John McNutt (abt. 1726 - abt. 1781)

Born about 10 Dec 1726 in Laggow, Donegal, Ireland

Ancestors

Husband of Katherine Rebecca (Anderson) McNutt — married about 1750 in Crossing Atlantic from Ireland

Descendants

Died about 29 Jan 1781 at about age 54 in Cowpens, Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Margaret Ann Mc Nutt [send private message], Laura Knoerr [send private message], M Nason [send private message], Pamela Tandy [send private message], and Amy Hamilton [send private message]

Biography

John was born in 1726 in Laggon, Ulster, Donegal, Ireland. He was the third son of Alexander McNutt, Sr. and Sarah or Jane and had siblings Alexander, Jr., William, Robert (see Robert's son James Robert McNutt) and James McNutt. Alexander Sr. settled in Orange county, Virginia about 1743. John followed about 1745. His father would die in 1753 in Orange Co., according to Augusta Co. land transactions to his sons Alexander and James. The McNutt's were Presbyterian's of Ulster.

In the excitement of departure, Katherine slipped aboard the ship and hid herself. When the ship was so far from land that all danger of it's turning back was over, Katherine crept from her hiding place and went of deck to find John. One can only imagine John's happiness and the pleasure of friendly passengers at having their voyage begin with a romance. Almost every ship leaving Ulster for America in those days had a Presbyterian minister on board. John and Katherine had nine children. They lived on a farm East of Lexington in Orange County. Hugh McNutt family bible, completed by Hugh McNutt, self, 1960, p. 241

John married Katherine Rebecca Anderson, the daughter of Robert Anderson of Killagorwen, without his consent, on the ride across the pond.

The McNaughts In America All the Mcnaught line derive from the same worthy Covenanters in Scotland who became tenant farmers in Ulster and whose sons were sturdy immigrants to the American Colonies. The McNaughts in Scotland, in Ulster, and the Colonial America perhaps were champions in elaborating the many varieties of signatures of the surname as there were so many different signatures. Some of the signatures were MacNaughton, McNaught, McNaight, Mcneight, McKnight, McNitt, McKnitt, McKnott, McNutt, etc.

The first of the restless McNaughts to dare the Altlantic and to establish a home in the Colonies was John McNitt. In 1684, or a year or two earlier, he left the Yeasty Community of the Laggan in the County Donegal and came with his wife , Jane to the level fertile lands of the Eastern Shore of Maryland to settle at Manokin in Somerset County. John McNitt came to America at least thirty-four years before the beginning of the real migration of the Ulster Scots to America, thirty-six years before Alexander McNitt and his son, Barnard, came to Massachusetts, and thirty-eight years before another Alexander McNitt appeared in Pennsylvania. Sources provided by Hugh McNutt, self, completed and published in 1960.

John McNutt and his wife Katherine came to Virginia about 1750 from Ulster, Ireland. Although they traveled from Ireland, John was of Scottish descent. It is believed his original name was McKnight but was changed in Ireland. Henrietta H. McCormick's Genealogies and Reminiscences, Chicago, 1897, pg. 18. [2]

They settled on North River about 6 miles east of Lexington, where he had grants of land from the government. He was one of 122 signers of a petition against religious assessments for support of ministers, presented to the General Assembly in the House of Delegates, 1784.^[1]

1. Alexander m. Rachael Grigsby
2. Robert died at Cowpens in 1781 - no issue
3. John m. Mary Laird - no issue
4. Isaac was graduated from Liberty Hall Academy, and planned to become a Presbyterian minister. He settled in Louisiana while a young man.
5. Benjamin moved to Tennessee (Justice of the Peace near Knoxville Sources Needed)
6. William m. Elizabeth Grigsby
7. Joseph history is unknown, Records of the Commissions of Officers in the Tennessee Militia in 114 of Maury County list a Joseph McNutt and Robert McNutt.
8. Margaret born 1757 died 1830 m. Robert Rhodes - no issue
9. Rebecca born 1775 m.1st John McCorkle (Rev. War Soldier fought in North Carolina) m. 2nd Arthur Glasgow. Their 3rd child was John, born December 27, 1785, who married his cousin, Martha McNutt, daughter of Alexander and Rachel Grigsby McNutt.
10. Elizabeth

Notes

1. The dates 1725 to 1781 came with (memorial creator) Faith's notes. I've also collected 1726 to about Jan 1781 so we are in the ball park, without exact documented dates. His brother Alexander's government issued marker says he was born 1725, so I've used the 1726 date here, until further documented proof can be found.
2. An article in the 29 Feb 1888 issue of the Staunton Spectator about this McNutt family and his uncle Alexander Find A Grave: Memorial #17727591 of Nova Scotia fame, refers to McNutts receiving land in Nova Scotia: James, Joseph, John, Francis, Martin, Arthur and Agnus, plus Benjamin, and Patrick. Could Joseph, John and William be his siblings?

#Lyman Chalkley's Chronicles, Augusta County Virginia, Vol. 3 lists several early John McNutts.

Burial: Old Providence, ARP CH CHEM, Spottswood, Augusta, Va

Joseph Waddell's Annal of Augusta County, Virginia, from 1726 to 1871, page 231 says: (Alexander) "McNutt never married, and left no posterity." Also "John McNutt, a BROTHER of Alexander, settled on North River, Rockbridge. His wife was Catherine Anderson, a great-aunt of Judge Francis T. Anderson. One of his sons, Alexander, was the father of Governor Alexander B. McNutt, of Mississippi, and grandfather of General Frank Paxton and General Albert G. Jenkins."

From the McCormick Genealogies, Leyburn Library, Washington & Lee University. Another McNutt file said: "John McNutt migrated to America from Donegal County, Ireland about 1745 and settled in Orange Co. (now Rockbridge) Va. on the North River about 6 miles east of Lexington where he had grants of land from the government. His wife was Katherine, daughter of Robert Anderson of Killagorwen... Katherine Anderson had a brother, ancestor of the Anderson Family of Botetourt County, Virginia."

It is documented that John had a brother, "Col." Alexander McNutt of Nova Scotia fame. His title, Col. is an honorary title only. His (1900's) Veteran's marker says Captain. See Capt. Alexander McNutt He was "knighted by King George II" and was "once the Governor of Nova Scotia." Then he got on the King's wrong side and things fell apart. LOTS of data about him is found in Canadian records. He died in 1811 and is buried at Falling Spring Cemetery. (See a fact filled bio by Phyllis R Blakeley in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Vol 5, Univ of Toronto, 1983 at http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/mcnutt_alexander_5E.html and many others).

Page 293, 15 May, 1754. Beverley to John McNutt, for £6, 200 acres on north side Christian's Creek in Beverley Manor; Geo. Rutledge's line above mouth John Buchanan's Mill Creek; corner Wm. Marshal on said Mill Creek; James Colewell's line. Lyman Chalkley's Chronicles of a Scotch-Irish Settlement in Augusta Co., Virginia, Vol. 3, p. 326.

Page 454, 20 March, 1762. John McNutt, weaver, and _?_ Catren sold to John Attkins, cordwainer (fancy term for shoemaker), for 26£, 200 acres on Christian's Creek in Beverley Manor, on George Rutledge's line, John Buchanan's Mill Creek; corner of William Marchal, James Caldwell's line (Chalkley's Vol. 3, p 387). "The reason for the sale was McNutt desired to purchase the 175 acres of land, owned by Benjamin Bennett in the "Fork of James." The transaction was made on July 27, of that same year." (quotes per Dr. George West Diehl's articles published in the News-Gazette, "Fork of James Family Ties" Chapter 1.) This refers to "Page 450.--27th July, 1762. Benjamin Bennett to John McNutt, £43, 175 acres in Fork of James, joining Samuel McDowel. Teste: Patrick ( ) McCollam, Patrick McCorkle. Delivered: James Trimble, 12th November, 1772," recorded in Lyman Chalkley's Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement, Vol. 3, p 387.

John witnesses documents in Augusta Co. in 1762 and 1768.

He died at the Battle of the Cowpens, "a frontier pastureland, on January 17, 1781, Daniel Morgan led his army of tough Continentals and backwoods militia to a brilliant victory over Banastre Tarleton's battle-hardened force of British regulars. Located in present-day South Carolina north of Spartanburg." More data on this site: http://www.nps.gov/cowp/historyculture/the-battle-of-cowpens.htm.

I note http://www.mcnuttfamily.org/ghtout/gp66.htm lists his death at Cowpens

The Biography of William Alexander MacCorkle: William Alexander MacCorkle, governor of West Virginia, was born in Rockbridge county, Va., May 7, 1857; son of William and Mary (Morrison) MacCorkle and grandson of Alexander and Rebecca (McNutt) MacCorkle, and of William and Margaret Morrison. His ancestor emigrated from Scotland in 1650. His great grandfathers, Capt. John MacCorkle and Capt. John McNutt, were killed in the battle of Cowpens during the Revolutionary war. The family settled in Rockbridge county, Va. William attended a private school and was graduated from Washington and Lee university in 1879. He was married, Oct. 19, 1881, to Isabelle Goshorn. He was city solicitor of Charleston for eight years, and was chosen governor of West Virginia in November, 1892, and bold this office until March 4, 1897. The degree of LL.D. was conferred on him by the University of West Virginia in 1893. He published a number of addresses, speeches and discussions. From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor 6-13.

Some undocumented sources say his full name was John Alexander McNutt or John A. McNutt. My hunch is that they combined the John McNutt and Alexander McNutt into one as it makes no sense to me. Alexander McNutt went to Nova Scotia and there is so much data in Canada about him. He is unmarried. John McNutt did marry and had several kids, including a son John. I suspect some of the notes refer to John, Jr. I found 3 sites today and they all combined the data, yet did not seem to read the data on their sites, much of it with flaws. I'm sure I must have some also, but just want to reveal the data we do know, to the best of my ability. Still sifting through it....

Check out a long article (3 plus long columns) at the Library of Virginia on his brother "Governor" and "Col." Alexander McNutt in the Staunton Spectator, Volume 65, Number 25, page 1 (and 4, not copied), 29 February 1888. It is available at the Library of Congress. Family history is included, with lots of details about this interesting family. See photos of this article on the right (page 1 only, no longer under copyright protection), written by Wm Anderson Glasgow, 1825 - 1910. Page 4 states "His dress sword was in a silver-mounted scabbard. The writer in his boyhood has handled it." General Hunter's men ransacked his parent's home and stole the scabbard for its silver content, to melt down for ammunition. One of his sources for data on Alexander was from the President of the Historical Society of Nova Scotia, Hon. Sir Adams G Archibald. His direct kin in the article includes: Arthur McNutt Cochran, is at FaG #44675469, and John McNutt Weir, is at FaG #75486505.

His daughter Rebeckah Glasgow lost her father, her brother Robert and her first husband, John McCorkle at the 1781 Battle of Cowpens.

According to FB: John McNutt is "thought to be buried there." He is one of the "surmised" .. no one knows for sure given records were destroyed. There is no marker ... This is what Faith wrote (She co-wrote a record of Old Providence burials in 2010 and had access to the old church records, etc.): "At the end of the plot order section is a group of people possibly in the Stonewalled cemetery in the "occupied" graves. These people are either mentioned on existing stones or a spouse, parent, or infant discovered while doing research. There are a few in this section who probably are not here, but I have been unable to confirm those and I have included them because they are mentioned in information on someone who is here."

• See Henrietta Hamilton McCormick’s Genealogies and Reminiscences, Chicago, 1897, p 53 to the 80’s (long out of print) for extensive data on this family. The surnames was believed to be MacNaught in Scotland. "The estate of Kilquhanitie were held by the now extinct MacNaughts as early as 1448 and continued through mid 1600 when a male heir was no where to be found. John MacNaught, Sr. of Kilquhanitie and wife Florence Gordon last held possession of their feudal property in 1669 and went through financial hard times. They last had control of the lands of Holme in the parish of Balmachellan. John was last heard from in 1673. Their only known son John, Jr. married twice, 1st to Jean Glencorse and had a daughter Elizabeth. He was widowed and married a 2nd time to unknown wife and had 4 known sons: John, Alexander (married in Ireland), William and Samuel. In the late 1600’s, John MacNaught left Kilquhanitie, Scotland for Northern Ireland with the aim of reaching America with his sons." This is unsourced but a lead. As of 20 Feb 2021 NOTE: This excerpt does NOT refer to this John McNutt-124, it,,, if you read through the document found at Genealogies and Reminiscences By Henrietta Hamilton McCormick refers to this John's Grandfather John McNaught_Nutt-3. Also info for John and Katherine Anderson is found here. Try page 71 here https://archive.org/details/genealogiesremin00mcco/page/70/mode/2up

Bio researched and written by LSP.

Sources

1. ↑ National Genealogy Society Quarterly, Vol. 25, p. 51 He passed away in 1781, it is believed to be a result of wounds he received at the Battle of Cowpens, South Carolina.

   Children

   Henrietta H. McCormick's Genealogies and Reminiscences, Chicago, 1897, page 19. [1]

See also:

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/54057490/john-mcnutt : accessed 17 September 2021), memorial page for John “Scotch Johnny” McNutt (1726–1781), Find a Grave Memorial ID 54057490, citing Old Providence ARP Church Cemetery, Spottswood, Augusta County, Virginia, USA ; Maintained by LSP (contributor 46860931) .

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/54057491/katherine-rebecca-mcnutt : accessed 17 September 2021), memorial page for Katherine Rebecca Anderson McNutt (unknown–30 Jun 1814), Find a Grave Memorial ID 54057491, citing Old Providence ARP Church Cemetery, Spottswood, Augusta County, Virginia, USA ; Maintained by LSP (contributor 46860931) .

• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LV4Z-19P

• http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~adgedge/genealogy/ourresearch/aqwn3428.htm

• Genealogies and Reminiscences By Henrietta Hamilton McCormick Page 71 here https://archive.org/details/genealogiesremin00mcco/page/70/mode/2up

Acknowledgement

• WikiTree profile McNutt-124 created through the import of stacy murr family tree.ged on Oct 4, 2012 by Stacy Krout. See the [http://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Special:NetworkFeed&w

• [3] The Cabells and Their Kin: A Memorial Volume of History, Biography, and Genealogy Alexander Brown January 1, 1895 Houghton, Mifflin & Company: Wife, Child, pages 292, 293

• • https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/b/r/o/Thomas-Harry-Brown/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0297.html

• McNutt family bible, References: The MacNaughtan Saga, Vol. I & II, by V.V. McNitt, Palmer, Massachusetts. History of Maury County, Tennessee by William Bruce Turner, Nashville, Tenn. The Name and family of McNutt. The Texas Advertiser-Published in Ft. Worth, Texas, June 18, 1887. Records of Land from Texas Land Office, Austin, Texas.

• Source: S200362584 Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Record Collection 1030Ancestry Family Tree

• Source: S207723144 U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2011 Provo, UT, USA Record Collection 2204

• Source: S207723200 North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2016 Provo, UT, USA Record Collection 61157

• Source: S200362537 U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2012 Provo, UT, USA Record Collection 60525