Turns out that when Granddaddy JC's ancestors moved to South Carolina, they were planning on going much further west. The Connell clan (cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.) was moving from North Carolina and planned on settling somewhere in the West. By the time they reached Lancaster, SC, some of the family got sick and had to stop. The rest of the family kept going while the recuperating ones planned on catching up later. However, the family in Lancaster found a great deal on land right there in South Carolina and decided to stay. I imagine they had also made friends during their extended stay in Lancaster.
When I first heard this story, I imagined it taking place around oh, say 1850. However, the earliest Connell ancestor in South Carolina was born there in 1828, and he had siblings born there as early as 1810. I'm guessing that's about the time the migration took place. It makes sense, because the Louisiana purchase took place in 1803. The Connells were probably thinking to take advantage of all the empty land there.
Before the move, the Connells lived in North Carolina for at least one generation. Before that, they lived in Virginia, all the way back to somewhere between 1625 and 1700. According to the information on Family Search, the next ancestor back came from Renfrewshire, Scotland. Since the surname Connell is usually traced back to Ireland, I wonder if we pronounce our name differently because our ancestors were from Scotland, instead of Ireland? Put your opinion in the comments!
I haven't reviewed any of the sources for the information on this page, so please forgive me if any is incorrect.
Was Granddad's line in Georgia before coming (back) to SC?
ReplyDeleteNot from what I can see. Why do you ask?
DeleteI've always been under that impression, but don't remember reading anything about it.
DeleteMaybe you're thinking of J.O. Thompson? His family was in GA for a long time. They came from VA, MD, and SC, so that may be what you're thinking of. I'll try to remember to include where our ancestors lived for the next general information posts, so we'll be able to keep track of that as I go back along the generations.
DeleteInteresting tidbit. Grandma Izzy said all of grandad JC's family pronounced Connell "Car-nail". CON-NELL is a more recent thing. I make note of this, because maybe Connell is a derivative of Carnell/Cornell/Cornwell.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting side note - I feel like the Hanging Rock property came into the Francis P Connell family in the 1780s, shortly after the revolutionary war. Maybe it was bounty land?
ReplyDelete