William Magill (abt. 1690 - abt. 1749)

Jayme, I've located this site, which references a letter written on 12 September 1838 in Franklin County, Kentucky by John MaGill, a grandson of William MaGill, who relayed some family history to his nephew, Caleb MaGill. Part of the letter says: "My grandfather, William MaGill, migrated from Ireland in the year 1727 with the three sons named James, William and John, who was my father, and five daughters, to wit, Jane, who married William Dickson, he died, she married a McKee; Sarah married William Berry; Betty married James Berry, later John Jones; Esther who married Hugh Campbell; Ann, who married Robert Fowler." See: http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~berry/genealogy/newupload/pages/B1_2.htm

The site has a lot of other information (along with sources).

I have the full wordings of the 1838 letter and also a letter dated 1882.

12 Sep 1838 Dear Nephew Caleb, I received your letter some twelve months ago but, not having it at hand, I do not exactly recall the date the letter informed me of the death of your father. I presume it was the only one you sent me. I ought to apologize for not writing you sooner. I am frequently in distress of mind and from a blamable neglect of duty I often neglect to answer letters immediately when I receive them; and after a while forget them. I now let you know that through the goodness of God we are all in a tolerable state of health for which we ought to be thankful. I have not received any information from you and any of your brothers and sisters since I received your letter from Mr. John Elliot informed that you lived in this neighborhood. I have nothing to write that can be very interesting to you as you are not acquainted with any persons here nor I with any in your neighborhood. As for my family, I had the misfortune to lose my best friend five years ago last November on the 14th of the month. I have one son living in Clinton County, Indiana named MATTHEW E. MAGILL, one other in the same county named CYRUS MAGILL. One in Park County named SAMUEL P. MAGILL. One living with me named JOHN ALLEN MAGILL who is practicing physic on the Thompsonian plan and is very successful. One daughter MARGARET S. MAGILL and one named TENNYANN. My grandfather, WILLIAM MAGILL, migrated from Ireland in the year of 1727 with three sons named JAMES, WILLIAM and JOHN, who was my father, and five daughters, to wit: JANE who married William Dickson, he died and she married a McKee; SARAH married William Betty; BETTY married James Berry, later John Jones; ESTHER who married Hugh Campbell; ANN who married Robert Fowler. My uncle JAMES had three sons: WILLIAM, ALEXANDER and JAMES. My uncle WILLIAM had seven sons, to wit: SAMUEL, WILLIAM, JAMES, ROBERT, JOHN, HUGH, and CHARLES, three last named by a second wife. My father had six sons, JAMES, SAMUEL, JOHN, DAVID, and HUGH. I have been particular so that you may know if you meet with any persons of the name of Magill you can tell whether they are your relation. I have seen several from Ireland that are no kin of mine. They spell their name McGill. They are generally native Irish and Roman Catholic. I recollect to have seen my grandfather's certificate from Ireland dated 1725. It was spelled Magill and all his descendants spell their names the same way. Any who do not are not of our kindred. Our forefathers were Scotch, lived in Scotland and were Protestants. The time of persecution in England and Scotland in the reign of King James of England, they with many others, emigrated to Ireland which gave them the name Scotch-Irish which name they are frequently called to this day. I never know of any of father's relations coming to American only one family which was John Magill. He settled in Winchester, Virginia about the year 1775. He was a lawyer and had two sons, Archibald Magill who was a major in the army at the time of the Revolution. The other, Charles Magill, was a lawyer and either he or one of his sons, is at this time, president or cashier in the Valley Bank of Virginia. There has been more sickness and is at this time in our neighborhood than I ever know at one time and I believe it is general throughout the state of Kentucky. As for religion in this country, there is a great many professors to different denominations. There is Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, Campbellites, Two Seeds alias Carkorites and Shakers. I have heard lately of two Mormons preaching about sixteen miles from here. Crops of wheat are good this summer. Corn crop is sorry through this state. I wish you could write every good opportunity. Give my respects to all your brothers and sisters and all inquiring friends. The day before yesterday I received a letter from my sister, Elizabeth Frame, living in Ohio State, Preble County. She is 83 years old last March. The only sister I have living. All my brothers are dead and yet I am spared on the goodness of God. May we all be prepared through the goodness of God and the sanctifying influence of holy spirit for an endless and happy eternity is the prayer of your affectionate uncle who lacks only one month and eight days of being 79 years old. John Magill Caleb Magill & brothers Sept. 18, 1838

1882 letter

Family History Letter from Hiram Magill-Margaret Daugherty son Dr. James D. Daugherty to Dr. Robert T. Hocker dated Aug 1882 ~ "Robert, You asked me to get you the origin of our Magill family. I will give you some idea of their origin. From what I could learn, they were from Scotland to Ireland as far back as I can recollect Uncle John Magill's account as him and me made a visit to Indiana from Kentucky about 1834. As well as I can recollect the history of the old ones, there were three brothers of them. I think they were born in America ~ John, William, and James. Those three brothers left Virginia, John to Kentucky, William to South Carolina and James to Tennessee. So our grandfather was John. "As well I can remember the names of my uncles, they were David, Samuel, William, James, John, and Hugh [his father] and one daughter, Betty, who married a man named Jeremiah Frame. He and Uncle David moved to Missouri. I can just recollect seeing them, I suppose I was five years old. Uncle Sam was killed in VA. A crowd looking at a stable horse crowded around the horse and it kicked and killed him. The others all married and raised familes. "My father (Hugh) was the youngest son. He was born in Pennsylvania, lived in Virginia, moved to Kentucky ~ all the family moved ~ grandfather, my father, single. Father married Margaret Daugherty near the head spring of the Salt River, five miles from what is now Danville, Kentucky. They were married the first of January, 1795. "My grandfather, James Daugherty, was born in the city of Dublin, Ireland. There he learned the trade of wheelright. He came to Kentucky in an early day, established a wheel factory whereby he accumulated property, raised a large family. I will give you the names of them and who they married. Rebecca, an Irishman named Archie Gray Cinthia ~ Amesby Spencer Nancy ~ Thomas Gash Sally ~ Jno. Walkup Polly ~ Sam Latimore "My mother's name was 'Peggy' Margaret Daugherty. Father (Hugh) was the youngest, all the others were old enough to be in the war. Uncle John Magill was in at 16 years old. Uncle James Magill was a Capt. He drew a pension. He had a farm and no one to work it when his boys married off and left him and the pension was a great help to him. "My uncles were all large, all past 200 pounds. I think all lived to be old except Father. Grandfather outlived Father. He lived to 92 years. I remember him. He made father's house his home. I remember he walked with crutches the last years of his life from rheumatism. He was a very tall, large man. The Magill family was of the old Presbyterian faith. He was an educated man. "Uncle James was a Mason. Father was not a scholar, tho' was Sheriff and not ignorant at all. The cause of his death was he bought an awkward negro whom he was showing how to split rails, he became very warm, came to dinner, drank a great draught of water fresh from the deep well and it produced congestion of the stomach. He lived some 48 hours. "The most of the Magills emigrated west from Kentucky. Uncle James' oldest son, Samuel Patterson Magill, was some 20 years older than me. He and his wife did not get along well. He left, went to Mexico, joined Houston's army, went through it all, drew his bounty money, went back, got his wife and two boys after twenty years, settled in Burnett Co, and was Co Clk. until he died. The family is yet there doing well.

Part 2

"Mother's father, James Daugherty, was, as I think, on the extreme about religion. He had family prayer three times a day and worked like he prayed and was still on the extreme about work. He made money, ran a large shop, but made nothing about his farm. He had secured some five or six hundred acres of the finest kind of land. His children grew up in idleness. Uncle Sam was dissipated, played the fiddle, attended parties, spending his time and money. He and an Irishman named Morrow made a contract that when one of them died the other was to go to his grave and the deceased one should tell him how he liked his place of rest. "Morrow died and was put in a graveyard, was ____ by rock, near Danville. One evening, Uncle called about dusk, on his way home from Danville; there stood Morrow. Uncle said, "How do you like your new home?" "You had better try some other," said Morrow. Uncle stood to seeing Morrow, to the day of his death. He quit drinking. It was of great value to him and his family. "All of my aunts married men who made good livings. The largest part of the town of Perryville was built on Uncle Latimore's farm. He raised seven boys. They all settled around Perryville, Mercer Co. "The Walkup family moved to Missouri. The Spencers lived in Wayne Co., Missouri. I knew little about them. "The old Kentucky Magill family was of remarkably good temper. Uncle John's family was the best natured of people I ever saw. Some of our family was somewhat ill tempered tho' your mother (Rebecca) Polly, John, Hugh, and Sally were mild tempered, would hardly get mad soon enough. Family records copied from the old family Bible by Dr James Daugherty Magill "Hugh Magill and 'Peggy' Margaret Daugherty were married 1 Jan 1795 children Cynthia Magill born 25 Nov 1795 Mary Patterson Magill born 16 Oct 1797 Jno Cunningham Magill b 2 Aug 1803 James Daugherty Magill b 26 May 1806 Hugh Patterson Magill b 18 Feb 1808 Rebecca Magill b 11 April 1810 Sarah Magill b 16 July 1813 "I left out two who were not raised, Robert and another son not named. "One of my grandmothers before marriage was a Cunningham and the other a Patterson. You see the letters 'C' and 'P' put in their names. "John Magill married Nancy Edmondson 7 Oct 1787. I will say something of Uncle John and family. He married a woman named Edmondson ~ she was left-handed and every child of hers was also left-handed. She was good natured, every child was also, they never got mad or fretted at anything, never had a family jar. I heard Dr Jno Magill say he was never mad enough in his life, but one time, to strike a man; he never forgot anything. "James D. Magill was born in Lincoln Co, KY. Lucy Pope was born in Jones Co., GA . Was married within one mile of Jacksonville, AL, 10 Sept 1839 by William Estill of Jacksonville, AL. Children John b 13 Dec 1840, d 15 June 1841 Robert b 3 Nov 1843, d at three years Thomas b 7 June 1846, d at two years Margaret b 8 July 1850, d at three years H. Clay b 27 Sept 1852, d 1865 Sarah b 4 Feb 1855, d at 16 years Benjamin P b 25 June 1847, died at 18 years Lucy T., the mother, died in Pulaski Co., AR 2 Oct 1858

Jas D Magill and Sophia A Nabors were married 8 Oct 1861 by Jonathan Esq. Child Charles M B 15 (or 13) Jun 1863, d 15 Aug 1863

"My first wife, when we were married, weighed 95 pounds. I, 165 lbs. She was 19; I, 32 years old. She was, all her life, delicate. I never thought it was a hardship to wait on her. She was worthy of kind treatment. A better woman never lived. If she was in that all-depicted Hell, I wish to go there when done here. "The common trait of the Magill family; they were all industrious, saving, some of them stingy, some liberal, generally law-abiding, moral, mostly church members. Father was not in the Church, but their foreman to start the music." (Letter courtesy of Susan S. Hargrove, Jun 2002, who added, "My great grandmother, Sarah Margaret Webb Beauchamp, grand daughter of Hugh Magill, received a notebook on her birthday in 1932 from her cousin Dora Hocker Chenault. Dora's father had been tracing the family for many years and Dora continued. Enclosed in the notebook was family history and this letter from Aug 1882 that Dr Robert T Hocker (Dora's father) received from his uncle Dr J D Magill. J D was the son of Hugh Magill, grandson of John Magill. His mother was Margaret Daugherty. "Rebecca Magill, daughter of Hugh Magill and Margaret Daugherty, married Washington Hocker. Their daughter, Sarah Margaret Hocker, married Warren Elijah Webb. Their daughter, Sarah Margaret Webb, married William David Beauchamp whose daughters married Hellum and Day. An interesting story about Rebecca Magill is that at her funeral, 7 Sep 1852, her son Samuel Duncan Hocker died. The funeral stopped and the body of son Sam was put in her casket and they were buried together.)