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Ruthe (McDonald) Bradley (abt. 1770)

Ruthe Bradley formerly McDonald
Born about in Rutherford, North Carolinamap
Ancestors ancestors
Wife of — married about 1786 in Rutherford Co, NCmap
Descendants descendants
Died [date unknown] [location unknown]
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Profile last modified | Created 3 Sep 2012
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Biography

Ruthe McDonald was born about 1770.

Originally saved to database by Karen Allman 31 Aug 2014

Title: The Phelps Family in America Author: Brian Phelps Note: Please refer to the original found at the following:

http://www.phelpsfamilyhistory.com/genealogy/d0004/f0000018.asp (Note when attempting to access July 2019 the above line no longer lands on the text below See notes on italicized items for corrections.)

(Most recently accessed October 2012.)

Phelps Family History in America

Quotation with permission of Brian Phelps, per correspondence dated January 31, 2012. Below is quotation in full of the page linked to above, though edited for corrections.

[7197]

We Were Mormons, But Did You Know Jolene Samanatha Towns Email: customcurriculum(at)aol.com Index of direct ancestors featured: Henrietta Cromeans (b. 1815), Josiah Cromeans (b. 1788), Moses Cromeans (b. Abt 1762), Elizabeth Humphries (b. 1799), George Washington Humphries (b.1772), Joseph Humphries (b. 1745), Elizabeth Johnston (b. Abt 1744), Alexander Moon (b. Abt 1748), Margaret Olley Moon (b. 1774), Abigail McDaniel (b. 17 68), Alexander McDaniel (b.1762), Harrison Pearce (b.1818), James Pearce (b. 1839), James Perry Pearce (b.1791), John Pearce (b.1734), John Pearce (b. 1760), Rebeckah Phelps (b. 1750).

John Pearce, born in England in 1734, was either brought by his parents to America at a young age or traveled there during early manhood. Nevertheless, he arrived in Georgia shortly after it was colonized in 1733 by a royal charter secured by British philanthropists James Oglethorpe and John Percival. They colonized Georgia and founded Savannah (the first permanent European settlement in GA) with many English debtors, some Scots, Germans, Swiss, and a few German Jews. It is likely that John Pearce's parents were one of these debtors.

His early years in Georgia would have been unpleasant because the area was far from prosperous because of war. In 1739, war broke out between Spain and England. Fighting occurred in Georgia. In 1742, near Fort Frederica on St. Simons Island, Oglethorpe defeated the Spanish in the battle of Bloody Marsh, thereby effectively ending Spain's claim to the land north of the St. Marys River. Georgia mainly served as a buffer or protectorate of S. Carolina from the Spanish in Florida and the French in Louisiana.

Around 1749, John would have noticed an emersion of slavery in the area .

The French and Indian Wars, the name given by American historians to the North American colonial wars between Great Britain and France in the late 17th and the 18th centuries, in America began in 1756. To the settlers in America, however, the rivalry of the two powers was of immediate concern, for the fighting meant raids by the French. The wars helped to bring about important changes in the British colonies. In addition to the fact of their ocean-wide distance from the mother country, the colonies felt themselves less dependent militarily on the British by the end of the wars; they became most concerned with their own problems and put greater value on their own institutions. In other words, they began to think of themselves as American rather than British.

Around that same time, the United States Postal Service was established and communication between states flourished. Though his wife is unknown, there is a record of a child born to him. In 1760, he had a son named John Pearce, born in Franklin Co., Georgia. This same year, the charter expired and prosperity was reached in Georgia under new control. The royal governor, James Wright, took control of Georgia. Also, in 1763, the French and Indian War ended. John Pearce (b.1760), likely received some basic education. Georgian children were noted to have been educated in colonial times in one-room rural schools and in a few church supported academies. It is doubtful that he received much education, though. There is a great chance he spent most of his time in livestock or farming . Georgia was mainly agricultural. Farms of peanuts, corn, soybeans, cattle, and chickens began to scatter across the area.

He was 15 years old when the American Revolution began; not too young for battle. With the war raging, civil government and administration had fallen apart in Georgia and had to be patched together locally....During 1778-1782, his dislike for Britain probably grew when Britain seized Savannah, GA and refused to leave until 1782. The United States of America finally gained their independence in 1783. The Chronicle, Georgia's oldest newspaper, was established in 1785 and told everyone that Georgia entered into the union on Jan 2, 1788.

The following year, John Pearce (b. 1760) married Margaret Olley Moon on April 13, 1790 in Greene, GA. With the Revolutionary War over, he could finally settle down with a family. He was 30 years old when he took hi s sixteen-year old wife in wedlock. Margaret Olley Moon was born Oct 23, 1774 in Charleston, S.C. On this date, she was christened at St. Phillips Parish in Charleston, Charleston Co., S.C.. Her father was Alexander Moon, thought to be born about 1748 in Charleston, S.C.. One year later, 1791, the happy newlyweds had a son, James Perry Pearce in Jackson Co., GA. He was the first of eleven children to be born to this couple in Jackson, GA. The others were: Axom Pearce (1792), Elizabeth Pearce (1794), Polly Pearce (1796), William Pearce (1798), Thomas Pearce (1800), John Pearce (1802), Elisha Pearce (1804), David Pearce (1806), Joshua Pearce (1808), and Elijah Pearce (1810). She was 36 years old when she had his last child, proving herself a very healthy woman for the time period.

If John Pearce (b. 1734) did not die in the Revolutionary Wars, it is likely that he died around 1800. This is the same time the U.S. Congress upset many Georgians by telling them that Mississippi and Alabama were not part of Georgia's territory. It was called the Yazoo Land Frauds. It is difficult to say if his son, John Pearce (b. 1760) was a slaveholder or not. A growing rivalry, however, emerged in Georgia between the southern slaveholders and the northern "Uptowns." The northerners of the state failed to come to the aid of the southern slaveholders when fighting against the North.

Since John Pearce (b. 1760) was still living in 1810, it is likely that he witnessed the marriage of his first son, James Perry Pearce to Elizabeth Humphries in Marion, Perry, AL. Elizabeth Humphries, b. Feb 17, 1799 in Marion, Perry, AL was no stranger to the Pearces. The families had long been acquainted with each other from living in the same town of Franklin, GA.

When the couple got married they were 31 and 27, they finished bearing children at age 48 and 44.

While the family was visiting or temporarily moved back to Virginia, Joseph Humphries, [b. 1745 Va]. met his wife, Rebeckah Phelps (b. 1750 in G A) and married about 1770 in GA. Immediately after their marriage, Rebeckah Phelps and Joseph Humphries moved to North Carolina. Their first child was George Washington Humphries, b. 9 Aug 1772 in Franklin, N.C.. He was christened that Nov 9. Before moving to Virginia, the couple had Shadrach Humphries (1774). In Virginia, they had Uriah Humphries (1776) at the start of the American Revolution. By 1778, the family was on the move again. This time, back to Georgia. They had nine more children: Sally (1778), Polly ( 1780), Judah (Abt 1781), Hannah (1782), Judy (1784), Rebecca (1786), Nancy (1787), Sarah (1788), and Mary (1789).

With the Revolution over, their first son was married. George Washington Humphries married Abigail McDaniel (b. 20 Oct 1768 in Marion, Perry Co ., AL) on Sep 26 1792 in Franklin, GA. [See Note 1 for Abigail's ancestry.] After having one child, Nancy (1794), the couple moved or visited AL . There they had Elizabeth Humphries (1799). The remaining seven children were born in Jackson, GA. They were: Allen (1800), Jesse (1802), Rebeckah (1804), Alexander (1806), James (1810), George Washington (1813), and Judy.

James Perry Pearce was 24 when he married Elizabeth Humphries, age 16. Three years later they successfully bore twins, Harrison Pearce and Harriet Pearce. They were born on Dec 17 1818 in Jackson, Butts, Georgia. They bore another child, Minerva (1820), before they moved to the Humphries old homestead in Alabama around 1823. The couple's marriage only lasted twelve years, enough time for him to give Elizabeth three more children: Zebulon (1823) James Perry (1825), and Abigail Margaret Pearce (1827 ) and witness the removal of the Indians.

Shortly after the birth of his daughter, Dec 12, 1827, at age 36, James Perry Pearce died in Marion, Perry, AL. He left behind his very young wife of 28 years and their six children.

Harrison Pearce was nine when his father died in Marion, Perry, AL.

After the death of her brother, James, [Note: he did not die but moved to TX] in 1838 Elizabeth Humphries and her parent's family moved to Mississippi. Likely, the move was stimulated by the lure of the cotton boom in MS at the time.

On Sep 6, 1849, her mother, Abigail McDaniel died in Oxford, Lafayette Co., Mississippi. She was buried at the Yellow-Leaf Cemetery there. A year after the death of his wife, George Washington Humphries remarried on 18 Sep 1850 to Elizabeth Rebecca Vawter, whom he already knew from Franklin, N.C.

At 18, Harrison married his first wife, Henrietta Cromeans. She was 21 years old on their wedding day, 5 Jul 1836 in GA. *See Note 2 for Henrietta Cromeans ancestry.* After the birth of James Pearce on 6 Mar 1839 in Fulton, Itawamba, Mississippi, they had Amelia (1841), Nancy Clark (18 42), and Thomas Jefferson (1845).

Unlike his mother and her family, who stayed in Mississippi, Harrison Pearce and sister Abigail Margaret were converted into "Mormonism." Harrison took his wife and children and attempted to join the saints in Utah around late summer of 1848.

Elizabeth and her father, George Washington Humphries, were still in Mississippi when the state seceded from the Union in 1861. They would have rallied behind Jefferson Davis, who was a Mississippian and president of the Confederacy during the Civil War. At age 83, her father died June 5, 1865 in Oxford, Lafayette Co., MS. He would be buried beside his wife. Five years after his death, 1870, Mississippi was readmitted to the Union. Several years later, Elizabeth Humphries would follow her father to the grave on 5 Jul 1882 in Baldwin, MS.

Meanwhile, Harrison Pearce and Henrietta Cromeans were floating up the Mississippi River to Iowa. When they arrived in Iowa they had Harrison Jr . (Mar 1849). Likely, she was sick after delivering her baby. This would explain not leaving until around Apr of 1852 towards Mormon resting area on the other side of Iowa. Henrietta would have been seven months pregnant when they left the East side of Iowa. Still, with the winter over, it was a perfect time to leave (assuming that they were trying to make it to Utah before next Winter). Almost to what was considered Winter Quarters, Kanesville (later named Council Bluffs), they lost their ten-year-old daughter Nancy Clark while crossing the plains. Three days later , they were safe at Kanesville and delivered Henrietta on 15 Jun 1852. President Brigham Young assigned Orson Hyde of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to remain in Kanesville to supervise the movement of Latter-day Saints to the West as quickly as possible. Thirty-one small encampments of 350 log cabins, two log tabernacles, a post office, and numerous shops, stores, and other business establishments would have surrounded them. Wheat, corn, and many vegetables would have been the provisions that they received for their upcoming journey. The town did have trouble finding adequate food, shelter, employment, and wagon outfits for the huge large numbers of people who came through, mainly poor immigrants. The family probably chose not to wait out another winter and set out for Salt Lake immediately, arriving in Utah around late Sept of 1852.

Four years later, Harrison Pearce (a polygamist) took another wife, who was likely a widower, on 3 Aug 1856. Her name was Anna Meredith Mathews, age 30, from Maesy Gollen, Parish, Glamorgan, Wales. She would bear him only three children. Mormon difficulties with the federal government about polygamy emerged and were probably felt by Harrison. (The church did not renounce the practice until a year after his death.) In 1857, the family arrived in Dixie, a nickname for Southern Utah. Upon arrival, they were sent to reside in Washington Co., Utah. Washington County is a very rugged, rough land and the early pioneers had to carve out roads by hand based on the natural cuts and valleys, making roads that were often not the most direct route. Henrietta Cromeans bore him another child in 1859, Joseph Harrison. Many Indian raids by the Black hawks occurred. Harrison Pearce's son, John David Lafayette Pearce, built Fort Pearce about twelve miles southeast of St. George to protect the new settlements and livestock from these Indian raids. John D.L. Pearce was the captain of a cavalry troop in Washington. The site was used for four years . At one point in 1865 it was reported that 20 to 30 men were guarding there. In 1863, Harrison Pearce took another wife, likely another young widower because she was 25. Her name was Magdalene Schneider and she was from Utendorf, Bern, Switz. His beloved first wife, died the following year on Apr 17, 1864 in St. George, Washington Co., UT. James Pearce would marry Mary Jane Meeks there on 6 Mar 1867. Harrison Pearce would go on to die there in 28 May 1889 and be buried two days later.

Note 1: Abigail McDaniel's ancestry- John McDaniel, b. 1708 in Nelson, Kentucky, would have considered himself a Virginian. Modern Kentucky was considered part of the state of Virginia until 1792 and Nelson Count y wasn't considered a county yet. It wasn't until about 1760 that settlers began to cross the mountains into Kentucky. He lived in the upper-middle part of Modern Kentucky. During this time, Kentucky was considered a marshy wasteland. Summers, known as "Indian Summers" were notorious for Suwannee raids. It is likely a secluded life of a trapper or hunter that he lived (unless he was an Indian.)

In 1734, he married a local named Mary, b. 1713. At ages 27 and 19, the couple began their family. They had nine children: Joseph (1735), Solomon (1737), Alexander McDaniel (1742), William (1745), Rebecca (1747), Elias (1749), George (1751), and Leah (1753).

His son, Alexander McDaniel, moved to Georgia where he married his 22 year old wife, Elizabeth Johnston (b. Abt 1744 in GA). After their union, they migrated to AL. They had their first child, Abigail McDaniel, on 20 Oct 1768 in Marion, Perry Co., Alabama. The couple moved back to Georgia where Alexander and Elizabeth would have ten more children: James (1770), John (1772), Joseph (1774), Josiah (1776), Thomas (1778), Mary (1779), Ruth (1782), and Nancy (1792).

In 1775 Daniel Boone helped to blaze the Wilderness Road in KY. The American Revolution took place in 1776-1783. John McDaniel, his sons, and some of his grandsons, likely all fought for freedom. It was a war where i f you could walk and shoot, the military needed you. Furthermore, Virginia was a key colony during the war. It was still a dangerous place to live. British, still angry about the Revolutionary War, paid Indians for the scalps of settlers in KY. Not until Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne led a sweeping campaign against the Miami villages in Indiana/Ohio and the Treaty of Greenville was signed in 1791, were western settlers relieved from travail of Indian attacks.

Kentucky became a new state, no longer part of Virginia, in 1792 and was admitted to the Union. John Shelby became governor of the state. After becoming a state, Kentucky was one of the few states to let ALL white males have suffrage. The state prospered from river traffic on the Mississippi and Ohio. John McDaniel died in the same place he lived, never moving to another state or county and leaving probably only to fight. His death was in May of 1804.

Research Notes

Notes added by this researcher (Karen Allman).

I have not independently verified the statements above. Much of this account seems to correlate with other sources. There was a statement (removed) above in regards to the Revolutionary war service of John Pearce. The below quotes from an email I sent to Brian Phelps on Oct. 21, 2012:

Brian,

I contacted you a few months back about quoting your site regarding Joseph Humphries and Rebecca Phelps. There's a passage that begins,

"We Were Mormons, But Did You Know Jolene Samanatha Towns Email: customcurriculum(at)aol.com Index of direct ancestors featured: Henrietta Cromeans (b. 1815), Josiah Cromeans (b. 1788), Moses Cromeans (b. Abt 1762) , Elizabeth Humphries (b. 1799), George Washington Humphries (b.1772), Joseph Humphries (b. 1745), Elizabeth Johnston (b. Abt 1744), Alexander Moon (b. Abt 1748), Margaret Olley Moon (b. 1774), Abigail McDaniel (b . 1768), Alexander McDaniel (b.1762), Harrison Pearce (b.1818), James Pearce (b. 1839), James Perry Pearce (b.1791), John Pearce (b.1734), John Pearce (b. 1760), Rebeckah Phelps (b. 1750). John Pearce, born in England in 1734, ..."

It continues, "...Though his wife is unknown, there is a record of a child born to him. In 1760, he had a son named John Pearce, born in Franklin Co., Georgia. ...John Pearce (b.1760), ...He was 15 years old when the American Revolution began; not too young for battle. With the war raging, civil government and administration had fallen apart in Georgia and had to be patched together locally. He served in the Continental Army in the Hillsborough District of North Carolina. During 1778-1782..."

Please let me know if the following is old news to you. I was double checking Names/dates/places I could add to my tree, and I went to fold3 to verify John Pearce's military service. I'd be happy to send you the file if you'd like to review the records (there are 17 pages, but it's probably the facts on page 12 that best support this conclusion). In the file it states that the file on John Pierce was the only one in the North Carolina records of a John Pierce by any spelling of that surname. It specifically mentions Hillsborough. But in the records it mentions his residence in Wake County NC, and has his pension application filed in the 1830's. On one page in the file dated 1844 it states he was 82 at the time (by my math born about 1762). With his continued residence in NC, it can't be the same as the John Pearce who was having children in Georgia. If he did in fact serve in the Revolutionary War, it would have to have been with a unit other than the one sited.


In 1806 John Bradley, filed letters of administration to assist with the estate of Josiah McDonald, brother to his wife Ruthe.

Sources

  • Joyce Serna, firsthand knowledge. Click the Changes tab for the details of edits by Joyce and others.
  • Phelps Family of America original source, as attached to Allman Family Tree [1]

See version at above link for highlighted corrections

  • JACKSON COUNTY, GEORGIA - Early Court of Ordinary Records,

Mar 3, 1806 - Present B. Harris, James Hendrix, George Conway, George Humphries: John Bradley and James McDonald apply for and receive Ltrs. of Adm., on estate of Josiah McDonald, dec'd. "Georgia Pioneers" vol.6, pg. 137





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It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Ruthe by comparing test results with other carriers of her mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known mtDNA test-takers in her direct maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Ruthe:

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