1. James Thomas Long b about 1780 Maryland; 1830 Macon NC census

+ Rebecca Sherrill in Lincoln NC

2. Martha Matilda Long

2. Simeon Long - born Lincoln NC; 1850 Macon NC census

+ Sarah L

2. Labon Lafayette Long - born Lincoln Co. Lived 1850 Macon NC

+ Caroline Carpenter - born Buncombe Co

3. Althea M born Macon Co

3. M.M f born Macon Co

3. M. R. f born Macon Co

3. N. C. f born Macon Co

3. John W. born Macon Co

3. Henry Clay born Macon Co

3. Thomas born Macon Co

3. Rose born Macon Co

3. Sarah born Macon Co

2. Martin Luther Long. Lived in Gilmer Co GA

3. Henry Putnam Long

4. Robert Luther Long,William Van Buren Long, James Henry Long,Frances Amanda Long Slaughter,Mary Matilda Long Broome,Hugh Sherrill Long, Rebecca E. Long Hassell, John Daniel Long & Martin Valentine Long

2. Elisha Thomas Long. born Lincoln NC; 1850 Macon NC census

+ Mary A.

3. Preston born Macon Co

3. Serena born Macon Co

3. Perren born Macon Co

3. Thomas W. born Macon Co

3. Rebecca born Macon Co

2. William Long

Catawba Co. Genealogical Society Gaston-Lincoln Co. Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 2406 P.O. Box 584
Hickory, N.C. 28603 Mt. Holly, N.C. 28120

Yadkin Co. Historical Society
P.O. Box 1250
Yadkinville, N.C. 27055

SUBJECT: Descendants of Thomas (or Anthony ?) Long b. ca 1764, MD.

Ladies/Gentlemen:

In the Heritage of Yadkin Co., article #654 “The Long Family”; and Heritage of Catawba Co., article #484 “The Long Family”, information is given which is also repeated on the internet and contain some discrepancies. The current information supplied here could be of benefit to others who may be tracing this same line in the counties addressed. I would welcome any discussion which could further enhance the research.

1) Anthony Long is identified in these articles as their oldest known ancestor. We have found no written historical record to confirm that his legal name was “Anthony”. It was probably derived from the personal recollection of a family member, instead of actual documentation. All of the records found in Prince George Co., MD. refer to Thomas Long as the father of the 5 sons and the husband of (1) Mary ______, then (2) Mary Holly/Hallie. Perhaps “Anthony” was an additional part of his name, or a nickname, but we don’t know. We have found a record of the birth of a Thomas Long b. 1/15/1764 in Prince Georges Co., MD. which may be this individual.

2) Thomas Long married (1) “Mary” and had two sons : James Thomas Long b. 4/4/1785 and Anthony Long b. ca 1786. Orphan’s Court record in Maryland refer to “Mary” as his first wife and the mother of these two boys. (This may be the marriage recorded for Thomas Long /Mary Conner on 9/5/1779 in Prince Georges Co., MD.)

3) Thomas Long married (2) Mary Holly on 7/30/1791 in Port Tobacco, Charles Co., MD. and had three sons: John Long b. 11/15/1791, William b. 12/28/1792, and Jonathon b. 4/8/1794.

4) Thomas Long died 9/1/1795 in Prince Georges Co., MD. Mary Holly Long then married Hanson Stone Athey/Athon on 4/9/1798 and migrated in 1799 to Lincoln Co., then Yadkin Co., N.C. However, before leaving Maryland the new couple elected to surrender the two step-sons, James Thomas Long and Anthony Long, to the guardianship of the boys’ uncle, Jonathon Long (b. ca 1765) of Lincoln Co., N.C. The court document is signed by Hanson (X) Athey and Jonathon (X) Long.

This latter fact is confirmed by Orphan’s Court records in Maryland, as well as court records in Lincoln Co., N.C. In addition, a manuscript “Record of the Day Family,” by W. A. Day records that Lewis Day , a tailor by trade, came to Sherrill’s Ford, N.C. in 1799. Lewis’ first work after arriving “...was to make a suite of Broadcloth clothes for Jonathon Long to wear to Maryland after his people. The late William Long...” (1792-1884) “...who died at an advanced age many years ago, was one of the number being a boy seven years of age...”

5) Anthony Long b. ca 1788 , one of these 5 boys, was raised in Lincoln Co. from 1800 when he was about 12 yrs old. The record of marriage with Catherine Sherrill (b. 1778) is lacking in confirmation of an actual link to these same Long boys, but seems more than coincidence. Three daughters of Elisha Sherrill/Leah Litten married men named Long. The names and dates coincide. The other two Sherrill sisters’ marriages can definitely be tied to this Long family under discussion. I am convinced that Anthony was one of these brothers, although we have not yet succeeded in locating further evidence about this part of the family.

6) William Long (b. 1792) has been shown as married (1) to Mary “Polly” Welch. I believe this to be incorrect. Correspondence with Welch family descendants indicates that this Mary Welch was married to a William Long , son of George Long and Ann Davis, and that she died 8/21/1856 in Scott Co., IL.

I believe this to the the known record of William’s family:

1 William LONG b: 12/28/1792 , Prince Georges, MD. d: 8/29/1884 Catawba, Catawba, N.C. Burial: Catawba Methodist Cemetery, Catawba, N.C.
.. +Ruth SHERRILL b: 1/23/1788 , Lincoln, N.C. m: 7/23/1814 in , Lincoln, N.C. d: 9/6/1831 Sherrill's Ford, Lincoln, N.C. Burial: Sherrill Cemetery, Sherill's Ford, Catawba, N.C.
.... 2 Mahala LONG b: 5/7/1815 , Lincoln, N.C. d: 2/27/1893 , Catawba, N.C. Burial: Sherrill Plot, Catawba Meth. Church, Catawba, N.C.
......... +Henderson SHERRILL b: 11/6/1807 , Lincoln, N.C. m: 7/19/1832 in Catawba, Catawba, N.C. d: 8/25/1866 , Catawba, N.C. Burial: Sherrill Plot, Catawba Meth. Church, Catawba, N.C.
.... 2 Uriah LONG b: 3/7/1817 , Lincoln, N.C. d: 4/13/1844 Terrell, Catawba, N.C. Burial: Rehobeth Methodist, Terrell, Catawba, NC
......... +Sarah E. SHERRILL b: 11/25/1819 , Lincoln, N.C. m: 12/30/1839 in , Lincoln, N.C. d: 8/28/1906 Terrell, Catawba, N.C. Burial: Rehobeth Methodist, Terrell, Catawba, NC
.... 2 Ruth LONG b: 1830 , Lincoln, N.C. d: Aft. 1850
*2nd Wife of William LONG:
.. +Rachel Eveline ROBINSON b: 7/20/1810 , Haywood, N.C. m: 1/22/1834 in , Lincoln, N.C. d: 5/23/1899 Catawba, Catawba, N.C. Burial: Catawba Methodist Cemetery, Catawba, N.C.
.... 2 Thomas Simpson LONG b: 11/2/1834 , Lincoln, N.C. d: 6/29/1884 Newton, Catawba, N.C. Burial: Catawba Methodist Cemetery, Catawba, N.C.
......... +Rosanna Camilla Neill b: 5/27/1833 , , N.C. m: 4/27/1853 in , Iredell, N.C. d: 8/4/1884 Newton, Catawba, N.C. Burial: Catawba Methodist Cemetery, Catawba, N.C.
.... 2 Jane Elizabeth LONG b: 3/25/1837 , Lincoln, N.C. d: 5/31/1903 Catawba, Catawba, N.C. Burial: Catawba Methodist Cemetery, Catawba, N.C.
......... +George Washington CANSLER b: 10/29/1831 , Lincoln, N.C. m: 9/17/1856 in , Catawba, N.C. d: 11/9/1896 , Catawba, N.C. Burial: Catawba Methodist Cemetery, Catawba, N.C.

Dec 27, 2005-Rec'd following from Dan Laing:
Dear Claude:

I am interested in pursuing the identity of Thomas Long. I believe that there were two Thomas Longs, probably one the son of the other, at the time and that the identities have become confused. The original Thomas Long was most likely Thomas Laing (born Nov, 1725, in Clatt, Aberdeenshire, Scotland), a Jacobite that was sentenced to exile in the Americas in 1746 and according to our family legends, was indentured as a carpenter repairing ships on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Records are sketchy at the time. The English seem to have translated his name from the Scottish Laing to Long and this seems to have persisted until his sons or grandsons, William, Robert, David, Cornelious, Charles, and James reestablished themselves as Laings. The six men turned up in the area of the Scottish settlement of Darien about 1800 and gave their place of birth as North Carolina. We have examined all other possibilities, and this is the best possibility. James Laing was given as James the younger. Dates of birth in North Carolina are William 1775, Robert 1778, David 1785, Cornelious 1787, Charles 1789, and James the younger 1789. The fact that both Charles and James were born in the same year perhaps indicates a tightly knit extended family although the records state that they were brothers.

Additional evidence of the Laings having been established in Marylad are as follows:

Alexander Laying
married
Henrietta Dawson
25 Sep 1795
First Methodist Episcopal Church,
Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland
NOTE: Alexander Laying was noted
in later records as Alexander Laing

Charles Laing
married
Sarah Darby
22 Sep 1786
Dorchester County Maryland

John Laing
married
Rosanna Smoot
26 Jan 1791
Great Choptank Parish,
Cambridge, Dorchester, Maryland

Thomas Laying
married
Henne Dawson
25 Sep 1795
First Methodist Episcopal Church,
Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland
NOTE: Thomas Laying was noted
as Thomas Lang or Long in later records

By 1810, records seem to indicate that this branch of Laings had left Maryland for there are no furhter records for them there. Indeed, they seem to have disappeared from the country. We believe that this indicates that they had moved elsewhere and were in the records under Long or Lang, hence our search.

Please let me know if you think that your Thomas Long might be our Thomas Laing.

Appreciatively,
Daniel H. Laing