This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: tlcathcart Surnames: McClimons, Bailey, Cunningham Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.southcarolina.counties.greenville/6470/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Leonardo Andrea was a well-respected South Carolina genealogist who did professional research for many southern families. For some more information on his work, try this link: http://www.andreafiles.com . He wrote many articles for The Greer Citizen ( http://www.greercitizen.com ) around 1965 that were titled: Pioneer Greer Area Families The following is one of those articles. ______________________________ an excerpt from The Greer Citizen Wednesday, February 16, 1966 Greer, S.C. _______________________ Pioneer Greer Area Families By Leonardo Andrea MICHAEL McCLIMONS Michale McClimons is buried at Nazareth Presbyterian Church. His tombstone reads as follows: Here lyeth the body of / Michael McClimons / Who departed this life / 6th of April 1806 / Aged 46 years. Other data shows that he was a native of Ireland. A woman in New Mexico who collects everything she can find on Cunningham, once wrote me that she wanted data on a Michael McCleamons who married Sarah Cunningham in Ireland and came to South Carolina. I wonder if this is the same Michael McClimons. There is an administration in Spartanburg County dated 30 April 1806 in file No. 1482 on the intestate estate of Michael McClimons, deceased. This administration was granted to his widow, Sarah McClimons. No list of heirs show in this file. The widow Sarah McClimons died intestate and her estate was administered 6 May 1833 by Hugh Bailey. Bailey stated that he and his sister, Jane Bailey, wife of Hugh McClimons, had cared for the old lady in her last years. In a deed book S page 421 in Spartanburg, Hugh Bailey and his wife, Elizabeth Bailey, jointly with Hugh McClimons and his wife, Jane McClimons (she was a sister of Hugh Bailey) as heirs, sell the lands of the deceased Michael McClimons and his widow, Sarah McClimons. The relationship of these two heirs is not listed whether they are children or whether brothers and sisters. Further study needs to be made on these administrators and this deed. In my library I have five volumes of the comprehensive work by Edward MacLysaght on Irish Families and surnames. I, in my own words, condense data from these five books as follows: Some 400 years ago a family from England whose surname was Clements settled in Ireland. The Clements followed the Irish custom of using Mac or o' in front of their surname to denote "Sone of" and became MacClements. After a generation or two they took the Irish spelling of MacCleamons. By the time they came to South Carolina it was McClimons. By 1860 the surname had evolved into McClimon without the final s. The last two sentences are from my own study on the evolution of surnames. Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.