We Descend from Scottish Highlanders Escaping Persecution

Top Ten Things a Hamby Should Know:
#4 - WE DESCEND FROM SCOTTISH HIGHLANDERS ESCAPING PERSECUTION


Our Clark ancestors tell a fascinating story of religious persecution among Scottish Highlanders and their escape to America. Grandpa C.P. Hamby’s mother Laura’s family originates with Alexander Clark, her third great grandfather who came from the island of Jura in Argyll County off the coast of Scotland. He arrived in the Cape Fear area of North Carolina in 1736.


Alexander’s family, particularly his grandfather who endured the Battle of the Boyne, had suffered much in wars that desolated Scotland with persecution heaviest against Presbyterians. Returning to Scotland by ship after escaping to Ireland during the conflict, Alexander’s grandfather ascended a hill that overlooked his residence and gazed in sadness on desolation below, saying “but three smokes in all Jura could be seen.” All his family had perished. He eventually remained in Jura, having for his second wife one whose infant had been taken from her arms, its head severed in her presence and used to beat the mother until she was left for dead.


Gilbert, the only surviving son from his first wife and our ancestor, also remained on the island of Jura and reared a family. His son, named Alexander after his grandfather, moved to North Carolina seeking freedom from the type of religious persecution his family had faced. He settled in Cape Fear with what is referred to as the Argyll Colony. They were instrumental in forming the famous Barbecue Presbyterian Church there in 1757.

The Lugene Hamby Window at Trinity UMC

One of the large stained glass windows at Trinity UMC in Tuscaloosa, adjacent to the campus of the University of Alabama, is named after my Grandpa Hamby's brother Lugene Bryant (Gene) Hamby. In the memorial information on my grand uncle, it makes note of our Taylor legacy.

The memorial information on the window and the life of Gene Hamby is below. Trinity UMC was once called Brandon Memorial Methodist Church. To see the window and the original memorial, check out the Glastonbury Thorn window.  

The Glastonbury Thorn Window

The Nativity

The first window nearest the back of the church contains Glastonbury thorn blossoms, a peculiarly English symbol which represents the events attending our Lord's birth.  According to tradition, the ancient thorn-tree which stands just within the gates of the ruined abbey at Glastonbury, Somersetshire, is a descendent of the thornwood staff planted by St. Joseph of Arimathaea, who is said to have introduced Christianity into England in the Year A.D. 63.  The Glastonbury thorn bursts into bloom about Christmas Day each year, and the blossoms have become a symbol of our Lord's Nativity.

This window was given by the Log Cabin Bible Class of Brandon Memorial Methodist Church in memory of Lugene ("Gene") Bryant Hamby.

Lugene Bryant Hamby

1879 - 1942

Lugene Bryant Hamby was an active member of Brandon Memorial Methodist Church for many years.  He was a member of the Board of Stewards and served as Chairman of the Board.  He was proprietor of the Hamby Barber Shop on Greensboro Avenue in Tuscaloosa.  Mr. and Mrs. Hamby and their eight children lived on 10th Street, right across from Brandon Memorial, and the whole family was involved in the work of the church.

Lugene Bryant was born October 20, 1879, one of seven sons of George Hamby, a Confederate veteran, and Laura Clark Hamby.  There was also one daughter. His parents were also members of Brandon Memorial.  His great-grandfather, Isaac Taylor, was a Methodist Circuit Rider, and two of his brothers, William T. and Charles P., were ministers in the North Alabama Methodist Conference.  His father-in-law John Alexander was a Methodist Circuit Rider in Mississippi, and his son Gene Malcolm (Mack) Hamby was a minister and conference evangelist in the North Alabama Conference.  Many other family members served the Methodist Church, both as ministers and as lay people.

Mr. and Mrs. Hamby were the parents of four sons and four daughters.  The tragedy of their lives was the death of their youngest son Bobby in 1937 at the age of 15.  Bobby was an honor student and an active member of the church youth group.  A scrapbook made by one of  Bobby’s sisters showed the love and support the family received at that time from the good members of Brandon Memorial. 

On March 24, 1942, Lugene Bryant Hamby died unexpectedly of a heart attack while visiting a neighbor near his home on 10th Street, and is buried with other family members at Evergreen Cemetery.   Honorary pallbearers were the members of the Board of Stewards of Brandon Memorial Methodist Church.

Descended from Williams Cove

Top Ten Things a Hamby Should Know:

#3 - WE DESCEND FROM WILLIAMS COVE

Just southeast of Winchester, TN is a stretch of road called Williams Cove. It is named after our ancestor, Corp. J. Sherrod Williams, Sr, who was deeded the 900 acres by Andrew Jackson after the War of 1812. His father was Welsh, but he moved there from North Carolina with his wife, Polly Looney, daughter of Rev. War veteran Michael Looney. They brought the first 9 of their 18 kids, plus 3 slaves, and raised cattle, swine, horses, grain, and sugar cane.

He is buried in a most unique above-ground grave, with a lengthy epitaph on the headstone that reads, "Sacred to the memory of Sherrod Williams - He was born April 20, 1776 and died September 12, 1831, age 55 years, 4 months, 3 weeks and 1 day. 'Blessed are the dead who died in the Lord from Henceforth, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them.'" His grave, along with Polly's with the unique finger pointing upward, can be found in a garden graveyard toward the end of Williams Cove Road, behind a white house in the great bend of the road on the left, and it is worth the trip to see.

Williams was my 3rd great grandfather, an ancestor of Granny Louie Williams Hamby. Her ancestral line did not migrate far from Winchester to Bridgeport, Alabama, where she met Grandpa C.P. Hamby when he, a widower, was preaching a revival.

Hamby Ancestors That Served Our Country

Top Ten Things a Hamby Should Know:
#2 - SEVERAL DIRECT ANCESTORS SERVED OUR COUNTRY IN WARTIME

This Memorial Day, let's commemorate those that served our country faithfully but threaten to be lost in family memory. My research has uncovered these direct ancestors who survived war to have children in our lineage. This doesn't count all the cousins and descendants of these who undoubtedly served:

George W. Hamby - Father of Rev. C.P. Hamby, Sr, 47th AL Infantry & 1st AL Artillery CSA, prisoner of war captured in Battle of Mobile and imprisoned on Ship Island, buried Evergreen Cemetery Tuscaloosa.

James B. Arendale - My 2nd great grandfather, maternal grandfather of Granny Louie Hamby, 1st Lt. Co G, 3rd Confederate Cavalry, CSA, buried Mt. Carmel Bridgeport, AL.

Daniel Price - My 3rd g-grandfather (his daughter married James B. Arendale), E. TN Vol Infantry, War of 1812, buried Mt. Carmel Bridgeport, AL.


Anjer Price - My 5th g-grandfather (his granddaughter Ann MacFarlane married Daniel Price, buried at Mt. Carmel with him and probably cousins), Revolutionary War sergeant in Virginia Regiments and wounded in thigh in skirmish while on scouting party to Norfolk, worked as wagon master and marched in Seige of Savannah, burial unknown.


Robert McFarlane, my 5th g-grandfather, Revolutionary War private in Virginia, other grandfather of Ann MacFarlane listed above and buried at Mt. Carmel in Bridgeport, burial unknown.

J. Sherrod Williams - My 3rd g-grandfather, great grandfather of Grannie Louie Hamby, Corporal in W TN Vol, War of 1812, buried in Williams Cove near Winchester, TN.

Michael Looney - My 4th g-grandfather, father-in-law of Sherrod Williams listed above and his wife Polly Looney Williams, Revolutionary War private, rec'd 640 acres in bounty land grant, a descendant cousin of ours became governor of GA during Civil War, buried Looney Cemetery Hawkins, TN.

Absalem Looney - My 5th g-grandfather, father of Michael Looney, migrated from Ireland, soldier in Revolutionary War militia, discovered Abb's Valley in VA and furnished supplies, died Dunkards Springs, VA but burial unkown.


Gilbert Clark - My 5th great grandfather and ancestor of Laura Clark Hamby, Captain of Militia in Revolutionary War in North Carolina. Was also Justice of the Peace, planter, and Presbyterian immigrant escaping persecution from Jura Island, Scotland to Cape Fear.

Joel Blackwell Arendale, father of James B. listed above and wife of Elizabeth Dare, was not of age to fight but is found in the "Confederate Citizens File" in support of the CSA war effort through goods and services, buried in Doran's Cove cemetery near Russell Cave.

From the Family of Virginia Dare

Top Ten Things an Alabama Hamby Should Know:

#1 - WE ARE DESCENDED FROM THE FAMILY OF VIRGINIA DARE

Virginia Dare was the first white child born on our continent, born in 1587 in Virginia (in an area now in North Carolina). What became of her and the "lost colony" that disappeared by 1590 remains a mystery. John Smith of the Jamestown settlement conducted a search and concluded they had deceased. Her name is prominently in American myth and folklore. We can not be descended from her directly, since she died with the colony. But the family story was passed down (and passed down on other branches of the family tree) that we descend from her Dare relatives, who presumably migrated here.

Granny Louie Hamby's maternal grandfather was James B. Arendale, who fought in the confederate cavalry and is buried at Mt. Carmel near Bridgeport. His mother, Elizabeth Dare (my 3rd great grandmother) is buried with husband Joel B. Arendale in the graveyard by the school our Granny taught in, across from the entrance of Russell Cave. She is our connection with Virginia Dare.

Harris Taylor Family Bible

This information was found from the Harris Taylor Family Bible:


From: D K Bridges <dbridge7@bellsouth.net>
Subject: [Family_Bibles] Rev Harris Taylor Bible (of Alabama)
Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 21:28:33 -0500


Published in the Taylor Quarterly, Volume 2., No. 4, Fall 1984
(found in Huntsville Public Library, Huntsville, Alabama)

HARRIS TAYLOR BIBLE
Contributed by Miss Essie Busby, Mesquite, TX from a compilation of New
Mexico Bible records by Mrs. Albert A. Sidney, 1959. The Bible is a H
& E Phinney’s Stereotype Edition, Cooperstown, NY, 1843
Harris Taylor 25 Nov 1847 (on front page of Bible)

MARRIAGES
Harris Taylor and Nancy Self were married Dec 28th A.D. 1826
Asbury Gossett and Nancy Taylor, wife of Rev. Harris Taylor, Deceased
was married on Tuesday, the 24th of July in the year of our Lord, 1860.

J.B. Taylor and Mary Frances was married June 4th, A.D. 1851
T.J. Still and R.E. Taylor was married Oct the 13th A.D. 1853
Mathew T. Taylor and E.A. Neighbours was married Nov. 15th, 1855.
W.F. Taylor and A.C. Braughton was married Aug the 28th A.D. 1856
S.L. Stack and E.A. Taylor was married Nov. 28th 1860
George Taylor and Nancy Cooper were married Oct. 4th A.D. 1796

BIRTHS
George Taylor was born Jan 3rd AD 1773
Nancy Taylor was born April 4th AD 1776
George Taylor and Nancy Cooper werw married Oct 4th 1796
Casper Taylor was born July 11th 1797
William Taylor was born Aug. 13th, 1799
Isaac Taylor was born Jan 27th, 1802
Polly Taylor was born Nov 1st 1804
Caty Taylor was born Aug 9th, 1810
Rebecca Taylor was born May 18th, 1813
Calvin Morrison was born Dec 10th 1821
Children of John B and Mary Ta (torn away, this would be Mary
Frances)
William
Charles Herbit Sept 1857
John H. Taylor was born Nov 25
Thomas W. Taylor born Oct the 1st, 1872
James H. Taylor was born was born April the 27th, 1877
Serril E. Taylor was born Jan the 25th 1880
Evvy May was born Oct 31st 1882
Harris Taylor was born July 30th AD 1807
Nancy Taylor was born Oct 10th AD 1805
John B. Taylor was born Aug the 4th AD 1829
Matthew T. Taylor was born Aug the 28th AD 1831
Wesley F. Taylor was born Nov the 3rd AD 1833
Rachel E. Taylor was born Oct the 22nd AD 1835
Mary A Taylor was born March the 22nd AD 1837
Elizabeth A Taylor was born May the 31st AD 1841
George R.P. Taylor was born Oct the 15th AD 1845
Allis V. Taylor was born Aug the 30th AD 1857
Nancy Marget Stack Nov the 4, 1867


DEATHS
(part of page gone)...per Taylor, departed life Dec 27th, 1837
.................................ill Taylor, departed life Aug 14th,
1841
................................Taylor, departed life Feb 16, 1842
.......................thy Self, departed life June 21st, 1849
...ary A. Taylor, the ..... of J.B. Taylor, departed life Nov 1, 1857
......B. Taylor departed life the 11th April, 1863
S.L. Stack departed this life Dec 4th 1862
Racheal E. Still departed this life July 20th 1864
E.H. Taylor departed this life Dec the 15th 1878
Harrays Taylor departed this life Aug 21st, 1852 (Benton Co. Alabama)

George Taylor departed this life Sept 12th 1854
George F.P. Taylor departed this life June the 19th 1864
Elizabeth A. Stack departed this life Feb 22nd 1865
Eliza A. Taylor departed this life June the 5th in the year 1867
Abigale C. Taylor, wife of W.F. Taylor, departed this life Nov 27th,
1857
Mattis V. Taylor, departed this life March 27th AD 1876

- sworn a exact copy by Mrs. Joe W. Evans 8 Jan 1958 and notarized.
- Miss Busby notes that the children of George and Nancy Taylor lived in

Benton, now Calhoun Co. Alabama and Jefferson Co. Alabama

William Thomas Hamby Obituary

This is the obituary of Grandpa Hamby's brother, who was also a Methodist preacher. Both pastors are Taylor descendants. He is buried at Valhalla in Midfield, Alabama.