Greggs of Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Ballyarnet, Ireland: a Study in Conflicting Family Histories

GREGGS OF PENNSYLVANIA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND BALLYARNET, IRELAND A STUDY IN CONFLICTING FAMILY HISTORIES by Patricia Law Hatcher, FASG, FGSP w e sometimes find little on a family other than undocumented, com¬ piled family histories with information that cannot be found in primary sources. There are at least fourteen such works, published between 1851 and 1964, related to the Gregg family that is ancestral to Pennsylvania congressman and senator Andrew Gregg (1755-1835) and by extension to Pennsylvania governor Andrew Gregg Curtin (1815— 1894). The immigrants in these works resided primarily in New Hamp¬ shire and Pennsylvania. There are similarities in the compilations, but even more differences. To compare the conflicting narratives, the text from each work was extracted and a standardized genealogical summary created from each publication.1 This exercise proved, if nothing else, that one should seek out any and all publications on a family. The compilations I found earliest— and relied upon for many years— proved to be the most incorrect; those 1 found last proved to be the most helpful. One, found as 1 was literally putting final touches on this article, required significant revision in my evaluation to that point and a rewrit¬ ing of the article. The publications analyzed are presented below in chronological order of creation, which gives an important perspective on how close information was to a reliable source. ANDREW GREGG (1835) The earliest known written information about the family is from an unfinished family narrative by Andrew Gregg, Pennsylvania congressman and senator from 1791 to 1813, that he commenced preparing in his old age, hence written shortly before his death in 1835. It was printed much later in a series of Pennsylvania genealogies published by William Henry Patricia Law Hatcher is coeditor of the Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine and a descendant of Samuel Gregg and Elizabeth Alford of Loudoun County, Virginia, through their daughter Ann/Nancy, who married Richard Gregg and moved to Greene County, Pennsylvania, none of whom proved to be part of the family of this study. Because of the length, the genealogical summaries are not presented here. Suffice it to say that they varied significantly, and descendants are urged to search for “real data” about their ancestors. Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Vol. 47 (2011 ) 131 132 Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Vol. 47 Egle in 1886. 2 Other elements of that 1886 publication are presented fur¬ ther below. My parents were both natives of Ireland. My father, whose name was Andrew, was born within the Liberties of Londonderry, where the family resided. His father’s name was John, and there my knowledge of ancestry in that line stops. I never heard him say from whom his father had descended, but believe, from information derived through other channels, that they were a Scotch family, which migrated to Ireland soon after the accession of William and Mary to the British throne. My grandfather had three sons, John, David, and Andrew, and one daugh¬ ter named Rachel. John remained in Ireland engaged in the business of trad¬ ing, and became wealthy. He had a son called Andrew, who came to this country on business of his father's while I was at the academy in Newark, (Delaware,) where he called to see me, but I unfortunately happened to be away, and we never met. He returned to Ireland, and on his father’s death succeeded him in the management of his business. David and my father and their sister Rachel all married in Ireland, and all came to this country in the same vessel. They landed at Boston, and traveled into New Hampshire, where David settled and raised a large family, . . . My father and Solomon Walker, the husband of their sister, Rachel, not pleased with the prospect of a settlement in New Hampshire, returned to Boston, and shipped for Philadelphia, but landed at Newcastle . . . most probably in the autumn of 1732. The winter immediately succeeding their landing they spent at a furnace, belonging to Keith, on Christiana creek near the town of Newark in the State of Delaware. In the following spring they moved up the country' and commenced their settlement at a place called Chestnut Level, near the southern bounds of Lancaster county. . . . During the residence of my father at Chestnut Level, his wife died, leaving him with six children. He became the husband of my mother in somewhat less than two years after the death of his first wife. My mother’s maiden name was Jane Scott. Her father, William Scott, lived in the county of Armagh, Ireland, whence he emigrated and settled at Chestnut Level. ... My father having sold his claim in Chestnut Level, set out some time in the year 1748 in quest of another residence. . . . When very’ young, I have noticed an old-fashioned sword and espontoon laying up stairs among other lumber. I recollect my mother saying that her grandfather had worn the sword in King William’s army, at the battle of Boyne, and my father saying he carried the espontoon. Andrew names three immigrant siblings— David [who settled in New Hampshire], Andrew [his father], and Rachel, stating they all married in Ireland and immigrated together. They and their brother John [who remained in Ireland] were all children of his grandfather John. He men¬ tions Londonderry as their origin and suggests that Andrew and Rachel’s further migration from New Hampshire to Newcastle, Delaware, was “most probably in the autumn of 1732,” but does not indicate why he found that timing probable, nor the length of Andrew and Rachel's visit 2 “Gregg and Curtin,” William Henry Egle, Pennsylvania Genealogies Chiefly ScotchIrish ancl German (Harrisburg: the author, 1886), 24 1 -52. Lumber refers to disused articles that are stored, such as in an attic. 201 1 Greggs of Ballyarnet, Ireland 133 in New Hampshire immediately after immigration. Most significantly, given the dramatic details of later published works, it is important to note that he was very specific in stating “there [with my grandfather John] my knowledge of ancestry in that line stops.” PARKER (1851) An 1851 history of Londonderry, New Hampshire, was the earliest print publication found to mention this family.4 David Gregg was the ancestor of another family, entirely unconnected with [James Gregg, another Londonderry, New Hampshire, resident]. He was born in Londonderry in Ireland in 1685, and was the son of John Gregg, who was also a native of the same city. He married Mar)' Evans, and with his wife and son, William, who was then eight years of age, emigrated to North Amer¬ ica, and settled in the southerly part of Londonderry (now Windham), in November, 1722. After his arrival in this country, he had other children. This does not mention the Pennsylvania siblings named by Andrew" Gregg and seems to suggest that David emigrated with only his immedi¬ ate family (both of which are likely a result of the focus of the history), settling in Londonderry in 1722, not 1732 as suggested by Andrew Gregg. LINN (1883) A biography of the Hon. Andrew Gregg (1755-1835), writer of the 1835 narrative above, appeared in a Pennsylvania county history about half a century after Gregg wrote his own narrative.s [Hon. Andrew Gregg’s] father, Andrew, came from Londonderry, Ireland, and his grandfather’s name was John. The family had emigrated from Scot¬ land to Ireland, and an old-fashioned sword and espontoon, long in the gar¬ ret of the old house on the Conodoguinet, were arms of the ancestor in the army of King William at the battle of the Boyne, July 1, 1690. Of Mr. Gregg’s grandfather’s family, John remained in Ireland, David, Andrew, and their sister Rachel, who was married to Solomon Walker, came to America. David settled in New Hampshire, and raised a large family there. The Gregg families of Salem, Mass., Elmira, N. Y., and Indianapolis, Ind., are descendants of David. Andrew and Mrs. Walker settled on Christiana Creek, near Newark, Del., in 1732, where his first wife died, and Andrew married Jane Scott, daughter of Matthew Scott, . . . This publication is clearly based on Andrews’s 1835 narrative, although it implies that the sword was from the Gregg family. Andrew’s narrative identifies it as being from the Scott family. 4 Edward Lutwyche Parker, The History of Londonderry, Comprising the Towns of Derry and Londonderry, N.H. (Boston: Perkins and Whipple, 1851), 275-76. 4 John Blair Linn, History of Centre and Clinton Counties, Pennsylvania (Philadel¬ phia: Louis H. Everts, 1883), 193. 134 Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Vol. 47 MORRISON (1883) The dramatic and subsequently oft-repeated story of the murder of the ancestral Irish family appears in an 1883 New Hampshire town history.6 David Gregg was born in Argyleshire, Scotland, and was a captain under Cromwell in 1655. . . . Captain Gregg bought thirty acres of land in the vicin¬ ity of Londonderry, Ireland, and took a deed from Cromwell. He was a tan¬ ner in Scotland. . . . After removing to Ireland, a young Catholic was bound to him as an apprentice till the age of twenty-one. Some four weeks before the landing of the French army in Ireland, in 1689, to aid King James, three Catholics came to Captain Gregg's house and took the apprentice to a Catholic meeting. Soon afterwards he left; but in a month returned with forty Catholics, who robbed the house of three hundred pounds sterling, in gold, murdered Captain Gregg and his wife, and burnt the house. Their son John ran to the stable and jumped on a horse, hoping to escape, but they cut him down with a scythe. The wife of John and his four children were absent on a visit at the time of the massacre, and thus escaped. This John Gregg who was killed by the Catholics, and son of Capt. David Gregg, was born in Ireland in 1665, and had four sons, who, as related, with their mother, escaped the massacre. The names of the sons were John, Samuel, David (who settled in Windham, Nov. 1721), and Andrew. These four brothers, with their families, emigrated to America in 1712, and landed in Boston, Mass. One of the children of David died upon the voyage. The brothers, after landing, looked about for a place of settlement, and went to Watertown, then almost a wilderness. David liked the place and set¬ tled there. John and Andrew, not finding inducements sufficient for them to remain, returned to Boston, where they took ship for Philadelphia. Upon their arrival there, John was still dissatisfied, and took ship for South Caro¬ lina, where he settled. He became a planter, raised a large family; his descendants are numerous in that state and throughout the South, and some have become distinguished in the ministry and in the practice of medicine. Samuel Gregg, one of the four emigrant brothers, soon settled in Groton, Mass., and changed the spelling of his name to Gragg. But little is known of his history or of his descendants. Andrew Gregg, the youngest of the four brothers, who went with John to Philadelphia, located for a time in Delaware, then settled in Carlisle, Penn. He had twelve children. His youngest child, Andrew, . . . became a represen¬ tative to the National Congress for sixteen years, and in 1806-7 was elected a member of the U. S. Senate. David Gregg, the third son of John, and grandson of Captain David Gregg of the Cromwellian army, was born in 1685, and was four years of age when his father and grandfather were murdered. He married in Ireland, Mar)', dau. of Capt. Thomas Nevins (sometimes called Evans), of London. He lived in Watertown nine yrs., but thinking the water of that place was injurious to health, he rem. to Londonderry, N. H. in Nov. 1721, settling in that portion of the town which is now Windham. It was then a wilderness abounding in wild beasts. ... He died suddenly at his table by suffocation, or by stroke of apoplexy at a good old age. 6 Leonard A. Morrison, The History of Winclham in New Hampshire ( Rockingham County) 1719-1883 (Boston: Cupples, Upham & Co., 1883), 543-48. 201 1 Greggs of Ballyarnet, Ireland 135 [William' (David") , born in 1705, died in 1797] related most of this early history of the Greggs to his grandson John Gregg, who was seventy-six years old in 1864 [born about 1788]. It is thus happily preserved for posterity. . . . Although he left Ireland in his eighth year, everything was fresh in his recol¬ lection. He could describe with great minuteness the old city of London¬ derry, with its walls and fortifications; how the streets ran, as he saw them in his boyhood; and would relate what he then and there heard and saw of the extreme distress growing out of the celebrated siege and defense of the city, so long continued that rats, even, were food, and had a market price, and in the dire famine old leather of shoes was eaten to stay the gnawings of hun¬ ger, and how terrible was the famine, and how deadly the pestilence which followed. This narrative gives the immigrants a grandfather, Captain David" Gregg, born in Argyllshire, Scotland (historically the home of the Mac¬ Gregors). It is exceptionally important to note again that the much ear¬ lier, 1835 narrative by Andrew2 specifically states [emphasis added] “His [Andrew1, brother of David1 of New Hampshire] father’s name was John, and there my knowledge of ancestry in that line stops. / never heard him say from whom his father had descended." Had Andrew1 been descended from the massacred David" and John ', he would have been aware of his father’s and grandfather’s identical fates. Although the title Captain would seem to imply a military rank, a review of people named in contemporary sources as playing an active or supportive role in the defense of Londonderry did not find a David Gregg.7 This narrative has many elements of a story that has been told, retold, and altered over time. One wonders, for example, if no one on the prem¬ ises survived the massacre, how the extensive details of the murder could have been observed and preserved. William2, the one credited with originally relating this story, was only seven when he left Ireland, where his family had resided in Ballyarnet (see Pennsylvania Records, below), not the City of Londonderry. Bally¬ arnet is in the parish of Templemore, county of Londonderry. Civilly, it is located in the liberties of Londonderry, about three miles northwest of the walls of the city of Londonderry. It is unlikely that a seven-year-old would retain detailed memories of the layout of a city in which he was not resident, even if he had visited it. Furthermore, the siege of London¬ derry occurred more than fifteen years before William was born, and its effects did not continue for another two decades in order for William to witness them. John1, to whom William2 told the story, was only nine when William2, ninety-two, died. John1, in turn, was seventy-six in 1864 and died the fol¬ lowing year in New York. It is unclear who retained and relayed the story William Robert Young, Fighters of Deny, Their Deeds mid Descendants (London: F.yre and Spottiswoode, 1932). 136 Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Vol. 47 for two additional decades before this 1883 publication. Every juncture at which this story was relayed contains serious questions of reliability. Additional inaccuracies and variations abound. The date of immigra¬ tion is given as 1712, and settlement in Windham is given as November 1721, not November 1722 as published in Parker thirty-two years earlier. It also adds an interim settlement that conflicts with both the 1835 Penn¬ sylvania narrative and the 1851 New Hampshire narrative and includes an impossible description: “Watertown, then [1712] almost a wilderness.” Watertown, one of the earliest towns in New England, was planted in 1630, with many Puritans settling there during the 1630s. It was not a wilderness in 1712 (although Londonderry, New Hampshire, could be described as such) and was probably quite crowded. The family construction is much altered, apparently to accommodate various Greggs whom the storyteller(s) had heard mentioned. Children of John' are identified in 1835 by Andrew2 as John (who remained in Ire¬ land), David1 (who settled in New Hampshire), Andrew1, and Rachel1 (both of whom went first to New Hampshire, then to Delaware, finally settling in Pennsylvania). Records can be found to support these individ¬ uals in general. This 1883 narrative specifically claims that John had four children— deleting daughter Rachel, adding Samuel, and claiming that John immigrated to Watertown (rather than remaining in Ireland), fur¬ ther migrated to Philadelphia (which Andrew2 estimated occurred in the fall of 1732) and “upon their arrival there” took ship for South Carolina. Unfortunately for this latter claim, John Gregg of South Carolina, peti¬ tioned the Council 2 July 1753 for land, stating he was “desirous of set¬ tling himself & family in this province.”8 This petition was made about two decades after John’s alleged arrival in South Carolina and about one decade after John Gregg's 1744 probate in Londonderry (see Bartlett 1922, below). The narrative further states that Andrew1 went from Watertown to Philadelphia, omitting the visit to Londonderry by Andrew, Rachel, and Solomon referred to in the narrative of Andrew2. EC.LE (1886) For the Gregg family, Egle’s 1886 publication of Pennsylvania genealogies is a tricky mix of Andrew2’s hand-written 1835 narrative, a real docu¬ ment, and questionable assumptions.9 Mr. [Andrew2] Gregg’s manuscript ends abruptly, but from it, and other data in our possession, we have the following record of the family: [a compilation follows; only parts not derived from the 1835 manuscript are given here] John1'1 Gregg [father of immigrant Andrew1] was the son of Andrew1"1 Gregg, a native of Ayreshire, Scotland. The son was possibly born in Caledo¬ nia [Scotland], and with his father’s family migrated to Ireland during the 8 Brent II. Holcomb, Petitions for Land from the South Carolina Council Journals, Volume III: 1752-1753 (Columbia: SCMAR, 1997), 237-38. 9 “Gregg and Curtin," Egle, Pennsylvania Genealogies (note 2), 241-52. 2011 Greggs of Ballyarnet, Ireland 137 great influx. Andrew Gregg was within the walls of Londonderry during the great siege, 1688-89. John [sibling to David1, Rachel', and Andrew1] probably lived and died at emigrated to America, and settled in Bally-arnat, Ireland. His son, William Paxtang township, Lancaster county, Penn’a, where he died in July, 1744; by his will he left his estate to his uncle, Andrew Gregg, then in America, to his father, and to his sister, Elizabeth Lang, of Bally-negallah, near Londonderry, m, Ireland. Andrew"1 Gregg, b. about 1710; d. November 18, 1789. [children by first wife] John, James, Rachel, Margaret, Jean, Elizabeth. . . . m., secondly Jean daughter of William Scott. . . . [children by second wife] Andrew, Scott Matthew. Egle gives Andrew1 a grandfather, Andrew", who was completely unknown to Andrew2 (1835), with Ayreshire origins and reference to the siege of Londonderry. Both the name of the grandfather and the place of origin in Scotland conflict with those given in Morrison (1883). Note that the father of Jean Scott, here is William rather than Matthew as presented in Linn ( 1 883). In the compilation Egle “corrected” the 1835 narrative, stating that David1 Gregg settled in Londonderry in 1722, rather than 1732. With this publication we have the first reference to a document, the will of William, son of John. However, it is incorrectly described. The will (see Pennsylvania Records, below) clearly states that William is of Drumore Township. Lancaster County, not Paxtang Township. No other document has been found that connects William with Paxtang, which is in central present-day Dauphin County, northwest of Lancaster County. Drumore is in south-central Lancaster County, a significant distance away. It is unclear how Egle could have made such a mistake, but it is very helpful for our exercise, as mention of William of Paxtang immediately identifies later publications as being derivative of Egle (1886). The will of Andrew1 names two additional daughters not named here; it was probated 14 January 1785 (see Pennsylvania Records, below), four years before his death as reported here and regularly hereafter. Like Pax¬ tang, this serves to mark derivative publications. MCCLINTOCK (1888) A New Hampshire history briefly mentions the family.10 In 1721 David Gregg, son of John Gregg, of Londonderry, Ireland, and grand¬ son of Captain David Gregg, a Scotchman and captain in Cromwell’s army, established himself in the west side of the town [Londonderry, New Hamp¬ shire]. He was the uncle of Andrew Gregg, member of the U, S. Senate from Pennsylvania, in 1806-7. This publication is derivative of Morrison (1883). 10John Norris McClintock, Colony, Province, State, 1623-1888: History of New Hampshire (Boston: B. B. Russell, 1888), 195-96. 138 Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Vol. 47 EGLE (1894) William Henry Egle published Notes and Queries, a series of newspaper columns from 1879 to 1894 and four annual volumes from 1896 to 1900. 11 The discussion of the Greggs is part of his comments on the sur¬ names common to both Londonderry, New Hampshire, and Pennsylva¬ nia. Gregg— William Gregg of Paxtang, died in July, 1744. By his will his estate went to his uncle, Andrew Gregg, his sister, Elizabeth Lang, of Bally-negallah, near Londonderry, Ireland, and his Father, John Gregg, of Belly-arnat, near Londonderry, Ireland. . . . The Greggs were originally from Ayrshire, Scot¬ land, who emigrated to Ireland about 1670, settling near Londonderry. This entry is clearly derivative of his 1886 publication, listing four sib¬ lings from the 1835 narrative of Andrew2, repeating the unsubstantiated Scottish origins, but dropping Andrew", alleged grandfather of the immigrants. It continues the Paxtang error. In one place David1 is erro¬ neously called Daniel. BIOGRAPHIES (1898) An unattributed account of the family of General David McMurtrie Gregg in a Berks County history mentions the deaths of David and John.12 The first Gregg ancestor, of whom there is any sure knowledge, was David Gregg, who was born at Ayrshire, Scotland, about 1630. He was a captain in Cromwell’s Army in 1655, and was within the walls of Londonderry during the siege of 1688-90, as a faithful supporter of the Prince of Orange, William III, against the exiled King of England, James 11. Both David and his son John, who was born near Londonderry in 1665, were killed by a party of Roman Catholics in one of the conflicts that were constantly occurring between the Orangemen and the Romanists in the north of Ireland. John Gregg’s two sons, David and Andrew, and their sister Rachel (Mrs. Solomon Walker), came to America in 1726, and first settled in New Hampshire, where David remained. Andrew and his brother-in-law, Mr. Walker, were not satisfied to locate there, and so with their families and possessions shipped from Boston and landed at New Castle, Delaware. . . . This publication is the first to meld information from Morrison (1883) and Egle (1886). The family information that follows the above quote mentions William of Paxtang and closely follows the structure of Egle, but places David within the walls during the siege, rather than Andrew, as stated in Egle. The Irish information seems to be derivative of Morrison, with historical narrative added, but the graphic murder in Morrison is here referred to as a conflict. 1 1 William Henry Egle, Notes and Queries, Historical, Biographical, and Genealogi¬ cal (Harrisburg: the author, 1870-1900), First and Second series, volume 1. 36(1894):250-51. 12 Book of Biographies. This Volume Contains Biographical Sketches of Leading Citi¬ zens of Berks County, Pa. (Buffalo: Biographical Publishing Company. 1898), 11-13. 201 1 Greggs of Ballyarnet, Ireland 139 JORDAN (1911) Jordan’s 1911 Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania1* contains the most extensive coverage of the Pennsylvania family. David Gregg, great-grandfather of Hon. Andrew Gregg, was a native of Argyleshire. Scotland, and among the Scotch Protestants who sought an asy¬ lum from religious persecution in the north of Ireland. He was one of the Protestants of the North, within the walls of Londonderry, who defended themselves against the assaults of the army of James II, from April to August, 1690, and was a captain in the army of William III. John Gregg, son of David, resided at Bally-Arnatt, County Londonderry', Ireland, where his four children, John, David, Andrew and Rachel, were horn and reared. John, the eldest son, inherited his father’s estates and remained in Londonderry, carried on a large mercantile and shipping trade in which he associated with him a son, Andrew, who on a business trip to America, shortly prior to the Revolutionary War, sought an interview with his cousin, the Hon. Andrew Gregg, then a student in Newark, Delaware. Another son, William, came to Pennsylvania and settled among his compatriots at Paxtang, Lancaster county, where he died in 1744, leaving his estate to his uncle Andrew, and a sister in Ireland. David and Andrew Gregg, with their wives, their sister Rachel, and her husband, Solomon Walker, came to America in the same vessel, about the y'ear 1722. Landing at Boston, they made their way to the Scotch-Irish set¬ tlement in Londonderry, New Hampshire, where David settled and spent the remainder of his days. . . . Andrew Gregg and his brother-in-law, Solomon Walker, not being pleased with New Hampshire, returned to Boston and sailed for New Castle, where they arrived in the autumn of 1725. They spent the winter at a furnace belonging to Sir William Keith, Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, on Christiana creek, near Newark, Delaware, and in the spring of 1726 sought homes on the Susquehanna. The Walkers located in the Cumberland valley. Andrew Gregg, the youngest of the sons of John Gregg, of Bally-Arnatt, County Londonderry, Ireland, was born there in the first decade of the eighteenth century. He is said to have married (first) in Ireland, but this is improbable if the date of their arrival in America is correctly stated, since he could not then have been of marriageable age. He settled in Drumore town¬ ship, Chester county, at Chestnut Level, participating in the organization of Chestnut Level Presbyterian Church, about 1730, and residing there until 1748. . . . His first wife died, in the last year of his residence there, leaving him six small children. ... In 1750 he removed to Middleton township, Cumberland county, locating on a farm about two miles north of Carlisle, where he resided until his death, November 18, 1789. . . . This early narrative is based almost entirely on Egle (1886), as shown by the inclusion of the errors about Paxtang and Andrew’s death, although it changes the date of arrival in Delaware and argues that 13 William Wilson Curtin" in John W. Jordan, Colonial ami Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania, 3 volumes (New York: Lewis Publishing, 1911), 2:855-58. Informa¬ tion in these sketches was generally submitted by a family member, and many sketches contain errors. ■ 140 Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Vol. 47 Andrew did not marry in Ireland (apparently based on an unsubstanti¬ ated time frame for his birth). LEACH (1914) In one of a series of pseudo-genealogical articles, published in the North American , Frank Willing Leach cobbled together a family narrative quot¬ ing (without credit) from earlier publications.14 It is entirely derivative. BARTLETT (1922) Respected New England genealogist J. Gardner Bartlett prepared a book for a client, providing a Gregg ancestry stretching back several dozen generations, repeating the story of the murder, and mentioning several Irish and Scottish documents.1'’ John11’1 Gregg als. MacGregor was born in Balquhidder in Perthshire about 1575. The testament dative and inventory of umquhile [deceased] John Gregg in the Braes of Balquhidder, who died in August 1639, was given up by John Gregg in Greenock, David Gregg in Glasgow and Andrew Gregg in Bal¬ quhidder, lawful bairns and executors dative of said umquhile John Gregg, by decree of the Commissary of Dunblane. Unfortunately the registered vol¬ umes containing the copies of the testaments, testaments dative, inventories, cautioner's bonds, etc. of this commissariot are missing front 1637 to 1661; so the further details about this estate are lost. The parish registers of Balquhidder do not commence until 1696. John Gregg married about 1600, Margaret McIntyre of Balquhidder. [chil¬ dren] John, David, Andrew [nothing more is said of David or Andrew], John" 1 Gregg was born in Balquihidder, Perthshire, Scotland, about 1600. . . .John Gregg located fifty miles south of his native home, settling in Greenock on the Firth of Clyde, a dozen miles below Glasgow. .. .John Gregg is called of Greenock at the time of his father's death in 1639, and doubtless he had settled there over a dozen years previously. . . . Among these Presbyterian, Scottish colonists to Ulster was John Gregg who removed from Greenock in Scotland, probably about 1655, and settled at Ballyarnet in the parish of Templemore and near the city of Londonderry' in Ulster in the north of Ireland. The identity of this John Gregg is fortu¬ nately preserved by a transfer of land recorded by means of a notarial sasine. Sasine dated 29 July 1657, following a writ of charter of alienation etc., by John Gregg of the Liberties of Londonderry in the parish of Templemore in the Kingdom of Ireland, for enfeoffing David Gregg in Greenock in Ren¬ frewshire in the Kingdom of Scotland, his brother, of a certain tenement in said Greenock. Charter dated 21 July 1657, signed by John Gregg and Janet Gibson his spouse. 14 Frank Willing Leach, “Pennsylvania in the United States Senate," North American [Philadelphia], l4June 1914. J. Gardner Bartlett, Ancestral Line of Clark Chamberlain Gregg (n.p.: the author, 1922), 28-44. lie gives only a general list of titles or record groups, without full cita¬ tions, at the end of the book as his sources. 201 1 Greggs of Ballyamet, Ireland 141 In a subsidy roll of County Londonderry, Ireland, of 19 Charles II [1667], John Gregg in Ballyarnet in Co. Londonderry' was assessed 2s.2d. on goods rated at £4-0-0. This is the latest mention found of [this] John Gregg, [chil¬ dren:] David, James, Margaret m. Robert Miller [nothing more is said of James or Margaret, source not given], David11’1 Gregg was born about 1625, probably in Greenock, Renfrew¬ shire, Scotland, where it is certain his father was living a few years later. He learned the tanner’s trade and when a young man went to Ulster in the north of Ireland, according to tradition as a captain in Cromwell’s army' ] 1649]. No evidence of this military service has been found, and it is more likely that he emigrated with his father about 1655 as a colonist to take up leases of forfeited land in Ireland. He secured a small farm in Ballyarnet near Londonderry where he also established a successful tannery. In the subsidy roll of County Londonderry, Ireland, of 19 Charles II [1667], David Gregg in Ballyarnet, Co. Londonderry, was assessed 4s. 4d. on goods rated at £8-0-0. Shortly after the arrival of James II in Ireland, a band of forty Irishmen early in April 1689 raided David Gregg's house, murdered him, his wife and his son John Gregg, carried off £300 in gold, and all his goods and stock, and burned the house and other buildings. The raiders were guided by an Irish apprentice of the Greggs. The wife and five young children of John Gregg escaped this massacre, as they had just been sent for safety into Londonderry whither the other less fortunate members of the family had intended shortly to follow, [children:] John, Andrew. [David11 footnote:] Much of the history of this David Gregg and his chil¬ dren is derived from an account of the family left by his great-grandson Wil¬ liam ul Gregg (b. Londonderry, Ireland, about 1715, d. in Windham, N. H. in 1807). John1'1 Gregg was born about 1655 or about the time his father and grand¬ father settled at Ballyarnet near Londonderry in the north of Ireland. Here he grew to manhood and engaged in the tannery' business with his father. According to the relation left by his grandson William 121 Gregg, when the Irish raided the Gregg homestead near Londonderry' early in April 1689, John Gregg ran to the stable and while mounting a horse to escape he was cut down with a sythe. His wife and children had just previously been sent into Londonderry for safety, so they escaped this massacre, but suffered the terrible hardships of the ensuing siege of Londonderry. [children:] John, Samuel. John Gregg married about 1680, Rachel David, Rachel, Andrew. John [brother of the immigrants], b. about 1680; became a merchant in Londonderry and also resided in Ballyarnet where he appears on a list of the Protestant householders in 1740 and d. in 1744. The will of John Gregg of Londonderry in the Diocese of Derry, merchant, signed 28 November 1743To my wife Mary Guage my sloop called The Three Brothers' and my other sloop called ‘The Catherine' and my farm in Bally'arnet, she to distribute them among our children. Executors: my said wife, Samuel Curry' of London¬ derry, tanner and my son Andrew Gregg of Ballyarnet. Proved 1 1 June 1744. Samuel 11 L b. about 1682; emigrated to New England with his two younger brothers and arrived in Boston about 1723. According to the relation of his nephew William |21, this Samuel Gregg located in Groton, Mass. He evidently died soon afterwards as but meagre mention of him can be found. David1" Gregg was born in 1684 in Ballyarnet near Londonderry', in Ulster, Ireland. He was only four years of age when his father and grandpar- 142 Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Vol. 47 ents were massacred early in April 1689 by a band of Irish raiders, a fate escaped by his mother and her children by their previously taking refuge within the walls of the City of Londonderry. . . . The exact time of the arrival in New England of David and his brothers is unknown; but it was probably about 1723. According to the relation of his son William (born in 1715, died in 1807), David settled first in Watertown, Mass., where he remained nearly nine years; but believing the water there injured his health, he removed to Londonderry, N.H. This statement is partly confirmed by the following mentions of David in the Watertown Records from 1725 to 1730: 15 Dec. 1729. Joseph Grout, late constable (7 Mar. 17256 Mar. 1726], pleaded abatement in his list of David Gragg’s rate of 4s. Sd.; abatement voted. 1 Mar. 1730/1. Voted not to sink David Gragg’s rates in the list of Thomas Harrington [constable 4 Mar. 1727-3 Mar. 1728], 10 Dec. 1734. Voted to sink David Grag's rates of 13s. 4d. the list of David Meed [constable 2 Mar. 1729-2 Mar 1730], David Gregg evidently settled in Londonderry, N. H. in 1730, as on 9 Oct. 1730, three hundred acres were laid out by the Proprietors of Londonderry to David Gregg and Alexander McCoy, ... in that part of Londonderry which in 1742 was set off to form the town of Windham. ... He died suddenly, while at his table, from a stroke of apoplexy in 1758. Rachel"1 b. about 1686; m. in Ireland, Solomon Walker. They emigrated to New England with her brothers about 1723 and soon accompanied her brother Andrew Gregg to Newcastle, Del. They eventually settled in Cumber¬ land County. Andrew ni, b. about 1688, emigrated to New England with his brothers Samuel and David, arriving in Boston about 1723. He soon took ship for Philadelphia, Penn., but landed at Newcastle, Del. After a score of years of residence at Chestnut Level in Drumore Township, Penn., he removed to Carlisle, Cumberland County, Penn., securing a large farm two miles north¬ west of that town where he d. 18 November 1789, at the age of 100 years. William was born about 1715 in or near Londonderry in Ulster, Ireland. He left a vivid relation of the history of three generations of his ancestors in Ireland as recounted to him by his father and other older natives of old Lon¬ donderry'. ... He died in Windham in 1807 in his ninety-second year. Bartlett’s overall presentation is clearly derivative of Morrison (1883), including Samuel of Groton, but dropping John of South Carolina, and of Egle (1886), including the incorrect death date of Andrew1. He did what later authors often do and tried to "fix" errors and inconsistencies found in earlier narratives. He argued against David as a captain under Crom¬ well, having found no evidence of such. He changed the chronology, dis¬ carding the 1712 and 1732 immigration dates for 1723, but preserved the age of William" at immigration, thereby making him born about 1715, hence even further removed from the dramatic massacre and the siege of Londonderry. This he fixed by assigning the memories to William’s father David and other older natives of old Londonderry, rather than to William himself. The records he presents for David of Watertown conflict with Morrison. He includes a death year for David, which was not in Morrison. Bartlett’s papers are in the manuscript collection at the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston. The Gregg section has no indica- 201 1 Greggs of Ballyarnet, Ireland 143 tion of the specific source for any of the Irish or Scottish documents, nor does it contain copies of any of the original documents mentioned in the book. It does include a 20 October 1920 letter to Bartlett in London from George S. Stewart of Watertown, Massachusetts, a professional genealo¬ gist who did a great deal of work for Bartlett, which states: William’ (1705-1797) [note difference in years from Bartlett's publication] is said to be responsible for the traditions in the family that the father & grandfather Aof the American immigrant were murdered by the Irish near Londonderry.16 The John Gregg who wrote his will in 1743 was surely John, the brother of the immigrants, as shown by his mention of son Andrew of Ballyarnet, consistent with the 1835 narrative of Andrew2 and the 1744 will of William1 as presented in Egle (1886). GREGG (1942) David McMurtrie Gregg briefly mentions David' of New Hampshire, his wife, and seven children, plus one who died on board ship.1' His work is clearly derivative of Morrison (1883), naming the same seven children, but adding the one who died, perhaps to account for the gap between William, age eight at immigration, and the others born in America. DlMICK (1948) Howard T. Dimick, in an article in this journal,18 posited wide-ranging— and unlikely— families: Sibling group # 1 : ■ ANDREW GREGG, “of Ulster, came from Londonderry, settled in Pennsylvania in ■ JOHN GREGG, “settled in South Carolina was a brother of Andrew Gregg who 1722." went to Pennsylvania and of Samuel Gregg who settled in Massachusetts. . . . John had a mother in Ireland. . . . These Greggs were related to the family of ■ * William Gregg I but in what way is not now known.” SAMUEL GREGG of Massachusetts. JOSEPH GREGG, “John’s brother Joseph Gregg went with him to South Carolina." Sibling group *2: * JAMES GREGG, “emigrated to New Hampshire in 1718, one of the founders of Londonderry . . . was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, and went from Ayrshire to 16 Gregg folder, Gardner Bartlett collection, R. Stanton Avery Special Collections, J. New England Historic Genealogical Society (SG BAR 86 [146]). Bartlett answered 9 December, but his reply is not in the files. The author thanks Michael J. Leclerc who reviewed the file and located this document. 17 David McMurtrie Gregg, The Gregg Family of Centre County, Pennsylvania (Read¬ ing: the author, 1942). 18 Howard f. Dimick, “Triadic Origin of the Gregg Family," Pennsylvania Genealogi¬ cal Magazine 1 6( 1 948), 3 1 -37, at 36-37. 144 ■ Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Vol. 47 Mnaskee parish, Ireland, in 1690, thence to the colonies. He married JANET CARGILL, born in Ilia, Scotland.” DAVID GREGG, “who emigrated in 1722, was a brother of James who went to New Hampshire. . . . He may have been related to Andrew, John, and Samuel mentioned heretofore.” Dimick’s theories about names and origins are largely without basis or explanation. Early New Hampshire histories clearly separate James and David, indicating that they were not related. John, brother of Andrew, remained in Scotland; he did not emigrate to South Carolina, as demon¬ strated in the commentary for Morrison (1883). Joseph appears for the first time as part of this family. This mid-twentieth-century pseudo-schol¬ arship is riddled with errors of identity and relationship and can be ignored. LECKEY (1951) Material written about Greene Count)' in southwestern Pennsylvania by historian Howard I.. Leckey, who died in 1951. was published posthu¬ mously in 1977.19 Greene County was the home of several descendants of William Gregg, a Quaker who settled in New Castle County, Delaware, and intermarried with children of Samuel Gregg of Loudoun County, Vir¬ ginia. John Gregg, son of Captain David Gregg, who was murdered with his father in Ireland, left a family of 12 children, but rigorous laws and high taxes forced a number of his children to leave for America in 1722. There are rec¬ ords of the following: David Gregg, born 1685; married Mar)' Navin; settled in New Hampshire. John Gregg, went to South Carolina. Samuel Gregg, went to Massachusetts. Rachel Gregg, married Solomon Walker and came to Penn¬ sylvania. Andrew Gregg born 1710, died in Pennsylvania, May 18, 1789; mar¬ ried (2) Jean Scott.. The other [Gregg] line [of Muddy Creek] may be traced back to Captain David Gregg, a native of Glen Orchy, who went to Coleraine County, Ireland, where he was murdered with his son, John Gregg. Another son, Thomas Gregg, who escaped this murder by the opponents of Cromwell in 1689, had a son, Samuel Gregg, who emigrated to America, and settled in Loudon [sic] County, Virginia, . . . The descriptions of Samuel and John Gregg demonstrate that this was derivative of Morrison (1883), although how he decided on a total of twelve children is a mystery. It also includes information from Egle (1886) or one of his derivatives, apparently Nov. having been misread as May for Andrew’s death date. The mirrored murder narrative for two separate Gregg lines is particularly notable. 19 Howard L. Leckey, Tenmile Country and Its Pioneer Families (Waynesburg: The Bookmark, 1977), 531-32. 2011 Greggs of Ballyarnet, Ireland 145 ARTHUR (1964) A typescript family history tacks on several new family members and tells a variation of the murder narrative.20 Chief David Gregg (MacGregor), b. ca. 1600 at Glen Orchy, Argyleshire, Scot. Capt. David Gregg was commissioned about 1650 as a captain in the army of Oliver Cromwell and was sent into Northern Ireland in 1655. ... he was among the many Scotch Presbyterians who sought asylum in that city [Lon¬ donderry] during the siege from April to August 1689. After the siege, he and his wife were visiting their son John at his home in Bally-Arnat, a suburb of Londonderry, when they were surprised by a band of Catholics led by his own servant and all three were killed. . . . according to a slip in the Bible of John Gregg ( 1747- 1799) in the library at Berea College [Kentucky] had sons John, David, Andrew, William. Thomas. When, after the siege of Londonderry in 1689, John Gregg and his parents were surprised and killed by a band of Catholics, his wife and children were absent and escaped death. Rigorous laws relating to religion and a big rise in rents influenced his children other than John to emigrate to America. [Chil¬ dren of John:] John, David, Rachel came to America with her husb., prob. after her bro. David, and apparently brought her yng. nephews William and Andrew with her. Thomas Gregg (David, David) of co. Londonderry, Ire. (b. ca. 1669 at Col¬ eraine, Ire.; d. there), m., at Coleraine, Ire., and had sons Thomas, John, Samuel. William Gregg (John, John, David, David) b. prob. ca. 1706 in Ire.; d. July 1744 s.p. in Paxtang twp., Lancaster Co., Pa. (will 9 July 1744 pro. 23 July 1744) [quotes bits from the will], It is interesting to note that although Arthur located William's will, he retained Paxtang as William’s death place, hence had read either Egle (1886) or a derivative. Some of his phrasing is from Leckey (1951), which is to be expected, as Arthur was apparently a descendant of William Gregg and Samuel Gregg of Loudoun County, Virginia. His source for David, Andrew, William, and Thomas as children of Capt. David Gregg, could not be substantiated. The Bible is not listed as in the collection at Berea College. ANALYSIS The compilations bear similarities— and conflicts. Chronologizing those compilations illustrates the appearance and evolution of misinformation over time, resulting in badly skewed presentations of the immigrant Greggs of Ballyarnet. Some evaluations are easy to make. ■ Extensive research by the author has found nothing to connect any Gregg fam¬ ily in Loudoun County, Virginia, to the Ballyarnet family, as stated in Leckey (1951) and Arthur (1964). Hence the entire Loudon County branch needs to be removed. 20 Robert Arthur, "Gregg” (New Orleans: typescript at NSDAR Library, 1964), 3-6. 146 Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Vol. 47 • Linn (1883), McClintock (1888), Egle (1894), Biographies (1898), Jordan (191 1), Leach (1914), Gregg (1942), Dimick (1948). Leckey (1931), and Arthur (1964) are derivative (or imaginative); Egle (1886) is meaningful only in pub¬ lishing Andrew's 1835 memoirs and pointing us to William’s will. Thus, they can be eliminated from further analysis, leaving Gregg (1835), the documen¬ tary portions of Bartlett (1922), and any other “real data” to use in evaluating how much, if any, of the Irish narrative in Morrison (1883) to believe. PENNSYLVANIA RECORDS Records in Lancaster and Chester counties from the 1740s document some connections to Ballyarnet and Londonderry. Most useful for this evaluation, two Pennsylvania documents— a 1744 will and a 1747 power of attorney— mention Ballyarnet, reinforcing the trans-Atlantic connec¬ tion. The inventory for William who died in 1744 indicates that he died at the home of Andrew Gregg [surely the uncle mentioned in his will] of Drumore Township, home of Andrew1 Gregg, connecting him to the immigrants described in Gregg (1835). 4 February 174 [ 0/ ] 1, Lancaster County. Andrew Grigg received a warrant to survey 100 acres in Drumore Township.21 • 9 July 1744, Lancaster County. 1 William Gregg of Township of Dromore & County aforesaid . . . unto my loving uncle Andrew Gregg the sum of thirty pounds out of which he is ordered to give my corps when dead a decent Chris¬ tian buriel. ... to my loving sister Elizabeth Lang of Bellynagallah22 near Lon¬ don Derry in Ireland the sum of four pounds to be sent her by my executor by a safe hand. ... I leave and bequeath what money is due to me by notes and bonds to be remitted to my aged father John Gregg of Belly arnet near London Derry in Ireland to be distributed by him as he shall see and judge most meet. . . . executors ... to sell a certain tract of land lying in New Jersys which I bought from John Mouns of Menintown neck near Salem and to perfect a deed of conveyance for the same. . . . and the price thereof is to be remitted to my aged father above named to be by him distributed according to his descretion and if my aged father should be removed by death before the above mentioned percels of money or any of them or any part of them should come to his hands then I order that money be equaly devided between my two brethren Andr’w & John Gregg of the above named Belly arnet or their heirs and succesloving uncle Andrew Gregg to be executor. Signed: William Gregg. sors. ■ Witnesses: John Thomson, Bryan Quin (his Q mark), Elizabeth Gregg (her W mark).2ÿ Proved 23 July 1744 by all three witnesses, John Thomson saying he wrote the will.2 1 21 Records of the [Pennsylvania] Land Office, Warrant Registers, 1733-1957, RG-17. series #17.88, Lancaster County, 74, warrant Gil 1. at the Pennsylvania State Archives (image online at phmc.state.pa.us). 22 Ballynagallah is directly southwest of Ballyarnet. 23 She is not mentioned in any compilation, but an obvious possibility is that she was the unidentified first wife of Andrew. Her W mark suggests her surname began with a W. Given that Andrew and wife moved around with Rachel and her husband Solomon 201 1 ■ ■ ■ Greggs of Ballyarnet, Ireland 147 [July 17441, Lancaster County. Inventory of “William Gregg late of the Town¬ ship of Dromore who departed this life on the forteenth day of this instant [July] in the house of Andrew Gregg of the above Township,” totaling £48.1.10, including a £10 note from Andrew Gregg.2’’ 16 April 1747, Chester County. Power of Attorney from John Long of Crossbally Cormick in the parish of Cumber and County of Londonderry26 [ffarniss?] appointing trust)' friend Mr. Andrew Gregg of Ballyinett in the liberties of the City of Londonderry his lawful attorney, to recover of Robert Kyle and Rebeckah Long, widow, both of West Nottingham, administrators of Allen Long, late of West Nottingham, deceased. Signed: John Long (his L mark). Wit¬ nesses: Ninian Boggs, Lawrence Backoff.2 [No familial connection between the Greggs and Longs was found.] 6 [s/e, 7?]br 1748, Lancaster County. [H.?[ Y. H. Graham stated that on 24 June last at the request of the administrator of Allen Long deceased he drew a bond from the administrator to Mr. Andrew Gregg attorney to John Long for £18.17.0, which was deemed a settlement of said estate at the time . . . . 2S Only a few records for the families of Solomon1 Walker and Andrew1 Gregg have been located, all in Cumberland County'. The 19 January 1771 will of Andrew Gregg of Cumberland County was probated 14 January 1785, which renders impossible his death date of 18 November 1789, as given in Egle (1886), Jordan (191 1), Bartlett (1922), and Leckey (1951) [month given as May in Leckey], Oddly, 18 November 1789 is the date of the newspaper announcing the death of Matthew Gregg. Andrew’s will provides a list of children different from those given in the Pennsylvania compilations above. Mathew Gregg's 1783 will provides married sur¬ names for two of his sisters. * ■ 1753, Cumberland County. Solomon Walker was taxed in Middleton Township, Cumberland County. He was also on the list for 1763 for patented land.29 19 January 1771 will, 15 June 1782 codicil, 14 January 1785 probate, Cumber¬ land County. The will of Andrew Gregg, yeoman of Middleton Township, Cum¬ berland County, names wife Jean., eldest son John, sons James, Matthew, and Andrew, eldest daughter Leah, daughters Elizabeth, Margaret, Jennet, and Mary, youngest daughter Margery. Walker, it is likely, albeit unproven, that Andrew Gregg’s first wife was Elizabeth Walker. 2 Lancaster County Wills A:87 (the originals do not survive), microfilm at Lancaster Historical Society. 2S Lancaster County Inventories (loose papers), microfilm at Lancaster Historical Society. 26 Cumber is southeast of the liberties of Londonderry, but not adjacent. r Chester County, Pennsylvania, Deeds G7:282. 2K Lancaster County Inventories (loose papers), microfilm at Lancaster Historical Society. 29 Merri Lou Scribner Schaumann, Tax l.ists— Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, 1750, . . . (Dover. Pa.: the author. 1988), 13. 47. 30 Cumberland County Wills E:l-3 (FHL *21,079); significant portions of the first two pages are torn away. It is the first will in the book beginning 1785. ‘ 148 Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Vol. 47 • 6 September 1783 will, 22 October 1790 probate, Cumberland County. The will of Matthew Gregg of Middleton Township names brother Andrew (execu¬ ■ tor), sister Mart’ Hays’ four children (Sarah, Denniston, Jean, and Charity), sister Margary Buchanan, and brother James (executor) and his son (Smith).'’ 1 18 November 1789 death notice, “Carlisle, November 18. Died. On Wednesday last ( 1 1 November] after a short illness, at his farm near this town, Mr. Matthew Gregg.’•32 PROPOSED GENEALOGICAL SUMMARY— IMMIGRANT GENERATIONS JOHN1 GRF.GG was born probably in Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland. He moved to Ballyarnet, Londonderry, Ireland, by 29 July 1637 (sasine). He died after 1667 (subsidy roll). He married JANET GIBSON (sasine). He had a brother David who remained in Greenock. Child of John' Gregg: i. DAVID" GREGG, of Greenock in 1639 (testament dative) and resident in Ballyarnet in 1667 (subsidy roll). Child of David" Gregg: 1 . JOHN' GREGG. Children of John' Gregg, born probably at Ballyarnet: a. JOHN GREGG, died between 28 November 1743 (will) and 1 1 June 1744 (probate) in Londonderry; married MARY GUAGE (will). Children of John Gregg, born probably at Ballyarnet: i. ANDREW GRF.GG, resident of Ballyarnet (father’s will); took over father’s business in Ireland; came to America on busi¬ ness, probably around 1770. ii. WILLIAM1 GREGG, emigrated to America, and settled in Drumore Township. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where he died 14 July 1744 in [his uncle] Andrew’s house (inventory). iii. ELIZABETH GREGG, resident of Bellynagallah near London¬ derry, Ireland; married by 1744 LANG (WUhanT's will). iv. JOHN GREGG, resident of Ballyarnet in 1744 (William '’s will). b. DAVID' GREGG, settled in Londonderry. New Hampshire; married in Ireland MARY EVANS/NEVINS. c. ANDREW1 GREGG, died between 15 June 1782 (codicil) and 14 January 1785 (probate) in Middleton Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania; married first in Ireland possibly ELIZABETH WALKER; married second by say 1752 probably in Lancaster County JEAN/JANE SCOTT. d. RACHEL' GREGG, married in Ireland SOLOMON WALKER; settled in the Cumberland valley. — 31 Cumberland County Wills E:199 (FHL #21,079). 32 Carlisle Gazette, 5, #224 (18 November 1789). 3.