Huey's Memoirs 4
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HUEY FAMILY HISTORY Many families, conn_ected by marriage, are: WURTELE -- CA DELL - DABBS - WOOD - WALDROP - LACY -- MACLIN - GOLDEN -- KNIGHT- SALTER-WALKUP-WILLIAMS - CRAIG -- McMURRA Y - DUNN - CROCKETT -- HARPER - WALKER -- et al. Compiled by: V. H. Huey 1750 Mayfair Drive Birmingham 9, Ala. 1963. HUEY FAMILY HISTORY Compiled by V. H. HUEY Copyright 1963 Price: $6.00 Set up. printed & bound in the United States of America for Southern University Press at the Press of Birmingham Publishing Company, Birmingham, Alabama CONTENTS Arrival of the Hueys in America 1 James Grandison Leroi Huey's Memoirs 4 Heirs of James G. L. Huey 9 Picture of Home of James G. L. Huey 13 Colonel Benjamin Maclin Huey's family 18 Items in the Life of Col. Benj. Maclin Huey 19 Bessemer, Ala., & Hueytown Hueys 25 History of Hueytown, Alabama, U.S.A. 35 Interesting items of Talladega Hueys 37 South & North Carolina Hueys 43 Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church 57 Enterprise, Alabama Hueys 61 Interesting items from many Hueys 65 Andrew Huey, descendants 73 Dedicated to the Memory of: THOMAS EDWARD HUEY For getting me interested in collecting this history, and furnish ing most of the data from James G. L. Huey, who was his cousin, and my great-grandfather. THANKS: To Dr. J. Paul Reynolds for his valuable help. To Miss Nancy Crockett and Mrs. Jessie Huey Laurence for their valuable contributions. To Miss Emma Huey and Sisters for their help. To Paul R. Huey, for his Andrew Huey descendants. To James G. Huey, for his list of John McMurray Huey heirs. To Landry Huey McMurray for his interesting data. To Mrs. Sarah Huey Lewis for her splendid help. To George B. Huey for History of Enterprise, Ala., Hueys. and to many others that helped make this volume possible. Although this history is far from complete, it is about the best we can do at this time. We apologize for any errors we have made, as many years have passed since the beginning, and much information on any family de pends largely on someone's memory, and scattered records. We hope it will be of value and interest to you and your families, and that you will benefit from this knowledge, for many years to come. "THE ARRIVAL OF THE HUEYS IN AMERICA" During the Scotch insurrection in 17 45, in favor of Charles Edward, the grandson of James the Second, (of the House of Stewart), who was called the "Pretender" who was an exile in France claimed the throne of England. He was supported by a strong element 2alled the Scotch-Irish, they were decisively defeated at "Culloden" on April 16th, 1746. His adherents emigrated to America that year ( 1746) in great numbers and settled in the Carolinas, ( particularly North Carolina). Among them were several brothers named "Huey". Intelligent, highminded, God-fearing men, they brought their great principles with them to the land of their adoption and in the contest for Liberty and Independence they freely shed their blood; offered wise counsel and sacrificed both money and property on Freedom's altar, and some of them like the followers of the Pretender at Cullo den in "Death were laid low with their back to the field and their feet to the foe, and leaving in life no blot on their name, looked proudly to Heaven from their death bed of fame". The above was copied from a paper which we found among our Aunt May Huey's papers after her death in 1944. Emma Huey 7-21-1959. Magnolia, Bibb County, Ala. June 19, 1884. Dear Cousin George Huey: Yours of the 10th instant was received on yesterday, and as you ask for the genealogy of the Huey family, and being the natural custodian of the history of our race, I will at once proceed to furnish the main facts as I have them from the records through my father, from my grandfather, James Huey, many years ago. Premising that I am the oldest son of the oldest living sons, with issue, of the family, for nearly two hundred years, in unbroken succession. I do so now, being admonished that advanced years and feeble health counsel me to do whatever is done quickly. We were originally of Scotch stock, who sailed from the shores of Scotland soon after the battle of the Boyne, in Ireland in 1690, by which, the Catholics of the Northern part of the island, were defeated by the forces of King William, and opening up the country to protes tant immigration. The enterprising people of the adjacent coasts of Scotland availing themselves of the opening of a fine country emigrated in considerable numbers to the Emerald Isle, landing mostly in Lon denderry, and spreading out in the direction of Belfast, occupied the Counties of Down and Antrim, forming what was designated the Scotch-Irish population of that fertile portion of the country, where our immediate race of people became Irishmen, though of pure Cale donian blood, and were of course in faith and practice real protestants. I have in my genealogical family bible, the names of the old fathers, whom I suppose were all respectable people, judging from the marri age connections formed. My great grandfather, Hercules Huey, was the son of James Huey and Margaret Huey, the sister of Lord Hercules Ellis, and my great grandfather in turn married Katherine Perssee, daughter of Sir Richard Perssee, a gentleman of wealth and political importance in that country, and from this marriage a considerable family has sprung up. Their eldest son, Alexander Huey, was trained for a military life, and through the influence of his mother's family, was made a captain of a war vessel in the British Navy, and sent on a cruise to the East Indes, where he probably died more than a hun dred years ago, without issue, and with no especial record. James Huey, the second son, who was my grandfather, was a cabinet maker by trade, and a short time before our Revolutionary War had reached the Southern Colonies, sailing to America, landing in Charleston, South Carolina, and soon after his mother and family came to America, and settled in the Waxhaw Settlement, in the upper part of the State, in what was afterward designated as Lancaster District, South Caro lina. Grandfather joined the Army under General Thomas Sumpter, and served till the close of the struggle, a part of the time under Gen eral Marion and wherever duty called him. He was in the battle of Camden under General Gates, and was there shot through the leg, but was able to get off the field after the defeat of the American forces. I have often seen the scar. He was a good rider and an expert shot with the rifle. His mother lost her first husband in the old country, and married a second time to a man by the name of Abram Adams, who came with 2 her to America, where both died sometime after the peace with Great Britain, and both lie buried in the graveyard at the old Waxhaw Church, Lancaster District, South Carolina. After the war closed grandfather married a Miss Polly Coffee, who lived a few months. When he married again, it was to his old sweetheart and first love, Miss Jane Walker, daughter of John Walker, and his wife, was a Miss Boyd, were immigrants from the County of Antrim, Ireland, the same from which he and family came to America. When John Walker settled in the old Waxhaw neighborhood, he opened what was then called a good country store, and soon accumulated a large stock of cattle, while his oldest son, Andrew Walker, took charge as herds man. Being an expert horseman, when the British Army overran that country under Lords Rawdon and Cornwallis, he organized a com pany of which his cowboys made a part, and harassed the enemy a good deal in their foraging raids, and at one time after a desperate fight, took thirteen prisoners, and with them effected an exchange for his brother Thomas Walker, and five others who were then in Cam den jail, among whom was Andrew Jackson, the distinguished hero of New Orleans, most of them were mere boys, and captured in the surrounding country. Andrew Walker's name appears with credit in several histories which I have seen, and I also remember the old man himself in his last years. The children of the marriage of my grandfather to Jane Walker were Alexander Boyd Huey, my father, Robert Davis, who was your grandfather, John Boyd; James and Thomas Walker, together with Jennie Huey and who married a Mr. David Walkup. Grandfather, like all our family, was natural mechanic, and was skillful with tools, and was made useful while in the Army making and repairing wagons, and after settling in life, followed that occupa tion in connection with his farm, where after my day, he was a good workman, using his old country tools, among which I remember the old navy barrel augers, which he always preferred to the American screw augers. Grandfather was born in Antrim County, Ireland, May 8, 1759, and died April 5th, 1836. Grandmother lived several years longer. My father and your grandfather married sisters, daughters of William McCain, who married Elornor Johnson of an English family whose brother's son, Richard M. Johnson, distinguished himself as an Indian fighter and with his own hand slew the great Indian, Chief Tecumseh, and was afterward made Vice-President of the United States, at the time that Martin Van Buren was President. The McCains were also Scotch people with an admixture of English stock and were a quiet, peaceable and industrious family, the older ones taking an active part in the struggle for independence.