fbe BOOTS and SOME of fDB BBANCDBS of THE PUCKETT FAMILY TREE by CHRISTINE SOUTH GEE "He who cares not whence he came Careth not whither he goes." Dedicated to my mother and fat her both, of whom were descend­ ants of William Smith Puckett. Printed privately for Mrs. Christine S. Gee, 401 West Durst Ave., Greenwood, S. C. By The State Commercial Printing Company, Columbia, S. C. 1958 FOREWORD It gives me pleasure to present to my family the result of my efforts to gather material printed in this little book. Those of you who purchase a copy are paying only for the printing. The search for the material has been carried on over a period of about twenty years, with more concentrated efforts during the last six years. The historical material has been gathered from the following places: The Congressional Library in Washington, the D.A.R. Library in Washington, the Genealogical Division of the New York Public Library, The Genealogical Society in Philadelphia, The Library of the British Museum in London, the Register House in Edinburgh, Scotland, Public Records Office in Belfast, Ireland, Public Library in Belfast, Presbyterian Historical Society in Belfast, Church Rec­ ords of Glastry Presbyterian Church in County Down, North Ire­ land, National Archives in Washington, Virginia State Archives in Richmond as well as the records of the following counties in Vir­ ginia at their county seats, Chesterfield, Charlotte, Brunswick, and Lunenburg, S C. State Archives in Columbia, State Dept. Land Records, State House, Columbia, S. C., Laurens, Chester, Newberry, Greenville, Anderson, Charleston county records in South Carolina. The personal data has come from old family Bibles, tombstone records, and the minutes of the old churches. In every case the more recent family records, and in many cases the older personal data have been furnished by the members of these families. The author wishes to express her deep gratitude to all who have co­ operated and especially to her aunt, Miss Agnes Puckett, for her help in typing letters for the purpose of gathering thJs personal data. The sketches of allied families have except in a few cases been furnished by members of these families and have been signed by them. These records are the records of a family not distinguished in many ways as the world measures distinction. But they have pre­ served and passed on to their descendants many of the funda­ mental virtues of our pioneer ancestors-great energy, honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, independence of thought and a courage to stand up a11d be counted in upholding their convictions. They ... Ill have shown through the generations a high standard of personal conduct, and as citizens have stood for the right as they saw it. I wish that I might have had time to gather and record more of the personal and professional attainments of the individual members. I have made brief notations where these facts were known to me, but there has been no organized effort to gather these facts. Perhaps some younger member of the family will use this work as a basis for such a volume. CHRISTINE Soum GEE. Abbreviations and Symbols Inv. _________________________ Jnventory b. ------------------------------------------ born d. ________________________________________ died Exec. ________ Executor or executrix m. ______________________________________ married Adm. ____________________ Administration vol. _____________________________ volume A. _____________________________________ Acres p. ____________________________________________ page Res. ________________________ Residence pp. ______________________________________ pages The generations are indicated in this way: A represents the first generation, B the second generation and so on. Al represents the first one mentioned in this generation.· C 15 would represent the 15th person mentioned in the third generation. IV Contents PAGES 1. Origin of Puckett Family ------------------------------------------------------- --------- vii 2. Pucketts of Colonial Virginia ------------------------------------------------------------ 1-17 3. Additional Wills and Administrations -------------------------------------------- 17-19 4. Partial List Puckett Marriages in Virginia ------------------------------------- 19-22 5. Pucketts in American Revolution from Virginia and Sou th Carolina ---------------------------------------------------------------- ___________ _ 22-23 6. The Pucketts of South Carolina ------------------------------------------------------ 24-77 Connecting Links between Virginia and South Carolina _______________ _ 25-29 7. Pucketts of Tennessee ----------------------------------------·--- ----------------- 78-84 8. By-Ways of State History _________________________________________________________________ _ 84-86 By Dr. J. W. Daniel 9. Allied F arnilies -----------------··---------------------------------------------------------------- 87-136 Agnew-S mi th-Donald -------------------------------------------------------------- 87 Boyd ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------­ 88 Dwight ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------­ 109 Henry ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 110 1ames -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _________ _ 113 Knight ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------­ 113 Lee -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 119 Locke ------------------------------------------------------------ ___________________________ _ 119 Long 120 Martin, McNeese, Rodgers, Saxon ------------------------------------------ 121 ~l c Cl urk en _________________________ ----------------------------------- ___________________ _ 124 Pinson ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 127 Sims ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _________ _ 130 s OU th --------------------------------------------------------------------------. --------------- 132 Taylor 134 Wharton 134 Womack of Henrico Co., Va. -------------------------------------------------- 136 Illustrations 1. Coat-of-Arms The Boyd Family ________________________________________ Facing Page 88 2. Dean Castle --------------------------------------------------------------------------Facing Page l 07 TO MY ANCESTORS By EoLus in the Chicago Tribune Copied from the Virginia Gazette I see you toiling down the tedious years, You bearded, gaunt and bent old pioneers, Sowing and reaping, sowing once again, In patience for an unborn race of men. I see you struggling in the wilderness Where failure meant starvation-and success­ A cabin in the wilderness, rough hewn, rude Garments of homespun and the humblest food. Tradition scarcely tells me whence you came, I only know a few of you by name! I only know you lived and multiplied Quite profligate in progeny-and died. Yet in my heart I know that most of you Were strong and steadfast and that one or two At least had weaknesses that still may be Traced in the trends of atavistic me. One I am sure was blest with native wit- I am thankful that he transmitted some of it! That helped him dodge Dame Troubles swiftest dart And meet misfortune with a merry heart. One was rather a worthless wight I fear, Who when the bluebird whispered spring was near Forsook his plow-a shiftless sluggard one And roamed the woods alone with rod and gun. And one a gentle dreamer was I trow. Who lured by shadows let the substance go. 1was he who dared the raging Western sea­ I'm glad he handed down his dreams to met . Vl Origin of the Puckett Falllily The earliest Pucketts we know of in America settled in Bristol Parish, Henrico County, Virginia in 1665. John Pucket received a grant of 500 A. in I-Ienrico that year. ( Book 5, Va. Land Grants p. 589) It would be natural to suppose that they were English as they were a part of an English speaking community in Virginia. There is nothing in the early records that indicates otherwise. They are today scattered rather widely in southern England, especially in London, where the telephone directory contains several pages of the name. Tradition has it that the name is of French origin. This appears very likely, but our immediate ancestors had been in England long enough prior to 1665 for the name to have become Anglicized. Your compiler while in London in 1950 studied the publications of the Huguenot Society in the Library of the British Museum for names from which Puckett could have been derived. The following is what was found in the Register of the French Church, Tread­ needle St., London. Marie Poquett ( Po-ka') daughter of Pierre Poquett and Cath­ erine Codon, Jan. 4, 1629, Vol. 9, p. 157 Pierre Pocquet ( Po-ka' ) witnesses a baptism Jan. 29, 1634, Vol. 9, p. 191 Catherine Fouquet ( Pii-ka') daughter of Thomas P. and Cathe­ rine, Nov. 11, 1638, Vol. 9, p. 222 Anne, daughter of Thomas and Catherine Paquet baptized June 14, 1640. Register II, Treadneedle St. Abraham Pouchet (Pu-shay') Feb. 27, 1760; Marie Pouchet, Feb. 27, 1771. Vol. 4, Register of Treadneedle St. Marie Anne Fouquet, daughter of Abraham Fouquet ( Pu-ka') and Marie, Nov. 19, 1704. Register of the Church La Patente. Baptisms. It is easy to see ho,v these names under the influence of English speaking people became Puckett or Packett. Both names are com­ mon in London. The first generation of