Marty and Karla Grant
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Archibald Cathey (c1755-1810) of VA, Union Dist., SC and Burke Co., NC
[Cathey Home] - [Table of Contents] - Archibald Cathey
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I don’t know how I’m related to Archibald Cathey. At minimum, he’s a cousin to me. I am a DNA match with some of his descendants.
Refer to this page for quick outline of the various contemporary Archibald Catheys.
Archibald Cathey was born ca 1755. I arrived at that year based on a few things. One, his age on the 1800 census is 26-44, or born ca 1755/1774. Two, he has a proven son born ca 1776, so if we assume Archibald was at least 18 when that child was born, that puts Archibald’s birth at ca 1757/58 or before. Using the two items thus far we can probably say he was born ca 1755/58. I’m using 1755 just to round it off a bit. It’s entirely possible he was born closer to 1758. One other thing. If John R. Cathey (bef 1775) is also his son, as I suspect, then that would push Archibald’s birth closer to 1755, assuming John R. was born only slightly before 1775.
I don’t know where he was born. There are only about three likely places. One, Anson Co., NC where several Catheys were living in the 1750s, some in the part that became Rowan, others in the part that became Mecklenburg. Two, the Shenandoah River Valley of Virginia where some Catheys were still residing in 1755. Three, somewhere in South Carolina where some Catheys may have been living. We do know that Archibald was in SC ca 1776. If John R. Cathey is his son, which isn’t proven, then Virginia moves to the top of the list of birth places because that is where John was supposedly born per two of his sons 1880 census entries.
Other researchers have mixed this Archibald Cathey up with another man of the same name. That other Archibald was a son of Andrew Cathey (c1722-1786) of Mecklenburg Co., NC. Andrew’s son Archibald married Nancy Sloan in 1793 and moved to Georgia briefly, then to Bedford Co., TN where he died in 1823. That Archibald is roughly the same age as the one we are studying here, but they are two different people.
I don’t know who this Archibald Cathey’s parents were. Some researchers, myself included, want to tie him to my ancestor George Cathey (c1725-1790) because Archibald wound up in Burke Co., NC where my George had lived. I can say definitively that Archibald isn’t George’s son since George’s children are well documented. Archibald certainly could be a nephew, though I have no proof of that either.
One possibility, based only on age and a South Carolina connection, is that Archibald is a son of Andrew Cathey (bef1723-c1758) who was a son of James Cathey (d 1756/57). If this were correct, Archibald would be one of the youngest children of Andrew. Keep in mind I have absolutely no evidence linking Archibald to Andrew. It’s just a possibility based on the fact that Andrew had land in South Carolina and may have died there in 1758. We find Archibald in SC in 1777 which could be a coincidence.
If Archibald was indeed born in Virginia, I would think it was probably in the Shenandoah Co., VA area, perhaps a brother of Elizabeth Cathey Sehorn (1758) and William Cathey (bef 1762) who were in that county a few decades. Their parents aren’t yet known. However, I tentatively have all of them as children of a John Cathey (bef 1727-aft 1773). I’ve also tentatively linked Archibald to John since he’s the only option. This could explain Archibald’s oldest son being named John.
Archibald Cathey married someone unknown before ca 1775, presumably in Shenandoah Co., VA or perhaps neighboring Frederick Co., VA. I’m basing the date and location on John R. Cathey being his son. If John isn’t his son, then we have to adjust things slightly. Archibald’s first proven child is Samuel L. Cathey, born 1776 in Union Dist., SC, so we know Archibald was certainly married before then, and perhaps in that place instead of Virginia.
Mrs. Cathey might have been a Greenfield which would explain the name of their daughter Sarah Greenfield Cathey born in 1788. Using that as a clue I checked the 1790 census but found no one of that surname in NC or SC. The 1790 census for Virginia is lost, but in a reconstructed census using tax lists there is a Methias Greenfield in Wythe Co., VA in 1793. There were plenty of Greenfields in MD, PA, NY and other northern states in 1790. Things had changed by 1800 and exactly three were in North Carolina then, one Adam Greenfield in Duplin County which is eastern, and a Mathias and Nathaniel Greenfield both in Buncombe Co., NC which is the right neighborhood for sure. I don’t know that there is any connection to Archibald Cathey, but it’s worth noting. This Mathias of 1800 Buncombe could certainly be the same one in Wythe Co., VA in 1793. Other researchers show those Greenfields were from Maryland.
Recently I discovered another Greenfield who might be the source of Sarah’s middle name. I found him while trying to track down something else. There was a John Greenfield in Frederick Co., VA who served as a Captain in the militia there in the 1760s. He made his Will in 1768. The only relative he named in his Will, besides his wife Mary, was a brother named William Greenfield who then lived in Haddington, Scotland. John also left a bequest to Hannah Wilson, a former servant of his and to his friend, Attorney Alexander White.
What can we conclude from this? First, Cpt. John Greenfield is not Archibald Cathey’s father-in-law since he seems to have no children. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a connection. When you look at Archibald Cathey’s children you notice a pattern:
John R. Cathey
Samuel L. Cathey
Sarah Greenfield Cathey
They all seem to be named for someone, perhaps relatives, perhaps family friends or a combination of both.
Cpt. John Greenfield was the only person of that surname I found in the Frederick Co., VA deed books and militia lists during that era. That doesn’t guarantee that he was Sarah Greenfield Cathey’s namesake though, but if not him, who? More research may answer that question.
Samuel L. Cathey’s birth year of 1776 and location of Union Dist., SC is stated by Samuel himself in the Revolutionary War Pension application for Joshua Dover.
If John is Archibald’s son, then they moved to South Carolina shortly after he was born.
A brief history of the area Samuel referred to as Union District is in order. First, part of what later became Union District was claimed by North Carolina until 1772 when the NC/SC boundary was finally determined in that area. Anson, Mecklenburg and Tryon Counties, NC claimed that area in turn until 1772.
In 1769, South Carolina was divided into seven judicial districts, which were basically counties. The area referred to by Samuel Cathey as Union District was part of 96 District as of 1769 and would have still been that when Samuel was born. In 1785, “counties” were formed within the judicial districts, and Union County was created within 96 District. The counties had no local governments at the time. In 1791, Pinkney District was formed from 96 District and took in Union County. In 1800 Pinkney District was abolished, and the counties within it became districts with their own governments, thus Union County became Union District. In 1868 districts were renamed counties. Union District/County retained it’s size and shape until 1897 when Cherokee County was formed from the northern section of Union, and from other counties.
I checked the deed index for Union Co., SC and there were no Cathey listings at all. The records begin in 1785, which was after they’d moved away.
Archibald Cathey apparently served during the Revolutionary War according to what Samuel Cathey wrote on behalf of Joshua Dover. This is the second statement Samuel made which is the most interesting one for our purposes. I’ve bolded the pertinent names and underlined the sections that prove things about Archibald and Samuel
Samuel Cathey a citizen of Bledsoe County with whom I am well acquainted and who is as man of [????] and respectability; also came before me and after being duly sworn according to law deposeth and saith — that he was born in the year 1776 according to the best information which he has received, that he was old enough before the close of the revolutionary war to notice & recollect some incidents which occurred in it. He has been well acquainted with Joshua Dover for about forty years (the same person makes application for a pension under the act of 7th Jun 1832). Affiant about the time of his first acquaintance with Dover often heard him speak of his services in the revolutionary war — He often boasted of his services. Affiant often heard him recount the circumstances of his services in conversations with others who were then said to have been in the war - with Samuel Stout, a Mr. Burchfield and with affiants father, Archibald Cathey, who died in 1810, and whose return from the army on one or two occasions, affiant remembers and which he believes are the [concise?] circumstances upon which his memory can fasten. This was Burke County North Carolina where affiant was raised having been born in Union District, S. Carolina. It was generally said, understood and believed there that Joshua Dover had been a soldier in the service of the United States in the revolutionary war. Affiant has known Dover most of the time from that to the present has been intimate with him for many of the last years and knows that he cannot from loss of memory and mental imbecility detail the circumstances of his services as he formerly could.
Subscribed & sworn to before me the date above. Samuel Cathey
Elisha Kirklen Justice of the Peace for Bledsoe County
The way I read the above, Samuel Cathey is recounting his father Archibald coming home from the Army which means he served. The war lasted from 1776 to 1782, and Samuel states he was born in Union Dist., SC in 1776, but raised in Burke Co., NC, so that may mean they left SC while he was still quite small.
Unfortunately most of the early Burke County records were destroyed during the Civil War, thus we find no surviving records of Archibald Cathey in Burke in the 1770s or 1780s.
There is a belief that Archibald Cathey was the man who owned Cathey’s Mill on Grassy Creek where the “Overmountain men” camped on their way to the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780. This land, in present day Mitchell Co., NC, then part of Burke, is indeed where Archibald Cathey was granted land in the late 1790s. If he actually owned it in 1780, the records of him purchasing it were lost with the other early Burke County records. This area was about ten miles as the crow flies from Cathey’s Fort, built and owned by my ancestor, William Cathey (1750/54-1812), who could be Archibald’s 1st cousin, perhaps. (Purely speculative.)
Archibald Cathey may have sold his Grassy Creek land and moved back to South Carolina in the 1780s for his daughter Sarah Greenfield Cathey was born in that state in 1788 per her 1850, 1860 and 1870 census entries. Did they moved back to Union District, or to some other part of the state?
I’ve looked for Archibald Cathey on the 1790 census with no success. I didn’t find him in either North or South Carolina. It’s possible he is listed but his surname is illegible or badly butchered as sometimes happens, though I have looked at every Arch* in upper west South Carolina and the counties near Burke Co., NC. It is also possible they were in Georgia or Tennessee in 1790. Those records are lost.
Archibald Cathey was back in Burke Co., NC by 1793 for he was listed on the tax list in Cpt Caison’s Company which is where my Catheys were also listed. He had one white tithable (himself) and no land which supports him having sold the Mill earlier.
On 2 Jul 1796, Archibald Cathey entered 60 acres in Burke Co., NC described as “Including the mouth of Grassy Creek and joining his old survey on the north side including the mill shole (sic) for complement.” The land was surveyed on 16 May 1797 by Joseph Dobson, Deputy Surveyor. Chain Carriers were Archibald Cathey himself and Abel Simpkins. The survey description mentioned his own line meaning it bordered his other entry. (See below).
On the same date, 2 Jul 1796, “Archey” Cathey entered 150 acres in Burke Co., NC described as “on the waters of Grassy Creek joining his old survey on the west side.” The survey was dated 16 May 1797 by the same surveyor and chain carriers as the one above. The survey mentions William Lavender’s line.
The above suggests he purchased land next to where his Mill had been earlier since both grants mention his “old survey.” It is certainly possible that he still owned the mill from before. Due to the loss of Burke County deeds we may never know for sure.
There is an apparent widow Margaret Cathey on the 1810 census in Burke Co., NC. I suspect she was Archibald’s second wife. She’s too young to be Samuel’s mother. If I’m correct about who she is, she married Archibald in the 1790s probably.
Archibald Cathey and his son Samuel Cathey are listed side by side on the 1800 census in Burke Co., NC. Although they probably were neighbors, the census was alphabetical so we can’t really be sure of it. They were the only Catheys in Burke in 1800. George Cathey’s family was in Buncombe Co., NC and Logan Co., KY by this time.
1800 Census - Burke County, North Carolina
Page |
Name |
M0-9
|
M10-15
|
M16-25
|
M26-44
|
M45+
|
F0-9
|
F10-15
|
F16-25
|
F26-44
|
F45+
|
FPC
|
Slaves
|
738 |
Archibald Cathey |
~ |
~ |
~ |
1 |
~ |
2 |
1 |
~ |
1 |
~ |
~ |
~ |
738 |
Samuel Cathey |
2 |
~ |
1 |
~ |
~ |
1 |
~ |
1 |
~ |
~ |
~ |
~ |
My analysis (who each person *might* be)
1m 26-44 (1755/1774) Archibald Cathey (c1755/58)
1f 26-44 (1755/1774) Margaret (—) Cathey (1765/74), wife
1f 10-15 (1784/1790) Sarah Greenfield Cathey (1788) daughter
2f 0-9 (1790/1800) 1. Daughter?
2. Daughter?
Archibald Cathey died in 1810 according to the statement Samuel Cathey made for Joshua Dover’s Revolutionary War Pension.
Margaret Cathey is listed on the 1810 census in Burke Co., NC. I suspect she was Archibald’s second wife but don’t have solid proof of that. She was listed between the households of James Doherty and Charles Finley. Note that her surname is somewhat overwritten so it’s possible it doesn’t say Cathey at all. It appears to say Carthy which is a fairly common misspelling of Cathey. Judging by the neighbors, I don’t think she is in the Grassy Branch area but more likely in what is now McDowell County, but I can’t be certain. More research on the neighbors could determine that.
1810 Census - Burke County, North Carolina
Page |
Name |
M0-9
|
M10-15
|
M16-25
|
M26-44
|
M45+
|
F0-9
|
F10-15
|
F16-25
|
F26-44
|
F45+
|
FPC
|
Slaves
|
123/342 |
Margt Carthy |
2 |
~ |
~ |
~ |
~ |
1 |
~ |
~ |
1 |
~ |
~ |
~ |
My analysis (who each person *might* be)
2m 0-9 (1800/1810) 1. Son?
2. Son?
1f 26-44 (1765/1784) Margaret (—) Cathey (1765/74)
1f 0-9 (1800/1810) Daughter?
I found no record of Margaret after the 1810 census. The loss of the pre-1865 Burke County records is a huge impediment. We can assume she died shortly after 1810, or perhaps remarried, or moved out of state, or all three.
We know that Samuel L. Cathey and Sarah G. Cathey went to Floyd Co., KY by 1810. Perhaps Margaret followed them there after 1810.
More research is needed.
Archibald Cathey has one proven child, Samuel L. Cathey (1776).
Sarah Greenfield Cathey (1788) is almost certainly his child as she and Samuel Cathey were neighbors across several states.
I suspect John R. Cathey (bef 1775-1828) is also a son, but my only proof so far is that John named sons Archibald and Samuel, which could be coincidental of course.
There seem to be younger children with Archibald’s second wife Margaret per the 1800 and 1810 census. They haven’t been identified yet.
1. John R. Cathey (bef 1775-1828). John was born before 1775 per his 1820 census entry, which is unfortunately the only census record we have for him. If he is Archibald’s son, as I suspect, then he wasn’t born too much before 1775. He was born in Virginia according to the 1880 census records of his two oldest sons who lived that long. Other children list Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina, so his birth place isn’t certain by any means. John apparently went to Georgia before ca 1798 for he married Margaret there before ca 1798. They lived in GA for a couple of years then moved into TN where they remained except for a brief move to somewhere in Ohio ca 1809. They were back in TN by ca 1811. He died in Dickson Co., TN in 1828, she after 1850. My main suspicion for including John as a child of Archibald is that he named one of his older sons Archibald, and another one Samuel Cathey. Perhaps coincidental, but if John isn’t a son of this Archibald, then I don’t know to whom he belongs. John R. Cathey left a Will dated 1827 naming his children. Margaret was listed on the 1830, 1840 and 1850 censuses in Dickson Co., TN. I didn’t find her after 1850. Some of their children remained in Dickson, other went to Arkansas and Texas.
2. Samuel L. Cathey was born in 1776 in Union Dist., SC. He was raised in Burke Co., NC. It was probably there that he married Margaret, maiden name unknown, in the 1790s. She was born ca 1775/76 in North Carolina, perhaps Burke County. Samuel is listed on the 1800 census in Burke Co., NC. By 1810 he was in Floyd Co., KY. His sister Sarah was in Floyd that year also. The census was alphabetical so I don’t know if they lived near each other. Samuel and family moved to Tennessee before 1815, possibly in Bledsoe County. The 1820 census is lost for eastern Tennessee, but Samuel is listed on the 1830 census in Bledsoe Co., TN. There was an Archibald and Samuel B. Cathey also listed, but not nearby. They may be his sons. By 1840, Samuel had moved into neighboring Marion Co., TN. He was about ten houses from James Cathey, a probable son. Samuel’s sister Sarah and her family had also moved to Marion Co., TN by 1840. Sometime in the 1840s, Samuel Cathey moved to Cannon Co., TN a few counties to the north west of Marion. They are listed there on the 1850 census. Son James is next door. I didn’t find Samuel or Margaret on the 1860 census. They may have died in the 1850s. From census analysis they had as many as five sons and two daughters. I’ve identified four likely sons, and one daughter.
I should point out that I have yet to see any record showing this Samuel with a middle initial, so I don’t know why he’s listed as Samuel L. Cathey by some. There certainly could be records I haven’t seen yet. If that is his initial, it stands to reason he might have been named for a relative or family friend. I found a Samuel Littler in many Frederick Co., VA records including some that associate him with Phillip Bush (or Buck) and Alexander White, both of whom were witnesses to a 1771 deed that mentioned Jacob Cathey, perhaps a brother of Archibald Cathey. There was also a Samuel Lusk in a few Frederick records. It may be entirely coincidental that a different Samuel Lusk married Elizabeth Patton ca 1804. She was a granddaughter of George Cathey (c1725-1790). Samuel Lusk (the older one) also appeared in Shenandoah Co., VA records including one that also included John Sehorn (wife was Elizabeth Cathey). Thus, it’s entirely possible that Samuel L. Cathey was named for either of those men, though perhaps not.
3. Sarah Greenfield Cathey was born in 1788 per her tombstone, though that appears to be a recent marker for her and not an original. However, her 1850 census entry shows her as 62, which equals ca 1787/1788. It may be from this record that her birth date was obtained for the stone and not from some primary source. In 1860 she was 71 (c1788/89) which generally matches the 1850 entry. In 1870 she was 80, or born ca 1789/1790 which is close to the prior entries. All three of her census entries agree on her South Carolina birth place. Her birth place, and association with Samuel L. Cathey across three states, is strong circumstantial evidence that she is a child of Archibald Cathey. I’ve seen no evidence at all for her middle name being Greenfield. However, numerous online trees have her listed thus. I have no idea what the original source for it is though. Those same undocumented trees list her with various parents, including my William Cathey and Rebecca Holeman, which is definitely incorrect. Some show her as a child of Archibald which agrees with my thoughts. Those also list his wife as named Sarah Greenfield, the namesake for Sarah (1788). I don’t know if there is any evidence for that though. Others list her as a child of George Cathey and Sarah Greenfield. I don’t know which George Cathey that could have been, though I do believe they are mistaken about it anyway. Sarah Cathey married Solomon Mullins ca 1803 in Burke Co., NC. They were in Floyd Co., KY by 1810, as was her brother Samuel Cathey. Sarah was still there in 1820, but in Pike Co., KY by 1830. By 1840 they’d moved to Marion Co., TN where Samuel Cathey was then living, perhaps preceding him there. By 1850 they were in Boone Co., VA (now WV). Solomon died there in 1858. Sarah was listed there on the 1860 and 1870 census. She died Jan 1871 per her tombstone.
4. Unidentified Daughter (1790/1800). This child was with Archibald on the 1800 census, though not with widow Margaret in 1810 so probably married or dead by then. I don’t know who she might be.
5. Unidentified Daughter (1790/1800). This child was with Archibald on the 1800 census, though not with widow Margaret in 1810 so probably married or dead by then. I don’t know who she might be.
6. Unidentified Daughter (1800/1810). This child was with widow Margaret on the 1810 census. I don’t know who she might be.
7. Unidentified Son (1800/1810). This child was with widow Margaret on the 1810 census. I don’t know who he might be. There is a Silas M. Cathey on the 1840 census in Jennings Co., IN who is an age match. However, other than him being age compatible, I have no evidence linking them.
For Family Group Sheet and other notes see my database pages for Archibald Cathey and 1st wife, and Archibald Cathey and Margaret.
Revised: September 6, 2023
Copyright © 1996-2023 Marvin A. Grant, Jr. All Rights Reserved.
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