Ephraim McDowell Jr. (abt. 1743 - abt. 1788)

Born about 1743 in Bedminster, Somerset, New Jersey

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about 1788 at about age 45 in Greene County, North Carolina (now Tennessee), United States

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Biography

Ephraim McDowell Jr. is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor.
NSSAR Ancestor #: 244530
Rank: Private - NJ Militia

Ephraim was born about 1743 in Bedminster Township, Somerset County, New Jersey. He was the son of Ephraim McDowell and Margaret Adams. By a deed dated 1 May 1767 Ephraim, and Elizabeth his wife, sold to Matthew McDowell the lot which Ephraim had received as an inheritance from his father, being Lot No. 16 on the North Branch of the Raritan River that Robert Commings bought of Wm. Extell.

From Richard W. Cook's book, Ephraim McDowell of Bedminster Township, NJ and Some of his Descendants, we find that Ephraim McDowell served during the Revolution in the NJ Militia as a Private in Capt. Jacob Teneyck's company, 1st Battalion, Somerset County. Subsequent to the war he removed to North Carolina to a region that later became part of Tennessee. In November 1777 North Carolina formed Washington County from part of the Washington District and then in April 1783 Greene County was created from part of Washington County. From 1784 to 1788 Greene County formed part of the State of Franklin which was an unrecognized and autonomous territory in what is now eastern Tennessee.

Ephraim's father Ephraim McDowell (1688-1762) lived, died, and is buried in Bedminster Township where his father Alexander purchased land. This shows a portion from a historic map of Bedminster Township in Somerset County, New Jersey. Peapack Brook can be seen, which follows into the Raritan River.

Peapack in Bedminster Township of Somerset County, New Jersey

According to Jo Boley Wahlgren, there is a family tradition that Ephraim settled near Galliton and that Indians came and burned everything, records, etc. This location is not confirmed because Galliton is located further west in Sumner County, Tennessee. His wife is named as Mary Burns (this is likely an error as Mary was the name of Elizabeth's mother) and they had about 15 children. A son Matthew was said to be about age 9 when the Indians came. Ephraim is believed to have passed away before August 1790.

This book excerpt describes Ephraim's death. This area of Tennessee is where Ephraim's son John was married in 1797 (now Blount County, TN)^[1], before he went to Adair County, KY^[2].

Page 70 from "Life as it is..." by J.W.M Breazeale

Sources

• New Jersey Family Group Sheet for the Ephraim McDowell Jr. Family, https://www.fgs-project.com/newjersey/groups/m/mcdowell-ephraim-02.html.
• Official Register of the Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Revolutionary War by William S Stryker, p.683
• Ephraim Jr. is named in his father's Somerset County, NJ will - New Jersey Calendar of Wills page 267 https://ia802700.us.archive.org/27/items/calendarofnewjer03newj/calendarofnewjer03newj.pdf
• Ephraim McDowell of Bedminster Township and Some of His Descendants by Richard W. Cook, Honorary Trustee of the Genealogical Society of New Jersey, 1978
• Page 70 from "Life as it is or Matters and Things in General: Containing, Amongst Other Things, Historical Sketches of the Exploration and First Settlement of the State of Tennessee" by J.W.M Breazeale

1. ↑ Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002, Blount, Tennessee
2. ↑ Adair County, KY deeds, book E page 448