robert and Polly Cusick. I haven’t seen proof.

4 Andrew Wilson

4 Maxwell Wilson

3 Isobel Rankin

3 Daughter Rankin, possibly Rebecca? Not identified by name in her father’s 1795 will, but see will of William Denny dated 12 Dec 1824 proved Feb 1825. Will mentions brother-in-law George Rankin. See also Guilford DB 8: 230, 1803 deed witnessed by William Denny and Rebeckah Denny.

4 Rebeckah Denny m. Mr. Black

4 Pamela Denny m. Mr. Wilson

4 Nancy Denny

4 Isabel Denny

4 James Denny

4 William Denny

4 Allen Denny

3 Unnamed daughter Rankin.

2 George Rankin, b. 1729, Letterkenny Parish, County Donegal, Ireland. Emigrated to Pennsylvania about 1750 with father Robert.[19] Died 1760, Guilford Co., NC, m. Lydia Steele, from County Derry. George’s will, dated and proved 1760, names their sons John (“Rev. Shaker John”) and Robert (“Rev War Robert”).

3 Rev. Shaker John Rankin, b. 27 Nov 1757, Guilford Co., NC, d. 1850, Logan Co., KY. Married Rebeccah Rankin, 5 Dec 1786, a daughter of John Rankin and Hannah Carson (per Old Buffalo Church and Rev. John’s autobiography). He was ordained by Rev. Caldwell. He left NC in October 1796 and arrived in Gallatin, Sumner Co., TN, in Nov. 1796. In Dec. 1798, he moved to Gasper River, Logan Co., KY.

See http://digitalcommons.wku.edu.theses/1243. My listing of his children is entirely from the census records in Logan Co., KY.

4 George Rankin, 1787-1880. If birth date correct, he was b. NC.

4 Hannah Rankin, 1789-1826. Ditto.

4 Robert Rankin, date unknown, reportedly second eldest son, if so … b. 1790.

4 James Rankin, 1791-1884

4 Solomon Rankin, 1796-1882

4 John N. Rankin, 1798-1870

4 Jesse Rankin, 1799-1882.

4 William Rankin, 1803-1880

3 Robert Rankin (“Rev War Robert”), b. 1759 in Guilford (per pension application), m. #1 Polly Cusick (date unknown), m. #2 Mary Moody in 1803, both marriages in Guilford. Polly Cusick evidently died about 1801. Robert and Mary Moody moved from Guilford to McNairy, TN about 1832. He died there in 1840.[20] She died after 1850, when she appeared in the census in a son’s household.

Children of Rev War Robert and Polly Cusick. Three daughters (Lydia, Isabel and Thankful) are proved by the Guilford Co. 1816 will of their grandfather, William Cusick, who identified his granddaughters as children of Robert Rankin and his deceased daughter Polly. [21]

4 Lydia Rankin, b. before 1803. Reportedly married her cousin William Rankin Wilson (a grandson of Robert Rankin d. 1795 in Guilford) and d. 1862 in Arkansas. I haven’t found proof. I (blush) haven’t seriously looked yet.

4 Isbel/Isabel Rankin, b. 1791, m. Robert Rankin 9 Dec 1812 in Guilford. I ** speculate ** he was her second cousin Robert, a proved son of George (1767-1851) and Nancy Gillespie Rankin. Isabel and her husband Robert went to Arkansas, d. Pope Co. They are buried in the Old Kinslow Cemetery (about 1 mile west of Appleton, AR, now abandoned). Tombstones are inscribed “Robert Rankin d. 1845 aged 53” (which puts his birth year at 1792), “Isabelle Rankin died 1861 aged 70 years” (so born abt 1791), and “George W. Rankin died 1843 aged 22 yrs. 9 mo.” George was their son.

5 Margaret D. Rankin, 1813 –

5 Susan Rankin, 1814 –

5 George W. Rankin, 1821 – 1843

5 Malinda Rankin, 1823-1880, or possibly Salenda

5 Isabell Jane Rankin, b. 1825–26, d. 1899, married Joseph Poe

5 Robert M. Rankin, 1827 – 1894

5 Anthony Lambert Rankin, 1830-1892, m. Patience Ann Jones

6 Evert Rankin

7 Alta Rankin m. Ed Wilson

5 William Rankin?

5 Jasper N. Rankin, 1832-1862

5 Julia Ann Rankin

5 Carolina Rankin

5 Reuben Burr Rankin, b. 4 May 1834, d. 17 Aug 1909, Ozark, Franklin Co., AR. Married Nancy Elizabeth Nash, b. 1836, on 8 Dec 1853, marriage recorded in the minutes of the Glass Village Presby Congregation in Appleton, AR.[22]

6 John James Rankin, b. AR 8 Oct 1854, d. 22 Jan 1931, Perryville, Perry Co., AR. Married Margaret Ann Lemley, 7 Apr 1862 – 20 Oct 1948, Perryville.

7 Mollie Rankin, d. bef. 1961

7 Lee Lester Rankin m. May Hamilton, d. bef. 1961

8 Ruby Rankin

8 Lowell Rankin

7 Sibley Arthur Rankin, b. 1882, Appleton, AR, m. #1 Mayme Bunn, m. #2 Mary Estella Rankin, Morrilton, AR.

8 L. D. Rankin, Nachez, MS m. ????

9 Michael Rankin, b. abt. 1939, wife Carolyn, lived in Natchez on Rankin St.

9 John Patrick Rankin, b. abt 1943, Ole Miss, geological engineering

9 Lee Dennis Rankin, b. abt 1946.

7 Reuben Anderson Rankin, m. #1 Mae Bowie, m#2 Dollie Gentry, d. bef. 1961

7 Rulen? Nulen? Ephriam Rankin m. LaVada McGehee

8 John Edward Rankin of Tulsa, OK as of 1961

7 Jesse Parke Rankin m. Pearl Thedford, d. bef. 1961

8 Cleburne Rankin, lived in Perryville, AR as of 1961

8 Ida Rae Rankin m. Mr. Henry, lived in Little Rock as of 1961

7 Maudie Ethel Rankin, m. R. E. Richey, lived in Tulsa as of 1961

7 Odie Ella Rankin, m. #1 Ed Bland, m. #2 Jake Tulp, lived Little Rock

7 John Leland Rankin m. Maudie Luella Rankin, twin sister of the Mary Estella who m. Sibley Arthur Rankin, lived in Cutler, CA

7 Cecil Farrar Rankin, Perryville, AR, never married.

6 Mary M. Rankin, 1856-1871

6 Rosetta A. Rankin, 1857-1947, “Zett,” married Henry Templeton

6 Nancy Isobel Rankin, 1858-1947, m. Anderson Bartlett

6 Sarah Fina? Fine? Rankin, 1859-1934, m. Henry Bartlett

6 Laura Alice Rankin, 1865-1948

6 George Alver Rankin, 1868 – 1938, b. Mulberry AR, d. Lone Elm, Franklin, AR, m. Ollie Delana Francis, b. 1869

7 William Edgar Rankin, 1890-1946

7 Thomas Fay Rankin, 1892-1920

7 Phoebe Lois Rankin, 1895-1970

7 Jasper Francis Rankin, 1897-1988

7 George Argus Rankin, 1900-1993 m. Grace L.

7 Rollie Burr Rankin, b. 1905, AR, d. 1995, San Pablo, Contra Costa, CA, m. Hazel Melissa Mackey, 1904-1995. Kit #207504 in the Rankin DNA project.

4 Thankful Rankin, b. before 1803, m. Hance McCain in Guilford, 4 Feb 1818.

4 John Rankin, b. 17 Feb 1797 d. 24 Mar 1846, buried Bethel Springs Cem., McNairy Co., TN.

4 Jedediah Rankin is proved as a son of Rev. War Robert by an 1815 Guilford gift deed.[23] Born abt 1783-84, Guilford Co., NC, d. 1862. Appeared in the Guilford census in 1820.[24] Went to Perry Co., AR about 1832, says one source; another says he was there by 1830. Appears in the Perry Co. census in 1850 and 1860 in the household of his son George M. Rankin.[25] Jedediah was married twice. He married wife #1, Rebecca Rankin, 4 Dec 1811, Guilford Co., NC, Robert Rankin Jr., bondsman. [Note: Robert JUNIOR in 1811 was Robert, a proved son of George and Nancy Gillespie. Rebecca was almost certainly also a daughter of George and Nancy.] Rebecca died in 1827. Jedediah m. wife #2 was Elizabeth _______.

5 Catherine Rankin, b. 1812, married Mr. Kidd, to Texas.

5 Polly Ann Rankin, m. Capt. Wilson of Arkansas, she died in 1863.

5 George M. Rankin, b. abt 1822, Guilford Co., NC, m. Elizabeth Jane Alexander, 28 Dec 1841. See 1880 census.[26] Died 1896, Perry Co., AR. They had 14 children, per Goodspeed’s.

6 Robert N. Rankin, b. AR 10 Jun 1844, d. Corinth, MS, 1863

6 George W. Rankin, b. AR 15 Sep 1846, lived in Perryville

6 Rebecca Rankin, b. 1848, d. infant

6 William H. C. (or H. R.,?) Rankin, b. AR 4 Mar 1850, Perryville merchant, m. Mollie E. Swaggerty 7 Feb 1875 (she was b. GA)

6 Polly Ann Rankin, b. Apr 1851, d. 1863

6 Lucinda C. Rankin, b. AR abt 1854, might be the Lucinda Catherine b. Apr 1853, m. John Bland.

6 John J. Rankin, b. AR Apr 1855, d. Dec 1880

6 Isbel or Isabella C. Rankin, b. AR 1857, d. Jan 1877

6 Henry M. Rankin, b. AR 1859

6 Lousetta Rankin, b. AR 25 Dec 1861, m. George Bland, to California

6 Edmund (“Eddie”) Rankin, b. AR 26 Dec 1864, d. TX 1886

6 Elizabeth (“Betsey”) J. Rankin, b. AR Mar 1867, m. E. B. Rorer of Perry Co.

6 Monroe Madison Rankin, b. 3 Mar 1869, AR. See 1910, 1920 and 1930 census. Married Maggie Edwards 14 Jul 1895, Moab, Perry Co., AR. He was 26, she was 16. A SSI claim identifies spouse as Margaret M. Edwards, a child as Faye Edith Filkins. Children from census:

7 Lyle Rankin, b. abt 1898

7 Fay Rankin, b. abt 1905, married Mr. Filkins.

7 Roy Rankin, b. abt 1907-08 (seems to be “Ray” in the 1930 census)

7 Ruben N. Rankin, b. 1909. See 1930 census, living with parents Madison & Maggie. Married Eunice Bell Lane, 13 Jan 1929, Saline Co. AR. They have one child in that census: Ruben C. Rankin.

8 Reubin Cecil Rankin, 1930-1992. Tombstone in Smith-Rosemont Cemetery, Saline, Benton Co., AR. Wife Frances Louise Samples. SS death index mentions Reuben N. Rankin and Eunice J. Lane, his parents.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=RAN&GSpartial=1&GSbyrel=all&GSst=4&GScntry=4&GSsr=1601&GRid=44304504&

7 Sybil Rankin, b. abt 1915

4 George Rankin, b. Guilford Co., NC (reportedly 1782), d. 1828, went to Pulaski Co., AR. Married Ann McMurray, 22 Nov 1803. See Pulaski County census, 1840 … Ann Rankin, 0001-00000001. She is 50<60, b. 1780-1790, fits with likely birthdate of George, son of Rev War Robert and Polly Cusick. She is listed on the same page as Wiliam D. Rankin in the 1840 census, suggesting he is her son. See also 1830 tax list, Pulaski Co., Ann Rankin (also listed 1836, 1839). Jedediah Rankin is listed on the 1830 tax list along with Robert Rankin. In the 1835 tax list, there is Robert Rankin, William Rankin (1835 and 36) and William D. Rankin (1839).

5 Probable son: John J. Rankin, b. abt 1822. In the 1850 census, Pulaski Co., AR, he is listed in the dwelling next to Ann Rankin, probably his mother.[27]

6 Dores, probably Doris, Rankin, b. AR abt 1845

6 Frances Rankin, b. AR abt. 1846

6 George Rankin, b. AR abt. 1849-50.

5 William D. Rankin, b. 1800-1810, AR. Married Minerva Payne, 12 Jul 1832, Pulaski Co., AR. Land grant, 1838, 160A, Section 29, T3-N, R15-W. 1840 census suggests two sons born 1835-40, one son born 1833-1840, plus two daughters. [28] His wife is 20 < 30 in 1840, born 1810-1820.[29] Children from 1850 census.[30]

6 Thomas Rankin, b. AR abt 1831

6 Julia Ann Rankin, b. AR abt 1834

6 James W. Rankin, b. AR abt 1836, married Sarah LNU.[31]

7 William D. Rankin, b. AR 1859-60

7 Franklin Rankin, b. AR abt 1861

7 Texas? Rankin, female, b AR abt 1862

7 Elmira Rankin, b. AR abt 1867

7 Julia Rankin, b. AR abt 1869

6 Sarah Rankin, b. AR abt 1841

6 William? Henry Rankin, b. abt 1843 per 1850 census, abt. 1842 per 1870 census. Rankin descendant says he was b. 1839, d. 1906.[32]

7 George Emory Rankin, 1866-1931, m. Sophronia Evelena Coley, 29 Mar 1894, Faulkner Co., AR. She died 1926 in Ouachita Parish, LA. Obit said her husband was “of Caldwell Parish.”[33]

8 Chester Clyde Rankin of Ceres, CA, b. 27 Dec 1894, Conway Co., AR per draft registration card, d. 11 Jul 1977, Ceres, CA.

8 William Henry Rankin, b. 1898, Howard Co., AR, d. 1981, Columbia, Caldwell Par., LA.

8 Rollie R. Rankin, b. 1902, Howard Co., AR, d. 1984, Caldwell Parish, LA

8 Alberta Rankin, b. abt 1905, Howard Co., AR

8 Bertie L. Rankin, b. abt 1907, Howard Co., AR

8 Laura Dee Rankin, b. abt 1909, Howard Co., AR

8 Harry B. Rankin, b. abt 1909, Howard Co., AR

8 Fred D. Rankin, b. 10 Feb 1913, Howard Co., AR, d. 11 Feb 1975, Winnsboro, Franklin Parish, LA. His obituary names his surviving sons and a couple of his brothers.

9 George E. Rankin of Bossier City.

9 Fred Allen Rankin, b. 1944, lives in Benton, Bossier Parish, LA.

6 Enneline? Rankin, b. AR abt 1845

6 George Rankin, b. AR abt 1847

5 Robert Rankin, b. 1805, NC, d. 1863, Perry Co., AR, m. Frances Hogan.[34] Buried in Antioch Cemetery, Perryville, AR. Double headstone with Frances. His tombstone says “Killed by Jayhawkers.” http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Rankin&GSiman=1&GScid=52846&GRid=28734817&

6 W. G. Rankin, b. 2 Mar 1830, m. #1 Parmelia Ellsberry Mar 1852, two subsequent wives.

6 Martha A. Rankin, b. abt 1832, AR

6 Edmund Hogan Rankin, 5^th child of 12, b. 31 Mar 1837 – d. 25 Jun 1917, m. #1 Nancy Jane Spears Jan 1863 (she d. 1883); m #2 Sarah Elizabeth Camp. Buried Antioch Cemetery, Perryville, Perry Co., AR.[35]

7 George W. Rankin, b. abt 1863, probably d. abt. 1881, age 18, buried Antioch Cem.

7 John A. J. Rankin, b. abt. 1864

7 Henry C. Rankin, b. abt. 1865

7 Elizabeth J. Rankin, b. abt. 1869

7 Charles C. Rankin, b. 11 Feb 1872, d. 15 Apr. 1901, buried Antioch Cemetery.

7 Edmond Filmore Rankin, b. 25 Jun 1873, d. 10 Aug 1947, wife Nancy Annie Rankin, 1872 – 1944. Buried Antioch Cemetery, Perryville.

7 Alice L. Rankin, b. abt 1874

7 Julie E. Rankin, b. abt 1878

7 William Alexander Rankin, b. 21 Sept. 1879, d. 1965, m. Zora Mae _____.[36] See also WWII Draft Registration card giving birth date, Zora’s name, and middle name.

8 Otto Harris Rankin, b. 5 May 1904, Perry Co., AR, d. 5 Dec 1977, AR. Married Novie Brown, Morrilton, Conway Co., AR, 14 Oct 1923, both age 19. Both buried Ada Valley Cemetery in Conway Co., AR.[37]

9 Marie Rankin, b. abt 1925

9 Paul Rankin, b. abt 1927

9 Juanita Rankin, b. abt 1929

9 Harold Leon Rankin, b. 2 Oct 1931, d. 20 Aug 2013, buried in Ada Valley Cemetery. Obituary names his survivors, including two sons. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Rankin&GSiman=1&GScid=2162879&GRid=115842083&

8 Edward C. Rankin, b. abt 1906

8 Pearl E. Rankin, b. abt 1908-09

8 Lloyd M. Rankin, b. 22 Jun 1910, d. 18 May 1963. Buried Antioch Cemetery. Married #1, Conway Co., Lorene Paul, 12 May 1935. Married #2 Pearl McClain, 29 Mar 1941.

8 Violet Rankin, b. abt 1912

8 Dollie Rankin, b. abt 1916

8 Rayburn Rankin, b. abt 1920

Grandsons of William A. and Zora, not sure of father, positive about grandfather:

9 Don Rankin, b. abt 1933

9 Ronnie Rankin, b. abt 1936

6 Harriet J. Rankin, b. abt 1840, AR

6 Julia E. Rankin, b. abt 1842, AR

6 Luzetta E. Rankin, b. abt 1844, AR

6 John S. Rankin, b. abt 1847, AR

6 Charles C. Rankin, b. AR abt. 1849

6 Frances J. Rankin, b. abt. 1851

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Some more info, from one of those old “Heritage” books for Perry County, Page 689-690. *** Which George? (1) not George, son of R&R, died 1760; (2) not George d. 1851, because he stayed in TN and died there;

W.G. Rankin, a prominent stock dealer residing in Perryville, is a son of Robert Rankin and Frances Hogan of Tennessee and Georgia, respectively, the former a son of George Rankin of Guilford County, North Carolina … George Rankin*** and his son Robert, in company with several others, traveled up the Arkansas River as far as Cane Hill, Washington, looking for a suitable location, but finally returned to Little Rock and shortly afterward settled on the Maumelle River, about fourteen miles southeast of Perryville, where he resided until his death. His wife died in 1858, a few years after his decease. … Robert Rankin moved with his father to the settlement on Maumelle River, where he entered eighty acres of land … Robert was married when quite young, being only twenty two years old on that occasion. He sold forty acres of land which he had previously entered and entered 120 acres more in the neighborhood of his eighty acres upon which he made his home and resided until his death in the fall of 1863, being murdered by a bushwhacker. His wife lived five years afterward and followed him to the grave. W.G. Rankin was born March 2, 1830, in what is now Faulkner County, and received all the advantages to be derived from the schools of that period. He remained at home and worked on the farm with his father until March 1852, when he married to Miss Parmelia Ellsberry, by whom he has had three children: C.C. (who resides in Perryville), Edmund H. (also of Perryville), and Margaret (wife of Robert Long, who resides eight miles from that town). Mr Rankin lost his wife on November 7, 1868 and in November 1871 he was again married, his second wife being Miss Julia Bagly, by whom he had one child: Mary Josephine. This wife died in 1878 and about one year and nine months later Mr Rankin married #3 Mrs Missouri Brazeale, by whom he has had two children: Egbert and Quinlen. After his first marriage he bought forty acres of land and entered 160 acres more eight miles east of Perryville where he resided from 1853 to 1876, and then moved to Perryville where he has lived ever since. During the war he enlisted in the army, but after three months’ service, the long marches, exposure and hard life of a soldier affected his health and he was forced to return home and hire a substitute to fill his place for the remainder of the war. Mr Rankin has made industry and good management accumulate a comfortable amount of property. He owns land east of block 14 in the town of Perryville, also forty acres just across the river with twenty acres under cultivation, besides having a half interest in 215 acres ten miles down the Fourche, of which twenty five acres are under cultivation. He is a member of the Masonic order and belongs to the Perryville Lodge. In politics he is a Democrat and has always voted that ticket. He is one of the old landmarks of the county and any history of the State of Arkansas would be incomplete without his name. Besides himself, Mr Rankin has two brothers and one sister still living: Edmund H. (residing in Perry County on the old homestead), Charles (residing 3 miles south of Perryville), and Martha (now the wife of Willis Y. Russell, living in Effingham County, Ill.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Source for the following: The Goodspeed Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Central Arkansas (Easley, SC: Southern Historical Press reprint, 1978; original publisher The Goodspeed Publishing Co. of Chicago, Nashville and St. Louis, 1889).

Goodspeed says that Jedediah Rankin came to Perry Co., AR in 1832. Jed was the father of G. M. Rankin, “who was born within one-half mile of the famous Guilford Court House … August 1, 1821.” “The grandfather, Robert Rankin, was a Revolutionary Soldier, and took part in the battle of Guilford Court House.”

…. “Jedediah Rankin and his wife were the parents of five children, of whom 2 died when very young. The oldest, Catherine, was born in 1812 and married a man named Kidd, now residing in Texas. The next was Polly Ann, who married a Capt. Wilson, of Arkansas, [where] she died in 1863; and G. M. Rankin, who, after his mother’s death, in 1827, lived with an uncle named Robert Rankin, until 1837, when he moved to Arkansas, and joined his father … the elder Rankin [died] in 1862 at the age of 79 [thus born 1783, that would be Jedediah]… his wife [died in 1882, age 81].

… G. M. Rankin m. Elizabeth Jane Alexander 28 Dec 1841. They had 14 children, 7 still living (as of 1889, I suppose)…(1) Robert N. Rankin (b. 10 Jun 1844, killed at Corinth, 1863); (2) Wash. (b. 15 Sep 1846, lives in Perrybille); (3) Rebeca (b. 1848, d. infant); (4) W. H. R. Rankin (b. 4 Mar 1850, a merchant in Perryville, m. Mollie E. Swaggerty 7 Feb 1875, she from GA); (5) Polly Ann (b. Apr 1851, d. 1863); (6) Catherine (b. Apr 1853, m. John Bland of Perryville); (7) John Rankin (b. Apr 1855 d. Dec 1880); (8) Isabella (b. 1857, d. Jan 1877); (9) Henry (b. 1859); (10) Lousetta (b. 25 Dec 1861, m. George Bland, to CA); (11) Edmund (b 26 Dec 1864, d. TX 1886); (12) Betsey J. (b. Mar 1857, m. E. B. Rorer of Perry Co.); (13) Madison M. (b. 3 Mar 1869).

(Note on #4, William H. R. Rankin m. Mollie Swaggerty: they had 4 kids, (1) Hallie (Feb 1876), (2) Sibyl (Dec 1879), (3) Fay (Nov 1883) and (4) Joe (Jan 1886).

Another Rankin family, but I’m on a roll here … same source…

“W. G. Rankin …[of] Perryville is a son of Robert Rankin and Frances (Hogan) Rankin … Robert being a son of George Rankin of Guilford Co., NC… George Rankin and his son Robert …settled on the Maumelle River about 14 miles SW of Perryville … Robert … married … when only 22, d. fall of 1863, “being murdered by a bushwhacker” … W. G. Rankin was b. 2 Mar 1830 in what is now Faulkner county…m. Parmelia Elsberry in March 1852. W. G. and Parmelia had 3 children: (1) C. C. Rankin (Perryville); (2) Edmund H. (ditto); (3) Margaret m. Robert Long. Parmelia d. 7 Nov 1868 and W. G. married w#2 Julia Bagly, one dau (4) Mary Josephine. Julia d. in 1878 and W. G. married Mrs. Missouri Brazeale, two children: (5) Egbert and (6) Quinlen.

…W. G. Rankin has 2 brothers and one sister still living: Edmund H. Rankin (Perry Co. on old homestead), Charles (3 miles south of Perryville) and Martha m. Willis Y. Russell, Effingham Co., IL.

…about Edmund H. Rankin (b. 1 Mar 1837, Perry Co., the 5^th of 12 children), son of Robert and Frances (Hogan) Rankin, m. Nancy Jane Spears, and they had 10 children, 9 still living: (1) George W., (2) Andrew J., (3) Henry Clay, (4) Frances Jane, (5) Charles C., (6) Edmond F., (7) Laura Alice, (8) Julian E. and (9) William A. … “the paternal grandfather” fought in the Battle of Guilford Court House…” I think Goodspeed’s may have omitted a generation … “the paternal great-grandfather came to America before the Rev War.” (ditto).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

[1] The source for the migration information is the autobiography of one of Robert and Rebecca’s grandsons, “Shaker Reverend John Rankin” who went to Union Co., KY. Excerpts from it are available in some family trees at ancestry.com. I would love to have a complete copy if anyone has one or can send a link.

[2] J. Smith Futhey and Gilbert Cope, History of Chester County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts, 1881), reproduction facsimile by Chester County Historical Society (Mt. Vernon, IN: Windmill Publications, Inc., 1996).

[3] A. Gregg Moore & Forney A. Rankin (as added author), The Rankins of North Carolina : A Genealogy and History of Those Who Can Trace Their Ancestry to One of the Several Rankin Families Native to the Tar Heel State (Marietta, GA: A. G. Moore, 1997) (two volumes). Moore confused Robert d. 1795 with his father Robert Sr. m. Rebecca.

[4] Rev. S. M. Rankin, History of Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Her People (Greensboro, NC: Jos. J. Stone & Co., 1931).

[5] See, e.g., Rowan County, NC Order Book 3: 200 and Will Book A: 31, will of William Denny dated 1766, witnessed in 1766 and proved in 1770 by John Rankin.

[6] Rowan Deed Book 2: 67, 14 Apr 1755 deed from Robert Rankin to William Denny, 5 shillings, 640 acres adjacent the corners of Nottingham Company tracts No. 14 and 15; Rowan Deed Book 2: 70, 13 Apr 1775 deed from Robert and Rebecca Rankin to George Rankin, 480 acres on the south side of Brushy Fork.

[7] Guilford or Rowan County Will Book A: 31, Order Book 3: 200, will of Wm Denny naming wife Ann, dated 10 Aug 1766 proved May 1770.

[8] Will of Robert Rankin Sr. (who was then called “Sr.” since Robert m. Rebecca had died earlier) dated May 1795, proved Nov 1795. Guilford Co., NC, WB A: file #312.

[9] Ancestry.com. North Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998 (database online).

[10] Albert Brown, Cemeteries, 1824 – 1986 McNairy County, TN (1993).

[11] Frances T. Ingmire, Guilford County North Carolina Marriage Records 1771-1868 Volume III Names O-Z (Athens, GA: Iberian Publishing Co., 1984).

[12] A. B. Pruitt, Abstracts of Deeds Guilford Co, NC Books 19, 20, & 21 (1825-1836) (2007), abstract of Deed Book 19: 688.

[13] A. B. Pruitt, Abstracts of Deeds Guilford Co, NC Books 14, 15, & 16 (1819-1826) (2005), abstract of Deed Book 14: 11, deed of 23 Mar 1819 from “George Rankin Sr. to his son Robert Rankin Jr.,” both of Guilford, 110.5 acres on the south side of North Buffalo Creek. By 1819, the man designated as Robert Rankin Senior would be Rev. War Robert, son of George and Lydia Steele Rankin.

[14] See the 1820 federal census for Guilford Co., 1830 census for McNairy, and the 1840 census for Pope Co., AR.

[15] Ingmire, Guilford County North Carolina Marriage Records.

[16] 7 Mar 1870, McNairy Co., TN, administrator’s bond on estate of J. D. Rankin, administrator F. M. Rankin, bond Francis Kirby. Book B: 88.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Rankin&GSiman=1&GScid=15910&GRid=99472727&

[17] 1860 census, Purdy P.O., McNairy Co., TN, Frank Rankin, age 23, b. TN, Elizabeth Rankin, 24, July A. Rankin (sic, Julie or Julia), 2, and Robert W. Rankin, 3 months. Two households down from Frank Kerby. 1870 census, McNairy Co., Frances Ranken, 34, Sarah (?) E. Rankin, 35, Julia A. Rankin, 12, Robert W. Rankin, 10, William S. Rankin, 4, Mary F. Rankin, 1. The adjacent household is Mary F. Rankin, his mother (widow of J. D. Rankin). In 1870, he was the administrator on the estate of J. D. Rankin, with Francis Kirby, bondsman. 1880 census, McNairy Co., TN, F. M. Rankin, b. TN, parents b. NC, wife Louisa E. Rankin, son R. W. Rankin, 20, daughter Mary F. Rankin, 11, son F. M. Rankin, Jr., daughter Louisa Rankin, 7, and son John B. Rankin, 3. Headstone application for military veterans says that he was a Chief Master Sgt., 6^th Tennessee Cavalry. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6039779

[18] 1900 census, Chester Co., TN, Robert W. Rankins, 40, b. TN Mar 1860, wife Margaret J. Rankins, 32, b. TN Feb 1868, son Perry P. Rankin, 10, b. TN Feb 1889, dau Letta V. Rankins, 7, b. TN _____, son Robert L. Rankins, 5, b. TN Mar.1895, son Franklin Rankins, 8 months, b TN Sep 1899. Plus Louisa E. Rankin, 65, b. TN Aug 1835. Buried in Cave Springs Cemetery, Henderson, Chester Co., TN: Robert W. Rankin, 12 Mar 1860 – 15 Nov 1919, and Margaret J. Rankin, 13 Feb 1868 – 16 Mar 1958.

[19] William R. Black, “Went off to the Shakers: The First Converts of South Union” (2013), Masters Theses and Special Projects. Paper 1243. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu.theses/1243. Cites the autobiography of Shaker Rev. John Rankin, son of George and Lydia, for the immigration facts.

[20] Tombstone in Bethel Springs Cem., McNairy Co., TN: “Private Robert Rankin, 29 May 1759 – 21 Dec 1840.”

[21] Will of William Cusick dated 4 May 1816 proved May 1817 naming children of Robert Rankin “Sr.” and deceased daughter Polly: Lydia, Isbel and Thankful. Guilford Co. WB B: 435.

[22] From Jackie Gillie’s 1961 letter, the organizational minutes of the Sulphur Springs Congregation (now the Appleton Presbyterian Church, Appleton, AR): church was organized 23 Mar 1856, “Bros. Jno. M. Poe and Reuben B. Rankin were duly elected and ordained to the office of Ruling Elders. List of charter members included R. B. (Reuben Burr) Rankin, his wife Elizabeth Rankin, R. M. Rankin (Robert, Reuben’s brother), A. L. Rankin (Anthony Lambert), Isabel J. Poe (Reuben’s sister Isabel who m. Jo. S. Poe) and their mother Isabel Rankin, who was #1 on the list.

[23] Guilford Co., NC Deed Book 12: 312, deed dated 24 Oct 1815 from Robert Rankin to his son Jeddediah Rankin, both of Guilford, for natural love & affection, 150A on the waters of North Buffalo Cr. adjacent the northeast corner of Robert Rankin’s old tract. Acknowledged by grantor August 1816.

[24] Federal census, 1820, Guilford Co., NC, Jedediah Rankin, p. 96, 000110-20010. Eldest male (Jedediah) is 26<45.

[25] 1850 census, Perry Co., AR, household of George M. Rankin, 28, b. NC abt 1822, farmer, Elizabeth Rankin, 22, b. AR, Robert Rankin, 6, b. AR, George W. Rankin, 4, b. AR, and Jedediah Rankin, 65, b. NC abt 1785 and with Elizabeth Rankin, 54, NC; 1860 census, Fource LaFave Twp., Perryville PO, Perry Co., AR: household of George M. Rankin, 38, farmer, b. NC abt 1822, Elizabeth Rankin, 32, b. AR, Robert N.? Rankin, 16, AR, George W. Rankin, 14, AR, William H. C. Rankin, 10, AR, Lucinda C. Rankin, 6, AR, John J. Rankin, 4, AR, Isbel C. Rankin, 2, AR, Henry M. Rankin, 3 months?, AR, Jeddiah S. Rankin, 74, b. NC, and Elizabeth Rankin, 63, NC.

[26] 1880 census, Fourch LaFave Twp., Perry Co., AR, household of George M. Rankin, 58, farmer, b. NC about 1822, parents b. NC, wife Elizabeth J. Rankin, 54, b. AR, parents b. VA, son John J. Rankin, 24, b. AR, son Henry Rankin, 20, AR, son Eddie? Rankin, 15, b. AR, daughter Elizabeth J. Rankin, 13, AR, son Monroe Rankin, 11, b. AR.

[27] 1850 census, Big Rock Pulaski Co., p. 340, dwl. 369: John J. Rankin, 28, Elizabeth, 26, Dores, 5, fem., Frances, 4, fem., and George 6 mos, all b. AR. Next dwelling Ann Rankin, 70, b NC, 1780.

[28] 1840 census, Pulaski Co., AR, 210001-11001, he is 30 < 40, born 1800-1810. One Rankin researcher says Wm. D. Rankin, s/o George, lived 1806-1846.

[29] Minerva Rankin m. George Abbott, 13 Oct 1855, Conway Co., AR, age 42 (b. abt. 1813). She appeared in the 1860 census in Conway Co., dwelling #257, in the household of Chas Adams, 38, as a cook, name of Minerva Abbott, 46, b. TN abt 1814, with Nancy Sexton, 15, b TN, George Rankin, 12, b. AR (Minerva’s son). In the adj. dwelling is J. W. Rankin (James), also Minerva’s son, 25, farmer, b. AR, Sarah Rankin, 22, b. TN, and Wm. D. Rankin, 6 mos., b AR.

[30] 1850 census, Conway Co., AR, #390, Minerva Rankin, 36 (b. abt. 1814), farmer, b TN, with Thomas Rankin, 19, b. AR, Julia Ann Rankin, 16, b. AR, James Rankin, 14, b. AR, Sarah Rankin, 9, b. AR, Henry Rankin, 7, b. AR (abt. 1843, is this William Henry???), Enneline? Rankin, 5, b. AR, and George Rankin, 3, b. AR (abt 1847).

[31] See 1850, 1860 and 1870 census. In 1870, he is listed in Conway Co., AR, dwl #89: J. W. Rankin, 35, b. AR abt 1835, with Susan, 30, MS, William, 11, AR, Franklin, 9, AR, Texas?, female, 8, b AR, Elmira, 4, b AR, and Julia, 1, b AR.

[32] 1870 census, Clark, Pope Co., AR, #342: Henry W. H. Rankin, 28, b AR abt 1842, Elizabeth H. Rankin, 20, b. AR abt 1850, and George E. Rankin, 4, b AR abt 1866.

[33] 1900 census, Suplhur Springs, Howard Co., AR, George E. Rankin, b. May 1866, m. 7 years, b AR/AR/AR, with wife Fromia E., b. July 1891, age 28, m. 7 years, AL/AL/AL, with sons Chester C., b. Dec 1894 and William H., b. Oct 1898. 1910 census, Duckett, Howard Co., AR, George Rankin, 44, AR/AR/AR, Saphronia Rankin, AL/TN/TN, Chester Rankin, son, 14, Wm. H. Rankin, 11, son, Rolly Rankin, 7, son, Elberta Rankin, 5, daughter, Bertie L. Rankin, 3, daughter, Laura Dee Rankin, 2, daughter, Harry Bee, 2, son.

[34] 1850 census, Perry Co., AR, household of Robert Rankin, 47, farmer, b. TN about 1803, so TN is wrong, Frances J. Rankin, 37, b. AR, William G. Rankin, 20, b. AR, Martha A. Rankin, 18, b. AR, Edward H. Rankin, 13, b. AR, Harriet J. Rankin, 10, b. AR, Julia E. Rankin, 8, b. AR, Luzette E. Rankin, 6, b. AR, John S. Rankin, 3, b. AR, Charles C. Rankin, 1, b. AR 1849.

[35] 1880 census, Fourche Lafave Twp., Perry Co., AR: Edmond H. Rankin, 43, farmer, b. AR, father b. NC; wife Nancy J. Rankin, 39; son George W. Rankin, 17; son John A. J. Rankin, 16; son Henry C. Rankin, 15; daughter Elizabeth J. Rankin, 11; son Charles C. Rankin, 9; son Edmond F. Rankin, 6; daughter Alice L. Rankin, 6; daughter Julie E. Rankin, 2; son William A. Rankin, 8 months.

[36] 1910 census, Rankin, Perry Co., AR: William A. Rankin, b. AR/AR/AR, farmer; wife Zora M. Rankin; son Otto H. Rankin, 6; son Edward C. Rankin, 4; daughter Pearl E. Rankin, 2. See also 1920 census, Maumelle, Rankin Twp., Perry, AR: Will A. Rankin, 40, b. AR, parents b. AR; wife Zora Rankin, 35; son Otto Rankin, 16; son Eddie Rankin, 14; daughter 1910 Pearl Rankin, 11; son Loyd Rankin, 10; daughter Violet Rankin, 8; daughter Dollie Rankin, 4; son Rayburn Rankin, 9 months. See also 1940 census, Rankin, Perry Co., AR: William A. Rankin, 60, b. AR; Zara Rankin, wife, 53, has had 8 children, all living; son Loyd Rankin, 29; daughter Violet Rankin, 27; grandsons Don Rankin, 7, and Ronnie Rankin, 4.

[37] 1940 census, Higgins Twp., Conway, AR: Otto Rankin, 35, farmer; wife Novie Rankin, 34; daughter Marie Rankin, 15; son Paul Rankin, 13; daughter Juanita Rankin, 11; son Harold Rankin, 8; daughter Thelma Rankin, 4; daughter Evaline Rankin, 7 months.

The Rankins of Guilford County, NC: the Mistaken Identity of Robert Rankin Who Died in 1795

A professional genealogist once told me that most trees on the internet aren’t worth the paper it would take to print them. She said the most serious mistake a rookie can make is to use information from someone else’s tree without confirming it. Her advice was too late for me: I had already learned that lesson the hard way.

When I was a still a beginning family history researcher, I sent a chart for one of my lines to the administrator of the Graves Family Association website at his request.[1] The chart included information I had obtained from other researchers on the identity of my early Graves ancestors. Unfortunately, I had not confirmed the information with my own research.

I wish I had remembered that before I forwarded the chart. Ken Graves, the website administrator, replied with a blistering email excoriating me for perpetuating a fiction that serious researchers had long ago discarded. My screen and my red face were both too hot to touch after I read that email.[2]

We all make mistakes, even if we don’t naïvely adopt someone else’s data. Original records are incomplete or the courthouse burned down entirely. The handwriting in films of original records is faded, blurred, or indecipherable. Our ancestors recycled the same given names ad nauseam, producing a frequent error called “same name confusion.” Other mistakes are probably caused by the occasionally unwarranted aura of accuracy enjoyed by books and journals. Some mistakes are just plain ol’ carelessness.

Here’s an example: Robert Rankin who died in 1795 in Guilford Co., NC

An error about one of the early Rankins in Guilford County, North Carolina combines same name confusion and carelessness. It may have originated in a Rankin compiled history which wrongly interpreted the 1795 will of Robert Rankin as being the will of the “patriarch” – the eldest immigrant – of his Guilford family line.[3] The ease of importing data from online trees probably guarantees the error’s immortality.

Robert Rankin the patriarch (let’s call him “Old Robert”) had a wife named Rebecca, maiden name unproved.[4] Old Robert and Rebecca had a son named George.[5] The 1795 will identified the testator as “Robert Rankin Senior” of Guilford County.[6] The will devised land to a son named George. It did not name a wife, who evidently predeceased him. In short, identifying the testator in the 1795 will as Old Robert seems reasonable at first glance. On second glance, not so much.

The problem is that Old Robert and Rebecca’s son George died in 1760 – thirty-five years before some Robert Rankin wrote that 1795 will.[7] Presumably, Robert the testator intended to devise land to a flesh-and-blood son George rather than someone who had been dead for several decades.

Guilford County is admittedly tough on Rankin researchers. There are a dizzying number of country records referencing, e.g., Robert Rankin, Robert Rankin Sr., and/or Robert Rankin Jr. One state grant mentions all three![8]As was common, the line of Old Robert and Rebecca recycled the same names ad infinitum, so that every generation had at least one Robert.

Guilford is also rough sledding because there were three Rankin “patriarchs” in Guilford: (1) John Rankin (1736-1814) who married Hannah Carson and is a proved son of Joseph and Rebecca Rankin of Delaware;[9] (2) John’s brother William Rankin (1744-1804), who married Jane Chambers; and (3) Old Robert Rankin and his wife Rebecca, who came to Pennsylvania from Letterkenny Parish, County Donegal, Ireland about 1750 and moved a few years later to the part of Rowan County that became Guilford.[10]

The facts in brief

Two facts prove that the Robert Rankin who wrote a will and died in 1795 in Guilford County – call him “Robert died in 1795” – was not Old Robert. First, a book about the Buffalo Presbyterian Church of Guilford establishes that Old Robert died well before 1795.[11] Second, the George Rankin issue: Old Robert’s son George, who died in 1760, was obviously not the same man as George, a devisee in the 1795 will. In fact, Guilford records establish that George the devisee was alive and well after 1795.

When did Old Robert with wife Rebecca die? Answer: circa 1770, definitely by 1773

Rev. Samuel Meek Rankin provides information about Old Robert Rankin in his book History of Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Her People. Rev. Rankin identified Old Robert as having belonged to Nottingham Presbyterian Church in Pennsylvania.[12] Old Robert and his family (or some of them) migrated to North Carolina in the early 1750s.[13] The family acquired land in that part of Rowan County that later became Guilford.[14] Rev. Rankin identified Old Robert’s wife as Rebecca, whose name is confirmed in a 1755 gift deed of land by the couple to their son George.[15] According to Rev. Rankin, Old Robert and Rebecca had children “George, Robert, Rebecca, John and others.”[16]

For purposes of this article, we are only concerned with Old Robert and Rebecca, their sons George and Robert, and a grandson named – I’m sure you can guess this – Robert. A few facts about them are in order. Rev. Rankin says that George died in 1761, although his will was actually written and proved in 1760.[17] George’s will named his widow Lydia (Steele) and two minor sons, John and Robert. The latter is the grandson we have in mind.

George and Lydia’s son John – the future Shaker Reverend John – inherited the 480-acre tract on Brushy Fork that Old Robert and Rebecca had given to George. John sold it and left Guilford before 1800.[18] George and Lydia’s other son Robert, grandson of Old Robert, fought in the Revolutionary War and applied for a pension in 1833.[19]Bless his heart, because the application provides useful information. Let’s call him “Rev War Robert,” with “Rev” short for “Revolutionary,” not “Reverend.” His application establishes that Rev War Robert was born in Guilford County in May 1759 and that he moved to McNairy County, Tennessee in 1830. It is important for this narrative that Rev War Robert lived into the nineteenth century: hold that thought.

Meanwhile, Reverend Samuel Meek Rankin had this to say about Old Robert, who was (according to oral tradition) one of the first elders in Buffalo Church:

Robert Rankin is another whom Rev. J. C. Alexander said tradition listed as one of the first elders. He settled here in 1753 … he died before the first date in the minute book.”[20]

Reverend Rankin said there were no records for Buffalo Church “from the organization in 1756 to 1773.” Consequently, Old Robert Rankin, husband of Rebecca, must have died by 1773. Rev. Rankin states elsewhere that Old Robert died about 1770, although there is no extant tombstone for him in the Buffalo Church cemetery.[21]

What about the George named in the will of Robert Rankin d. 1795?

Let’s look closely at Robert Rankin’s 1795 will, which names the following devisees and beneficiaries:[22]

- his son George.
- his three grandsons William Rankin Wilson, Andrew Wilson and Maxwell Wilson, sons of his deceased daughter Mary Rankin and her husband Andrew Wilson. Robert devised land on Buffalo Creek to George and the three Wilson grandsons.
- his daughter Isobel.
- and (5) two unnamed living daughters, each of whom was to receive one-fifth of Robert’s personal estate.

Subsequent Guilford County records establish that George Rankin was still alive in 1795, when his father wrote his will. About three years after Robert died, George surveyed the land he and his Wilson nephews inherited. Robert’s will prescribed a detailed metes and bounds description for how his land on Buffalo Creek was to “be divided.” The document filed in the real property records expressly recites that the survey of the tract was required by the will of Robert Rankin, deceased, and by his executor.[23] Some two decades later, George Rankin made a gift of a portion of that tract to his own son – named Robert, of course.[24]

So … who the heck was the Robert who died in 1795?

Naturally, there were several Robert Rankins living in Guilford County in the late 18^th century. We can eliminate anyone from the lines of John Rankin and Hannah Carson or William Rankin and Jean Chambers. Their sons named Robert (each couple had one) lived well past 1795.[25] The testator in 1795 was not Rev War Robert, son of George and Lydia Steele Rankin, because his pension file proves that he survived to the 19^th century, dying in 1833. The only Robert Rankin in Guilford in 1795 who was old enough to have three grandsons, and who did notlive into the nineteenth century, was Robert Rankin, son of Old Robert and Rebecca.

And that is enough about one of the many Robert Rankins of Guilford County, North Carolina.

* * * * * * * * * * *

[1] See http://www.gravesfa.org.

[2] Ken Graves subsequently sent me and my cousin Barbara Parker (who is also descended from John Graves of Halifax, VA) an email telling us Y-DNA research had proved that we are not descended from the famous Capt. John Graves of early 1600s Virginia. We are therefore not related to Ken. His email was positively gleeful. So was I. I have heard about him from other DNA project administrators.

[3] A. Gregg Moore and Forney A. Rankin, The Rankins of North Carolina (Marietta, GA: A. G. Moore, 1997).

[4] Rev. S. M. Rankin, History of Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Her People (Greensboro, NC: J. J. Stone & Co., Printers, 1934) at 27. See also the gift deed in Note 5 from Robert and Rebecca to their son George Rankin.

[5] Jo White Linn, Rowan County North Carolina Deed Abstracts Vol. 1, 1753 – 1762, Abstracts of Books 1 – 4(Salisbury, NC), abstract of Deed Book 2: 70, a gift deed dated 13 Apr 1755 from Robert and Rebecca Rankin to their son George for 5 shillings (the usual gift deed consideration), 480 acres on the south side of Brushy Fork. Robert paid 10 shillings for that tract, which was a Granville grant. Id., abstract of Deed Book 2: 102.

[6] Clayton Genealogical Library microfilm, “NC Guilford County Wills Books A-B 1771-1838,” File #312, will of Robert Rankin Sr. dated 30 May 1795 proved Nov 1795, devising land on the south side of Buffalo Creek to his son George Rankin and grandsons William Rankin Willson, Andrew Willson and Maxwell Willson. Robert also named his daughter Isobel and two other living daughters who weren’t identified by either a given name or a married surname.

[7] Id., “NC Rowan County Will Books A-B 1767-1793,” will of George Rankin of Rowan County dated 23 May 1760, proved Oct 1760. Witnesses to the will included Robert Rankin (either George’s father or his brother), William Denny (George’s brother-in-law, whose wife was George’s sister Ann Rankin Denny), and John Braley (another brother-in-law). See the article titled “Four Robert Rankins of Guilford County, NC” at this link.

[8] E.g., William D. Bennett, Guilford County Deed Book One (Raleigh, NC: Oaky Grove Press, 1990), abstract of Deed Book 1: 504, 16 Dec 1778 state grant to Moses McClain, 200 acres adjacent Jonas Touchstone, Robert McKnight, David Allison, Robert Rankin Jr.’s line, along Robert Rankin Sr.’s line, NC Grant Book No. 33: 83. There is one deed in my Lunenburg Co., VA Winn line in which the grantee and two witnesses to a deed were identified as John Winn, John Winn, and John Winn. No “Sr.” or “Jr.,” or “John Winn, carpenter,” or “John Winn of Amelia County.” Those three men obviously had a sense of whimsy. Lunenburg Deed Book 7: 231.

[9] FHL Film No. 6564, New Castle Co., DE Deed Book Y1: 499, deed dated Apr 1768 from grantors John Rankin of Orange Co., NC (a predecessor to Guilford County) and his wife Hannah, and William Rankin of New Castle Co., DE, to grantees Thomas Rankin and Joseph Rankin, both of New Castle, land devised to John and William by their father Joseph Rankin.

[10] Autobiography of George and Lydia Rankin’s son John Rankin, “Auto-biography of John Rankin, Sen.” (South Union, Ky., 1845), transcribed in Harvey L. Eads, ed., History of the South Union Shaker Colony from 1804 to 1836 (South Union, Ky., 1870), Shaker Museum at South Union, Auburn, Kentucky. A copy of the transcript can be obtained from the University of Western Kentucky. The autobiography establishes Robert and Rebecca’s migration dates and origin. See the article titled “Autobiography of Rev. John Rankin, Grandson of Robert and Rebecca” here.

[11] Rev. S. M. Rankin, History of Buffalo Presbyterian Church 22.

[12] Id. See also Futhey and Cope, History of Chester Co., PA (Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts, 1881), reproduction facsimile by Chester County Historical Society (Mt. Vernon, IN: Windmill Publications, Inc. ,1996). The 1753 tax list for West Nottingham Township, Chester Co., PA included George Rankin and Robert Rankin.

[13] Rankin, History of Buffalo Presbyterian Church 22.

[14] E.g., Jo White Linn, Rowan County North Carolina Deed Abstracts Vol. 1, 1753 – 1762, Abstracts of Books 1 – 4(Salisbury, NC), Deed Book 4: 100, Granville grant dated 24 Jun 1758 to Robert Rankin, 640 acres on both sides of North Buffalo Creek. That creek flows roughly SW to NE into Buffalo Cr. The creek and the grant are located just south of Buffalo Presbyterian Church.

[15] See Note 5.

[16] Rankin, History of Buffalo Presbyterian Church 27. George and Robert are also proved as sons by deed records. There is only circumstantial evidence for a son John. Deed and probate records also prove a daughter Ann Rankin who married William Denny. Rowan County probate records also suggest daughters Rebecca Rankin Braley/Brawley and Margaret Rankin Boyd.

[17] Clayton Genealogical Library microfilm, “NC Rowan County Will Books A-B 1767-1793” 141, will of George Rankin of Rowan County, dated 23 May 1760 and proved Oct 1760. The 1761 date for George’s death appears in every family tree I have seen for Robert and Rebecca. Someone apparently read Rev. Rankin’s book and accepted the 1761 date without question, guaranteeing that it will multiply on the internet like Tribbles.

[18] Id. George devised to his son John the 480-acre tract on Brushy Fork or Brush Creek. John sold 200 acres in August 1784, Guilford Deed Book 3: 101, and the remaining 297 acres in Sep 1796, Deed Book 6: 182. John was listed in the 1790 census for Guilford County but not in 1800. He was an ordained Presbyterian minister. He struggled with what he saw as the abstract and impersonal nature of Presbyterian doctrine and became a Shaker minister. He went to Tennessee in the late 1790s and wound up in Logan County, KY in a place called “Shakertown.” See Note 10. In a Guilford County marriage record that makes Rankin researchers rip their hair out, Shaker Rev. John married Miss Rebecca Rankin. She was a daughter of John Rankin and Hannah Carson from the line of Joseph and Rebecca Rankin of Delaware.

[19] Virgil D. White, Abstracts of Revolutionary War Pension Files, Vol. III: N-Z (Waynesboro, TN: National Historical Publishing Co., 1992), abstract of the pension application of Robert Rankin, W5664. Robert was born 29 May 1759. Wife Mary. NC line. Soldier was born in Guilford and enlisted there. In 1830, he moved to McNairy Co., TN where he applied 20 May 1833. He died there 21 Dec 1840. Soldier had married Mary Moody 22 Nov 1803 in Guilford. Widow applied 12 Jun 1853 from McNairy at age 75. She died 11 Jul 1854.

[20] Rankin, History of Buffalo Presbyterian Church at 122.

[21] Raymond Dufau Donnell, Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Cemetery Greensboro, North Carolina (Greensboro, NC: The Guilford County Genealogical Society (1994), second printing March 1996), at p. ii, saying that the “earliest written records of the church date from 1773,” and stating that Robert Rankin Sr., “Pioneer … Ruling Elder” died circa 1770.

[22] Clayton Genealogical Library microfilm, “NC Guilford County Wills Books A-B 1771-1838,” File #312, will of Robert Rankin Sr. dated 30 May 1795 proved Nov 1795.

[23] Guilford Co. Deed Book 6: 346, 16 Feb 1798.

[24] Guilford Co., Deed Book 14: 11, 23 Mar 1819.

[25] Rev. S. M. Rankin, The Rankin and Wharton Families and Their Genealogy (Salem, MS: Higginson Book Company facsimile reprint of the 1931 original) 55 (John Rankin and Hannah Carson’s son Robert lived from 1780-1866) and 149 (William Rankin and Jane Chambers’ son Robert C. Rankin lived 1791-1853).