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James Ross Sr. of Rowan County (-1789)

Wrote a will in Rowan County November 1788
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Revision as of 00:04, 3 April 2026 by Redheadkelly (talk | contribs)
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For James Ross buried in Marshville, North Carolina, see James Ross of Anson County (1761-1849).
For James Ross who married Mary Woods, see James Ross of Pennsylvania (1762-1847).

For other people named James Ross, see James Ross (disambiguation).
James Ross Sr.

Diedbef. May 4, 1789
EraRevolutionary Period
Residence • Guilford County, North Carolina
• Rowan County, North Carolina
Spouse(s)Jean Unknown (fl1778-1793)
Children
Progenitor ofRosses of Guilford County

James Ross ( – 1789) is known by the will he left in Rowan County, North Carolina, dated November 1, 1788.[1][2] In it he mentions his wife Jean and children Joseph, Benjamin, Jean & Susannah. It is thought that he also is the father of James Ross and Henry Ross of Guilford County.

DNA evidence

Y-DNA

Currently, 5 participants in the Ross Surname Project show descent from James & Henry of Guilford County. They fall into a very small group, Y-DNA R Haplogroup - Family 11. These 5 participants trace their lines back to James Ross Sr. through 4 different grandsons. 

1-James Ross Sr. will 1 Nov 1788, Rowan County, North Carolina d. bet. 1 Nov 1788 & 4 May 1789, Rowan County, North Carolina
  + 1st wife 
...2-James Ross Jr. b. Ireland d. Oct 1809, Giles County, Tennessee
     + Mary Mitchell b. England, dau. of Robert & Margaret Mitchell 
......3-Henry Ross b. abt 1780, North Carolina, d. 11 Nov 1845, near Rock Springs, Illinois
       + Martha Dickey b. 9 Dec 1776, South Carolina, m. 3 Jul 1800, d. 1828, Rock Springs, Illinois, par. Robert Dickey and Margaret Hillhouse
......3-Robert Ross Sr. b. 1775-1780, North Carolina, d. 30 Apr 1849, Pope County, Arkansas
        + Mary Dickey par. Robert Dickey and Mary Henry 
......3-Samuel Ross b. abt 1776, Guilford County, North Carolina, d. 1826, Todd County, Kentucky
        + Judith Acock b. 1783, Warren County, North Carolina, d. bef 1850, Polk County, Missouri
...2-Henry Ross  b. abt 1744 d. 1827, Wilson County, Tennessee
     + Ann Anderson, m. 26 Oct 1786, Guilford County, North Carolina, dau. of Elder John Anderson 
......3-John Ross b. 1787, Guilford County, North Carolina, d. 1839, Wilson County, Tennessee
        + Lucinda Barnes

Trees found on the internet often have as the parents or grandparents of James Sr. a Hugh & Margaret Ross. Sometimes this is Hugh Ross & Margaret Barclay, who actually lived in the 1300s. Sometimes it is Hugh Ross & Margaret Cheeley of Elizabeth City County, Virginia. This couple did actually exist within an appropriate time frame to be considered candidates.

The tree created for Hugh Ross of Elizabeth City County usually includes several Rosses found in North Carolina, including this James Ross Sr., John Ross who left a will in Guilford County in 1791, and James Ross who married Lydia Coburn and died in Union County in 1849,.

What Y-DNA is telling us, though, is that we actually have 3 genetically distinct Ross families here.

Y-DNA R Haplogroup - Family 11

Y-DNA R Haplogroup - Family 02

Y-DNA R Haplogroup - Family 01

These descendants of James Jr. & Henry of Guilford County are not a match to the descendant of James Ross of Martin/Anson/Union County. They are also not a match to descendants of John Ross of Guilford County. It has long been thought that James, Henry & John of Guilford were brothers,[3] but Y-DNA is telling us differently.

Y-DNA is telling us, instead, that James Jr. & Henry of Guilford County are a match to other Ross families.

One descendant of Jim Ross shares a common ancestor with the Guilford County Rosses about 8 generations back, so about the time that James Sr. was living. 

1-James W. 'Jim' Ross b. 1832, South Carolina, d. 1902, Alcorn Co., MS
 + SARAH JOBE b. 1835, Tennessee, d. 1880-1900, Alcorn Co., MS

One descendant of Robert Andrew Ross shares a common ancestor with the Guilford County Rosses about 12 generations back, so at least 4 generations before James Sr. 

1-Robert Andrew Ross b. 1775, d. 2 Jun 1851, Athens County, Ohio
 + Osa b. 1775, Maryland

What we know, then, is that the patrilineal ancestors on this line carried the Ross surname for at least several generations before these Rosses of Guilford County. This indicates that this small group of Guilford County Y-DNA matches is not the result of a non-paternity event or not-parent-expected situation. We can assume, for now, that the father of James Jr. & Henry of Guilford County was indeed a genetic Ross and so was his father and grandfather.

The DNA does also seem to be confirming that James of Guilford County and Henry of Guilford were indeed brothers, as has always been thought. From the chart below, we see that their descendants share a common ancestor who lived about 7 generations back, which matches the timeframe in which James and Henry lived.

Time to Most Recent Common Ancestor (Generations)
Ancestor J
a
m
e
s
 J
a
m
e
s
 J
a
m
e
s
 H
e
n
r
y
R Haplogroup - Family 11
James Jr. 111 7 5 7
James Jr. 7 37 4 7
James Jr. 5 4 67 5
Henry 7 7 5 67
0-9 Generations 10-19 Generations 20-29 Generations 30-39 Generations
- Infinite allele mutation model is used
- Average mutation rate varies: 0.0034 to 0.0054, from FTDNA derived rates
- Values on the diagonal indicate number of markers tested
- Probability is 75% that the TMRCA is no longer than indicated

Y-DNA can confirm only that these men share a common ancestor about 7 generations back. Genealogy tells us that this man was probably James Ross Sr. DNA has not yet confirmed any of the generations preceding James Jr. & Henry. We cannot say with certainty that their common ancestor was James Sr. of Rowan County until we identify James Sr.'s ancestors and confirm that their descendants are a match to these participants in Y-DNA R Haplogroup - Family 11.

With more testing we may confirm that James Sr. is a descendant of Hugh Ross of Elizabeth City County. As of now, however, we have no genetic evidence confirming this relationship. What we do know is that only one of these Matched Groups can be descended from him. It may turn out to be James Ross Sr.'s line. It may not.

Autosomal results

We do have autosomal DNA (AncestryDNA, MyHeritage, etc.) test results for multiple descendants of James Ross Sr. in the Ross Ancestor Project at GEDmatch. No lines have been confirmed by triangulated segments yet. If you are a descendant of James who has done DNA testing, please request to join the project and let us know if you have already been able to confirm your line through autosomal matches.

Biography

It has been said that 'family lore' tells us that James was from Antrim, Ireland, and that he left there to come to American in, around, or before 1750.[4] It's not clear where, exactly, this 'family lore' is documented.

In 1884, John Henry Ross wrote a short family record. It begins:

James Ross was born in Ireland and moved to America when about nine years old and settled in Virginia. His wife, Mary Mitchell, was from England.[5]

This James Ross was the son of James Ross Sr. John Henry Ross was the great-grandson of James Jr.

This statement does not tell us where they were in Ireland, the year they immigrated, or where in Virginia they resided after arriving. It stands to reason, though, that if James Jr. was born in Ireland and immigrated when he was young, then James Sr. was also in Ireland, married there, and immigrated when he had a young family.

James does not appear in known documents prior to entering his land grant in North Carolina in 1778.[6]

Family

Ancestors & Descendants

Ancestors

Nothing is documented of James's parents. We know from Y-DNA results that he shares an ancestor on his Ross line with Jim Ross of Alcorn County (1932-1902) and with Robert Andrew Ross of Athens County (1775-1851).

The estimates from Y-DNA are telling us that the common ancestor shared with Jim Ross would be just a generation or 2 back from James and the common ancestor shared with Robert Ross would be several generations before that.

These are the lines that should be researched to help us understand James's ancestry.

Marriage and children

The first evidence we have confirming a marriage for James Sr. is the bond found in Guilford County dated August 31, 1778.[7] This is his marriage to Jean Shaw. We know that he was married at least once before this, as was she.

In James's will, he lists 'my dear & loving wife Jean Ross and four children (viz) Joseph, Benjamin, Jean & Susannah'.[1][2] These four children are all still under age in 1788. This suggests that these 4 children belong to his second wife Jean.

He also lists 'my son Henry Ross' as an executor. This suggests that Henry is of age & a child of James's first marriage.

There is also a will in Guilford County, North Carolina, written by William Shaw on September 9, 1793.[8][9] In it he lists these same 4 children, 'my two beloved Brothers (that is Joseph Ross & Bengamin)' and 'my two young sisters Jean Ross & Susana'. It appears, then, that William Shaw of Guilford County was the son of this Mrs. Jean Shaw by her previous marriage.

Both wills mention a Grizzel Shaw. James names her specifically as his daughter-in-law Grizzel Shaw and leaves land to her child John Shaw. William's includes his older Sister Grizzald and Grizzald youngest boy named Thomas Ross. This seems to be saying that Jean had a daughter named Grizzel Shaw with her first husband. Grizzel then married a son of James and had a son named Thomas? She also had a son named John Shaw? What he also a grandchild of James Ross Sr.? Why would James leave land to John Shaw, but not Thomas Ross? William's will was written 5 years after James's. Was Thomas born after this? If so, then Grizzel was married to one of James's sons before James died and was probably still married to him 5 years later. But who was this son?

Henry Ross, son & executor of James Ross Sr., is thought to be the Henry Ross of Guilford County discussed in the book the History of Buffalo Presbyterian Church[3] The book states that Henry married a daughter of ruling elder John Anderson and we do find a marriage bond for Henry Ross & Ann Anderson in Guilford County dated October 26, 1786.[10] The bondsman for this marriage was a Thomas Anderson. One of the executors in the will of James Sr. was also a Thomas Anderson.[1]

The History of Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Her People also states that Henry had a brother James and, as we have seen, Y-DNA testing does support this idea that Henry & James of Guilford County could've been brothers.

James Sr.'s children were, therefore:

Land in Rowan County

Boundary map of James's grant taken from the survey dated April 22, 1783.

On August 4, 1778, a grant was entered by James Sr. for 640 acres of land on both sides of the Rich Fork of Abbotts Creek in Rowan County.[11] This was within just weeks of his marriage to Mrs. Jean Shaw that was recorded in Guilford County.

land lying in Rowan County on both sides of Rich Fork of Abbotts Creek beginning at a hickory the North East corner of Hanbys tract runs thence South twenty three chains to a red oak thence East fifty two chains to a post oak thence North at thirty seven chains crossing the third fork at sixty three chains crossing the Rich fork Contd.. ninety six chains in all to a hickory Grub thence west seventy one and a half chains to a black Jack saplin thence south seventy three chains to a stake on Hanbys line thence East along hanbys line to the beginning.

Map of Davidson County showing 1st & 2nd forks of Rich Fork.

Rich Fork breaks off of Abbotts Creek just east of Lexington and continues north about 19 miles to what would've been just at the Guilford County border in 1778.[12] On a map drawn circa 1890, we see 1st Little Rich Fork and 2nd Little Rich Fork.[13] The third fork is not labeled. It appears that the 1st Little Rich Fork is today's Kennedy Mill Creek and the 2nd Little Rich Fork is today's Payne Creek. It is not obvious from the 1890 map or modern maps where the third fork might've been, but we can probably assume that it was north of Payne Creek.

Possible location of James's land grant on Rich Fork.

According to the illustration on the survey of James's grant, his property encompassed the point where the third fork met Rich Fork.[14] There were 3 other grants for land on the third fork of Rich Fork, all to the east of James's land and all in Rowan County.[15] Considering that the further north Rich Fork flowed, the closer it got to the Guilford County line, these properties must all have been far enough south on Rich Fork that they all fit within the boundaries of Rowan County.

At the southwest corner of James's land, we have Hanby's tract. There was a grant to a John Hanby issued May 12, 1757, for land on the east side of Rich Fork of Abbotts Creek.[16] According to the description on Hanby's survey, his southwest corner was about 10 to 12 miles above the mouth of Rich Fork. Hanby sold this land to Hugh McCreary in 1760, but it was apparently still called Hanby's tract at the time of James's survey in 1783.[17]

We know then that:

  • the third fork was probably north of Payne Creek
  • the southeast corner of Hanby's tract was 10 to 12 miles north of the mouth of Rich Fork
  • all these properties had to fit within the boundaries of Rowan County
Loading map...

This provides us with a very small area in the northeastern corner of Rowan County in which James's land could've been situated. It's just to the west of today's High Point,

Unfortunately, there are a few issues with this location. The first being that it does not align with any creek or stream that might've been the third fork. The only tributary on today's map that looks like it would qualify as the third fork is much further north, flowing past Londonberry Estates, across the Guilford County line, and through the Rich Fork Nature Preserve. Placing James's property boundary on the map so it aligns with Rich Fork and this creek pushes the other parcels over into Guilford County, though, so it could not have been this far north.

The second issue is William Rorax's property. William Rorax was a witness to James's will.[1][2] And also a neighbor to James's neighbor William Dills. William Dills's grant mentions both William Rorax and James Ross.

...both sides of the Rich fork of Abbotts Creek beginning at William Rorax's S. W. corner thence north crossing the Rich fork thence west thence south to a post oak on James Ross's line then east then south to a stake on James Ross's line then east to the beginning[18]

The grant to William Dills's neighbor Bazil Billingsley mentions both William Rorax and William Dills.

...both sides of the rich fork of abbots creek beginning at William Rorax's N. W. corner thence east thence north crossing rich fork thence west thence south to William Dills line[19]

This puts William Rorax's property just on the other side of William Dills from James and north of all of the third fork properties. Rorax's grant was for land 'on both sides of the second fork of the Rich Fork of Abbots Creek', though.[20] How could his property be on the 2nd fork, but north of the third fork? The illustration on the survey does show the 2nd fork running right through the center of the property.[20] The description clearly states, though, that the property line started at William Dill's southeast corner and ran north. This agrees with the description on William Dill's grant and, again, puts the property north of all of the third fork properties. So was the 2nd fork north of the 3rd fork? The fact that the 2nd fork runs through this property makes it seem out of place with the other properties.

These 4 properties, along with James's neighbor, Thomas Kimborough, were all surveyed the same week in April of 1783. The chain carriers for these 5 surveys where all a combination of William Rorax, John Ross, and William Dills. This does seem to confirm that these properties were all in the same vicinity. In a later grant surveyed in 1787, another William Rorax property shares a line 'with his own line and also William Dill's corner on James Ross's line'.[21] This again seems to confirm that William Rorax was a neighbor of William Dills & James Ross. So where was the third fork located compared to the 2nd fork?

Regardless, the reality is still that all other evidence suggests that these properties were somewhere in the small portion of the county bounded by the Rich Fork, Payne Creek and the Guilford County line.

Land Grants included in map
Name Surveyed Chain holders Issued File # Entry # Grant # Book Page Acres Location
John Hanby 1759-02-02 John Crow
William Johnson 		1757-05-12 241 114 6 154 467 E. side of Rich Fork of Abbotts Creek
James Ross 1783-04-22 William Rorax
William Dills 		1784-11-04 1298 169 681 51 209 640 On both sides of the Rich Fork of Abbots Creek
Bazil Billingsley 1783-04-23 John Ross
William Rorax 		1784-11-04 1299 561 682 51 209 378 On both sides of the Rich Fork of Abbots Creek
William Rorax 1783-04-24 John Ross
William Dills 		1784-11-04 1323 602 706 51 218 288 On both sides of the second fork of the Rich Fork of Abbots Creek
William Dills 1783-04-24 John Ross
William Rorax 		1784-11-04 1347 474 730 51 228 304 On both sides of the Rich Fork of Abbots Creek
Thomas Kimbrough 1783-04-26 John Ross
William Rorax 		1784-11-04 1468 543 851 51 275 220 Lying on the third fork of the Rich Fork of Abbots Creek
John Smith 1784-10-09 Jacob Wilson
Moses Law 		1784-11-19 1290 542 673 51 206 364 On both sides of the third fork of Abbots Creek
Jacob & Joseph Wilson 1786-01-03 William Cunningham
Hugh Cunningham 		1791-12-20 2811 791 2093 75 266 640 On third fork of Rich Fork

One of the clues that has been used to connect Henry Ross of Guilford County to James Sr. of Rowan County is a deed dated February 18, 1785, in which Henry Ross, planter, of Guilford County purchased land in Rowan County from John Smith.[22] This is the land that John Smith was originally granted on November 19, 1784.[16][23]

lying and being in said County on both sides the third fork of Abbits Creek by virtue of a warrent bearing date the sixth day of June 1778 and No 542 beginning at a poplar tree in Wilsons line thirteen chains South of said fork thence runing North crossing said fork thirty three chains and twenty five links to a Blackoak thence west fifty two chains to a post oak thence South crossing said fork seventy chains to a post oak thence East fifty two chains to a stake and thence North to the beginning[16]

The only land between James Ross's and John Smith's was Thomas Kimborough's 220 acres. Therefore, this property that Henry Ross purchased was just to the east of James Sr.'s.

Henry Ross sold John Smith's land to Enoch Harland on March 16, 1789.[24] This was just before James Sr.'s will was proved in court in May of 1789,[1] so maybe he had already passed away by the time Henry was selling this land?

The Enoch Harlan who purchased this land from Henry Ross was part of the Pine Woods community.[25][26] On July 17, 1794, Samuel Tomlinson deeded to Enoch Harlan and a Joseph Wilson, who would've been his neighbor, a portion of his land on Hunts Fork for a meeting house and a graveyard.[25][27] This land was about 4 miles south of the land that Harlan purchased from Henry Ross. This was to be the meeting house of the Pine Woods Friends. In 1920, the Friends sold the property to the Methodists and today it is Pine Woods United Methodist Church Cemetery.[25][28]

According to an article written in 1976, around the time of the establishment of the meeting house, 'Jeremiah Kimbrough, Salathiel Stone, Benjamin Ross, and Joseph Ross acquired land nearby'.[25] We find instead a deed dated May 7, 1807, in which Benjamin Ross of Guilford County and Jeremiah Kimborough of Rowan County sell 120 acres of 'land on both sides of the Rich Fork of Abbotts Creek beginning on Joseph Ross's corner in Susannah Ross's line' to Salathiel Stone.[29] These are the names of 3 of the younger children listed in James Sr.'s will.[1] It seems instead that Benjamin & Joseph Ross already owned land that they had inherited from their father and a portion of it was purchased by Salathiel Stone. There were no Rosses included in a transcription of the graveyard at Pine Woods that was published in 1935, so it seems that they were not involved in the community.[28]

Occupation

James lived on 640 acres of land. In his will he listed 'my stock of all kinds such as sheep, cattle, horses and hoggs'.[1][30] This would indicated that he supported himself, at least in part, by raising livestock.

Death & burial

James Ross Sr. died sometime between the writing of his will on November 1, 1788, and its proving in court on May 4, 1789.[1][2] He left five hundred and ninety acres of land to his wife and 4 young children. He left fifty acres of land to his grandson, or maybe step-grandson, John Shaw. This totals 640 acres, which was the size of the parcel granted to him in 1784.

What appears to be the inventory of the sale of his estate is not dated. It begins with a Jane Ross and also includes a Jean Ross and several Shaws.[30] It also includes a John Anderson, which was supposedly the name of his son Henry's father-in-law.[3]

James's burial place is not known. It seems a safe assumption that he was buried on his land in Rowan County.

Timeline

Research notes

Disputed origins

Many trees on the internet list the parents or grandparents of this James Ross as a Hugh Ross & Margaret Barclay or a Hugh Ross & Janet Sutherland or a Hugh Ross & Margaret Cheeley.

Hugh Ross & Margaret Cheeley of Elizabeth City County, Virginia, are the only couple here that are possible candidates to be recent ancestors of James Sr. And there are documents associated with this Hugh & Margaret that mention a James Ross. If the family lore is to be believed, however, and this James was born in Ireland and didn't immigrate until 1750, then he is not the James in those records.

The statement by James Sr.'s great-grandson in 1884 also casts doubt on this connection.[5] He claimed that James Jr. immigrated from Ireland when he was 9 years old. We know that James Jr. died in 1809, so he was probably born after 1709. This puts the family in Ireland until after the year 1700, and probably even later, but we know Hugh Ross & Margaret Cheeley were already in Elizabeth City County by the 1690s.

The answers, at this point, probably lie in the DNA. We do have Y-DNA results for descendants of several other North Carolina Ross families who are also often connected to Hugh Ross & Margaret Cheeley. They show that this James Ross Sr., John Ross of Guilford County and Rev. War soldier James Ross are not of the same Ross family. We are still in need of Y-DNA participants who can prove their descent from William Ross Sr. of Martin County.

Most importantly, we are in need of participants who can prove descent, beyond a shadow of a doubt, from any of the sons mentioned in Margaret Cheeley Ross Priest's will, i.e. Francis, Hugh, and William.[38]

John Ross

Who was this John Ross who was the chain holder for these grant surveys in 1783? There are no property records for him in the area during the time period.

There was the John Ross of Guilford County who was long thought to be the brother of James Jr. & Henry.[3] Y-DNA is telling us now that this John was not of the same Ross family as James Jr. & Henry, but they were still definitely acquainted with each other. Would he have travelled to Rowan County with James Sr.?

Common discrepancies

First wife

No evidence of the name of James Sr.'s first wife is found in any of the documents mentioned here. Family trees, however, often include a Mary Woods as James's first wife. She is typically the daughter of George Woods & sometimes a Miss Hall and is said to have been killed by Indians in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in 1754.[39]

Senator James Ross of Pennsylvania married a daughter of Col. George Woods. Col. Woods was the son of George Woods & Miss Hall. 

1-George Woods 
 + Rosanna Hall m. bef 1733
..2-Col. George Woods of Bedford County, Pennsylvania d. after 1795
   + Jane McDowell m. abt 1753, d. 1769, par. Dr. William McDowell 
....3-Mary Woods b. 1759, d. 28 Oct 1840
....3-Ann Woods b. 20 Jan 1771, d. 11 Sep 1805, Cornwall, Lebanon, Pennsylvania
     + Senator James Ross b. 12 Jul 1762, Delta, York, Pennsylvania, m. 13 Jan 1791, d. 27 Nov 1847, Pittsburgh, Alleghany, Pennsylvania, par. Joseph Ross & Jane Graham

Some sources have Senator Ross's wife's name as Mary Woods.[40] In some sources, her name is Ann Woods.[41][42]

Bingham's Fort, in the Tuscarora Valley of Juniata County, Pennsylvania, was build in 1754.[43] In 1755, Col. George Woods was captured by the Delaware when they attacked the fort.[44] Many of the settlers at the fort where killed. Col. Woods was taken prisoner and later released.

Many of the details of the family of Senator Ross's wife Mary/Ann Woods match the details of James Sr.'s supposed wife Mary Woods.

Is this another case in which details of different Ross families have been confused and then shared on the internet to the point of being accepted as fact?

At this point, it seems that evidence is still needed in order to confirm the identity of James's first wife.

Burial place

Loading map...

At one point, his Find a Grave memorial stated that James Sr. was buried in Marshville Cemetery in what is current-day Union County.[45] This idea seems to have came from information on the internet stating that this James Sr. was related to Rev. War soldier James Ross who is buried in a family cemetery about 7 miles north of Marshville Cemetery.

However,

  • We now know from Y-DNA testing that these two Jameses were not of the same Ross family.
  • Marshville Cemetery is about 68 miles, as the crow flies, south of the area of Rowan County where James Sr. owned land.[46]
  • Marshville Cemetery wasn't established until 1894, almost 100 years after James died.[47]
  • Older transcriptions of the cemetery do not include a James Ross who died in 1789.[47][48]

There is no reason to think, then, that this James Ross was buried in Marshville. He was probably buried on his property in Rowan County, although we have no evidence of that.

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Wills, 1797-1801, Vol. D, p. 89, James Ross, 1 Nov 1788.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Thayer, Martha (Jun 22, 2008). "Will of James Ross, 1788, Rowan County NC". Rowan County, North Carolina. USGenWeb Archives. Retrieved Aug 14, 2021.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Rankin 1934, p. 45.
  4. ↑ Ross, W Russell (Apr 22, 2007). "James Ross, Sr". The Russell Ross' of Waco Texas. genealogy.com. Retrieved Dec 28, 2019.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ross & Dodd 1964, p. 60.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Rowan Co. File no. 1298, James Ross". North Carolina Land Grant Images and Data. North Carolina Historical Records Online – via State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh NC, microfilm call # S.108.1019.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Abstracts, N-T 1770-1868, image 1382, James Ross and Jean Shaw, 31 Aug 1778.
  8. ↑ Guilford County vol. A 1943, p. 345, William Shaw, 1793.
  9. ↑ "Will of William Shaw, Guilford Co. NC 1793". Guilford County, North Carolina. USGenWeb Archives. Jun 22, 2008. Retrieved Dec 29, 2019.
  10. ↑ Guilford County vol. N-T 1965, p. 1379, Henry Ross and Ann Anderson, 26 Oct 1786.
  11. ↑ "Rowan Co. File No. 1298, James Ross". North Carolina Land Grant Images and Data. North Carolina Historical Records Online – via State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh NC, microfilm call # S.108.1019.
  12. ↑ "North Carolina". Atlas of Historical County Boundaries Project. Sep 24, 2018.
  13. ↑ Johnson, L. (1890). Map of Davidson County, N.C. (Map). North Carolina – via Library of Congress.
  14. ↑ "File No. 1298, James Ross". North Carolina Land Grant Images and Data. North Carolina Historical Records Online. Retrieved Dec 15, 2021 – via State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh NC, microfilm call # S.108.1019 frame 85.
  15. ↑ "Query". North Carolina Land Grant Images and Data. Retrieved Jul 26, 2023.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "File No. 1290, John Smith". North Carolina Land Grant Images and Data. North Carolina Historical Records Online. Retrieved Dec 15, 2021 – via State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh NC, microfilm call # S.108.1019 frame 47.
  17. ↑ Rowan County vol. 6 1942, pp. 73-74, John Hanby to Hugh McCreary, 3 Nov 1760.
  18. ↑ "File No. 1347, William Dills [assignee of John Pains]". North Carolina Land Grant Images and Data. North Carolina Historical Records Online. Retrieved Dec 15, 2021 – via State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh NC, microfilm call # S.108.1019 frame 309.
  19. ↑ "File No. 1299, Bazil Billingsley". North Carolina Land Grant Images and Data. North Carolina Historical Records Online. Retrieved Dec 15, 2021 – via State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh NC, microfilm call # S.108.1019 frame 90.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "File No. 1323, William Rorax". North Carolina Land Grant Images and Data. North Carolina Historical Records Online. Retrieved Dec 15, 2021 – via State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh NC, microfilm call # S.108.1019 frame 196.
  21. ↑ "File No. 3045, William Rorax". North Carolina Land Grant Images and Data. North Carolina Historical Records Online. Retrieved Dec 15, 2021 – via State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh NC, microfilm call # S.108.1024 frame 1190.
  22. ↑ Deeds_v._10_(another_filming)_1784-1825, p. 176.
  23. ↑ "Rowan Co. File No. 1290, John Smith". North Carolina Land Grant Images and Data. North Carolina Historical Records Online. Retrieved Dec 15, 2021 – via State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh NC, microfilm call # S.108.1019.
  24. ↑ Rowan County vol. 11 1942, pp. 652-653, Henry Ross to Enoch Harland, 16 Mar 1789.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 Sink & Matthews 1976, p. Part I.
  26. ↑ Harlan 1914, p. 68.
  27. ↑ Rowan County vol. 14 1942, pp. 843-844, Samuel Tomlinson to Enoch Harlan & Joseph Wilson, 17 Jul 1794.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Welborn 1935, pp. 255-256.
  29. ↑ Rowan County vol. 21 1942, pp. 854-856, Benjamin Ross to Salanthiel Stone, 1 May 1807.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Rowan County vol. R 1988, p. 2, James Ross inventory.
  31. ↑ "File no. 1298, James Ross". North Carolina Land Grant Images and Data. North Carolina Historical Records Online – via State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh NC, microfilm call # S.108.1019 frame 85.
  32. ↑ Rowan County vol. 11 1942, pp. 652-653, Henry Ross to Enoch Harland, 16 Mar 1789
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Read & Reid 1908, p. 10.
  34. ↑ Lundy, Darryl, ed. (Aug 6, 2016). "Hugh Ross, 1st of Balnagowan, #562411, d. before 10 August 1374". The Peerage. Retrieved May 1, 2019. citing Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage. 3 (107 ed.). Wilmington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd.
  35. ↑ Lundy, Darryl, ed. (Aug 6, 2016). "Hugh Ross, 3rd of Balnagowan, #562417". The Peerage. Retrieved May 1, 2019. citing Mosley, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage. 3 (107 ed.).
  36. ↑ Boddie 1954, p. 123.
  37. ↑ Chapman 1980, p. 23.
  38. ↑ Neal 1988, p. 46.
  39. ↑ Ross, W Russell (Apr 22, 2007). "Mary Woods". The Russell Ross' of Waco Texas. genealogy.com. Retrieved Dec 28, 2019.
  40. ↑ "Guide to the Papers of the Ross-Woods Family, 1769-1897 (bulk 1784-1837)". Historic Pittsburgh. Retrieved Dec 30, 2020.
  41. ↑ Kussart 1924, p. 80.
  42. ↑ Delafield 1908, p. 338.
  43. ↑ "Fort Bigham – The Pennsylvania Rambler". The Pennsylvania Rambler – Exploring Pennsylvania's Back Roads, histories and Mysteries. Dec 8, 2019. Retrieved Dec 31, 2021.
  44. ↑ Kussart 1924, p. 73.
  45. ↑ Hooks, Jean (contributor 47888531) (Mar 15, 2017). "James Ross Sr. (1715–1 Nov 1788)". Find a Grave. Citing Burial Details Unknown. Memorial ID 177389569. Retrieved Jul 26, 2023.
  46. ↑ "Marshville City Cemetery in Marshville, North Carolina". Find a Grave. Nov 1, 2006. Retrieved Jul 26, 2023.
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 "Marshville City Cemetery, I-Y". Union County, NC. RootsWeb. May 19, 2009. Retrieved Dec 16, 2021.
  48. ↑ Hemby 1941, p. 42.


Acknowledgements

Extending or containing work by Les Ross.

Disclaimer

It is admittedly impossible that we have been able to evaluate every piece of evidence available for every person included on this site. What you often find on the internet, though, are trees with no sources attached at all. Many of these trees were created pre-internet & have been passed down, uploaded & copied to multiple sites without details of the original sources they were based on. Now, with the advent of DNA testing, we're finding that they don't always match up with what the DNA is telling us. In order to reevaluate these trees in conjunction with the DNA evidence, we need to have available the sources that they might've originally been based on. This site, then, is intended as a repository for these sources and an opportunity to share what the DNA is telling us so that we can work collectively to correct these trees. Over time, more of the old records will be able to be combed through, and the sources cited here will grow.

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