James P Ross (1715 - 1788)

Born 1715 in Ireland

Ancestors

Husband of Jean (Shaw) Ross — married 31 Aug 1778 in Guilford county, North Carolina

Descendants

Died 1 Nov 1788 at about age 73 in Salisbury, Anson, North Carolina, United States

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This profile is part of the Ross Name Study.

Biography

I have seen it said that 'family lore' tells us that James was from Antrim, Ireland, and that he left there to come to American in, around, or before 1750. This seems to agree with the research that Harmon L. Ross was doing in the 1970s. I have not been able to identify, though, the sources that Harmon used to come to this conclusion. I have seen it said that some information on the older generations came from a family bible. Unfortunately, I am not aware of who is in possession of this bible, or bibles, at this point.

Family trees often show his first wife as Mary Woods, daughter of George Woods & sometimes a Miss Hall.

But there is also the Mary Woods of Pennsylvania ^[1] who married United States Senator James Ross (1762-1847). In some sources, her name is Ann ^[2].

The George Ross who married a Miss Hall was the father of George Ross who married Jane McDowell and George & Jane were the parents of the Ann or Mary Woods who married Senator James Ross ^[3].

So, maybe the wife of James Sr. of Rowan County was a Mary Woods, but she was not the daughter of George Woods & Miss Hall? If someone is still in possession of the family bible, can you please check to see if it confirms the name of James's first wife as Mary Woods?

The marriage bond for James Ross Sr. of Guilford County & his 2nd wife, a Jean Shaw, is dated 31 Aug 1778 and can be found in Guilford County ^[4].

James Ross Sr. left a Will in Rowan County, North Carolina, dated 1 Nov 1788 ^[5]. In it, he lists 'my dear & loving wife Jean Ross and four children (viz) Joseph, Benjamin, Jean & Susannah' plus a son Henry.

This suggests that these 4 children belong to his second wife Jean. Son Henry is listed as executor suggesting that he is older & a child of James's first marriage.

There is a Will in Guilford County, North Carolina, written by William Shaw on 9 Sep 1793 ^[6]. In it he lists these same 4 children, 'my two beloved Brothers (that is Joseph Ross & Bengamin)' and 'my two young sisters Jean Ross & Susana'. It appears, then, that William Shaw of Guilford County was the son of this Mrs. Jean Shaw by a previous marriage.

The tree created by these two Wills looks like this:

1-James Ross Sr. of Guilford County d. bet. 1 Nov 1788 & 4 May 1789, Rowan County
  + 1st wife
...2-Ross
      + Grizzel Shaw dau. of 2nd wife Jean, but James Ross's Will lists as daughter-in-law
......3-John Shaw
......3-Thomas Ross
...2-Henry Ross b. cal bef 1768
  + Mrs. Jean Shaw m. 31 Aug 1778, Guilford Co., NC
...2-Joseph Ross
...2-Benjamin Ross
...2-Jean Ross still young in 1793
...2-Susannah Ross still young in 1793

Henry Ross, son & executor of James Ross Sr., is thought to be the Henry Ross of Guilford County discussed in the book the History of Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Her People, Greensboro, N.C. ^[7] In this book, it is stated that Henry had a brother James ^[7][8].

DNA Evidence

There are 5 descendants of Henry & James Ross Jr. of Guilford County who are Participants in the Ross Project at FamilyTreeDNA and DNA is confirming that they are, indeed, related ^[9]. We can take this to be verification that Henry Ross & James Ross Jr. of Guilford County were brothers.

The third 'brother' mentioned in the History of Buffalo Presbyterian Church is John Ross who left a Will in Guilford County dated 19 Apr 1791 ^[10]. Several descendants of this John Ross have tested and they are not a match to the descendants of Henry & James Jr ^[11]. So, John Ross of Guilford County was not the brother, or cousin, of James Ross Jr. & Henry Ross of Guilford County.

Revolutionary War soldier James Ross is also often included in the tree of this James Ross Sr. of Rowan County, in one way or another. One descendant of this Rev. War soldier James Ross has been identified in the Ross Project at FamilyTreeDNA and he is not a match to Henry & James Ross Jr. of Guilford County ^[12]. So, Rev. War soldier James Ross, who, according to his pension application, was born in Martin County, North Carolina, in 1761 ^[13], was not genetically related to this James Ross Sr.

Parentage

Many trees list the parents or grandparents of this James Sr. of Rowan County as a Hugh Ross & Margaret Barclay or a Hugh Ross & Janet Sutherland or a Hugh Ross & Margaret Cheeley.

But,

• Hugh Ross & Margaret Barclay ^[14] lived in Scotland in the 1300s, not North Carolina in the 1700s.
• Hugh Ross & Janet of Sutherlandshire ^[15] lived in Scotland in the 1400s.
• Hugh Ross & Margaret Cheeley of Elizabeth City County, Virginia, ^[16][17] did live in America at the right time to be James's grandparents, and there are records associated with them that mention a James, but, if the family lore is correct and this James was born in Ireland and didn't immigrate until 1750, then he is not the James in those records. Original sources need to be produced in order to decide this either way.

The family of this dubious Hugh Ross & Margaret Barclay who supposedly lived in North Carolina in the 1700s^[18] often includes as sons this James Ross Sr. of Rowan County and Isaac Ross Sr. of Woodbridge. It makes sense to assume that James Sr. of Rowan County was related to, or at least acquainted with, Isaac Ross because both families are associated with Abbotts Creek in Rowan County. There is one known Participant in the Ross Project at FamilyTreeDNA that descends from Isaac Ross, though, and he is not a match to Henry Ross & James Ross Jr. of Guilford County ^[12]. He is a match, instead, to Rev. War soldier James Ross. So, James Ross Sr. of Rowan County and Isaac Ross Sr. of Woodbridge were not brothers.

We haven't yet identified the Y-DNA signature of Hugh Ross who married Margaret Cheeley. There are several Participants in the Ross Project at FamilyTreeDNA that are potential descendants, including these descendants of this James Ross Sr., but they fall into several different, genetically distinct, groups. We would need more confirmed descendants of Hugh & Margaret Cheeley Ross to test in order to sort this out definitively.

Land in Rowan County

On 4 Aug 1778, a grant was entered by James Sr. for 640 acres of land on both sides of the Rich Fork of Abbotts Creek in Rowan County ^[19]. This was within just weeks of his marriage to Mrs. Jean Shaw that was recorded in Guilford County.

The Rich Fork breaks off of Abbotts Creek just east of Lexington and continues north about 19 miles to what would've been just at the Guilford County border in 1774. There are no details in the grant that tell us exactly where on the Rich Fork this land was located.

One of the clues that connects the Henry Ross of Guilford County to James Sr. of Rowan County, though, is a Rowan County deed dated 16 Mar 1789 conveying land from a 'Henry Ross of Guilford County' to Enoch Harland ^[20].

James Ross Sr.'s Will was Proved in court May of 1789 ^[5], so maybe he had already passed away by the time Henry was selling this land?

The land mentioned in the deed is 'on both sides of the third fork of Abbotts Creek'. This is apparently property originally granted to John Smith ^[21].

Abbotts Creek runs north from the Yadkin through Lexington and then northeast to what would've been the boundary of Rowan County in 1789, approximately 31 miles, parallel to, but just north of, Rich Fork. It then runs north into what was Surry County, near the Guilford County line. I'm not familiar with the 'third fork'.

This Enoch Harlan that purchased land from Henry Ross of Guilford apparently lived in the Pine Woods community ^[22], which was near Thomasville. I can't guarantee that he lived on this exact parcel that he purchased from Henry Ross, but the deed mentions a 'Wilsons line' and one of the witnesses was a Mendenhall. There were both Wilsons & Mendenhalls in this Pine Woods community. Enoch Harlan and a Joseph Wilson were granted land there for a meetinghouse and a graveyard in 1797 ^[22].

'A little later Benjamin Ross and Joseph Ross acquired land nearby ^[22].' These are names of 2 of James Ross Sr.'s younger children ^[5].

So, it seems that Henry Ross of Guilford County sold land to Enoch Harlan that was in the Pine Woods area of Abbotts Creek. At the time of the deed, this would've been only about 3 miles from the south west corner of Guilford County and about 23 miles from where Henry Ross was said to have lived on Horsepen Creek ^[7].

The Pine Woods community was near Hunts Fork, which branches off of Rich Fork, which branches off of Abbotts Creek. So is the branch of Hunts Fork from Rich Fork the 'third branch' the deed is referring to? Hunts Fork branches off just about 3 miles from what is today called Pine Woods Church Road, so I'm guessing the land that Henry Ross sold was in this area. And it could've been in the vicinity of the land that James Sr. was granted on Rich Fork in 1784.

Again, James Sr.'s Will was probated at the May 1789 court session, so he passed away sometime between writing his Will on 1 Nov 1788 and May of 1789.

Sources

1. ↑ "Guide to the Papers of the Ross-Woods Family, 1769-1897 (bulk 1784-1837)," Historic Pittsburgh. n.d. Web. (https://historicpittsburgh.org/islandora/object/pitt:US-QQS-MSS215/viewer)
2. ↑ Delafield, Joseph L. "Notes on the Woods Family of Bedford." The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Vol. 32. 1908. Internet Archive. Web. (https://archive.org/details/jstor-20085438/page/n3)
3. ↑ "Colonel George Woods, Pittsburgh's First Surveyor." Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine Vol. 7, No. 2. Apr 1924. Penn State Libraries. Web.(https://journals.psu.edu/wph/article/download/1346/1194/)
4. ↑ "North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKJ9-QTTF : 22 December 2016), James Ross and Jean Shaw, 31 Aug 1778; citing Guilford, North Carolina, North Carolina State Archives Division of Archives and History; FHL microfilm 536,827.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} "North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:37SQ-2981-ZB9?cc=1867501&wc=32LR-4WY%3A169928201%2C170976601 : 21 May 2014), Rowan Wills, 1797-1801, Vol. D image 46 of 298; James Ross, 1788; county courthouses, North Carolina.
6. ↑ "North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939L-V1SJ-77?cc=1867501&wc=32L2-82S%3A169767301%2C170812702 : 21 May 2014), Guilford Wills, 1771-1813, Vol. A image 184 of 227, William Shaw, 1793; county courthouses, North Carolina.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} Rankin, S. M, History of Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Her People, Greensboro, N.C., Greensboro, N. C.: J. J. Stone, 1934. Internet Archive. Web. (https://archive.org/details/historyofbuffalo00rank/page/44) p. 45.
8. ↑ Bowles, David, Spring House: Book 1 in the Westward Sagas. N.p.: Smashwords, 2006. The Westward Sagas. Web. (https://westwardsagas.com/spring-house-book-1-in-the-westward-sagas.pdf)
9. ↑ "Ross Surname Project MRCA Chart," Ross Surname Project. Web. (http://www.rosssurnameproject.net/charts/ross-mrca-chart-reorganized.html#20)
10. ↑ "North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939L-V1SJ-MD?cc=1867501&wc=32L2-82S%3A169767301%2C170812702 : 21 May 2014), Guilford Wills, 1771-1813, Vol. A image 171 of 227, John Ross, 1791; county courthouses, North Carolina.
11. ↑ "Ross Surname Project MRCA Chart," Ross Surname Project. Web. (http://www.rosssurnameproject.net/charts/ross-mrca-chart-reorganized.html#35)
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} "Ross Surname Project MRCA Chart," Ross Surname Project. Web. (http://www.rosssurnameproject.net/charts/ross-mrca-chart-reorganized.html#18)
13. ↑ "James Ross W5722." Southern Campaign Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters. 12 Feb. 2018. Web. (https://revwarapps.org/w5722.pdf)
14. ↑ Lundy, Darryl. "Hugh Ross, 1st of Balnagowan, #562411, d. before 10 August 1374." The Peerage. 6 Aug 2016. Web. (http://www.thepeerage.com/p56242.htm#i562411)
15. ↑ Lundy, Darryl. "Hugh Ross, 3rd of Balnagowan, #562417." The Peerage. 6 Aug 2016. Web. (http://www.thepeerage.com/p56242.htm#i562417)
16. ↑ Chapman, Blanche Adams. Wills and Administrations of Elizabeth City County, Virginia, and Other Genealogical and Historical Items, 1610-1800. Baltimore: Genealogical, 1980. Google Books. Web. (https://books.google.com/books?id=Ip5nfWQuWBkC&pg=PA23#v=onepage&q&f=false) p. 23.
17. ↑ Chapman, Blanche Adams. Wills and Administrations of Elizabeth City County, Virginia, and Other Genealogical and Historical Items, 1610-1800. Baltimore: Genealogical, 1980. Google Books. Web. (https://books.google.com/books?id=Ip5nfWQuWBkC&pg=PA71#v=onepage&q&f=false) p. 71.
18. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/220207869/hugh-ross : accessed 03 Jan 2021), Hugh Ross (8 Jul 1681–unknown), Memorial no. 220207869; Maintained by redheadkelly (contributor 47079195) Burial Details Unknown.
19. ↑ North Carolina Land Grant Images and Data. State Archives of North Carolina. Web. (https://www.nclandgrants.com/grant/?mars=12.14.107.1317&qid=604005&rn=1) Call# S.108.1019. Grant no. 681 book 51 pg 209.
20. ↑ Deeds, 1753-1962; Indexes, 1753-1962. Raleigh, North Carolina: Filmed by North Carolina Department of Archives and History, 1942. FamilySearch. Web. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-998Q-31R?i=678&cat=328774)
21. ↑ North Carolina Land Grant Images and Data. State Archives of North Carolina. Web. (https://www.nclandgrants.com/grant/?mars=12.14.107.1309&qid=603676&rn=7) Call# S.108.1019. Grant no. 673 book 51 pg 206.
22. ↑ ^{22.0 22.1 22.2} Copley, Ruth Ann, "Before Thomasville, What?" Thomasville Library. Davidson County Public Library System. 1976. Web. (https://ils.unc.edu/nclibs/davidson/beftvl.htm)