Scotch-Irish-L Archives

Archiver > Scotch-Irish > 1998-02 > 0888441854


From: Margaret L Smith <>
Subject: Another Five Ships
Date: Wed, 25 Feb 1998 16:24:14 -0500


I was interested in the mention of the "five ships" which went from
Ireland to Boston. My McClurkin ancestors arrived in 1772 in South
Carolina from (County Antrim) Ireland on the Lord Dunluce, one of five
ships carrying (mostly) the congregation of one Rev. William Martin. The
other four ships were the James and Mary, the Pennsylvania Farmer, the
Hopewell and the Free Mason. A book by Jean Stephenson, entitled
Scotch-Irish Migration to South Carolina, 1772 (Rev. William Martin and
his Five Shiploads of Settlers), gives a great deal of information about
this migration. Apparently the landowner, the Earl of Donegall, was
demanding much higher land rents after the leases expired in 1770.
Believing that SC was giving away land to Protestant settlers, they set
sail for America. Fortunately for them, the government of SC extended
the offer of land, even though it had actually expired, and those who
could not afford to buy land outright were granted land under conditions
which would make it possible for them to eventually own it.

All of those SI ancestors of which I know (Patterson, Dillard, Dean)
were in South Carolina by the end of the 18th century, though not all in
this group. Does anyone know of other resources for finding out when
some of the others arrived? There are also Huguenots in my ancestry:
DeJarnett & Nabors/Neighbors, and I understand some Huguenots went from
France to the British Isles before going to America. Anyone have any
help to offer with that?

BTW, I've been enjoying the discussions here - what a great group!
(though the thread on Scots politics is getting a bit vicious...)

Margaret Lindsey Smith (and the Smiths - my husband's family - were
Scots, from Ayr in the 19th century)

This thread: