Cornelius George Autry, Sr.

http://files.usgwarchives.org/nc/yancey/bios/autrey01.txt

YANCEY COUNTY, NC - BIOGRAPHIES - Cornelius Autrey family

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Cornelius Autrey family

The first Autrey in what is now North Carolina was a

Captain John Autrey from England. After receiving a

patent from Queen Elizabeth on March 25th 1584, Sir

Walter Raleigh’s first expedition to the new world,

under captains Phillip Amadas and Auther Barlow, to

explore the country and recommand a favorable site for

settlement arrived in North Carolina, July 2nd 1584.

And remained six weeks before returning to England.

This was followed by a fleet of seven ships and 108

men no women or children, which sailed from Plymouth

in April 1585.

(From the “voyage made by Sir Richard Greenville for

Sir Walter Raleigh to Virginia in the year 1585.” pg

307, vol iii, History of North Carolina. Vol 1 pg 4.

The following; on July 6th 1585, Master John Arundall

was sent to the main and Manteo was with him, and

Captain John Autrey and Captain Boniton the same day

were sent to Croatan, where they found two of our men

left there thirty others by Captain Raymond twenty

days before. On the 8th, Captain Autrey and Captain

Boniton returned with two of our men. Found by them to

us at Wocokon (present Ocracoke inlet).

Cornelius Autrey was born about 1720, possibly in

Ireland, and died in the late 1770’s in Edgecombe

County. His wife is unknown, but nine of their

children have been identified, all born in Edgecombe

County, NC. Cornelius first appeared in records in 1746

and 1756 when he was a well established planter, and is

the one who Autry creek was named for. By 1790 five of the

children had moved to Sampson County and were recorded

in the US census book one moved to Georgia, one to

Alabama, one to Tennessee, and one remained in

Edgecombe County, NC.

The oldest of Cornelius' children was Absaloam, (he was

the only child to retain the “e” in the name Autrey)

who was born about 1740 and died in 1827 in St Claire

County, Alabama. He is listed as a tory officer in the

colonial records, vol22 pg 196 and had eight

children, all born in NC. Later they all migrated to

Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina.

The second child was John Autrey born about 1741 and

died in 1778 who married Elizabeth Ann and had 12

children. He was killed on Feb. 2nd 1778 by Creek

Indians near Skull Shoals, GA. All of the children

were born in NC except the last three. A record of

this family may be found in Mahan Blairs Autrey's book,

the family and descendants of Captain John Autrey.

The third child James Autrey was born about 1742 and

died before 1830 in Tennessee. There were two known

children and from this family came the famous Gene

Autrey.

William Autry was the fourth child. He was born about

1745 and died before 1790 when his wife Rachel is

listed as head of household. There were at least five

children according to the 1790 census. Newsome was one

of these children. He married Nancy Culbreth. His will

of July 12th 1853 names Clarry and 13 children. From

his family came the Sampson County Autrey's.

The fifth child, Cornelius Autrey, born 1747 and died

1810 married Sophia and six children named in the

Sampson County record of deeds book 18, pg 201. As

heirs of Cornelius Autry… this Cornelius is often

confused with his father and is falsely named as the

father of the Autrey's of NC. From this family came

Theophilus Autry, who married Elizabeth Crumpler who

had nine children according to his will- Micajah

Autry, of Alamo fame being the most outstanding.

Drury Autry the sixth child was born about 1749 and

died after 1808, the date of his will. He had six

children. His wife was not named. Many of these

children married into the Neil Culbreth family and

lived in Sampson County, NC.

The seventh child Islam, born about 1750, has no record

other then the 1790 census, which lists under

household six children, two males and four females.

The eighth child, Martha Autrey, born in 1753 and died

in 1852, married Neil Culbreth, and his family can be

found in this census book under Neil and Martha Autry

Culbreth family.

The ninth child, Sarah Autry, was born about 1755

married George Vickers and remained in Edgecombe Co,

NC. In Deed Book D of Edgecombe County, pg 388,

Cornelius deeded 260 acres to my daughter Sarah.

Although the spelling of Autrey has passed through

many forms such as Autry, Aughtry, Aughtrey, Try,

and Daughtry, most Autrey researchers say Cornelius of

Edgecombe County was the original progenitor of the

North Carolina Autrey's. And they are all related to

some degree regardless of a claim that five brothers

came to america and went their separate ways.

Footnote: I found this information in the McDowell

County library, under the Sampson County records book.

All the above mentioned names have lineage in these

books.

ID: I208 Name: Cornelius Autrey Sex: M Birth: Abt 1709 in Autrey,Haute Saone,France Death: Bef 1780 in Edgecomb Co. N.C. IDNO: 81 Note: [Wittels.FBK.GED]

The date and place of Cornelius Autrey's arrival in the Colonies cannot be established at this time. The name Autrey is derived from French and has been spelled many different ways, but the Autrey spelling is used throughout this record for convenience. His birthplace is not definitely known, but is believed to have been Autrey, Haute Saone, France. The year of his birth is also in question as various sources give 1709 to 1720. The place of his death is also subject to question, with some sources listing Pitt Co. NC instead of Edgecombe. Some sources indicate that the Autreys were originially french and migrated following the Norman Conquest to what is now Great Britain and eventually moved on the Ireland prior to settling in what is now North Carolina. There is a strong family tradition, which is supported by the 1790 census records, that five Autrey brothers came to America in 1750 to settle in North Carolina. The first reference to Cornelius Autrey, shown on page 3 of the Bundy/Brooks document, involved a survey of land on January 19, 1754 involving 376 acres of land bordering Autrey's Creek. The fact that the stream was named Autrey's Creek would imply that the Autreys had been there for some time prior to 1754. Over the course of the following 20 years Cornelius' name was associated with several thousand acres of land in Edgecombe County. It is apparent from the records that Cornelius was a prosperous planter. The records also show that Cornelius gave 340 acres to his son Isom (Isham), 260 acres to his daughter Sarah and her husband George Vickers, and an undisclosed amount of land to his son William Page Autrey. Mayo Bundy thought that William's middle name might be an indication that Cornelius' wife's maiden name might have been Page. The Bundy/Brooks book only lists eleven children for Cornelius. It does not include Mary, Theopholus, Elizabeth, Elijah, or Rachel. The LDS records include a second John Autrey which is considered a duplication and therefore not included herein.

France or Ireland? Another controversy arises here with the birth place of Cornelius Sr. Most say Ireland but there are plenty of family genealogists that say he was definitely born in Haute Saone, France. The date and place of his arrival in the Colonies cannot be established thus far, so until I see an offical record, my vote stands on Ireland.

It is likely that the Autrys/Autreys were originally French and migrated following the Norman Conquest to what is now Great Britain and eventually moved on to Ireland prior to settling in what is now North Carolina. There is a strong family tradition, which is supported by the 1790 census records, that there were 5 Autry brothers that settled in North Carolina circa 1750. These would be the grandsons of Cornelius from Ireland, sons of Cornelius, Jr. born in Edgcombe, N.C. There is a book written by Mayo Bundy and Brooks that references Cornelius Autrey as involved in a survey of land on Jan. 19, 1754. This survey involved 376 acres of land bordering Autrey's Creek. The fact that the stream was named Autrey's Creek would imply that the Autreys had been there for some time prior to 1754. Over the course of the following 20 years Cornelius' name was associated with several thousand acres of land in Edgecombe County. It is apparent from the records that both Cornelius, Jr. and his father were prosperous planters. The recordss also show that Cornelius Jr., gave 340 acres to his son Isham, 260 acres to his daughter Sarah and her husband George Vickers, and an undisclosed amount of land to his son William Page Autrey.

It is interesting that Cornelius Jr., apparently went back to Ireland to find a bride and married there before returning to North Carolina. According to the Bundy/Brooks book Cornelius Jr., and his brothers John, Drury, Isham and James left Edgecombe Co. in the early 1770's and went to the Fayette District of North Carolina that included at that time Moore, Cumberland, and Sampson Counties.

Alexander, Absolom, Jacob and John Autrey all moved to Wilkes County, GA. sometime prior to 1773. Records indicate that Alexander was given 300 acres on Fishing Creek on October 15, 1773. The "Georgia Roster of the Revolution" states on page 22 that "Alexander Autrey served as Regiment Captain and on March 25, 1784 was entitled to 500 acres of land". The name is spelled Awtry as it was for his brothers, John, Absalom, and Jacob.

Absolom was the first child of Cornelius Autrey, Jr. He was the only Autrey who is known to have been a Tory. He was listed as a Tory officer on page 196, Vol. 22 of "The Colonial Records of North Carolina". He opposed at least 3 of his brothers in battles associated with The Revolutionary War. The whereabouts of Absolom and his family are difficult to trace, but it would appear that he lived in N.C. until about 1770, then moved to Alabama, where he died in 1827. He deeded 152 acres of land by the Coosa River at Greensport, AL. ( in St. Clair County ), on May 26, 1824. There is a story that Absolom died on "the night that stars fell on Alabama". If the story is true, that would have been Nov. 13, 1833 when a large meteor shower was seen all over the eastern states.

John Autry was better known as Captain John, an officer for the Whigs in the American Revolution. Other brothers that served in this same regiment were Jacob and Alexander. It is recorded that John was killed by Creek Indians in Wilkes Co. Georgia at Skull Shoals along the Oconee River. He was scalped and then buried on the banks of the river. Alexander and Jacob later received hundreds of acres of land, entitled to them for their service in the Revolutionary War.

CORNELIUS Autry LAND TRANSACTIONS l754-l774 Cliranville Proprietary Land Office, Entries, Warrants, Surveys 1748- 1763. 5. 108. 271 North Carolina Archives

SURVEY 10 JANUARY 1754 GRANVILLE GRANT Surveyed on 10 January 1754 for Cornelius Autrey, a tract of land containing 376 acres in the County of Edgecombe and Province of North Carolina. Beginning at an oak in Autreys Creek, then south 200 poles to a pine, the east 400 poles to a red oak on Crawsaway Branch, then north 90 poles to a white oak on the creek, then up the creek to the first station. Chain carriers: John Stokes and ____n Awtry. Signed: William Haywood.

LAND GRANT#37 21 MAY 1757 RECORDED 10 NOVEMBER 1757 650 acres in Edgecombe County, Province of North Carolina from Earl Granville to Cornelius Autrey, lying on both sides of Autreys Creek including the plantation of the said Autrey. Surveyed by William Haywood. Witness: Francis Corbin, agent for Lord Granville.

SURVEY 13 DECEMBER 1757 Surveyed 13 December 1757 for Cornelius Autry , a tract of land containing 480 acres in the County of Edgecombe and Province of North Carolina, lying on both sides of Autreys Creek. Beginning at a red oak, then east 320 poles to a white oak, then south 240 poles to a pine, then west 320 poles to a hickory, then north 240 poles to the first station according to a plan annexed. Sworn chain carriers: Thomas Brantly and Abraham Holleman. Signed W Haywood.

LAND GRANT 15 OCTOBER 1760 RECORDED 23 DECEMBER 1760 Liber A, Folio 18 700 acres in Edgecombe County, Province of North Carolina from Thomas Child, Agent of Earl Granville to Cornelius Autrey, beginning above the plantation where Autrey now lives and running down both sides of Autreys Creek, including his own improvements for compliments. Signed: Cornelius Autrey. Witness: James hail, Agent. A survey for the above: Surveyed II June 1761 for Cornelius Autrey, a tract of land containing 700 acres in the County of Edgecombe and the Province of North Carolina. Beginning at a white oak, then north 320 poles to a black oak, then east 350 poles to a red oak, then 320 poles to a pine - his old corner - then by his old line west 350 poles to the first station according tote above plat. Sworn Chain carriers: John Stoke and Barewell. Signed: Surveyor - William Haywood.

LAND GRANT 10 JUNE 1761 RECORDED 9 JUNE 1761 Liber A, Folio 27 700 acres in Edgecombe County, Province of North Carolina from John Earl Granville to Cornelius Autrey, 700 acres of vacant land lying in Edgecombe County Beginning in the fork between Horsepen Branch of Autreys Creek including the present land on both sides of Crooked Branch for compliment. Signed: Cornelius Autrey. Witness: Thomas Hall.

LAND GRANT #55 1 MAY 1762 687 acres in Edgecombe County, Province of North Carolina from Earl Granville to Cornelius Autry , Planter. Beginning at a red oak, north side of Autreys Creek, then south 260 poles to a pine on the south side of the creek, then to and down the Barren Branch 420 poles to a pine on the south side of the branch, then north 270 poles to a red oak, then crossing the said creek to the first station according to the: above plat. Sworn Chain officers: Henry Stokes and John Stokes. Surveyor: William Haywood. Signed: Cornelius Autry . Witness: Thomas Cavenah.

EDGECOMBE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA DEED ABSTRACTS Deed Book C, Page 188 Jesse Fort of Edgecombe County, North Carolina to Cornelius Autrey of the same, February 14, 1764 for 35 Pounds Virginia money, a tract of 340 acres on the Little Swamp, it being a deed granted to said Fort on 14 February 1764. Witnesses: John Permenter and Elias Fort.

Deed Book D, Page 277 Cornelius Autrey of Edgecombe County, North Carolina to his son, Isom Autrey, September 20,1770, for love and affection, a tract of 340 acres on the south bank of the Little Swamp, it being a tract of land bought by said Autrey from Jesse Fort bea 1 2 3 4 Change Date: 4 APR 2009 at 22:37:39

Father: Jeopine Autrey b: Abt 1680 in France

Marriage 1 Spouse Unknown Married: Bef 1740 Note: 1 REFN 1840 Children

Absolom Autrey b: Abt 1740 in Edgecomb Co.,N.C.

Mary Autrey b: Abt 1741 in N.C.

John Autrey b: 1741 in Edgecomb Co.,N.C.

James Autrey b: 1742 in Edgecombe Co.,N.C.

Alexander Autrey b: 1743 in N.C.

William Page Autrey b: 1745 in Edgecomb Co.,N.C.

Theopholus Autrey b: 1745 in Pitt Co. N.C.

Cornelius Autrey b: 1747 in Pitt Co. N.C.

Elizabeth Autrey b: 1747 in Pitt Co. N.C.

Drury Autrey b: 1749 in Edgecomb Co. N.C.

Elijah Autrey b: 1749 in Edgecomb Co.,N.C.

Isham Autrey b: Abt 1750 in Edgecombe Co.,N.C.

Martha B. Autrey b: 10 JAN 1753 in Edgecomb Co. N.C.

Sarah Autrey b: 1755 in Edgecomb Co.,N.C.

Rachel Autrey b: 1755 in Edegecombe Co. N.C.

Jacob Autrey b: 1756 in Edgecombe Co.,NC

Sources: Title: LDS International Genealogical Index, 1994 Edition, version 3.05 Abbrev: LDS International Genealogical Index, 1994 Edition, version 3.05 Text: Record shows Cornelius Autrey (note spelling) made or probated a will in Sampson Co., N.C. on March 18 1820 and that he was baptized into the Mormon Church on June 4 1976 in Ogen, Utah Title: LDS Ancestral File AFN:1WOV-ZG Abbrev: LDS Ancestral File AFN:1WOV-ZG Text: provided information on all the children except Martha and Mary Title: The Descendants of Cornelius Autry, Immigrant, of Edgecombe County, and Neil Culbreth of Sampson County, North Carolina, and Allied Families Abbrev: The Descendants of Cornelius Autry, Immigrant, of Edgecombe County, and Neil Culbreth of Sampson County, North Carolina, and Allied Families Page: Pages 2,3,5,6,25 thru 695 Text: This book, written by V. Mayo Bundy and Robert Autry Brooks, provided most of the historical information presented here. Title: Rootsweb's WorldConnect Project, ID 138515 and 12640 Abbrev: Rootsweb's WorldConnect Project, ID 138515 and 12640

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