John Sloan : Short Biography

Early in 1700 four stalwart sons of Erin, County Antrim, Scotch Irish, landed in this country and settled in Newberry Dist. They were Richard (Dickie), Archibald, Robert and John.

The last was your g.g.father, Dickie went to Edgefield and John to Laurens. I think Robert and Archie went to Fairfield or Chester. Dickie married three times. When he married his last wife he was 105 years of age (!), he died at 107.

These four brothers served through the War of Independence. Your g.g.father was wounded near Musgrove Mill in what was then known. as seige of 96. (?) He carried the ball with him through his long life.

Your g.g. father was born 14th day of Sept. 1716 and died 26th day of Dec. 1829, aged 113 y., 3 mo., 12 da. He brought his young wife and two children with him, also a little Irish lassie. During a scourge of smallpox his wife and both children died and himself severely marked.

After a widowhood of some years and at the age of 58 he led this Irish lassie (Jennet McNeere) at the age of 13 to Hymen's Altar. This proved to be a happy and fruitful marriage. They raised and educated 11 children, 6 boys and 5 girls: viz. Bettie, John Robert (your g.f.), Mary, David, Mattie, Arch, Rosa, Jennie, Thomas, and William. Now of these, Bettie, Rosa and Archie never married (NOT ONE OF OURS). John married quiet young to his cousin (Sloan) in Newberry and being prejudiced against our institution of slavery, picked himself up and went to Indiana, Lincoln Co. To diverge a little, I found some of his family when I was a prisoner (North). They were not friends of ours in that great struggle. One of his grandsons, he was at his post at the time, helped to burn Columbia. BUT Robert your g. father, married Mattie Taylor and had 3 children: William married McKelvy and had six children; Isabella m. David Blakley and had 7 children, and James m. Mattie Blakeley and had 8 children.

Children of James and Mattie Blakley: Walter, Sam, Karl Willie Blakey, Lidie and Lucy twins. Mattie mattied John Compton and had 12 children.

Mary married an Irishman, no kin, had 12 children, Robert Sloan. He was a millwright and build several mills in the country. Amongst them the Fleming Mill on Duncans Creek. Jennie married Stoddard, had no children.

David married a Sloan and raised 6 children, all of whom passed the 3 score and ten, two of them James F. and John 84, and all lie in Spartanburg. Thomas married a Brown and had no children. They are buried at Clinton, S.C.

William married a Fowler and had one child, John F. Sloan, Fountain Inn, S.C.

Your great grandmother died in 1836 in her 77th year. Your g.g..f. was 91, 11 m. and 10 d. And your g.g.m. was 45 when their last child Wm. Sloan was born, yet he lived to see this boy 23 years old. Of his 11 children they lived from 70 to 97 years. I just remark your g.g.f. was an inveterate pipe smoker and took his toddy every morning. It is truthfully said, not one of these long lived sons and daughters of this glorious commonwealth was ever a defendant in any criminal procedure or was ever in durance vile. They were all Seceders and genuine Scotch Irish. I am satisfied that the present of SC Univ. Benjamin Sloan is the grandson of one of these 4 immigrants either Robert or Dickie. Your g.f. was b. April 8, 1787 and died Sept. 21, 1857. Your g.m. was born Oct. 4 1796 and died Sept. 2, 1867. The above is taken from memory and family records.

I looked in an atlas and all of these towns are in S.C. So there is probably no connection. I send it to you in case you can ever tie it in anywhere.

Research Notes

• Sloan-Blakely, p.284, by James Park Sloan, Old Southern Bible Records: Transcriptions of Births, Deaths, and Marriages from Family Bibles, Chiefly of the 18th and 19th Centuries, Memory Lee Alldredge Lester Genealogical Publishing Com, 1974.[1]