Nelson Holder Ritchie: Sarah McNeill Family

Sarah McNeill Family

The search for Sarah McNeill and her family has been very difficult. You have to remember in the years of slavery there were very few, if any, records kept on slaves. These slaves were treated as a possesion not as a person sadly enough. There was a 1850 and 1860 Slave Schedule which named the owners and then the age and sex of a slave, but no slave name. There were no birth,marriage or death records kept of the slaves. The only chance to actually see a slaves name is if there was a deed or a Will listing the slaves by name. Slaves took on the last name of their owners.

The most amazing tool to help in the discovery of our slave ancestors was the invention of DNA. Because of all the Ritchie descendants 54 so far and counting and the McNeill descendants 42 so far and counting that have had their DNA tested with Ancestry, we have been able to peice together this family. I have been working almost daily for the last 2 years with our cousin Desi Campbell in North Carolina to bring this family together. He is an amazing help and very knowledgeable in the black research. We have determined to the best of our ability with the lack of records that Sarah McNeill had 13 children. We believe her husbands name MAY have been Sherd or Sherod because of the many grandchildren named Sherd and Sherod. We have no proof of this being his name but hope to someday.

Sarah was owned by a man by the name of Neill McNeill in Cumberland County North Carolina. In 1812 Neill McNeill writes a will and gives Sarah to his daughters, Catheriene,Mary and Sarah and his son Hector. In 1841 Mary McNeill (who never married) gives Sarah to her sister Catherine. On the 1850 Slave Schedule Sarah is living with Catherine McNeill, (who never married). On the 1860 Slave Schedule Sarah is living with Jennett (who never married), a neice of Catherine. We cannot find Sarah any where in the 1870 census. She would be a free women. In 1880 Sarah is living with her son Charles. Sarah lived to be at least 80 years old or older. Amazing considering what she had to endure in her life time. I cannot wait to met Sarah and her family someday.

Double Click on this history to make it bigger and easy to read.

This is the McNeill land that Sarah would have lived and worked on

This is the Summerville Church that Sarah could have possibly attended. One of the few remaining churches in Cumberland and Harnett Counties with a slave balcony.

Slave balcony

This is the family of Sarah McNeill

1 CHILD: Elizabeth (Lizzy) McNeill born 1815 Barbecue,Cumberland,North Carolina died 1909 Barbecue,Harnett,North Carolina Married abt 1835 Daniel J Harrington - Had children: Mr. Harrington 1835-1880,Africa J Harrington 1837-1923,Emory Harrington 1838-,Mollie Harrington 1840-,Chloe Harrington 1843-,Winnie C Harrington 1845-,Patsey Harrington 1851-,Viney Harrington 1854-,Daniel J Harrington 1856-,Sherod A Harrington 1860-1931

2 CHILD:Mr. McNeill 1816 Cumberland,North Carolina died unknown married about 1832 Maria 1816-1914-Had children Warren McNeill 1833-1899,Gaston McNeill 1835-,Sophronia McNeill 1838-,Isreal McNeill 1840-1920,Stokes McNeill 1841-1900,Clinton McNeill 1842-1921,Pink McNeill 1845-,Kitty Eliza McNeill 1847-1934,Green McNeill 1849-,Thomas McNeill 1851-,Billy McNeill 1853-,Annie McNeill 1855-,Ned McNeill Sr. 1857-1921

3 CHILD:Diana McNeill 1817 Cumberland,North Carolina died 1920 Maxton,Robeson,North Carolina Married abt 1832 Henry B McLean 1815-?-Had children Sandy McLean 1833-1920,Annie McLean 1837-1947

4 CHILD: William(Billy) McNeill 1818 Cumberland County North Carolina died before 1880 Harnett,North Carolina Married abt 1854 Ammie 1815-1880 Had children Lydia (Lettie) Jane McNeill 1855-1931,William H McNeill 1856-,Jeffrey E McNeill 1857-1931, John A McNeill 1861-1931,Gabriel B McNeill 1864-1916

5 CHILD: Miss McNeill Holder born 1820 Cumberland County North Carolina died about 1840 Turnback,Lawrence,Missouri Had child by Wiley Holder 1812-1888 Had children Nelson Holder Ritchie. Had child Caroline Richey 1838-1878 by unknown man.

Nelson Holder Ritchie

6 CHILD: Stephen McNeill 1823 Cumberland County North Carolina died after 1871 married about 1852 Charlotte McNeill 1838- Had Children Will McNeill 1853-1940,Ben McNeill 1854-1938,Annie Eliza McNeill 1859-1935,John McNeill 1861-,Sarah McNeill 1862-,Daniel McNeill 1866-1920,Stephen McNeill Jr. 1867-,Charlie H McNeill 1868-1946,Hector McNeill 1869-,Archie McNeill 1871-1918

7 CHILD: Daniel C McNeill Oct 1824 Cumberland County North Carolina died after 1856 married abt 1849 Nancy McPhalter 1825-1899 Had Children Duncan McNeill 1850-1919,Angus McNeill 1853-,Nicy McNeill 1856-1929 and adopted a daughter McEachern McNeill 1873-.

8 CHILD: Gabrel or Gabriel McNeill (Bachus) born 1825 Cumberland County North Carolina died after 1900 Married abt 1841 Caroline McLean 1827-1870 Had children Pennie Jane McNeill 1842-1918,Sherod or Sherd 1845-1928,Mary Catherine McNeill 1846-1917 Cherry McNeill 1851-,Hepsie Amanda McNeill 1851-1910,John McNeill 1852-1918,Sylvia McNeill 1856-, Nancy McNeill 1860-1935,Hugh McNeill 1861-,Julia or Judith 1862-1930 Gabriel married second abt 1871 Maria 1852-, had children Carrie Bachus 1872-,Susie Bachus 1874,Mary Bachus 1877-,Lillie Mae Bachus 1882-1971.

Sherd or Sherod McNeill-the son of Sherod Sr.

Believed to be John McNeill

Believed to be Hugh McNeill

9 CHILD: Charles McNeill born abt 1826 Cumberland County North Carolina died before 1900 Harnett County North Carolina married about 1851 Jennie McKay or McKoy 1838-1917 Had children Amy McNeill 1852-,Charles Moore McNeill 1853-1922,Sarah Ann McNeill 1857-,Millie Jane McNeill 1860-1917,Sophie E McNeill 1864-1945,Ben W McNeill 1870-,Mary McNeill 1872-,John T McNeill 1874-,Sherd McNeill 1877-,Anne Jane McNeill 1878-1923,Neill A McNeill 1880-,Flora A McNeill 1881-,Dicie Ann McNeill 1887-1991.

Dicie Ann McNeill

10 CHILD: Miss McNeill born abt 1827 Cumberland County North Carolina died after 1850 married a Mr McLean Had children Matilda McLean 1850-1920.

11 CHILD: Hannah McNeill born abt 1832 Cumberland County North Carolina died after 1867 married abt 1857 Isaaac Coffield 1817-, Had children Helen Coffield 1858-,Katie E Coffield 1864-1940, Major H Coffield 1867-1897.

12 CHILD: Dolly McNeill born June 1835 Cumberland County North Carolina died 8 Aug 1918 Arkansas married abt 1856 Reverand John Nelson 1829-, Had children Jane (Jennie) Nelson 1857-,Henry Benjamin Nelson 1860-1923,Neal A Nelson 1864-1932,Mary Nelson 1868-,John Lemon Nelson 1870-1938,Melinda Nelson 1872-1935, Rosa E Nelson 1872-1921,Caroline Callie Nelson 1875-1933,James Nelson 1885-.

John Lemon Nelson

13 CHILD: Sophie McNeill born abt 1840 Cumberland County North Carolina died after 1870 married about 1866 Americus Austin 1822-1928 Had Children Patsy Austin 1867-1929,Julia Austin 1869-1932,Emily Austin 1870-1928.

Patsy Austin

SLAVE OWNERS MCNEILL

This is the family of Neill McNeill that came from Scotland in 1774 to Cumberland County North Carolina. Cumberland County became Harnett County in 1855. This McNeill family owned Sarah and some of Sarah's children.

Archibald McNeill married Nancy Ann Ray. Nancy Ann Ray left Cumberland County North Carolina with her son Neill McNeill and settled in Lawrence County Missouri. Archibald McNeill's wife Nancy Ann Ray McNeill raised our Grandfather Nelson Holder Ritchie.

Will of Neill McNeill10 Feb 1812

Will of Margaret McNeill 1 Dec 1821

Will of Archibald McNeill 10 Aug 1812

Inventory of Archibald McNeill by wife Nancy McNeill

Will of Mary McNeill 31 March 1841

Will of Hector McNeill 23 May 1853

Hector McNeill the brother of Archibald McNeill and the son of Neill McNeill Sr.

1850 Slave Schedule Catherine McNeill slaves

1860 Slave Schedule Jennette McNeill slaves

1880 Census of Harnett County North Carolina

This is the family of Neill McNeill that took Nelson's Mother,Miss McNeill Holder, from Cumberland County North Carolina and took her far away from her family to Lawrence County Missouri where she gave birth to Nelson Holder Ritchie on the 24 Aug 1840 and then died shortly there after. Strange to think Nelson grew up with Neill's children.Below are pictures of Neill's son William Duncan McNeill and Neill's daughter Nancy Catherine McNeill. Nelson ran away from the McNeill farm in about 1855,he probably did not know Neill's son Nevin Porter McNeill. It seems that Nelson ran away right after Neill's mother Nancy Ann McNeill died. It makes since that he would leave after the women he said raised him died.