Peter W. Hairston, Sr.

Dates are uncertain. Some trees provide dates as early as 1685-1767. One source provide dates of Aug 3, 1710-Aug 3, 1791, which seem much too late given the other historical facts.

There have been many stories of family traditions that have arisen around Peter "the immigrant" Hairston, none of them have proven to be factually correct. The spelling of the name in Scotland seemed to have been 'Hairstone' and this appears to have derived from an old Scotch word "Hairst", meaning harvest and the 2nd syllable "one" signifies a person born near or in harvest time. It now appears that this Peter was in 1730 in Donegal Twp, Lancaster County, PA. It would appear from records of other families that this Peter crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains into VA about 1734 to the time of the first deed in VA issued to Samuel Hairston in 1743 on the Rockfish River near the Blue Ridge. This same area in 1744 became Albemarle County, VA. There are later indications that this family, at least in land transactions, crossed back and forth over the Blue Ridge, either to buy or sell property. It has always been thought that Peter alone was the beginning of the Hairston family in America, however, Vic Hairston has discovered a John Hairston (Herston) listed on jury duty in 1747 in Albemarle County VA, and the possibility that Peter had a brother John who also came to America, at least this is one explanation for the appearance of this person at that time. There are several other Hairstons that have not been identified that could be connected tot this John Hairston. At first we thought Peter 'the immigrant' Hairston was born about 1695, but later analysis probably dates him to about 1685. This then creates the following for his sons and daughter: Peter born 1705; Andrew born 1707; Samuel born 1709; Robert born 1711, and the sister born 1713. At least this is one possibility.

Peter I and wife — with a period of time in Ireland — came to America in the 1720s. They first settled in Lancaster County, Pa., and had sons old enough to apply for land in Pennsylvania by 1737 (Peter II and Andrew). Peter I may have died in Pennsylvania. The children left Pennsylvania between 1737 and 1740, going into Virginia by the Shenandoah Valley.

— G. Wilcox

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The Immigrant

There has been many stories or family traditions that have arisen around Peter "the immigrant" Hairston, none of them have proven to be factually correct. The spelling of the name in Scotland seemed to have been "Hairstone" and this appears to have derived from an old Scotch word "Hairst," meaning harvest and the 2nd syllable "one" signifies a person born near or in harvest time. Peter reportedly was the son of Sir Robert O'Hairston of Scotland. The name Agnes has been associated with this Peter and it appears that this may have been his wife, but no documentation exists that would confirm that fact. It now appears that this Peter was in 1730 in Donegal Township, Lancaster County Pennsylvania. It would appear from records of other families that this Peter crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains into Virginia about 1734 to the time of the first deed in Virginia issued to Samuel Hairston in 1743 on the Rockfish River near the Blue Ridge. This same area in 1744 became Albemarle County Virginia. There are later indications that this family, at least in land transactions, crossed back and forth over the Blue Ridge either to buy or sell property. It has always been thought that Peter alone was the beginning of the Hairston family in America, however, Vic Hairston has discovered a John Hairston [Herston] listed on jury duty in 1747 in Albemarle County Virginia and the possibility that Peter had a brother John who also came to America, at least this is one explanation for the appearance of this person at that time. Further, this John may have been a son of Peter Hairston the son of Peter "The Immigrant" Hairston. There are several other Hairstons that have not been identified that could be connected to this John Hairston [Herston]. At first we thought Peter "the immigrant" Hairston was born about 1695, but later analysis probably dates him to about 1685. This then creates the following for his sons and daughter: Peter born 1705; Andrew born 1707; Samuel born 1709; Robert born 1711 and the sister born 1713. At least that is one possibility. After further study in year 2001 we now think that the oldest child was the sister born in 1713, then came Andrew, then came Peter, Samuel was third and Robert the youngest. There is a record in Donegal, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, that Peter Hairston was a taxpayer there in 1730.

Research By: Edward J. Bregenzer - ebreg@ix.netcom.com

From: The Warner Lone Star Family Tree, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/4934424/person/-1359501137?pg=32817&...

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HAIRSTON FAMILY HOME PAGE

Welcome to the website for and about the descendants of Peter Hairston, who arrived in America in the early 1700's.

On the following pages you will find photos and information on the history of the Hairston family in America. Some of the old homes are still standing and Cooleemee has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

Early records show that Peter Hairston ( http://www.hairston.org/ancestors/peter-16xx.htm ) and his family lived in Donegal, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania about 1730 and that they received a "Blunston License" in 1737. Other than these two references, I am not aware of any other documents pertaining to their stay in Pennsylvania or where they lived prior to 1743. The family story is that Peter was originally from the Dumfries area of Scotland were the family name was spelled Hairstanes. He then went to Ireland where he was married and started a family before his arrival in America.

Stories have been handed down through the years, but there are no written records. As an example, these stories mention that Peter Hairston's wife was an "Irish Lady Of Rank". What does this term mean? Did she arrive in America or die at sea? How many children did they have? Is the travel trunk at Cooleemee the trunk that Peter used coming to America?

Many family members and friends have been very kind over the past twenty years by providing me with letters, old bibles, birth certificates, pictures of cemetery markers, and very extensive computer generated genealogies. The problem is that they do not agree regarding the first Peter Hairston, his wife and their children. I am not even sure how many children they had. The wills of Peter Hairston's children led us to believe that there were at least five children, others may not have been mentioned or were not living. If you have knowledge of any information or documents pertaining to the Hairston family before 1743, it would greatly help us to complete our family tree.

Please be patient, although the information you see here was gathered by many people, I am only one person and create these web pages in my spare time. I apologize to those people who have sent wonderful emails with much information, only to have that information sit idle until I find time to add it to the website.

Thank you.

Robert Hairston
http://www.hairston.org/

                                                                * * *

==BLUNSTON LICENSES==

Samuel Blunston issued licenses for land West of the Susquehanna River starting 1734 for Thomas Penn. Samuel Blunston was the Deputy Surveyor and Justice of the Peace living in Lancaster. These licenses were for remote land were ownership was being disputed by Maryland, Pennsylvania, Germans, Scotch-Irish and the Indians.

The Blunston Licenses were issued on June 6, 1737 to Peter and Andrew Hairstons. These licenses were issued for a total of 400 acres on the West side of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. This land is currently in Franklin County, PA and is about 3 miles southwest of Greencastle, PA and just north of Hagerstown, Maryland.

        "June 6, 1737  Peter Hairstons      200 acres

On the South side of the South East Branch of the Conegochege."
"June 6, 1737 Andrew Hairstons 200 acres
On the South side of the North East Branch of the Conegochege in the fork."
Conecochheague - Indian word for "indeed a long way."..... "seems to refer to some occasion when a party of Indians became impatient of travel"1

It is not clear if Peter and Andrew ever settled this land. They are not listed on any tax records.

http://www.hairston.org/homes/conegochege-1737.htm

Until 1997, it was thought that this Peter had never married. This was pretty well put to rest with the discovery of the 1966 Carl Greenway letter, in which he spelled out the details of why this Peter indeed had married and it was he that went into South Carolina with his family. It appears that the last transaction or deed recorded for this Peter in VA happened in 1762 and it is presumed that he departed for South Carolina somewhere about this time or shortly thereafter. It is this Peter from which the majority of the Hairstons in GA, AL MI, AR and TX stem from, the lone exceptions being the Hairstons in and around Columbus, MI who stem from the Robert Hairston that came there from VA and died after 1850. Greenway mentions many things why he thinks Peter was the one that went to South Carolina, including the exodus of the "Calhoun Settlement" in SC from VA in the mid 1750's forward. The death of Peter in SC happened probably before 1782, as that is the first date in Abbeville, SC of Probate Records and there is no Peter Hairston shown there. I include now the deed that Greenway talked about in Albemarle County, VA. on pages 242/243: This indenture made this (blank) day of (blank ) month, one thousand seven hundred and sixty two (1762) between Peter Hairston of County of Albemarle of one part and Joseph Dawson of Amherst County, that the said Peter Hairston for sum of forty eight pounds of good and lawful money to him paid doth sell Joseph Dawson and to his heirs one certain parcel of land lying in County of Albemarle in the North Garden bounded beginning at pointers of bushes in Robert Lewis line running thence on his line South and East to a chestnut oak and South and East to a red oak thence on a new line North and East to a hickory North to a Hickory North and West to a red oak sapling North and West to pointers West to a white oak North and West to a poplar in the fork of a branch and South fifty five degrees West sixty eight poles to the first station containing by estimation two hundred and fifty acres be the same more or less.... Peter Hairston

At a court held for Albemarle County the 14th day of October, 17 62 This indenture memorandum and receipt were acknowledged by Peter Hairston party thereto and ordered to be recorded. Agnes the wife of said Peter personally appeared in Court and being privily examined as the law directs, voluntarily relinquished her Right of Dower to the Estate conveyed by the said indenture.

GEDCOM Source

@R1600853438@ Family Data Collection - Deaths Edmund West, comp. Ancestry.com Operations Inc

GEDCOM Source

1,5771::1105900

GEDCOM Source

@R1600853438@ U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc

GEDCOM Source

Place: Virginia; Year: 1747; Page Number: 35 1,7486::3981573

GEDCOM Source

@R1600853438@ Family Data Collection - Deaths Edmund West, comp. Ancestry.com Operations Inc

GEDCOM Source

1,5771::1105900

GEDCOM Source

@R1600853438@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created.

GEDCOM Source

Ancestry Family Tree http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=23314365&pid...

GEDCOM Source

@R1600853438@ U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc

GEDCOM Source

Place: Virginia; Year: 1747; Page Number: 35 1,7486::3981573

GEDCOM Source

@R1600853438@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.

GEDCOM Source

Ancestry Family Tree http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=75999104&pid...