Gilbert Strayhorn was born c. 1715 and died Feb 6, 1803 in Orange County, North Carolina. He is believed to have been the son of John Strayn (d. 1752 Lancaster County, Pennsylvania) and a family tradition says that he changed his name from Strain to Strayhorn “to make it sound”. He married Margaret Roan around 1741 and migrated from Pennsylvania to Hillsborough in Orange County, North Carolina. His children included James, William, Miriam, David, Sarah, Mary, John and Nancy.