RABURN > STROUD > MASHBURN > PENDERGRAFT > LAUGHLIN
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RABURN > STROUD > MASHBURN > HALL > LAUGHLIN
Copyright © December 2003, Revised 2007, August 2017
Mary Fern Souder

Generation 1: Kesiah, parents unknown, was born ca. 1726.  She married Thomas Rayburn and although the couple has been extensively researched, there is no proof of the identity of Kesiah’s parents. However, there is abundant information about the life her husband, Thomas Raburn who was baptized on 16 September 1726 in Prince George County, VA, the son of John and Rebecca Rayborn.  (This surname has been spelled many different ways for the same person).

 

In 1728, Thomas’ father, John Raybourn of Prince George County, VA, was granted 340 acres in Brunswick County, VA. In 1728 John Stroud of Prince George County, VA, was granted 392 acres adjoining "Raybourns’s land in Brunswick County, VA." The Raburn name has been spelled multiple ways.

Thomas and Kesiah Raburn were married by 1743, and between 1753 and 1756 Thomas acquired tracts of land in Bladen County, NC, totaling 1,430 acres. At least one of these tracts was later sold while he was a resident of Orange County, NC.

Between 1756 and 1761, deeds were re-recorded due a fire that burned every record in Bladen County. Among the reconstructed records was a deed of sale for 200 acres on Brown Marsh which Thomas Rabon had sold to Samuel Etheridge, and which Samuel and Ann Etheridge were now selling to Iver McMillan.

By February 1765 Thomas and Rebecca Raborn were living in Orange County, NC, where Thomas was a party in the case of Hugh Smith vs. Thomas Raborn. Thomas was assessed damages for failure to appear in Court. In that year he was also assessed damages for failure to appear in Court in the case of Henry Morris vs. William Fly.

In March 1770 in St. Matthew’s Parish, Orange County, NC, Thomas Raiburn gave 75 acres to his daughter Mary Hailey (wife of Richard Hailey).

In February 1771 Thomas Raiborn and sold 212 acres on Phil’s Creek to Robert Sellers. Thomas (his R mark) Raiborn, (Kesiah (her X mark) Raiborn.

In May 1771 John Raiborn (son of Thomas and Kesiah Raiborn) was on the Payroll of Capt. James Thraxton’s Company in the North Carolina Militia in Orange County, NC.

In October 1771 Thomas Raiburn, planter, sold 150 acres on Morgan’s Creek on the waters of New Hope, to Robert Sellers. Thomas (his R mark) Raiburn, Kesiah (her X mark) Raiburn.

In August 1777 in Orange County, NC, the following men served on a jury to lay out a road for the nearest way to meet a road coming from the Chatham County courthouse at Hillsboro: John King, Thomas Lloyd, Sr., John Hogan, Henry Morris, William Stroud, Thomas Connelly, Jesse Nevil, John Morgan, William Patton, William McCalley, William Hightower and Thomas Raiburn. Italics are for surnames that were previously or subsequently associated with the extended Raburn family. In November 1777 John Morgan, Thomas Connelly and Thomas Raibourn were each fined 40 shillings for failing to report for duty as jurors to lay out the road.

In February 1778 Thomas Raibourn, Thomas Raibourn, Jr., Benjamin Howell, Bird Hagwood (actually Hogwood), Austin Hightour, George Hightour, Jesse Nevil, William Worley, Jesse Hagwood (Hogwood) John Prince, William Stroud, Peter Stroud, and Wm. Douglas were authorized to open the Road from Hillsborough to James Williams Mill, with Mr. Hightower as Overseer.

In the Fall of 1779, John Raiburn (son of Thomas and Kesiah Raburn), was killed while serving as a Patriot in the Revolutionary War. In 1832 William Morris, age 82, of Burke County, NC, and husband of Sarah "Sally" Stroud, applied for a Revolutionary War pension based on his own service. His application stated that he was in the same skirmish in South Carolina at which his brother-in-law John Raiburn was killed.

Due to the largess of the British Crown, is not surprising that in 1782 in Burke County, NC, Thomas Rayborn was suspected of loyalty to the Torries, and was "refused by Colo. McDowell upon his request to be a Substitute in the Patriot army."

In September 1783 Thomas Reaborn of Burke County sold 631½ acres in St. Thomas District to William Forsyth of Orange County, NC.

In November 1783 William Green bought 100 acres on the right hand fork of Montfords Cove Creek of the Broad River, beginning at Thomas Raburns . . .

In October 1785 Thomas Rayburn sold 300 acres to Hodge Rayburn* in Burke County, NC, lying on both sides of Humphries Creek. Proved by Ben Adams. *Hodge Rayburn will come to play a significant role in the Estate of Peter Stroud, Sr., because Hodge Raburn was listed as the brother-in-law of Peter Stroud, Sr., in the Estate papers.

August 1787 Thomas Reybourn, Sr., sold 125 acres to William Green, proved by William Morris.

In March 1788 Stephen Loyd entered 200 acres in Orange County on the waters of New Hope Creek including improvements he purchased of Peter Smith, adjoining "another land of Thomas Rayborn."

In July 1788 Thomas Rayburn made a deed of gift of a negro boy named Sawney to his daughter Sarah (wife of William Morris. Proved by Hodge Raburn.

In October 1788 the date of the last transaction found for Thomas Rayburn who sold 75 acres to John Greer (or Green) in Burke County, NC

In July 1799 Thomas B. Raibourne (Jr.), born ca. 1750 and son of Thomas and Kesiah, died in Montgomery County, TN. The witness to his will was Keziah Green. The identity of this Keziah Green is unknown, but Thomas did have a niece named Keziah Stroud Green, born 1762 and the wife of William Green. However, it is not known if William and Keziah Stroud Green ever travelled to Tennessee.

In looking to find a woman named Kesiah who was the correct age and location to have been the wife of Thomas Rayborn, the surname of Hodge was given attention. There was a woman named Kesiah Curlin Hodges* who was mentioned in the 1758 Will of her father, James Hodges in Pasquotank County, NC. *Perhaps Kesiah’s middle name was misspelled (or mis-transcribed) and was actually Carlin or Caroline.

This James Hodges appears to have been the owner or operator of a bridge, at Norfolk, VA, in partnership with his brother Joseph Hodges who still lived there. James Hodges mentioned that he had "not been in Virginia since December last." The Will directed James’ brothers, Joseph Hodges and Stephen Hodges to come to Pasquotank County and to "collect all my Debts on the Great Bridge Books, and to Pay all my Just Debts that I owe in Norfolk & theire Lawfull Commissions." He also directed his brother Joseph to settle accounts at Sproules, Newtons & Atchison, keep one-half of the profit for himself, and give the other one-half to his widow to be applied to the education of his four minor children.

Among other bequests, he gave to his son James Hodges (Jr.) "my lot of Land & Marsh on the west Side of the road going to the Great Bridg(e)."

In addition to the above two brothers listed in the Will of James Hodges, he mentioned his wife Miriam, and ten children: Josiah, James*, Willis, Samuel, Portlock, Lamb, Kesiah Curlin, Molly, Frances, and Miriam Hodges. Others mentioned were his father, Joseph Hodges, and his son-in-law, Joseph Stokley.

*One James Hodge died in 1722 in Chowan County, NC, the same county where Edward Mashburn, known as Edward the Schoolmaster, lived. Although this James Hodge died in 1722, could he have been related to the above James Hodges who left his will in 1753? Could one of these branches have changed the spelling of their surname from Hodges to Hodge (or vice versa)?

A copy of the Will of James Hodges, Sr., may be found at one of these two sites:

http://ncgenweb.us/nc/pasquotank/james-hodges-1758-will/
http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/pasquotank/wills/hodges1537wl.txt

The known children of Thomas and Kesiah Raburn were:
Mary, born 1745, md. Richard Hailey
Thomas B., born c.a 1850, md. Rebecca Adams
John, born ca. 1754, died 1779 in Revolutionary War
Hodge A., born ca. 1859, md. Amanda Watkins, Arminta Martin, and perhaps others
Sarah "Sally," born 1757, md. William "Buck" Morris
Nancy Adams, born ca. md. Howell Adams

It may be assumed that "Kizzi" Rayborn who was enumerated on the 1790 census in the 4^th Company in Burke County, NC, was the widow of Thomas Rayborn. Those living near her, in this order, were:

Kizzi Raybon
Harrison Conizo?
Wm. Green (husband of Kesiah Stroud, dau. of Peter Stroud and Rebecca Raburn)
Elijah Green
Wilm Morris (husband of Sarah "Sally" Raburn, d. o. Thomas and Kesiah Raburn)
Rd. Haily (husband of Mary Raburn, d.o. Thomas and Kesiah Raburn)
Thom Williams
Hodge Raybon (son of Thomas and Kesiah Raburn)

In the same Company, but farther away was:
Robt Hodge, Sr. – allegedly born 1735 in Pennsylvania, died 1808 Burke County, NC

In the 5^th Company in Burke County, NC, was:
Robert Hodge, Jr.

In the 6^th Company in Burke County, NC were, in this order, were:
Frank Hodge
George Hodge
Jno. Hall, Jr.
Joshua Hall, husband of Sarah Sellers, parents of John Paten Hall, (Sr.) who would marry Lois Mashburn in 1829.

Although the 1790 census images are not available online for Orange County, NC, the following Hodge households lived in Orange County:
Joseph Hodge – Can he related the James Hodge who died in 1722 in Chowan County, NC?
Margaret Hodge
Robert Hodge William Hodge

In the 1810 census in Burke County, in this order, were:
David Mashburn
Robert Hodge–Same person who was in Orange County in 1790?
William Hodge-Same person who was on Orange County in 1790?
Elijah Green

If Kesiah, wife of Thomas Raburn was indeed a Hodge, it is extremely likely that she was related to the Hodge families in Orange and Burke Counties, NC, and linking her as the daughter of James Hodges who died in 1758 in Pasquotank County, NC, is tenuous.

An attempt to learn more about the origins of the several Hodge families of Orange, Burke and Haywood Counties, NC, was not immediately productive.

Generation 2: Rebecca Raburn was born by 1743 and married Peter Stroud, Sr., by 1759. Although her full name had been handed down for decades, there was no documentary evidence of her first name until Peter and Rebecca Stroud sold land in 1789 in Burke County, NC. There was no documentary evidence for her maiden name until an 1827 affidavit by Hodge Raburn (one of the administrators of Peter Stroud’s Will) stated that Peter Stroud was his brother-in-law.

The Strouds were among the first families to settle in Orange County, NC, where six adult Stroud men (who had previously lived in Brunswick County, VA) were named on the 1755 Orange County Tax List. Peter Stroud was not among those listed, so family historians assume he was probably born ca. 1735, and thus still a minor and without property in 1755. However, Peter Stroud was an adult in 1761 when he was the chain carrier in a survey for John King who had 640 acres surveyed. (See "Orange County Records, Vol. I, Granville Proprietary Land Office: Abstracts of Loose Papers", page 45, found by cousin Marty Grant. Marty found later land records showing that Peter Stroud, Sr., lived on the border of the Orange/Chatham county line near Terrell’s Mountain). The 1755 Census of Orange County,NC, shows the following men in this order:

Robt. Pindergrass
John Hogood & son James
Thomas Loyd & 2 Negroes
John Stroud & son Joshua

Sometime in the mid-1780’s Peter and Rebecca moved from Orange County to Burke County, NC. On 11 December 1789 Peter Stroud signed, and his wife Rebecca made her mark, on the abovementioned deed of sale when they sold 800 acres in Burke County, NC, to Peter Willis of Brunswick County, VA. (Information courtesy of Marty Grant). In 1789 Rebecca Stroud also witnessed the Oath of Payment in the case of James Wood vs. James Williams in Burke County.

Peter Stroud, Sr., continued to have children for at least 42 years. His oldest child was Jesse R. Stroud, born 1759-60, and his youngest known child was Nancy Stroud, born 1 June 1802, who married Thomas S. Hardin. Peter Stroud’s last proven wife was named Elizabeth, who appears to have been the mother of at least the youngest four of his 16 children.

Some Stroud researchers believed that Peter Stroud, Sr., had a wife before Rebecca named Naomi Raburn, with whom he had his first four children before her early death. However, this theory lacks support in the names chosen by Peter’s first four children for their own children (see below), and it is assumed that the name Naomi might have been confused with Naoma Kelsey who was married to Peter Stroud’s oldest son, Jesse R. Stroud, born ca. 1759-60.

The oldest four children of Peter Stroud, Sr., were:

Jesse R. Stroud, born ca. 1759-60, married Naoma Kelsey, and they were the parents of Echols, Isaac, Jesse (Jr.), John, Thomas, Nancy Jane, Rebecca, Polly, Sarah "Sally, William, and Peter Stroud, (III).

Keziah Patton Stroud (surely named for her maternal grandmother) was born in 1762 and married William Green, (Sr.). Although Kesiah and William had nine children, only seven were living in 1837 when Thomas made his Will: Thomas S., John Daniel, William Mercer/Musser, Silas Manning, Sarah "Sally," Martha Peck, and Elizabeth Green. (Another reputed daughter was Susannah). A copy of the 1837 Will of William Green, Sr., may be found here: William Green's Will

Peter Stroud, Jr., born ca. 1764, married Margaret Curtis, and they had Sarah, Rebecca, Jane/Jean, William Austin, James A., Mary "Polly," Susannah, Peter Grayson, John, and Robert Stroud.

Susannah Stroud was born in 1766 and married Matthew Mashburn. Census records indicate that they had four sons and seven daughters, but the Will of Matthew Mashburn mentioned only four children: James, Thomas, Raburn and Lois Mashburn. However, two additional daughters were later found to be Margaret who married Job Pendergrass, and Elizabeth who married first John Davis and married second Abel Harris.*

*It should be mentioned that Abel Harris was the bondsman for the marriage of David Mashburn who married Mary "Polly" Woody on 19 January 1824 in Burke County, NC. At the time of their wedding Mary Woody was age 30, and 5 ½ years older than David Mashburn. Their known children were James B., Manoah "Noah," Thomas M., Allen, Rebecca Mullinax and Sarah Mary Mashburn. Abel Harris died in 1863 in Buncombe County, NC, and afterwards Elizabeth Mashburn Davis Harris moved to Fannin County, GA.

It should be further mentioned that the father of Mary "Polly" Woody was Robert Raburn Woody, born 1774 in Rutherford County, NC, who allegedly married Nancy Rebecca Hardin. Robert Raburn Woody died on 16 March 1852 in Fannin County, GA, and has a tombstone on which the first names of his eleven children are engraved, the oldest of whom was "Mary P."

It was long believed that the Will of Peter Stroud, Sr., had been lost or burned in a courthouse fire. However, an (undated) Bill of Complaint was filed in the Court of Equity in Haywood County, NC, and among the items presented was the Will of Peter Stroud, Sr. There were also several affidavits both in support of and in opposition to the Claimants’ charge of fraud.

The Complainants in the lawsuit were Peter’s daughter, Peggy Stroud Harris Simmons and her husband Thomas Simmons. Peggy and her husband alleged that her brother, William Stroud (now deceased), and Hodge Raburn, one of the administrators of her father’s Will, had worked together and defrauded her of her inheritance, "without her knowledge and while she was living a distance away."

In 1827 Peggy Stroud’s brother, Peter Stroud, Jr. (administrator for the Estate of their late brother, William Stroud) testified that he "was present when William Stroud, deceased, and Hodge Raburn had destroyed the Bill of Sale to the property Peggy was to inherit" (which was a negro man named Charles). However, a lengthy and detailed affidavit provided by Hodge Raburn, "brother-in-law of Peter Stroud, Sr.," denied all these allegations and claimed that the charges were completely fabricated.

Peter Stroud, Sr., had made two Wills: one in 1812, and another in 1821. His first Will immediately gave all of his property to three sons and one son-in-law: Jesse Stroud, Peter Stroud, Jr., William Stroud, and Matthew Mashburn. The condition was that Peter Stroud, Sr., would get to enjoy all the benefits of living on his land until his death, at which time these four individuals would then divide their one-fourth of his estate with three of their siblings, with each of the 16 ultimately receiving equal portions.

In 1821 Peter Stroud, Sr., revised his Will. In this one he named 15 children* (plus his wife Elizabeth), and the inheritance of each was specifically described. All 15 of his children were mentioned by name, as were the husbands of some of his married daughters. Affidavits in the Bill of Complaint (see link below) included testimony from individuals living in Haywood County, NC, Burke County, NC, and Dickson County, TN. *(Based on the number of children mentioned in Peter’s 1812 Will, it appears that one of his children had died between 1812 and 1821.

Deep gratitude is extended to professional genealogist Candance Bungard who in 2017 alerted me to the existence of the Will of Peter Stroud, Sr., which helped to unravel this complicated family. The petitions and rebuttals filed in this case in Haywood County, NC, have been photocopied by Ancestry.com. (There was no document in this section of the photocopied papers that indicated how this case was settled). A transcription of the images related to the Estate of Peter Stroud, Sr., can found at: Peter Stroud Estate.

Marty Grant found the Court record where the Will of Peter Stroud was proved in July 1827 in Burke County, by Thomas Raburn and wife Naomi. At the time Marty found this information he did not have access to the 1821 Will of Peter Stroud, Sr., which named his wife as Elizabeth. assumed that Naomi must have been the widow of Peter Stroud because Marty did not have access to Peter Stroud’s Will in order to learn that at the time Peter Stroud, Sr., made his Will in 1821 his wife was named Elizabeth. So, unless Elizabeth died shortly after Peter wrote his Will in 1821, and Peter quickly remarried before his own death in 1823, Naomi must have been the wife of this Thomas Raburn. The two administrators of the Will of Peter Stroud, Sr., wrote in 1821 were Peter Stroud, Jr. (who died in 1823), and Hodge Raburn. It is assumed that this Thomas Raburn was the son of Hodge Raburn (the only surviving administrator), and that for some reason Hodge himself was not available to do it. This Thomas Raburn had two wives (Mary Stroud and Amanda Watkins) and about 16 or 17 children. Perhaps this Thomas Raburn had an intervening marriage to a woman named Naomi.

Might the legend that Peter Stroud had a wife named Naomi have sprung from this misattribution?

Generation 3: Susannah Stroud, daughter of Peter Stroud, Sr., and his wife, Rebecca Raburn, was born in 1764 in Orange County, NC. Susannah was still living in Orange County in 1781 when she was present at the marriage of her sister Keziah Patton Stroud to William Green. It is assumed that Susannah's future husband, Matthew Mashburn, was related to the Mashburns who were enumerated in Orange County, NC.

It appears that Susannah and Matthew Mashburn moved to Burke County, NC, with her parents shortly before 1789 because they were enumerated there in 1790 with one young son. Among records found for the family were:

The Burke (County) Journal, February 1995, page 8, contains the following information:
"May the 17 Day 1800. The under named jurors Met and after being Duely Sworn to Revue the Rode (road) agreeable to order of the Corte from Joseph Riches to the Cross Rods (illegible) laid off and Markerd as the Rode has Run for sevrl years only at cletis atwaters [?] (actually Titus Atwaters) as R____ Round his/this[?] plantation given under our hands & seals the day above written:

*This is Robert Raburn Woody – M. F. Souder

"Note on the reverse side of the (above) page is the following:
We Recomend Joseph Richey as our Seeor (surveyor?) from Ch___ys *to Mathew Mashburns and James Hix from Mathew "Mosburns" to the Cross Rods.
Witness: H. Raburn, Shff."
*Probably Charles Stanley’s – M. F. Souder

Marty Grant located the following document:
"January 1810, Burke County, NC: Ordered by the Court that the following persons be a Jury to View and alter the road if expindent (sic) from the corner of Peter Stroud, Jr. Field to the upper end of Peter Stroud, Sr. Plantation on the road from Rutherford to the mouth of Buck creak to wit, Thomas Green, William Green, William Green, Jr., John Mitchell, John Keller, Peter Stroud, Jr., Peter Stroud, Sr., James Patton, Joseph Richy, Mathew Mashburn, William Carson, Robert Woody, James Armstrong, Joseph Wilson, Thomas Morrison, James Hix, William Mashburn and report thereof." On 14 April the jury reported that it had "met and found a road past Peter Stroud’s field." (The property is now in McDowell County, NC. – Marty Grant).

Matthew Mashburn, husband of Susannah Stroud, made his Will in 1826 and died shortly thereafter. He mentioned only four of his children, James, Thomas, Raburn and Lois Mashburn, giving property to his three minor children (Thomas, Raburn and Lois) in order to make them equal to what the others had received. He then directed that the remainder be divided equally between them and the "other children." (Susannah Stroud Mashburn survived Matthew for at least another 24 years).

State of North Carolina Burke County
Know all men by these presents that I Matthew Mashburn of the said state and county being in the use of my proper senses in full and sound and composed mind do Will and direct that after my death my property to be disposed of in the following way and manner that is to say to my beloved wife Susana the full use and possession during her life of that part of the land that I shall hereafter describe and Will to my son Raeburn Mashburn also one negro boy named Arthur* with all the stock of horses cattle hogs and sheep Also all of the household furniture farming tools and all other property I possess except that part of my land which falls to my son Thomas Mashburn as shall be hereafter described provided nevertheless that if the said Thomas Mashburn or Raburn Mashburn or my daughter Lois Mashburn when they come to age to lawfully to act for themselves shall demand it Then my above named wife is to give out of the stock and furniture to each of them so demanding as much as the other children have each received from me of any moveable property I do also will and direct that all my land being part of five tracts containing three hundred and twenty eight acres be divided by a line running east and west as to be equal in value and that my son Thomas Mashburn shall have the south side and that my son Raburn Mashburn have the north side including the buildings but not the possession of the above named lands during his mothers lifetime I do further Will and direct that all of the above named property the land excepted with increase or decrease be at the death of my wife equally divided amongst all my children or their heirs by sale of the property or otherwise provided that if any of the above named three children shall not have received the above named portion to make them equal with what the others have received Then their part to make them equal be given and the remainder to be divided equally between them and the other children And I do hereby declare the above written to be my last will and testament And I do hereby nominate and appoint my sons James Mashburn and Thomas Mashburn to execute and put in force this my last will and testament In witness of which I have hereunto caused my name to be signed and affixed my mark and seal this 26th day of March one thousand eight hundred and twenty six.

attest Joseph Neal
Matthew Mashburn (his X mark) seal
James Hicks
a true copy Test
J. Erwin Clerk
*"one negro boy named Arthur" was the slave given in the 1821 Will of Peter Stroud, Sr., to his daughter and son-in-law Susannah and Matthew Mashburn. – M. F. Souder

As mentioned above, daughters not listed in the will of Matthew Mashburn were Margaret Mashburn who married Moses Pendergraft, Elizabeth Mashburn who married John Davis and Abel Harris, and probably Rebecca Mashburn who married James Gibbs. Some attribute Susannah and Matthew’s fourth son as Matthew Mashburn, Jr., born ca. 1800, perhaps the same Matthew Mashburn who married Catherine Raburn, daughter of Hodge Rayburn. If these are correct, it would leave two unidentified daughters of Matthew and Susannah Mashburn.

It was not until 2016 that information provided by cousin Charmaine Reel Ernst and genealogist Candace Bundgard directed me to the 1832 Revolutionary War pension application made by William Green of Haywood County, NC, his divorce petition made the same year (after and 51 years of marriage to Keziah Patton Stroud Green), and the Widow’s pension application made by Kessiah Green in 1846 in Carroll County, GA.

William Green’s divorce application said that he had "intermarried with Keziah Stroud" on 8 March 1781, and they had raised nine children together. Keziah Stroud Green mounted a defense and contested the divorce. She received broad support from her community, with testimony from prominent citizens Thomas Lemmings and Ninian Edmonston, whose testimony has been lost. It is not known if the divorce was ever granted, although Kesiah was not mentioned in the 1837 Will of William Green.

It has been theorized that the sequence of William Green’s suit for application for a Revolutionary War pension, and his application for a divorce only nine days later was intended to keep Keziah from sharing in the benefit of his veteran’s pension. William Green died in 1837 in Haywood County, NC, and left a Will naming six children.

When she was a very old woman Susannah Stroud Mashburn gave two depositions in support of the date her sister, Keziah Stroud, had married William Green, (Sr.), in Orange County, NC. According to genealogist Candace Bundgard, both of Susannah Mashburn’s affidavits can be found in Fold3 on Ancestry.com, among the Revolutionary War pension applications of William Green and Keziah Stroud Green, and William Green’s divorce application:

Deposition # 1
"State of North Carolina
Buncombe County
Susannah Mashburn Sister of Kisiah Green Widow of William Green Diceest* Maketh oath in due form of Law that She is about four years younger than her Sister Kisiah Green & was fourteen years oald when her Sister Kisiah Green & William Green was married, Which Took place about the yeare 1780 about one year after William Greens term of service Expired which mariage took place at my father's house in the County of Orange in my presence the mariage Ceremony was performed By a Baptist Preacher By the name Elathan Davis to the Best of my Recollection & if Ever my Sister Kisiah Green was married after Death of her husband Wille Green I have never herd of it & deponneth further sayeth that she is now in her Seventy Ninth year. Sworn to and Subscribed this the 11th day of November 1845.
Susannah (her X mark) Mashburn
attest Jno Burgin, JP"
*(Deceased)

It was not uncommon for applications sent to Washington, DC, to languish with inactivity, causing the applicants to believe that their information had never been received. The petitioners often sent another application which eventually resulted in two almost identical petitions being filed. This is what happened to Susannah Stroud Mashburn's application, with her submitting essentially the same information three years later. The second application does corroborate the details presented in the first one:

Deposition # 2
"State of North Carolina
Buncombe County
Personally appeared
Before me John Burgin one of the sitting Justices of the peace in and for Said County
Susannah Mashburn, who being Duly Sworn Deposeth and Sayeth that She was well acquainted with Keziah Green that She was present when She Keziah was married to William Green which Tok place in the Year one thousand Seven hundred and Eighty one I think the ninth day of January of that year. That Keziah Green was my Sister and was four years older than my Self at that time or the time of her mariage I was about fifteen Years old. I also Recollect that the day My Sister and William Green was married there was Snow on the Ground. I also Recollect that my Sisters oldest Son Thomas Green was Born on the twenty fourth Day of October of that year which I distinctly Recollect. I am very certain that was the year from the fact that I Know, at the time of the Mariage of My Sister I was about fifteen years old & at this time I am about Eighty one years old. Sworn to and Subscribed this the 27th day of October 1847.
Susannah (her X mark) Mashburn
Jn a Burgin JP

Generation 4: Previous traditional research suggested that Margaret Mashburn and Lois Mashburn (the only daughter mentioned in the Will of Matthew Mashburn) were sisters. A perfect Full Mitochondrial DNA match between maternal descendants of both women confirmed the hypothesis.

A brief summary of the lives of Margaret Mashburn and Lois Mashburn follows:

Margaret Mashburn was born on 27 December 1793 in Burke County, NC, and married Moses Pendergrass* by 1815. Their firstborn son was Alfred Burton Pendergraft, born 1816 in Burke County. Margaret and Moses left North Carolina and moved to Barry County, MO, between 1835 and 1838. Her living grandchildren and great grandchildren living in and around Barry and McDonald Counties, MO, provided her maiden name for a family history and submitted it to Allen Pendergraft, who wrote the classic "Pendergrass of Virginia and the Carolinas," 1976, privately published. *(Many branches of the Pendergrass family gradually changed the spelling of their surname to Pendergraft. By the time Moses Pendergrass died in 1859, he and all of his brothers had settled on the Pendergraft spelling).

A careful study of Margaret’s community in Barry County, MO, revealed that a close neighbor, Lois Hall, was the same woman as Lois Mashburn mentioned in the Will of her father, Matthew Mashburn. Lois had married John Paten Hall on 11 October 1829 in Burke County, NC. The marriage bond spelled her name as Loyes Mashburn.

The following report gives a summary of the information gathered about the two girls, and leaves opportunities for further research into the identity of their one unidentified brother and three unidentified sisters who were enumerated in early Burke County, NC, census records, but not mentioned by name in their father’s Will.

Although not mentioned in Matthew Mashburn’s Will, Elizabeth has also been identified as a daughter of Susannah Mashburn because in 1850 Susannah Mashburn, age 86, was living with her married daughter, Elizabeth Mashburn Davis Harris, in Buncombe County, NC.

An error was introduced into this family’s pedigree in the late-1990’s, when a Pendergraft who was not descended from Margaret and Moses simply appropriated Burton as the maiden name of Margaret in order to fill in the spaces of her pedigree chart. This flawed information was presumably entered because Margaret Mashburn named her firstborn son Alfred Burton Pendergraft. This database has been widely distributed on the Internet, and the error incorporated into many databases. Moses Pendergraft died in 1859, and Margaret was a widow for eleven years. She died in 1870, and both are buried in the Roller Cemetery in McDonald County, MO.

Fortunately, the young Lois Mashburn mentioned in the will of Matthew Mashburn left a paper trail. Although Lois was 14 1/2 years younger than Margaret, after her 1829 marriage to John P. Hall in Burke County, NC, she and John seemed to be "following" Margaret and Moses Pendergraft in their treks. A few years after Margaret and Moses had left for Macon County, NC, Lois and John moved there. Margaret and Moses stayed in Macon County for about a decade and then moved to Barry County, MO, arriving there between 1835-1838. Lois and John stayed in Macon County, NC, for about a decade, and then moved to Barry County, MO, between 1843-1845. By 1850, the Pendergrass and Hall homes were only five households apart in Barry County, MO. The lives of Margaret and Lois were then closely intertwined until their deaths. Lois’ husband, John Paten Hall, was slain during the Civil War, on 19 February 1863 in the mountains near Washburn, Barry County, MO. He is buried in the Old Dent Cemetery in McDonald County, MO. On 29 July 1868 Lois married David Coughenour in Barry County, MO. Some accounts state that after David Coughenour's death, Lois married M. E. Easley. Her burial place is not known.

Margaret and Moses named their firstborn son, born 1816, Alfred Burton Pendergraft. Lois and John Hall named their firstborn son, born 1830, Alfred Milton Hall. A far better question than why did Margaret and Moses choose Burton as the middle name of their first son is why did both Margaret Mashburn and Lois Mashburn name their firstborn sons "Alfred?"

Research efforts have focused on attempting to answer this question, but a satisfactory explanation has not been found. No early records have been found for a beloved man named Alfred Raburn, Alfred Stroud or Alfred Mashburn who was old enough to have been the ancestor or neighbor of these Mashburn girls.

An analysis of the names chosen by the six children of Matthew Mashburn and Susannah Stroud might be helpful:

James Mashburn, b. 1788, who married his first cousin Rebecca Stroud, daughter of Peter Stroud, Jr. and Margaret Curtis, chose: Sarah, Rebecca, Jane, William Austin, James A., Mary "Polly," Susannah, Peter Grayson , John and Robert Mashburn.

Margaret Mashburn, b. 27 November 1793, and Moses Pendergraft chose: Alfred Burton , Obedience "Biddy," Thomas, Ann "Nancy," James V., Wesley Powell, William Morris, Susannah, Martha Matilda, and Angeline Pendergraft.

Elizabeth Mashburn, b. 1795, and John Davis chose: Matthew and William M. Davis. Elizabeth and Abel Harris chose Emma Mildred, Margaret Elizabeth, John, James Wesley, Susan Selina, Ann Elizabeth, Abel Franklin, Thomas Lenora, Meritt N., and Margaret Ann Harris.

Matthew Mashburn, Jr., b. ca. 1800, (circumstantial) married his cousin, Catherine Raburn (daughter of Hodge), and named their known children Alberter, Thomas W., Nira, and Caroline M. S. Mashburn

Thomas Mashburn, b. 1806, and wife Letitia chose: Olive L., William Powell, Matthew J., Margaret A., John Gilbert, Thomas W., James Alfred/Alfred J., and Letty Carline "Lettie" Mashburn.

Rebecca (circumstantial) Mashburn, born 19 January 1804, married James Gibbs and they chose Matthew M., Sarah A., James Wesley, Thomas Rubin (can this be Raburn), Rebecca Susannah, Lois Elmira, William Fullwood, Nancy Elizabeth, Bernice Elvira Clara, Martha Josephine, Joseph Manuela, and Harvey Jasper Gibbs.

Raburn Mashburn, b. 1810, and Mary Elvira Gibbs chose: Rebecca J., Hannah M., Sophia E., Elizabeth M., Matthew W., and Thomas B. Mashburn.

Lois Mashburn, born 1806, and John P. Hall chose: Alfred Milton , Elizabeth Ann "Betsy," Elbert Fonzy, John Paten, Jr., Delpha Arminda, Jane Elmira, Lucas Jarrett, Margaret Marinda, George Marriott, Merit Clingman, Sarah Louisa, and Lucretia Elizabeth "Eliza" Hall.

Note that four of the above children chose Alfred; four chose Thomas; four chose Matthew; three chose Peter.None of these children chose Naomi.

It should be mentioned that the youngest daughter of Peter Stroud, Sr., Nancy Stroud who married Thomas S. Hardin, named her second born son Alfred Stroud Hardin, born 1828.

After noticing the similarity of naming between the firstborn sons of Margaret and Lois Mashburn, as well as very frequent use of Alfred among their extended kin, documents were found in the courthouse in Morganton, Burke County, NC, regarding one Alfred M. Burton, born 1785 and a prominent attorney in Granville County, NC. He married Elizabeth Fullenweider and was the son of Col. Robert Burton and wife Agatha Keeling Williams.

Alfred M. Burton has been well researched and if there was a family relationship to the Mashburns, it was not a close one. Sometimes people named their children for prominent persons or much-admired folk heroes in their communities, and it is possible that Alfred M. Burton handled a successful lawsuit for the Strouds or Mashburns. (He was born in 1785, Margaret Mashburn was born in 1793, and Lois/Louisa Mashburn was born in 1808). This Alfred M. Burton was a prominent attorney in a case that lasted more than 15 years:

"Burke Co, NC, Civil Actions about Land (1779-1891)," pp. 40-42.
J MD Carson – Attorney for complainant / plaintiff
Alfred M. Burton– Attorney for defendant

1832–Rutherford County, NC - John Den (complainant / plaintiff) leased 560 A on both side of the main Broad River near the Rutherford-Burke County line

1832–Richard Fen (defendant) "ejected by force" John Den from the land & continues to hold possession

1833– John Den complained that Richard Fen "in custody" (of land?) be prosecuted

1833-1846 – Affidavits and Counter-affidavits were filed; several legal maneuverings ensued, including a petition from Richard Fen that the case be dismissed

1837 – John Den’s attorney asked for the case to be moved to another county because "strong prejudice existed in the county against his client"

1837 Court case removed to Burke County, NC, at plaintiff’s cost

Spring 1845 – "Burke County–now McDowell County," NC, John Den complains of Richard Fen "in custody." "Fen continues to occupy the land" . . .

This case continued and was not followed to conclusion. It seems likely that Albert and Burton were popular names, and once started rapidly spread among the extended Mashburn family.

Additional research concerning several early Mashburn families (including a younger Albert Mashburn born 1839) can be found the Mashburn Y-chromosome DNA Study here: Mashburn DNA Study.

A worldwide study of the Mashburn Y-chromosome is being managed by Greg Mashburn and Steve Mashburn, and can be found here: Mashburn Y-DNA Study.

Late breaking news!! As of May 2017, and 15 years after testing the descendants of Margaret Mashburn Pendergraft and Lois Mashburn Hall, they had one other recent and perfect Full Mitochondrial DNA match. Since this report was going to be published, academic ethics required that this woman be contacted in order to learn the identity of her earliest known maternal ancestor. The woman immediately wrote back stating that her earliest known mtDNA ancestor was Rebecca Mashbourn, born 19 January 1804 in Burke County, NC, who became the second wife of James Gibbs on 14 April 1823 in Burke County, NC.

After intensive research all evidence indicates that Rebecca Mashburn Gibbs was another daughter of Matthew Mashburn and Susannah Stroud, and for comparison purposes she has been included as such in the above commentary. Rebecca Mashbourn Gibbs died at age 89 in Blount County, AL.

Deep appreciation for the tireless research of genealogist Candace Bundgard, and cousins Harley Rush, Burton "Wayne" Moore, Harold Mahan, Lynne Fletcher, Marty Grant, Laura B. Pierson, Charmaine Reel Ernst, Joel Hall, Diana Gale Matthiesen, Joyce Weber, Barbara Bowers, Connie Mashburn, Tom Canfield, Yvonne Mashburn Schmidt, Georgia C. Gallagher, Edna Grant Simpson, Joe Mashburn, Dr. Charles T. Ingram, Jr., MD, Steve Mashburn, Greg Mashburn, and Dorothy Elizabeth Moore Bernay, who published "Rabon, Rabone, Raybourn, Rayburn, Raburn Family in America," 2015. A copy of her book may be obtained at Amazon or Barnes and Noble websites.

The female Raburn descendants have a rare mtDNA signature. None like theirs had been seen in 2002 when the first sample was sent to the University of Arizona for analysis. The sample was then sent to the University of Pennsylvania for further testing, where the initial results were corroborated. The DNA results, the rarity of their mtDNA signature, and the significant amount of circumstantial evidence for the three women all support their sisterhood.

The only women to date whose results reflect this rare mtDNA signature are descendants of Susannah, Lois and Rebecca Mashburn who lived in Burke County, NC. Other than these three women, there are the following Full mtDNA matches:

HVR1 = 7
HVR2 = 3
Full mtDNA = 0