Seeking parents of William Gardner and Nathaniel Ford in Craven County SC mid 1700s.

Question

The Ford brothers named above appear as adults in Craven County before the American Revolution, along with three other siblings, Elizabeth, Hezekiah, and Martha Keziah Ford. The county was later renamed Fairfield.

Family history says that this Ford family sailed from Liverpool, England and landed at Charleston. However, whether it's the Ford siblings named above or their parents is unknown. I have good information on their descendants as they spread out across the country in the 1830s. If you're working on this line or know someone who is, please contact me.

Comments

That is great LaRue! 

Craven County was a HUGE Colonial County of South Carolina which covered the geographical area of many modern counties.

There is some information on Craven County here.

Mags

Answer 1

Thanks for your response. I have a plat of the Ford family land holdings, which was prepared in the early 1820s when William Gardner Ford's estate was partially divided among his children. The family "cemetery" is now covered by the Wateree Reservoir, although I've been told by someone who spotted the tombstones that one can wade out to them when the reservoir is low in the early Spring--a trip I intend to make next year.

I haven't found records in the state archives yet that show how the land was acquired, which would tell me whether it was bought by William Gardner Ford from the crown or from an individual or whether he inherited it from his father.

I think it would have been uncommon for five adult siblings to travel together to SC from England. Maybe my Ford ancestors just dropped out of the sky. I've been looking for their parents for almost 40 years.