McFeaters Name Study

Profile managers: Bonnie U [send private message] and One Name Studies WikiTree [send private message]

About the Project

The goal of this project is to unite those who are interested in discovering the roots of the Pennsylvania McFeaters line with the hope that other researchers like you will join our study to help make it a valuable reference point for people studying lines that cross or intersect. Some alternate spelling of the last name will include: MCPHEETERS, MCPETERS, MCPHETERS, MCFEETERS, MCFETERS, MCPHETRES, MCFEAT, MCFETTERS, and MCPETERS.

Here are some of the tasks that I think need to be done. I'll be working on them, and could use your help.

• I have hit a dead-end with McFeaters-2. It is hypothesized that his father was John McFeeters (McFeters/McPheeters) who died 7 SEP 1762 in Chester, Pennsylvania and who was married to a Jean/Jane Scott, possibly born in 1736, Chester County, Pennsylvania may be the parents of McFeaters-2. Any evidence to support this would be greatly appreciated.

Hypothesis

There seems to be a very strong possibility that the McFeaters line in Western Pennsylvania is indeed part of the orginal McPheeters who came to the colonies in 1726-1730. More information to follow.

For the past six years, I have been gathering information to update a family history of the McPheetrs family. For all of thi stime I have been aware of the McFeaters family of Western Pennsylvania and wondered if there was some connection--especially since there are many variations in the early spelling of both names and since the McPheeters are reported to have originally come to the Pennsylvania Colony from Londonberry, Ireland and settled around 1726-1730. From there they moved down The Great Valley Road of the Shenandoah Valley into Virginia and North Carolina.

During the past year after a visit to the Indiana County Historical County in Indiana, Pennsylvania and contacts with decendants of the four of the original McFeaters settlers in that area, together with the information from US Census records and Military Pension records, a much clearer picture of the McFeaters family has emerged. However, there are still many details to be explained and confirmed or modified.''

As given to Evans-19656 by: Dr. Harold McPheeters, MD; Atlanta, Georgia on July 31, 1987

Research Pages

The first immigrants of record to the American Colonies came from Northern Ireland to the Pennsylvania Colony (five -- William, Alexander, Charles, John and James --to the Scots-Irish Settlement in Chester and Lancaster Counties, and two -- Archibald and John-- to the Massachusetts Bay Colny (Maine) between 1710 and 1730. Three of those young families -- William, Alexander and Charles -- moved south to Orange/Augusta County, Virginia, by 1740. Charles then moved on to western North Carolina by 1750 and later changed the spelling of his name to McPeters at the time of the Revolutionary War.

Other families of McFeeters immigrated mainly to Pennsylvania between 1800 and 1850, but one such family went first to Canada and then to Vermont, while still another went to South Carolina and later became McPeters in Alabama.

There are also African-American and Mulatto McPheeters and McPeters families who are related to the McPheeters and McPeters families who owned slaves.

An interesting link for those who are interested in the history/origins of the McPheeters: https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/mc-pheeters/about

The last paragraph states: A prominent Presbyterian clergyman, Rev. William McPheeters of Raleigh, North Carolina, wrote in his genealogy -- Some Account of My Paternal and Maternal Ancestors -- in 1842 that the origin of the McPheeters name was with a William, the son of a Peter Hume of the Highlands of Scotland, who was dissatisfied with the treatment given him by his half-siblings of his father's first marriage and decided to call himself William McPeter (i.e., son of Peter). A recent comparison of the DNA patterns of the McPheeters and Hume descendants shows that this legend is 'NOT true. Nor is the McPheeers DNA pattern a close match to those of some Scottish clans that claim us.

Suggested Resources

Family Tree DNA: McPheeters https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/mc-pheeters/about

The McPheeters Family By Helen McPheeters Rice 1956 https://electricscotland.com/webclans/m/macpheeter2.html

Upon the Shoulders of Giants, Vol. I by Vernon Arthur Zeitler, 1986 https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/595949/?offset=2#page=1&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=

Upon the Shoulders of Giants, Vol II by Vernon Arthur Zeitler, 1993 https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/595981-upon-the-shoulders-of-giants-vol-2

Related Surnames and Variants

McFeaters McFeeters McFeters McFetters McPheeters McPheaters McPheadris McPhedris McPhedres McPeters

Membership

Right now this project just has one member, me. I am Bonnie and I am a direct descendant of James McFeaters (McFeaters-2), born about 1752 in Cumberland, Pennsylvania and died 14 JUN 1828 in Cumberland, Pennsylvania. .

How to Join

Please contact the Study's coordinator B U or post a comment at the foot of the page. If you have any questions, just ask. Thanks!