During the course of following our Ratliff family as they migrated from Queen Anne’s Co., Maryland to Anson Co., North Carolina, a discovery was made about a “possible” additional family member of which we previously were unaware. What you will read now is only a “possibility” but the information is strongly circumstantial. It is also one of those items that makes you go hummm!
Started with 1790 Federal Census
In studying the 1790 Anson Co., NC federal census, the name of Richard Ratliff posted next to Thomas Ratliff was noted. Who is this Richard Ratliff and what relationship, if any, does he have to our Ratliff family?
From page 3 of the 1790 Anson Co., NC federal census you find the following:
|
Free White Males of 16 years & up |
Free White Males under 16 |
Free White Females |
|
| Richard Ratliff |
1 |
4 |
3 |
| Thomas Ratliff |
1 |
3 |
2 |
You will also find another listing for Richard Ratliff on page 7 of the census. It is believed this 2nd listing is a duplicate listing as the number of family members is exactly the same.
This sent us to the “Bible” for the early Ratliff history, the Hazlewood/Carson book on The William Ratcliff/Ratliff Family. Howard & Betty did an extensive review of the census data for William Ratliff of Queen Anne’s Co., MD. They also included the terms of the 1777 Anson Co., NC will of William Ratliff. The non-listing of this Richard as part of William’s family was probably because Richard was not mentioned in the 1777 will. Therefore, it was probably felt that Richard was not part of the William Ratliff family. Evidence now seems to show a “possible” family relationship between our William (1777 Anson Co., NC will) and the Richard Ratliff found in the 1790 Anson Co., NC census.
Back to Queen Anne’s Co., Maryland
This sent us to the church registry for St. Luke’s Church in Queen Anne’s Co., MD which can be reviewed on-line from the Maryland archives. In examining the church marriage records we find the following marriage:
Richard Ratcliff & Mary Newton married 16 February 1750.
Keep in mind the maiden name of Richard’s bride, “Newton”. You will see this later.
The following year (1751) this birth was recorded:
Richard, son of Richard & Mary Ratcliffe born 14 Jan 1751.
Further review of St. Luke’s Marriage records we find the following marriage:
William Ratcliffe & Susanna Curtis on 3 June 1759.
The spelling of the Ratcliff(e) last name is as it is recorded in the St. Luke’s Church records. Again, who is this Richard and what relation is he to our William Ratliff family?
Anson Co., NC Land Records
From the Hazlewood/Carson work, we know that our William Ratliff migrated to Anson Co., NC sometime around 1760. What about Richard? It seemed appropriate that if this Richard was in the 1790 Anson Co., NC census, he would also a property owner. If so, there would be records of land transactions for Richard Ratliff. With the help of May MacCallum in Wadesboro, NC and the analysis of my brother Charles Ratliff, the following information was found about land holdings by a Richard Ratliff in Anson Co., NC.
|
Date |
Description |
Buyer |
Seller |
|
? |
Land survey of 60 acres on Flat fork. Mentions Ralph Vickers land. Land Grant 4975 awarded 27 Nov. 1792. |
Richard Ratliff
|
|
|
14 Nov 1791
|
100 acres on a branch of flat fork of Brown Creek adjoining Ralph Vicker’s land. This being granted to Richard Ratliff by a letter patent bearing date the 14 October 1783. |
Maliciah Gould
|
Richard Ratliff
|
|
5 Jan 1799
|
100 acres of land surveyed for John Douglass lying on Savannah Creek. Mentions Hunters line, Hamers line and James’ corner. |
Richard Ratliff
|
James Liles
|
|
31 Dec 1801
|
100 acres on N/S of Jones Creek. Mentions Elijah Curtis line. |
William Ratliff
|
Richard Ratliff
|
|
9 Oct 1802
|
100 acres of land or parcel of land surveyed for John Douglass lying on Savannah Creek. Mentions Hunters line, James’s corner. |
Daniel Collins
|
Richard Ratliff
|
|
3 Nov 1803
|
100 acres of land on the branches of Savanna Creek part of a tract granted to Joseph Britnell 14 October 1783. |
Richard Ratliff
|
William Teat, Sr.
|
|
14 Oct 1811
|
100 acres of land, part of a tract of land granted to Joseph Briknal October 1783, situated on the South West side of Pee Dee River on the waters of Savannah Creek. Mentions Vinnings Cabin. This is land that was willed to the descendants of Richard Ratliff in his will. |
James Smith
|
James Vandiford |
You can readily see that a Richard Ratliff did have land holdings in Anson Co., NC during the time of the William Ratliff (1777 Anson Co., will) family also owned and sold land. One can also see land transactions between Richard and William Ratliff (possibly the son of William of 1777 Anson Co., NC will or Richard’s son, William). But what is really interesting is the last land transaction dated 14 Oct 1811. This is land that the estate of Richard Ratliff sold after the death of Richard. James Vandeford, the seller was apparently acting as the estate manager as the following were signatories and witnesses to this sale. Notice particularly the names of the following:
James Hough
Gean Smith
James Vandiford
Rachel Vandeford
Jesse Ratliff
Josiah Reas
Rebeckah Reas
William Ratliff
Samuel Ratliff
Sarah Ratliff
James Ratliff
Elijah Ratliff
It is not specifically known just who the James Smith is to whom the 1811 land was sold. It could be the James Smith who is mentioned in an 1818 Anson Co., NC will. Just who Gean (or Jean/Gene) Smith is not known at the time of this analysis.
May MacCallum has provided a report on the genealogy of the Hezekiah Hough family in which we find the above listed James Hough, son of Hezekiah Hough, Jr. and brother to John Hough. No birthdate was given for James, but John was born 2 March 1761. It was this John Hough who married Elizabeth Newton. (notice the name “Newton”). As stated above from the St. Luke’s Parish records in Maryland, Richard Ratliff married Mary Newton in Queen Anne’s Co., MD in 1750. Not definitive proof but still an “interesting” possibility.
From this listing, it seems that Richard may have had a large family. Nothing here is proven as yet but the following is a strong “possibility” of the family of Richard Ratliff. As this was land that came from the estate of Richard Ratliff of Anson Co., the “assumption” is that Richard had the following Children:
Rachel Ratliff (Vandeford)
Rebeckah Ratliff (Reas)
William Ratliff
Samuel Ratliff
Sarah Ratliff
James Ratliff
Elijah Ratliff
What happened to this family as we do not find them in later census records in Anson Co., NC? However, they seem to have migrated to Hickman Co., Tennessee between 1811 and 1820. Below is a summary of the various census observations to show this movement from North Carolina to Tennessee.
1800 Anson Co., NC Federal Census
Richard Ratliff does not appear in the 1800 Anson County census. He would be about 70 years of age and could be living with one of his children. There is a male “45 & over” living with Thomas Ratliff.
The Vandeford Family came to Anson County from Queen Anne’s Co., MD shortly after 1760. A check of the St. Luke’s Parish records did not list any Vandeford family members in their birth or marriage records. But there are several Vandeford families recorded in the 1800 in Anson County, NC census.
There is no Josiah Reece (including various spellings of the name) found in the 1800 Anson Co., NC census.
1810 Anson Co., NC Federal Census
No listing for a Richard Ratliff. However, several Thomas and William Ratliff’s are shown. We do find the Vandeford family (James & William). One biographer of the Vandeford Family gives James Vandeford’s birth as 21 September 1761 in Queen Anne’s Co., MD. Therefore, in 1810, James would be 49 years old. We don’t know the exact date of birth of Rachel Ratliff.
We also find Josiah Reese listed with 2 young girls.
Again we don’t find Richard but he could be living with one of the children,
1820 Hickman Co., TN Federal Census
This is the first time we find the Vandeford (James) and Ratliff (William, Samuel, Jesse) families in Hickman Co., TN. James & Rachel Ratliff Vandeford are getting older (about 59 years old) with no children living with them. Josiah Reece and James Vandeford are also listed in the index for the 1820 Tennessee State Census. Names of 2 of the James Vandeford children (Jesse & Samuel) are also shown in the federal census. We do not find any of these people in the 1820 Anson Co., NC census.
1830 Hickman Co., TN Federal Census
Again, we find Josiah Reese in Hickman Co. but we do not find James Vandeford. However, there are records that James lived on Haley’s Creek in September, 1832 and applied for a Revolutionary War pension for his service in NC. His pension was approved in July of 1833. James was also awarded a land grant of 50 acres on Haley’s Creek on the East Side of the tract on which he was living. This was given for his service during the Revolutionary War.
Josiah & Rebeckah Ratliff Reese are getting older.
1840 Hickman Co., TN Federal Census
James Vandeford is deceased. Rachel Ratliff Vandeford could be the older woman living with their son Jesse. Josiah & Rebeckah Ratliff Reese continue to age.
There is a listing for a William Arnold family that will relate to the 1850 census information. But it is interesting to take note of it here in the 1840 census.
1850 Hickman Co., TN Federal census
The 1850 census is the first census where the personal family member names are listed. These are probably the children of the Ratliff’s that came from Anson Co.
If you look at the census listing for the William P. Arnold family mentioned in the 1840 Hickman Co., TN Federal census, you will notice a William P. Ratliff who was living with the William Arnold family. William is 5 years old and was born in North Carolina. It is not known just “who” this William might be. Another one of those items that makes one go “hummmm”.
The descendants of the Hickman Co., TN Ratliff’s migrated into Texas Just before and just after 1900.
Now the DNA Results
As many of you are aware, the Ratliff Family has a DNA project underway with Family Tree DNA. Although the actual results of these tests are private and not available to the public, several “general” comments can be made about the results so far. An analysis for the several DNA tests taken by many Ratliff’s, results show a very close blood relationship between those who have descended from the Anson Co., NC William Ratliff and the Hickman Co. TN descendants of Richard Ratliff also found in the 1790 Anson Co., NC census.
What follows in the chart below are the comparisons of those with close matches. There were 9 Anson Co., NC descendants tested and 2 that can trace their lineage back to one of the Hickman Co., TN Ratliff’s. The results speak for themselves. Again, the actual results are private so names cannot be identified. However, the chart below outlines this close blood relationship.
For the purpose of understanding what the numerical values mean in the following chart:
1 – Tightly related. Few people make this close level of a match.
2 – Related. Well within range of most well-established surname lineages in Western Europe.
As an example, the person who is Anson Co., #1 is related to both persons Hickman Co., #1 & #2. The person who is Anson Co., #2 is tightly related to both persons Hickman Co., #1 & #2.
|
Hickman Co., #1 |
Hickman Co., #2 |
|
| Anson Co., #1 |
2 |
2 |
| Anson Co., #2 |
1 |
1 |
| Anson Co., #3 |
1 |
1 |
| Anson Co., #4 |
1 |
1 |
| Anson Co., #5 |
1 |
1 |
| Anson Co., #6 |
1 |
1 |
| Anson Co., #7 |
1 |
1 |
| Anson Co., #8 |
2 |
2 |
| Anson Co., #9 |
1 |
1 |
So, what does all of this really mean? William Ratliff (1777 Anson Co., NC will) was related to the Richard Ratliff in the 1790 census as either a brother (which would probably explain the close DNA results) or a nephew from his brother. Until we solve the issue of William’s parents, it will be difficult to determine for sure what the relationship is between William & Richard. However, it is nice to be able to finally place a family relationship between the Anson Co., NC Ratliff’s and the Hickman Co., TN Ratliff’s.
A big thank you” goes to Cindy Robertson who did the initial work on the Hickman Co., TN Ratliff’s as published in Ratliff’s Ferry June 30, 1987.
Thanks so much for your interest and your comments and thoughts about what you have read above would be most sincerely appreciated. It is hoped that more Ratliff family information can be shared through this blog. Your patience with me as I learn the process is greatly appreciated.
Ed Ratliff
Ratliff's Ferry 