David McCurdy
Sex: M
Individual Information
Birth Date: Abt 1728 1 Christening: Death: Abt 1796 - Elbert Co., Georgia Burial: Cause of Death:
Parents
Father: John McCurdy (Abt 1700-1761) Mother:
Spouses and Children
1. *Agnes Weakley (Abt 1732 - Bef 1795) 1 Marriage: 10 Mar 1752 - Yellow Breeches, York Co., Pennsylvania 2 Children: 1. Nancy Agnes McCurdy (Abt 1761-Abt 1829) 2. John McCurdy (1762-1837) 3. James McCurdy (Abt 1764- ) 4. Mary McCurdy (Abt 1766- ) 5. David McCurdy (Abt 1769-1834) 6. Janet McCurdy (Abt 1770-After 1830)
Notes
General:
PENNSYLVANIA:
The following information is from Chapter IV of Clyde W. McCurdy's book McCurdy Pioneers of North America, which is devoted to John McCurdy's eldest son David. He and his younger brother John Jr. are on the 1751 list of taxpayers of West Pennsborough Township in Cumberland Co., Pennsylvania. They are over 21 but unmarried. Elsewhere in the book it is said that their father left his home in Chester Co. where he had lived 20 years or more and moved to Cumberland Co. sometime between 1752 and 1755. Thus it appears that the two eldest sons came first, established themselves, and then the rest of the family followed. Their father died in Cumberland Co. in 1761. His homestead was in Allen Township about 30 miles east of where David lived (8 miles west of Fort Carlisle).
One of the earliest settlers in the area that became Cumberland Co. was James Weakley and his wife Jane. He owned a huge tract of land in West Pennsborough Township, and his homestead was about halfway between where David McCurdy lived and the homestead of David's father. David McCurdy married their daughter Agnes Weakley March 10, 1752. During the French and Indian War (1756-63) conditions were unstable on the frontier and there was danger of Indian raids, and at some point David purchased a lot and home in the town of Carlisle where they would have more security. They were paying taxes on their property in Carlisle in 1762. Three of David's brothers (John, William, and James) were also on the 1762 tax list for the Carlisle District.
"David McCurdy and Agnes were members of the Big Spring Presbyterian Church, located near their farm. This church was first organized by Scotch-Irish Presbyterians who settled in the area as early as 1737, but it was many years before the people of the Big Spring community could support a pastor alone. The Reverend John Blair served three churches in the area from 1742 to about 1749, and left the area when the Indian troubles began. A successor to Reverend John Blair was not called until 1759. In that year the Reverend George Duffield was installed, and, according to the terms, one third of his time was to be given to Big Spring and two thirds to the Carlisle Presbyterian Church. In 1777, the Reverend William Linn became the first full-time pastor. In March, 1786, a call was extended to the Reverend Samuel Wilson, who was not installed until June, 1787. "His pastorate was one of activity and prosperity for the congregation. A new church building was erected and the town of Newville laid out on church lands.
"The records of the Reverend Samuel Wilson give us a lot of information on the family of David McCurdy and his wife Agnes. All six of their children are listed in these records, and at least two of their children were married by the Reverend Wilson. As stated earlier we may determine the ages of the family members by using the age given in the records. The lists of members and their age were supposedly made in 1787 to 1788, and this corresponds with the known age of David's eldest son, John McCurdy, who gave his birth date in an application for a Revolutionary War pension. The six children are: Agnes, John, James, Mary, David Jr. and Janet. Mary's age is not given. She is listed as Mary Morris and was a young widow when the list was made.
"David took out more warrants for land in West Pennsborough Township and in adjoining Newton Township. He was also allowed a grant for a sawmill seat, and it appears he engaged in the sawmill business with a partner. 'Later David acquired by foreclosure 1000 acres of land having on it a sawmill and other improvements. This foreclosure resulted because of the failure of the former owner to pay to David a debt of four hundred pounds.'
"David and Agnes were to have only fourteen or fifteen years of peace after the French and Indian War ended, until the Revolutionary War of 1776 began. Their family became directly involved when the oldest son John volunteered in 1777 to serve in the army. His first tour of duty was for nine months and thrteen days. The other two sons were probably too young to have served until 1780 or 1781, and we have no records of any service by them, but the father, David, served in the militia as a private, eighth class, in Captain Patrick Jack's Fifth Company, First Battalion, Cumberland County Militia. David was about forty-nine years old when the war began in 1776, and his militia unit probably was not involved in actual service."
Carlisle did play an important role in the war. British prisoners were frequently sent there for confinement, and it was an important supply depot. A powder magazine was constructed for storage of gun powder, cannon shot, and small arms, and arms and ammunition were manufactured there.
MOVE TO GEORGIA:
Chapter V of Clyde McCurdy's book concerns the migration to Georgia of various familes from the Big Spring Church, including McCurdys and Applebys. They settled just south of the Savannah River in what became Elbert and Madison Counties.
During the last year of the War of Independence the Georgia legislature passed a law offering each head of household who would come to Georgia and settle 200 acres of land for himself and an additional 50 for each member of the family. The land was free except for the cost of surveying and of issuing a deed. As early as 1782-83 early arrivals from Pennsylvania had settled in South Carolina just north of the Savannah River near Abbeville, only 30 miles or so from Madison Co. The migration of the Big Spring group may have been motivated by their reports and the experiences of Stephen Groves in Charleston, South Carolina. He had sold beef cattle to one of George Washington's camps and had received Continental money in exchange. It was depreciating in value, and so, having heard that it was at par in Charleston, he filled his saddlebags with the money and rode from Carlisle to Charleston. Alas, the banks and merchants there refused to exchange it at par, but the merchants were willing to sell him goods for his Continental money at par, so he purchased jewelry, fine silk, and other costly items that he could carry in his saddlebags with some of the money and returned to Pennsylvania. The rest of the money was almost worthless.
Much of what we know about the migration from Cumberland Co., Pennsylvania to Georgia comes from a series of articles written in the 1870's and 1880's by the Rev. Groves H. Cartledge, a grandson of Stephen Groves, about the Presbyterian Church and early settlers in Northeast Georgia.
"The first large group from the Big Spring Church to make the move included the familes of David Ewing, Samuel Long, Robert and Samuel Woods, William Hodge, Stephen Groves, John McCurdy, John and David Calvert, William Patton and others. There may have been more than fifteen familes in this first large group, and in the next six years two or more smaller groups would follow. In the second group which probably left Cumberland County in 1791, was the family of William Appleby, and his son-in-law David McCurdy Jr. After this group arrived, five children of David McCurdy and Agnes Weakley were now in Georgia. Their last child to make the move was James McCurdy, who would follow in a few years. The two youngest daughters of David and Agnes were married in Cumberland County shortly before the move to Georgia. Mary McCurdy was married to John Calvert, and Janet McCurdy was married to William Hodge."
Because of reports of Indian raids the first group stopped north of the Savannah River near Abbeville, South Carolina where they rented land and made a crop before crossing the river into Georgia the following year. The area where they settled between the north and south forks of the Broad River was first in Wilkes Co. Then in December, 1790 it became Elbert Co., and 21 year later in December, 1811 it became Madison Co.
See chapters IV and V of The McCurdys of Stone Mountain,Georgia by Julius A. McCurdy for an excellent description of the migration.
AGES:
Gilbert E. Swope in History of the Big Spring Presbyterian Church, Newville, Pa., 1737-1898 presents the membership lists prepared by Rev. Samuel Wilson about 1787-89. Members of a family are presented sequentially in descending order of age, and an asterisk by a name indicates that the person was in full communion. On page 38 for the Yellow Breeches District, whose elder was Robert Patterson we find
John McCurdy, 20
Elizabeth McCurdy, 24
and
David McCurdy, 60 *
Mrs. McCurdy, 57 *
James McCurdy, 25
Mary Morris *
David McCurdy, 20
Janet McCurdy, 19
Nancy Lowry, 18
Adam Clelland, 35 *
Jane Clelland, 45 *
John Calvert, 20
Eleo Galbraith, 9
William Appleby, 35 *
Nancy Appleby, 28 *
Eliza Appleby, 14
J. Applebly, 12
Jane Appleby, 10
John Appleby, 9
James Leeper, 45 *
Mary Leeper, 40 *
Allen Leeper, 16
Martha Leeper, 13
James Leeper, 11
Sally Leeper, 9
The list was presumably created after the marriage of William Appleby and Nancy Agnes McCurdy on February 7, 1787 and before the marriage of David McCurdy and Elizabeth Appleby on August 25, 1789. Julius McCurdy, author of The McCurdys of Stone Mountain, Georgia regards John McCurdy's age as a transcription error, which should be 26 rather than 20, in which case his age is consistent with his known birthdate of July 5, 1762. It is reasonable to assume that Mary McCurdy married someone named Morris, who soon died, and that her birth date is between those of her two brothers James and David.
Elizabeth Appleby died October 2, 1845 and her tombstone says she was 75 years old. Thus she was born about 1770. That date is not consistent with her age of 14 given above and the idea that the lists were made about 1788, although the disparity is not too great.
PROBATE:
The records of the probate of the estate of David McCurdy can be seen in Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990, Elbert Co., Estates 1790-1900 McAlister--McCurry at familysearch.org. The records for David McCurdy are in images 153-160.
In an undated inventory of the estate of David McCurdy, dec'd, in image 158 the valuations are in pounds, shillings, and pence. The most valuable item is 16 hogs worth £3 & 4d. There is no total. There is a separate unlabeled inventory in image 160. Image 154 has a list dated February 9, 1797 of the legatees and the amount each received. There is an indication that the "boys" received £248 2s 7d and that the "girls" received £186 1s 17d. However, the actual amounts received vary considerably. There are 6 amounts and 5 names. The bottom of the page is torn and the bottom name is missing. The 5 names on the page are John McCurdy, John Calvert, William Appleby, David McCurdy, and William Hodge.
1 Julius Augustus McCurdy, "The McCurdy's of Stone Mountain, Georgia," 1979, pg 23.
2 Julius Augustus McCurdy, "The McCurdy's of Stone Mountain, Georgia," 1979, pg 17.
3 Dorothy (Dee) Appleby Turner, Appleby Heritage Association, http://appleby.rootsweb.com.
4
Clyde W. McCurdy, "McCurdy Pioneers of North America," 1990, pgs 82-86.
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