Chat
|
Daily Search
|
My GenForum
|
Community Standards
|
Terms of Service
|
|
|
Greetings and pardon this long messsage...
In trying to sort out the many Champions moving south from Virginia after the Revolution, I made three maps of the Champions in the Census of 1790, 1800 and 1810 in the South. Since I have everybody here, let me summarize the results and maybe we can all sort this out:
1) Before 1790 there were three Champions living along the Chesapeake in Virginia, James, his mother, and a Rebecca (who might have been James' mother, as this survey was taken in 1787.) Just inland was a Cutt (perhaps Cuthbert) Champion in Fluvanna County, and a John Champion in Berkeley County (now West Virginia.) I have seen Cuthbert attached as a brother to the prolific father Jacob Shadrach Champion, who by then was residing in Lancaster County, South Carolina.
In North Carolina there were a host of other Champions; a William and a John in Cumberland, another William and John in Halifax, a Joseph in Chowan and a Henry close by in Perquimans, a Willis, Jesse, and Benjamin all in Edgecombe, and finally (but most oddly), in Granville County we find a Charles, another Joseph, and no less than three John Champions (two being father and son)! Charles, Joseph and the elder John were probably brother, since they all died about the same decade.
In South Carolina there was a Joseph in Spartanburg County, a William in York, Jacob Shadrach, and a Richard in Lancaster. [Digression: Richard Champion of Lancaster is well-studied and is not related to any of the other Champions, as far as I can tell. He was ceramicist of some note, met George Washington, has a piece in the Mint Museum in Charlotte, etc., I have plenty of trivia and other stories collected about him, but he emigrated to South Carolina in 1784.] There were also two Champions in Georgia, Henry and Jonathan.
2) Now in 1800, I have no information for Virginia. In North Carolina, the Halifax William is still there, joined by a Drury Champion. Jesse, Willis and Benjamin are all still in Edgecombe, and to the south is a Jeremiah Champion in Duplin County. Joseph and Henry are no longer near the great Champion stomping ground of Chowan, but now we find a Susannah, Esther and Joab Champion there near the Dismal Swamp. Most important, the huge group of Champions in Cumberland and Granville Counties has dissolved. Only one John, an Elias and a Henry are left.
In South Carolina, Joseph is now neighbored by John, my ancestor. Jacob Shadrach is still in Lancaster, now called Kershaw County, and neighbored by the son of the ceramicist Richard Champion, Richard Lloyd Champion. The William in York is joined by a John and a Richard Champion, possibly his oldest sons. The Henry in Georgia has moved right over the border, into Edgefield County SC.
3) Another ten years pass...I still have no data for Virginia. The Champions have dispersed from coastal North Carolina, except for Zacheus in Bertie County (probably a relative of Joab, Esther or Susannah) and Jeremiah and now an Abraham are living in Duplin. In the north, a new Nancy, Richard and James are living in Granville and Halifax. Elias (in Cumberland) is joined by an Isaac, a James and a John. Another John is still in Chatham (he was there in 1800). In Rutherford, on the South Carolina border, are a Richard Champion and two Johns. I do not think these are the Champions just over the border in York, SC.
In South Carolina, John and Joseph are gone from Spartanburg (presumably off to Georgia or deceased), but they've left behind a Benjamin. William and Richard are still in York, along with a William Junior. Another William is west of them in Chester County! Can't these people come up with other names? Richard Lloyd is still in Kershaw, down the river from our friend Jacob Shadrach. In Lancaster there are now a John and a Robert Champion, whom I suspect are two of Jacob's sons. (Many of his other children are in Georgia by now.) The Henry in Edgefield is replaced by a David. There are also several Champions on the coast, all of whom may be recent immigrants.
You are all welcome to make heads or tails of this as you wish. I have not attempted to connect this information to the outline of the Champion family from the book "Southside Virginia Families", which lists the descendants of an Edward Champion, born after 1643 in Isle of Wight County. I do suspect that Jacob, Cuthbert and a Charles are the children of William Champion and Tabitha Green, part of this group.
My primary interest is, of course, John, Joseph and Benjamin Champion of Spartanburg County, although whoever we can account for helps all of us, if only by elimination.
| http://genforum.genealogy.com/champion/messages/106.html | ||
 |
Agreement of Use Link to GenForum Add Forum |
|