Christopher (Meckendörfer) McInturff Sr (abt. 1744 - abt. 1814)

Born about 1744 in Pennsylvania

Ancestors

Husband of Christina (Mitchell) McInturff — married about 1768 in Frederick, Virginia

Descendants

Died about Apr 1814 at about age 70 in Carter County, Tennessee

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Biography

Christopher McInturff was born in Pennsylvania, about 1744, son of Johannes Meckendörfer, and may have been the oldest son, since he was mentioned before George and Caspar in John's will. He was a young man when the family moved to Virginia and served as a chain carrier in October 1763 with the survey crew that surveyed the land in Powell's Fort Valley for his father and for Conrad Aleshite, a neighbor in what is now Shenandoah County, but was at that time in Frederick County. ^[1] He was married before 1770 and in September 1774 was sworn in as a constable in Shenandoah County and served until November 1776. He also served on a jury in May 1778. ^[2] The personal property tax lists for Shenandoah County date from 1782 and Christopher is listed each year through 1787 and the 1787 tax list shows that he already had son, in the 16-21 age range. ^[3] "Christopher Mackinturff" is listed in a 1783 census of Shenandoah County with a family of eight in a 1785 census of the county with a family of ten. He was on the census list for the Woodstock area, not on the one for Powell's Fort Valley. with his brothers. ^[4] Christopher last appears on the Shenandoah County personal property tax lists in 1787, his oldest daughter, Dorothy, married in Shenandoah County in August 1787, but by 1788 Christopher is in Washington County, North Carolina (now east Tennessee) where he acquired 200 acres of land. The following year he obtained warrant to survey another tract of 550 acres and received the patent for it in November 1792. In 1796 the state of Tennessee was created and the area where Christopher lived was in newly created Carter County. (This section of Carter County is now in Unicoi County, created in 1875.)The first tax list for Carter County, 1796, shows Christopher with 400 acres of land. The tax list for 1797 lists him with 200 acres, the list for 1798, 262 acres and the list for 1799 list 232.^[5] In July 1808 Christopher received a patent for 63 acres "on the waters of Buffalo Creek, adjoining the tract the said Christopher McInturff lives on."^[6] The acreage Christopher owned varied from one tax year to another and so he obviously gave some of his land to his older sons as they came of age, and sold or traded other parcels during his lifetime. Christopher wrote a will in March 1814, leaving the land where he lived to his wife Christina for her lifetime, after which it would be sold and the proceeds distributed to his children, whom he listed from oldest to youngest (except Margaret, who was listed last). He signed his will in German cursive with a shaky hand and died soon after that.

Note: The order of Christopher's children are arranged here differently than found on most Ancestry Trees. It is clear that he named them in birth order, oldest to youngest in his will and that is how they are arranged here. This arrangement also aligns much better with existing tax and marriage records.

The following narrative was originally entered by K Johnson, "firsthand knowledge" on January 4, 2012 and updated by Pam Schoo Schierberg based on following documentation and personal research at East Tennessee Historical Society, Knoxville, Tennessee:
Source: http://huskey-ogle-family.tripod.com/ancestorarchives/id20.html
See additional sources at end of text.

Christopher McInturff, born about 1744, in Pennsylvania, was a third generation American. The Meckendörfers were from Baden, part of the area known as the Palatine region in southeastern Germany. They were part of the huge migration from Germany to the American colonies during the terrible religious persecution that occurred in the Palatine. Chistopher’s father had traveled down the Rhine to Rotterdam in 1729 and had booked passage on board the ship Allen from there to the colonies. (For more info on the persecution and on Christopher’s parents and grandparents, see the AOM article on Johannes (Meckendorfer) McInterfeer. Click the link at the top of this page, and when you reach the Archives page, scroll down the navigation bar on the left side of the page to Johannes McInterfeer) It may be surprising to some to learn that the McInturffs were of German rather than Scottish origin. The McInturffs started out as Meckendorfers, but by the time various ships’ clerks and colonial officials had had their turns spelling the name phonetically, the name went through many modifications. Christopher’s father John stayed in PA until sometime before 1760 when he moved to VA (All his children to that point had been born in the Philadelphia area of PA; after 1760 new additions to the family were born in VA). When he left PA, John moved his family to the Shenandoah Valley region. His reasons for moving were not recorded, but were probably the same reasons other settlers left the Philadelphia and Germantown area of PA in the mid 1750’s through mid-1760’s

Reasons for Leaving Pennsylvania One reason for moving was probably that John was interested in acquiring more land. Land could be procured cheaply or in some cases for free on the southern and western frontiers. Secondly, there may have been a desire to get away from the English-speaking colonists in PA. German immigrants had all the hardships of other colonists, but they had the additional problem of language. (Some German families did not learn English for about three generations, and there were stories about German-speaking colonists being cheated in contracts and business deals by their English-speaking neighbors. In any case, the Germans tended to stay and travel together. Many were also bound together through religion which indeed had been their primary reason for coming to the colonies in the first place. The McInterfeers (McInturffs) were members of the German Reformed Church. There is speculation indicating that they may have been members of the Church of the Brethren (or Dunkers) since they sailed from Rotterdam with a group of Brethren, but no specific evidence exists [See AOM article on Johannes McInterfeer for info on language and religion.]) Finally, and probably most importantly, the French and Indian War (1754-1763) caused hundreds of families to leave PA in fear for their lives. During this period native tribes who fought on the French side during the war massacred many white settlers in the area. After the war there were no more mentions of the McInterfeers in PA public records, so this was likely the time they left.

Life in Virginia The McInturff family settled in Powell’s Fort Valley, located in Western VA and part of the Shenandoah watershed region. We do not know whether the McInturffs knew of this desirable area before leaving PA or just stumbled upon it as they traveled. The destination turned out to be a wise choice. The McInturff community was at the southern end of the valley, near Passage Creek. Family traditions tell of the McInturff men working to widen an old Indian/deer trail that crossed the Massanuttens (a 5 mile wide group of steep ridges between the two forks of the Shenandoah River) into a narrow road. That opening from Fort Valley into the broad Shenandoah Valley to the west became known as McInturff’s Gap and was listed on maps as such for over a hundred years. It is now called Edinburg Gap. In addition to building the road, the McInturffs contributed in other ways to their new home. John’s brother David (Christopher’s uncle) continued road service when he was appointed overseer of a road from the Crossroads in Powell’s Fort to Adam Shearman’s farm. Later, in 1819 David was appointed to the school commission. Either Christopher’s father or brother John served as a private during the Revolution. When Christopher’s family moved south, he was one of four young children, all boys, born in PA. Within a few years, however, he had additional brothers and sisters. The family finally consisted of eight children: Christopher, Casper (Gasper), John, Frederick, Daniel, David, Margaret, and Mary. Several sources say that Christopher was the first McInturff to have his name appear on a public document in Virginia. In 1763 when he was still a young boy, he was listed on a land survey report as a chain carrier. Moving Again: On to North Carolina Sometime after his parents’ deaths, Christopher and two of his brothers moved their families to Washington County, NC. At that time, Washington County’s boundaries extended westward to the Mississippi River and would eventually become part of TN. By 1790 Christopher owned 482 acres in Washington Co., and on 17 Nov 1792 he received a patent from NC for 550 more acres. (A patent was an official document conveying ownership of public lands to an individual). The land patent was for acreage on Buffalo Creek at the foot of Buffalo Mountain in Washington Co. (This land is now in Unicoi Co., TN) Before obtaining the land patent, Christopher sold 150 acres on Sinking Creek to a man named Charles Renno. During the same year—1792—Carter Co, TN records showed Christopher owning 232 acres there. Christopher continued to buy and sell land and directed in his will (written 30 Mar 1814) that his lands be sold after his death in order to carry out the terms of his will. (Christopher and Christina did not do as much moving around as it at first appears. County boundary lines in NC and TN changed frequently. Although the McInturff family is recorded as living in Washington Co., NC and in Washington, Unicoi, Carter and possibly other counties in TN, all these place names may have involved only one general home place. If you have time, check out the “Tennessee County Formation Maps” http://www.tngenweb.org/maps/county-ani/tn-maps/tn-cf.html listed in the sources below. Watching the county boundary lines change before your eyes as time flows by is fun).Christopher may have been somewhat strong willed or maybe he simply stood up for himself, for he was involved in three civil suits in the late 1700’s and early 1800;s. One case was against a man named John Cooper in 1796. Another was against Jesse Wyatt in 1813. (I was unable to determine what the cases concerned or how they turned out. Christopher’s name--along with those of Emanuel [sic], Israel, and John--appear on several court documents (such as summonses) around this period. A George McInturff (connection unknown) was also listed in the court documents.

Family Secrets Christopher and Christina appear to have had a good life. They and their children prospered. Two of their children, however, may have added a gray hair or two to their parents’ heads because later in life some “scandalous” things happened to these children. WARNING: The following stories may be total poppycock. They may be about other people with similar names. They may be just flat wrong. However, they are interesting and if there had been a National Enquirer during the 1700 and 1800’s, these stories might have made first page “news.”

Amanuel’s Marital Difficulties First was Manwell. Manwell (or Amanuel) married Malinda Luster (1786-1845). (Some documents give Malinda’s name as Amelia). The couple had one son whom they named Wilson Wilson grew up to do great things. The problem was not with him; it was with his parents’ marriage. Legend has it that Malinda divorced Manwell—something that was just not done in the early 1800’s. Divorces were granted by the state legislature in those days, not by the county courts. No record of divorce has been found, but the story persists. After leaving Amanuel, Malinda married William Loving Hickerson Some say that Malinda was a widow when she married Hickerson, but Manwell lived until the 1840’s or 1850’s and married Nancy Hurt after his breakup with Malinda. (Now, some say this whole story is untrue and that Manwell was not Wilson’s father. In fact, there is no definite proof of Wilson’s father’s name. It is “strongly believed” that Wilson is the grandson of John McInturff, Christopher’s father, and that one of Christopher’s sons or nephews was Wilson’s father. Which one? Christopher, Jr., died at age 14; Israel married twice--an unknown woman and Mary Whitson; John married Anna Unknown. No one seems to be left except Manwell. Running down all the nephews proved a little unwieldy. Please feel free to do so if you’d like. Wilson lived with his mother and his stepfather and moved with them to Illinois. He grew up to marry Mahala Hickerson, daughter of William Loving Hickerson by his first marriage. Thus, Wilson married his stepsister. (And, if we want to get technical, his stepfather was also his father-in-law!) Nevertheless, Wilson became a fine, upstanding citizen of Illinois who contributed much to his community and state.

Margaret’s Indiscretions The second problem child was Margaret. There is controversy over whether or not Margaret ever married. Some sources say she married “UNKNOWN.” Some say she remained single. Married or not, she did have two sons: Thomas McInturff (29 Aug 1792-2 Mar 1881), born when she was 19, and John “Crowner” McInturff (5 Dec 1799-5 Feb 1884), born when she was 26. It is unknown whether these two sons were full brothers or half brothers. Since both sons use their mother’s maiden name, it is likely that she was unwed. She was evidently unmarried when her father wrote his will, because he did not list her with a married name; he called her “my beloved daughter, Margaret McInturff.” Christopher’s will makes a couple of things apparent: (1) he obviously loved Margaret and (2) he had not disowned her or “kicked her out” if she was indeed an unwed mother. Unfortunately, Margaret died before her father, so she did not receive the “one hundred dollars out of the sale of my land after my wife’s decease” that he had left to his “beloved daughter Margaret McInturff.” His will was written 20 Mar 1814, and Margaret died sometime before 15 Jul 1814. She was evidently still alive when her father wrote his will because he would probably have provided for her heirs if she had been already dead. (He made provisions for his deceased daughter Susannah’s children in his will) Sadly, Margaret’s son Thomas and Christopher’s wife Christina filed inventories of their loved ones’ estates on the same day.

Back to the Basics We don’t know the exact date of either Christopher or Christina’s deaths. He died sometime in 1814; she died sometime between 1820-1825 because at that time her family began selling off the property Christopher had left. He had directed in his will that the property be sold after his wife’s death. The two died in Carter Co., TN and are buried in People’s Cemetery there. The family kept growing, as families tend to do, and spread to other parts of TN. Christopher’s son Israel (our ancestor) was to help the family branch out from farming and land acquisition to manufacturing.

Christopher McInturff was MaMaw McCarter’s great, great, great grandfather. If you are Mary Elizabeth Hatcher’s great great grandchild, Christopher McInturff is your 7 great grandfather. Line of descent from Christopher McInturff to Mary Elizabeth Hatcher Christopher McInturff (c1753-1814) + Christina Unknown (1753-1820/1825) Israel McInturff (c1776-1851) + UNKNOWN (?-?)Israel McInturff, Jr. (1805-1845) + Elizabeth Webb (1808-1881)Mary McInturff ((1837-1915) + James H. (Pete) Hatcher (1839-1911)Israel Alexander Hatcher (1860-1950) + Susan Sutton (1866-1903)Mary Elizabeth Hatcher (1889-1969) + Rev. Eli McCarter (1886-1955)

According to Findagrave:
Christopher died in March 1814, Carter County, Tennessee
Buried Peebles Cemetery, Unicoi County, TN (which is located on the east end of the county, next to Carter County, which means they probably lived in the area south of Johnson City and north of the town of Unicoi)
Find A Grave: Memorial #113270483 This is a memorial, added recently. There is no grave marker and the 1755 birth date is obviously wrong. Christopher was already married with a child by 1770.

Sources

• Shenandoah County, Virginia Minute Book 1774-1780, Shenandoah County Court House, Woodstock, VA.
• Tennessee, U.S, Early Tax List Records,1783-1895 at Ancestry.com.
• Carter County, Tennessee Wills, 1796-1915, Digital images #838-840, at Ancestry.com:
• Raymond L. Kringer, The McInturffs (McInturf, McEnturff, McEntarfer), Saint Louis, MO, 1976 (Volume 1).
• McCarter/McInturff charts/notes
• McInturff Family Genforum http://genforum.genealogy.com/mcinturff/
• “Shenandoah Valley”The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press.. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/
• “Tennessee County Formation Maps” http://www.tngenweb.org/maps/county-ani/tn-maps/tn-cf.html
• Watauga Historical Association Collection: 1796 – 1891 (Predominantly 1796 - 1835)
• Christopher's bio -- https://huskey-ogle-family.tripod.com/ancestorarchives/id20.html
• FindAGrave| 113270483 This is a memorial. There is no marked grave for Christopher or his wife.

Footnotes

1. ↑ Peggy Shomo Joyner, Abstracts of Virginia's Northern Neck Warrants and Surveys, Volume III, Dunmore, Shenandoah, Culpeper, Prince William, Fauquier and Stafford Counties, 1710-1780, Portsmouth, VA (1986), p. 33.
2. ↑ Shenandoah County, Virginia Minute Book, 1774-1780, Shenandoah County Court House, Woodstock, VA.
3. ↑ Nettie Schreiner Yantis and Florene Speakman Love, "The Personal Property Tax Lists for the Year 1787 For Shenandoah County, Virginia, " Springfield, VA (1987), p. 597. Published also as part of the two-volume, 1787 Census of Virginia,
4. ↑ John W. Wayland, A History of Shenandoah County, Virginia, Strasburg, VA (1929) reprinted 1976. p. 229.
5. ↑ Tennessee U.S Early Tax List Records, 1783-1895 at Ancestry.com: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/94927:2883?tid=&pid=&queryId=89c9b7937aedf2fc7d3547e96eb6a3fd&_phsrc=Oph12700&_phstart=successSource
6. ↑ Tennessee, U.S, Early Land Records, 1778-1927, at Ancestry.com.