Life History

Other facts

Notes

• George McSwain and his much younger wife Catehrine Weathers lived inCleveland County, North carolina, until George died in about 1865.
  
  1850 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina, 4 September, p31, Hse/Fam #587
  George McSwain    57  [b abt 1793, note differences in ages fromcensus to census]
  Catharine McSwain 34
  Polly G McSwain      7
  Sally H McSwain      5
  Phillip K McSwain     3
  Francis M McSwain  1
  Andrew Ruske        21  [Not known who this is]
  Mary Weathers       75 [b abt 1775]
  All were reported born in North Carolina
  
  The surname name Ruske appears later in Arkansas County, Arkansas,where Katy and here sons moved before 1880.
  
  1860 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina, 6 August, p 54,Hse/Fam #385
  George McSwain     61  [b abt 1799, note differences in ages from1850, only 4 years]
  Catherine McSwain 40
  Mary G McSwain     17  [Note change of name from Polly G to Mary G]
  Sallie H McSwain    15
  Phillip R McSwain    12
  Francis M McSwain 10
  Julius L McSwain       8
  George McSwain       7
  Nancy McSwain        6
  William W McSwain   5
  James L McSwain     1
  Mary Weathers        84 [b abt 1776]
  All were reported born in North Carolina
  
  Katy McSwain is a 60-year-old widow in the 1880 Arkansas Countycensus.  Neither Katy nor son James appear in censuses after 1880(1890 data is not available, having been destroyed by fire).
  
  It appears that all the brothers and Katy moved together.  In the 1860census Katy's husband George was 61 years old, 21 years older thanKaty.  George died before the family left North Carolina.  He ismissing from the 1870 census, when we find Katy and the family inGiles County, Tennessee.  They are listed as Farmers, but apparentlythey were only migrants on their way to Arkansas, where we find themin the 1880 census.
  
  1870 Federal Census, Giles County, Tennessee, 15 August, Pulaski,Civil District 4, Enumeration District page 41, Hse/Fam #306
  McSwain, Phelp 21 M W Farmer NC
  McSwain, Catheron 52 F W Keep House  NC
  McSwain, Login 18 M W Farm Labor NC
  McSwain, George 17 M W Farm Labor NC
  McSwain, Nancy 15 F W NC
  McSwain, William 12 M W Farm Labor NC
  McSwain, James 10 M W Farm Labor NC
  
  In Giles County, the census lists Phillip (Phelp) age 21 as Head ofthe household, and Catherine age 52 is listed second.  It appears hersons have come west without wives.  The 1880 census shows that George,Phillip and Julius married women born in North Carolina.  Familysources form North Carolina indicate that the three brothers marriedPadgett sisters, daughters of Wiley Padgett.  Padgetts and McSwainshad a long affinity in Cleveland County (before that part of thebroader Rutherford County), North Carolina.  These two lineages werejointly intermarried with Greens and Moores, with others like Bridgesand Weathers.
  
  Daughter Nancy McSwain is with them in Tennessee.  By 1880 Nancy wasmarried to Henry J Turner in the Ethel area of Arkansas County wherethey all moved about 1875.  This 1870 census also gives us Julius'middle name.  Julius is listed in 1880 as J L and in 1860 as Julius L. Here we see no Julius but the age of the son named Login matchesJulius.  Login is probably a misspelling for Logan, since the lattername also appears later in the Arkansas McSwain family line.
  
  William W, his wife and son Albert, died before the 1990 census.  Hisother children do not reappear in this county, and have not beentraced yet elsewhere.  George died in 1900, preceded by Harriet in1897.  Phillip and family continued to live in Arkansas County.Phillip's sons and their families appear in the 1920 census.
  
  Another brother of these men appears as Julius in the 1860 NorthCarolina census, and as J L in the 1880 census, in the house next toWilliam, who lived next door to Katy.  J L also is unreported in latercensuses.  No further details are known of him or wife Viney.  Theirson Samuel was buried in Ethel, Arkansas in March 1905, but hisparents do not appear to be recorded in the 1900 census.  Likewise hisbrother J W cannot be found again.
  
  In the 1880 Arkansas County, Arkansas, census, the age of Phillip is31 at this census.  His birthday was 30 January 1847.  Up to 13 monthsbefore the birth of the first child would still be in the previouscalendar year.  I first estimated 1846 as the likely year of marriageof George and Katy, parents of William, J L, George and James.
  
  I later found the marriage registration of George and Catherine,transcribed  in the North Carolina Marriage collection at Ancestry.com These provided the actual marriage date of 8 September 1842.  Thiswas one year after the establishment of Cleveland County, out of thelarge earlier Rutherford County.

Sources

• 1. 1850 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina
  • 4 September, page 31, Hse/Fam #587
• 2. 1880 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • Prairie township, page 16, Hse #52
• 3. 1880 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • Prairie Township, page 16, Hse #108, Fam #111
• 4. 1870 Federal Census, Giles County, Tennessee
  • 15 August, Pulaski, Civil District 4, page 41, Hse/Fam #306
• 5. 1880 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • Household #108 Katy McSwain, age 60
• 6. Carolina Genealogy
  • http://carolinagenealogy.org/all/pafg50.htm
• 7. 1880 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • Household #108 Katy McSwain, age 60, with son James, age 21, no
• 8. North Carolina Marriage Collection, 1741-2004
• 9. 1860 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina
  • 6 August, page 54, Hse/Fam #385
• 10. 1860 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina
  • 6 August, p 54, Hse/Fam #385
• 11. 1900 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 19 June, Prairie Township, District 7, Page 13B, Hse #218, Fam #293
• 12. Gravestone of P K McSwain, Mt Pleasant Cemetery, Ethel, Arkansas
• 13. 1870 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 4 July, Prairie Township, PO St Charles, page 15, Hse/Fam #119
• 14. 1850 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina
  • 4 September, p 31, Hse/Fam #584
• 15. 1880 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 10 June, Prairie Township, page 16, Hse #110, Fam #113
• 16. 1850 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina
  • p 31, Hse/Fam #587
• 17. U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1
• 18. 1880 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 7 June, Prairie Township, District 2, page 9A, Hse #52, Fam #55
• 19. Bobby Butler, McSwain family notes on census, compiled 1995
• 20. Gravestone of George B and Harriet McSwain, Mt Pleasant Cemetery,Ethel, Arkansas
• 21. 1900 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 19 June, Prairie Township, District 7, Page 13B, Hse #258, Fam #264
• 22. 1910 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 18 April, Prairie Township, District 12, Page 2B, Hse/Fam #19
• 23. Gravestone of Nancy C McSwain Turner, Mt Pleasant Cemetery, Ethel,Arkansas
• 24. 1880 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 10 June, Prairie Township, District ?, page 16, Hse #109, Family #112
• 25. 1880 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 10 June, Prairie Township, page 16, Hse 108, Fam #111