North and South

Stories and Genealogy of Theodore Charles Anderson and Sara Carlene Shuttleworth

Shipwrecked

The story of one Irby Family Line in America

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Contents:
	Dr. William Irby (1625-1687 Dr. Joshua Irby (1666-1746) Joshua⁽²⁾ Irby, Jr. (1705-1755) Patriot Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾ Irby (1728-1781) Patriot Grief Irby (1765-1781) What happened to "Bloody Bill" after the Massacre at Hayes Station Carter Irby (1768-1837) Joseph Lafayette⁽³⁾ Irby (1797-1883) Henderson Irby (1824-1867) James Pleasent Irby (1847-1915) Tune "Finlandia" References

Dr. William Irby (1625-1687)
In about 1595, the long line of descendents of Ivo de Taillebois (visit Ivo de Taillebois) led eventually to the birth of William Irby, the Elder (Ted's 9th Great Grandfather) in Devonshire, England. William, the Elder had 5 children, 2 girls, Wilmouth and Patience and 3 boys, Edmund, William (Ted's 8th Great Grandfather), and Nichols. Nothing is known about Wilmouth, Patience, Edmund or Nichols, but a lot is known about William. At the age of 21, William decided to try his fortune in the new American Colony of Virginia. He left England in 1651 aboard a fleet of three ships, which were wrecked in a hurricane off the coast of Barbados. William survived the shipwreck and lived in Barbados for three years while they tried to put together one good ship from the wreckage of the original 3. They managed to do it and William finally arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in about 1655. While in Barbados, he apparently lived with or became a good fried of the pirate Captain Francis Morgan. He is listed in the Barbados Wills and Administrations as a witness in 1653 to a will being made by Captain Morgan. Captain Morgan had a son named John who was a surgeon and had been schooled in England. This is probably where William Irby picked up his medical training because the English Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons has no record of a Doctor William Irby ever attending any medical school in England, and their records go back to the 1400's! When William finally got to Virginia, he built his home not far from Jamestown, where the James and Appomattox Rivers meet, near Turkey Island. Shortly thereafter (in 1659) he married Ann Blunt who was only 15 at the time, half his age. He was 34. The Blunts were a well-established family in Jamestown, having come there with the original settlers in 1607. There is a story that in 1665 he was begged to come to the aid of a sick child. He was preparing to leave when Colonel Edward Hill, the county sheriff, arrived at the Irby plantation. He wanted to press Irby's horse into service to look for a run-away slave. Dr. Irby refused to allow the horse to be taken because he had to go to the aid of the sick child. When the Colonel insisted, William threatened him with his sword waving it menacingly at the sheriff. Their language soon became "opprobrious." Before long the officer had his pistol pressed firmly against the doctor's chest and it seemed that one would surely die. Thanks to the intervention of one of the Colonel's men, the problem was settled with the doctor allowing the horse to be taken as long as the colonel was not the one to ride it. Had the Colonel pulled the trigger that July day the following saga would have never occurred and one of the great American family histories of triumph and tragedy would never have been weaved. In the late 1670's, Nathaniel Bacon, led a revolt in Virginia. He led many colonists who were angry about the way they felt the then Governor Berkeley was siding with the Indians and preventing the colonists from moving into the western frontier. The revolt may well have succeeded had not Bacon died of an illness. Berkeley had fled and his wife had been kidnapped but Bacon's death soon spelled disaster to the poorly led rebels and they were quickly were subdued. Governor Berkeley went on a horrible rampage following the conflict putting many to death that he felt had been involved in the insurrection. King Charles II was bewildered in the way his far-away Governor had reacted and said that Berkeley had killed more people for their part in the revolt than he had for the beheading of his father (Charles I by Cromwell). Henry Isham (remember the name Isham - it comes up many times in this tail) was a leader in the revolt and he died for his part. He was a good friend of Bacon's and probably a good friend of William Irby too. Certainly the doctor must have fought beside Bacon and Isham but he apparently lived at least 2 years after the revolt was crushed. The last record that suggests Dr. William was still alive was written in 1679 when he brought suit to collect a debt. All three of the doctor's sons followed in their father's occupation. Doctors; William, Jr., Edmund, and Joshua Irby (Ted's 7th Great Grandfather), tried to heal the many agonies that afflicted the early residents of Virginia.

Dr. Joshua Irby (1666-1746)
Dr. Joshua Irby (Ted's 7th Great Grandfather) was the 3rd son of Dr. William Irby. In 1688, Joshua Irby sued his older brother, William, for failing to give him his inheritance from his father, Dr. William Irby's estate, since the 1st of October (1687). It is likely that Joshua had just turned 21 at that time so he was probably born in October of 1666. Joshua was a very unpleasant and cantankerous fellow. He seems to always either suing someone else or being sued himself. He married Elizabeth Ludson in 1694. Somehow they managed to have 9 children together, 5 boys and 4 girls. Joshua didn't seem to have liked any of them very much. They were: Anthony (1696-1786) John (1697-1761) Sarah (1698-????) Mary Ann (1701-1755) Penelope (1703-1800) Joshua⁽²⁾, Jr. (Ted's 6th Great Grandfather) (1705-1755) Peter (1709-1794) William (1710-1774) Elizabeth (1718-????) You can get a glimpse of his rather unpleasant personality from the numerous records of him that have survived. In 1692, he was fined a shilling for swearing. In 1716, James Westbrook appealed to the courts saying that he was a servant of Dr. Joshua⁽¹⁾ Irby and that he was being illegally held in bondage. Apparently, James was some kind of indentured servant. The court agreed with Westbrook and Joshua had to release him and pay him 5 shillings. The next year, John Westbrook, James' brother, went to court again, this time on behalf of Henry and Margaret Westbrook, James Westbrook's brother and sister. He claimed that Joshua unlawfully was detaining them too and that he abused them in the most violent and gross manner. The court agreed and ordered them to be released. Elizabeth Ludson Irby died in about 1720. A few years later, when he was about 60, Joshua⁽¹⁾ married a second time to a woman named Jane, last name unknown. Joshua⁽¹⁾ lived most of his life in Prince George County, Virginia but, about 1721 after Elizabeth had died, he moved to Cedar Creek on the North Side of the Appomattox River in what today is Chesterfield County. He received grants for land where the Great Branch enters Waqua Creek in Brunswick County but does not appear to have ever lived there himself. Apparently, Joshua didn't get along well with any of his children but really ticked them off when he wrote his will on August 28, 1745. In that will, he left almost everything to his grandchildren and little or nothing to his own offspring. His sons, John and Peter, and his daughters, Mary Ann (who had married Thomas Nathaniel Dewberry) and Sarah (who had married George Worsham, IV) received some land and a few slaves from the estate, but his grandchildren by Anthony, Mary Ann, and Sarah all received the bulk of his fortune. He left his 5^th son, William, a mere shilling. He also left his son Joshua⁽²⁾, Jr. one shilling and added that it was his desire that he be put out of his house by the end of November of that year. He left his daughter, Penelope (who had married Nathaniel Parrot), the things that she already had and added that "is more than she does deserve". The biggest blow came to his oldest son, Anthony, who was left absolutely nothing! The will caused a huge uproar among those children who felt they had been cheated. William, his 5^th and last son in particular, was so incensed that he sent his attorney, a certain Mr. Hayles, to court to stop the horrible will from being probated. The court gave William a month to appear in court himself to show why the will should not be allowed. A month later he did just that, but not to the satisfaction of the court and the will was recorded. Anthony, John, and Penelope hired their own lawyers to fight the will naming their stepmother, Jane Irby, as defendant. They all lost and the will stood as written.

Joshua⁽²⁾ Irby, Jr. (1705-1755)
Joshua⁽²⁾ Irby, Jr. (Ted's 6^th Great Grandfather) was the 2^nd son of Dr. Joshua Irby. Few traces have survived of Joshua⁽²⁾, Jr. who was kicked out of his father's house by his will of 1745. He was 40 years old at the time and it was probably way past due for him to leave home anyway. Perhaps his father was justified in kicking him out, since it appears that he was a ner-do-well who apparently had 5 children, 3 boys and 2 girls, all out of wedlock by a woman named Mary Blyth. Joshua⁽²⁾, Jr. apparently didn't live with her, never married her and never took care of any of his children. He must have been a real sweet guy. No wonder his dad threw him out. The children by Mary Blyth were: Sarah (1725-????) Patriot Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾ (1728-1781) Joshua⁽³⁾, Jr. (1730-1808) Wilmouth (1732-1805) William (17??-1766) The first solid record of him in Bristol Parish declares, "Feb. 17, 1730, Joshua, son of Joshua Irby, Jr. born to Mary Blyth." March 5th, 1732, the toddler was bound to Peter Gill. In 1732, Mary Blyth was a witness to Joseph Gill's will. He was Peter's father. In March of 1739, when the boy, Joshua⁽³⁾, Jr., had turned a mere 9 years old, the vestry of Dale Parish ordered him to be bound out to learn a trade. The record described him as an orphan boy. Joshua⁽²⁾ Irby, Jr. is mentioned in Amelia and Henrico county records. When his father died in 1746, he was living in Henrico (Chesterfield). After being evicted, he probably continued to live in Chesterfield (formed from Henrico) until his death, which must have occurred there in about 1755. Jane Irby, Joshua, Jr.'s, stepmother died that same year.

Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾ Irby (1728-1781)
Patriot Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾ Irby (Ted's 5th Great Grandfather) was the first illegitimate son of Joshua Irby, Jr. and Mary Blyth. Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾ moved with his younger brother William (1734-1766) from Bristol Parish, Prince George Co., VA into North Carolina in the late 1740's. William was 16 or 17 at the time. This was probably after their grandfather Dr. Joshua Irby had died and left them a substantial portion of his estate. (Remember that their father, Joshua, Jr. was kicked out of the house by his father and inherited only 1 shilling.) He married a girl named Mary Frances Carter (1736-1798) in 1757. They had 7 (maybe 8) children, 6 (maybe 7) boys and a girl. There is considerable question about the parentage of 1 of the boys, Grief. They were: William Carter (1760-1828) Joseph Lafayette⁽²⁾, Jr. (1765-1781) Grief (1765-1781) (he probably wasn't their son. Visit the section below, Patriot Grief Irby) Pleasant (1766-????) Henry (1767-1793) Carter (1768-1837) (Ted's 4th Great Grandfather) Moses (1771-1848) Elizabeth (1778-????) When Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾'s younger brother, William, died about 1766 at the age of 22 (probably killed by Indians), he moved his family to Halifax County, Virginia where "you couldn't walk ten feet without bumping into an Irby". He lived along Terrible Creek and was there when the American Revolution began. Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾'s oldest son, William Carter Irby, immediately joined the Continental Army and served under General George Washington. He survived that horrible winter at Valley Forge (vist Valley Forge). While William Carter was off fighting with George Washington, his father moved the family south to South Carolina. They settled along the Saluda River in the backcountry in what would later become Newberry County. The land that Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾ Irby settled on was on a branch of Long River called Simmon's Creek, which was in Laurens County near the line with Newberry. Their next-door neighbor was Captain James Henderson who apparently had the most beautiful daughters in the neighborhood. The beautiful daughters of Capt. James and Ann Henderson seemed to have captured the hearts of three of the Irby boys: William Carter, Henry, and Carter (more about that later). The Hendersons had come to South Carolina several years before the Irbys. They came from Granville County, N.C. where their family had been very prominent. An uncle or brother of James Henderson was a general in the revolution. He was named Pleasant Henderson. That's where the names "Pleasant" and "Henderson", that were used by the Irby's many times, including Ted's Great Grandfather, came from. Across the river lived Thomas and Lucy Elliott (remember this name). The Elliotts had obtained their property in 1774, just before the Revolution began. Many think that she was really the mother of Grief Irby who was among those butchered at Hayes Station. There were more Tories in that region of South Carolina than there were Whigs, so Joseph and his older sons sought safety in numbers and joined the militia. One of the duties of the militia was to round up the wives of known Tories and hall them off to Charleston, a Tory city. For this, the Tories hated them. Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾ was a member of a group who called themselves "the Rangers". He fought under the command of Colonel James Williams. Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾ probably fought in the battle of King's Mountain where Colonel Williams was killed (visit Blacksburg, SC). Joseph Hayes took over the command and the company returned to the Ninety Six District of South Carolina after the battle. On a chilly autumn day, November 19, 1781, Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾ and his son, Joseph Lafayette⁽²⁾, Jr., found themselves surrounded by Tories under the command of "Bloody Bill" Cunningham. The handful of men was trapped in a stone inn, known as Hayes Station. Though they were outnumbered and surrounded, they refused to surrender. Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾ and his son were among those who paid a horrible price for their resistance. Choking and half dead they finally fled their refuge after Cunningham's men had succeeded in setting it ablaze by throwing burning rags soaked in grease onto the roof. Many of the men on both sides had grown up together in Virginia, but war had removed any feelings of friendship and pity that they might have had at one time. Almost all of the captives, including the Joseph Lafayette and his son, were hacked to death by Tory swords. Perhaps a man named Matt Love slaughtered the two as he is given credit for running his sword through fourteen dead and dying Whigs. Amid the blood were sixteen mutilated bodies. Another Irby, named Grief, was also butchered that day. He was only 15. Grief was either one of Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾'s sons or, more likely, a nephew, probably the son of Lucy Elliott, who was likely a remarried Irby widow. After the massacre, family members came to the site and buried the bodies of their beloved martyrs in a mass grave and erected a monument to their memory. The monument is still there. Hayes Station Monument Thankfully, several of Joseph Lafayette's sons were not there that fateful day which occurred after Cornwallis had already surrendered at Yorktown. According to tradition, the oldest son William Carter was off getting water from a nearby stream when the fighting began and was spared. He was later appointed Captain of the militia survivors. At least four of Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾ and Frances' other sons were too young to fight during the revolution. They were: Pleasant (16), Henry (14), Carter (13) (Ted's 4th Great Grandfather), and Moses (10) Irby. (Their ages at the time of the Hayes Massacre.) In 1782, a year after the massacre, William Carter married Henrietta Ritter Henderson (1762-1825). We don't know what happened to Pleasant, but we do know that Henry married Mary Polly Henderson, Carter married her sister Nancy Ann Henderson and Moses later married Elvira Smith, when he moved to Sumter, Co., Ala. Thus, 3 of Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾'s sons married the 3 beautiful Henderson sisters.

Patriot Grief Irby (1765-1781)
When Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾ Irby and his son were killed at Hayes Station, there was another Irby killed that horrible day. His name was Grief Irby. He was about 15 years old. His name was not placed beside that of Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾ Irby and his son Joseph Lafayette⁽²⁾, Jr., on the monument to those butchered at Hayes Station. Rather, his name is inscribed several patriots away from the two. Since the monument was erected by James Henderson Irby, the famous grandson of Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾, this was probably done on purpose to show that he was not Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾'s son. The widow, Frances Irby, collected payments for her husband Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾ and her son, but nothing for Grief. Grief's executor was Lucy Elliott, the wife of Thomas Elliott. She was probably his mother and very likely the widow of young William who had come to North Carolina with his brother Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾ and had died there at the age of 22. There was a definite relationship between the Elliotts and Irbys. They lived side-by-side in Halifax County, Virginia and Elliott had even attended Colonel William Carter Irby's land next to the land of his father, Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾ Irby while he was away fighting with General Washington at Valley Forge. When they moved to South Carolina, they again lived side-by-side. William Carter Irby was named as a security when the Elliotts were given the right to sell the estate. The name "Grief" The name Grief is one that appears to have had its beginning in America with a boy by the name of Grief Randolph. When Henry Randolph died in 1726, before his twins were born, his anguished widow, Elizabeth Eppes Randolph, named her babies, Grief and Mourning (a daughter). Her great sorrow is painfully obvious from the fact that she never remarried and lived as Henry's widow until she died fifty years later. Elizabeth Epes Randolph was the granddaughter of Katherine Isham (remember that name from Williams Irby's early neighbors on Turkey Island) and she was mentioned in her grandmother's will. Grief Randolph married Mary Eppes, the daughter of Henrietta Maria Epes. "Henrietta Maria" was a name that Charles Irby chose for one of his daughters. Two of Grief Randolph's sons were named Isham and Henry, names that are found frequently in the relatives of Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾ Irby. Lucy Elliott must have been married to an Irby man before her marriage to Thomas Elliott. He must have died and she had a posthumous son by him for whom she chose to name "Grief" as Elizabeth Epes had before her.

What happened to "Bloody Bill" Cunningham after the Massacre at Hayes Station
After the massacre at Hayes Station, "Bloody Bill" was constantly on the run, with the Patriots right on his tail most of the time. His massacre at Hayes Station and other equally as bloody assaults had aroused the whole Whig population (his nickname "Bloody Bill" was well deserved). By the next day the Patriot Colonel Samuel Hammond was in hot pursuit. Even though they were running for their lives, Cunningham’s company of 300 men managed to stay pretty much together for a couple of weeks. It was then that the Patriot General Butler, who was brother of one and father of another of those killed at Hayes Station, took over command of the pursuit. He caught up with Cunningham, almost all by himself. The bulk of his troops were miles behind. You could say the General Butler was a man driven by vengeance. Butler was vastly outnumbered and had to wait for the rest of his troops to catch up. Before they could reach him, Cunningham got away. Breaking his group into small parties, he and his followers plunged into the pine barrens and swamps of Edisto Country. By different routes, they all reached Charleston, which was a Tory sanctuary city at that time. From then on, Butler and his company relentlessly chased Cunningham, almost getting him several times. On one occasion, Butler had kept nearly equal pace with Cunningham, but the rest of his troups couldn't keep up. In the midst of the pursuit, Cunningham's horse got sunk in a mire. While he was struggling out of it, Cunningham got away. Again Butler's vengeance for a father's and brother's blood was prevented from being satisfied. Yet another time, it is said, Butler single-handedly pursued Cunningham for miles; each of their horses, straining every nerve, run in jockey style, nose to tail. Butler was often near enough to have shot Cunningham's horse, thus disabling him; but this his generous nature forbade. The rider, not the steed was the object of his vengeance. Cunningham’s pistol was often thrown over his shoulder and shot at his pursuer. At length Butler's horse sunk into a hole in the woods, and before he could again resume pursuit, Cunningham was gone. Butler never did catch him. After the 2nd Peace of Paris, signed on September 13, 1783, the Loyalists such as Cunningham had to get out of the new Republic of America. All of their lands were confiscated and many were tried for treason. Over 250,000 of them fled. Most went to Canada or back to England, but Cunningham decided to flee to Florida, which had been ceded to Spain by the British in the Treaty of Paris. He remained in Florida until 1785 when, owing to some kind of a dispute between some of the English Loyalists and the Spanish authorities, he was arrested and sent to Cuba. Somehow, he managed to get out of there and wound up in the Bahamas. In October 1786, while in the Bahamas, Cunningham made a claim to the British Crown for compensation for the properties he had lost in the Americas. His former property is listed in the South Carolina Royal Gazette Confiscations List of 20 March 1782. There is no record that his claim was ever granted. He lived to an old age, all by himself and died in his own bed in the Bahamas. No one mourned his passing.

Carter Irby (1768-1837)
Carter Irby (Ted's 4th Great Grandfather) was the 5th son of Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾ Irby. He was 13 at the time of the Hayes Station massacre. Carter married the youngest of the 3 Henderson sisters, Nancy Ann (1667-1860) in 1788. He was 20 and she was 19 at the time. The wide-open lands of Tennessee led Carter there around 1805. He settled along Cedar and Spring Creeks in Warren County and flooded the area with Irbys. By the time he moved there, he and Nancy Ann already had 5 children, including Ted's 3^rd Great Grandfather, Joseph Lafayette⁽³⁾. Three more kids were born in Tennessee. Their children were: Pleasant (1790-1863) John (1791-1870) Joseph Lafayette⁽³⁾ (1797-1867) (Ted's 3rd Great Grandfather) Patsy (1798-????) Henry (1800-1856) Frances (1805-????) James (1806-????) Wiley Silas (1807-1866) Carter's eldest son, Pleasant, was born September 15, 1790. He was named for General Pleasant Henderson, the Revolutionary ancestor on his mother's side of the family. Like many of his relatives, Pleasant Irby took up his rifle and fought in the War of 1812, but he died in 1863, just after the outbreak of the Civil War. He was much too old to have fought in it himself, but may well have been one of the civilian casulties. He married Kessiah Lambert and they later moved to Mississippi. They settled in Yalobusha and Grenada counties where Pleasant died Aug. 23, 1863. One of his sons, Joseph Lafayette⁽⁴⁾ Irby (1825-1877), developed a formula called "The Universal Rule for Calculating Interest" that became very important to banking in those days. At least one member of the DAR has entered using Pleasant's line going back to the original Joseph Lafayette⁽¹⁾ Irby who was killed at Hayes Station.

Joseph Lafayette⁽³⁾ Irby (1824-1887)
Joseph Lafayette⁽³⁾ Irby (Ted's 3rd Great Grandfather) was the 3rd son of Carter Irby. He married Sara (Sally) Horsley (1803-????) in Summer County, TN on May 19, 1819. They had 10 children, all born about 2 years apart in Tennessee between 1822 and 1843. She must have been a very busy mother. They were: Nancy (1822-????) Henderson (1824-1867) (Ted's 2^nd Great Grandfather) Martha (1826-????) Sophia (1826-????) Jane (1830-????) Joseph Lafayett⁽⁵⁾ (1832-????) Henry Carter (1835-????) Catherine (1839-????) Robert (1840-????) Francis Marrion (1843-????) Most of the Irby boys stayed in Tennessee, but Henderson, the eldest, moved to Yalobusha County, Mississippi. It turns out that there were lots of Irbys there in Mississippi too, so he wasn't without close relatives nearby. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, all 5 of Joseph Lafayette⁽³⁾'s boys were the right age to serve, and some of their children too. The Civil War records show that: Henderson served as a Private in Company F, 12^th Mississippi Infantry Joseph Lafayette⁽⁵⁾ was a 1^st Lieutenant in the 45^th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry Henry Carter was the Captain of Company D, 9^th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry Robert was a Sergeant in the 7^th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry Francis Marrion was a Private in Company K, 8^th Tennessee Cavalry, Smith's Unit James Pleasant (Henderson's son) was a Private in Company I, 7^th Battalion, Mississippi Infantry Lots of other Irby boys served in the Confederacy too. The Civil War Records of soldiers shows that: 36 Irbys served from Virginia, 16 Irbys served from North Carolina, 21 Irbys served from South Carolina, 18 Irbys served from Georgia, 13 Irbys served from Alabama 19 Irbys served from Tennessee, 42 Irbys served from Mississippi, 6 Irbys served from Louisiana, and 19 Irbys served from Texas ____ 190 Total There were only 3 Irbys that we know of, who served for the Union. They all came from northwestern Tennessee Many of them died, some survived. Those that weren't killed in battle, died from sicknesses such as typhoid and measles, which was one of the greatest killers during the war. All of the Tennessee Irbys fought at the Battle of Franklin, on November 30, 1864. Visit The Battle of Franklin for a narrative of that terrible battle where the Army of Tennessee was decimated and the war in the South was lost.

Henderson Irby (1824-1867)
Henderson Irby (Ted's 2nd Great Grandfather) was the 1^st son of Joseph Lafayette⁽³⁾ Irby. He was named after the Revolutionary General Pleasant Henderson. Henderson married Althea Jane Gibson (1825-1880) in Wilson County, Tennessee on Jan 27, 1845. He immediately moved with his new bride to Yalobusha County, Mississippi. There were lots of Irbys there so he must have known everyone. They only had 3 children, which was somewhat unusual for the Irbys. They usually sired a whole bunch of kids. Their kids were: James Pleasant (1847-1915) (Ted's Great Grandfather) Josephine (1854-????) Charles (1867-????) Both Henderson and his son, James Pleasant, fought in the Civil War and both survived, but Henderson didn't live much past it. He died in Mississippi in 1867.

James Pleasant Irby (1847-1915)
James Pleasant Irby (Ted's Grandfather) was the 1^st son of Henderson and Althea Jane Gibson. He was born in Yalobusha, Mississippi on Oct 15, 1847. James Pleasant married Elizabeth Jane Tribble (1849-1905) on September 11, 1866 in Yalobusha, Mississippi, just after the end of the Civil War. In keeping with the Irby tradition, they had 9 children. (The Irbys had lots of kids.) Elizabeth Jane was the daughter of William C. Tribble (1821-1867) and Sara Wilkinson (1828-1880) who was a full blooded Cherokee Indinan. There is a picture of Elizabeth Jane somewhere that we have seen with her long black hair all the way down her back but we don't know where it is. The 1870 Census shows them living in Yalobusha County, Mississippi, but by 1880 they had moved to Garland County, Arkansas. They were in Big Rock Township, Pulaski County, Arkansas from 1900 until James Pleasant died in 1915. James Pleasant and Elizabeth Jane's children were: James (1867-????) William Thomas (1869-????) Ella Eugenia (Ballew) (1870-1960) Katherine Susan Sarah (Kate) (1872-1929) (Ted's Grandmother) Mary V. (1876-1902) Barry Jackson (1879-1959) Josephine M. (1881-????) Madeline N. (1886-????) Etta B. (1888-1935) Two of the other girls, Josephine and Madeline, must have died as infants because they don't show up in any of the Census records, but Ella, Kate, Mary and Etta do. Here is a picture of Ella and Kate taken sometime around 1877. It looks like Ella was about 7 and Kate about 5 at the time. Ella and Kate Here is a picture of the three older girls probably taken about 1901. Mary died at the age of 26 in 1902, so the picture was taken shortly before her death. All three girls were married at the time: Ella to Marc Calvin, Kate to Raleigh Miller Black and Mary to a man named Murry. The Irby Girls, Ella Kate and Mary, circa 1901 We don't know what happened to James or William Thomas Irby. More research is required to find them. It's a lot easier to find information about people who are long gone than those who are still or recently were with us. Ella Eugenia married a man named Marc Calvin. They had 3 daughters: Pearl, Ruby and Mary. Mary had at least 1 daughter named Marjorie. Kate Irby married Raleigh Miller Black on May 15, 1900 in Pulaski County, Arkansas. Visit The Typesetter for their story. We know that Barry Jackson Irby married and had children because we visited him and his family just before he died in Long Beach, CA in 1959. More research is needed here too. Etta married a man named John C. Ward and they had at least 1 child named John Irby Ward. They seem to have stayed in Arkansas.

Tune "Finlandia" by Sibelius
Finlandia is a symphonic poem by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The first version was written in 1899, and it was revised in 1900. The piece was composed for a patriotic pageant performed to mobilise popular opposition to the revocation of Finnish independence from the government of the Russian Empire (see Grand Duchy of Finland for further historical context). A recurrent joke within Finland at this time was the renaming of Finlandia at various musical concerts so as to avoid Russian censorship. Titles under which the piece masqueraded were numerous, a famously flippant example being Happy Feelings at the awakening of Finnish Spring. Most of the piece is taken up with rousing and turbulent music, evoking the national struggle of the Finnish people. But towards the end, a calm comes over the orchestra, and the serenely melodic Finlandia Hymn is heard. Often incorrectly cited as a traditional folk melody, the Hymn section is of Sibelius' own creation.[1] Sibelius later reworked the Finlandia Hymn into a stand-alone piece. This hymn, with words written in 1941 by Veikko Antero Koskenniemi, is one of the most important national songs of Finland (though Maamme is the national anthem). With different words, it is also sung as a Christian hymn (Be Still, My Soul), and was the national anthem of the short-lived African state of Biafra (Land of the Rising Sun). In William Saroyan's story "Finlandia", he writes about his love for the music, and a meeting with Sibelius. Finlandia is also named in his most famous short story, "The Daring Young Man On The Flying Trapeze". The 1990 film Die Hard 2 ends with Finlandia (the director, Renny Harlin is Finnish[2]).

References:
Most of the material presented here was taken from the book "Irby, An American Saga" written by Dennis Moore (Ted's 6th cousin). Dennis has also written "Irby Records Prior to 1800" and "The Irby Family". Another tremendous source of information about the Irbys is Eldon Irby of Lubbock, TX (Ted's 6th cousin, once removed). He has researched the Irbys for the past 35 years and is an authority on the subject Hayes Station Massacre, November 17, 1781 (well after British Surrender at Yorktown VA) Col. Joseph Hayes and 25 men vs. Bloody Bill Cunningham and 300 men. The patriots were subjected to true treachery and brutality which is among the worst cases recorded in American History. In southern Laurens County there is a DAR marker on 1-acre of county land comorating this event. From Clinton take SC 56 seven miles to Old Milton Road, turn right, and approximately 2 miles to the very bottom of the hill. Turn right just before Simmons Creek, onto Williams Road. Go past the end of the pavement onto the gravel road to the top of hill to a Granite DAR marker behind a wrought-iron fence which marks site of both Hayes Station (the Block House itself was burned to the ground) and the Mass Grave where all but three victims are buried. (DAR, SCN 43-44). http://www.civilwar.nps.gov/cwss/soldiers.cfm


This page and all genealogical data contained on it are Copyrighted © 2007 by Theodore C. Anderson