Samuel Oxford, Jr. of Oxford Ford NC

SAR Patriot No.: P-264227 DAR:  A085466 Service: North Carolina, Service: Patriot Service

Service Source:  NC Rev. Army Acts, VOL I, P. 53, Folio 4, Roll # S. 115.57, Rev War Pay Voucher # 112, Roll S #115. 115 HAUN, NC ARMY ACTS. VOL I Book 3, P 209,  #112, HUGGINS, Burke Co. Land Records, 1778, VOL I, P. 90. PAID FOR PROVISIONS, TOOK OATH OF ALLEGIANCE TO MAKE LAND Entry Burke Co. 1778.

Originally posted on April 19, 2017, to the Barnes-Oxford Foundation and the History of North Carolina and its Foothills website by Robert L. McNeely, Ph.D.

Compiled by Dr. Robert McNeely.

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Samuel Oxford (1742-1811) can be considered a patriarch of the Oxford family. Parish church records show that he was born on 4 Jan 1742 in Overwharton Parish in Stafford County Virginia

Map – (Shown in the online version). King George County within the Northern Neck of VA

Northern  Neck of VA

to parents Samuel Oxford Sr and wife Mary. Samuel migrated from Virginia to North Carolina about 1747 at age 5 with his father Samuel Sr and his older brother John Oxford. They settled along the Catawba River in the frontier of western North Carolina. Samuel married Bathsheba Barrett and operated a ferry service across the Catawba River at a site that came to be called Oxford Ford in what is now Catawba County NC. He raised a large family. His six sons later established Oxford family lines in six states (KY, NC, GA, TN, MO, AR). His grandsons added Oxford lines in four more states (AL, MS, TX, IL). Hundreds of Oxfords in America today can trace ancestry back to the patriarch Samuel Oxford and his wife Bathsheba Barrett.

Father Samuel Oxford Sr (1696-1773) was born in Stafford (now King George) County in the northern neck of Virginia. Circumstantial evidence indicates that he is a son of John Oxford (1639-1719) who immigrated to America as a young indentured servant and later established a tobacco plantation in King George County Virginia. Samuel Sr was in St Paul Parish in 1731 and in Overwharton Parish in Stafford County VA in 1742. The first record of Samuel Oxford Sr in NC is on February 1749 in Anson County NC in the inventory estate records of a storekeeper, Burill Grigg (“Inventories from Sec. of State’s Papers, Archives S.S. 894, Anson County” found in the NC State Archives). (This part of Anson County became Rowan County in 1753.) A report in the Alexander County Heritage Book indicates that Samuel Sr received a Lord Granville land grant in 1752 on the east side of the Catawba River in Rowan (now Iredell) County NC at Island Ford. Although this original land grant has not to be confirmed, it is confirmed that on 21 Dec 1778 John Purviance sold 500 acres of land at this site at three corner island at Island Ford on the Catawba River (Rowan Book 10, page 253)

Land of Samuel Oxford Sr.

Land of Samuel Oxford Sr.

in which he states that the land “includes improvements where Samuel Oxford Sr formerly lived”. On 16 April 1791 Samuel Jr bought 300 acres of land from John Purviance at this site just “30 poles above Oxford’s old ford”. (Rowan Book I, page 69). See the adjoining map of the Oxford Sr land at the site now occupied by Lookout Dam on the Catawba River in what is now Iredell County. In 1758 Samuel Oxford Sr received 7 pounds and 10 shillings from the NC colonial government for feeding families of Catawba Indians during the French and Indian War (“The State Records of NC 1752-1759 Vol 5, p. 982). The Rowan County NC 1768 and 1772 tax records list Samuel Oxford Sr and his two sons John and Samuel. Samuel Sr died about 1773 and his sons moved upriver and established a new ferry service.

Brother John Oxford (1731-1778) accompanied his brother Samuel and his father Samuel Oxford Sr to North Carolina about 1747 John married Mary Ann and had a number of children. John died in 1777 or 1778 just as the Burke County land office was being established and his land grant entry was discontinued in 1778 before a grant could be issued. His widow Mary Ann Oxford registered their land in 1778 on Lower Little River in what was then Burke Co NC (and is now in Iredell Co NC). It is useful to consider John Oxford in this study of Samuel Oxford because after their father Samuel Oxford Sr died in 1773 the families of John and Samuel were the only two Oxford families in western NC. Samuel left a detailed Will in which he lists his children. John died without a Will and all the Oxford children in western NC not listed in Samuel’s Will can be assumed be children of John. Those Oxfords of western NC assumed to be children of John Oxford and Mary Ann are as follows:

1. Jemina b. about 1761. Married James Morrison on 18 Feb 1768 in Rowan Co NC

2. Elizabeth b. about 1763. Married Daniel Ponder and lived in York Co SC

3. Katrin b. about 1764. Married David Adams on 29 Sep 1784 in Lincoln Co NC

4. John Jr b. about 1765. d. 26 Jul 1826. Married Sarah Horton and moved to Ohio.

(Rev. Isaac in his “History of the Oxford Family” written in 1899 considers John to be a child of Samuel and Bathsheba, but John is not listed in Samuel’s Will and is probably the son of John and Mary Ann.)

5. Sarah b. 16 Jul 1768. Married William Davis and lived in Burke Co NC

6. David b. about 1770. Moved to Kentucky and died at age 19 unmarried.

7. William b. about 1771. Married (1) Barbara Ichard on 19 Nov 1790 ing Lincoln Co NC, married (2) Sarah in Kentucky in 1792, and married (3) Sarah Campbell in 1805 in Union County Illinois.

8. Samuel b. about 1772. Moved to Logan Co KY and then to Union Co Illinois.

After John died in 1777 many of the children moved into the household of Samuel Oxford and the 1790 Lincoln Co NC census shows these increased numbers in the household. John Jr by 1790 is listed as a separate head of household in Burke Co NC.

Wife Bathsheba Barrett (1741-1816) is reported to be the daughter of Jonathan Barrett and a Catawba Indian wife named Jar Fly Jarman. Jonathan Barrett was a major landowner living just across the Catawba River from Oxford Ford at a site now called Barrett Mountain. Nothing is known about Jar Fly Jarman. In the Bible of her grandson Alfred Byler the birth date of Bathsheba is listed as 4 Jan 1741 and her death date as 22 Aug 1816. She is included in the 1790 census in Lincoln (now Catawba) Co NC with her husband Samuel, but she is listed in 1800 as a head of household in Buncombe Co NC (while her husband remained listed in Lincoln Co NC). Apparently about 1795 at age 54 she moved 75 miles west with her children from Lincoln Co NC to Buncombe Co NC leaving her husband back to manage the farm and the ferry service on the Catawba River. Bathsheba acquired land on Hominy Creek in Asheville near the Hominy Baptist Church in Buncombe County and is probably buried there with no marked gravestone. There are many land records for her children later in Buncombe Co NC before they moved further west.

Records. Samuel is listed in the tax records of Rowan County in 1768, 1769, 1772 and in the Burke County land records in 1788, and in the Lincoln County census in 1790, 1800, 1810.

Map of several Oxford Land Grants (See online version.)

Map of several Oxford Land Grants (See online version.)

(Lincoln County was formed in 1789.) The most abundant collection of records of Samuel Oxford are his land records.

Map of Samuel Oxford's Land (See online version.)

Map of Samuel Oxford’s Land

 Catawba River Ferry

A Typical Catawba River Ferry (See online version.)

Oxford Ferry at Oxford Ford NC.  Samuel Oxford moved 30 miles upriver from his father’s land on the Catawba River to a site at the mouth of Naked Creek on the south side of the Catawba River at a place later called Oxford Ford which was at first in Rowan County, then Burke County, then Lincoln County, and today Catawba County.

A post office was later established at Oxford Ford. Samuel acquired a great deal of land by grants and deeds (recorded in Burke Co NC) at Oxford Ford on both side of the river and established a well-known ferry service there. The Oxford Ferry and the road to Oxford Ferry are mentioned quite often in the land records in that area and are shown on early maps. The Burke County land records for Samuel Oxford begin when the land office was first opened in 1778. The earliest mention of the wagon road to Oxford Ferry is in 1779. The adjoining map shows the Samuel Oxford lands at the ferry site. The ferry service was operated for many years after the death of Samuel Oxford by Oxford descendants with rates of 2 pence per person, 1 pence per animal, and one shilling per wagon. The site is now occupied by Oxford Dam. The Methodist Bishop Francis Asbury visited with Samuel Oxford at Oxford Ferry on 16 Mar 1797 and preached a sermon there. There is an article about the Oxford Ferry in the 8 July 1939 issue of the Hickory Daily newspaper.

Revolutionary War Service. Samuel Oxford is known to have served briefly as a soldier in the Revolutionary War. His record can be found in the files “Rev Army Accounts” found at the Department of Archives and History of the State of North Carolina, volume 1, p. 54, folio 4.

Samuel Oxford Revolutionary War Account Books Archives part 1 (See online version.)

Samuel Oxford Revolutionary War Account Books Archives part 1

Samuel Oxford Revolutionary War Account Books Archives part 1

Samuel Oxford Revolutionary War Account Books Archives part 1

On 10 June 1781, Samuel Oxford was granted $13.15 “for Rev War service” (Treasurers and Controllers records, Rev Army, Vol 1, p. 53, folio 4, cert. 112 in the NC State Archives). Samuel is listed simply as a soldier. Quite a number of people have been admitted to the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) based on proof that Samuel Oxford was their ancestor and that he served in the war. See for example DAR national numbers 503681 and 483540.

Samuel Oxford Revolutionary War Pay Voucher (See online version.)

Samuel Oxford Revolutionary War Pay Voucher

Children of Samuel Oxford and Bathsheba Barrett.

1. Samuel Oxford (1766-1842) married Mary Gilbert and moved from Burke Co. to Buncombe Co. and finally to Warren Co KY which became Allen County KY. He served in the War of 1812 and his widow applied for a pension (WC-9644, SC-9118). His three sons (John W, Daniel, Thomas R) moved to Texas.

2. James Oxford (1768-1846) married (1) Ailsey Roberts and had 7 children, then married (2) Hannah Barnes (daughter of handsome Jim Barnes and Sarah Carter) and had 9 additional children. James Oxford is unique in that he is the only son of Samuel Oxford and Bathsheba to remain in North Carolina. He had a large farm in what is now Caldwell Co NC near the Union Baptist Church where he is buried. Two sons moved their families to Virginia and Illinois, but most remained in NC.

3. Jonathan Oxford (1772-1853) married Elizabeth White and moved to Buncombe Co NC, then to Habersham Co GA, then to Lumpkin Co GA where he won a land lottery for Indian Territory land and moved finally to Walker Co Georgia.

4. Bathsheba Caroline Oxford (1774-1836) married Jacob Franklin Bylar in Buncombe Co NC and moved via TN and AL to Cole (now Moniteau) County Missouri. There is a Bylar family Bible that contains information about the Oxford family.

5. Isaac Oxford (1775-1819) married Margaret Peggy Baker and moved to Williamson (now Giles) County TN. Descendants claimed that Peggy Baker is a Cherokee Indian (“Cherokee by Blood”, Vol 7, Eastern Cherokee Ancestry, Application 18533). Most of their descendants moved to Alabama and Mississippi.

6. Jacob Oxford (1778-1846) married Elizabeth Burleson Rogers in Buncombe County NC and moved to Clay Co KY and then to Grundy County Missouri where they are buried in Muddy Creek Cemetery (no headstone). Most of their children remained in Grundy and Daviess Co Missouri

7. Mary Ann Oxford (1781-1846) married James J. Metcalf and moved via Buncombe Co NC to Yancey Co NC. The Buncombe County Heritage Book lists their 14 children. Most of the families of the children remained in NC.

8. Abel Oxford (1784-1850) married Edith Rogers and moved via Buncombe Co NC and Giles Co TN to Washington County Arkansas. Several of the descendants claimed that Edith Rogers was a Cherokee Indian (E. Cherokee Application #14952). Abel settled on the White River in Arkansas at what became Oxford Bend and operated a ferry service across the river. Most of the family remained in Arkansas and the eldest son (Jacob) continued to operate the ferry at Oxford Bend but two of the sons (William Claiborn and Berry Hill) moved to Texas.

9. Nancy Oxford (b. 1785) is reported to have married A.D. Moody. Nancy is listed in the Will of Samuel Oxford.

10. Note: John Oxford (1765-1826) of Ohio is thought by earlier researchers to be a son of Samuel and Bathsheba, but he is not listed in Samuel’s Will and it is more likely that he is the son of Samuel’s older brother John.

Possible Second Marriage or Relationship. After Samuel’s wife Bathsheba and his children moved to Buncombe Co NC in about 1795, Samuel remained in Lincoln (now Catawba) Co NC. The 1810 Lincoln Co NC census shows that another female (age between 26 and 45) has entered the Samuel Oxford household. This female appears to be Mary Molly Fox. The book “Lincoln County Bastardy Bonds” reports that in 1800 a daughter named Nellie was born to Mary Fox and that Samuel Oxford paid the required bastardy bond. There seems to be another illegitimate daughter Frances born in 1801. The daughters Nellie and Frances appear to be the two young females (age between 0 and 10) in the 1810 Lincoln census with Samuel. Nellie married John Winebarger in 1820 in Lincoln Co NC using the name Nellie Oxford. Nellie Oxford and her husband moved to Watauga Co NC. The April Session 1811 Lincoln County Court Record records the following. “Know ye that I the said Samuel Oxford of the said county and state aforesaid for and in consideration of the sum of fifty pounds current money … doth sell unto Molly Fox” … one horse, all my cattle, all my household furniture, all my plantation tools, all the corn on the place, all the rent of my plantation for four years. “but the said Molly fox is not to have any part of the above-mentioned articles during my natural life …but after my decease the said Molly Fox is to have the above but not sooner.”

Will of Samuel Oxford. The Will of Samuel Oxford is recorded in Lincoln Co NC. It is dated 27 Jan 1810 and was probated in April 1811.

“In the name of God Amen, I, Samuel Oxford of the City of Lincoln, State of North Carolina, being of perfect mind and memory thanks be to God for the same, calling to mind the uncertainty of this life and that it is appointed for all men once to die, do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in the manner and form following:

First I recommend my sole into the hands of God who gave it, and my body I commit to the earth from whence it was taken, to be buried with a Christian burial at the discretion of my executors hereafter named and as touching such worldly goods as it hath pleased God to bless me within this life.  I do give and devise them in the manner and form following. I do give and bequeath to my son James Oxford the sum of Fifty Dollars.  I also give and bequeath to my son Jonathan Oxford the sum of Fifty dollars.  I also give to my son Able Oxford the sum of Fifty Dollars.  I also give to my son Jacob Oxford the sum of Fifty Dollars.  I also give to my son Isaac Oxford the sum of Fifty Dollars.  I also give to my daughter Polly Midcalf the sum of Fifty Dollars.  I also give to my son /sic/ Nancy Mooney the sum of Fifty Dollars.  I also give and bequeath to my son Samuel Oxford the sum of Ten Shillings.  I also give and bequeath to my daughter Bathsaba Bayler the sum of Ten Shillings, all of which is to be raised out of my goods and chattels, land and tenements, and I do hereby constitute and appoint my friend Peter Little, and my son Jonathan Oxford and my son Jacob Oxford Executors of this my last will and testament, making void all other wills and testaments formerly made or done by me. In witness whereof the said Samuel Oxford hath hereunto set his Hand and Seal this 27th day of January, 1810.” Signed, sealed and acknowledged by the Testator himself as his last Will and Testament in the presence of C. W. N. Little; Peter; Jacob Little. Samuel Oxford  —  X  his  Mark [Source: North Carolina Wills. Genealogical Society Of the Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints 31292. Copied and transcribed by the Daughters of the American Revolution. March 26 1946] Editors note:  The original handwritten will be added to the article. If you are a subscriber to the Oxford Family Newsletter, you will be notified when it is available.  To register for the newsletter complete the form at https://competitivestrategies.us/oxford-family-contact/.

Death and Burial.  Samuel Oxford died 24 Mar 1811 at age 69. He was buried at his homestead at Oxford Ford NC, but newspaper reports indicate that either the headstone or the grave itself was moved by Duke Power Company when the Oxford Dam was constructed.