See the Caleb Kirkland Bible page. (175K jpg image file)
Caleb Kirkland
b. c1770-80 S.C.
d. c1830-40 unknown place
m. Sarah "Sally" (?possibly Ransom)
| Children (fourteen by one known wife) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Kirkland millwright |
b. Apr 6, 1794 probably Edgefield Co., SC* | d. 9 Nov 1854 Henry Co., AL | m. Winifred Armstrong
3 Apr 1817 Edgefield, S. C b. 1799 SC |
| Elizabeth Kirkland | b. Dec. 11, 1796 probably in Edgefield Dist., S. C. * | d. about 1880 | m. Lewis Deal 15 May 1827 Henry Co., AL (b. c1800 - d. 23 May 1881 Geneva Co., AL) |
| William S. Kirkland | b. Jul 16, 1798 probably Edgefield Co., SC* | d. Mar. 11, 1881 Tyler Co., TX | m. Ruth Kirkland 23
Aug
1821 Henry Co., AL@
(a cousin (b. 1807 )) dau. of Moses Kirkland, Caleb's
brother 2m. Sarah (?) no issue |
| James Kirkland | b. Jan 20, 1800 probably Edgefield Co., SC* | d. c1880 | m. Blanche Ann Farrenton 24 Nov 1826 Henry Co., AL |
| Sanders Kirkland | b. Feb 27, 1801 probably Edgefield Co., SC* | d. 14 Dec 1872 buried: Culp-Kirkland Cem., Henry Co., AL |
m. Elizabeth Holland 10 Dec 1828 Henry Co., AL@ |
| Caleb Kirkland | b. Aug 3, 1802 probably Edgefield Co., SC* | d. 1 Apr 1867 probably Edgefield Co., SC*#~ | m. Elizabeth Kirkland 15 Sep 1825 Henry Co., AL@(dau. of Aaron Kirkland, son of Snoden K.) (b. 9 June1808 d. 30 May 1890)~ |
| Nancy Kirkland | b. Jan 27, 1805 probably Edgefield Co., SC* | d. about 1850 | m. John Scott 14 Mar 1822 Henry Co., AL@ |
| Ruth Kirkland | b. Oct 14, 1806 probably Edgefield Co., SC* | d. prior 1885 | m. David Ward 13 Mar1826 Henry Co., AL(d. c1865 Civil War)@ |
| Sarah Kirkland | b. Jan 19, 1808 probably Edgefield Co., SC* | d. 13 Jun 1892 | m. Benjamin H. Kirkland( a cousin) (b. 27 Mar 1800, son of Moses Kirkland ) |
| Alcey Kirkland | b. Apr 26, 1809 probably Edgefield Co., SC* | d. prior 1880 Henry Co., AL | m. William Robert Kelly 1830 (possibly Henry Co.)(b. 1803 - d c1893) |
| Isaac Kirkland | b. Feb 2, 1811 probably Edgefield Co., SC* | d. 28 Apr 1868 | m. Mary Ann Armstrong 13 Aug 1831 Henry Co., AL@ |
| Asa Kirkland | b. Sept 7, 1813 probably Edgefield Co., SC* | d. c 1839 | m. Dicey Kirkland |
| Elizar Kirkland | b. Apr 13, 1815 probably Edgefield Co., SC* | d. about 23 June 1842 | m. Dempsey Snellgrove |
| Zacheriah Kirkland | b. May 13, 1817 probably Edgefield Co., SC* | d. by 3 Jan 1865 (probate begins) | 1m. Mary Cole
15
Oct 1842 @[mar. license, Henry Co. copy w/ ec] 2m. Sarah J. Culverhouse 12 Nov 1864 [KSBR v2 p36] |
Caleb Kirkland was one of four brothers including Benjamin Jr., Moses and William who migrated from South Carolina to Henry Co., Alabama by the 1823. The above referenced Bible record ties together some 200 Kirkland ancestors in this location by 1850. Many migrated from the area after the Civil War. Others became the mainstay of the Henry County communities.
We still have no definitive proof of the maiden name of Sarah but as Dr. Peacock notes of the fourteen children who live to maturity "Six of these used the given name of Ransom for one, or more of their children. It seems important to list those here...Elizabeth (Kirkland) Deal who had a son named Ransom Deal; Sanders Kirkland - William Ransom Kirkland; Caleb Kirkland - Ransom C. Kirkland and Wilson R. (Ransom?)Kirkland; Nancy (Kirkland) Scott- Ransom Scott; Asa Kirkland- William Ransom Kirkland; Zacheriah Kirkland- Caleb Ransom Kirkland." There were Ransom families present in the area of South Carolina, the name does not show up in other Kirkland families and its repetitive use does give pause for this consideration as a family connection. [Peacock 172-3]
1802- Feb 20 - Deed Bk. 24, pp. 66-69, Rec. 26 Oct. 1803
Benjamin eventually holds a commission in the Alabama Militia as Captain of the 25th (Henry County) Regiment on 12 September 1823. On January 1, 1835 he attains the rank of Lt. Colonel while in Abbeville, Alabama. He becomes known locally as "Colonel Benjamin Kirkland".
1817-24 Caleb and his brothers Moses, Benjamin and William move their families to Henry Co., Alabama. Little in the way of records for Caleb have been discovered. The following land record seems to the last land transaction of Caleb in South Carolina and indicates his sale for the move to Henry Co. Alabama.
1820, 28 Aug.- Deed Bk. 39, p. 338-339- Rec. 3 Feb. 1823
1826 - Ruth Kirkland marries David Ward in Henry Co., AL. They
soon
move to Walton Co., Florida where they show up on the 1830 and
1840
Census. David voted in the election for statehood in 1845. Ruth
shows
up in the 1860 Walton Co., Florida census HH #422 with her family
as a
widow
[KSBR v2, p319]. They had at least eleven children according to
the
1870 census where she is 53 years old: Melita, Sarah(29), Asa(25),
Jackson(23), Isaac(20), Mariah(18), Harriett(17), David(16),
Zachariah(14), James(4), and Suzzin(1). The last two children
could be
grandchildren by age. Ruth lived with her daughter Melita who was
widowed from her husband, Monroe Infinger, in 1865. In the 1880
census
at age 86 she is living with son Zach, b. c1836.
[records
of
Patricia
Ward,
email 8/30/00 wardp@db.erau.edu]
1830 - We don't have a census record for Caleb Kirkland in Henry Co., Alabama in 1830 but his children had filed for marriage certificates in that county as early as 1821. Only one child married in South Carolina and 12 other married in Henry Co., Alabama so we feel the case is good that he was in residence there as early as 1821.
Many of the other brothers operated farms in the area. Virtually none were slave owners before the Civil War although they did have sons who served for the Southern cause. Some moved out of the area after the Civil War.
Isaac Kirkland (b. 1811) was said to have become the first major shop keeper of Abbeville, Alabama. Isaac's son, Angus Allen Kirkland, along with Zacheriah's sons, Zacheriah Taylor Kirkland and Edward Seymore "Tuck" Kirkland were very skilled carpenters and built the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1896. This building is now on the National Historical Register for its parquet ceiling, hand finished beams, and artistic woodworking and architectural details. It was voted the "number one historical structure in Henry County in 1973.
Angus Allen Kirkland had a general goods store on main street. This store supplied many of the items for the Methodist Church. Zacheriah "Tuck" Kirkland also designed and built many other structures in the area including the Southeast Alabama Agricultural School, the Henry County Courthouse (since demolished) and the First Baptist Church.
1833- Caleb Kirkland Jr. moved his family to Walton Co., Florida. They were apparently well established in the area but were driven out of the area by Indian activities back to Henry County by January 1, 1839. They take up residence on the "Old Kirkland Homestead" which probably belonged to Elizabeth's family.
1848 - Moses Kirkland, the brother of Caleb Kirkland Sr., dies in Henry Co., AL. Ruth Kirkland who married William S. above receives an inheritance from her father. Moses gives instructions for the inheritance that it "...will not be at the control of her husband, William S. Kirkland.. or subject to any of his debts." This separates this marriage from the other William and Rutha Kirkland in the area and places this as the marriage between Moses and Caleb's children. William S. Kirkland and Ruth eventually divorce 20 Feb. 1850 recorded in Chancery Court Final Book A. p. 161-194. William S. leaves the area for Walton Co., Florida in the 1860 Census. [Peacock 187-188]
1850 - Several of Caleb and Alce's children's families can be found in the Henry County census. They are listed here is order of their birth.
p. 383 Kirkland, James 50 m farmer
Anne (should be a Fariton/Farenton)42f Ala
Asa 23m Ala
Lovinia 22f Ala
Marinda 21 Ala
Micajah 19 Ala
Caleb 17m Ala
Calvin J. 15 Ala
Sarah 12f Ala
Wm. H. 10m Ala
Samuel O. 1 Ala.
p. 422 Kirkland, Sanders 50m SC
Elizabeth (should be a Holland)39 SC
Isaac 19m SC
Wm. 14m SC
Prudence 10f SC
John 8m SC
w/ Scott, Nancy 30f SC (supposed to be a sister of Elizabeth
Holland
KSB v2 p305)
p. 444 Kirkland, Caleb 47m SC
Elizabeth 43f SC (dau of Aaron Kirkland)
Levi 26m Ala
Martha 22f Ala(this should be Michael not Martha, misrepresented
in
this census)
Sarah 21f Ala
Ethelenda 16f Fla
Isaac 17m Fla
Catherine 13f Fla
Joseph 11m Ala
Wilson 10m Ala
Sidney 7m Ala
May 5f Ala
Ransom 3m Ala
Rachel 1 Ala
Margaret 11/12 Ala
?Ward, David (eventually they move to Florida but haven't found them in Henry Co., yet) Ruth
p. 383 Kirkland, Benjamin H. 50m SC
Sarah (dau. of Caleb Kirkland) 42f SC
Jackson 17m Ala
Henry 16m Ala
Nancy 12f Ala
Syntha 10f Ala
Rutha 9f Ala
Marion 7f Ala
Mahala 5f Ala
Wm. J 2m Ala
J. C. 1m Ala
p.429 Kirkland, Isaac 39m SC
Mary A. (should be Mary Ann Armstrong) 35 SC
Lovisa 12f Ala
Irwin I. 10m Ala
Allen A. 8m Ala
Caroline 6f Ala
Eliza 4f Ala
p.430 Kirkland, Zacariah 32m farmer $200 SC.
Mary (should be Mary Cole)is 30 f NC
Alice is 7 f Ala
Seymore is 5 m Ala
Eliza A is 3 f (he is listed as a female instead of male
here)
Ala
Nancy is 2 f Ala
Zaceriah is born 8/12, m Ala (note the different spelling)
1860- Census, Henry Co., Alabama
1867, April 1 -Caleb Kirkland Jr. dies in Henry Co., AL
The handling of the estate is questioned by the heirs of Caleb Jr. almost nine years later in the following suit. Note that three of the children were born in Florida, see the 1850 census.
1878-Nov 11 - Estate Record Book Z, p57
1884, Jan 17 - from the "Columbia Enterprise", Henry Co., Alabama.
From early morning they began to pour in from all directions and nearly every house in the settlement furnished a KIRKLAND for the occasion. Very soon there was a considerable gathering on the grounds and KIRKLANDS all ages and sizes were visable, meeting, greeting and enjoying themselves. Many young ladies were to be seen, beauty of every type and complexing grace, this jovial meeting and caused the young and gallants to show forth their choicest powers of pleasing to win a smile from their ruby lips. Dinner was announced, only to cause us to pass from one kind of enjoyment and pleasure to another, of a more substantial one in some respects, not by any means their most courted. to enumerate the many different delicacies under which the improvised tables groaned, would be a useless undertaking, let it suffice to say, the hog killing time had occurred a day or two before this occasion and turkeys and chickens without number found their way to pot-pie to the intense satisfaction of the assembled KIRKLAND family and the occasional visitors.
Before dinner was announced, the whole of this large family, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren formed a line of battle, according to the which of Mrs. ELIZABETH KIRKLAND, the maternal ancestor of all these KIRKLANDS. MR. WILLIAM T. KIRKLAND, brother to MRS. KIRKLAND, of Abbeville, was requested to count the line and reported 96 present, 4 or 5 who ought to have been there, were in the house or lot and didn't hear the summons, consequently the number of those on the premises amounted to at least 100 and back counties not heard from. It was said that some precounted all of the descendants of this family and gave the number as totaling 133. The mother of these KIRKLANDS is as yet hale and hearty as the ripe old age of 75 years, and was very much gratified to see so many of her children together, all anxious and willing to make the winter of her life as pleasant and agreeable as possible. Not all of her children were there, only one of her absent sons found his way to old Henry. Mr. MATHEW K. of Castleberry, Canecuh County, next in age to MR. LEVI KIRKLAND, arrived here on Sunday before Christmas, bringing with him only two sons, MARK & COLEMAN, which left some 17 or 18 member of his family behind.
A few words and dates of the ancestral family seem to be appropriate. MR. CALEB KIRKLAND was a native of South Carolina, born August 3rd, 1802, his wife ELIZABETH was born June 9th, 1808, and were married September 15, 1825. They first lived in Henry County, 5 miles south of Abbeville, but moved to Walden County in 1833(ec note-this probably Walton Co., FL, there is no such place in Alabama.) residing 7 years. In 1836 they were raided upon by the Indians and their houses completely burned down, leaving them homeless. In 1839, January 1st, they at last came back to Henry county, settling on the old KIRKLAND homestead, situate on the Columbia and Newton road about 10 miles from Columbia. They continued there until the death of MR. CALEB KIRKLAND in the year 1887, April 8th, mourned for and regretted by all who knew him.
MRS. ELIZABETH KIRKLAND is living with her
eldest
son
MR. LEVI KIRKLAND. She is in very good health so far, bustling
about
the household affairs like half her age.
MR. WILLIAM F. KIRKLAND (note: probably misprint - should be
"T") is
oldest brother of MRS. KIRKLAND. Despite his age he is as
sprightly and
jovial a gentleman as one would wish to meet. He is apparently
of the
old school, true politeness and chivalry seems perfectly
natural with
him and he has a kind word for every one. Like all patriotic
citizens
of the south he experienced considerable losses during the
civil war,
but in spite of adversity gained another foothold and
unswerving
confidence of his fellow citizens who elected him with a
considerable
majority to County Treasurer, which office of trust he holds
at
present.
[contributed by Jo Ann Beagle of Sacramento, CA, "Columbia Enterprise", issue of Jan. 17, 1884, Henry Co., AL, KSBR v2. p459-460]
See the Caleb Kirkland Bible page. (175K jpg image file)
Kirkland Family Index || Elroy's Family Index || Ancestor Chart #10 || Kirklands of Henry Co., AL
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