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'John "Cuffy" Fraser Family Information All information comes from multiple sources including family members' recollections, old photos, documents, Bible records, and letters as well as facts such as full names, birth dates and birth places, marriage dates and marriage places, and death dates and death places.
One such example is an old letter that was written by Granville Fraser (nephew of Thomas) of Knoxville, Tennessee to Mrs. Isla Sinclair of Winter Haven, Florida in the year 1896. This letter is now in the possession of Mrs. Sinclair (daughter of Henry Fraser) and 2X Great Granddaughter of Thomas Fraser.
The FRASER family of French origin started migrating from France to Scotland about the 1200 and 1300's. By the 1400's, they had acquired lands and formed a Highland Scotch Clan. They settled around Aberdeen, Scotland. By the year 1511, they had obtained Beaufort. Today Beaufort Castle stands as a monument to all Frasers.
The FRASERs are a very fine, religious people who were very straight forward in their dealings with their fellow man. There are a great many ministers in the family, usually of Presbyterian faith.
Family names like John, William, and Thomas have been handed down through each successive generation.
It was in the 1750's that a young aspiring John FRASER (nick name "Cuffy") left Scotland and came to America seeking his fame and fortune and landed in Virginia.
A record of immigrants arriving in America in the Richmond, Virginia Archives, lists Cuffy's description as sturdy build, sandy hair, and ruddy complexion.
John Cuffy Fraser served seven years in the War of 1812 with the 4th Virginia Regiment and came out without a scratch. Family traditions recall him to be a great friend of General George Washington. Commencing November 16, 1814, Under Act of May 3, 1815, he received a annual allowance of $45.00 for his war services.
After the war, he left Petersburg, Virginia by covered wagon and braved the hazards of the wild reaching Montgomery County about 1800. Here he established his farm and homestead on the 400 acre and Grant (#2069) issued him by the State of North Carolina and signed by Nathaniel Alexander Esq., Governor, Captain, and Commander in Chief at Raleigh, dated 30th of December in the year of our Independence and in the year of our Lord 1805. Will White, Sec.
Before Cuffy's death, he willed his entire estate, including slaves to his two sons, William and Thomas.
William Doss Fraser was born in 1782 in Virginia and died in 1850 in Maury County, Tenneessee.
William married Martha "Patsy" Ferrell. Their children were: Warren, Granville (lived in Knoxville, TN), John A., Wilron, Edmond, Eli F., and Emeline.
William and his family moved from Montgomery County to Tenneessee around 1843. They eventually ended up in Maury County, Tenneessee (Santa Fe area) according to the 1850 census. William and three of his sons would stay in this area where they farmed. The FRASER's are well known in the Santa Fe area to this day. The burial place of William and Patsy is not known. John A. Fraser is buried in Godwin Chapel Cemetery.
Thomas Frazier was born about 1788 in Mount Gilead, North Carolina and died about 1859 in the same location. He married Elizabeth "Betsy" Sedberry, daughter of George Sedberry and Mary Birdsong Sedberry. Betsy was born June 1, 1791 in Brunswick County, Virginia and died in 1884 in Mount Gilead, North Carolina.
Thomas and Betsy had five children; four sons and one daughter. Their names were: Pleasant, William, John, Lucy, and Merret.
Thomas raised his family in the old family home left by his father, John Cuffy Fraser in Mount Gilead, North Carolina.
Family Tradition states that he was a superstitious person. He was so afraid of a cow he would not even pass by one.
After the Civil War had ended and the slaves were freed, two of the emancipated slaves, Uncle Dave and his wife (name unknown) refused to leave "Mr. Tommy and Miss Liza" and remained with Thomas, Betsy and their family for as long as they lived. Uncle Dave and his wife's graves are in the slave cemetery of the DeBerry Family.
By request, Thomas FRASER was buried near the old home in Mount Gilead, North Carolina. A flint stone marks his grave. His wife, Elizabeth, went to live with their eldest son and is buried in the Fraser cemetery on the Pleasant FRASER plantation.
Children of William Sedberry and Lucy Fraser are:
LETTER to the N.S.D.A.R: (DAR national #426007) The date of John was determined from the facts that he was a friend of George Washington we assumed he would be near the same age. We approximated the birth of John FRASER as in the early seventeen hundreds, as he was of the age that he had service in the Revolutionary War for the full period of the war. We also assumed, since he was a friend of Washington that he would be near the age of him. The death date I would like to refer you to the Roster of NC Daughters of the American Revolution in 932, page 445, under Montgomery County, we read John FRASIER, Rank do, Service received $64.85, Description of Service, 4th VA Reg. Commencement of Pension November 16, 1814. Laws under which they were formerly inscribed on the Pension Roll, Act: March 3, 1815. Died August 5, 1816.
There are several mentions of a John Fraser in Montgomery County, North Carolina who could fit the bill. He is closely associated in a Merchant's Account Book in Lawrenceville North Carolina (seat of Montgomery County 1801-1843) with his son Pleasant, with a William Fraser and Merit (later used in the Sedberry line) Fraser. Perhaps this is the same William to following the 1840 census Montomgery County, North Carolina moved to Tennessee. Henry Fraser is found in the Montomgery County, North Carolina Deeds as early as 1805 and in 1838 a Henry owns land adjacent to William Sedberry. In the 1830s Henry is a grantor in a number of land deeds. In the Montgomery County Historical Map backup documents entitled "Partial listing of Early Warrants, Surveys and Grant Recipients in the Present Bounds of Montgomery County NC" handwritten field notes I found Henry Fraser at D33 (both sides of Half Mile Br. of Ridges Cr.) in 1792. There are a couple of Williams in the 1790 Census Montgomery County, North Carolina who could be John Cuffy Fraser.
This week's connection theme is Game Show Hosts. John is 17 degrees from Chuck Woolery, 19 degrees from Dick Clark, 23 degrees from Richard Dawson, 32 degrees from Cornelia Zulver, 32 degrees from Magnus Härenstam, 35 degrees from Steve Harvey, 15 degrees from Vicki Lawrence, 19 degrees from Allen Ludden, 21 degrees from Michael Strahan, 23 degrees from Alex Trebek, 23 degrees from Ian Turpie and 33 degrees from Léon Zitrone on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
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James may have had a son or a cousin by the name of James Samuel Fraser. A Mecklenburg historian said they must have been related because of how close they lived, so perhaps James Samuel, whose birthday is unknown but died/probate a decade later in Mecklenburg 1798. While other Scottish families also arrived in Mecklenburg at this time, it was quite likely that families and extended families arrived to help and support once another in this new frontier. This is why I am curious to find if your Frasers and ours are one and the same. I'd love to chat, share GEDMatch kit #'s, and see if there is a connection. I welcome all inquiries. Please email me at [email address removed] Albert Fox