https://www.ancestry.com/boards/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=9015&p=surnam...
Charles Stewart (b. about 1725-1730, d. November 15, 1807 Wake County, NC; md. Hannah Kirk) was not the son of Reverend James Stewart and his wife Elizabeth Campbell. This belief stems from statements published in an 1879 genealogy "Historic Memorials of the Stewarts of Forthergill" by Charles Poyntz Stewart stating that Charles Stewart and his brother Alexander Stewart (1725-1772), sons of Reverend James Stewart of Wester Clunie, Perthshire, Scotland, settled in North Carolina. While Alexander Stewart did immigrate by 1751 to Norfolk, Virginia and later migrated to present day Pitt County, NC near the community of Pactolus, there is no evidence that his brother Charles also came to North Carolina, despite the statements made by Charles Poyntz Stewart in his treatment on the family of Rev. James Stewart. In the appendix of "Historic Memorials of the Stewarts of Forthergill" is a series of letters exchanged between various members of the Rev. James Stewart family. Most researchers have never properly analyzed these letters. In 1758, Charles Stewart of Lisburn, Ireland wrote his nephew James Stewart of Kilbrandon (son of Rev. James) a letter in which he inquires of James' brother Charles. Charles of Ireland mentions in the letter that the last knowledge he had of his nephew Charles, he commanded a ship trading off the coast of Africa. Later, in 1769, Alexander Stewart of Pitt County, NC (not to be confused with his first cousin Alexander Stewart of Bath, Beaufort County, NC, who was rector of St. Thomas' Church) wrote a detailed letter to his brother Peter Stewart in Scotland. In that letter, he inquires of his brothers Charles and John, and indicates that since his arrival in the new world (i.e. between ca. 1751-1769), he had heard from Charles but not from John. It is doubtful that he would have inquired of Charles from his brother Peter in Scotland if Charles had actually been residing in North Carolina. Alexander also stated in the letter that he had no relations in the new world except for his cousin "Sandy" (i.e. Rev. Alexander Stewart of Bath). Thus, a careful study of this original correspondence shows quite clearly that Charles Stewart (son of Rev. James Stewart) was a ship captain who traded in Africa prior to 1758, and probably did not reside in North Carolina at that time. He evidently was still not in North Carolina as of 1769 based on his brother Alexander's letter. Our ancestor Charles Stewart first makes an appearance in the records of Cumberland (Harnett) County around 1764 or 1765. Thus, Charles (son of Rev. James) could not be identical with our Charles Stewart, who settled on Neill's Creek in Cumberland (present day Harnett) County, NC and later resided at Kennebec in southern Wake County. It also seems rather improbable that a successful ship commander trading in Africa would have retired to the backwoods of Harnett County, NC to become a land owning farmer.
