John Truesdel II
Irish Immigrant
Revolutionary War Veteran
- Private, South Carolina Militia Served in Col. Joseph Kershaw's
Regiment [DAR Patriot Index, Centennial Edition, Part 3, page 2981.]
Came to the US in 1772 aboard
the brigantine "FREE MASON", landing at the port of Charleston.
Petitioned the immigrant council for his bounty land on 06 Jan 1773.
As one of 53 eligible passengers, including several neighbors from
the Rathfriland area, John was in line for an immigrant bounty of
250 acres of land. All petitioners were certified as being properly
accredited protestants in good standing [meaning at the time Anglicans].
Only six of the petitioners were able to pay for their warrants, John
not being one of these. Based on his grants, John Truesdel settled
in the Flat Rock between the present county seat of Kershaw Co and
Heath Springs.
John was a poor correspondent,
not writing to his people back in Kinghill until 1792, twenty years
after his departure.
In places, through errors,
Molly is given the surname of "Miller". She was a Hollingsworth,
sister of half sister of Hena Hollingsworth [see letter of 1773].
The Hollingsworth tradition parallels that of the Truesdale - Cromwellian
soldier at Drogheda, moving later to County Down. While Molly must
have been a Presbyterian in order to marry John Truesdel, elsewhere
in Ireland at this time the Hollingsworths were Quakers. Both John
and Molly are buried in unmarked graves above Kershaw toward Heath
Springs.
Listed in the DAR Patriot
Index-Centennial Edition - Volume # 3, page # 2981. Received 300 acres
of land on Hanging Rock Creek on 5 Jun 1786 as "Bounty Land"
for service during the Revolutionary War. Sold the land to Hollingsworth
on 18 Sep 1817 for $150.oo.
John's wife, Mary, was well
along in a pregnancy prior to their departure from Ireland. During
the voyage, she delivered twin boys, one of whom was stillborn. The
one who lived was named Hollingsworth. The stillborn boy, who was
buried at sea, was given the name of "Seaborn". Since that
time, the name has been used frequently by not only the Truesdel/dell/dale
families, but also by other lines who married into the family as a
way of perpetuating the story of the twin who did not make it.
Addition to the emigration
information above....the "FREE MASON" was part of a 5 ship
group that sailed from Ireland to Charlestown, SC in October of 1772,
landing there in December 1772.....the land bounty was figured at
100 acres for head of household, and 50 acres each for other taxable
persons of the same family....since John could not afford the bounty
price, he was left with the option of taking "lesser quality"
land further inland, so he chose the land in Camden District.....the
5 ships were under the "leadership" of one Reverend William
Martin, bringing about 800 "seceeders" with him to the US....
John Truesdel was shown
on the manifest as John Thursdale............
Further information concerning
the emigration of this large group of people aboard the five ships
of the Rev. Martin; the ships were the "JAMES AND MARY",
"LORD DUNLUCE", "PENNSYLVANIA FARMER", "HOPEWELL"
and "FREE MASON". These ships did not arrive together, but
came over individually over a period of weeks. The average travel
time then was 7 - 9 weeks.
JAMES AND MARY ....... it
is not certain as to when this ship sailed, but it is known to have
arrived on 1 Dec 1772 and was cleared for entry
LORD DUNLUCE sailed from
Larne on Oct. 4, 1772 (this is the largest of the ships and the one
Rev. Martin sailed on)
PENNSYLVANIA FARMER sailed
from Belfast on Oct. 16, 1772
HOPEWELL sailed from Belfast
on Oct. 19, 1772
FREE MASON- 250 tons. Master
John Semple: agen, J. W. & G. Glenry. Hill Wilson, Geo Anderson.
Wm. Booth, Merchant, Owners. Sailed from Newry on Oct. 27, 1772
