Campbell Family Page
Welcome to The Campbell Family Page, which furnishes historical detail beyond the site index, exploring two generations of Campbells going back to John Campbell, born in Scotland ca. 1745.
8. Catherine Campbell– The mother of Alexander MacRae, was born Aug.,10, 1760 in Perth, Scotland to parents John Campbell and Jean Stewart (Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950 on Ancestry.com), Catherine married Farquhar McRae probably in Perth, Scotland and they migrated to North Carolina in the 1780's. The couple first settled in Richmond Co, NC, then in Anson Co. NC. Together they had seven known children prior to Farquhar's death ca.1834. Catherine likely died before 1840, as she does not appear alone or with any of her children on the 1840 census. There is an unidentified female, age 50-59, living with Alexander MacRae (whose first wife had just died) in the 1830 Humphreys Co. TN census and it is tempting to think this is his mother, Catherine. (Records show that the land Faquhar and Catherine lived in Anson Co. NC was sold in 1834 after his death, making it likely that Catherine left North Carolina to be with family in another state.)
Farquhar's wil lists his wife, Catherine, and 7 children: Alexander (b.ca. 1786-90), John Campbell McRae (ca.1795-1862), Archibald C. (ca.1798-1836), Hugh (1802-1862), Margaret (b.ca.1810), Elizabeth, and Daniel (d. before 1834). An Anson County, NC deed, dated Jan. 16, 1834, states that the property formerly lived on by Farguhard McRae, deceased, is being sold to Henry Haney by Farquhar’s consort (widow), Catherine McRae and her children, including: John C. McRae, Archibald McRae, Alexander McRae, Hugh McRae, Margaret McRae, Elizabeth McRae, all heirs of Farguhard McRae, deceased, as well as Daniel McRae, a deceased heir. All of the above McRaes except Alexander (who was in Tennessee) and Daniel, appear as signatories for the deed. The document has an X for Catherine's signature, indicating that she hay have been present in North Carolina in 1834, at least for the signing of the deed of sale. (Book Y Page 578 Anson County North Carolina Land Transactions) After Farquhar’s death, many of their children left North Carolina and settled in Mississippi, his oldest son Alexander having gone early on to Tennessee and lived to a ripe old age, according to an old family letter dated May 26,1889.
Ancestry.com shows many robust DNA matches of the line of Alexander McRae of Humphreys Co. TN to Farquhar McRae and his siblings as well as Catherine and her brother Finley Campbell (1775-1827). A 1760 Scottish birth record identifies Catherine's parents as John Campbell (ca 1745-1804) and Jannet/Jean Stewart (ca 1740-after 1800).
9. John Campbell was born ca.1745 in Fortingall, Perthshire, Scotland. He married Jean Stewart in Dull, Perth, Scotland on Jan. 17, 1766 (Scotland, Select Marriages, 1561-1910 on Ancestry.com). There is also a Scottish birth record for their youngest son, Finley Campbell (Nov.14,1775) showing John and Jannet Stewart Campbell as his parents. Many family trees show Jannet as dying in Scotland in 1777, but without supporting evidence--actually there is census evidence inferring that she may have come to America and lived until after 1800. John and his family immigrated to North Carolina ca. 1776.
Land records: On Jan. 28, 1778, John Campbell acquired 100 acres of land near his current residence in Anson Co. NC. This land purchase is the earliest known record of John in America (assuming it is not a different John Campbell). There is another John Campbell who sold land in the same area in early 1775, but this seems to be a different individual since Scottish records place the birth of Finley in late 1775 in Scotland. In 1783, “John Campbell of Richmond County and State aforesaid, planter” purchased 200 acres of land on the North side of Pee Dee River in Richmond Co. from James Poston of Anson County, NC. (Anson. Deeds 1791–1795 on FamilySearch) In May 14, 1794, John Campbell purchased 823 acres in Anson County, with Farquhar Campbell and Roderick McLeod (likely father-in-law of Alexander McRae) as witnesses. (Anson. Deeds 1791–1795 on FamilySearch) A land purchase of this much land indicates prosperity and established residence in the area. On May 24, 1794, John Campbell and his son, Finley Campbell, signed as a witneses on a land purchase in Anson County by Farquhar McRae, father-in-law of Catherine Campbell McRae--showing a connection between the two families. (Anson. Deeds 1791–1795 on FamilySearch) A land record from Dec. 13, 1804 states: "This indenture made this 13th day of December in the year of our Lord 1804 between Finley Campbell and Farguhart Campbell heirs of John Campbell dec'd. late of the County of Anson and State of North Carolina of the one part and Roderick McLeod." From this we known that John Campbell has died by Dec. 13, 1804 and two of his sons (Finley & Farquhar) are selling some or all of his land to Roderick McLeod. Roderick moves to Humphreys Co. Tennessee after 1810, and he is likely the father of Jane McLeod who married Alexander McRae in Humphreys Co. ca. 1822.
Census records: The 1784-87 NC census shows "John Campble" age 16-60 and 3 females in Richmond Co. NC. In the 1790 census John is still in Richmond Co. NC. His household shows 2 males over 16 (John and his eldest son, Farquhar Campbell--likely born ca. 177o), one male under 16 (Finley, b.1775) and 2 females (wife Jannet and possibly Catherine or an unknown sister). If Catherine was single and living with them in 1790, she must have married Farquhar McRae later that year since their first son, Alexander McRae, was born ca. 1790. In the Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index of 1795 John is still in Richmond but by the 1800 census, John Campbell was in Fayetteville, Anson Co. NC where he and his (presumed) wife are both listed as over 45.
John died without a will in 1804. His wife died some time after 1800. An 1801 Raleigh, NC newspaper lists a 1801 tax sale notice for "150 acres near Col. Daniel Smith, property of Jean Campbell." If her husband, John Campbell, died ca. 1804, he was probably still alive in 1801 and may possibly have transferred land or dower provision to his wife Jean by this time. Raleigh newspaper notices in the 1790s often published statewide tax delinquency sales, not just Wake County lands. It's very plausible this land was still located in Anson County or nearby. Nothing further is known about Jannet/Jean and her parents. There is a Scottish baptism record which reads: “John Campbell & Margaret McGregor in Turglomand had a child named John” ca. 1745. (Old Parish Registers Birth; p.175 National Records of Scotland) If this is my John's birth record, it affirms his year of birth in 1745 and his parents' names. (If it is a different John Campbell then Catherine's father may have been born ca. 1740.) There are also records of Catherine Campbell being born in 1760 and John Campbell's marriage to Jannet Stewart in 1766, which may or may not represent a conflict, and makes John about 15 when Catherine was born.
Assuming all of these records refer to the same Campbell family, we can reconstruct a plausible narrative that reconciles the apparent inconsistencies. John Campbell, born around 1745 to John Campbell and Margaret McGregor in Turglomand—a rural area in the Highland parish of Kenmore or nearby Fortingall—reached adulthood in the 1760s and entered into a relationship with a woman named Jannet Stewart (also appearing as Jean Stewart in later records). Their daughter, Catherine Campbell, was born on August 10, 1760, in Perthshire, prior to their formal marriage, which was solemnized on January 17, 1766, in the parish of Dull. This sequence, while appearing irregular by modern standards, was not uncommon in 18th-century Highland Scotland, where children were frequently born before a formal church marriage due to economic hardship, remoteness, or informal unions being culturally recognized.
Other John Campbells in Colonial North Carolina: There is another John Campbell of the same time period who was Sheriff of Cumberland Co.,NC and a slave holder who appears to be different from the John Campbell who lived in Richmond and Anson counties, married Jannet Stewart and shows no slaves in the censuses. Another is John Campbell Jr. of Rowan County, and an earlier John Campbell in the Anson Co. area (a relative?) who owned and sold land there in the years before Catherine's family emigrated from Scotland.