===================================================================== Match: Bowles Source: ENGLISH-OBITS-L@rootsweb.com From: "Peter_McCrae" <peter_mccrae@pmccrae.co.uk> Subject: YEARGAN; Nathan Charlotte Sims Davis-UK & USA Nathan A. F. & Charlotte Sims Davis Yeargan From: Proud Heritage, Vol 2 by DCPA. Nathan A. F. & Charlotte Sims Davis Yeargan Rev. Andrew Yeargan came from Wales in 1735 and was a minister in the Roanoke and James River valleys of Virginia. The first Methodist Chapel built in Virginia was named "Yeargan's Chapel." He married Ony Bowles and they had eleven children. The family moved to North Carolina after the Revolutionary War, and, in the early 1800s, moved on to Greenville, South Carolina, where Rev. Yeargan died. His son, Benjamin Yeargan, served as an assistant surgeon in the Revolutionary War, and married Sarah Morgan Patterson. He donated the land and was an organizer and trustee of the University of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Benjamin's son, Bardett Yeargan, was bom in 1790 in Chapel Hill, and moved to Williamson County, Tennessee in 1812. He was married to Mary A. Lawrence, and they raised twelve children. Among these was Nathan A. F. Yeargan, bom in Tennessee in 1821. In 1844, he married Charlotte Sears Davis, and they had twelve children. They came to Dallas in 1855 and built a log cabin at what is now the McKinney Avenue-Fitzhugh intersection. During the Civil War, Nathan was a Confederate Army captain. In 1884, he left the First Methodist Church of Dallas, which was difficult to get to in bad weather and organized the McKinney Avenue Methodist Mission, with eleven members. This congregation grew steadily, and, in 1900, its 1,000 members erected the beautiful Trinity Methodist Church, which was a longtime Dallas landmark at McKinney and Pearl Streets. Nathan died in 1894 and Charlotte in 1898. Their son, Powell Benjamin Yeargan, bom in 1850 in Tennessee, came to Dallas with his parents in a covered wagon in 1855. As a teenage drover, he helped herd 5,000 cattle from Dallas to California in 1868, overcoming deserts and Comanche and Apache Indians in the four-month drive. In 1890, he married May Webb, and, in 1905, they became the parents of today's DCPA member. May Ruth Griffin. She married (1) Henry Clark White in 1921 and divorced in 1938. She married (2) Henry Leroy Griffin who died in 1966. May Ruth Griffin now lives in Grand Prairie, and attends DCPA meetings in Dallas regularly. She is the proud owner of a 1902 "Dallas Exchange" telephone directory. Powell B. Yeargan's adopted son, Benjamin P. Yeargan (1896-1974) and his friend, Reveaux Bassett, hunted ducks at Bachman Lake in Dallas while working for the Dallas Morning News. Later Bassett became an internationally-known painter of ducks and other wildlife. His paintings are now valued possessions. Ben Yeargan moved to Missouri and hunted ducks there. He became famous for his hand-carved duck and geese decoys which are all in collections now. Submitted by: May Ruth Griffin Grand Prairie, TX 75050

This is from the book The Yeargan Family by Leonidas Hilary & Hilary H. L. Yeargan in about 1890. It is a very valuable book in that they gathered many births, marriages and deaths from distant cousins. It follows each child(except mine of course) and the grandchildren. But I must take exception to the "family tradition" part of the book. Stories they had been told all their lives. They do not add up to me: "Rev. Andrew Yeargan came from Wales in 1735" If he indeed immigrated 1735 as a missonary he was surely a man. Born say 1710/15, so he was 40/45 when he first married, 92/97 when he died. He would have been 64 with 10 kids when he became a circuit rider, he was 67 when he picked up John's Rev. War check. I think the soldier would be more likely to be Andrew Jr.b c 1761. King's Mountain was 1780, he would be 65.... And born in Wales?, Widow Yorgan was in Va(tax list) 1704, John Yergan had a dau. baptised 1724(Denbeigh Parish). John resided Elizabeth City Co. until he died 1749,from various tax lists, witnessing wills, etc. Not to mention the 5 other Yeargan/gin/gain boys. In Elizabeth City Co, Dinwiddie, Chesterfield, Brunswick. More interesting to me is the fact that Andrew Sr was not on a tax list for 20 years, no boy 16 or older, no poll for himself, no land, no horse? I think he lived in a brother's household and they were counted there...can't prove that, but we know he had boys of polling age, plus himself. " and was a minister in the Roanoke and James River valleys of Virginia." The Circuit-Riders in Early American Methodism by Dr. Robert Simpson tells us Circuit riding was hard, cruel work, plus dangerous because some folks didn't want to hear it. The Church took only young single men, like 18-25 and they had to quit when they married. Yes, they could make an exception, but we have a young Andrew standing right there, makes more sense. Also, Andrew Sr. owned slaves...JOhn Wesley forbid that completely. Then his will? Methodist gave their soul to God & thanked him for his worldly gifts as did 99% of protestants of the era, read Andrew's will then read Oney's...which one was religous? "The first Methodist Chapel built in Virginia was named "Yeargan's Chapel." " The Yeargan Chapel was in NC, right across the VA line in Warren Co and was built by Samuel Yeargan, Sam's deeds and Will bear this out. "He married Ony Bowles and they had eleven children. The family moved to North Carolina", Andrew's son Benjamin bought land from his Uncle John Bowles in Caswell Co.7 Sept 1778, Either Andrew Sr. or Jr bought that same year in Wilkes Co NC(deeds), Andrew Sr was at the estate sale of Sarah Bowles 1786, Caswell Co. NC(court record) Andrew Sr or Jr bought in SC 1786. Andrew Jr was real, had a wife & kids, had a life, easy to mix them up because they didn't use Jr. or Sr. much...drive you nuts. I am not knocking the book, as I said it is valuable but there are questions to be asked, paper trail to be found.. and history of that era to be read... Mary Ann